2016年浙江省杭州市外国语学校高考英语（阅读理解提分训练）每日一练41

　　每日一练4

　　倒数第周星期

　　A

　　When should people be made to retire? 55? 65? Should there be a compulsory age limit?

　　Many old people work well into their 70s and 80s, running families, countries or corporations. Other people, however, despite being fit and highly talented, are forced to retire in their fifties or even earlier because of the regulations of a company or the nation. This essay will examine whether people should be allowed to continue working as long as they want or whether they should be encouraged to retire at a particular stage.

　　Some people think there are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. First of all, older employees have a large amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire. A second point is that older employees are often extremely faithful employees and are more willing to carry out company policies than younger less committed staff. However, a more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that effectively their useful life is over. Age is irrelevant to a working life. Surely if older employees are told they cannot work after 60, this is age discrimination. That they become old does not necessarily mean they are going to be sick. Old people could be more aware, experienced and committed than some youngsters.

　　Others, however, think that allowing older people to work indefinitely is not a good policy. Age alone is no guarantee of ability. Old people are only ambitious workaholics who are too selfish and egocentric to believe that a younger person could do better. Actually, many younger employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area or unit for most of their working lives. Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization. In addition, without age limits, however, many people would continue to work purely because they did not have any other plans or roles. A third point of view is that older people should be rewarded by society for their life’s labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy their leisure. We now have youngsters who can't find jobs because old people are choosing not to retire. Old people are not retiring because this new generation of "old people" think they will never die due to modern advances in medicine.

　　With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual's freedom and right to work and can deprive society of valuable experience and insights. I feel that giving workers more flexibility and choice over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual.

　　41. What is the purpose of this passage?

　　A. To explain the compulsory age limit.

　　B. To discuss the retirement age.

　　C. To examine people’s working life.

　　D. To introduce a particular stage.

　　42. Which of the following is NOT a reason for allowing old people to continue working according to the passage?

　　A. Their contribution should be valued.

　　B. Their experience should be made use of.

　　C. They can help the youngsters.

　　D. They are loyal employees.

　　43. It can be inferred in the fourth passage that ______.

　　A. the young people have more creative spirits

　　B. modern advances in medicine make old people never die

　　C. pensions and freedom are not given to the old now

　　D. old people believe that a younger person could do better

　　45. What is the author’s opinion on the retirement age?

　　A. The author thinks when to retire depends on the employees themselves.

　　B. The author is against lengthening the retirement age.

　　C. The author thinks that retirement age varies from country to country.

　　D. The author is in favor of allowing old people to continue working.

　　B

　　Classical philosophers called humans "the rational(理性的) animal". Clearly, they never looked closely at ants. A new study suggests that ant colonies avoid irrational decisions that people and other animals often make．

　　Consider the following scenario: You want to buy a house with a big kitchen and a big yard, but there are only two homes on the market---one with a big kitchen and a small yard and the other with a small kitchen and a big yard. Studies show you'd be about 50% likely to choose either house---and either one would be a rational choice. But now, a new home comes on the market, this one with a large kitchen and no yard. This time, studies show, you'll make an irrational decision: Even though nothing has changed with the first two houses, you'll now favor the house with the big kitchen and small yard over the one with the small kitchen and big yard. Overall, scientists have found, people and other animals will often change their original preferences when presented with a third choice．

　　Not so with ants. These insects also shop for homes but not quite in the way that humans do. Solitary worker ants spread out, looking for two main features: a small entrance and a dark inside. If an ant finds an outstanding hole---such as the inside of an acorn or a rock crevice---it brings another worker ant to check it out. As more ants like the site, the number of workers in the new hole grows. Once the crowd reaches a critical mass, the ants race back to the old nest and start carrying the queen and larvae to move the entire colony．

　　To test ant rationality, Stephen Pratt, a behavioral ecologist at Arizona State University in Tempe, and a colleague designed a series of possible nests for 26 ant colonies. The duo cut rectangular holes in balsa wood and covered them with glass microscope slides. The researchers then drilled holes of various sizes into the glass slides and slipped plastic light filters under the glass to vary the features ants care about most. At first, the colonies only had two options, A and B. A was dark but had a large opening, whereas B was bright with a small opening. As with humans, the ants preferred both options equally: The researchers found no difference between the number of colonies that picked A versus B．

