高考英语二轮九十天强化训练：阅读理解69
阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”
The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead.
The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”
The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless !”
“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.
“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”
【文章大意】本文是篇记叙文，讲述的是一个小男孩模仿他爷爷读书，可是每次合上课本后都不知道读了些什么，于是他就去问他爷爷，读书有什么好处?他爷爷让他带着装煤的篮子去打水可是每一次无论他跑多快到家篮子里面都没有水，于是他给他爷爷说用竹篮打水是没有用的，他爷爷让他看看篮子，这才发现篮子比以前干净了。到了最后他爷爷告诉他：读书的时候你可能没有理解或记住内容，但是读书能够从你外到内改变你。
56. What puzzled the grandson most was ________.
A. whether it was useful to read books
B. why he forgot what he read soon
C. what kind of book he could understand
D. how he could read books like his grandpa
57. Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to fetch a basket of water?
A. To train him to run faster.
B. To clean the dirty basket in the river.
C. To punish him for not reading carefully.
D. To get him to realize the use of reading books.
58. What lesson can we learn from the story?
A. The old are always wiser than the young.
B. It is foolish to carry water with a basket.
C. Reading books can change a person gradually.
D. You can’t expect to remember whatever you read.
HIGHFIELD COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL
SCHOOL REPORT
Form Teac her:
G. Baker
Pupil’s Name:
Simon Watkins
Term:
Summer 2010 Form:
Ⅳ B
Subject Exam Class work Comments
English 59 61 Simon has reached a satisfactory standard but now needs to apply himself with more determination.
Mathematics 77 85 Sound work and progress throughout the year. Well done!
History 46 53 A disappointing exam result. He is unable to give attention to this subject for long.
Chemistry 78 85 His obvious ability in the subject was not fully reflected in his exam work, but I have high hopes for him nevertheless.
Physics 86 94 An excellent term’s performance. He goes from strength to strength. A born scientist, I feel.
Biology 57 60 This time next year he will be taking the “0” exam. He needs to concentrate on the work, not on class conversation.
French 41 46 Clearly he didn’t bother to revise. His general attitude is far too casual.
Physical
Education / 31 Weak. It’s time he exercised his body more and his voice less. He should try to work with a team.
FORM TEACHER’S REMARKS
HEADMASTER
Basically satisfactory work and progress
I shall be keeping an eye on his
though he will now have realized, I hope, that
progress in his weaker subjects
in certain subject areas he needs to make speedy
though his success in the sciences is
improvement.
most pleasing.
5.According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher, Simon_______.
A .is too talkative in the class
B. likes to work with his classmates
C. doesn’t exercise his body at the right time
D. becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all
6. Which of Simon’s subjects will attract the headmaster’s attention in future?
A. Biology and Maths.
B. History and French.
C. English and Chemistry. D. Physics and Physical Education.
7. Which of the following statements best describes Simon?
A. He has made great progress in language classes.
B. His potential has been fully reflected in science classes.
C. His grade in maths makes him a born scientist.
D. He needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects.
8. Based on the school report, which of the following statements is true?
A. Simon didn’t bother his teacher to revise French.
B. Basically, Simon did a good job in science.
C. Simon is a determined learner in English.
D. Simon is able to pay attention to history for long.
(B) ABDB
Do you know what really troubles me? For some reason, words with silent letters have always bothered me. For example, consider these words: know, design, island, school, wrist, naughty, and salmon. All of these words have at least one letter that is not typically pronounced, and these words are just a very small part of words with silent letters in them.
Some words are even worse, consider this word: colonel. Not only are some letters not pronounced, but letters that are not even there are pronounced.
Even foreign languages, especially French, are guilty of this needless complexity and confusion. I know there must be some main historical reasons why the words are spelled and pronounced the way they are, but that does not mean bad traditions must continue to survive. Especially if they are no longer logical.
Unfortunately, there is very little that anyone can do for it, because there’s no group of people who can change or have the right to change the English language for everyone. However, the only thing we can do is make changes in the way we talk and write in hopes that it catches on. For example, I pronounce the letter “l” in salmon on purpose to make people annoyed and to sound more different or complicated. I even pronounce colonel the correct or French way.
