高考英语二轮专题检测精品练习：阅读理解（4）
A
Butterfly gardens can be grown throughout the United States.There is a wide variety of both butterflyattracting (nectar) plants and host plants covering climate zones throughout the country.Butterfly gardens can range
in size from a few containers placed in a sunny spot to several acres.
Nectarproducing (产蜜的) plants will attract butterflies to your garden.In order to support a full butterfly life cycle，host plants (for laying eggs and used as a caterpillar food source) must also be present.
Throughout the country，the general requirements
for butterfly gardening are the same：full sun，nectar source plants，larval (幼虫的)
host plants，a pesticidefree environment，and knowledge of the local butterfly
species.Many butterflyattracting plants are natives and require little attention，as they are naturally adapted to the region in which they live.
Butterfly gardens are best planted in spring with younger plants or in fall with mature plants that will become dormant quickly and reemerge in
spring.It is best not to plant in the heat of summer or the cold of winter.
One of the most common mistakes in butterfly gardening is planting only one nectar source.Adult butterflies have a very short lifespan.Planting a variety of nectar sources will encourage more butterflies to visit the garden.Planting an adequate supply of host plants gives butterflies a place to lay their eggs，which will successfully hatch (孵化) and result in butterflies that will continue to visit the garden.
Butterflies typically lay their eggs in late spring and hatch 3－6 days after they are laid.It takes 3－4 weeks for a caterpillar to pupate (化蛹) and 9－14 days to emerge as an adult.
Good resources for learning more about butterfly gardening include zoos，botanical gardens，butterfly houses，garden centers and nurseries，libraries and the Internet.There are many good websites dedicated to butterflies and butterfly gardening.
5．Which of the following is true，according to the passage?
A．Butterfly gardens can be grown only in some parts of the US.
B．Butterfly gardens must be large in size.
C．Butterfly gardens should be in a sunny place.
D．Butterfly gardens need to plant butterflyattracting plants only.
6．Native butterflyattracting plants are better because________.
A．they smell better to butterflies
B．they can adapt to the local region
C．they can grow faster and taller
D．they can be planted in a container
7．Which seasons are suitable for planting butterfly gardens?
A．Spring and summer.
B．Summer and fall.
C．Summer and winter.
D．Spring and fall.
8．Which of the following is the correct order of a butterfly life cycle?
a．It is born as an egg.
b．It emerges as an adult.
c．A caterpillar hatches out.
d．A caterpillar pupates.
A．acdb
B．adcb
C．dacb
D．dcab
B
Australia, the last continent, was discovered by ships belonging to some European nations in the seventeenth century. These nations were less interested in changing it into a colony (殖民地) than in exploring (勘探) it. As in the early history of the United States, it was the English who set up the settlements (新拓居者) in Australia. This history and the geography of these two British colonies have some other things in common as well.
Australia and the United States are about the same in size, and their western lands are both not rich in soil. It was the eastern coast of Australia and American that the English first settled, and both colonies soon began to develop towards the west. However, this westward movement took place more because the English were searching for better land than because the population was increasing. Settlements of the western part of both countries developed quickly after gold was discovered in America in 1849 and in Australia two years later.
Although the development of these two countries has a lot in common, there are some striking differences as well. The United States gained its independence from England by revolution while Australis won its independence without having to go to war. Australia, unlike the United States, was firstly truned into a colony by English prisoners and its economic development was in wheat growing and sheep raising. By 1922, for example, Australia had fifteen times more sheep than it had people, or almost half as many sheep as there are people today in the United States. Yet, in spite of these and other main differences, Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world.
1. Who turned Australia into a colony?
A.Britain.
B.Several European countries.
C.The United States of America.
D.None of the above.
2. In the early history of America and Australia, both colonies developed towards the west firstly for her reaon that______.
A. the population was increasing rapidly in the east
B. the English thought there might be richer land there
C. gold was discovered there
D. fewer people lived there
3. In the early 1920s, ______.
A. Australia had one fifteenth as many people as sheep
B. there were more sheep in Australia than in the United States
C. the population in Australia was greater than that of the Untied States
D. the Untied States had twice as many sheep as people
4. Australia, unlike the Unted States,______.
A. won its independence by peaceful means
B. did not discover gold until the late 1840s
C. was the last and biggest continent to be discovered
D. was not rich in gold in its western part
5. The last sentence in the last paragraph "... Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world" means ______.
A. The United States and Australia do not have any main difference
B. The United States and Australia have much more in common than they have with other countries
C. The Untied States and Australia have nothing in common with the rest of the world
D. In common with the rest of the world, the United States and Australia have a lot of differences
C
Machines in the home have a short history. Sewing machines, washing machines and tumble dries are common enough today, but a hundred years ago few people could even imagine such things. However, inventors have designed and built a wide range of household machines since then. In most cases the inventor tried to patent（申请专利）his machine, to stop anyone copying it. Then he tried to produce a lot of them. If the machine became popular, the inventor could make a lot of money.
