湖南省汝城二中2014届高考英语一轮复习阅读训练 (24)

　　阅读专练

　　第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)

　　阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给出的AB、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。If cars had wings，they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012.

　　“It’s the next ‘wow’vehicle，”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh. “Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”

　　The car plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.

　　The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.

　　The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly.They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go.When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.

　　The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions.

　　The Transition’s price tag: $194,000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS. Another option is a full-plane parachute.

　　“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,” Gersh said.

　　So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. “We’ re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.

　　56.We can learn from the first paragraph that _________.

　　A. car-planes will be popular in 2012

　　B. people might drive a car-plane in 2012

　　C. both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land

　　D. Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts

　　57.It takes the car-plane one minute to ________ .

　　A. fold and unfold its wings

　　B. unfold wings for flying

　　C. land in the airport

　　D. meet flying safety regulations

　　58.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

　　A. The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.

　　B. To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.

　　C. The car-plane may fly as high as normal planes.

　　D. People can park the car-plane in the garage at their home.

　　59.The underlined word “it” in the last but one paragraph refers to ________ .

　　A. the radio

　　B. the transponder

　　C. the GPS

　　D. the full-plane parachute

　　60.What’s the best title for the passage?

　　A. Cars With Wings May Be Just Around The Corner.

　　B. Which to Choose: A Ferrari or a Car Plane?

　　C. A more Convenient and Cheaper Way to Fly.

　　D. Cars With Wings Can Fly as Fast as Planes.

　　B

　　A popular saying goes，“Sticks and stones may break my bones，but words will never hurt me．”However，that’s not really true．Words have the power to build us up or tear us down．It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves--the positive and negative effects are just as lasting．

　　We all talk to ourselves sometimes．We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it，though．In fact，we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．

　　This“ self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves，remember things，solve problems，and calm ourselves down．Be aware, though，that as much as 77％of self-talk tends to be negative．So in order to stay positive，we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves．We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back ,The next time you finish a project，do well in a test，or finally clean your room，join me in saying“ Good job!”

　　Often，words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effects they will have．But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses to others．For example，when returning an item to a store，we might use warm，friendly language during the exchange．And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner．Or harsh and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．

　　Words possess power because of their lasting effect．Many of us regret something we once said．And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking，we should always ask ourselves：Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test，then it’s better left unsaid．

　　Words possess power：both positive and negative．Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively．We can offer hope，build self-esteem and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things．Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours．

　　. The author argues in the first paragraph that __________.

　　A. words will never hurt us at all

　　B. words have lasting effects on us

　　C. inspiring words give us confidence

　　D. negative words may let us down

　　62. Why should not we feel embarrassed when it comes to talking to ourselves?

　　A. Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health.

　　B. Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself.

　　C. Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems.

　　D. It is harmful to have “self-talk” when we are alone.

　　63. The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph three means “ _________”.

　　A. blame ourselves

　　B. punish ourselves

　　C. talk to ourselves D. praise ourselves

　　64. Which of the following statements would the author agree to?

　　A. Unkind words are unlikely to be forgotten

　　B. Positive words may destroy all the good relations.

　　C. It is better to think twice before talking to others.

　　D. Kind words are sure to cause unfavorable response.

　　65. Why should we talk in a friendly way when returning an item to a store?

　　A. Because kind words destroy true relationships.

　　B. Because the clerk in a store is hard to deal with.

　　C. Because critical language may hurt your feelings.

　　D. Because friendly words cause positive responses.

　　C

　　Endangered languages are languages that wouldn’t exist any longer, much like endangered species of plants or animals. Languages are considered to be endangered when parents are no longer teaching the language to their children and are not using it actively in everyday life. A language is considered to nearly disappear when it is spoken by only a few elderly native speakers.

　　The world faces enormous challenges in order to protect different kinds of languages. Of the more than 6,912 languages, half may be in danger of disappearing in the next several decades.

　　It is caused by many reasons: small numbers of speakers, the regular use of other languages, attitudes towards their languages, moving of the younger population, government policies, and languages used in education and so on. A language may lack important things such as a body of literature, and people who read and write it. A language may also lack prestige (声望) and support of its speakers.

　　The survival of a language is also threatened when speakers move to other areas where different languages are spoken, or when government policies improve the use of a specific language in school, official business and the media. These situations encourage people to learn the wider-known language and may cause them, especially the young, to stop using their mother tongue. Often those speaking lesser-known languages will choose to learn a more prestigious language with the hope of greater economic opportunities. Most of the world’s parents are teaching their children English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian or some other main languages instead of their own languages for social and economic reasons.