I can only hope these two minor changes to the English language make sense to you, and you will help to keep up these minor changes forever in your everyday life.
9. Which of the following is the main reason for silent letters?
A. French language.
B. Historical reasons.
C. Some linguists
D. Bad traditions.
10. The underlined phrase “catches on” probably means “________”.
A. becomes popular
B. gets across
C. follows the fashions
D. doesn’t fall behind
11. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A. Troubles in everyday life
B. Traps in English words
C. Words with silent letters
D. Necessary changes of languages
(C) BAC
How can you help kids cope with （对付）stress? Proper rest and good nutrition can improve coping skills, so can good parenting. Make time for your kids each day. Whether they need to talk with you or just be in the same room with you, make yourself available.
Even as kids get older, quality time is important. It’s really hard for some people to come home after a tiring day of work, get down on the floor, and play with their kids or just talk to them about their day -- especially if they’ve had a stressful day themselves. But expressing interest in your kids shows that they’ re important to you.
Help your child deal with stress by talking about what may be causing it. Together, you can come up with a few solutions.
For example, he should cut back on after-school activities, spending more time talking with his parents or teachers, developing an exercise plan or keeping a journal.
You can also help by predicting potentially stressful situations and preparing kids for them. For example, let a child know ahead of time, but not too far ahead of time, that a doctor’s appointment is coming up and talk about what will happen there. Keep in mind, though, that younger kids probably won’t need too much advance preparation. Too much information can cause more stress.
Remember that some level of stress is normal, Let kids know that it’s OK to feel angry, scared, lonely, or anxious and that other people share those feelings, too.
When kids can’t or won’t discuss these problems, try talking about your own concerns. This shows that you’re willing to handle tough topics and are available to talk with when they’re ready. If a child shows symptoms that concern you and is unwilling to talk, consult a counselor （顾问）or other mental health experts.
Most parents have the skills to cope with their children’s stress. The time to seek professional attention is when any change in behavior continues to exist, when stress is causing serious anxiety, or when the behavior is causing significant problems in functioning at school or at home
59. What is the purpose of the text?
A. To share the author’s ideas on proper parenting.
B. To persuade parents to spend more time with their kids.
C. To advise parents how to help their kids deal with stress.
D. To seek different ways to help solve kids’ problems.
60. Why do some parents feel it difficult to spare quality time for their kids?
A. Their kids are growing so fast.
B. They have too much housework.
C. Their kids are losing interest in them.
D. They are tired out after work.
61. You are advised not to talk too much about a stressful situation in advance because ________.
A. it does no good to your kids
B. it doesn’t work in practice
C. your kids may not feel stressed
D. your kids don’t want to listen
62. What can we learn from the text?
A. Normal people share the same feelings.
B. It is normal for kids to have some stress.
C. Kids should get rid of the negative feelings.
D. Everybody feels angry, scared, lonely or anxious.
Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble （气泡） and main sadness. Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply. According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator （赤道） to Australia to find the priciest homes．
The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines. An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase. At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category. And a “seriously unaffordable?home needed five times a family抯 income. In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9,5 times the average income. Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under t ihis figure．
Australian officials offered little comment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings. These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable. Land rationing （配给制） and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government．
Some American cities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California. America is still involved in a mortgage（抵押）crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes. Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas. Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes．
The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under．
12. To buy an affordable house, you should pay _____．
A. 3 times or less of the average family’s income
B. 4 times or less of the average family’s income
C. 5 times or less of the average family’s income
D. 9.5 times or less of the average family’s income
13. What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?
A．The rising family’s income．
B．The demand over supply.
C．The excessive development charges．
D．The decrease of land．
14.The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean _____．
A． cheerful
B． satisfactory
C． difficult
D．sad
15. What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
A． Affordable Houses B． A House is a Dream First
C． Housing Bubble
D． Homes Too Expensive
(D) ACDD