2012高考英语二轮复习专题限时训练（江苏专用）
专题2 阅读理解 32
（25分钟）
A
You don’t need millions to be happy．In fact, at the Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may be enough．
The institute opened its doors last year, and since then, men and women of all ages have been paying $140 an hour for lessons on how to feel great．
“You can actually increase your happiness levels．That’s what we teach,” said Timothy Sharp, founder of the institute．
Experts say that only about 15 percent of happiness comes from income and other financial factors．As much as 85 percent comes from things such as attitudes, life control and relationships．
Most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, but happiness levels haven’t changed to reflect that．
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness．
Many years ago, the “sage of Baltimore, Maryland”, editor HL Menchen, defined wealth as earning $100 more than your “wife’s sister’s husband”．
Behavioral economists now say part of the reason we are richer but not happier is that we compare ourselves to people better off materially．
“The argument is that if you want to be happy there’s a very simple thing you can do: Compare yourself to people who are less well-off than you ---- poorer, smaller house, car,” said Sharp．
The Happiness Institute aims to show you how to overcome these unhappiness factors by focusing on “more than just your bank account”．
“If I compare my self to Bill Gates then I’m always going to be down,” said Sharp．
A better thing to compare with, he said, might be Kerry Packer, Australia’s richest person who has had a kidney transplant and heart surgery in recent years．
1．Which of the following statements in TRUE according to the passage?
A．You can increase your happiness levels by attending the classes at the Happiness Institute．
B．Most of us are happier than our parents or grandparents since we earn more．
C．Earning $100 more than your “wife’s sister’s husband” if you want to be happy．
D．Both Bill Gates and Kerry Packer are examples of those who are extremely rich but obviously unhappy
2．The underlined phrase has the same meaning as the word “_____”．
A．healthy
B．unhealthy
C．free
D．wealthy
3．The author wrote the passage to tell us _____．
A．happiness is everything B．wealth is the foundation of happiness
C．have fun at the Happiness Institute D．money doesn’t always mean happiness
B
By 2050 …
Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050．
TV channels will have disappeared．Instead, people will choose a program from a “menu” and a computer will send the program directly to the television．Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away．By 2050, music, films, programs, newspapers, and books will come to us by computer．
Cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast．Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents．Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are．By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination．Space planes will take people halfway around the world in two hours．Today, the United Sates Space Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again．By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours．
Robots will have replaced people in factories．Many factories already use robots．Big companies prefer robots ---- they don’t ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day．By 2050, we will see robots everywhere ---- in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes．
Medical technology will have conquered many diseases．Today, there are electronic devices that connect directly to the brain to help people hear．By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people to see and hear again．
Scientists will have discovered how to control genes．Scientists have already produced clones of animals．By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people, and decide how they look, how they behave and how much intelligence they have．Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?
4．Which of the following can NOT be realized today?
A．Reading newspapers on a computer．
B．Making a space shuttle go into space and land on Earth again．
C．Creating cloned animals．
D．Choosing TV programs freely from a “menu”．
5．According to the text, some big companies prefer robots to human workers because human workers _____．
A．can work 24 hours a day B．often ask for more pay
C．are not clever enough D．are often late for work
6．From the 6th paragraph we can infer that _____．
A．there will be no blind and deaf people by 2050
B．few diseases will attack people
C．electronic devices will be connected directly to the brain to help each other
D．medical technology will be more effective by 2050
7．What’s the author’s attitude towards the cloning technology?
A．The author does not agree on the use of cloning technology．
B．The author thinks human cloning is impossible．
C．The author does not really support the idea of human cloning．
D．The author is quite excited about human cloning．
C
The booking notes of the play “the Age of Innocence”:
Price: ＄10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for performance:
---- in person
The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a．m．-8 p．m．
by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card（Visa, MasterCard and Amex accepted by post
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Global Theatre Box Office．
on line
Complete the on-line booking form at www．atanfiedtheatre．comDICOUNTS:
Saver: ＄2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday．Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students．
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion．It is advisable to book in advance．There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show．
Standby: best available seats are on sale for ＄6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible（suitable）for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers．
Group Bookings: there is a ten per cent discount for parties of twelve or more．
School: school parties of ten or more can book ＄6 standby tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free．
: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unpredicted circumstances．
．If you want to book a ticket, you CANNOT _____
A．go to the Box Office on Sundays．
B．ring the booking number and pay for the tickets by credit card．
C．use the Internet．
D．complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office．
．If you make a group booking for a group of 14 adults, how much should you pay?
A．＄120 B．＄126 C．＄140 D．＄150
．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．There are only 8 wheelchair spaces in the theatre．
B．A school party of 15 students should pay 90 for the standby tickets．
C．A group of 12 persons can get 10 per cent discount．
D．The audience can’t refund money if the performance is on show．
．What kind of tickets are the cheapest?
A．The standby tickets for school parties of ten or more．
B．The standby tickets．
C．The tickets for Saver discount．
D．The tickets for group booking．