阅读理解精讲精炼21
116.
Harvard researchers have created a tough, lowcost, biodegradable(可生物降解的) material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp (虾) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called “shrilk.” It is thin, clear, flexible and strong.
A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and '60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for onetime products such as plastic bags, or shortlived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years?
Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer (肥料), and so will enrich the soil.
Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk lowcost, and its mass
production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material.
Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible
when wet, so they’re exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They’re also developing
simpler production processes, which could be used for nonmedical products,like for
computer cases and other products inside the home. They’re even exploring combining it with other materials,like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.
66. Paragraph 1 of the passage is mainly about shrilk's ________.
A.remarkable design
B.interesting name
C.major features
D.basic elements
67. What has become a concern about plastic?
A.Using it properly.
B.Producing it cheaply.
C.Developing its properties quickly.
D.Evaluating its contributions fairly.
68. According to the inventors,shrilk has great potential partly because ________.
A.it can help plastic degrade
B.it can be found in living things
C.its mass production has been realized
D.its raw materials are abundant in nature
69. What are the inventors doing in the lab?
A.Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk.
B.Testing shrilk's use in wet conditions.
C.Making shrilk out of used household goods.
D.Improving shrilk’s flexibility for medical purposes.
70. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Recent Progress in Environmental Protection
B.Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research
C.The Harm of Onetime Products
D.A Possible Alternative to Plastic
【要点综述】本文是一篇科普说明文。介绍了科技新发现:从动物外壳提炼的具有可生物降解特性的材料以及它的广泛用途。66. C 段落大意题。考查对段落主题的理解和判断能力。根据第一段Harvard researchers have created a tough, lowcost, biodegradable…可以推知,选项C符合文意。
67. A 细节理解题。考查对文章特定细节的理解和判断能力。根据文章第二段…however, plastic’s very durability is raising questions about how appropriate it is for onetime products…可以推知,选项A符合文意。
68. D 细节理解题。考查对文章特定细节的理解和判断能力。根据文章第四段Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything…可以推知,选项D符合文意。
69. B 细节理解题。考查对文章特定细节的理解和判断能力。根据文章最后一段so they’re exploring ways to use it in wet environments.可以推知,选项B符合文意。
70. D 主旨大意题。考查对文章整体的归纳理解能力。根据文章第一段The material’s …could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic.以及后文具体谈论的该材料优于塑料的内容可以推知,选择D符合文意。
Brrriiinnng. The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning. You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think. A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters. In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problemsolving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, openminded thinking. Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we're unfocused. If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed. Sleepy people's lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving. By not giving yourself time to tune_into_your_wandering_mind,_you're missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer.
The trip you take to work doesn't help, either. The stress slows down the speed
with which signals travel between neurons (神经细胞), making inspirations less likely to occur. And while we all should read a lot about
what's going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day's work is done.
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We'd set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead. We'd stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation. We'd take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic. And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we'd click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer.
67.According to the author, we are more creative when we are ________.
A.focused
B.relaxed
C.awake
D.busy
68.What does the author imply about newspapers?
A.They are solution providers.
B.They are a source of inspiration.
C.They are normally full of bad news.
D.They are more educational than websites.
69.By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para. 2), the author means “________”.
A.wander into the wild
B.listen to a beautiful tune
C.switch to the traffic channel
D.stop concentrating on anything
70.The author writes the last paragraph in order to ________.
A.offer practical suggestions
B.summarize past experiences
C.advocate diverse ways of life
D.establish a routine for the future
【要点综述】此篇作者根据自己的观察,发现人们工作中的问题,并提出了增强创造性的建议。
67.B 信息理解题。根据第二段…your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed.可知正确答案为B。
68.C 推理判断题。根据第一段最后两句话:“当你浏览报纸上令人沮丧的消息和关于灾难的报道时,你怎么能安心工作呢?”所以C项正确。
69.D 词义理解题。划线部分句子的意思为:不给自己时间随着自己的思绪徜徉,你将错过一些令人吃惊的(好的)解决问题的方案。D项正确。
70.A 主旨大意题。最后一段首句即为此段中心句,它交代了这一段的写作意图,所以A项正确。
118.
I have been consistently opposed to feeding a baby regularly. As a doctor,
mother and scientist in child development I believe there is nothing to recommend it, from the baby's point of view.
Mothers, doctors and nurses alike have no idea of where a baby's blood sugar level lies. All we know is that a low level is harmful to brain development and makes a baby easily annoyed. In this state, the baby is difficult to calm down and sleep is impossible. The baby asks for attention by crying and searching for food with its mouth.
It is not just unkind but also dangerous to say a fourhourly feeding schedule will make a baby satisfied. The first of the experts to advocate a strict clockwatching schedule was Dr Frederic Truby King who was against feeding in the night. I've never heard anything so ridiculous. Baby feeding shouldn't follow a timetable set by the mum. What is important is feeding a baby in the best way, though it may cause some inconvenience in the first few weeks.