　　66.What’s the main idea of this passage?

　　A．Languages in the world.B．Reasons why languages become endangered.

　　C．What an endangered language is.D．Languages spoken by few speakers.

　　7.About ________languages will probably disappear in this century according to the passage.

　　A．more than 6,912 B．more than 3,456C．6,912

　　D．less than 3,456

　　8.Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?

　　①=Paragraph1 ②=Paragraph2

　　③=Paragraph3

　　④=Paragraph4

　　69.We can infer that the best way to maintain an endangered language is to _________.

　　A．forbid the speakers to move aboutB．pass laws to protect the language

　　C．raise the salaries of the people who speak the language

　　D．teach the language to young children and encourage people to speak it 0.All of the following about languages are true EXCEPT __________.

　　A．many languages will be probably endangered in this century

　　B．government policies have a big effect on languages

　　C．the endangered language is a language that is spoken by few people

　　D．languages are related to their speakers’ social and economic position

　　Why can some people sleep through noises like a honking car or flushing toilet, while others are awakened by the lightest sound?

　　To find the answer, sleep researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital conducted an unusual study of 12 self-described deep sleepers. After tests confirmed that the healthy volunteers were solid sleepers, they took part in a three-night study in the university’s sleep laboratory. The participants spent the night in a big and comfortable room. But the room also included four speakers positioned near the top of the bed.

　　During the night, the deep sleepers were subjected to 14 different recorded sounds, like street traffic, toilets flushing, and an airplane flying overhead. Next door, the researchers monitored their sleep patterns and brain waves.

　　As expected, all of the participants slept relatively well, but there were differences in how they responded to the noisy interruptions. Some of the sleepers didn’t wake up even when a sound was blasted at 70 decibels（分贝）；others were awakened by sounds at 40 or 50 decibels.

　　The researchers discovered that the difference in a sleeper’s reaction to noise could be predicted by the level of brain activity called “sleep spindles（纺锤体）”. A sleep spindle is a burst of high-frequency brain activity coming from deep inside the brain during sleep. The source of the spindles is the thalamus（丘脑）, a part of the brain that sends sensory information to the rest of the cortex（皮层）.

　　Before the study, the Massachusetts researchers theorized that the spindles are the brain’s way of preventing sensory information from passing through the thalamus and waking the rest of the brain during sleep. They found that sleepers who experienced the most sleep spindles during the night were also the soundest sleepers and were least likely to be awakened by noise.

　　Scientists already know that most people become lighter sleepers with age, most likely because older people experience less “slow wave sleep”, which is the deepest stage of sleep. People also produce fewer sleep spindles as they age. But even when controlling for the stage of sleep a person was in, the number of sleep spindles still predicted their risk for awakening because of noise.

　　More research is needed, but the findings suggest that a better understanding of sleep spindles could lead to new behavioral or drug therapies for people with sleep disorders. For example, future studies may try to determine whether diet, exercise or other behaviors may influence the number of sleep spindles a person produces during the night.

　　71. Some participants can sleep well through loud noises mainly because ________.

　　A. their brains don’t respond to outside noises.

　　B. their brains react differently to noises.

　　C. they adapt too the environment quickly.

　　D. they don’t pay attention to the monitors.

　　72. Scientists believe that the key to affecting deep sleep is__________.

　　A. sleep spindles

　　B. stages of sleep

　　C. sleep disorders

　　D. sensory information

　　73. It can be learned from the passage that_____________.

　　A. The older a deep sleeper becomes, the lighter his sleep must be.

　　B. The more “slow wave sleep” one experiences, the deeper sleep one has.

　　C. The more frequently a sleeper’s brain works, the less information it sends.

　　D. The deeper sleep people have, the more likely they will be awakened by noise.

　　74. From the passage we can predict____________.

　　A. more factors in influencing sleep spindles may be discovered.

　　B. more solid sleepers will take part in relative experiments.

　　C. sleep spindles will be applied to change one’s behaviors.

　　D. deep sleepers will probably enjoy a more healthy life.

　　75. What is the main idea of the passage?

　　A. The differences between the deep sleepers and the light sleepers.

　　B. The experiments conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital.

　　C. The discovery and the importance of “sleep spindles”.

　　D. The new behaviors or drug therapies for people with sleep disorders.

　　第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

　　56—60

　　BBCDA

　　61—65

　　BADCD

　　66-70

　　BBDDC

　　71—75 BABAC

　　山东省桓台第二中学2012届高三教学质量检测（英语）

　　III 阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）

　　A

　　Happy birthday! Do birthday really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthday celebrate the day when we were born. Besides, that extra candle on the cake suggest another year of growth and maturity—or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we are getting wiser and not just older. Most of us enjoy seeing the wonder of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That is a different story.

