The Horsetail Fall (瀑布) is one of Yosemite National Park’s most amazing views. Around the second week of February, the setting sun hits the Horsetail Fall at just the right angle (角度) to light the upper parts of the waterfall. And when conditions are right, the Horsetail Fall becomes orange and red at sunset. It is like red-hot lava (熔岩) pouring down from the top of the El Capitan. So, it got the name “firefall”.
The firefall is a perfect match of the weather, the fall, the time and the watching place. It usually appears on dry, warm and cloudless days. There must be enough flowing water to make a firefall too. So there must be enough snow on the mountain top, and it turns into water on warm afternoons.
The sun goes to the best place before the fall in late February. And the best time to watch the fall is 5 to 15 minutes before the sunset. Only at this time can visitors see the firefall. The El Capitan Picnic Area is the best place to watch, because it is close to the fall and is perfect to set up cameras and tents.
Every year in February, thousands of photographers come to watch the firefall. Although the view may appear just minutes before sunset, many of them have to come hours earlier to get a right place to set their cameras in time. “I’m just saying that the Yosemite Firefall is something you don’t want to miss during the winter,” says Kate Moore, a traveller and the lead content creator for ParkedInParadise.com.
1．Paragraph 1 mainly tells us ________.
A．how the firefall got its name
B．why it’s easy to see the firefall
C．who was the first to find the firefall
D．on which day we can visit the frefall
2．What can we know about the firefall?
A．It lasts for half an hour before the sunset.
B．It usually appears on wet, warm and cloudy days.
C．Rivers provide enough flowing water to make a fall.
D．Its best watching place is the El Capitan Picnic Area.
3．From the words of Kate Moore, we can infer that ________.
A．the firefall is worth seeing
B．it’s dangerous to watch the firefall
C．the firefall brings little surprise
D．it’s a waste of time to visit the firefall
4．What’s the theme of the passage?
A．Art.
B．Nature.
C．Technology.
D．History.
参考答案
1. A
2. D
3. A
4. B
详细解析
第1题：主旨大意题（Main Idea）
【题目】Paragraph 1 mainly tells us ________.
【答案】A
【原文定位】第一段核心句：It is like red-hot lava pouring down from the top of the El Capitan. So, it got the name "firefall."
【解析】第一段先描述马尾瀑布在特定夕阳角度下呈现橙红色的奇观，随后用“So”引出结论——它因此得名“火焰瀑布”，整个段落的核心的是解释“火焰瀑布名字的由来”，对应选项A。
【干扰项排除】
B项错误：第一段提及观看需要特定角度和条件，说明看到并不容易，与“easy to see”矛盾；
C项错误：第一段未出现任何人名，也未提及“第一个发现火焰瀑布的人”；
D项错误：文中提到“Around the second week of February”（二月第二周），是时间段而非具体某一天，且这并非第一段主旨。
第2题：细节理解题（Detail Question）
【题目】What can we know about the firefall?
【答案】D
【原文定位】第三段最后一句：The El Capitan Picnic Area is the best place to watch, because it is close to the fall and is perfect to set up cameras and tents.
【解析】题目考查对文章具体细节的判断，选项D直接对应原文中“最佳观赏地点是酋长岩野餐区”，表述一致，为正确答案。
【干扰项排除】
A项错误：原文明确提到最佳观赏时间是“5 to 15 minutes before the sunset”（日落前5-15分钟），并非“持续半小时”；
B项错误：原文提到火焰瀑布通常出现在“dry, warm and cloudless days”（干燥、温暖且无云的日子），选项中“wet”（潮湿）、“cloudy”（多云）与原文矛盾；
C项错误：原文说明流水来自“山顶足够的积雪融化”，而非“河流提供”，属于概念偷换。
第3题：推理判断题（Inference Question）
【题目】From the words of Kate Moore, we can infer that ________.
【答案】A
【原文定位】最后一段Kate Moore的引语：I’m just saying that the Yosemite Firefall is something you don’t want to miss during the winter.
【解析】推理判断题需根据原文信息推断隐含含义，“don’t want to miss”（不想错过）隐含的意思是“火焰瀑布值得一看”，与选项A“the firefall is worth seeing”对应，为正确答案。
【干扰项排除】
B项错误：文章全文未提及任何“观看火焰瀑布有危险”的相关信息；
C项错误：“little surprise”（几乎没有惊喜）与原文中“amazing views”（令人惊叹的景色）态度相反；
D项错误：“a waste of time”（浪费时间）与“don’t want to miss”（不想错过）完全矛盾。
第4题：题材主旨题（Theme）
【题目】What’s the theme of the passage?
【答案】B
【解析】全文围绕约塞米蒂国家公园的马尾瀑布（火焰瀑布）展开，介绍了它的形成条件、观赏时间、观赏地点等，属于自然景观类文章，因此主题是“Nature（自然）”。
【选项辨析】
A. Art（艺术）：文中虽用比喻描写景色，但并非艺术题材；
B. Nature（自然）：正确，全文围绕自然景观展开；
C. Technology（科技）：文章未涉及任何科技相关内容；
D. History（历史）：文章介绍的是当下的自然景观，并非历史故事或历史相关内容。
中考冲刺小贴士
1. 细节题：务必回归原文找对应句子，绝对不凭主观印象做题；
2. 推理题：重点关注原文中表示情感、态度的词汇（如don’t miss, amazing, perfect），据此推断隐含含义；
3. 主旨题：重点关注段首、段尾的总结句，以及So, But, However等引导的转折、结论句，锁定段落/文章核心。