Well, at last we have copperbottomed research that supports demand feeding and points out the weaknesses of strictly timed feeding. The research finds out that babies who are fed on demand do better at school at age 5, 7, 11 and 14, than babies fed according to the clock. By the age of 8, their IQ (智商) scores are four to five percent higher than babies fed by a rigid timetable. This research comes from Oxford and Essex University using a sample (样本) of 10,419 children born in the early 1990s, taking account of parental education, family income, a child's sex and age, the mother's health and feeding style. These results don't surprise me. Feeding according to schedule runs the risk of harming the rapidly growing brain by taking no account of sinking blood sugar levels.
I hope this research will put an end to advocating strictly timed baby feeding practices.
31. According to Paragraph 2, one reason why a baby cries is that it feels ________.
A.sick
B.upset
C.sleepy
D.hungry
32. What does the author think about Dr King?
A.He is strict.
B.He is unkind.
C.He has the wrong idea.
D.He sets a timetable for mothers.
33. The word copperbottomed in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to________.
A.basic
B.reliable
C.surprising
D.interesting
34. What
does the research tell us about feeding a baby on demand?
A.The baby will sleep well.
B.The baby will have its brain harmed.
C.The baby will have a low blood sugar level.
D.The baby will grow to be wiser by the age of 8.
35. The author supports feeding the baby ________.
A.in the night
B.every four hours
C.whenever it wants food
D.according to its blood sugar level
【要点综述】这是一篇议论文。主要介绍了怎样喂婴儿,是根据婴儿的需求还是按照时间表。根据调查研究发现,按照婴儿的需求喂婴儿要比按照时间规定喂婴儿要好很多。
31. D 细节理解题。从第二段The baby asks for attention by crying and searching for food with its mouth.看出婴儿哭是因为饿了。故选D。
32.
C 作者观点题。根据第三段I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous. Baby feeding shouldn’t follow a timetable set by the mum. What is important is feeding a baby in the best way, though it may cause some inconvenience in the first few weeks.看出作者认为Dr Frederic Truby King的观点是不正确的。故选C。
33.
B 词义猜测题。根据本段的…research that supports demand feeding and points out the weaknesses of strictly timed feeding. The research finds out that babies who are fed on demand do better at school at age 5, 7 , 11 and 14, than babies fed according to the clock. By the age of 8, their IQ (智商)scores are four to five percent higher than babies fed by a rigid timetable.看出这个研究是非常可靠的。basic“基础的,基本的”;reliable“可依赖的,可靠的”;surprising“令人吃惊的”;interesting“有趣的”。故选B。
34.
D 细节理解题。根据第四段By the age of 8, their IQ (智商)scores are four to five percent higher than babies fed by a rigid timetable.看出答案。故选D。
35.
C 细节理解题。本文的第一句(I have been consistently opposed to feeding a baby regularly)就提出观点,“反对定时喂婴儿”,最后一句(I hope this research will put an end to advocating strictly timed baby feeding practices)希望结束严格按时喂养的习惯。既然是“不定时”,也就是按婴儿需要喂养,故选C。
119.
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons(神经元)in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate(模仿)it, whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example:“The hand took hold of the ball”), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动).Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent(相等物)for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does—well, perhaps you'll understand why.
67.Mirror neurons can explain ________.
A.why we cry when we are hurt
B.why we cough when we suffer from a cold
C.why we smile when we see someone else smile
D.why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late
68.The underlined word “triggered” in the third paragraph probably means “________”.
A.set off
B.cut off
C.built up
D.broken up
69.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons ________.
A.relate to human behavior and interaction
B.control human physical actions and feelings
C.result in bad behavior and social disorders
D.determine our knowledge and language abilities
70.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Ways to find mirror neurons.
B.Problems of mirror neurons.
C.Existence of mirror neurons.
D.Functions of mirror neurons.
【要点综述】本文是一篇科普说明文。介绍了镜像神经元的作用。
67.C 推理判断题。从第二段的第一句话“every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate it”可知镜像神经元的作用就是当我们看到别人做某事,我们也会跟着做。
68. A 词义猜测题。根据第三段镜像神经元对语言的作用,当人们听到“手抓住球”这句话时,神经元就开始起作用了,就像手抓住球这个动作真的发生一样。set off:出发;触发。
69. A 细节理解题。根据最后一段第一句可知答案。
70. D 主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了人体镜像神经元的作用。
120.
Decisionmaking under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative(负面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
“Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather.“People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像)with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn't gone through the stress.
This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress—at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decisionmaking differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
Men who had been stressed by the coldwater task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risktaking can pay off big, men may tend to do better; when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
64.We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ________.
A.keep rewards better in their memory
B.recall consequences more effortlessly
C.make risky decisions more frequently
D.learn a subject more effectively
65.According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their ________.
