2012高考二轮复习英语专题训练（江苏专用）专题2 阅读理解40

　　2012高考英语二轮复习专题限时训练（江苏专用）

　　专题2 阅读理解 40

　　（45分钟）

　　A

　　Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be absolutely exact. Then carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to the pharmacy（药房）.

　　She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. So she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

　　“And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

　　“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick… and I want to buy a miracle.”

　　“I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.

　　“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”

　　The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He bent down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

　　“I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”

　　“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago.

　　“One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered. “And it’s all the money I have.”

　　“Well, what a coincidence. A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for little brother,” smiled the man.

　　“Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

　　The pharmacist’s brother, Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, was expert in neurosurgery(神经外科). The operation was completed without charge and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again and doing well.

　　Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. “That surgery,” her Mom whispered. “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?”

　　Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost…one dollar and eleven cents…plus the faith of a little child.

　　1. Tess took her money to the pharmacy to

　　.

　　A. pay for the doctor’s bill

　　B. buy her brother a miracle

　　C. make a deal with the pharmacist

　　D. see whether the money was enough

　　2. How did Tess attract the pharmacist’s attention?

　　A. She waited for a long time.

　　B. She greeted the pharmacist.

　　C. She hit the counter with a coin.

　　D. She shouted at the pharmacist.

　　3. It can be inferred that Andrew’s operation would have been ______________.

　　A. costly

　　B. dangerous

　　C. serious

　　D. difficult

　　4. The writer thinks it was

　　that worked wonder and saved Andrew’s life.

　　A. Tess’s money

　　B. Dr. Armstrong’s kindness

　　C. Tess’s belief

　　D. Dr. Armstrong’s surgery

　　B

　　Below is from a book of facts.

　　VITAL STATISTICS—MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS; CAUSES OF DEATH

　　About 45,800people in the US were killed in the motor vehicle accidents in 2005, according to preliminary figures from the National Safety Council, up 1% from the revised total for 2004. as the number of drivers (201.5 million) and vehicle miles driven (3 trillion) increased in 2005, the death rate per 100 million vehicle miles increased 1% to 1.54%.

　　US Motor Vehicle Accidents, 2004, 2005

　　Sources: National Safety Council; Natl. Highway Traffic Safety Admin.

　　Improper Driving Reported in Accidents 2000, 2002, 2005

　　Source: National Safety Council

　　The Leading Causes of Death in the US, 2004

　　Source: National Center for Health Statistics, US Dept. Of Health Services

　　5. In the US, people killed in all motor vechile accidents in 2005 was

　　more than the total deaths in 2004.

　　A. 3%

　　B. 11%

　　C. 4%

　　D. 1%

　　6. Among the leading causes of deaths in the US in 2004, “Accidents” took up

　　.

　　A. 27.2%

　　B. 2.5%

　　C. 9.2%

　　D. 4.7%

　　7. When a driver was under the influnce of acohol or drugs, the accident was included under

　　.

　　A. Other improper driving

　　B. Driving errors

　　C. No improper driving stated

　　D. Improper driving

　　C

　　Compulsive（强迫的）shoppers may have a new psychological excuse to blame for their wild shopping. Psychologists at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand are studying the “shop-till-you-drop” habit as a behavioral disorder similar to compulsive eating. Compulsive shoppers frequently buy more than they can afford or more than they need, and it causes them distress.

　　“It becomes a problem when you are out of control,” psychology lecturer Neville Blampied said. “When you are feeling bad and blue, what do you do? Some people eat chocolate cake and ice cream. Some people take the credit card and go out to the shop.” Bank managers understand the problem because they have to deal with people who have to be persuaded to stop using their cards drawing money.

　　Compulsive shopping was first discovered in 1915, although it was then known as oniomania. Few studies have been done on the problem.

　　An advertisement in a Christchurch paper, calling for people to take part in an experimental treatment program designed by Mr Wilson, attracted 10 replies. But the problem, said Mr Wilson, is “clearly not rare”. He thinks that compulsive shopping should not be treated with drugs. “As psychologists we are interested in non-drug treatments for behavioral difficulties,” Mr Wilson said.

　　Compulsive eaters or shoppers get a kick from their habit. “Both activities provide an immediate kind of kick and you feel a bit better,” he said. “You have long-term problems, but human beings are extremely good at not seeing long-term problems and are very sensitive to short-term benefits,” he said.

　　The aim of the treatment was to help people find better ways of managing their emotions. The program, consisting of 10 one-hour weekly lessons and two follow-up treatments, is loosely based on teaching stress management.

