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五、阅读理解
In the Chinese zodiac, there are 12 animals, and the 4th animal is the rabbit; while in the Vietnamese zodiac, the 4th position is the cat. How the cat substituted for the rabbit in the Vietnamese zodiac is still the subject of debate.
Ancient storytellers said the Jade Emperor organized a race across a river for all the animals in the world. The first 12 to reach the other side would appear in the zodiac. In the Chinese version of the story, the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox when the rat pushed the cat into the water. The rat won the race, turning the two animals into enemies. That is why cats have been hunting rats ever since. However, in the Vietnamese version—which did not have a rabbit—the cat could swim and ended up arriving.
One possible explanation for replacing rabbit with cat might have to do with language. In old Chinese, there is a word tied to the sign of the rabbit that is pronounced mao. The pronunciation is similar to mèo, the Vietnamese word for cat.
Quyen Di, a lecturer at UCLA, said the custom has to do with the landscape of Vietnam. "Originally, the Chinese lived in the savanna area, while the Vietnamese lived in the lowland area. The people of the savanna prefer a nomadic life, close to the wilderness, and they chose the rabbit as an animal that lived in the wild fields. However, the lowland people of Vietnam consider rabbits as animals that are used for food and chose the cat because they believe cats are friends living in their houses."
So in 2023, many Vietnamese bought new cat-themed cases for their mobile phones. And one of the top Google searches in Vietnam was "Why is there no cat in the Chinese zodiac?".
(
A. depended on B. fought for C. took the place of D. played the role of
(
A. The Jade Emperor liked the cat better.
B. The rabbit fell into the river in the zodiac race.
C. The rat and the rabbit were enemies in ancient times.
D. The cat finished fourth by swimming across the river.
(
A. Their living environment. B. Their language pronunciation.
C. Their lifestyle of raising cats as pets. D. Their custom of hunting rabbits for food.
(
A. To explain the history of the Chinese zodiac.
B. To show ways of celebrating the Year of the Rabbit.
C. To show how popular traditional Chinese culture is.
D. To introduce the origin of the cat in the Vietnamese zodiac.
In the Chinese zodiac, there are 12 animals, and the 4th animal is the rabbit; while in the Vietnamese zodiac, the 4th position is the cat. How the cat substituted for the rabbit in the Vietnamese zodiac is still the subject of debate.
Ancient storytellers said the Jade Emperor organized a race across a river for all the animals in the world. The first 12 to reach the other side would appear in the zodiac. In the Chinese version of the story, the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox when the rat pushed the cat into the water. The rat won the race, turning the two animals into enemies. That is why cats have been hunting rats ever since. However, in the Vietnamese version—which did not have a rabbit—the cat could swim and ended up arriving.
One possible explanation for replacing rabbit with cat might have to do with language. In old Chinese, there is a word tied to the sign of the rabbit that is pronounced mao. The pronunciation is similar to mèo, the Vietnamese word for cat.
Quyen Di, a lecturer at UCLA, said the custom has to do with the landscape of Vietnam. "Originally, the Chinese lived in the savanna area, while the Vietnamese lived in the lowland area. The people of the savanna prefer a nomadic life, close to the wilderness, and they chose the rabbit as an animal that lived in the wild fields. However, the lowland people of Vietnam consider rabbits as animals that are used for food and chose the cat because they believe cats are friends living in their houses."
So in 2023, many Vietnamese bought new cat-themed cases for their mobile phones. And one of the top Google searches in Vietnam was "Why is there no cat in the Chinese zodiac?".
(
C
) 1. The underlined words "substituted for" in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by took the place of
.A. depended on B. fought for C. took the place of D. played the role of
(
D
) 2. What can we learn from the Vietnamese zodiac story?A. The Jade Emperor liked the cat better.
B. The rabbit fell into the river in the zodiac race.
C. The rat and the rabbit were enemies in ancient times.
D. The cat finished fourth by swimming across the river.
(
A
) 3. What made the Vietnamese choose the cat according to Quyen Di?A. Their living environment. B. Their language pronunciation.
C. Their lifestyle of raising cats as pets. D. Their custom of hunting rabbits for food.
(
D
) 4. What is the main purpose of the text?A. To explain the history of the Chinese zodiac.
