2016届高考英语精品专题必做练习：阅读理解（15）

　　A

　　No one knows for sure when advertising first started. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.

　　Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr. Fielder, for example. He did everything connected with farming. He planted seeds, tended the fields, and harvested and sold his crops. At the same time, he did many other jobs on the farm. However, he didn’t make the bricks for his house, cut his trees into boards, make the plows (犁), or any of other hundreds of things a farm needs. Instead, he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.

　　Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr. Plowright. Using what he knew about farming and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier. Mr. Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows. Perhaps, he thought, other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.

　　How did Mr. Plowright let people know what he was doing? Why, he advertised, of course. First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers. That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door. It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr. Plowright and his really good plows.

　　Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago. Even before most people could read, they understood such signs. Shopkeepers would carve into stone, clay, or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.

　　A medium, in advertising talk, is the way you communicate your message. You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today. Originally, just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument, such as a bell, were used to get people’s attention.

　　A crier, in the historical sense, is not someone who weeps easily. It is someone, probably a man, with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city. In ancient Egypt, shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products. Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods. Perhaps the crier described the goods, explained where they came from, and praised their quality. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world. (478 words)

　　 41. What probably led to the start of advertisement?

　　A. The discovery of iron.

　　B. The specialization of labor.

　　C. The appearance of new jobs.

　　D. The development of farming techniques.

　　42. To advertise his plows, Mr. Plowright __________.

　　A. praised his plows in public

　　B. placed a sign outside the shop

　　C. hung an arrow pointing to the shop D. showed his products to the customers

　　43. The writer makes up the two stories of Mr. Fielder and Mr. Plowright in order to __________.

　　A. explain the origin of advertising

　　B. predict the future of advertising

　　C. expose problems in advertising

　　D. provide suggestions for advertising

　　44. In ancient Egypt, a crier was probably someone who __________.

　　A. owned a ship

　　B. had the loudest voice

　　C. ran a shop selling goods to farmers

　　D. functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial

　　45. The last two paragraphs are mainly about __________.

　　A. the history of advertising

　　B. the benefits of advertising

　　C. the early forms of advertising

　　D. the basic design of advertising

　　B

　　Thousands of people in the world are a hundred years old — or more and certain parts of the world are famous for the long lives of their inhabitants: the Vilacamba Valley in Ecuador, and the home of the Hunzas in the Himalayas.

　　Why do so many people live to a healthy old age in certain parts of the world? What is the secret of their long lives? Three things seem to be very important: fresh air, fresh food and a simple way of life. People work near their homes in the clean, mountain air instead of traveling long distances to work by bus, car or train. They do not sit all day in busy offices or factories, but work hard outdoors in the fields. They take more exercise and eat less food than people in the cities of the West. For years the Hunzas of the Himalayas did not need policemen, lawyers or doctors. There was no crime, no divorce and not much illness in their society. They were a happy, peaceful people, famous all over India for their long, healthy lives.

　　Do you want to live to a hundred years old? Here are some rules for success. First, choose your parents and grandparents carefully. If they lived or live to a good old age, so will you. Secondly, live in the right place. Thirdly, choose the right kind of job. Doctors, dentists and bus-drivers die young. Farmers, priests and orchestral conductors live much longer. If you are in the wrong kind of job, you can still improve your way of life.

　　An old man in the Caucasus was talking about his past life. “I was young then,” he said, as he described his 87th year. His secret was: “Think young and stay young.” An old woman from Missouri, USA, gave this advice, “Drink a little whisky and some warm beer every day.” An English lady just said, “Take a cold bath every morning.” The shortest, simplest piece of advice came from Mr. Jim Chapman, aged 103. “Just keep breathing,” he told reporters.

　　41. Who is most likely to live a long life?

　　A. A doctor.

　　B. A bus-driver.

　　C. A dentist.

　　D. An orchestral conductor.

　　42. We can see from the passage that long-lived people avoid _________.

　　A. working hard

　　B. drinking

　　C. eating too much

　　D. taking cold baths

　　43. The passage indicates that we can change our ______ to live a long life.

　　A. jobs B. places of living C. ways of living D. ways of thinking

　　44. What is mainly talked about in the last paragraph?

　　A. Whose advice is the best.

　　B. Who is the most long-lived person in the world.

　　C. Lifestyles of long-lived people.

　　D. How long-lived people think of their life.

　　C

　　The 2017 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added - a communications blackout caused by solar storms.

　　After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2017, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.

　　Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.

　　"The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

　　At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. " A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million

　　kilometres per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.

　　Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.

　　The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.

　　Professor Richard Hold away, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advance warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said.

　　72. The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to

　　during the 2017 Olympics.

　　A. the extinguishing of the Olympic torch

　　B. the collapse of broadcasting systems

　　C. the transportation breakdown in London

　　D. the destruction of weather satellites

　　73. What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage?

　　A. The most fatal matter from the corona falls onto Earth.

　　B. The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle.

　　C. It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth.

　　D. The number of sunspots declines after coronal mass ejections.

　　74. According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to _________.

　　A. take images of the solar system

　　B. provide early warning of thunderstorms

　　C. keep track of solar activities

　　D. improve the communications on Earth

　　75. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

　　A. Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer

　　B. Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger

　　C. Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race

　　D. Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled

　　D

　　Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

　　Recite and repeat in conversation.

　　When you hear a person’s name，repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

　　Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

　　You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name mad pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.

　　Admit you don’t know.

　　Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”

　　Use associations.

　　Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair. " To reinforce you’re your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

　　Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

　　When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

　　Go early.

　　Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others—an automatic review for you.

　　56. How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

　　A. They will be moved.

　　B. They will be annoyed.

　　C. They will be delighted.

　　D. They will be discouraged.

　　57. If you can't remember someone's name, you may __

　　A. tell him the truth

　　B. tell him a white lie

　　C. ask him for pity

　　D. ask others to help you

　　58. When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __

　　A. all their names

　　B. a couple of names first

　　C. just their last names

　　D. as many names as possible

　　59. What does the text mainly tell us?

　　A. Tips on an important social skill.

　　B. Importance of attending parties.

　　C. How to make use of associations.

　　D. How to recite and repeat names.

　　A

　　41—45 BBADC

　　B

　　答案：41-44 DCCC,

　　C

　　72. B. 此题线索为第二三段的内容。 73. D. 74. C. 可从文章第六段直接得出答案。 75. D. 通读全文可知整篇文章讨论的是太阳运动所可能会带来的困扰。【答案】C【】从第二个小标题”Ask the other person to recite and repeat”中的最后一句话”Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names”中可获得答案.

　　【答案】A【】从第三个小标题”Admit you don’t know”中第一句中可以获得答案.

　　【答案】B【】从第五个小标题”Limit the number of new names you learn at one time”中的第一句话”when meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names”可获得答案

　　【答案】A【】本篇阅读的主要意思就是一篇应用文,它的目的就是给大家一份建议,在各种场合下如何记住别人的名词,属于社交范畴,所以A项最为适合.