单选题 By far the most common snake in Britain is the adder. In Scotland, in fact, there are no other snakes at al. The adder is also the only British snake with a poisonous bite. It can be found almost anywhere, but prefers sunny hillsides and rough open country, including high ground. In Ireland there are no snakes at all.
Most people regard snake bites as a fatal misfortune, but not all bites are serious, and very few are fatal. Sometimes attempts at emergency treatment turn out to be more dangerous than the bite it self, with amateurs heroically, but mistakenly, trying do-it-yourself surgery and other unnecessary measures.
All snakes have small teeth, so it follows that all snakes can bite, but only the bite of the adder present any danger. British snakes are shy animals and are far more frightened of you than you could possibly be of them. The adder will attack only if it feels threatened, as can happen if you take it by surprise and step on it accidentally, or if you try to catch it or pick it up, which it dislikes intense ly. If it hears you coming, it will normally get out of the way as quickly as it can, but adders cannot move very rapidly and may attack before moving if you are very close.
The effect of a bite varies considerably. It depends upon several things, one of which is the body-weight of the person bitten. The bigger the person is, the less harmful the bite is likely to be, which is why children suffer far more seriously from snake bites than adults. A healthy person will al so have better resistance against the poison.
Very few people actually die from snake bites in Britain, and though these bites can make some people very iii, there are probably just as many cases of bites having little or no effect, as there are of serious illness.

单选题 Adders are most likely to be found ______.
A. in wilder parts of Britain and Ireland
B. in Scotland and nowhere else
C. on uncultivated land throughout out Britain
D. in shady fields in England

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 文章第一段指出It can be found almost any where，but prefers sunny hillsides and rough open country，including high ground。意思是：蝮蛇几乎随处可见，尤其是在阳光充足的山边或者包括高地在内的荒野的乡村更容易生存。因此我们可以推断出答案应该是C项。因为上述的这些环境都可以用uncultivated land来解释，即未经耕耘的土地。

单选题 If you are with someone who is bitten by an adder you should ______.
A. try to catch the adder B. make no attempt to treat the bite
C. not worry about the victim D. operate as soon as possible

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析l 文章第二段指出：．．．but not all bites are serious，and very few are fatal．Some times attempts at emergency treatment turn out to be more dangerous than the bite itself， with amateurs heroically，but mistakenly，trying do-it-yourself surgery and other unnecessary measures．意思是：并不是所有被蛇咬伤的人都会有生命危险，只有少数蛇伤是能致命的。有些本身并不严重，反倒是那些尝试着去应急的做法会导致危险，这种危险甚至可能比蛇伤本身的危害还要大得多。因为往往那些试图去处理蛇伤的人都是amateurs，即外行，他们错误地去做一些外伤处理或采取其他不必要的措施。所以一旦有人被蛇咬伤，最好不要去尝试着擅自处理蛇伤，故选B。

单选题 We are told that adders are ______.
A. normally friendly towards people
B. unlikely to bite except in self-defense
C. aggressive towards anyone in their territory
D. not afraid of human beings

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 文章第三段指出British snakes are shy animals and are far more frightened of you than you could possibly be of them．The adder will attack only if it feels threatened，as can happen if you take it by surprise and step on it accidentally，or if you try to catch it or pick it up，which it dislikes intensely．意思是：英国的蛇是比较害羞的动物，它们对人类的恐惧远远超过人类对它们的恐惧。蝮蛇只有当自身安全受到人类威胁或侵犯时才会攻击人类，比如说突然被踩到或者被抓到的时候。

单选题 If a adder hears you approaching, it will usually ______.
A. move out of your path
B. take no notice of you at all
C. disappear very quickly
D. wait until you are close and then attack

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 文章第三段末尾指出：If it hears you coming，it will normally get out of the way as quickly as it can，but adders cannot move very rapidly and may attack before moving if you are very close．意思是：当蝮蛇听到人类走近它的时候，它会很快地让开路，但是由于它们不能爬得特别快，所以万一它觉得自己离对方很近的时候就会在爬走之前先发起进攻。所以答案选A，move out of your path意思相当于get out of the way。