15．Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences．Due to his old age，he was going bald，which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool．Therefore，biologists at the academy had a wetsuit （潛水服）created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool．
Unlike marine（海洋的）mammals，which have a layer of blubber to keep them warm，penguins depen on their waterproof feathers．Without them，Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19peers played in the water．
"He was cold； he would shake，"said Pam Schaller，a senior biologist．Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm．Then she got another idea：if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific，why not make one for Pierre？
Schaller designed the suit，which covered Pierre's body and had small openings for his flippers．
"I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps，and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable，"she said．
One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit，but in fact，they accepted his new look．He swam freely and got along with others well，although he was the only penguin with a black stomach．
Schaller couldn't say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers，but"certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable"．
Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back．
48．Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because ofB．
A．not having a layer of blubber
B．having few feathers due to old age
C．having no wetsuit
D．others penguins rejecting him
49．Schaller followed Pierre in order to seeB．
A．whether other penguins would reject him
B．if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit
C．if the wetsuit kept warm
D．whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering
50．What does the underlined word in the second paragraph mean？C
A．feeling scared
B．staying alone
C．shaking with cold
D．keeping warm
51．The best title of the passage isA．
A．Wetsuit for An Old Penguin
B．Old Penguin Getting Bald
C．Unwilling to Swim
D．Strange Look of Pierre．
分析 人們印象中，企鵝應該不怕冷．而生活在美國加利福尼亞州舊金山加州科學院水族館的一只斑嘴環(huán)企鵝，由于羽毛脫落而無法忍受冰冷的池水．為此，加州科學院研究人員特地為這只企鵝穿上"防寒服"，讓它能夠與同伴一樣在水中游泳嬉戲．
解答 48．B．細節(jié)理解題．文章第一段Due to his old age，he was goingbald，which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool說明了Pierre怕冷的原因是年紀大了幾乎沒有羽毛；故選B．
49．B．細節(jié)理解題．文章第五段Iwould walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps，and cut and refitand cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable說明了Pam跟蹤Pierre的原因是看潛泳衣是否有需要改裝的地方；故選B．
50．C．詞義猜測題．根據(jù)第二段Without them，Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19peers played in the water可知沒有羽毛，彼埃爾不愿意跳進游泳池，在泳池邊顫抖；意為顫抖；故選C．
51．A．主旨大意題．根據(jù)第一段Therefore，biologists at the academy had a wetsuit （潛水服）created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool可知全篇講述的是生物學家給一只老企鵝做保暖夾克，幫它重返泳池的故事．因此A項正確．
點評 考察學生的細節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力，做細節(jié)理解題時一定要找到文章中的原句，和題干進行比較，再做出正確的選擇．在做推理判斷題不要以個人的主觀想象代替文章的事實，要根據(jù)文章事實進行合乎邏輯的推理判斷．
