高考英语二轮专题复习阅读理解极限突破测试卷(25)
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.
31. What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. Competition helps to set up self-respect.
B. Opinions about competition are different among people.
C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
D. Failures are necessary experience in competition.
32. Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A. It pushes society forward.
B. It builds up a sense of duty.
C. It improves personal abilities.
D. It encourages individual efforts.
33. The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means __________.
A. those who try their best to win
B. those who value competition most highly
C. those who are against competition most strongly
D. those who rely on others most for success
34. What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?
A. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.
B. One’s success in competition needs great efforts.
C. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.
D. One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.
35. Which point of view may the author agree to?
A. Every effort should be paid back.
B. Competition should be encouraged.
C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.
【参考答案】31-35. BACAD
Passage 2
A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin-deep. One' s physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not- so-beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, the physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un-American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties (虔诚) while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group--college students, perhaps, or teachers or corporate personnel managers a piece of paper relating an individual' s accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average-looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. on another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire (追求) to managerial positions do not get on as well as who may be less attractive.
56. In "Beauty is only skin-deep", "skin-deep" can be replaced by______.
A. decorating
B. superficial
C. expressive
D. demanding
57. "One's physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career."(paral) can be interpretated as______.
A. whether or not one looks good or bad, it doesn' t affect much one' s managerial career
B. in one' s managerial career, he may deal with cases like assets and liabilities
C. in one' s managerial career, he may rarely deal with cases like assets and liabilities
D. whether or not one looks good or bad, it may affect much one' s managerial career
58. The result of research carried out by social scientists show that______.
A. people do not realize the importance of looking one' s best
B. women in pursuit of managerial jobs are not likely to be paid well
C. good -looking women aspire to managerial positions
D. attractive people generally have an advantage over those who are not
59. "Good looks cut both ways for women" (Para.5) means that______.
A. attractive women have tremendous potential impact on public job
B. good-looking women always get the best of everything
C. being attractive is not always an advantage for women
D. attractive women do not do as well as unattractive women in managerial positions
60. It can be inferred from the passage that in the business world______.
A. handsome men are not affected as much by their looks as attractive women are
B. physically attractive women who are in the public eye usually do quite well
C. physically attractive men and women who are in the public eye usually get along quite well
D. good looks are important for women as they are for men
【参考答案】Passage 2
56．[答案 B。词汇题。skin-deep是“肤浅的，表面的”意思，与superficial意思相近。
57．[答案 A。理解题。主要是考察对“physical assets and liabilities”的理解，意为“长相的优劣”，整句的意思为“长相的优劣对于一个人的事业影响不太大”
58．[答案 D。细节题。根据第四段“Almost invariably, the better looking... what is beautiful is good．”，可知D为正确答案。
59．[答案 C。归纳题。在文章第五段中，作者指出，妇女一方面可以借助美貌比较容易地找到工作，另一个方面因为人们一般会觉得美丽的妇女不如长相一般的妇女有能力而使美丽的妇女不容易得到经理之类的职位，不难看出“Good looks cut both ways for women”的意思与C中内容相符。
60．[答案 A。推理题。根据文章最后一段不难推理出正确答案是A。
阅读理解
第一节 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。
A
It’s 5:00 in the morning when the alarm (闹钟) rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I face my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise, I feel extremely tired, but a smile is of my face. It’s not a smile because the DVD is over, but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
Some people enjoy shopping, smoking, food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother’s chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my “no thank you,” or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years, I have learned it’s okay to just say “no.” I shouldn’t feel sorry for refusing food that I don’t want to eat.
So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say to ice cream?
Commitment.
A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self –confidence and energy, extends life and above all improve my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It’s through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out.
(
) 1.Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?
A. Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully.
B. Because she finishes her favorite exercise
C. Because she enjoys the interesting DVD
D. Because she feels a sense of achievement
(
) 2. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?
A. She doesn’t treat others politely
B. She likes to make others surprised
C. Others don’t understand what she does
D. Others try to help her by offering her food
(
) 3. What does the underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Good health
B. Firm belief
C.A strong power
D.A regular half
(
) 4. What can we learn about the author from the text?
A. She acts in a strange way
B. She wants to look different from others
C. She aims to develop a good body shape
D. She has difficult getting along with others
【答案与解析】
【要点综述】本文叙述了作者不辞辛苦地坚持锻炼，有时还不为他人所理解的故事；她只为自己的坚定信念，即通过锻炼来改变自己。
1. D 细节理解题。从第一段最末一句“It’s not a smile because the DVD is over , but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.”可知答案为D。
阅读理解
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to £200 or £300 a week. Put an advertisement（广告）for free on Let park or At my house park.
Rent（出租）a room
Spare room? Not only will a lodger（房客）earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Won’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money, Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free—but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing
solar equipment(around￡14,000), and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.
(
) 1. If you earn ￡5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
A. ￡800
B. ￡500
C. ￡4500
D.5000
(
). Where can you put an advertisement to rent out a room during a big event?
A. On Letpark.
B. On Roomspare.
C. On Grashpadder.
D. On Roommateeasy.
(
) 3. If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
A. sign an agreement with the government
B. pay around ￡14,000 for the equipment
C. sell the roof to some energy companies
D. keep the roof unchanged for within 25 years
(
). For whom the text most probably written?
A. Lodgers.
B. Advertisers.
C. House owners.
D. Online companies