2016高考英语二轮阅读理解一百六十集选练（50）
【阅读理解】
Arthur
Miller(19152005)is universally
recognized
as one of the greatest dramatists
of the 20th
century. Miller's father
had
moved to the USA from AustriaHungary, drawn like so many others by the“Great American
Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the
early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system.
Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews，and it won the Tony Award for Best Play，the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died
of heart failure at his home in Roxbury，Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.
本文讲述了亚瑟·米勒，美国著名的剧作家，以及他的著名的戏剧《男售货员之死》，当这部戏剧第一次搬上舞台时，赢得了巨大的成功，获得了三项大奖。
1. Why did Arthur Miller' s father move to the USA?
A. He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.
B. He was attracted by the “Great American Dream”．
C. He hoped to make his son a dramatist.
D. His family business failed.
答案：B。细节理解题。根据短文第一段第二句话“Miller's father had moved to the USA from AustriaHungary，drawn like so many others by the ‘Great American Dream’．”可知答案。
．The play Death of a Salesman ________.
A. exposes the cruelty of the American business world
B. discusses the ways to get promoted in a company
C. talks about the business career of Arthur Miller
D. focuses on the skills in doing business
答案：A。细节理解题。根据短文第二段第三、四句话可知，Willy Loman已陷入美国社会制度的困境中，他已精疲力尽，在这残酷的商业世界中，他不知道应该怎样做，最后，他选择了自杀。由此可知A项正确。
. What can we learn about Willy Loman?
A. He treats his employer badly.
B. He runs the Wagner Company.
C. He is a victim of the American system.
D. He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.
答案：C。推理判断题。由短文第二段可知，Willy Loman在这残酷的商业世界中，根本没有情感可言，但是他又不能对不起他的雇主和公司，他又不知道如何处理自己的失败，只有选择自杀，由此可知他是美国社会制度的牺牲品。
. After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman________.
A. achieved huge success
B. won the first Tony Award
C. was warmly welcomed by salesmen
D. was severely attacked by dramatists
答案：A。细节理解题。由短文第三段可知，戏剧Death of a Salesman第一次搬上舞台，就赢得了三项大奖，故A项正确。
. What is the text mainly about?
A. Arthur Miller and his family.
B. The awards Arthur Miller won.
C. The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.
D. Arthur Miller and his bestknown play.
答案：D。主旨大意题。综观全文可知，本文主要讲述了亚瑟·米勒及他的名著Death of a Salesman，故D项正确。
Winter 2016 will have an extended stay on America's calendar, according to today's annual Groundhog Day(土拨鼠日) forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania。
Each year on February 2nd, people from around the world, including 5,000 in the small town today, watch this tongue-twisting(发音饶舌的) small town for a sign from one groundhog that supposedly predicts when that year's spring will arrive:
If it's a cloudy day outside when the groundhog emerges from its cave, then spring will arrive early that year. However, if it is sunny outside, the groundhog will supposedly be scared by its own shadow, retreating underground for six more weeks of cold weather。
Of course, Punxsutawney Phil's prediction is no more able to guarantee the extended forecast than your local weatherman. ABC News reports that an analysis by the National Climate Data Center found that Phil's predictions are more often wrong than right.
Phil is also found to have made some unpleasant predictions. Ever since 1887, he has predicted 99 extended winters and just 16 early springs. Nine of the year's predictions were unavailable, according to ABC。
The holiday began as a German tradition in 18th century and became even more of a cultural phenomenon after the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right. Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after. Phil has become so beloved by the town that he actually lives in the local library with his "wife" Phyllis。
Taking inspiration from the hard state of Bill Murray's character in the classic film, Yahoo contributor Owen Rust says Groundhog Day is a good time to reflect on one's routines。