　　Growing old is not exactly for people in youth-oriented(以年轻人为中心) American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, “You’re young as you feel.” Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favor those that are young, or at least “young at heart”.

　　Many older Americans find the “golden years” to be anything but golden. Economically, “senior citizens” often struggle just to get by. Retirement at the age of 65 brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care, and housing. Some even experience age discrimination. American sociologist Pat Moore once dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets. She was often treated rudely—even cheated and robbed. However, dressed as a young person, she received much more respect.

　　Unfortunately, the elderly population in America is increasing fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies are being born. And middle-aged “baby boomers” are rapidly entering the group of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles(皱纹) are “in”. Marketing experts are ready noticing this growing group of consumer.

　　56. Growing up is a wonderful thing because ____________.

　　A. people can celebrate their birthday

　　B. people can receive many presents

　　C. people can become more mature and wiser

　　D. people will feel younger at heart

　　57. We can infer from the second paragraph that __________.

　　A. different countries have different opinions on the old age

　　B. American older people often joke about their old age

　　C. American culture is very young

　　D. young people lack experience and wisdom

　　58. What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?

　　A. The golden years can make the old earn lots of money.

　　B. American social security benefits are not good.

　　C. The old in America are leading a hard life.

　　D. The old in America have to retire at the age of 65.

　　59. What does the underlined word “in” in the last paragraph mean?

　　A. serious B. disappearing slowly

　　C. cool

　　D. growing fast

　　60. According to the text, which of the following is correct?

　　A. The young are often discriminated in America.

　　B. The young are more respected than the old in America.

　　C. Growing old makes people feel proud in America.

　　D. The old are more respected than the young in America.

　　B

　　Every pet owner loves his pet. There is no argument here. But when we asked our readers whether they would clone their beloved animals, the responses were split almost down the middle. Of the 228 readers who answered it, 108 would clone, 111 would not and nine weighed each side without offering an opinion. Clearly, from readers’ response, this is an issue that reaches deeply into both the joy and eventual sadness of owning a pet. It speaks, as well, to people’s widely differing expectations over the developing scientific procedure. Most of the respondents who favored the idea strongly believed it would produce at least a close copy of the original; many felt the process would actually return an exact copy. Those on the other side, however, held little hope a clone could never truly recreate a pet, many simply didn’t wish to go against the natural law of life and death. Both sides expressed equal love for their animals. More than a few respondents owned “the best dog/cat in the world”. They thought of their pets as their “best friend”, “a member of the family,” “the light of my life.” They told moving stories of pets’ heroism, intelligence and selfless devotion. Little wonders the loss is so disturbing—and the cloning so attractive. “People become very close to their animals, and the loss can be just as hard to bear as when a friend or family member dies,” says Gary Kowalski, author of Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet. “For me, cloning feels like an attempt to turn death away…It’s understandable. Death is always painful. It’s difficult to deal with. It’s hard to accept.” 　But would cloning reduce the blow? This question seemed to be at the heart of this problem. 61. So far as the cloning of pets is concerned, a recent survey shows that, of all pet owners, __________. A. a lot more of them are for it B. a lot more of them are against it C. very few of them are willing to tell their opinions D. about half of them are for it and the other half against it 62.While talking about the respondents from the readers, the expression “eventual sadness of owning a pet” refers to _________. A. the death of one’s pet B. the high cost of owning a pet C. the troubles one has to deal with in keeping a pet D. the dangers involved in the cloning of a pet 63. In spite of their differences on the problem of cloning, it seems that ________. A. all pet owners try to go against the natural law of life and death B. all pet owners love their pets very much C. people who support cloning love their pets more D. people who dislike cloning love their pets more 64. From what Gary Kowalski says, we can know that he _________. A. has never thought about the problem of cloning B. is going to write another book on pets C. is in favor of the idea of cloning pets D. is all against the cloning of pets 65.What is the key question at the heart of the problem of cloning pets? A. Can pet owners afford the cost of cloning? B. Can cloning make the pain one suffers less when a pet dies? C. Does cloning go against the law of nature? D. How reliably does cloning produce an exact copy of one’s pet?

　　C

　　It was not yet eleven o’clock when a boat crossed the river with a single passenger who had obtained his transportation at that unusual hour by promising an extra fare.