A.ways of making choices
B.preference for pleasure
C.tolerance of punishments
D.responses to suggestions
66.The research has proved that in a stressful situation, ________.
A.women find it easier to fall into certain habits
B.men have a greater tendency to slow down
C.women focus more on outcomes
D.men are more likely to take risks
【要点综述】本文主要讲述的是压力对人做出决定的影响以及男女在面对压力时决定方式的不同。
64. A 细节理解题。根据文章第四段“In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn't gone through the stress.”可知A为正确答案。
65. A 推理判断题。根据文章标题和实验内容,可知作者要说明的是“The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.”(第二段)。所以选A。
66. D 细节理解题。根据文章第七段“Men who had been stressed by the coldwater task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way.”可知D为正确选项。
121.
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear(鞋类)in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits(展品)from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.
Room 1
The celebrity(名人)footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Started in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting.
Room 2
Most of our visitors are amazed—and shocked—by the collection of “special purpose” shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example, there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much!
Room 3
As well as shoes and boots, the museum also exhibits shoeshaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example, there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that look like legs!The Footwear Library
People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear.
56. Where would you find a famous singer's shoes?
A. Room 1.
B. Room 2.
C. Room 3.
D. The Footwear Library.
57. All exhibits each room ________.
A. share the same theme
B. have the same shape
C. are made of the same material
D. belong to the same social class
58. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s.
B. Room
2 is the most visited place in the museum.
C. Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two.
D. Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data.
59. The purpose of the text is to get more people to ________.
A. do research
B. design shoes
C. visit the museum
D. follow celebrities
【要点综述】本文讲述世界上最大的收集鞋类的博物馆之一——Footwear Museum。
56. A 细节推断题。Room 1中有名人鞋的展品,所以选A。
57. A 推理判断题。每个展厅的展品都和“鞋类”有关。所以选A。
58. D 细节推断题。根据The Footwear Library中Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear.可判断研究者是为了收集资料。
59. C 推理判断题。本文讲述了世界上最大的收集鞋类的博物馆之一——Footwear Museum,目的是吸引更多的人来参观。
Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and younglooking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people your age could live to be 150,so at 40, you're not old at all. And your parents just had an antiaging(抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles(粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change your clothes' color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says,“ You shouldn't drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk, and it knows the milk is old. In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.
It's time to go to work. In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.
So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli ,“it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example—what will be the next?
72. We can learn from the text that in the future ________.
A. people will never get old
B. everyone will look the same
C. red will be the most popular color
D. clothes will be able to change their pattern
73. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A. Milk will be harmful to health.
B. More drinks will be available for sale.
C. Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information.
D. Milk in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer.
74. Which of the following is mentioned in the text?
A. Nothing can replace the Internet.
B. Fridges will know what people need.
C. Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide.
D. Cars will be able to drive automatically.
75.What is the text mainly about?
A. Food and clothing in 2035.
B. Future technology in everyday life.
C. Medical treatments of the future.
D. The reason for the success of new technology.
【要点综述】本文讲述未来随着技术的不断发展,和日常生活相关的医疗、衣服材料、食物、汽车等也发生很大的变化。
72. D 细节推断题。根据第三段最后一句The particles can be programmed to change clothes' color or pattern.可推断衣服能够改变样式。
73. C 推理判断题。根据第四段中the chip (芯片) that contains information 和In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip可推断食品店中的食物能够携带电子信息。
74. D 细节推断题。根据第五段中In 2035, cars drive themselves.可推断车能够自动驾驶。
75. B 主旨大意题。本文介绍未来随着技术的不断发展,和日常生活相关的东西也发生很大的变化。
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons(神经元)in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate(模仿)it, whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example:“The hand took hold of the ball”), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动).Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent(相等物)for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does—well, perhaps you'll understand why.
67.Mirror neurons can explain ________.
A.why we cry when we are hurt
B.why we cough when we suffer from a cold
C.why we smile when we see someone else smile
D.why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late
68.The underlined word “triggered” in the third paragraph probably means “________”.
A.set off
B.cut off
C.built up
D.broken up
69.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons ________.
A.relate to human behavior and interaction
B.control human physical actions and feelings
C.result in bad behavior and social disorders
D.determine our knowledge and language abilities
70.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Ways to find mirror neurons.
B.Problems of mirror neurons.
C.Existence of mirror neurons.
D.Functions of mirror neurons.
【要点综述】本文是一篇科普说明文。介绍了镜像神经元的作用。
67.C 推理判断题。从第二段的第一句话“every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate it”可知镜像神经元的作用就是当我们看到别人做某事,我们也会跟着做。
68. A 词义猜测题。根据第三段镜像神经元对语言的作用,当人们听到“手抓住球”这句话时,神经元就开始起作用了,就像手抓住球这个动作真的发生一样。set off:出发;触发。
69. A 细节理解题。根据最后一段第一句可知答案。
70. D 主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了人体镜像神经元的作用。