1. Which is the best title for this passage?
A. Groundhog Day weather forecasting.
B. Winter 2016.
C. A tongue-twisting small town.
D. the National Climate Data Center.
2. The underlined word emerges means ______.
A. gets into
B. appears
C. increases.
D. hides
3. How is Punxsutawney Phil's prediction?
A. More exact than that the local weatherman does.
B. More often than that the local weatherman does.
C. Less often than that the local weatherman does.
D. Not exact enough to match with the fact.
4. The reason why Phil's predictions aren?t pleasing is ______.
A. Phil likes to make unpleasant predictions.
B. Phil wants to do that for fun.
C. He has predicted more extended winters.
D. He has predicted more late springs.
5. How does Punxsutawney Phil become a celebration?
A. By an accident.
B. From people’s life improving.
C. By his own attractive force.
D. From much money raised by the town.
本文为记叙文；记述了美国宾夕法尼亚州旁苏托尼镇，在第126届土拨鼠日，很多人聚集于此，见证当地最著名的天气预测土拨鼠“费尔”公布天气预测结果。
1.A。主旨大意标题题。本文大意为美国宾夕法尼亚州旁苏托尼镇，在第126届土拨鼠日，很多人聚集于此，见证当地最著名的天气预测土拨鼠“费尔”公布天气预测结果。故答案选A。其余选项是文章的部分内容。
2. B。词义猜测题。联系偶后文的the groundhog will supposedly be scared by its own shadow,理解此句意为：如果外面多云，土拨鼠从洞里出来，这一年就会有早春。这里是“出现”的意思。
3. D。事实细节题。从第四段信息句Of course, ---Climate Data Center found that Phil's predictions are more often wrong than right.理解到它的预测常常出错。故答案选D。
4. C。推理判断题。从第五段段意理解到他的预测令人不满意的是预测了更多的延长的冬天，只有少数早春，故答案选C。
5. C。细节理解题。从倒数第二段信息句Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right.理解得知他是靠自己的魅力成为一个庆典的。
阅读理解。
The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and knocked into the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. “How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy in my old age.”
Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said, “Come on, Frank. Tell us your most embarrassing moment.”
Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. “I grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home.”
He looked at us and said, “I wish you could have met my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean. He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be pulled down over his brow. No matter how much my mother washed them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish.”
Frank’s voice dropped a bit. “When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck was older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the school, I would shrink (畏缩) down into the seat hoping to disappear. Half the time, he would slam to a stop and the old truck would belch (喷出) a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here, I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!”
He paused and then went on, “I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, “No, Dad.” It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, “Dad, I’m too old for a goodbye kiss. I’m too old for any kind of kiss.” My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. Then he turned and looked out the windshield. “ You’re right,” he said. “ You are a big boy....a man. I won’t kiss you anymore.”
Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke. “It wasn’t long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet (船队) stayed in, but not Dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He must have gotten into a strong wind and was trying to save the nets and the floats.”
I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. “Guys, you don’t know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek…to feel his rough old face… to smell the ocean on him… to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a man, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss.”
1. When his father drove him to the school, Frank would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear because ________.
A. he was ashamed of his father’s old truck
B. he thought he was old enough to go to school alone
C. he didn’t want his schoolmates to see his father
D. he hated the way his schoolmates stared at his father
2. In Frank’s eyes, when his father said “You are a big boy… a man.”, he probably felt ________.
A. disappointed B. hurt C. excited D. proud
3. According to the story we can conclude that Frank’s father ________.
A. was quite confident in his skills in fishing
B. loved his children but hardly expressed it
C. seldom gave up faced with challenges
D. was full of devotion to his family
4. By saying the sentence “I wish I had been a man then…”, Frank meant ________.
A. he was fed up with his father kissing him goodbye
B. he deeply regretted what he had done to his father
C. he was then too young to refuse a goodbye kiss
D. he hoped that his father would forgive him
5. Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?
A. The Smell of the Ocean B. We All Need Love
C. A Goodbye Kiss D. Father’s Embarrassment
【参考答案】15、ABDBC
2016高考训练题。阅读理解阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。I was driving home the other day on a sunny afternoon. I had a smile on my face as I sang along to the songs on the radio. It was a beautiful day that I felt full of happiness. My good mood ended, however, when the radio station took a news break between songs. Then suddenly I found myself listening to yet another story of a rich famous man who had broken the law. I shook my head as I came to a red traffic light.
As I pulled to a stop I noticed four leather-jacketed bikers. They were standing in the middle of the road with two on either side of the light. They looked rough and dangerous, but as I got closer I noticed each one was holding their helmet in their hands. I rolled down my window as one approached my car. “We are the Brother’s of the Wheel”, he said. “We are collecting money for a Christmas Toy Drive for needy children.” As I pulled a dollar out of my wallet I looked past his beard and tattoos(纹身) and into his eyes. They shined with a goodness and kindness that came right from his soul. I dropped the money in his helmet and waved to the other bikers as I drove off. My good mood had returned. My faith in mankind had been bolstered. And I had to remember again never to judge people by their appearance.
Our society often judges books by their covers but God reads what is written in our hearts and souls. Perhaps one day we will all learn to see the world through the same eyes. Perhaps one day we will realize that looks matter little and actions matter much.
1. The writer’s good mood ended when _______.
A. he heard news between songs
B. he had to stop at a red traffic light
C. he heard a rich man broke the law
D. he saw four leather-jacketed kids in need
2. What are four bikers doing at the traffic light?
A. Having a bicycle race in the street
B. Selling helmets to the passers-by.
C. Raising money to help kids in need
D. Preparing for Christmas holidays.
3. What does “bolstered” in the second paragraph probably mean?
A. Destroyed.
B. Improved.
C. Decreased.
D. Exploded.
4. The writer to tell us that we should________.
A. have faith in young people
B. judge others by their actions
C. change our attitude to society
D. manage to help others in need
参考答案1—4、ACBB