专题04 阅读理解之议论文 -十年（2012-2021）高考英语真题分项详解（全国通用） 解析版

这是一份专题04 阅读理解之议论文 -十年（2012-2021）高考英语真题分项详解（全国通用） 解析版，共71页。
专题04 阅读理解之议论文
【2021年】
1.（2021年全国甲卷）D
Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
Let's state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It's said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender(性别)are “really, really smart.” Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief: Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are “really, really smart.” Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn't take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
Here's the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we're all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors(因素)like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance(毅力), and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world.”
12. What does the author think of victors' standards for joining the genius club?
A. They're unfair. B. They're conservative.
C. They're objective. D. They're strict.
13. What can we infer about girls from the study in Science?
A. They think themselves smart.
B. They look up to great thinkers.
C. They see gender differences earlier than boys.
D. They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs
14. Why are more geniuses known to the public?
A. Improved global communication.
B. Less discrimination against women.
C. Acceptance of victors' concepts.
D. Changes in people's social positions.
15. What is the best title for the text?
A. Geniuses Think Alike B. Genius Takes Many Forms
C. Genius and Intelligence D. Genius and Luck
【答案】12. A 13. D 14. A 15. B
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇议论文。文章由问题“谁是天才？”引入，论述了世人对天才的狭隘定义，提出事实上“天才”有很多种形式，不要让思维限制了我们的“天才”能力。
【12题】推理判断题。根据第三段的“It is said that history is written by victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club-women, or people of a different color or belief-they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.( 据说历史是由胜利者书写的，而那些胜利者为进入天才俱乐部设定了标准。当俱乐部以外的天才——女性或不同肤色或信仰的人——做出贡献时，他们不会被承认并且被其他人拒绝)”可推知，作者认为那些“胜利者”对进入“天才俱乐部”设置的标准是不公平的，因为女性或者不同肤色或信仰的人做出的成就是得不到承认的。故选A。
【13题】推理判断题。根据第四段的“Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief. Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are “really, really smart.”(更糟糕的是，研究发现女孩们是按照这个信念行事的。六岁左右，她们开始避免那些据说是“非常非常聪明”的孩子参加的活动)”可推知，女孩容易受到社会信仰的影响，认为自己在六岁左右就不适合做“聪明孩子”做的事情。故选D。
【14题】细节理解题。根据最后一段的“In a wired world with constant global communication, we’re all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear.( 在一个全球通讯不断的有线世界里，我们随时随地都能看到天才的闪现)”可知，进步的全球通讯让更多的天才被公众所知道。故选A。
【15题】主旨大意题。根据文章的主要内容，结合文章第一段提出问题“Who is a genius?（谁是天才）”和最后一段的“As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance, and simple geniuses, who are able to change the world.”(正如一位作家所说，未来的天才来自那些具有“智慧、创造力、毅力和那些能够改变世界的简单天才。”)”可知，天才不一定是那些有巨大贡献的人，他们也可以是某一方面比较突出的普通人。由此可知B项“天才有多种形式”可以作为本文最佳标题。故选B。
2.（2021年天津卷）About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard was growing dusty. It worried me. I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it.
I didn't think about it much until a morning last week when I knocked my favorite teapot off the table. It burst into hundreds of pieces. As I swept up the mess, I wondered why we had been breaking so many things over the months.
The destruction started three months ago. It was my husband's birthday. He had just lost his job. The uncertainty was starting to wear on us, so I wanted to do something special.
“Let's make a cake for Dad!” I cried.
My kids screamed with joy. We baked, iced and sprinkled for most of the day. Candles on the cake! Balloons on the walls! Flowers on the table!
Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday.
Three days ago, the light in our living room suddenly went out. After several frustrating hours of unsuccessful attempts to fix it, my husband suggested watching the Michael Jordan documentary series The Last Dance.
The poignancy of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind the layer that no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.
Humans do not shed skin as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new.
Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.
46．What can we learn about the pet lizard from Paragraph 1?
A．Its tank grew dirty. B．Its old skin came off.
C．It got a skin disease. D．It went missing.
47．Why did the author's husband have banana pudding for his birthday?
A．The birthday cake was ruined. B．The author made good puddings.
C．Pudding was his favorite dessert. D．They couldn't afford a birthday cake.
48．Why does the author mention The Last Dance in the passage?
A．To prove a theory. B．To define a concept.
C．To develop the theme. D．To provide the background.
49．The underlined part "leaving behind the layer" in Paragraph 8 can be understood as .
A．letting go of the past B．looking for a new job
C．getting rid of a bad habit D．giving up an opportunity
50．What does the author most likely want to tell us?
A．Love of family helps us survive great hardships. B．It's not the end of the world if we break things.
C．We should move on no matter what happens. D．Past experiences should be treasured.

【答案】
46．B
47．A
48．C
49．A
50．C
【解析】这是一篇夹叙夹议文。讲述了作者的丈夫刚刚丢了工作，这种不确定性开始影响到家人，直到作者看到家里的宠物蜥蜴换皮和观看了Michael Jordan的纪录片《最后的舞蹈》后，领悟到我们必须学会把过去抛在脑后，像蜥蜴一样，用我们柔嫩、充满希望的皮肤，作为人生的起点。
46．细节理解题。根据第一段中“I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it.(第二天早上，我向丈夫和孩子们报告了蜥蜴皮肤上奇怪的表面。几秒钟后，我们的蜥蜴从水箱里出来，旧皮肤蜕了下来)”可知，宠物蜥蜴旧的皮肤脱落了。故选B。
47．细节理解题。根据第六段“Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday.(就在我丈夫参加另一场工作面试回家前两个小时，我女儿爬到一个高高的架子上，抓起一个玻璃花瓶。它掉下来摔碎在蛋糕旁边。到处都是细小的玻璃碎片。我把蛋糕扔掉时，她大声抽泣。我丈夫生日吃了香蕉布丁)”可知，作者的丈夫过生日吃了香蕉布丁是因为生日蛋糕毁了。故选A。
48．推理判断题。根据倒数第三段“The poignancy of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind the layer that no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.( Jordan从心爱的篮球退役，转而打棒球，这是多么令人痛心的事情，是什么促使他做出如此艰难的决定，让我感到惊讶。当我看着他脱下篮球服，换上棒球服时，我看到他脱下了那层不再适合他的衣服，就像我们的蜥蜴一样。他们都没有选择那个改变了他们的时刻。但他们必须和自己生活在一起因为一切都变了。就像我们一样。我意识到我们必须学会把过去抛在脑后)”以及最后一段“Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.( Jordan说，不管结局如何，都是以希望开始的。用我们柔嫩、充满希望的皮肤，那是我们的起点)”可推知，作者在文章中提到The Last Dance是为了展开文章关于放手过去，重新开始的主题。故选C。
49．词义猜测题。根据画线词后文“Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.(他们都没有选择那个改变了他们的时刻。但他们必须和自己生活在一起因为一切都变了。就像我们一样。我意识到我们必须学会把过去抛在脑后)”可知，作者看着乔丹脱下篮球服，换上棒球服时，意识到看到他放开了过去，把过去抛在脑后了。即画线词意思是“放开过去”。故选A。
50．推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“Humans do not shed skin as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new.(人类不像其他动物那样容易蜕皮。变革的开始令人不安。这个过程很累人。伤害在我们准备好之前就改变了我们。我看到了我们生嫩的、几乎是全新的蜥蜴)”以及最后一段“Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.( Jordan说，不管结局如何，都是以希望开始的。用我们柔嫩、充满希望的皮肤，那是我们的起点)”可推知，作者最有可能想告诉我们无论发生什么，我们都应该继续前进。故选C。
3.（2021年天津卷）There is something to be said for being a generalist, even if you are a specialist. Knowing a little about a lot of things that interest you can add to the richness of a whole, well-lived life.
Society pushes us to specialize, to become experts. This requires commitment to a particular occupation, branch of study or research. The drawback to being specialists is we often come to know more and more about less and less. There is a great deal of pressure to master one's field. You may pursue training, degrees, or increasing levels of responsibility at work. Then you discover the pressure of having to keep up.
Some people seem willing to work around the clock in their narrow specialty. But such commitment can also weaken a sense of freedom. These specialists could work at the office until ten each night, then look back and realize they would have loved to have gone home and enjoyed the sweetness of their family and friends, or traveled to exciting places, meeting interesting people. Mastering one thing to the exclusion （排 除）of others can hold back your true spirit.
Generalists, on the other hand, know a lot about a wide range of subjects and view the whole with all its connections. They are people of ability, talent, and enthusiasm who can bring their broad perspective （视角）into specific fields of expertise （专长）.The doctor who is also a poet and philosopher is a superior doctor, one who can give so much more to his patients than just good medical skills.
