重庆市2017高考英语阅读理解选编（2）（附解析）
2016高考英语训练--阅读理解阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes．Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months． Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley．
The air temperature during the summer has been as high as fifty- seven degrees Celsius． The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as seventy -four degrees Celsius.
Death Valley contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions． Evidence
of one of these explosions is called Ubehebe Crater． The explosion left a huge hole in the ground almost a
kilometer and a half wide．
In many areas of Death Valley it is easy to see where the ground has been
pushed up violently by movement deep in the Earth． This movement has created unusual and beautiful
rock formations． Some are red． Others are dark brown, gray, yellow or black．
The area was named by a woman in 1849． Thousands of people from other parts of the country traveled Lo the gold mining areas in California． They Were in a hurry to get there before other people did．One group trying to reach California decided to take a path called the Old Spanish Trail． By December
they had reached Death Valley．They did not have to survive the terrible heat of summer, hut there was
still an extreme lack of water．There were few plants for their work animals to eat．
The people could not find a pass through the call mountains to the west of the Valley, Slowly, they began co suffer from a lack of food．To survive, they killed their work animals for food and began to walk out of the Valley．
As they left, one Woman looked back and said, "Good -bye, death valley． ” The name has never been changed．
Almost everyone who visits Death Valley visits a huge house called Scotty' s Castle．The building design is Spanish, with high thick walls to provide protection from the fierce heat．
The castle is named for Walter Scott , called Scotty． by his friends． He was a gold miner．He told everyone that he built the house with money he made from his gold mine, Many people believed him．But it was not really the truth．
1．The first two paragraphs discuss Death Valley' s
．
A． geography
B． climate
C． location
D． Size
．The woman who named Death Valley intended to
．
A．explore the mystery of the valley
B．find an area with plants for animals
C．experience the terrible heat of summer
D．look for gold in California
．If the passage continues, it will be about
.
A．the truth about Scotty's Castle
B．why Spanish built the castle
C．when the castle was built
D．where the castle lies in
1.B段落大意题。根据前两个段主要介绍了死亡谷的温度，暴风和洪水等情况，总之介绍了它的气候。
.D细节理解题。根据The area was named by a woman in 1849．Thousands of people from other parts of the country traveled Lo the gold mining areas in California．As they left, one Woman looked back and said, "Good -bye, death valley． ” The name has never been changed．她也去加利福尼亚寻找金子，故选D。
.A推理判断题。根据最后一段可知下面将些关于Scotty's Castle的真实情况。阅读理解
Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup(基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.
Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
Exploration also allows minerals and other potential(潜在的) resources to be found.Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin－offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even nonstick pans and mirrored sunglasses are byproducts(副产品) of technological developments in the space industry!
While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers. The danger exists, but knowledge can help human beings to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.
While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.
1．Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph 1?
A．To express his doubts.
B．To compare different ideas.
C．To introduce points for discussion.
D．To describe the conditions on Earth.
2．What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph 2?
A．Humans are nature－born to do so.
B．Humans have the tendency to fight.
C．Humans may find new sources of food.
D．Humans don’t like to stay in the same place.
3．The underlined word “spin－offs” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to ________.
A．survival chances
B．potential resources
C．unexpected benefits
D．physical
possessions
4．What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?A．Our genetic makeup.
B．Resources on the earth.
C．The adaptive ability of humans.
D．Byproducts in space exploration.
本文是一篇议论文，向我们阐述了人类进行太空探索的原因。人类的基因构成决定了人类探索其他领域包括太空的能力。人类探索太空可能暂时没有多大用处，但是在将来这可能会帮助人类生存下去。
1．解析：选C。推理判断题。作者在第一段提出问题目的是引出下面要讨论的话题。
2．解析：选 A。细节理解题。根据第二段的第一句可知人类探索太空的原因是其基因的构成。
3．解析：选 C。词义猜测题。后面所说的“improvements in earthquake prediction，in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems”可知此处的划线短语意为“益处，好处”。
4．解析：选C。细节理解题。根据最后一段的第一句话可知，人类的适应能力会让人类在其他星球生存下去。
阅读下列材料，从每题所给的选项中选出最佳选项。体裁：说明文 话题：错误与成长 词数：352 时间：5′
We live in a culture that sends out very mixed messages about mistakes: We're told we learn by making them, but we work hard to avoid them.So the result is most of us know that we are going to make mistakes, but deep down, we feel we shouldn't.
Experiments with schoolchildren who did well on a given test show that those who were praised for being smart and then offered a more challenging or less challenging task afterward usually chose the easier one.On the other hand, children praised for trying hard—rather than being smart—far more often selected the more difficult task.
If we try hard to avoid mistakes, we aren't open to getting the information we need in order to do better.In a writing study, experiments showed that those who are so scared to make mistakes perform worse in writing tasks than those who aren't as worried about being perfect.They fear receiving any kind of negative feedback, so they don't learn where they went wrong and how to get better.
We don't just learn more when we're open to mistakes, we learn deeper.Research tells us that if we're only concerned about getting the right answer, we don't always learn the underlying concepts that help us truly understand whatever we're trying to figure out.Mistakes need to be seen not as a failure to learn, but as a guide to what still needs to be learned.As Thomas Edison said, “I am not discouraged, because every abandoned wrong attempt is another step forward.”
