阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
（A）
“I see you’ve got a bit of water on your coat,” said the man at the petrol station. “Is it raining out there?”“No, it’s pretty nice,” I replied, checking my sleeve. “Oh, right. A pony(马驹) bit me earlier.”
As it happened, the bite was virtually painless: more the kind of small bite you might get from a naughty child. The pony responsible was queuing up for some ice cream in the car park near Haytor, and perhaps thought I’d jumped in ahead of him.
The reason why the ponies here are naughty is that Haytor is a tourist-heavy area and tourists are constantly feeding the ponies foods, despite sighs asking them not to. By feeding the ponies, tourists increase the risk of them getting hit by a car, and make them harder to gather during the area’s annual pony drift(迁移).
The purpose of a pony drift is to gather them up so their health can be checked, the baby ones can be stooped from feeding on their mother’s milk, and those who’ve gone beyond their limited area can be returned to their correct area. Some of them are also later sold, in order to limit the number of ponies according to the rules set by Natural England.
Three weeks ago, I witnessed a small near-disaster a few mils west of here. While walking, I noticed a pony roll over on his back. “Hello!” I said to him, assuming he was just rolling for fun, but he was very still and, as I got closer, I saw him kicking his legs in the air and breathing heavily. I began to properly worry about him. Fortunately, I managed to get in touch with a Dartmoor’s Livestock Protection officer and send her a photo. The officer immediately sent a local farmer out to check on the pony. The pony had actually been trapped between two rocks. The farmer freed him, and he began to run happily around again.
Dartmoor has 1,000 or so ponies, who play a critical role in creating the diversity of species in this area. Many people are working hard to preserve these ponies, and trying to come up with plans to find a sustainable(可持续的) future for one of Dartmoor’s most financially-troubled elements.
51.Why are tourists asked not to feed the ponies?
52.One of the purposes of the annual pony drift is ______________.
53.What as the author’s first reaction when he saw a pony roll on its back?
54.What does the author imply about the preservation of Dartmoor’s ponies?
本题属于细节理解题，根据以上解题思路可知游客喂养马驹增加了他们被汽车撞倒的危险，所以选C。
根据文章第三段“By feeding the ponies, tourists increase the risk of them getting hit by a car”，the risk of 与C选项中的in danger of是同义短语。
对于同义短语的意思不理解容易根据常识误选A。
本题属于细节理解题，只要理解了limit与control是同义词，便可知选B。
根据第四段内容“The purpose of a pony drift is to …Some of them are also…, in order to limit the number of ponies…”可知马驹迁移目的之一是为了控制马驹的数量。故选B项。
未完全理解整段意思，仅从第一句字面上容易误选A。
本题属于细节理解题，“assuming he was just rolling for fun”，D选项中的“thought of it as being naughty”是同一个意思，所以选D。
根据第五段中的“…, assuming he was just rolling for fun,…”可知作者认为小马驹很淘气，滚着玩的。故选D项。
对于assume的词义理解不当容易错选。
本题属于推理判断题，根据以上解题思路可知应该选B。
根据最后一段中尾句“Many people are working hard to preserve these ponies, and trying to come up with plans to find a sustainable(可持续的) future for one of Dartmoor’s most financially-troubled elements.”可知保护马驹是对Dartmoor来说是一笔很大的开销。故选B项。
对文章作者意图理解不当容易错选。