2017届高考英语二轮专题总复习 阅读能力培养精品系列（二十五）

　　2017届高考英语二轮专题总复习阅读能力培养精品系列（二十五）

　　阅读理解

　　A

　　With petroleum reserves (石油储量) decreasing, the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner，greener alternative. Though much ecotalk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans, the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source: algae(藻类)．

　　Algae, like corn, soybeans, and other crops, grow via photosynthesis(光合作用) and can be processed into fuel oil. However, they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans, according to the U．S. Department of Energy. Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water—while corn and soy require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons.

　　“If you replaced all the diesel(柴油) in the U．S. with soy biodiesel, it would take half the land mass of the U．S. to grow those soybeans，”says Matt Caspari, chief executive of Aurora Biofuels, a Berkeley, Calif-based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology. On the other hand, the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require 15,000 square miles, which is a few thousand miles larger than Maryland (12,407 square miles), the 42nd state in land area.

　　Another bonus: Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space, they're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber. Smokestack emissions (烟囱排放物) can be pumped directly into the ponds, feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

　　Although processing technology for algae fuel－also known as “oilgae” in some environmentalist circles—is improving, it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump. “It's just a question of cost, because no large-scale facilities have been built yet，” Caspari says.

　　1. The underlined word “yield” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ________.

　　A. control

　　B. require

　　C. produce

　　D. grow

　　2. Compared with corn and soybeans, algae________.

　　A. may pollute water and soil

　　B. can grow in poor conditions

　　C. provide much less energy

　　D. need more special care

　　3. According to Paragraph 3, one of the advantages of algae fuel is that________.

　　A. it can be used more widely

　　B. it is more easy to produce

　　C. it needs much less land

　　D. it costs much less money

　　4. What do we learn about algae from Paragraph 4?

　　A. Algae help protect the environment.

　　B. People can grow algae anywhere.

　　C. Fish can get more oxygen from algae.

　　D. Algae produce less waste.

　　5. What does the passage mainly talk about?

　　A. Environmental protection.

　　B. Biofuels from corn and soybeans.

　　C. The false hope of biofuels.

　　D. A promising oil alternative.

　　B

　　Prince Charles yesterday, promised to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule. The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.

　　The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental impact of their activities. He said, “Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, ‘How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded, how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities？' These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked.”

　　He added,“At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone's books. Yet they are real, they are incurred (遭受) now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy(补救)．”He said the world was “running up the_biggest_global_credit_card_debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid”．

　　Flanked by (两侧有) the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James' Palace, the prince said his new accounting for sustainability (可持续性) project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet.

　　Duchy Originals, the Prince's food company, is taking steps to quantify how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas is emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products.

　　The changes to the Prince's travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences: Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff.

　　Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter(通勤者) and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The review will report in June, when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emissions.

　　6. One of the moves Prince Charles will take to reduce the royal impact on the environment is ________.

　　A. taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy

　　B. taking helicopters instead of private jets

　　C. taking trains instead of scheduled flights

　　D. taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters

　　7. How does Prince Charles feel about business leaders in terms of environmental protection?

　　A. Dissatisfied.

　　B. Disappointed.

　　C. Doubtful.

　　D. Impatient.

　　8. Duchy Originals will ________ in response to Prince Charles' calls.

　　A. make as much green food as possible

　　B. cut down on its electricity use

　　C. figure out its greenhouse gas emission

　　D. reduce its greenhouse gas emission

　　9. The underlined phrase “the biggest global credit card debt” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to ________.

　　A. the great amount of waste produced by industry

　　B. the great damage caused for the environment

　　C. the great amount of debts of the royal family

　　D. the high cost of industry in the producing process

　　10. What would be the BEST title of the passage?

　　A. Prince Charles promises greener royal lifestyle

　　B. Better late than never

　　C. Prince Charles and his concern for the environment

　　D. The royal family has a role to play in environment protection

　　参考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. 解析：选C。词义猜测题。此处根据这句话的意思可以推出它们生产的能量比大豆之类的农作物要多30倍。故选C。

　　2. 解析：选B。细节推理题。根据第二段第三句的“...can grow in saltwater and polluted water”和“...require arable land fresh water...”可知，玉米和大豆需要有良好的环境才能生长，而藻类在较差的环境下也能够生长。

　　3. 解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句“On the other hand... the 42nd state in land area”可知，如果藻类燃料全部代替美国的石油燃料，所需土地比马里兰州的面积多一些，而该州面积仅居全美国42位。联系本段第一句的“...it would take half the land mass of the U.S. to grow those soybeans...”可知，生产藻类燃料仅需很少的土地。

　　4. 解析：选A。推理判断题。根据第四段第二句“Smokestack emissions can...of the atmosphere”可知，烟囱排放物能够直接排入养殖着藻类的池塘，既向藻类提供了养料，又防止了温室气体污染大气。可见，藻类对保护环境有利。

　　5. 解析：选D。主旨大意题。本文介绍了一种颇具前景的藻类能源，重点分析了这种新能源的优势。注意第一段第一句的关键词alternative。

　　6. 解析：选D。细节理解题。根据文章第一段，查尔斯王子改变生活方式的途径是：乘班机和火车，不再乘污染严重的喷气式飞机和直升机。

　　7. 解析：选A。推理判断题。从文章第二段，查尔斯王子对商界一连串的发问中可以看出他的不满。

　　8. 解析：选C。细节理解题。由第五段“Duchy Originals...is taking steps to quantify how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas is emitted...”其中quantify 作动词用，意为“量化”，同C项的figure out（计算出）意思接近，因此C项正确。

　　9. 解析：选B。词义理解题。根据语境判断，此处短语指的是我们对环境的破坏，查尔斯王子形象地把它比喻成我们“对地球的最大欠账”。

　　10. 解析：选A。标题归纳题。文章介绍英国的查尔斯王子准备为环保事业身体力行，改变自己的生活方式，以减少温室气体的排放，因此A项最能体现文章的中心。B项是“亡羊补牢，为时未晚”的意思，文中有一定的信息，但不是全文的中心；C项仅仅体现出“关心”，而没有体现行动；D项指的是整个王室，而没有紧扣查尔斯王子的行为。