2017届英语高三二轮复习：第三板块高考体验1—阅读理解

　　(2011·山东)

　　Arthur Miller(1915­2005)is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller` s father had moved to the USA from Austria­Hungary, drawn like so many others by the“Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.

　　Millers’ s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system，with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with his worth. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can’t do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.

　　When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.

　　Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10,2005，the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.

　　【语篇解读】　本文是讲述了阿瑟·米勒的生平经历及他的代表作Death of a Salesman的内容及评价。

　　1. Why did Arthur Miller’s father move to the USA?

　　A. He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

　　B. He was attracted by the “Great American Dream”．

　　C. He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

　　D. His family business failed.

　　解析　细节题。从第一段第二句话可知米勒的父亲从奥地利迁往美国，是和许多其他人一样受“伟大的美国梦”的驱使。

　　答案　B

　　2. The play Death of a Salesman ________.

　　A. exposes the cruelty of the American business world

　　B. discusses the ways to get promoted in a company

　　C. talks about the business career of Arthur Miller

　　D. focuses on the skills in doing business

　　解析　细节推断题。从第二段第一句话可知米勒写《推销员之死》的目的是对美国制度的攻击，因为美国商业制度的侵犯性和坚持将金钱和社会地位作为价值的显示。A 指出了这一戏剧暴露了美国商业世界的残酷。下文也提到了，in the cruel world of business。

　　答案　A

　　3. What can we learn about Willy Loman?

　　A. He treats his employer badly.

　　B. He runs the Wagner Company.

　　C. He is a victim of the American system.

　　D. He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

　　解析　推理判断题。从上文介绍情节中得知Willy Loman是戏剧中一个角色，而这个角色最终因为在这个制度中屡遭失败自杀身亡，因此推断他是美国制度的受害者。

　　答案　C

　　4. After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman________.

　　A. achieved huge success

　　B. won the first Tony Award

　　C. was warmly welcomed by salesmen

　　D. was severely attacked by dramatists

　　解析　细节推断题。从第三段得知一上映便赢得许多奖项，因此获得巨大成功。

　　答案　A

　　5. What is the text mainly about?

　　A. Arthur Miller and his family.

　　B. The awards Arthur Miller won.

　　C. The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.

　　D. Arthur Miller and his best­known play.

　　解析　主旨大意题。A没有提及，B、C都是片面的。

　　答案　D

　　Passage 1

　　(2011·深圳高级中学高三上学期第一次月考)A couple of years ago，before a trip to China，Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.

　　“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus，”said Davis.

　　Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球)，Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s.She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.

　　When the US team arrived for the Olympics，Lang,48，who is from Beijing，had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.

　　Then came the greatest moment to Lang：While the US team was playing in a packed gym，at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.

　　“That really says it all，” Davis said.“They look at her as an icon(偶像)．I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country, but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”

　　The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday, when China lost a match to the US.

　　“It’s a pity that China lost the match, but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won，since she is the pride of

　　China’s volleyball，” said Liu Chengli，a spectator.“We also cheered for Lang’s victory.”

　　Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet.“It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.It’s the same.” Lang said.

　　Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players，said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.

　　“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China，”she said.“The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous. The whole event has been unbelievable.”

　　1．What’s the passage mainly about?

　　A．Staying professional.

　　B．Cheering for the Iron Hammer.

　　C．A match between China and the US.

　　D．Lang Ping’s career as a coach.

　　解析　本篇文章无明显的主题句，但字里行间都在讲述我国著名排球运动员，现美国女排主教练郎平带队到中国参加奥运会并受到了人们的热烈欢迎，故应选B；而D项意为“郎平的教练生涯”，显然不合题意。但多数学生误选此项，是由于只注意到了局部信息，犯了以偏概全的错误，而没有真正理解文章主旨。

　　答案　B

　　2．Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she________.

　　A．was afraid to be questioned about her strategy

　　B．didn’t want to be paid much attention to

　　C．disliked to be with her fans

　　D．didn’t want to disturb public order

　　解析　推理判断题。从文章第四段的内容可以推断出郎平希望不要太被关注。

　　答案　B

　　3．What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?

　　A．Destroyed completely.

　　B．Tore into pieces.

　　C．Spread out to the wind.

　　D．Rolled up.

　　解析　词义猜测题。由文章第五段和第六段可以知道，这里的中国球迷应该是“打开、展开”了一面美国国旗，所以选C项。

　　答案　C

　　4．What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”？

　　A．American Volleyball Team will beat any team.

　　B．Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.

　　C．She just tried to stay professional.

　　D．The results of each match will be the same.

　　解析　推理判断题。从文章内容可以知道，郎平认为不论是对阵中国队还是其他队，对她来说，这仅仅是一场比赛而已。由此推断选C项。

　　答案　C

　　5．What impressed the US team players most?