Furthermore, we often make mistakes because we try new things—we wander away from accepted paths.Teflon, penicillin—these are examples of great discoveries made by mistake.Take a page from Albert Einstein, who said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
【语篇解读】 本文讲述了错误对于我们成长的积极作用，并列举了相关实验和例子，以及我们应该用积极的态度对待错误。
1．What will happen to students praised for being smart in face of
choosing tasks compared to students praised for working hard?
A．He will ask his teachers for advice.
B．He will choose a less challenging task.
C．He will work harder to avoid mistakes.
D．He will hide his mistakes from his teachers.
答案 B
2．If a person is always scared of making mistakes, he will ________．
A．lose confidence in everything
B．discourage himself from improving
C．suffer from great pressure of success
D．focus on getting positive information
答案 B
．Which of the following statements is NOT acceptable according to the passage?
A．Being open to mistakes help you understand the truth.
B．Mistakes can be used as a positive factor for success.
C．The more mistakes we make, the more we learn.
D．A step forward may come from mistakes you've made.
答案 C
．What does the last paragraph want to tell us?
A．One must follow a correct path to avoid mistakes.
B．To become an Einstein, you should make mistakes.
C．You can't make mistakes unless you try new things.
D．Making mistakes is not a disadvantage in a way.
答案 D
．What's the main idea of the passage?
A．Mistakes should be treated with a correct attitude.
B．Success can't be achieved without making mistakes.
C．Try every means to avoid mistakes in our daily life.
D．We can never avoid making mistakes when we work.
答案 A
【科普知识型---阅读理解】
Housed in Milan, one of Europe's dirtiest cities, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece The Last Supper still faces a threat from air pollution, researchers say, despite preventative measures that have significantly decreased pollutants in the church where the famous painting is on display.
In 2009, Italian authorities installed a heating, ventilation (通风) and airconditioning system to protect the painting from Milan's polluted air. To see whether the system could improve air quality, a team of researchers led by Constantinos Sioutas, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California, placed two airquality monitors inside the church for a year to collect samples from around painting. Results showed the levels of fine and coarse particulates were reduced near the painting by 88 percent and 94 percent, respectively, compared with the corresponding outdoor levels. “It's a spectacular reduction，” Sioutas said in a statement. “It is, frankly, very impressive.”
Although the researchers applauded the successful decrease in particulates around da Vinci's painting, they warned that indoor sources of pollution may still pose a threat to the priceless painting. Fatty lipids (油脂) from the skin of customers in the church appeared in significant quantities around the painting, despite the fact that visitors getting access to the artwork are strictly regulated.
Only a few visitors are allowed inside the church at a time, and they enter the building and can stay for only 15 minutes each. However, fatty lipids from visitors' skin can combine with dust in the air and pollute the painting if they come in contact with it, says study researcher Nancy Daher of the University of Southern California.
Even previous restorations of the painting may pollute its surface, Daher said. Tiny particulates of the wax applied during early repair efforts can be emitted from the painting, get into the air and tarnish (使失去光泽) the painting in the same manner as the fatty lipids.
The researchers noted that their airsample analysis could be used as a point of reference for future studies aimed at protecting valuable artwork and artefacts.
1．What does the underlined word “particulates” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．The smallest parts of a chemical substance.
B．Things dirtier than usual.
C．Certain types of gas.
D．Extremely small pieces of dirt, which cause serious pollution.
2．According to the text, the following factors pollute the painting EXCEPT
________．
A．fatty lipids from the skin
B．tiny particles of the wax
C．breath of the visitors
D．dust in the air
3．According to the researchers, which of the following is NOT true of their airsample analysis?
A. The airsample analysis was got by gathering air in the church for a year.
B．The airsample analysis showed that the painting was completely away from air pollution.
C．The airsample analysis can be helpful for future studies protecting valuable artwork.
D．The airsample analysis showed that the particulates around da Vinci's painting were decreased successfully.
4．What can be the best title of the text?
A．How to decrease levels of particulates effectively
B．The famous painting —da Vinci's The Last Supper
C．Keeping air pollution from damaging da Vinci's The Last Supper
D．How to protect artwork in households
【要点综述】保存在意大利米兰市一家教堂的达·芬奇名画《最后的晚餐》受到空气污染的影响。虽采取了措施使教堂空气质量得到提高，但仍存在一些污染隐患。
1．D 词义猜测题。综合分析文章及该词所在句子，可推知该词意为“颗粒(污染)物”。
2．C 细节理解题。根据文章信息可知，对名画《最后的晚餐》带来污染的因素主要有参观者皮肤上的油脂、修复时产生的蜡颗粒及空气中的灰尘等。
3．B 细节理解题。从文章第一、二段可知，虽然教堂室内环境大为改善，但这幅伟大的画作仍受到各种污染物的威胁。
4．C 主旨大意题。综合分析文章可知，本文主要介绍如何保护达·芬奇的名画《最后的晚餐》免受污染物的影响，故C项为标题最佳。