B
Swifts (雨燕) live mostly in the air. Their short feet are not good for walking or standing on land for long. To get used to life in the sky, swifts use their speed and their saliva (唾液).
Swifts can fly as fast as 69 miles per hour. That’s because their wings are like boomerangs (回力镖). This shape of the wings helps them to fly fast. Swifts can also move one wing faster than the other. It allows them to make sharp turns without slowing down. Making fast and sharp turns helps swifts catch flying insects to eat in the sky.
The saliva helps swifts catch insects to feed their young. It is sticky, like glue. Swifts often fly into clouds of insects and open their mouths wide to catch as many insects as they can. They collect insects in their mouths gradually (逐渐地) and hold the insects in a sticky ball of saliva. One ball like this can contain nearly 1,000 insects. Swifts also use their saliva as glue to build their nests. The birds catch feathers in the air and stick the feathers together to build a strong nest.
(
A. Why swifts’ wings are like boomerangs.
B. How swifts catch insects in the sky.
C. How swifts make sharp turns in the sky.
D. How swifts fly and turn fast in the sky.
(
A. The saliva.
B. The air.
C. The shape.
D. The speed.
(
A. They don’t usually live on land because of their wings.
B. They can fly for a long time because of their small bodies.
C. They can’t walk for a long time because of their short feet.
D. They can catch nearly 1,000 insects in one go with their saliva.
(
A. It helps the swifts walk on land for long.
B. It is used to help build strong nests.
C. It helps the swifts fly faster in the open air.
D. It is used to help keep the insects away.
(
A. The sky-living masters
B. The amazing small pets
C. The fastest speed
D. The special saliva
Swifts (雨燕) live mostly in the air. Their short feet are not good for walking or standing on land for long. To get used to life in the sky, swifts use their speed and their saliva (唾液).
Swifts can fly as fast as 69 miles per hour. That’s because their wings are like boomerangs (回力镖). This shape of the wings helps them to fly fast. Swifts can also move one wing faster than the other. It allows them to make sharp turns without slowing down. Making fast and sharp turns helps swifts catch flying insects to eat in the sky.
The saliva helps swifts catch insects to feed their young. It is sticky, like glue. Swifts often fly into clouds of insects and open their mouths wide to catch as many insects as they can. They collect insects in their mouths gradually (逐渐地) and hold the insects in a sticky ball of saliva. One ball like this can contain nearly 1,000 insects. Swifts also use their saliva as glue to build their nests. The birds catch feathers in the air and stick the feathers together to build a strong nest.
(
D
) 31. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?A. Why swifts’ wings are like boomerangs.
B. How swifts catch insects in the sky.
C. How swifts make sharp turns in the sky.
D. How swifts fly and turn fast in the sky.
(
A
) 32. What does the underlined word “It” refer to in Paragraph 3?A. The saliva.
B. The air.
C. The shape.
D. The speed.
(
C
) 33. Which of the following is true about swifts?A. They don’t usually live on land because of their wings.
B. They can fly for a long time because of their small bodies.
C. They can’t walk for a long time because of their short feet.
D. They can catch nearly 1,000 insects in one go with their saliva.
(
B
) 34. What is the use of the swifts’ saliva?A. It helps the swifts walk on land for long.