　　Then the scientists added a third option, called a decoy（干扰项）, that was similar to either A or B in one characteristic but clearly worse than both in the other (a very bright nest with a small opening, for example). Unlike humans, the ants were not tricked by the decoy, the team reports online today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Although a few colonies picked the third nest, the other colonies did not start favoring A or B and still split evenly between the two．

　　Pratt speculates that ant colonies avoid making the irrational decision because, unlike humans, each ant doesn't evaluate all options before making a choice. When the scouts find a nest, they're unaware of what else is out there, and either they pick the nest or they don't. "The group may do better precisely because the individuals are ignorant," Pratt says．

　　Melissa Bateson, an ethnologist at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, believes the findings could have "really interesting implications for the benefits of collective decision-making, which we could learn something from." Many grant-review boards, for example, behave like ants: Reviewers see only a subset of the total grant applications and thus have to make a decision without seeing every option．

　　46. The survey of house buying is mentioned to _________．

　　A. reveal the serious housing problems of modern society．

　　B. explain how to make a more reasonable choice when buying houses．

　　C. show that in fact humans are not so rational as known when making choices．

　　D. criticize the selfishness of human nature．

　　47. Choose the correct order of the steps for ants to move to a new place．

　　a. An ant finds an ideal hole with two main features．

　　b. The ants race back to carry the queen and larvae to move．

　　c. Another worker ant is brought to check it out．

　　d. Worker ants are sent out．

　　e. More ants come to the site until they have enough workers．

　　A. a-c-e-b-d

　　B. d-a-c-e-b

　　C. a-e-c-d-b

　　D. d-a-e-c-b

　　48．Which of the following options could be an appropriate decoy to the experiment in paragraph 5?

　　A. a dark nest with a small opening

　　B. a dark nest with a large opening

　　C. a bright nest with a small opening

　　D. a dark nest with a very large opening

　　49. According to Stephen Pratt, why are the ant colonies able to make the rational choice in comparison with humans?

　　A. They are not aware of more optional places．

　　B. They have clever worker ants to make the discoveries．

　　C. They are not well educated and intelligent as humans．

　　D. Ants are better at making collective choices with their ignorant partners．

　　50. The best title for the passage would be _________．

　　A. Can't Decide? Ask an Ant

　　B. Better Choice, Better Life

　　C. Man, Be Rational

　　D. Who lies? Philosophers or Scientists

　　C

　　The addictive pull of Internet shopping is dragging thousands of victims into a rise of debt, including thousands of women who have run up huge credit card bills they cannot repay.

　　The appeal of 24-hour access and the explosion in goods and services on offer has seen a 10 percent increase in credit card debts in the UK this year.

　　Much of it has accounted for online spending. The latest report on Internet usage shows the number of adults logging on at home has risen from 10 million in October last year to 15.5m this month.

　　The report by Continental Research, which has monitored Internet access in the UK for the past six years, found that while online shopping used to be experimental it is now becoming habitual, especially for women.

　　Colin Shaddick, who heads the company, said, "Women are logging on in record numbers ---online shopping has certainly played a big role in this." The study found that average annual spending online is £700 a year for each Internet shopper.

　　The draw of the Internet is especially strong for collectors. Business lecturer Stephen Hall, who has been buying and selling books since he was a child, now has a collection worth £40,000.

　　He is passionate about the opportunities offered by shopping online. "You can find a book in minutes that you could spend months hunting down at auctions or second-hand bookshops," he said. "It can easily become addictive, and all the collectors I know use the Internet. I suspect you do waste money because you are less likely to send back a book to Little Rock, Arkansas, than take it back to the high-street shop."