　　A．The tolerance of Chinese people.

　　B．The popularity of volleyball in China.

　　C．Lang Ping’s coaching skills.

　　D．The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.

　　解析　细节理解题。从文章倒数第二段的内容可以知道，排球在中国非常受欢迎，所以选B项。

　　答案　B

　　Passage 2

　　(2011·重庆)William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13,1865. His childhood lacked the harmony (和睦) that was typical of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered “little of childhood but its pain”. In fact, he inherited (继承) excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama (戏剧) and poetry.

　　Yeats had strong faith in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at the beginning. He didn’t lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.

　　Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats’s poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition.

　　He had not enjoyed a major public lift since winning the Nobel Price in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeats’s death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the falling liners：

　　Earth, receive an honoured guest：

　　William Yeats is laid to rest.

　　Let the Irish vessel (船) lie.

　　Emptied of its poetry.

　　【语篇解读】　本文是人物介绍文，介绍著名爱尔兰作家William Butler Yeats及其文学成就。

　　1. Which of the following can describe Yeats’s family?

　　A. It filled Yeats’s childhood with laughter.

　　B. It was shocked by Yeats’s choice.

　　C. It was a typically wealthy family.

　　D. It had an artistic atmosphere.

　　解析　细节题。根据文章第一段可以排除ABC, 而In fact, he inherited (继承) excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters.可知D项是正确的。

　　答案　D

　　2. According to the passage, what do we know about Yeats’s life?

　　A. Yeats founded the first Irish theatre.

　　B. Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry.

　　C. Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s.

　　D. Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Noble Prize.

　　解析　细节题。根据Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would who probably now be valued as a minor poet可知，Yeats应该是在40岁之后，也就是大约1910s开始写作大量优秀的诗歌。

　　答案　C

　　3. What kind of feeling is expressed in W．H.Auden’s lines?

　　A. Envy.

　　B. Sympathy.

　　C. Emptiness.

　　D. Admiration.

　　解析　推理判断题。注意引文是在说Yeats在诗歌文学上取得巨大成就的时候提及的，自然应该是对其诗歌方面的造诣表示钦佩和羡慕。

　　答案　D

　　4. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. Yeats’s literary achievements.

　　B. Yeats’s historical influence.

　　C. Yeats’s artistic ambition.

　　D. Yeats’s national honor.

　　解析　主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文讲述的是著名爱尔兰作家William Butler Yeats在文学方面所取得的成就。

　　答案　A

　　Passage 3

　　Everyone would like to be a millionaire but can you imagine having over $ 30 million and only being 20 years old? Brimey Spears from Kentwood, a small town in Louisiana, is only 20 years old; she is an international pop superstar with not only $ 30 million but also a $ 2 million house in LA. At her young age, she can look after her family financially (经济上)all her life.

　　This year is a big year for Britney, she is currently on a 31­day tour of the US and every concert is a sellout. That means she plays in front of a crowd of around 18,000 every time. It’s a tiring schedule (安排表)but brings great rewards. When touring, she goes to bed around 1 a. m. and then has a lie­in until 1 p. m. or 2 p. m. the next day. Her philosophy(人生观) is to take care of the body and relax but always make sure you work hard and have fun.

　　Spears is not satisfied with only touring and selling nearly 40 million records so she decided to branch out into the movie business and try a bit of acting.

　　She made an appearance in“ Austin Powers 3” this year and she is filming a teenage comedy that will be released in March 2003. In this movie, she has a starring role. The movie was her own concept and she picked the writer.

　　For Britney, acting is another way to express herself and she is enthusiastic (热心) about it all. If her movies are successful, her bank account is sure to grow by another few million dollars but she has been quoted as saying she does it for the love, not the money.

　　【语篇解读】　本文讲述了超级歌星Britney Spears成功的历程以及她的人生态度。

　　1. Tickets for her concerts are________.

　　A. cheap

　　B. expensive

　　C. on sale soon

　　D. all sold

　　解析　 由第二段第一句“...and every concert is a sellout”可知，每场音乐会的票都能售空，故选D。

　　答案　D

　　2. Which of the following is not true according to the text?

　　A. Though young, Britney can support her family now.

　　B. While touring, Britney sleeps about 12 hours a day.

　　C. The teenage comedy movie was based on Britney’s own story.

　　D. Britney will be even richer with her movies successful.

　　解析　 由第三段最后一句“The movie was her own concept...”可知，这部青少年电影喜剧只是她的“concept”，而非她自己的故事。

　　答案　C

　　3. According to Britney Spears, she works________.

　　A. to be a great actress

　　B. for the enjoyment

　　C. for money

　　D. to be more famous

　　解析　 由文章最后一句“...she has been quoted as saying she does it for the love，not the money”知：Britney所做一切只是为快乐和喜欢，而非钱与名利。

　　答案　B