2020学年度高三第四次月考英语试题第一部分： 阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）第一节（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。AWith the development of modern society, human beings are increasingly invading wild animals habitat as well as the wild plants. Nearly a third of the worlds cacti (仙人掌 ) are facing the threat of extinction, according to a shocking global assessment of the effects.Cacti are an important provider of food and water to desert wildlife ranging from wolves and deer to tortoises, bats and birds, and these fauna spread the plants seeds in return.But the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)s first worldwide health check of the plants says that they are coming under huge pressure from human activities such as land use changes, commercial and residential developments and shrimp farming. But the paper said the driver of cacti species extinction was the “uncontrolled collection of live plants and private decorating collections, and annual agriculture.”The findings were described as “disturbing” by Inger Anderson, the IUCNs director-general. “They confirm that the scale of the illegal wildlife trade, including the trade in plants is much greater than we had previously thought, and that wildlife illegal trade concerns many more species than the elephants which tend to receive global attention.”Cacti are almost always delicious but unlike most others, they store water in their stems alone, enabling them to survive extreme draughts. The plants can be as small as one centimeter in diameter and grow above 19 meters in height. Well over half of the species are used by humans for display decoration, food or medicine. Almost 1,500 types of cacti were surveyed by the IUCN specialists over a five-year period, mostly in America.Dealing with the illegal trade is a hard task as they can be hidden in suitcases or even socks. While countries such as Peru have made progress in blocking the illegal trade, the IUCN is calling for more strictly carrying out the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in the “hotspots” of Uruguay, Brazil and Chile. Mexico has made advances but still has work to do, according to Goettsch.1. What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?A. What causes cacti species extinction B. What gives people pressureC. What IUCN has found D. What farmers have planted2. In Inger Andersons opinion, _. the findings of the IUCN are not disturbingB. the illegal plant trade is less serious than we had thoughtC. cacti have received much global attentionD. the illegal plant trade threatens lots of wildlife3. Why is it hard to fight against cacti trade?A. Because cacti can be made into socks.B. Because cacti are easy to carry secretly.C. Because many countries carry out Cites strictly.D. Because some countries made advances to trade cacti.BGeniuses amaze us, impress us and make us all a little jealous. How do they differ from the average people? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer. Turn in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries that they are making in the series My Brilliant Brain.When Marc Yu was only two years old, he began to play the piano. After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven. Now hes a world-famous concert pianist at age eight. He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears. He seems to be specially designed for music. In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies (神童) to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.Genius didnt come naturally to Tommy Mc-Hugh. It came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain. After recovering, Mc-Hughs head was filled with new thoughts and pictures. So he began to express them in the form of poetry and art. Now hes a seemingly unstoppable creative machine. Sufferers of autism (自闭症) and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease. Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence. Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately. As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards. Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.If becoming a genius were easy, wed all be one. Yet, theres much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky. Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographics My Brilliant Brain.4. The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is _.A. a child who learns something easilyB. a child who is eager to learn new thingsC. a pianist who practi