　　While the youth stood on the landing-place searching in his pockets for money, the ferryman lifted a lantern, by the aid of which, together with the newly risen moon, he took a very accurate survey of the stranger’s figure. He was a young man of barely eighteen years, evidently country bred（长大的）, and now, as it seemed, on his first visit to town. He was wearing a rough gray coat, which was in good shape, but which had seen many winters before this one. The garments under his coat were well constructed of leather, and fitted tightly to a pair of muscular legs; his stockings of blue yarn must have been the work of a mother or sister, and on his head was a three-cornered hat, which in its better days had sheltered the grayer head of the lad’s father. In his left hand was a walking stick, and his equipment was completed by a leather bag not so abundantly stocked as to inconvenience the strong shoulders on which it hung. Brown, curly hair, well-shaped-features, bright, cheerful eyes were nature’s gifts, and worth all that art could have done for his adornment(装饰).

　　The youth, whose name was Robin, paid the boatman, and then walked forward into the town with a light step, as if he had not already traveled more than thirty miles that day. As he walked, he surveyed his surroundings as eagerly as if he were entering London or Madrid, instead of the little metropolis（都市）of a New England colony.

　　66. What time of the year was it in this story?

　　A. Winter.

　　B. Fall.

　　C. Summer.

　　D. Spring.

　　67. The boatman was willing to take Robin across the river because ________.

　　A. he was going to row across the river anyway

　　B. he saw that Robin was young and rich

　　C. he would give extra money

　　D. he felt sorry for him because Robin looked poor

　　68. The stockings that Robin wore were obviously _________.

　　A. well worn

　　B. very expensive

　　C. handmade

　　D. much too big

　　69. From the text we can learn that Robin had traveled __________.

　　A. from London

　　B. from Madrid

　　C. from a nearby city

　　D. over thirty miles

　　70. At what time of day did Robin cross the river?

　　A. Night.

　　B. Late afternoon

　　C. Midday.

　　D. Morning.

　　D

　　Drunken driving –sometimes called America’s socially accepted form of murder—has become a national epidemic (流行病). Every hour of every day about three Americans on average are killed by drunken drivers, adding up to an incredible 250,000 over the past ten years. A drunken driver is usually referred to as one with 0.10-blood alcohol content or roughly three beer glasses of wine or shots of whisky drunk within two hours. Heavy drinking used to be an acceptable part of the American manly image and judges were lenient in most courts, but the drunken killing has recently caused so many well-publicized tragedies, especially concerning young children, that public opinion is no longer so tolerant.

　　Twenty states have raised the legal drinking age to 21, reversing a trend in the 1960s to reduce it to 18. After New Jersey lowered it to 18, the number of people killed by 18-20 years old drivers more than doubled, so the state recently upped it back to 21.

　　Reformers, however, fear raising the drinking age will have little effect unless accompanied by educational programs to help young people to develop “responsible attitudes” about drinking and teach them to resist peer pressure to drink.

　　Though new laws have led to increased arrests and tests in many areas already, to a marked drop in accidents, some states are also punishing bars for serving customers too many drinks. A bar in Massachusetts was fined for serving six or more double brandies to a customer who was “obviously drunk” and later drove off the road, killing a 9-year-old boy.

　　As the accidents continue to occur daily in every state, some Americans are even beginning to speak well of the 13 years national prohibition of alcohol that began in 1919, which President Hoover called the “noble experiment”. They forgot that legal prohibition didn’t stop drinking, but encouraged political corruption and organized crime. As with the booming drug trade generally, there is no easy solution.

　　71. From paragraph one, we can know that ____________.

　　A. most Americans like drinking

　　B. heavy drinking is hard to avoid

　　C. many Americans are killed by drunk drivers

　　D. Americans are not shocked by traffic accidents

　　72. What can be inferred from the fact of the traffic accidents in New Jersey?

　　A. The legal drinking age should be raised.

　　B. Young drivers were usually bad.

　　C. Most drivers hoped to raise the legal drinking age.

　　D. Drivers should not be allowed to drink.

　　73. The underlined word “lenient” in the first paragraph means “_________”.

　　A. serious

　　B. cruel

　　C. merciful

　　D. determined

　　74. In America, public opinion about drunken driving has changed because __________.

　　A. judges are no longer lenient

　　B. new laws are introduced in some states

　　C. the problem has attracted public attention

　　D. drivers do not appreciate their manly image

　　75. Which of the following best shows the writer’s opinion of drunken driving?

　　A. It may lead to organized crime.

　　B. It is difficult to solve this problem.

　　C. The new laws can stop heavy drinking.

　　D. There should be no bars to serve drinks.