A
(2021·湖北省荆门市高三联考)
Mary Anning was an English fossil collector, dealer and paleontologist(古生物学家). Her fossil-hunting helped change the way people thought about the world.
Mary was born into a poor family in England on May 21, 1799. She lived in the seaside town of Lyme Regis, in Dorset. The family had nine children. Only Mary and her brother Joseph grew up. Mary's father took his children along the beach. They picked up shells and stones to sell to visitors. Mary did not go to school much. Her family was too poor. And schools did not teach children about fossils. Mary could read and write. She taught herself. She learned about rocks and how bodies are made.
In 1811 when Mary and Joseph were fossil hunting, Joseph saw a bone sticking out of the rock. Mary had a hammer to chip away at the rock. Very carefully she uncovered it. She found the first complete fossil of the ichthyosaur(鱼龙)．
Since then, Mary became crazy about fossil hunting. She liked to hunt on the beach after a storm. The wind, rain and waves made the rocks crumble. It was easy to spot fossils. Most days Mary went fossil hunting with her dog, Tray.
Rich friends helped Mary by selling fossils for her. They sent her money. Scientists wrote letters and came to see her. One good friend was William Buckland, a professor at Oxford University. Mary also opened a shop to sell fossils, stones and shells. She chatted with visitors.
Mary Anning died in 1847. How evolution(进化)works was explained by Charles Darwin not long after Mary died. Her fossils had helped scientists understand how things began.
文章大意：这是一篇人物传记。短文叙述了英国化石收藏家、商人和古生物学家玛丽·安宁的故事。
1．Why did Mary's father take his children along the beach？ B
A．To enjoy life.
B．To make a living.
C．To look for fossils.
D．To teach them about fossils.
解析：推理判断题。由第二段“Mary was born into a poor family in England on May 21, 1799. Only Mary and her brother Joseph grew up. Mary's father took his children along the beach. They picked up shells and stones to sell to visitors.”可知，1799年5月21日，玛丽出生于英国一个贫穷的家庭。玛丽的父亲经常带着他的孩子们沿着海滩走。他们捡贝壳和石头卖给游客。所以玛丽的父亲带孩子们去海边是为了谋生。故选B项。
2．What can we learn about Mary？ D
A．Her father was a paleontologist.
B．Her father educated her at home.
C．She had nine brothers and sisters in all.
D．She might be popular at that time.
解析：推理判断题。由倒数第二段“Scientists wrote letters and came to see her. Mary also opened a shop to sell fossils, stones and shells. She chatted with visitors”可知，科学家写信要来拜访她。玛丽还开了一家商店出售化石、石头和贝壳且与到访的游客聊一些关于化石的信息。所以通过关键词“Scientists wrote letters and came to see her. She chatted with visitors.”可以判断出，在那个时候她很有名，很受欢迎。故选D项。
3．Who was the first one to catch sight of the rock containing the first complete ichthyosaur fossil？ D
A．Charles Darwin. B．Mary's dog.
C．Mary. D．Joseph.
解析：细节理解题。由第三段“In 1811 when Mary and Joseph were fossil hunting, Joseph saw a bone sticking out of the rock.”可知，1811年，当玛丽和约瑟夫在寻找化石时，约瑟夫看到一根骨头从岩石中伸出来了。所以约瑟夫是第一个看到含有第一个完整鱼龙化石的人。故选D项。
4．What does the underlined word “crumble” in the fourth paragraph means？ A
A．Break. B．Shake.
C．Float. D．Dive.
解析：词义猜测题。由第四段“She liked to hunt on the beach after a storm. The wind, rain and waves made the rocks crumble. It was easy to spot fossils.”可知，暴风雨过后她喜欢在海滩上寻找化石。风、雨、浪使岩石变得碎裂，很容易发现化石。所以通过上下文语境可以判断出第四段画线的“crumble”是break“破裂”的意思。故选A项。