　　Like Stephen Hall, most of us can shop online sensibly---but for some it provides an easy, anonymous and accessible way to feed their habit. It also provides secrecy---a central part of any addiction. Dr Samantha Haslett, a psychologist and expert in addiction at the Promos counseling centre, said, "It's compulsive in the same way as alcohol and gambling, and addicts find themselves completely unable to stop themselves, despite debt mounting and relationships breaking up. It's the thrill and the buzz of purchasing that ignores all the negative consequences."[

　　People laugh at shopping addictions, but it's the same as food overeating: bulimics don't eat nice stuff, or things that are good for them. Shopping addicts are the same: they'll buy things they don't need or want or like. What they're buying is of no importance compared to the thrill they get spending money and acquiring something new.

　　I've counseled people who have bought piles of bed linen and curtains and just left them piled up in the corner of the room.

　　I have seen people's marriages ruined. There's something more damaging about Internet shopping too because it takes place in the home, so the trick and secrecy is that much closer to the partner who is being tricked.

　　Tennis star Serena Williams this year admitted to kicking an Internet shopping addiction that saw her spending up to six hours a day online in an attempt to avoid being seen out in public.

　　"Every day I was in my room and I was online," Williams said. "I wasn't able to stop and I bought, bought, bought. I was just out of control."

　　Confidence is also growing in online security. Danny Meadows-Klue, chairman of Interactive Advertising Bureau, the Internet commercial watchdog, said, "Online card fraud（欺诈）is a drop in the ocean compared to total credit card fraud, but it is increasing. We want to increase consumer confidence by encouraging shoppers to take simple steps to protect themselves."

　　But there are still barriers to online shopping, declares James Goudie, a consumer psychologist at North Umbria University. "For certain items some people prefer to shop personally, for example to try on an item of clothing and feel the quality. Payment of delivery charges is also off-putting."

　　51. It can be learned from the passage that_______.

　　A. people have run into debts mainly because of their Internet shopping addiction

　　B. many people don’t tend to get back their refund though the goods quality is poor

　　C. avoiding been noticed by the public entirely leads to Serena’s shopping addiction

　　D. the reason for online shopping results from much less credit fraud on the Internet

　　52. According to Dr. Samantha Haslett, we can draw a conclusion that_______.

　　A. the main reason for ruining people’s marriage contributes to shopping online

　　B. it is the convenience of Internet that brings about people’s shopping addiction

　　C. a great many things women purchase on the Internet are of little practical use

　　D. spending money by clicking the mouse can satisfy customers’ desire greatly

　　53. The underlined word “off-putting” in the last passage means_______.

　　A. annoying

　　B. pleasant

　　C. exciting

　　D. tense

　　54. Which of the following do you think the author would most probably agree with?

　　A. Shopping online has advanced the consumers’ debt increase in a way.

　　B. many items are piled up in the room corner because they are out of date.

　　C. shopping addiction is harder to be removed than alcohol and gambling.

　　D. paying by credit can account for the phenomenon of online shopping.

　　55. Which do you think can be the best title of the passage?

　　A. Net Shopping Cost People Much Money

　　B. Warm Tips on Internet Shopping

　　C. Net Shopping Hooks Army of Addicts

　　D. Shopping Online Is Very Popular

　　D

　　Wanda, the neighborhood witch, was a good witch and had been one for about 221 years. Her fondest dream was to become a fairy godmother. She had been going to the Fairy Godmother Academy for 103 years, learning fairy godmother magic: how to turn pumpkins into coaches, how to make things vanish in clouds of smoke, even how to change mice into horses and footmen.

　　Just that very morning the principal of the Academy had said Wanda was ready for her final test. She was to change the first animal she met into something else. The animal was to be so happy at becoming whatever it became that it would say, "Oh, happy day! I'm a..." If it did, Wanda would pass the test. She would become a fairy godmother, with a sparkling pink dress, a golden crown, and a magic wand tipped with a shining star.

　　However, if she failed, she would have to start school all over again—all 103 years of it.

　　"Good luck," the principal said as Wanda left the Academy.

　　The very first animal Wanda bumped into was Charley, a little green frog who sat in a pond by the side of the road catching bugs with his long, sticky tongue and croaking "Baroomp! Baroomp!"

　　When Charley saw Wanda he jumped onto a lily pad. "Hi," he cried. "Witch way are you going? Ha, ha. That's a joke, Wanda. ‘Witch way are you going?’ Get it?"

