湖南长沙市2016高考英语（二轮）阅读理解训练（18）及答案
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。
Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.
The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or 3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.
Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.
The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increase will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation(通货膨胀), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.
The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or 3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”
Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.
Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps,” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich—the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.
The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.
1. The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is .
A. to reduce the cost of printing 2-or 3-cent stamps
B. to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing
C. to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates
D. to compete with online bill paying
2. By saying “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp”, Mr Saunders means that forever stamps .
A. could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren
B. might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands
C. might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers
D. could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later
3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.
B. America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.
C. The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.
D. 2-or 3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.
4. What can be concluded from the passage?
A. With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.
B. Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.
C. The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.
D. New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.
【参考答案】1-4 CDCA
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。
FILTON, just outside Bristol, is where Britain’s fleet of Concorde supersonic（超音速的）airliners was built. There, something remarkable is being created. Little by little a machine is “printing” a complex titanium bracket (钛合金支架), about the size of a shoe, which normally would have to be cut from a solid block of metal. Brackets are only the beginning. The researchers at Filton have a much bigger ambition: to print the entire wing of an airliner.
Unrealistic as this may seem, many other people are using 3D printing technology to create similarly remarkable things. These include medical implants, jewellery, football boots designed for individual feet, lampshades, racing-car parts, solid-state batteries and customized mobile phones. Some are even making mechanical devices (仪器). At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Peter Schmitt, a PhD student, has been printing something that is like the workings of a grandfather clock. It took him a few attempts to get right, but eventually he removed the plastic clock from a 3D printer, hung it on the wall and pulled down the counterweight. It started ticking.
Engineers and designers have been using 3D printers for more than a decade, but mostly to make original types quickly and cheaply before they embark on the expensive business of tooling up a factory to produce the real thing. As 3D printers have become more able to work with a broader range of materials, including production-grade plastics and metals, the machines are increasingly being used to make final products too. More than 20% of the output of 3D printers is now final products rather than original types, according to Terry Wohlers, who runs a research firm specializing in the field. He predicts that this will rise to 50% by 2020.
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Filton is in the centre of Bristol.
B. Peter tried to print a clock, but in vain.
C. a remarkable metal bracket is being created.
D. 3D printing technology is available to all of us.
2. The underlined word “embark” probably means “_________”.
A. workB. landC. dependD. fix
3. We can conclude from the last paragraph that __________.
A. Terry Wohlers’ s firm will make great profits
B. the technology of 3D printers will be widely adopted
C. 3D printers have been in use for at least 100 years
D. engineers and designers prefer printing original products
4. The passage is developed mainly in the form of _______.
A. time and events
B. definition and description
C. contrast and conclusion
D. examples and statements
【参考答案】1—4、 CABD
2016高考模拟题。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 9 years old when I found out my father was ill. It was 1994. but I can remember my mother’s words as if it were yesterday. “Kernel, I don’t want you to take food from your father, because he has AIDS. Be very careful when you are around him. ”
AIDS wasn’t something we talked about in my country when I was growing up. From then on , I knew that this would be a family secret. My parents were not together anymore . and my dad lived alone . For a while , he could take care of himself . But when I was 12. his condition worsened . My father’s other children lived far away, so it fell to me to look after him.
We couldn’t afford all the necessary medicine for him. and because Dad was unable to work . I had no money for school supplies and often couldn’t even buy food for dinner . I would sit in class feeling completely lost , the teacher’s words muffled as I tried to figure out how I was going to manage.
I did not share my burden (负担)with anyone . I had seen people reacted to AIDS. Kids laughed at classmates who had parents with the disease . And even adults could be cruel . When my father was moved to the hospital. the nurses would leave his food on the bedside even though he was too weak to feed himself.
I had known that he was going to die . but after so many years of keeping his condition a secret . I was completely unprepared when he reached his final days. Sad and hopeless. I called a woman at the nonprofit National AIDS Support. That day , she kept me on the phone for hours . I was so lucky to find someone who cared. She saved my life .
I was 15 when my father died. He took his secret away with him. having never spoken about AIDS to anyone. Even me , he didn’t want to call attention to AIDS. I do.
1. What does Kernel tell us about her father?
A. He had stayed in the hospital since he fell ill
B. He depended on the nurses in his final days.
C. He worked hard to pay for his medication.
D. He told no one about his disease.
2. What can we learn from the underlined sentence?
A. Kernel couldn’t understand her teacher.
B. Kernel had special difficulty in hearing.
C. Kernel was too troubled to focus on the lesson.
D. Kernel was too tired to hear her teacher’s words.
3. Why did Kernel keep her father’s disease a secret?
A. She was afraid of being looked down upon.
B. She thought it was shameful to have AIDS.
C. She found no one willing to listen to her.
D. She wanted to obey her mother.
4. Why did Kernel write the passage?
A. To tell people about the sufferings of her father.
B. To show how little people knew about AIDS.
C. To draw people’s attention to AIDS.
D. To remember her father.
参考答案1—4、DCAC
【由福建省三明市2016高考模拟题改编】
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。
Leaders of the World Health Organization say they are concerned about the air quality and
health efiects on citizens during a recent outbreak of heavy pollution in Beijing．Still，they said they
were unsure of the exact amount the air pollution takes on any person’s body，casting doubts on
local reports tying the area’s dirty air to particular cases of illness．
Speaking at a briefing(情况介绍会)on Tuesday，the WHO’s Western Pacific regional director，
Shin Young—Soo，cited(列举)reports about poor air quality causing lung cancer in recent weeks.
“The WHO is skeptical of the information，”she said．“We’re cautious of whether the illness is related
to air po11ution. We know it has an impact on health，but we don’t know how much．”
The officials didn’t cite particular reports．The comments follow a number of articles since late
last year connecting some cases of diseases like lung cancer with pollution，．including one in
November regarding an 8-year-old girl．
The health impact of Beijing’s gray skies has been on the minds of many over the past week。Local
authorities on Tuesday preserved an orange alert(警报)一the city’s second highest pollution-warning
level—and again warned people to stay indoors．Experts widely agree that small particulates(颗粒)
known as PM2.5 carry significant short-and long-term health risks，particularly with children．Other
studies find a certain link between pollution and shorter life spans。
Chinese state media have noted a rise in cancer levels in Beijing,without specifying(具体说明)
whether the new cases are the main result of pollution,smoking,other sources or some combination．
Bernhard Schwartlander，the organization’s China chief，said he is concerned and has been in
contact with national authorities．“There is no easy solution,”Dr. Schwartlainder said，adding that
solving the problem requires managing industry and the economy．WHO leaders advised citizens．to
stay indoors and limit exposure to the harmful particulates．When asked if wearing a face mask has
any proven efficacy in preventing health effects of air pollution，Dr. Schwartlainder said，“Whatever
you do，it’s better than nothing.”
1．We can learn from the passage that
.
A．in case of an orange alert, we had better not go outside
B．the case of the girl with lung cancer was little’ linked to air pollution
C．cancer levels in Beijing are rising due to heavy air pollution
D．it is widely agreed that pollution shortens life spans very slightly
2．According to Dr．Schwartlander，the ways to solve the problem include
.
A．contacting the national authorities
B．being exposed less to harmful particulates
C．managing the enterprise and economy
D．preventing health effects of pollution
3．What would be the best title of this passage?
A．The dangers of heavy pollution
B．The impacts of pollution on health
C．The importance of protecting the environment
D．The uncertainty of relationship between pollution and health
【参考答案】1—3、ACD