In 1790 the first sewing machine was patented. The inventor was an Englishman called Thomas Saint. There was nothing to match his machine for forty years, and then someone built a similar device. He was a Frenchman, Bartelemy Thimonier. Neither of these early machines worked very well, however. It wasn’t until 1846 that an inventor came up with a really efficient sewing machine. He was an American, Elias Howe and his machine was good enough to beat five skilled sewing women. He didn’t make much money from it, however. The first commercially successful sewing machine was patented by Isaac Singer five years later.
Today, we take washing machines for granted, but there was none before 1869. The revolving drum（旋转桶）of that first machine set a pattern for the future, but it was crude by today’s standards. The drum was turned by hand, and needed a lot of effort. Eight years passed before someone produced an electric washing machine. The world had to wait even longer for a machine to dry clothes. The first spin-drier was another American invention, patented in 1924; but it was 20 years before such machines were widely used.
It was yet another American, called Bissell, who introduced the carpet sweeper. He patented the original machine back in 1876. It didn’t pick up dirt very well, but it was quicker than a dustpan and brush. Thirty-six years later, even the carpet sweeper was old-fashioned: modern homes now have a vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）with an electric motor to suck the dust. 60. Whose sewing machine could do far more than the work that was done by five skilled sewing women?
A. Thomas Saint’s.
B. Bartelemy Thimonier’s.
C. Elias Howe’s.
D. Isaac Singer’s.
61. According to the article, modern inventors __________ .
A. follow the pattern of the first revolving drum but improve it much
B. only imitate the first washing machine
C. power the first ever-made washing machine by electricity
D. have to wait for the first spin-drier for a long time 62. The underlined word “crude” in the sentence “but it was crude by today’s standards”probably means __________ .
A. useless
B. ugly-looking
C. rough
D. not skillfully made 63. The article mainly tells us about __________ .
A. the great inventors in the world
B. the important inventions in the world
C. the short history of household machines
D. the importance of the machines used in the home
D
Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier---the shark(鲨鱼).
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research.”
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal(潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic(模拟) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.
The passage is most probably taken from _____.
A. a short-story collection
B. a popular science magazine
C. a research paper
D. a personal diary
45. What do we learn from the first four paragraph of the passage?
A. Sharks may be used to predict bad weather.
B. Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled.
C. Michael Fish is not qualified for his job.
D. Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster.
46. Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______.
A. removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system
B. measuring the air pressure of weather fronts
C. recording sharks’ body temperature
D. monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes
47. What is the passage mainly about?
A. A popular way of forecasting weather.
B. A new research effort in predicting storms.
C. Biologists’ interest in the secrets of sharks.
D. Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research.
A
语篇解读： 本文是说明文，介绍了如何种植蝴蝶园来吸引蝴蝶。
5．解析： 细节理解题。根据第三段第一句中的“full sun”可知，C项正确。根据第一段第一句可排除A项，根据第一段第三句可排除B项，根据第二段可排除D项。
答案： C
6．解析： 细节理解题。从文章第三段第二句可知，本地的植物不需要太多的照料，因为它们能够自然地适应它们生长的环境。
答案： B
7．解析： 细节理解题。从文章第四段可知，种植蝴蝶园的最佳季节是春季和秋季。
答案： D
8．解析： 排序题。从文章倒数第二段可知，蝴蝶的生命周期的正确顺序应为A项。
答案： A
2.【分析】本题是细节题。从第二自然段中的...the English were searching for better land than because the population was increasing一句，可以推断出本题选最佳答案为B。意思是“从东向西开发运动主要是因为英国人要寻找更好的土地而不是因为人口的增长。”
3.【分析】本题也是一道细节题，从文中的“by 1922，for example，Austrialia had fifteen times more sheop than it had people.”一句可以看出到1922年为止，澳大利亚的羊的数量是人的15倍。故本题A为正确答案。本题通过率为51％，区分度为0.493。
4.【分析】本题也是细节题。文中第三段有一句“The United States gained its independence from England by revolution while Austrilia won its independence without having to go to war”一句，可以看出澳大利亚是没有通过战争和武力就获得独立的国家。而美国则不然。故本题最佳答案为A。
5.【分析】本题属于句意理解，意思是“美国和澳大利亚在许多地方都有共同点，而其它国家则没有这么相似的两个国家。故本题的最佳答案为B。
C
答案：60-63 DADC
D
44.B
45.A
46.D
47.B