Things are connected. Let your expertise in one field fuel your passions in all related areas. Some of your interests may not appear to be connected but, once you explore their depths, you discover that they are. My editor Toni, who is also a writer, has edited several history books. She has decided to study Chinese history. Fascinated by the structural beauty of the Forbidden City as a painter, she is equally interested to learn more about Chinese philosophy. "I don't know where it will lead, but I'm excited I'm on this pursuit."
These expansions into new worlds help us by giving us new perspectives. We begin to see the interconnectedness of one thing to another in all aspects of our life, of ourselves and the universe. Develop broad, general knowledge and experience. The universe is all yours to explore and enjoy.
57．To become a specialist, one may have to_____.
A．narrow his range of knowledge
B．avoid responsibilities at work
C．know more about the society
D．broaden his perspective on life
58．The specialists mentioned in Paragraph 3 tend to______.
A．treasure their freedom
B．travel around the world
C．spend most time working
D．enjoy meeting funny people
59．According to the author, a superior doctor is one who_____.
A．is fully aware of his talent and ability
B．is a pure specialist in medicine
C．should love poetry and philosophy
D．brings knowledge of other fields to work
60．What does the author intend to show with the example of Toni?
A．Passion alone does not ensure a person's success.
B．In-depth exploration makes discoveries possible.
C．Everyone has a chance to succeed in their pursuit.
D．Seemingly unrelated interests are in a way connected.
61．What could be the best title for the passage?
A．Be More a Generalist Than a Specialist
B．Specialist or Generalist: Hard to Decide
C．Turn a Generalist into a Specialist
D．Ways to Become a Generalist

【答案】
57．A
58．C
59．D
60．D
61．A
【解析】本文是议论文。文章论述了要当一个多面手，而不是当某方面的专家。
57．推理判断题。文章第二段中提到“This requires commitment to a particular occupation, branch of study or research. The drawback to being specialists is we often come to know more and more about less and less.（成为专家需要对特定的职业、研究领域的投入。成为专家的缺点是我们常常对越来越少的知识领域了解得越来越多。）”根据“know … about less and less”可知，要成为一名专家，了解到的知识领域会越来越少，会缩小他的知识范围。故选A。
58．细节理解题。第三段中提到“Some people seem willing to work around the clock in their narrow specialty. …These specialists could work at the office until ten each night (有些人似乎愿意在他们狭隘的专业领域夜以继日地工作。…… 这些专家可以每天晚上在办公室工作到十点。)”由此可知，这些专家往往花大部分的时间在工作上。故选C。
59．细节理解题。根据文章第四段中“The doctor who is also a poet and philosopher is a superior doctor, one who can give so much more to his patients than just good medical skills. (这位既是诗人又是哲学家的医生是一位优秀的医生，他能给他的病人提供比良好的医术更多的东西。)”可知，作者认为一名优秀的医生可以将其他领域的知识带到工作中。故选D。
60．推理判断题。文章第五段中提到“Things are connected. Let your expertise in one field fuel your passions in all related areas. Some of your interests may not appear to be connected but, once you explore their depths, you discover that they are.（事物之间是有联系的。让你在一个领域的专长激发你在所有相关领域的热情。你的一些兴趣可能看起来没有联系，但一旦你深入探索，你就会发现它们是有联系的。）”；下文举出Toni的例子“My editor Toni, who is also a writer, has edited several history books. She has decided to study Chinese history. Fascinated by the structural beauty of the Forbidden City as a painter, she is equally interested to learn more about Chinese philosophy.（我的编辑Toni也是一位作家，她编辑过几本历史书。她已决定学习中国历史。作为一名画家，她痴迷于紫禁城的建筑之美，同时也对更多地了解中国哲学感兴趣。）”由此可以推断，作者想通过Toni的例子说明看似不相关的兴趣，如果深入探索的话，在某种程度上是有联系的。故选D。
61．主旨大意题。文章第一段提出观点“There is something to be said for being a generalist, even if you are a specialist.”作者提出即使你是一个专家，也应该当一个通才；文章第二段提出“The drawback to being specialists is we often come to know more and more about less and less. ”说明成为专家的不足之处是我们常常对越来越少的知识领域了解得越来越深；第四段中提到“Generalists, …, know a lot about a wide range of subjects and view the whole with all its connections.”说明当通才的优点往往对广泛的学科了解得很多，并从整体上来看其中的所有的联系。作者的观点是应该当一个通才。因此文章的标题应为“Be More a Generalist Than a Specialist（做一个通才，而不是专家）”。故选A。
【2020年】
1.（2020·新课标Ⅱ）D
I have a special place in my heart for libraries. I have for as long as I can remember. I was always an enthusiastic reader, sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child. Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties, I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library.
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old .It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time.
As I grew older and became a mother, the library took on a new place and an added meaning in my life. I had several children and books were our main source(来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library, where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them.
I always read ,using different voices ,as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it !It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books .
Now, I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on form generation to generation.
As a novelist, I’ve found a new relationship with libraries. I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can’t afford to purchase a book. I see libraries as a safe haven(避风港) for readers and writers, a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book. Libraries, in their own way, help fight book piracy(盗版行为) and 1 think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can. Encourage readers to use the library. Share library announcements on your social media. Frequent them and talk about them when you can.
32. Which word best describes the author’s relationship with books as a child?
A. Cooperative. B. Uneasy. C. Inseparable. D. Casual.
33. What does the underlined phrase “an added meaning” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Pleasure from working in the library.
B. Joy of reading passed on in the family.
C. Wonderment from acting out the stories.
D. A closer bond developed with the readers.
34. What does the author call on other writers to do?
A. Sponsor book fairs. B. Write for social media.
C. Support libraries. D. Purchase her novels.
35. Which can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Reading: A Source of Knowledge
B. My Idea about writing
C. Library: A Haven for the Young
D. My Love of the Library
【答案】32. C 33. B 34. C 35. D
【解析】本文是夹叙夹议文。文章讲述了作者是一个热情的读者，孩提时热衷读书，第一份工作在图书馆。有了孩子以后，一家人去图书馆读书，阅读的习惯代代传承下去。作为小说家，作者呼吁其他作家支持图书馆，宣传图书馆。
32.推理判断题。根据第一段的 I was always an enthusiastic reader，sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child. Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties. I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library.(我一直是一个热情的读者，孩提时，有时候每天读多达三本书。故事对我来说就像空气，而其他孩子则打球或参加聚会。我通过从图书馆借阅来的书籍经历冒险)可推断，作者小时候与书是密不可分的。故选C。
33.词句猜测题。根据上文As I grew older and became a mother可知，我长大了成了一位母亲，结合下文I had several children and books were our main source (来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library, where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them(我有几个孩子，书是我们娱乐的主要来源。对于我们来说，坐上车去当地的图书馆是件大事，在那里我的孩子们可以挑选要阅读的书或者想让我给他们读的书)可推断，作者成了母亲以后，带着孩子去图书馆，孩子挑选书籍来阅读，或者作者读给他们听，因此可知图书馆在作者的生活中又增添了新的意义，阅读的乐趣在家庭中代代相传”。故选B。
34.细节理解题。根据最后一段的I think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can. Encourage readers to use the library. Share library announcements on your social media. Frequent them and talk about them when you can.( 我认为所有的作家都应该在他们可以的时候以有意义的方式支持图书馆。鼓励读者使用图书馆。在社交媒体上分享图书馆公告。可以的时候常去图书馆，谈论图书馆)可推断，作者呼吁其他的作家们支持图书馆。故选C。
35.主旨大意题。纵观全文可知，文章讲述了作者是一名热情地读者，孩提时喜欢阅读，工作在图书馆。有了孩子以后，一家人去图书馆读书，阅读的习惯代代传承下去，作为小说家，作者呼吁其他作家支持图书馆，宣传图书馆。因此推断全文围绕“作者对图书馆的爱”展开讲述。故D项“我对图书馆的爱”为最佳标题。故选D。
2.（2020·江苏卷）D
I was in the middle of the Amazon (亚马逊) with my wife, who was there as a medical researcher. We flew on a small plane to a faraway village. We did not speak the local language, did not know the customs, and more often than not, did not entirely recognize the food. We could not have felt more foreign.
We were raised on books and computers, highways and cell phones, but now we were living in a village without running water or electricity It was easy for us to go to sleep at the end of the day feeling a little misunderstood.
Then one perfect Amazonian evening, with monkeys calling from beyond the village green, we played soccer. I am not good at soccer, but that evening it was wonderful. Everyone knew the rules. We all spoke the same language of passes and shots. We understood one another perfectly. As darkness came over the field and the match ended, the goal keeper, Juan, walked over to me and said in a matter-of-fact way, “In your home, do you have a moon too?” I was surprised.
After I explained to Juan that yes, we did have a moon and yes, it was very similar to his, I felt a sort of awe (敬畏) at the possibilities that existed in his world. In Juan’s world, each village could have its own moon. In Juan’s world. the unknown and undiscovered was vast and marvelous. Anything was possible.