B. To show ways of celebrating the Year of the Rabbit.
C. To show how popular traditional Chinese culture is.
D. To introduce the origin of the cat in the Vietnamese zodiac.
答案
1.C 2.D 3.A 4.D
解析
【分析】
1. 第1题是词义猜测题：结合第一段语境，中国生肖第四位是兔子，越南生肖第四位是猫，可推测“substituted for”表达“代替”的含义，再对比选项找出同义表达即可。
2. 第2题是细节理解题：定位到第二段越南版本的生肖故事，逐一核对选项，排除不符合原文的内容，筛选出符合故事描述的选项。
3. 第3题是细节理解题：定位到第四段Quyen Di的观点，明确他提出的越南选择猫的核心原因是生活环境，对应选项得出答案。
4. 第4题是主旨大意题：梳理全文逻辑，文章围绕越南生肖中猫取代兔子的多种起源说法展开，判断文章核心目的是介绍越南生肖中猫的起源。
【解析】
1. 第1题：
根据第一段“In the Chinese zodiac, there are 12 animals, and the 4th animal is the rabbit; while in the Vietnamese zodiac, the 4th position is the cat.”可知，越南生肖里的猫取代了中国生肖里兔子的位置。“substituted for”意为“代替”，选项A“depended on（依赖）”、B“fought for（为……斗争）”、D“played the role of（扮演……角色）”均不符合语义，C“took the place of（代替）”与其意思一致，故选C。
2. 第2题：
根据第二段“However, in the Vietnamese version—which did not have a rabbit—the cat could swim and ended up arriving.”以及第一段提到越南生肖第四位是猫，可知猫靠游过河完成比赛并位列第四。A选项“玉帝更喜欢猫”原文未提及；B选项“兔子掉进河里”是中国版本的内容，不属于越南版本；C选项“鼠和兔是敌人”原文无相关表述，故选D。
3. 第3题：
根据第四段Quyen Di的话“the custom has to do with the landscape of Vietnam... Originally, the Chinese lived in the savanna area, while the Vietnamese lived in the lowland area...”可知，他认为越南选择猫与他们的生活环境有关。B选项是语言发音相关的解释，并非Quyen Di的观点；C选项“把猫当宠物养的生活方式”原文未明确提及；D选项“捕猎兔子为食的习俗”不符合原文，原文仅提到越南人把兔子当作食物，并非捕猎习俗，故选A。
4. 第4题：
文章开篇提出越南生肖中猫取代兔子的话题，随后从古代故事、语言发音、生活环境三个方面介绍相关起源原因，最后补充2023年越南的相关现象，整体围绕越南生肖中猫的起源展开。A选项“解释中国生肖历史”并非文章重点；B选项“展示庆祝兔年的方式”原文未涉及；C选项“展示中国传统文化的受欢迎程度”不是文章核心目的，故选D。
【答案】
1.C 2.D 3.A 4.D
【知识点】
词义猜测、细节理解、主旨大意
【点评】
本文围绕越南生肖中猫取代兔子的现象展开，介绍了不同角度的起源说法，题目覆盖阅读理解常见题型，考查学生对文本细节的抓取、词义的推测以及主旨的归纳能力，解题时需精准定位原文内容，逐一分析选项的合理性。
【难度系数】
0.6
1. 第1题是词义猜测题：结合第一段语境，中国生肖第四位是兔子，越南生肖第四位是猫，可推测“substituted for”表达“代替”的含义，再对比选项找出同义表达即可。
2. 第2题是细节理解题：定位到第二段越南版本的生肖故事，逐一核对选项，排除不符合原文的内容，筛选出符合故事描述的选项。
3. 第3题是细节理解题：定位到第四段Quyen Di的观点，明确他提出的越南选择猫的核心原因是生活环境，对应选项得出答案。
4. 第4题是主旨大意题：梳理全文逻辑，文章围绕越南生肖中猫取代兔子的多种起源说法展开，判断文章核心目的是介绍越南生肖中猫的起源。
【解析】
1. 第1题：
根据第一段“In the Chinese zodiac, there are 12 animals, and the 4th animal is the rabbit; while in the Vietnamese zodiac, the 4th position is the cat.”可知，越南生肖里的猫取代了中国生肖里兔子的位置。“substituted for”意为“代替”，选项A“depended on（依赖）”、B“fought for（为……斗争）”、D“played the role of（扮演……角色）”均不符合语义，C“took the place of（代替）”与其意思一致，故选C。
2. 第2题：
根据第二段“However, in the Vietnamese version—which did not have a rabbit—the cat could swim and ended up arriving.”以及第一段提到越南生肖第四位是猫，可知猫靠游过河完成比赛并位列第四。A选项“玉帝更喜欢猫”原文未提及；B选项“兔子掉进河里”是中国版本的内容，不属于越南版本；C选项“鼠和兔是敌人”原文无相关表述，故选D。
3. 第3题：
根据第四段Quyen Di的话“the custom has to do with the landscape of Vietnam... Originally, the Chinese lived in the savanna area, while the Vietnamese lived in the lowland area...”可知，他认为越南选择猫与他们的生活环境有关。B选项是语言发音相关的解释，并非Quyen Di的观点；C选项“把猫当宠物养的生活方式”原文未明确提及；D选项“捕猎兔子为食的习俗”不符合原文，原文仅提到越南人把兔子当作食物，并非捕猎习俗，故选A。
4. 第4题：
文章开篇提出越南生肖中猫取代兔子的话题，随后从古代故事、语言发音、生活环境三个方面介绍相关起源原因，最后补充2023年越南的相关现象，整体围绕越南生肖中猫的起源展开。A选项“解释中国生肖历史”并非文章重点；B选项“展示庆祝兔年的方式”原文未涉及；C选项“展示中国传统文化的受欢迎程度”不是文章核心目的，故选D。
【答案】
1.C 2.D 3.A 4.D
【知识点】
词义猜测、细节理解、主旨大意
【点评】
本文围绕越南生肖中猫取代兔子的现象展开，介绍了不同角度的起源说法，题目覆盖阅读理解常见题型，考查学生对文本细节的抓取、词义的推测以及主旨的归纳能力，解题时需精准定位原文内容，逐一分析选项的合理性。
【难度系数】
0.6
