2019 高考英语二轮总练习阅读理解精选（05）及解析 <br />A <br />Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived with their mother and a cat named Edgar. <br />James was particularly devoted to the cat, and when he had to leave town for several <br />days, he left Herbert careful instructions about the pet’s care. At the end of his <br />first day away, James telephoned his brother, &ldquo;How is Edgar?&rdquo; <br />&ldquo;Edgar is dead.&rdquo; Herbert answered. There was a pause. Then James said, <br />&ldquo;Herbert, you’re insensitive (漠然旳). You know how close I was to Edgar. You should <br />have broken the news to me slowly. When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have <br />said, ‘Edgar’s on the roof , but I have called the fire department to get him down.’ <br />And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble <br />getting Edgar down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the <br />third time, you could have told me that the firemen have done their best, but <br />unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the veterinarian’s (兽医 <br />站). Then when I called the last time, you could have said that although everything <br />possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That’s the way a sensitive man would <br />hav e told me about Edgar. And, oh, before I forget,&rdquo; James added, &ldquo;how is mother?&rdquo; <br />&ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; Herbert said, pausing for a moment, &ldquo;She’s on the roof.&rdquo; <br />56. James telephoned his brother at the end of his first day away because he wanted <br />to know ___. <br />A. what he was doing B. whether he was good <br />C. whether the cat was good D. where his mother was <br />57. Why did James say his brother was insensitive? <br />A. Because he told him the news directly. <br />B. Because he killed their pet. <br />C. Because his mother was on the roof. <br />D. Because he missed the truth about the cat. <br />58. From the last paragraph of the passage, we can know that the mother was probably <br />_____. <br />A. on the roof B. ill or even dead <br />C. repairing the house D. playing games <br />B <br /> Rock and roll music developed in the United States in the early nineteen-fif <br />ties. It was based on the music called rhythm and blues that was performed by African <br />American musicians. <br /> Early rock and roll singers developed their own kinds of music. Elvis Presley, <br />Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan were the most popular rock and roll <br />musicians in the early 1960’s. All were American. Then, in 1964, a new rock and <br />roll group from England invaded America: the Beatles. <br /> Some people say the Beatles’ music shook America like an earthquake. The <br />Beatles changed rock and roll forever. Their early songs were influenced by American <br />rock and roll musicians, including Chuck Berry. But the Beatles looked different <br />and sounded different from any musical group be-fore them. <br /> The Beatles released their first...