2016高考英语二轮阅读理解八十集之连载训练（36）
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A,B,C或D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gigawatts of electricity every year. Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills (see picture) to touch bottom. An experiment under way off the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere.
The project, called Hywind, is the world’s first large-scale deepwater wind turbine (涡轮发电机). Although it uses a fairly standard 152-ton, 2. 3-megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar(see picture), a technology Hywind’s creator, the Norwegian company StatoilHydro, has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cables (缆索); these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves. Hywind’s stability (稳定性) in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.
To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it’s difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar’s centre of gravity must be moved much closer to the ocean’s surface. To do that, the company plans to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox (变速箱) sits at sea level rather than behind the blades (see picture).
Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted. Deep-sea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as-eyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet’s surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available.
1. The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of .
A. the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor
B. the spar which is floating in deep-sea water
C. the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind
D. the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface
2. To balance a bigger turbine high on a floating spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting .
A. on the sea floorB. on the spar top
C. at sea level
D. behind the blades
3. Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can .
A. solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills
B. make financial profits by producing more turbines
C. settle the arguments about environmental problems
D. explore low-carbon power resources available at sea
【参考答案】1-3 BCD
介绍说明类
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A,B,C或D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species.
The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard Universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant, and African savanna elephant.
Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石), mammoths and mastodons, the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephant and the African forest elephant have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.
There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species, but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species, despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3. 5 metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2. 5 metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purposes. Since 1950, all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinctive animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (优先) for conservation purposes.”
1. One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of .
A. the Asian elephant B. the forest elephant
C. the savanna elephantD. the mastodon elephant
2. The underlined word “divergence” in Paragraph 4 means “ ."
AA. evolutionB. exhibition C. separationD. examination
3. The researchers’ conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s .
A. DNAB. heightC. weightD. population
4. What are Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?
A. The conservation of African elephants.
B. The purpose of studying African elephants.
C. The way to divide African elephants into two units.
D. The reason for the distinction of African elephants.
5. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Naturalists’ Beliefs about Elephants
B. Amazing Experiments about Elephants
C. An Unexpected Finding about Elephants
D. A Long Scientific Debate about Elephants
参考答案1-5 DCAAC
节能环保类
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A,B,C或D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
The Goldman Environmental Foundation recently recognized a group of individuals (个体) for their efforts to protect the environment. Each year, the American-based group honors environmental activists from six different areas.
The first three winners of the 2016 Goldman Prize are from Kenya, the Philippines and China.
The Goldman Environmental Foundation says Ikal Angelei is a hero to those who live around Lake Turkana. The Kenyan woman received the award because of her efforts to stop a dam project on a river in Ethiopia. Critics say the dam will harm the lake and restrict (限制) the flow of water for people who live nearby.
The Philippine island of Mindoro is home to those who depend on the area’s natural resources for food and jobs. Edwin Gariguez became concerned when a European company announced plans to mine for nickel (镍) on the island. The Roman Catholic minister said waste materials from the mining project would pollute the water and destroy the forests. So he started a campaign to stop the project.
In China, Ma June is working with businesses to clean up their pollution. He formed a group that collects information about pollution, and publishes it on the Internet.
The Goldman Prize was also awarded to activists from Argentina, Russia and the United States.
Sofia Gatica of Argentina is from a town where farmers commonly use pesticide (杀虫剂) products to protect soybean crops from insects. The town also has a high rate of cancer. Sofia Gatica believed that pesticide use was responsible for the death of her baby. She worked with other mothers to get government officials to ban the use of chemicals near populated areas.
Evgenia Chirikova objects to the plans to build a road through a protected forest just outside Moscow. She has demanded that Russian officials redirect the road away from the forest. She and her followers have been arrested for their activities. However, their campaign has gained widespread public support.
The sixth winner is American Caroline Cannon—a community leader in Point Hope, Alaska. Miz Cannon is fighting to keep Arctic waters safe from oil and gas exploration.
1. We can know from the passage that ______.
A. the dam project has been prevented
B. the first three activists are all from Asia
C. a European company is going to dig for nickel
D. Ma June is trying to stop oil and gas exploration
2. From the 7th paragraph, we can know that ______.
A. pesticide use accounts for a high-rate of cancer
B. Sofia managed to ban the use of chemicals
C. the farmers mainly live on unpolluted products
D. the death of the baby was due to delayed treatment
3. What do we know about Evgenia Chirikova？
A. She plans to build a road to protect the forest.
B. She is in charge of a project far away from the road.
C. She persuaded the government to set her followers free.
D. Her environmental action has been widely acknowledged.
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Six Advanced Individuals for Hard Work
B. Efforts to Create a Clean and Beautiful World
C. Six Environmental Activists Win Goldman Prize
D. The Goldman Environmental Foundation Prize
【参考答案】1—4、CADC