中考趋势 V.语法填空
根据短文内容,在空格上填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
According to a report in Nature in January 2026, 1 small group of very smart dogs has amazed researchers. These dogs can learn the names of new objects just by 2 (listen) to people talk—and this is something only young children usually do.
3 most dogs, who only understand simple orders like "sit" or "stay", these gifted dogs can remember hundreds of toy names. Researchers tested ten such dogs. After they watched their owners chat with friends about new toys, seven 4 (ten) of the dogs could find the correct ones. This showed they could learn names just by listening 5 (quiet). Even more surprisingly, most of them still 6 (know) the toys even when they were hidden in closed boxes that you couldn't see through.
But how do they do it? 7 (science) don't fully know yet. What they do know is that these dogs give us a special chance 8 (understand) how animals—not humans—can pick up language-like skills. And this discovery is important because it shows that animal thinking is much 9 (difficult) to understand than people thought before. In fact, dogs may understand words not just by training, 10 by paying close attention to human conversations—just like children do.
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【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了一群非常聪明的狗让研究人员感到惊讶,这些狗可以通过听人们说话来学习新物体的名字,并且介绍了相关实验以及该发现的重要意义。
1. a 解析:根据“small group of very smart dogs”可知,此处表示一小群狗,“a small group of”表示“一小群”。故填 a。
2. listening 解析:根据“by”可知,此处用“by doing sth”表示“通过做某事”,因此用“listen”的动名词形式“listening”。故填 listening。
3. Unlike 解析:根据“most dogs, who only understand simple orders like 'sit' or 'stay', these gifted dogs can remember hundreds of toy names”可知,前后句为转折关系,因此用介词“unlike”表示“与……不同”,句首首字母大写。故填 Unlike。
4. tenths 解析:根据“seven ... of the dogs”可知,此处表示十分之七的狗,“十分之七”用“seven tenths”表示。故填 tenths。
5. quietly 解析:根据“listening”可知,此处用副词修饰动词,因此用“quiet”的副词形式“quietly”表示“安静地”。故填 quietly。
6. knew 解析:根据从句中的“were hidden(被隐藏)”和“couldn't see through(看不透)”可知,整个句子是在描述一个发生在过去的实验或观察。因此,主句的动词需要用一般过去时来保持时态的一致。know 意为“知道,认识”,其过去式为 knew。故填 knew。
7. Scientists 解析:根据“don't fully know yet”可知,此处缺少主语,且“don't”为原形,因此主语为复数且此处表示人,用 scientist,其复数形式为“scientists”,表示“科学家们”,句首首字母大写。故填 Scientists。
8. to understand 解析:根据“give us a special chance ... how animals—not humans—can pick up language-like skills”可知,此处表示特殊的机会来做某事,因此用“chance to do sth”表示“做某事的机会”,用“understand”的动词不定式形式“to understand”。故填 to understand。
9. more difficult 解析:根据“much”和“than”可知,此处用形容词的比较级形式,“difficult”的比较级为“more difficult”。故填 more difficult。
10. but 解析:根据“not just by training ... by paying close attention to human conversations”可知,此处表示“不仅……而且……”,用“not just ... but ...”表示。故填 but。

【分析】
做本题时，需先通读短文理解主旨大意，再结合空格前后的语境、语法规则、固定搭配逐一分析每个空：1. 考查固定搭配“a small group of”；2. 考查介词by后接动名词的用法；3. 考查表转折对比的介词；4. 考查分数的表达；5. 考查副词修饰动词；6. 考查时态一致（过去时）；7. 考查名词复数作主语；8. 考查不定式作定语（chance to do）；9. 考查形容词比较级（因有than和much）；10. 考查固定连词搭配“not just...but...”。
【解析】
1. 此处表示“一小群”，固定搭配为“a small group of”，故填a。
2. 介词by后需接动名词作宾语，构成“by doing sth”（通过做某事），故填listening。
3. 此处表“与大多数狗不同”，用介词Unlike，句首首字母大写，故填Unlike。
4. 分数表达“十分之七”为“seven tenths”，故填tenths。
5. 此处需副词修饰动词listening，quiet的副词形式为quietly，故填quietly。
6. 从句用一般过去时（were hidden），主句需保持时态一致，know的过去式为knew，故填knew。
7. 此处作主语，且谓语为原形don't，需用复数名词，scientist的复数为Scientists，句首大写，故填Scientists。
8. 固定搭配“chance to do sth”（做某事的机会），需用不定式to understand，故填to understand。
9. 由than和much可知，需用形容词比较级，difficult的比较级为more difficult，故填more difficult。
10. 固定搭配“not just...but...”（不仅……而且……），故填but。
【答案】
a; listening; Unlike; tenths; quietly; knew; Scientists; to understand; more difficult; but
【知识点】
冠词用法；非谓语动词；形容词比较级
【点评】
本题为中考英语语法填空典型题型，围绕聪明狗的语言学习能力展开，综合考查冠词、非谓语动词、数词、时态、比较级等基础语法知识，需学生结合语境与语法规则灵活运用，难度适中，能有效检测学生的语言运用能力。
【难度系数】
0.7