　　"I get it, Charley," replied Wanda, "but it's not much of a joke. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I have a surprise for you. You'll be so happy." Then, without even an "if you please," Wanda waved her wand, said a magic word, and poof (吹熄蜡烛的声音)! Charley, the little green frog, turned into a prince!

　　He was a handsome prince but a wet one. The lily pad had collapsed under his weight and dumped him into the water. Charley-turned-prince stood up and looked at his reflection in the water. "Hey!" he cried. "You turned me into a prince! It's a surprise all right, but I don't want to be a prince. I want to be a frog! Change me back right now!"

　　"Oh, dear," Wanda said. "You know I don't like to be yelled at, Charley. Now you've made me forget the reverse spell. But who wouldn't rather be a prince than a frog?"

　　"I wouldn't!" cried Charley. "I want to be a frog!" He stuck out his tongue, missing a bug flying by the end of his nose. "Look at that, Wanda! I was such a good fly catcher. And I had eyes on top of my head, too. I could see forward and backward and sideways all at once, but look at me now. With my eyes in front of my face, I can only see one direction at a time. I don't even have a castle, Wanda. What kind of prince is that? I'd really rather be a frog. Please change me back!"

　　"I can't, Charley. But you'll learn to be happy as a prince. As for a castle, I can take care of that." She waved her wand, and suddenly a castle appeared by the banks of the pond. It had stone walls, oaken doors, and pennants waving from its turrets. "Your very own palace, Charley! You'll have servants, eat fancy foods and ice cream."

　　"Bah!" Charley interrupted. "Who wants servants, or ice cream and fancy foods? I want bugs!" He stuck out his tongue and looked down his nose at it, cross-eyed. "This tongue is no good—it's too short!" he cried. "I can't even see it."

　　Again Wanda waved her wand. "Look, Charley, musicians," she said. Out of the castle marched dozens of musicians blowing trumpets, tootling flutes, and banging drums. "See? Your own band. They'll play music, and you can sing and dance and snap your fingers to your heart's content."

　　"I don't want to sing and dance!" Charley cried. "And why would I do something as silly as snapping my fingers?"

　　"Snapping fingers!" exclaimed Wanda. "That's it, Charley. That's what I forgot!" She snapped her fingers, cried "Upsi-doodle!" and poof! The castle and musicians disappeared and the prince became a little green frog.

　　Charley hopped onto a lily pad. He looked at himself in the water. "You did it, Wanda. Oh, happy day! I'm a frog."

　　Wanda smiled and thought to herself, "So I have to go back to school for another 103 years. Who cares? Charley's happy, and that's what really counts."

　　Well, it wasn't exactly ‘Oh, happy day! I'm a prince,’ but the principal of the Fairy Godmother Academy decided that ‘Oh, happy day! I'm a frog’ was close enough. Wanda hadn't thought about herself. She had only wanted to make Charley happy. Thinking about others was the most important thing fairy godmothers had to do.

　　The principal waved her magic wand. Look! Wanda the Witch became Wanda the Fairy Godmother...sparkling pink dress, magic wand with a star, and all.

　　56. Which of the following can best describe Wanda according to this passage?

　　A. selfish and stubborn

　　B. thoughtful and helpful

　　C. determined and brave

　　D. diligent and understanding

　　57. By thinking “So I have to go back to school for another 103 years”, Wanda thought _______.

　　A. she failed the test

　　B. she made the frog unhappy

　　C. she would be punished by the principal D. she needed to improve her skill

　　58. The most important thing for a fairy godmother to do is _________.

　　A. always care about the others

　　B. completely succeed to learn all the skills

　　C. fully satisfy the principal

　　D. easily become friends with frogs

　　59. How did Wanda turn the prince back to a frog?

　　A. By waving her wand with a star

　　B. By snapping her fingers and saying some words

　　C. by crying “Upsi-doodle!” and a poof

　　D. By blowing trumpets, tootling flutes, and banging drums

　　60. What does the passage want to tell us?

　　A. Where there is a will, there is a way.

　　B. Practice makes perfect.

　　C. A good heart conquers ill fortune.

　　D. Failure is the mother of success.