In our society, we know that Earth has only one moon. We have looked at our planet from every angle and found all of the wildest things left to find. I can, from my computer at home, pull up satellite images of Juan’s village. There are no more continents and no more moons to search for, little left to discover. At least it seems that way.
Yet, as I thought about Juan’s question, I was not sure how much more we could really rule out. I am, in part, an ant biologist, so my thoughts turned to what we know about insect life and I knew that much in the world of insects remains unknown. How much, though? How ignorant (无知的) are we? The question of what we know and do not know constantly bothered me.
I began collecting newspaper articles about new species, new monkey, new spider…, and on and on they appear. My drawer quickly filled. I began a second drawer for more general discoveries: new cave system discovered with dozens of nameless species, four hundred species of bacteria found in the human stomach. The second drawer began to fill and as it did I wondered whether there were bigger discoveries out there, not just species, but life that depends on things thought to be useless, life even without DNA. I started a third drawer for these big discoveries. It fills more slowly, but all the same, it fills.
In looking into the stories of biological discovery, I also began to find something else, a collection of scientists, usually brilliant occasionally half-mad, who made the discoveries. Those scientists very often see the same things that other scientists see, but they pay more attention to them, and they focus on them to the point of exhaustion (穷尽), and at the risk of the ridicule of their peers. In looking for the stories of discovery, I found the stories of these people and how their lives changed our view of the world.
We are repeatedly willing to imagine we have found most of what is left to discover. We used to think that insects were the smallest organisms (生物), and that nothing lived deeper than six hundred meters. Yet, when something new turns up, more often than not, we do not even know its name.
65. How did the author feel on his arrival in the Amazon?
A. Out of place. B. Full of joy. C. Sleepy. D. Regretful.
66. What made that Amazonian evening wonderful?
A. He learned more about the local language.
B. They had a nice conversation with each other.
C. They understood each other while playing.
D. He won the soccer game with the goal keeper.
67. Why was the author surprised at Juan’s question about the moon?
A. The question was too straightforward.
B. Juan knew so little about the world.
C. The author didn’t know how to answer.
D. The author didn’t think Juan was sincere.
68. What was the author’s initial purpose of collecting newspaper articles?
A. To sort out what we have known.
B. To deepen his research into Amazonians.
C. To improve his reputation as a biologist.
D. To learn more about local cultures.
69. How did those brilliant scientists make great discoveries?
A. They shifted their viewpoints frequently.
B. They followed other scientists closely.
C. They often criticized their fellow scientists.
D. They conducted in-depth and close studies.
70. What could be the most suitable title for the passage?
A. The Possible and the Impossible .
B. The Known and the Unknown .
C. The Civilized and the Uncivilized .
D. The Ignorant and the Intelligent.
【答案】65. A 66. C 67. B 68. A 69. D 70. B
【解析】这是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者和妻子来到了亚马逊，妻子是一名医学研究者。一踏上这里，作者感到非常不适应，通过与当地人的接触，作者了解一些人对外部的世界并不了解。在生物多样性发现的过程中，作者意识到，很多东西是人类已知的，还有很多是人类未知的。
65.推理判断题。根据第一段“We didn’t speak the local language, did not know the customs and more often than not, didn’t entirely recognize the food. We couldn’t have felt more foreign.”可知，我们不会说当地的语言，不了解当地的风俗习惯，而且往往我们不能完全认识食物，我们感觉非常陌生。由此可知，作者一到达亚马逊感觉格格不入。故选A项。
66.细节理解题。根据第三段“Everyone knew the rules. We all spoke the same language of passes and shots. We understood one another perfectly.”可知，每个人都知道规则，在传球和射门方面，我们说着同样的语言，彼此非常了解。由此可知，踢球时他们的彼此理解使得他们的亚马逊夜晚很美好。故选C项。
67.推理判断题。根据第四段“In Juan’s world, the unknown and undiscovered was vast and marvelous.”可知，在胡安的世界里，未知的东西和未被发现的东西是浩瀚而神奇的。由此判断，胡安对这个世界知之甚少。故选B项。
68.推理判断题。根据第七段“I began collecting newspaper articles about new species, new spider...,and on and on they appear, my drawer quickly filled, I began a second drawer for more general discoveries: new cave system discovered with dozens of nameless species ...I started a third drawer for these big discoveries.”可知，我开始收集报纸上关于新物种、新蜘蛛的文章……它们源源不断地出现，我的抽屉很快就填满了。我开始用第二个抽屉来储存更普遍的发现:在新的洞穴系统发现了几十个无名的物种……我还为这些重大发现准备了第三个抽屉。由此判断，作者收集报纸文章的初始目的是为了分类我们所知道的事情。故选A项。
69.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“but they pay more attention to them ,and they focus on them to the point of exhaustion ,and at the risk of the ridicule of their peers.”可知，但他们更多地关注这些发现，他们把注意力集中在这些发现上直到精疲力竭的地步，冒着被同龄人嘲笑的风险。由此可知，杰出的科学家进行深入细致的研究，做出重大的发现。故选D项。
70.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，作者和妻子来到了亚马逊。一踏上这里，作者感到非常不适应，通过与当地人的接触，作者了解到一些人对外部的世界并不了解。在对这里的风土人情和多样化生物的研究过程中，作者提高了认识，意识到很多东西是人类已知的，还有很多是人类未知的。所以短文的最佳标题为“已知和未知的事物”。故选B项。
3.（2020·天津卷）D
After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.
Together, these deep human urges (驱策力) count for much more that ambition. Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”
Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don’t have to be learned. We are born with them and need only recapture them.
“The great man,” said Mencius (孟子), “is he who does not lose his child’s heart.” Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions. We stop challenging custom. We just follow the crowd. And the crowd desires restful average. It encourages us to occupy our own little corner, to avoid foolish leaps into the dark, to be satisfied.
Most of us meet new people, and new ideas, with hesitation. But once having met and liked them, we think how terrible it would have been, had we missed the chance. We will probably have to force ourselves to waken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.
How should you start? Modestly, so as not to become discouraged. I think of one friend who couldn’t arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it. How she is one of the experts, writing books on flower arrangement.
One way to begin is to answer your own excuses. You haven’t any special ability? Most people don’t; there are only a few geniuses. You haven’t any time? That’s good because it’s always the people with no time who get things done. Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom’s Cabin while cooking. You’re too old? Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.
However you start, remember there is no better time to start than right now, for you’ll never be more alive than you are at this moment.
51. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to ________.
A. propose a definition
B. make a comparison
C. reach a conclusion
D. present an argument
52. What does the example of Galileo tell us?
A. Trial and error leads to the finding of truth.
B. Scientists tend to be curious and ambitious.
C. Creativity results from challenging authority.
D. Greatness comes from a lasting desire to explore.
53. What can you do to recapture curiosity and discontent?
A. Observe the unknown around you.
B. Develop a questioning mind.
C. Lead a life of adventure.
D. Follow the fashion.
54. What can we learn from Paragraphs 6 and 7?
A. Gaining success helps you become an expert.
B. The genius tends to get things done creatively.
C. Lack of talent and time is no reason for taking no action.
D. You should remain modest when approaching perfection.
55. What could be the best tile or the passage?
A. Curious Minds Never Feel Contented
B. Reflections on Human Nature
C. The Keys to Achievement
D. Never Too Late to Learn
【答案】51. D 52. D 53. B 54. C 55. C
【解析】
本文是一篇议论文。文章论述了获得成就的两个关键因素——好奇心和不满足。
51.推理判断题。根据第一段内容After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.可知，作者经过多年对人性的观察，认为成就非凡的人和平庸的人的区别在于好奇心和不满足，而且两者是相辅相成的。由此推知，作者写第一段的目的是提出一个论点。故选D。
52.推理判断题。根据第二段中的Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”可知，像伽利略一样，历史上所有的伟人都感到好奇，并不满地问：“为什么？为什么？为什么？”由此推知，伽利略的例子告诉我们，伟大来自于持久的探索欲望。故选D。
53.细节理解题。根据第二段中的Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”及第四段中的“The great man,” said Mencius (孟子), “is he who does not lose his child’s heart.” Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions. We stop challenging custom. We just follow the crowd.可知，历史上所有的伟人都感到好奇，并不满地问：“为什么？为什么？为什么？”孟子认为“不失去孩子的心，就是伟大的人。”然而，我们大多数人确实失去了它。我们不再问问题。我们不再挑战习俗。我们只是随大流。由此可知，你可以通过培养了一个善于提问的头脑，来重新获得好奇心和不满。故选B。
54.推理判断题。根据第六段中的How she is one of the experts, writing books on flower arrangement.及第七段中的You haven’t any special ability? Most people don’t; there are only a few geniuses. You haven’t any time? That’s good, because it’s always the people with no time who get things done.以及列举了Thomas Costain在57岁时出版了他的第一部小说，Grandma Moses在78岁时展示了她的第一批照片。由此可知，这两段想告诉我们“缺乏天赋和时间不是不采取行动的理由”。故选C。
55.主旨大意题。根据第一段内容After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.及下文论述可知，本文主要论述了获得成就的两个关键因素——好奇心和不满足。由此可知，C项The Keys to Achievement(成就的关键)适合做本文最佳标题。故选C。
【2019年】
1. 【2019·天津卷，B】
I must have always known reading was very important because the first memories I have as a child deal with books. There was not one night that I don't remember mom reading me a storybook by my bedside. I was extremely inspired by the elegant way the words sounded.
I always wanted to know what my mom was reading. Hearing mom say," I can't believe what's printed in the newspaper this morning," made me want to grab it out of her hands and read it myself. I wanted to be like my mom and know all of the things she knew. So I carried around a book, and each night, just to be like her, I would pretend to be reading.
This is how everyone learned to read. We would start off with sentences, then paragraphs, and then stories. It seemed an unending journey, but even as a six-year-old girl I realized that knowing how to read could open many doors. When mom said," The C-A-N-D-Y is hidden on the top shelf," I knew where the candy was. My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything. I often found myself telling my mom to drive more slowly, so that I could read all of the road signs we passed.
Most of my reading through primary, middle and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A's on my tests. Occasionally, I would read a novel that was assigned, but I didn't enjoy this type of reading. I liked facts, things that are concrete. I thought anything abstract left too much room for argument.
Yet, now that I'm growing and the world I once knew as being so simple is becoming more complex, I find myself needing a way to escape. By opening a novel, I can leave behind my burdens and enter into a wonderful and mysterious world where I am now a new character. In these worlds I can become anyone. I don't have to write down what happened or what technique the author was using when he or she wrote this. I just read to relax.
We're taught to read because it's necessary for much of human understanding. Reading is a vital part of my life. Reading satisfies my desire to keep learning. And I've found that the possibilities that lie within books are limitless.
41. Why did the author want to grab the newspaper out of mom's hands？
A. She wanted mom to read the news to her.
B. She was anxious to know what had happened.
C. She couldn't wait to tear the newspaper apart.
D. She couldn't help but stop mom from reading.
42. According to Paragraph 3，the author's reading of road signs indicates___________
A. her unique way to locate herself
B. her eagerness to develop her reading ability
C. her effort to remind mom to obey traffic rules
D. her growing desire to know the world around her.
43. What was the author's view on factual reading？
A. It would help her update test-taking skills.
B. It would allow much room for free thinking.
C. It would provide true and objective information.
D. It would help shape a realistic and serious attitude to life.
44. The author takes novel reading as a way to___________.
A. explore a fantasy land
B. develop a passion for leaning
C. learn about the adult community
D. get away from a confusing world
45. What could be the best title for the passage？
A. The Magic of Reading B. The Pleasure of Reading
C. Growing Up with Reading D. Reading Makes a Full Man
【语篇解读】本文为夹叙夹议文，作者讲述了自己的读书经历和感悟。
41.B 【解析】细节理解题。根据第二段主题句I always wanted to know what my mom was reading.和Hearing mom say … made me want to grab it out of her hands and read it myself可知，作者一直想知道妈妈在读什么。作者抢过妈妈读的报纸，因为作者自己迫切想看一看报纸上写的内容，故选B。
42. D【解析】推理判断题。根据第三段My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything，可以推断出，让妈妈开车开慢一点，他能够读出所有路标，正是作者在阅读方面的进步引起了他的好奇心，想要了解周围的一切，故选D。
43.C 【解析】推理判断题。根据第四段第一句Most of my reading through primary, middle and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A’s on my test.可知，小学和中学阶段的阅读都是事实性阅读，读书是为了获取知识，考试得A。因此事实性阅读能够提供真实的客观的信息，故选 C。
44. D 【解析】细节理解题。根据第五段By opening a novel, I can leave behind my burdens and enter into a wonderful and mysterious world where I am now a new character. In these worlds I can become anyone.( 打开一本小说，我可以摆脱我的负担，进入一个奇妙而神秘的世界，我现在是一个新的角色。在这个世界上，我可以成为任何人。) 可知，阅读小说可以让作者避开复杂的现实而投入到小说中的世界中去，故选D。
45.C 【解析】主旨大意题。根据上下文可知，作者以时间顺序回忆了自己的阅读经历和感悟，伴着阅读成长，故选项C符合题意。
2. 【2019·全国卷III，B】
For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.
"It's no secret that China has always been a source(来源)of inspiration for designers," says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚)shows.
Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学)on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.
"China is impossible to overlook," says Hill. "Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement. "Of course, only are today's top Western designers being influenced by China-some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese." Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galiano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs-and beating them hands down in design and sales," adds Hil.
For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. "The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers," she says. "China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China-its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways."
24. What can we learn about the exhibition in New York?
A. It promoted the sales of artworks.
B. It attracted a large number of visitors.
C. It showed ancient Chinese clothes.
D. It aimed to introduce Chinese models.
25. What does Hill say about Chinese women?
A. They are setting the fashion. B. They start many fashion campaigns.
C. They admire super models. D. They do business all over the world.
26. What do the underlined words "taking on" in paragraph 4 mean?
A. learning from B. looking down on
C. working with D. competing against
27. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Young Models Selling Dreams to the World
B. A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York
C. Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics
D. Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends
【语篇解读】这是一篇议论文。文章主要讲了中国文化对世界时尚届的影响，中国年轻的设计师和模特如何最终在许多方面被认可。中国成了世界时尚的风向标。
24.B 【解析】细节理解题。答案定位在第三段The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.（此次展览吸引的参观者人数创下了记录，显示出人们对中国影响的浓厚兴趣。）由此可知，纽约的展览吸引了许多参观者，故选B。
25.A 【解析】细节理解题。答案定位在第四段Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion-they are central to its movement . （中国模特是向全世界女性推销梦想的美和时尚活动的代言人，这意味着中国女性不仅仅是时尚的消费者——她们是这场运动的核心。）由此可知，Hill说中国女性开创了新时尚，故选A。
26.D 【解析】词义猜测题。下文and beating them hands down in design and sales说并在设计和销售上击败他们。由此推断出上文Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Mare Jacobs的意思是Vera Wang、Alexander Wang和Jason Wu正在与Galliano、Albaz和 Mare Jacobs竞争。taking on意思是“竞争”，故选D。
27.D 【解析】主旨大意题。根据文章第一段china and its culture have long been an inspiration for western creations.以及最后一段If you talk about fashion today , you are talking about China - its influences , its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways."（如果你今天谈论时尚，你谈论的是中国——它的影响，它的方向，它令人惊叹的服装，以及年轻的设计师和模特如何最终在许多方面被认可。），结合全文内容，可知这篇文章最恰当的题目是“中国文化助力国际时尚潮流”，故选D。
3. 【2019·天津卷，D】
Would you BET on the future of this man？He is 53 years old. Most of his adult life has been a losing struggle against debt and misfortune. A war injury has made his left hand stop functioning，and he has often been in prison. Driven by heaven-knows-what motives，he determines to write a book.
The book turns out to be one that has appealed to the world for more than 350 years. That former prisoner was Cervantes，and the book was Don Quixote（《堂吉诃德》）. And the story poses an interesting question: why do some people discover new vitality and creativity to the end of their days，while others go to seed long before？
We've all known people who run out of steam before they reach life's halfway mark. I'm not talking about those who fail to get to the top. We can't all get there. I'm talking about people who have stopped learning on growing because they have adopted the fixed attitudes and opinions that all too often come with passing years.
Most of us，in fact，progressively narrow the variety of our lives. We succeed in our field of specialization and then become trapped in it. Nothing surprises us. We lose our sense of wonder. But，if we are willing to lean，the opportunities are everywhere.
The things we learn in maturity seldom involve information and skills. We learn to bear with the things we can't change. We learn to avoid self-pity. We learn that however much we try to please，some people are never going to love us-an idea that troubles at first but is eventually relaxing.
With high motivation and enthusiasm，we can keep on learning. Then we will know how important it is to have meaning in our life. However，we can achieve meaning only if we have made a commitment to something larger than our own little egos（自我），whether to loved ones，to fellow humans，to work，or to some moral concept.
Many of us equate（视……等同于）“commitment” with such “caring” occupations as teaching and nursing. But doing any ordinary job as well as one can is in itself an admirable commitment. People who work toward such excellence whether they are driving a truck，or running a store-make the world better just by being the kind of people they are. They've learned life's most valuable lesson.
51. The passage starts with the story of Cervantes to show that_________.
A. loss of freedom stimulates one's creativity
B. age is not a barrier to achieving one's goal
C. misery inspires a man to fight against his fate
D. disability cannot stop a man's pursuit of success
52. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
A. End one's struggle for liberty.
B. Waste one's energy taking risks.
C. Miss the opportunity to succeed.
D. Lose the interest to continue learning.
53. What could be inferred from Paragraph 4？
A. Those who dare to try often get themselves trapped.
B. Those who tend to think back can hardly go ahead.
C. Opportunity favors those with a curious mind.
D. Opportunity awaits those with a cautious mind.
54. What does the author intend to tell us in Paragraph 5？
A. A tough man can tolerate suffering.
B. A wise man can live without self-pity
C. A man should try to satisfy people around him.
D. A man should learn suitable ways to deal with life
55. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage？
A. To provide guidance on leading a meaningful adult life.
B. To stress the need of shouldering responsibilities at work.
C. To state the importance of generating motivation for learning.
D. To suggest a way of pursuing excellence in our lifelong career.
【语篇解读】本文属于议论文，讲述要成功，就需要不断的学习，这样的生活才会有意义。
51.B 【解析】推理判断题。第一段讲述塞万提斯一生不幸，负债累累，因为战争受伤左手残疾，同时还身陷囹圄，在53岁的时候决定写书，最终写出成名作《唐吉柯德》，根据后文可知，所有的困境都没有阻挡他的成功，年龄也是如此，故选B。
52.D【解析】词义猜测题。根据第三段I’m talking about people who have stopped learning on growing because they have adopted the fixed attitudes and opinions that all too often come with passing years.故可知，作者谈论的不是那些没有到达巅峰的人，而是谈论那些不再学习成长的人，故可知run out of steam可知，停止学习，故选D。
53.C【解析】推理判断题。根据第四段we lose the sense of wonder. But, if we are willing to learn, the opportunities are everywhere.可知，我们失去了好奇感，但是如果我们愿意学习，机会无处不在，故可知，机会总是留给那些好奇心的人，故选C。
54. D【解析】推理判断题。根据第五段we learn to bear with the things we can’t change. We learn to avoid self-pity. We learn that however much we try to please, some people are never going to love us—an idea that troubles at first but is eventually relaxing.可知，我们学会承受那些无法改变的事情，学会避免自怜，也学会了无论我们怎么去取悦别人，有些人是无法喜欢我们的，这个观点起初让我们苦恼，但是之后会让我们释怀，故可知，本段作者告诉我们要学会使用恰当的方式来对待生活，故选D。
55.A 【解析】主旨大意题。本文讲述要成功，就需要不断的学习，这样的生活才会有意义，故本文作者的目的是为了指导我们过一个有意义的成年人生活，故选A。
4. 【2019·江苏卷，C】
Who cares if people think wrongly that the Internet has had more important influences than the washing machine? Why does it matter that people are more impressed by the most recent changes?
It would not matter if these misjudgments were just a matter of people's opinions. However, they have real impacts, as they result in misguided use of scarce resources.
The fascination with the ICT(Information and Communication Technology) revolution, represented by the Internet, has made some rich countries wrongly conclude that making things is so "yesterday" that they should try to live on ideas. This belief in "post-industrial society" has led those countries to neglect their manufacturing sector(制造业) with negative consequences for their economies.
Even more worryingly, the fascination with the Internet by people in rich countries has moved the international community to worry about the "digital divide" between the rich countries and the poor countries. This has led companies and individuals to donate money to developing countries to buy computer equipment and Internet facilities. The question, however, is whether this is what the developing countries need the most. Perhaps giving money for those less fashionable things such as digging wells, extending electricity networks and making more affordable washing machines would have improved people's lives more than giving every child a laptop computer or setting up Internet centres in rural villages, I am not saying that those things are necessarily more important, but many donators have rushed into fancy programmes without carefully assessing the relative long-term costs and benefits of alternative uses of their money.
In yet another example, a fascination with the new has led people to believe that the recent changes in the technologies of communications and transportation are so revolutionary that now we live in a "borderless world". As a result, in the last twenty years or so, many people have come to believe that whatever change is happening today is the result of great technological progress, going against which will be like trying to turn the clock back. Believing in such a world, many governments have put an end to some of the very necessary regulations on cross-border flows of capital, labour and goods, with poor results.
Understanding technological trends is very important for correctly designing economic policies, both at the national and the international levels, and for making the right career choices at the individual level. However, our fascination with the latest, and our under valuation of what has already become common, can, and has, led us in all sorts of wrong directions.
61. Misjudgments on the influences of new technology can lead to __________.
A. a lack of confidence in technology
B. a slow progress in technology
C. a conflict of public opinions
D. a waste of limited resources
62. The example in Paragraph 4 suggests that donators should __________.
A. take people's essential needs into account
B. make their programmes attractive to people
C. ensure that each child gets financial support
D. provide more affordable internet facilities
63. What has led many governments to remove necessary regulations?
A. Neglecting the impacts of technological advances.
B. Believing that the world has become borderless.
C. Ignoring the power of economic development.
D. Over-emphasizing the role of international communication.
64. What can we learn from the passage?
A. People should be encouraged to make more donations.
B. Traditional technology still has a place nowadays.
C. Making right career choices is crucial to personal success.
D. Economic policies should follow technological trends.
【语篇解读】本文属于议论文，讲述对信息技术的过分迷恋对国家，对个人，对慈善事业都会有不利的影响。
61.D【解析】细节理解题。根据第二段However, they have reak impacts, as they result in misguided use of scarce resources. 可知，对信息技术的错误判断会导致有限资源的错误使用，也就是资源的浪费，故选D。
62.A 【解析】推理判断题。根据第四段Perhaps giving money for those less fashionable things such as digging wells, extending electricity networks and making more affordable washing machines would have improved people's lives more than giving every child a laptop computer or setting up Internet centres in rural villages, I am not saying that those things are necessarily more important, but many donators have rushed into fancy programmes without carefully assessing the relative long-term costs and benefits of alternative uses of their money.可知，与其给那些贫困地区孩子笔记本电脑或者建网络中心，还不如给钱打井，铺电网或者生产他们买得起的洗衣机，这些东西更能改善他们的生活。作者不是说这些东西一定更重要，但是很多捐赠者没有仔细考虑捐赠的东西的长期成本，因此作者建议捐赠者要考虑接受捐赠的人的实际情况，而不是一味地追求信息化，故选A。
63.B 【解析】推理判断题。根据第五段In yet another example, a fascination with the new has led people to believe that the recent changes in the technologies of communications and transportation are so revolutionary that now we live in a "borderless world". 以及Believing in such a world, many governments have put an end to some of the very necessary regulations on cross-border flows of capital, labour and goods, with poor results.可知，对新东西的迷恋让人们认为如今通讯技术和交通的变革让我们生活在一个无国界的世界。正是认为我们生活在这样一个世界，很多政府取消了关于跨国界的资本、劳动力以及商品流动的法律法规，故选B。
64.B 【解析】推理判断题。根据第三段The fascination with the ICT(Information and Communication Technology) revolution, represented by the Internet, has made some rich countries wrongly conclude that making things is so "yesterday" that they should try to live on ideas. This belief in "post-industrial society" has led those countries to neglect their manufacturing sector(制造业) with negative consequences for their economies.可知，对互联网呈现的通讯技术变革的迷恋让很多富裕国家做出一个错误的结论，制造产品已经过时了，他们应该靠创意生活，因而忽略了制造业，从而对经济造成不利影响，故可知传统的技术依然传统的技术依然有它的地位，不能新兴的信息技术取代，故选B。
【2018年】
1.【2018·全国I，C】
Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going. When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers, small, tightly knit (联系)groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other. Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago, when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.
Soon afterwards, many of those people started settling down to become farmers, and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number. In recent centuries, trade, industrialization, the development of the nation-state and the spread of universal compulsory education, especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades, all have caused many languages to disappear, and dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.
At present, the world has about 6,800 languages. The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven. The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages, often spoken by many people, while hot, wet zones have lots, often spoken by small numbers. Europe has only around 200 languages; the Americas about 1,000; Africa 2 400; and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3,200, of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800. The median number (中位数)of speakers is a mere 6,000, which means that half the world’s languages are spoken by fewer people than that.
Already well over 400 of the total of, 6,800 languages are close to extinction(消亡), with only a few elderly speakers left. Pick, at random, Busuu in Cameroon (eight remaining speakers),Chiapaneco in Mexico(150), Lipan Apache in the United States(two or three)or Wadjigu in Australia (one, with a question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of survival.
28. What can we infer about languages in hunter-gatherer times?
A. They developed very fast. B. They were large in number.
C. They had similar patterns. D. They were closely connected.
29. Which of the following best explains "dominant " underlined in paragraph 2？
A. Complex. B. Advanced.
C. Powerful. D. Modern.
30. How many languages are spoken by less than 6, 000 people at present?
A. About 6,800 B. About 3,400
C. About 2,400 D. About 1,200
31. What is the main idea of the text?
A. New languages will be created.
B. People’s lifestyles are reflected in languages.
C. Human development results in fewer languages.
D. Geography determines language evolution.
【文章大意】本文是一篇议论文。文章讲述了随着社会的发展人类语言越来越少及其原因。
28.B【解析】推理判断题。根据文章第一段中的When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers, small, tightly knit (联系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other... when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.可知，当世界以依靠狩猎为生的人居住的时候，小而联系紧密的群落形成了他们彼此之间独立的讲话模式。当世界上的人口数量不到一千万时，语言种类达到了12000种。由此推知，当时的语言种类很多。故选B。
29.C【解析】猜测词义题。根据文章第二段中的dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.可知，英语、西班牙语和汉语正在替代其他语言。由此推知dominant languages意为：强有力的语言。故选C。
30.B【解析】细节理解题。根据文章第三段中的At present, the world has about 6,800 languages.和The median number (中位数) of speakers is a mere 6,000, which means that half the world’s languages are spoken by fewer people than that. 可知，目前世界上大约有6800种语言，但是讲的人数少于6000人的占一半即3400.故选B。
31.C【解析】主旨要义题。根据文章第一段中的主题句Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going.可知，语言的产生和消失进行了几千年，但最近时代语言产生的少，消失的太多。故选
2.【2018·全国卷II，D】
We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t
even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. ＂Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,＂ he explains. ＂The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.＂
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. ＂It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,＂ says Dunn. ＂But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.＂
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. ＂Small talk is the basis of good manners,＂ he says.
32. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?
A. Addiction to smartphones.
B. Inappropriate behaviours in public places.
C. Absence of communication between strangers.
D. Impatience with slow service.
33. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?
A. Showing good manners. B. Relating to other people.
C. Focusing on a topic. D. Making business deals.
34. What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?
A. It improves family relationships. B. It raises people’s confidence.
C. It matters as much as a formal talk. D. It makes people feel good.
35. What is the best title for the text?
A. Conversation Counts B. Ways of Making Small Talk
C. Benefits of Small Talk D. Uncomfortable Silence
【文章大意】这是一篇议论文。在当今社会，人们在公共场合或沉迷于智能手机，或与不舒服的沉默抗争，陌生人之间缺乏沟通。但人与人之间是需要适当的交谈闲聊的，闲聊是人际关系社会交往必不可少的部分，而且也有很多好处。
32.C 【解析】主旨大意题。题干问的是：第一段描述了什么现象。在公共场合（比如在电梯里，在银行排队，或在飞机上）人们深深地专注于他们的智能手机，或者更糟糕的是，与不舒服的沉默抗争。有此可知，陌生人之间缺乏沟通。A项意为：沉迷于智能手机。B项意为：在公共场所不适当的行为。C项意为：陌生人之间缺乏沟通。D项意为：对缓慢的服务不耐烦。故选C项。
33.B 【解析】推理判断题。题干问得是对于Carducci来说，成功的闲聊中重要的是什么。根据第三段最后一句“The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them”（成功闲聊的关键是学习如何与他们交流，而不仅仅是与他们沟通。）由此推断C符合题意。A项意为：表现出良好的礼貌。B项意为：与他人有关的。C项意为：专注于一个话题。D项意为：做商业交易。故选B项。
34.D 【解析】推理判断题。题干问的是：咖啡店的研究对闲聊有什么建议。根据第四段的调查结果可知，那些与服务员聊天的人，有显著的积极情绪和更好的咖啡店体验。由此可知，D项符合题意。A项意为：闲聊改善了家庭关系。B项意为：闲聊提高了人们的信心。C项意为：闲聊和正式谈话一样重要。D项意为：闲聊让人感觉很好。故选D项。
35.C 【解析】主旨大意题。整篇文章刚开始介绍了社会的现象（公共场合人们沉迷于智能手机，陌生人之间缺乏沟通交流），接着分析了这一问题的原因，接下来有专家对闲聊进行了研究，最后得出结论，闲聊都有什么样的好处。A项意为：谈话很重要。B项意为：闲聊的方法。C项意为：闲聊的好处。D项意为：不舒服的沉默。故选C项。
3.【2018·全国卷III，D】
Adults understand what it feels like to be flooded with objects. Why do we often assume that more is more when it comes to kids and their belongings? The good news is that I can help my own kids learn earlier than I did how to live more with less.
I found the pre-holidays a good time to encourage young children to donate less-used things, and it worked. Because of our efforts, our daughter Georgia did decide to donate a large bag of toys to a little girl whose mother was unable to pay for her holiday due to illness. She chose to sell a few larger objects that were less often used when we promised to put the money into her school fund(基金）(our kindergarten daughter is serious about becoming a doctor).
For weeks, I've been thinking of bigger, deeper questions: How do we make it a habit for them? And how do we train ourselves to help them live with, need, and use less? Yesterday, I sat with my son, Shepherd, determined to test my own theory on this. I decided to play with him with only one toy for as long as it would keep his interest. I expected that one toy would keep his attention for about five minutes, ten minutes, max. I chose a red rubber ball-simple, universally available. We passed it, he tried to put it in his mouth, he tried bouncing it, rolling it, sitting on it, throwing it. It was totally, completely enough for him. Before I knew it an hour had passed and it was time to move on to lunch.
We both became absorbed in the simplicity of playing together. He had my full attention and I had his. My little experiment to find joy in a single object worked for both of us.
32. What do the words “more is more” in paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. The more, the better. B. Enough is enough.
C. More money, more worries. D. Earn more and spend more.
33. What made Georgia agree to sell some of her objects?
A. Saving up for her holiday B. Raising money for a poor girl
C. Adding the money to her fund D. Giving the money to a sick mother
34. Why did the author play the ball with Shepherd?
A. To try out an idea
B. To show a parent's love
C. To train his attention
D. To help him start a hobby
35. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Take It or Leave It B. A Lesson from Kids
C. Live More with Less D. The Pleasure of Giving
【文章大意】这是一篇议论文。文章讲述作者引导孩子主动捐献玩具，并从玩耍简单玩具中获得快乐的做法。
32.A 【解析】词义猜测题。根据文章第一段最后一句…I can help my own kids learn earlier than I did how to live more with less可以推断出，人们通常认为越多越好。故选A。
33.C 【解析】细节理解题。根据文章第二段中She chose to sell a few larger objects that were less often used when we promised to put the money into her school fund(基金)可知，当我们承诺给她把卖玩具的钱放到她的教育基金里时，她同意卖玩具。故选C。
34.A 【解析】细节理解题。根据文章最后一段最后一句My little experiment to find joy in a single object worked for both of us.表明，跟Shepherd玩球是为了测试自己的一种想法是否可行。故选A。
35.C 【解析】主旨大意题。根据文章第一段可知，作者想要教会孩子how to live more with less，而二三段是作者的尝试，故C作标题适合。
4.【2018·北京卷，D】
Preparing Cities for Robot Cars
The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist’s dream, years away from materializing in the real world. Well, the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars, and for companies to operate driverless taxi services. California, it should be noted, isn’t leading the way here. Companies have been testing their vehicles in cities across the country. It’s hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars(and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions(排放) and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy — or even worsen — the traffic of today with driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles. They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work on packed highways because they can work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride, which encourages urban spread. They take their driverless car to an appointment and set the empty vehicle to circle the building to avoid paying for parking. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport — an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing(叫车) services.
A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80% and cut the cost of transportation infrastructure(基础设施) and operations 40% by 2050. Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues(责任与维护问题). But driverless car ownership could increase as the prices drop and more people become comfortable with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless vehicles doesn’t extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
47. According to the author, attention should be paid to how driverless cars can __________.
A. help deal with transportation-related problems
B. provide better services to customers
C. cause damage to our environment
D. make some people lose jobs
48. As for driverless cars, what is the author’s major concern?
A. Safety. B. Side effects.
C. Affordability. D. Management.
49. What does the underlined word ＂fielded＂ in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Employed. B. Replaced.
C. Shared. D. Reduced.
50. What is the author’s attitude to the future of self-driving cars?
A. Doubtful. B. Positive.
C. Disapproving. D. Sympathetic.
【文章大意】本文为议论文。文章主要讨论有关无人驾驶汽车的发展前景和面临的问题。
47.A 【解析】推理判断题。根据第二段While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars(and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions(排放) and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options. 可知，政策制定者应该讨论无人驾驶车怎么帮助削减交通阻塞，减少尾气排放，提供更方便、更便宜的出行选择，由此可见人们应该多关注无人驾驶车怎么帮助处理与交通有关的问题。故选A。
48.D 【解析】推理判断题。根据文章第一段But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated. 可知，不管花多长时间，这项技术都有可能改变我们的交通系统和我们的城市，不管是好是坏，这取决于如何这种转变如何被规范，再根据文章最后一句话The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it. 可知，我们需要为其做好计划，故作者的主要关注点是对这种转变的管理规范，故选D。
49.A 【解析】词义猜测题。根据第四段The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues(责任与维护问题). 可知，鉴于自主驾驶的费用以及责任和维护问题，无人驾驶车几乎可以肯定将会被打车服务使用。故划线词是“被应用”的意思。A. Employed被应用；B. Replaced被取代；C. Shared被分享；D. Reduced被减少。故选A。
50.B 【解析】观点态度题。根据文章最后一段The coming technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it. 中的 advancement，move more people, and more affordably. 以及plan for it可推知，作者是积极的态度。故选B。
【2017年】
1. 【2017·天津卷，D】
I read somewhere that we spend a full third of our lives waiting. But where are we doing all of this waiting, and what does it mean to an impatient society like ours? To understand the issue, let’s take a look at three types of “waits”.
The very purest form of waiting is the Watched-Pot Wait. It is without doubt the most annoying of all. Take filling up the kitchen sink(洗碗池) as an example. There is absolutely nothing you can do while this is going on but keep both eyes fixed on the sink until it’s full. During these waits, the brain slips away from the body and wanders about until the water runs over the edge of the counter and onto your socks. This kind of wait makes the waiter helpless and mindless.
A cousin to the Watched-Pot Wait is the Forced Wait. This one requires a bit of discipline. Properly preparing packaged noodle soup requires a Forced Wait. Directions are very specific. “Bring three cups of water to boil, add mix, simmer three minutes, remove from heat, let stand five minutes.” I have my doubts that anyone has actually followed the procedures strictly. After all, Forced Waiting requires patience.
Perhaps the most powerful type of waiting is the Lucky-Break Wait. This type of wait is unusual in that it is for the most part voluntary. Unlike the Forced Wait, which is also voluntary, waiting for your lucky break does not necessarily mean that it will happen.
Turning one’s life into a waiting game requires faith and hope, and is strictly for the optimists among us. On the surface it seems as ridiculous as following the directions on soup mixes, but the Lucky-Break Wait well serves those who are willing to do it. As long as one doesn’t come to rely on it, wishing for a few good things to happen never hurts anybody.
We certainly do spend a good deal of our time waiting. The next time you’re standing at the sink waiting for it to fill while cooking noodle soup that you’ll have to eat until a large bag of cash falls out of the sky, don’t be desperate. You’re probably just as busy as the next guy.
51. While doing a Watched-Pot Wait, we tend to __________.
A. keep ourselves busy
B. get absent-minded
C. grow anxious
D. stay focused
52. What is the difference between the Forced Wait and the Watched-Pot Wait?
A. The Forced Wait requires some self-control.
B. The Forced Wait makes people passive.
C. The Watched-Pot Wait needs directions.
D. The Watched-Pot Wait engages body and brain.
53. What can we learn about the Lucky-Break Wait?
A. It is less voluntary than the Forced Wait.
B. It doesn’t always bring the desired result.
C. It is more fruitful than the Forced Wait.
D. It doesn’t give people faith and hope.
54. What does the author advise us to do the next time we are waiting?
A. Take it seriously.
B. Don’t rely on others.
C. Do something else.
D. Don’t lose heart.
55. The author supports his view by __________.
A. exploring various causes of “waits”
B. describing detailed processes of “waits”
C. analyzing different categories of “waits”
D. revealing frustrating consequences of “waits”
【语篇解读】这是一篇议论文。文章主要通过介绍三种不同种类的等待来论述我们花费大量的时间来等待，而且作者陈述了自己的观点，即充满希望和信念地等待。
51.B【解析】考查细节理解。根据第二段的句子During these waits, the brain slips away from the body and wanders about until the water runs over the edge of the counter and onto your socks. This kind of wait makes the waiter helpless and mindless. 可知选B。
52.A【解析】考查细节理解。根据第三段内容，尤其是This one requires a bit of discipline. 及After all, Forced Waiting requires patience. 可知选A。
53.B【解析】考查细节理解。根据第四段的句子Unlike the Forced Wait, which is also voluntary, waiting for your lucky break does not necessarily mean that it will happen.可知选B。
54.D【解析】考查细节理解。根据最后一段第二句可以判断出下次当我们等待的时候作者建议我们不要灰心、绝望。故选D。
55.C【解析】考查推理判断。通读全文可以知道，作者在二、三、四段列举了三种类型的等待，所以判断出作者是通过分析不同种类的等待来支持自己的观点的。故选C。
2. 【2017·浙江卷，C】
Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids. According to a new survey(调查)by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly 60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school.
How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age. Babies need a lot of rest; most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal(理想的). But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- to 12-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV.
"More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities(机会)to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone," says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical. Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones not only make teenagers’ bodies develop adult characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 pm.
Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota, changed the start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am. Students, parents and teachers are pleased with the results.
25.What is the new National Sleep Foundation survey on?
A. American kids’ sleeping habits. B. Teenagers’ sleep-related diseases.
C. Activities to prevent sleeplessness. D. Learning problems and lack of sleep.
26.How many hours of sleep do 11-year-olds need every day?
A.7 hours. B.8 hours. C.10 hours. D.18 hours.
27.Why do teenagers go to sleep late according to Carskadon?
A. They are affected by certain body chemicals.
B. They tend to do things that excite them.
C. They follow their parents’ examples.
D. They don’t need to go to school early.
【语篇解读】本文属于议论文，首先用数据告诉我们美国孩子的睡眠状况堪忧，接着告诉我们孩子在不同年龄段需要的睡眠时间不同，然后分析了孩子晚睡的原因，最后介绍了一些学校为了让孩子们有更多的睡眠时间而推迟了上课的时间。
25. A【解析】细节理解题。文中第一段列举了一些数据，向我们说明美国有51%的10到18岁的孩子上床睡觉的时间偏晚，也调查了60%的7到12岁的孩子在白天感到疲惫，15%的孩子会在学校睡着，所以这些调查都是关于美国孩子的睡眠习惯的，故选A。
26. C【解析】细节理解题。根据第二段＂For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal＂可知11岁正在上学的小孩子的理想睡眠时间是10个小时，故选C。
27. B【解析】细节理解题。根据第三段＂She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep＂可知她认为孩子们睡觉晚的原因是他们会在睡前做一些让他们兴奋的活动，故选B。
【2016年】
1.【2016·浙江】A
“Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?”Lindsey whipers to Tori.
With her eyes shining,tori brags，“You bet I did,Sean told me two days ago.”
Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about?It just happened to be yours truly,Adam Freedmam,I can tell you that what that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true.Still,Lindsey and Tori aren’t very different from most students here at Linton Higt School,including me.Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话)。I have noticed three effects of gossip:it can hurt people,it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction,and it can cause social pressures in a group.
An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about.Usually,gossip spreads information about a topic-breakups,trouble at home,even dropping out-that a person would rather keep secret.The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is,the juicier the gossip it makes.Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie.People ofen think of gossipers as harmless,but cruel lies can cause pain.
If we know that gossip can be harmful,then why do so many of us do it?Tht answer lies in another effect of gossip:the satisfaction it gives us.Sharing the latest rumor(传言)can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don’t.Similarly,hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the “in group.”In other words,gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(优越感).
Gossip also can have a third effect:it strengthens unwritten,unspoken rules about how people should act.Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group.Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said,then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention.The do’s and don’ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.
The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation.The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news,thing about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story”might have.
41.The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to .
A.introduce a topic
B.present an argument
C.describe the characters
D.clarify his writing purpose
42.An important negative effects of gossip is that it.
A.breaks up relationships
B.embarrasses the listener
C.spreads information around
D.causes unpleasant experiences
43.In the auther’s opinion,many people like to gossip because it.
A.gives them a feeling of pleasure
B.helpl them to make more friends
C.makes them better at telling stories
D.enables them to meet important people
44.Professor David Wilson think that gossip can .
A.provide students with written rules
B.help people watch their own behaviors
C.force school to impove student handbooks
D.attract the police’s attention to group behaviors
45.What advice does the author give in the passage?
A.Never become a gossiper
B.Stay away from gossipers
C.Don’t let gossip turn into lies
D.Think twice before you gossip.
【语篇解读】本文是一篇议论文。文章讨论了传言的危害和人们为什么喜欢传闲话。
41. 【答案】A
【解析】根据文章第三段的Many of our conversations are gossip. （我们的话题很多都是闲话），可知开头的对话是为了介绍本文的主题， 故选A。
42. 【答案】D
【解析】根据文章第四段的An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about.，可知主要危害是他会给被讨论的人带来不愉快的经历，故选D。
43. 【答案】A
【解析】根据文章第五段的The answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us可知人们散播传言是因为它会给他们带来满足感，故选A。
44. 【答案】B
【解析】根据文章第六段的Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviours in a group.可知，他认为传言能帮助人们观察自身的行为，故选B。
45. 【答案】D
【解析】根据文章最后一段的The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story” might have. 可知，作者的建议是让人们在传言之前三思而后行。故选D。
2.【2016·天津】D
Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding.
We experience this tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue(疲惫) and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first.
Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical(按字母顺序), never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day’s work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can-then let the unconscious take over.
When planning Encyclopaedia Britannica (《大英百科全书》), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after dat I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable.
One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relived, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep.
An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind provided correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing.
Human beings, I believe must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired.