B. It is used to help build strong nests.
C. It helps the swifts fly faster in the open air.
D. It is used to help keep the insects away.
(
A
) 35. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?A. The sky-living masters
B. The amazing small pets
C. The fastest speed
D. The special saliva
答案：31.D 32.A 33.C 34.B 35.A
解析：
【分析】
这是一篇科普类英语阅读理解题，包含主旨大意、细节理解、词义猜测三类题型。解题思路为：1. 先通读全文，把握雨燕适应空中生活的核心内容；2. 针对每个问题，回到原文定位对应段落或句子，结合题干要求分析选项：主旨题需概括段落/全文核心，词义猜测题需结合上下文指代关系，细节题需比对原文与选项信息，标题题需贴合全文主旨。
【解析】
31. 本题考查段落主旨。第二段主要讲述雨燕飞行速度快的原因（翅膀形状）、单侧翅膀加速实现急转弯，这些都是雨燕飞行和快速转弯的方式，对应选项D。A仅涉及翅膀形状，是细节而非主旨；B是飞行和转弯的结果（抓昆虫），非本段核心；C仅提到转弯，不全面，故选D。
32. 本题考查词义猜测。第三段前句提到“The saliva helps swifts catch insects...”，后句说“It is sticky like glue”，可知It指代前文的saliva，故选A。
33. 本题考查细节理解。原文第一段明确提到“Their short feet are not good for walking or standing on land for long”，对应选项C。A错误原因是雨燕不能长时间在陆地是因为脚，而非翅膀；B原文未提及小身体；D错误是近1000只昆虫是在唾液球里，不是一次抓的数量，故选C。
34. 本题考查细节理解。第三段提到唾液的两个用途：一是帮助抓昆虫喂幼鸟，二是作为胶水筑巢。选项B“帮助筑坚固的巢”符合原文；A是脚的功能，C是翅膀的作用，D与原文不符，故选B。
35. 本题考查文章标题。全文围绕雨燕主要生活在空中、适应天空生活展开，选项A“天空中的主人”贴合主旨；B“小宠物”与原文无关，C“最快速度”仅为细节，D“特殊唾液”仅为部分内容，故选A。
【答案】31.D 32.A 33.C 34.B 35.A
【知识点】英语阅读理解（主旨大意、细节理解、词义猜测）
【点评】本题是关于雨燕的科普类阅读理解，考查学生对不同题型的解题方法掌握，需准确定位原文信息，区分细节与主旨，难度中等。
【难度系数】0.6
这是一篇科普类英语阅读理解题，包含主旨大意、细节理解、词义猜测三类题型。解题思路为：1. 先通读全文，把握雨燕适应空中生活的核心内容；2. 针对每个问题，回到原文定位对应段落或句子，结合题干要求分析选项：主旨题需概括段落/全文核心，词义猜测题需结合上下文指代关系，细节题需比对原文与选项信息，标题题需贴合全文主旨。
【解析】
31. 本题考查段落主旨。第二段主要讲述雨燕飞行速度快的原因（翅膀形状）、单侧翅膀加速实现急转弯，这些都是雨燕飞行和快速转弯的方式，对应选项D。A仅涉及翅膀形状，是细节而非主旨；B是飞行和转弯的结果（抓昆虫），非本段核心；C仅提到转弯，不全面，故选D。
32. 本题考查词义猜测。第三段前句提到“The saliva helps swifts catch insects...”，后句说“It is sticky like glue”，可知It指代前文的saliva，故选A。
33. 本题考查细节理解。原文第一段明确提到“Their short feet are not good for walking or standing on land for long”，对应选项C。A错误原因是雨燕不能长时间在陆地是因为脚，而非翅膀；B原文未提及小身体；D错误是近1000只昆虫是在唾液球里，不是一次抓的数量，故选C。
34. 本题考查细节理解。第三段提到唾液的两个用途：一是帮助抓昆虫喂幼鸟，二是作为胶水筑巢。选项B“帮助筑坚固的巢”符合原文；A是脚的功能，C是翅膀的作用，D与原文不符，故选B。
35. 本题考查文章标题。全文围绕雨燕主要生活在空中、适应天空生活展开，选项A“天空中的主人”贴合主旨；B“小宠物”与原文无关，C“最快速度”仅为细节，D“特殊唾液”仅为部分内容，故选A。
【答案】31.D 32.A 33.C 34.B 35.A
【知识点】英语阅读理解（主旨大意、细节理解、词义猜测）
【点评】本题是关于雨燕的科普类阅读理解，考查学生对不同题型的解题方法掌握，需准确定位原文信息，区分细节与主旨，难度中等。
【难度系数】0.6