　　“You often have to start to get people to correctly recognize their emotions. Not being able to know what you really feel weakens your ability to solve the problems connected with what’s making you feel that way,” Mr Wilson said.

　　8. What is this article mostly about?

　　A. Signs of compulsive shopping.

　　B. Studies of compulsive shopping.

　　C. comparison of compulsive shopping and compulsive eating.

　　D. An experimental treatment program designed by Mr Wilson.

　　9. The underlined word“it”in the first paragraph most probably refers to

　　.

　　A. a new psychological excuse

　　B. compulsive eating

　　C. the study done by Blampied

　　D. the behavior of wild shopping

　　10. Which of the following is considered important in treating compulsive shoppers?

　　A. Teaching them to manage their money better.

　　B. Teaching them to understand their emotions.

　　C. Persuading them not to draw money from the bank.

　　D. Treating them with right drugs.

　　11. When the writer says that compulsive shoppers get a kick from their habit, he means that they

　　.

　　A. feel distressed after their wild shopping

　　B. feel better after treatment from psychologists

　　C. are better able to deal with stress problems

　　D. have a feeling of excitement after shopping

　　D

　　America has always had people of many different nationalities and languages. The 1990 census (人口普查) indicates that almost 14% of Americans speak a non-English language at home. Yet only 3% reported that they spoke English “not well” or “not at all ”. That means that slightly more than one out of 10 Americans could be considered bilingual. Besides that, many high school and college students—and even some elementary school students—are required to take a foreign language. Actually, a growing number of Americans are coming to appreciate the benefits of using different languages.

　　Ethnic enclaves(少数民族聚居地) have preserved the language and culture of American immigrants. Some local residents can function quite well in their native language, without having to bother learning English. Regions such as southern Florida and the Southwest have numerous Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. In fact, Spanish speakers—numbering over 17 million—form the largest non-English linguistic group in America. But Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Polish and many other ethnic group add to the linguistic flavor of America. Foreign languages are so commonly used in some ethnic neighborhoods that visitors might think they are in another country!

　　Although some Americans welcome this linguistic and cultural diversity, others have begun to fear that the English language is being threatened. Since the 1980s, the “English Only” movement has sought to promote legislation（立法）which would establish English as the “official language” and restrict the use of non-English language. However, some groups, including TESOL, the organization for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Language, object to such “language restrictionism”. But so far, 19 states have passed “English Only” legislation, and the topic is the focus of an ongoing debate.

　　Whether or not English is the official language of the United States, it remains the “language of wider communication”. Nearly everyone recognizes the need to develop the ability in using English in order to do well in America. Americans also recognize that English is the international language, and people with good English skills can get by in many international settings. On the other hand, in a world growing increasingly smaller, second language skills can be a great favor. They can build cross-cultural bridges and give people an edge in a variety of career field. Indeed, lack of foreign language skill can limit one’s chances for advancement and keep one in a cultural dead-end street.

　　12. Ethnic groups have preserved their native languages because

　　.

　　A. their native languages are commonly used in their neighborhoods

　　B. ethnic groups are not allowed to speak English

　　C. ethnic groups can do very well in their native languages

　　D. ethnic groups don’t allow their natives to learn English

　　13. The underlined word “bilingual” in paragraph 1 probably means

　　.

　　A. being able to speak two languages

　　B. being able to speak one language

　　C. being able to speak different languages

　　D. being able to speak many foreign languages

　　14. Which of the following is TRUE about “English Only” movement?

　　A. Its purpose was to establish a legislation of restricting the use of English.

　　B. TESOL was in favor of “English Only” by objecting to “English plus”.

　　C. It was launched because English was being threatened.

　　D. A large majority of states supported the movement.

　　5. What can be the best title of this passage?

　　A. The English Only Movement

　　B. Learn to speak English

　　C. English—an International Language

　　D. Being Bilingual

　　E

　　A villa (别墅) designed to resist earthquakes with “self-healing” cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology (纳米技术) applications with self-healing polymers (聚合物), is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa’s walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material.

　　The NanoManufacturing Institute (NMI), based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called “Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings” (ISSB) is funded under the EU’s Sixth Framework program. This potentially life-saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor-resistant（防震）homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, “What we’re trying to achieve here is very exciting. We’re looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale.” Monitors contained in the villa’s walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels.

　　The walls are to be built from new load-bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum（石膏）board. Prof Wilkins said, “If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape.” If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. “If the house falls down, we have got hand-held devices that can be used over the rubble to pick out where the embedded（嵌入的）sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed.” Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue.