阅读理解—推理判断题。
（2015年湖北襄阳四中、龙泉中学、荆州中学联考）
Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that things generally turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply “yes” to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may be successful at work and in love.
But you may be misguided because things don't turn out for the best. You may believe that when on door closes another one opens(for example, you may fail to obtain a new job; another chance will come around soon). Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams(砰然关上)in your face. That's bitter reality.
Now a book has been published which confirms what pessimists(悲观者)have suspected all along. it's called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for the tings by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, “What's interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation's outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better.”
So far，so good. This is not rocket science. Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don't put all your eggs in one basket.”
And “Don't count your chickens until they hatch.” To have a confident and optimistic approach to life's problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien, the American comedian says ,”Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”
There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don't feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.
What's the passage mainly about?
A book that has recently been published.
How to become successful in life
The dangers of being too optimistic.
The benefits of defensive pessimism.
The underlined sentence “ This is not rocket science”(Para.4)means
.
it's not a dangerous thing to do
it is quite simple to understand
the cost is not so high
there is no real proof
which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
The glass is half full not half empty.
Whatever will be, will be.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
The writer would probably describe himself as
.
An optimist
B. a defeatist
C. a realist
D. a scientist
语篇解读
本文是一篇说明文，主要说明的是防御非观主义的积极力量。防御性悲观主义者自己准备设定低的结果，他们他细考虑处理这些问题的方法，这给了他们一个很好的控制感。
D 主旨大意题。文章在第一时间提出了人应该乐观一点会更好，接着主要计论了要做一个有意识的悲观者，因为这样的悲观者才会对以后的事情做好充分的准备，会有详细的计划和安排。那样才能有更好的结果，故D项正确。
B 推理判断题。 谚语This is not rocket science中的rocket science 指困难的事情，指那些很难以理角的事物。本句话的意思是指“这很好理解，不是那么难 理解的事物”。故选B项正确。
A 推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段第五、六句可知，该谚语是指那些表示谨慎的谚语，故选A项符合那些defensive pessimists 的特点。故A项正确。
C
推理判断题。根据第二段的最后三句“当上帝关上一扇门的时候，他会为你打开另外一扇门”。但是实际上并不总是如此，说明他对待一切是很现实的。另由文章后几段的内容可知C 项正确。
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。
Like many old towns in the forested valleys of the Northwest, Albany, Ore, has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, but when the local economy began to decline some 15 years ago, the downs seemed to outnumber the ups.
"Albany was changing completely. We had to find a way to reinvent ourselves," says Wendy Kirbey, the former owner of a coffee shop downtown. So in 2002,Kirbey,69,proposed (提议) a project she hoped would help her town rediscover its pride: a Victorian-style carousel (旋转木马),the animals carved by the townspeople themselves.
"It felt like the perfect fit for our historical town," she says. Despite a sceptical city council (议会) and a starting budget of only $ 150,Kfrbey and a handful of volunteers got to work.
Ten years later, more than 300 people have spent nearly 150,000 hours on the Albany Carousel, making a lively herd of unusual creatures. Each of the 52 animals has been "adopted" by a sponsor, who oversees its creation and often adds a personal touch.
The project has shown the diverse skills and creative talents of Albany (pop. 50,000). "The amazing thing about this attempt is that whenever we’ve needed something, it’s been provided for us," says Kirbey. "Somebody's aunt knows somebody's uncle who comes down to lend a hand".
Kirbey says it will take two more years to complete the project. But the carousel is already working its magic. "It is our town’s No. 1 attraction," says Rod Porsche of the Albany Visitors Association. As the animals are completed, they're put on show in local hotels, restaurants and shops; people who come to see the fantastical figures around town and tour the workshop (as many as 2,000 visitors a month) are helping Albany with its economic recovery. "I can’t imagine how great it’s going to be when the carousel is up and running," Porsche says.
1. What can we learn about the carousel?
A. It cost a fortune.
B. It looks very modern.
C. It received support from all walks of life.
D. It took ten years to build.
2. By saying the underlined sentence, Kirbey wants to tell us_______ .
A. the townspeople are closely linked
B. it is a small world
C. uncles and aunts make great efforts
D. help is at hand
3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Porsche has made an outstanding contribution to Albany.
B. Porsche is sceptical of the town-s attractions.
C. Porsche has made many friends through the project.
D. Porsche thinks highly of the project.
4. The text is mainly about_______.
A. how a struggling town found a way to create a little magic
B. the ups and downs of Albany
C. how the carousel would help a town recover its culture
D. the creative talents of Albany
参考答案1—4、CDDA
阅读理解。
The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the fanning culture of China. In the farming economy （经济）, oxen are the major animals pulling plows（犁）.
Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing.
In fact, they are seen as "boats on land" for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who1ive in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar （农历）, and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.
Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.
1. The words "boats an land" underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to __
A. animals for taking goods
B. creatures for pulling plows
C. treasures of the folk culture
D. tools in the farming economy
2. From the third paragraph, we know that __
A. oxen are no more important today than in the past
B. ceremonies are held when people cook cattle bone soup
C. oxen are treated as human in some areas of China
D. people run with oxen to shake off diseases every month
3. Which of the following helps to develop traditional customs?
A. The special role of oxen in frowning.
B. People's respect and love for oxen.
C. The practical value of an ox's body.
D. The contribution of oxen to the economy.
4. Why does the author write the text?
A. To stress the importance of oxen in farming.
B. To introduce the Chinese folk culture.
C. To describe how to celebrate the Year of Ox.
D. To explain how to develop agriculture with oxen.
【参考答案—4、A C B B
【阅读理解】
The multimillion pound new Library of Birmingham(LoB)will be the most visible sign of the way the city is accepting the digitalization(数字化)of everyday life.
Set to open in 2016, the ￡188m LoB is already beginning to take shape next to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with which it will share some equipment.
As digital media(媒介)is important to its_idea,_the project is already providing chances for some of the many small new local companies working at the new technologies.
Brian Gambles, the LoB project director, says it is about giving people the right tools for learning：“The aim is to mix the physical with the digital, providing 24hour services which can be used through many different ways. It is important to enable us to reach more people, more effectively.”
The digital library will, he says, be as important as the physical one, allowing the distant use of the services, making sure that it is never closed to the public.
Even before the LoB is complete, the public has been able to go online to visit the Virtual(虚拟的)LoB, designed by Baden, the Birmingham virtual worlds specialists. Not only have the public been able to learn about the LoB, but the virtual one has also enabled those working on the LoB to understand the building and how it will work before it even opens.
Two other small Birminghambased digital companies are also working on the LoB projects. Substrat, a digital design company, is developing what it calls an example of an “enlarged reality” project. It is about the use of an exciting smart phone, an important part of the LoB which is in the early stages of development. And The People's Archice is an online library of historical figures of the city being built up by a digital content company in Cahoots, in which users will be encouraged to add to and comment on the material.
Gambles says: “Technology will enable us to make the library's
content and services open to citizens as never before.”
投资数百万英镑的伯明翰新建图书馆将会是目前很有代表性的数字化图书馆，在这样的图书馆，人们将会体验新的阅览工具，并且能够真正做图书馆的主人，即：能够参与图书内容的增补与建议。
1．The underlined part “its idea” in Paragraph 3 refers to the idea of ________.
A．the equipment
B．the project
C．the digital media
D．the physical library
答案：B。词义猜测题。根据下一句话的信息词“the project is already providing...”可以断定此处的代词its 指的就是the project。
While visiting the Virtual LoB, the public can ________.
A．get a general idea of the LoB
B．meet many worldfamous experts
C． learn how to
put up a library building
D．understand
how the specialists work on the project
答案：A。细节判断题。在倒数第三段中，信息句“Not only have the public been able to learn about the LoB...”可以给以提示：即：公众可以很好地了解LoB的具体情况，即同选项A所说的一样。
Which of the following is TRUE of the LoB when it opens?
a．It offers better learning tools.b．It reaches users in different ways.
c．It provides users with smart phones.
d．It allows users to enrich its material.
e．It gives nonstop physical and digital services.
A．a，b，d
B．a，c，e C．b，c，d D．b，d，e
答案：A。细节判断题。 在文章的第三段中提到这样“right tools for learning”“used through many different ways ”以及倒数第二段的最后“add to and comment on the material”都表明了关于开放时的LoB的情况，即同选项A。
The text is most probably taken from ________.
A．a computer bookB．a library guide
C．a project handbookD．a newspaper report
答案：D。文章出处判断题。既然是针对于公众的信息，应该是面对普通公众，即选择最大众化的媒体，即资讯报道。