2014届高三英语二轮专题突击训练：短文阅读14.docVIP

2014届高三英语二轮专题突击训练：短文阅读14 阅读理解 The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the farming culture of China. In the farming economy (经济), oxen are the major animals pulling plows (犁)． Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as “boats_on_land” for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures. In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who live in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar (农历), and during their run they will take their oxen along，which indicates they regard the creature as human. Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation. [语篇解读]　牛年说牛，文章介绍了有关牛的一些民间文化。 1．The words “boats on land” underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to________. A. animals for taking goods B. creatures for pulling plows C. treasures of the folk culture D. tools in the farming economy [解析]　猜测词义题。由第二段中的“they are seen as...ability to carry loads”内容可以得出答案，介词for是对前面作解释说明：为什么牛被看成陆地之舟。 [答案]　A 2．From the third paragraph, we know that________. A. oxen are no more important today than in the past B. ceremonies are held when people co