51. People with start-up fatigue are most likely to .
A. delay tasks
B. work hard
C. seek help
D. accept failure
52. What does the author recommend doing to prevent start-up fatigue?
A. Writing essays in strict order.
B. Building up physical strength.
C. Leaving out the toughest ideas.
D. Dealing with the hardest task first.
53. On what occasion does a person probably suffer from performance fatigue?
A. Before starting a difficult task.
B. When all the solutions fail.
C. If the job is rather boring.
D. After finding a way out.
54. According to the author, the unconscious mind may help us .
A. ignore mental problems
B. get some nice sleep
C. gain complete relief
D. find the right solution
55. What could be the best title for the passage?
A. Success Is Built upon Failure
B. How to Handle Performance Fatigue
C. Getting over Fatigue: A Way to Success
D. Fatigue: An Early Sign of Health Problems
【语篇解读】这是一篇夹叙夹议的文章。文章主要介绍每个人都希望成功，但是人们在实施任务的时候会出现启动疲惫和表现疲惫，这是造成失败的两种原因，文章具体介绍如何克服这两种疲惫。
51.【答案】A
【解析】根据第一段的句子In the former case, we keep putting off a task，可知，有启动疲惫的人更可能拖延任务。故选A。
52.【答案】D
【解析】细节理解题。根据第三段的句子The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply:always handle the most difficult job first可知，为了防止启动疲惫作者建议首先处理最难的任务。故选D。
53.【答案】B
【解析】根据第五段的句子Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle…we fail again and again，可知，当所有的解决方法都失败的时候，一个人可能会有表现疲惫。故选B。
54.【答案】D
【解析】根据第五段的最后一句话however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can-then let the unconscious take over.，可知，无意识的行为可能帮助我们发现正确的解决方法。故选D。
55.【答案】C
【解析】主旨大意题。根据全篇文章和最后一段的内容可知，文章主要介绍造成失败的两种疲惫，以及如何克服疲惫。故选C。
【2015年】
1.（2015年，天津卷）
Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet（子弹） — and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
36.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?
A.He faced huge risks.
B.He lacked mighty forces.
C.Fear prevented him from trying.
D.Failure blocked his way to success.
37.What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?
A.Swallow more than you can digest.
B.Act slightly above your abilities.
C.Develop more mysterious powers.
D.Learn to make creative decisions.
38.What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?
A.His physical strength.
B.His basic skill.
C.His real fear.
D.His spiritual force.
39.What can be learned from Paragraph 5?
A.Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.
B.Trying without success is meaningless.
C.Repeated failure creates a better life.
D.Boldness can be gained little by little.
40.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A.To encourage people to be courageous.
B.To advise people to build up physical power.
C.To tell people the ways to guarantee success.
D.To recommend people to develop more abilities.
【答案】36.C 37.B 38.D 39.D 40.A
【解析】本文是一篇议论文。作者联系自己的经历说明了胆量的重要性，并鼓励人们有勇气和胆量。
36.细节理解题。根据文章第二段It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all.可知, 这通常是因为我让失败的恐惧阻止了我去尝试。所以作者过去没能达成目标是因为他害怕失败。故选C。
37.推理判断题。根据第三段They are potential powers we possess：energy，skill，sound judgment，creative ideas-even physical strength greater than most of us realize.可知强大的力量也没有什么神秘，我们都有比自己意识到的更大的潜在力量，甚至包括体力，而划线部分的原意为吃得比你能吃的多，由此可推断划线句子的隐含意思指"你做的事情要比你能做的事情多。故选B。
38.细节理解题。根据第四段首句中Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones.可知，诚然，这些强大的力量是精神力量。所以精神力量对蒂姆在足球比赛中成功的防守特别重要。故选D。
39.细节理解题。根据第五段首句Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight.可知胆量——愿意将自己延伸到极限——不是一朝一夕就能获得的。所以胆量是一点点获得的。故选D。
40.推理判断题。根据最后一段So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.可知，所以，永远试着超越你的能力去生活，你会发现你的能力比你梦想的还要强大。所以判断出作者写这篇短文的目的就是鼓励人们要有胆量。故选A。
2.（2015年，湖南卷）
Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger
We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers.
Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders.
People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让) them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision.
The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.
——Michael Horan
I love the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.
I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.
The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.
The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!
The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的) jacket and lights at night and in the morning they should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.
——Carol Harvey
Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.
I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.
Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?
It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim.
——JML
Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.
41.Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that _______.
A.drivers should be polite to cyclists
B.road accidents can actually be avoided
C.sine pedestrians are a threat to road safety
D.walking while using phones hurts one's eyes
42.Carol Harvey suggests that cyclists should _______.
A.be provided with enough roads
B.be asked to ride on their own lanes
C.be made to pay less tax for cycling
D.be fined for laughing at policemen
43.What is a complaint of JML?
A.Very few drivers are insured.
B.Cyclists ride fast on pavements.
C.Pedestrians go through red traffic lights.
D.Horse riders disrespect other road users.
44.The underlined word "they" in the third letter refers to ______.
A.accidents B.vehicles
C.pedestrians D.cyclists
45.The three letters present viewpoints on _______.
A.real source of road danger
B.ways to improve road facilities
C.measures to punish road offences
D.increased awareness of road rules
【答案】41.C 42.B 43.B 44.D 45.A
【解析】这是一篇议论文。本文围绕一个主题展开一场争论——谁才是马路安全隐患的威胁。
41.细节理解题。根据第一段中的最后一句话：But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders. (但是，路人可能才是更严重的罪犯)可知Michael Horan的观点是，路人对道路安全存在威胁。故选C
42.细节理解题。根据第八段的开头：The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets.可知Carol Harvey建议骑自行车的人应该在他们应该走的车道去骑行。故选B
43.细节理解题。根据倒数第四段第一句话Cyclists jump on and off pavements(which are meant for pedestrians)，ride at speed along the pavement, and think they have special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red可知，骑自行车的人沿着人行道快速行驶，并且认为他们享有红灯时通过的特权。所以JML抱怨骑自行车的人骑的太快，对道路安全产生隐患，故选B
44.词义猜测题。根据最后一段It’s about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim可知，JML希望对自行车拥有者登记，当他们撞到行人或者车辆、制造出车祸的时候，他们能够被追查到，所以判断出they在此指的是cyclists。故选D
45.主旨大意题。根据Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger. We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers. 忘掉自行车吧，行人才是真正的危险,我们正在就这个话题进行辩论。所以通过一些读者来信和文章的标题可以判断出，这三封信表达了对道路危险真正来源的看法。故选A
3.（2015年，安徽卷）
As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remember less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called “transactive memory (交互记忆)”
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn’t mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.
46.The passage begins with two questions to ________.
A.introduce the main topic B.show the author’s attitude
C.describe how to use the Internet D.explain how to store information
47.What can we learn about the first experiment?
A.Sparrow’s team typed the information into a computer.
B.The two groups remembered the information equally well.
C.The first group did not try to remember the formation.
D.The second group did not understand the information.
48.In transactive memory, people ________.
A.keep the information in mind
B.change the quantity of information
C.organize information like a computer
D.remember how to find the information
49.What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
A.We are using memory differently.
B.We are becoming more intelligent.
C.We have poorer memories than before.
D.We need a better way to access information.
【答案】46.A 47.C 48.D 49.A
【解析】本文是议论文。文章主要讲的是互联网给人类的记忆带来的影响。互联网使用者越来越依赖互联网来储存信息，人们这样做是否会丧失记忆事物的能力呢？专家怀疑互联网可能正在改变人们的记忆内容和方式。
46.推理判断题。根据第一段“Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.”专家们想知道，互联网是否正在改变我们的记忆，以及如何改变我们的记忆？这是本文的中心话题。因此推断，作者使用两个问句是为了引出要讨论的话题。故选A。
47. 细节理解题。根据第二段“People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.”可知第一组没有试着记住信息。故选C。
48. 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)"”可知，在交互记忆里，人们记得怎样找到信息。故选D。
49.细节理解题。根据最后一段“but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing”可知，互联网对人们的记忆产生的影响是它改变了我们使用记忆力的方式。
【2014年】
1.（2014年，陕西卷）
Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume（消耗） rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to（往往，倾向于） stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed（挤出） between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of（尽管） all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity — or  extreme overweight — among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject（拒绝） older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% — and is growing.
50.In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr. Joseph Mercola?
A.They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently.
B.They squeeze eating between the other daily activities.
C.They regard eating as a key part of their lifestyles.
D.They usually eat too much canned and frozen food.
51.This text is mainly the relationship between _________.
A.Americans and the French
B.life style and obesity
C.children and adults
D.fast food and overweight
52.The text is mainly developed __________.
A.by contrast （对比） B.by space C.by process（变化过程） D.by classification（分类）
53.Where does this text probably come from?
A.A TV interview B.A food advertisement
C.A health report D.A book review（书评）
【答案】50.C 51.B 52.A 53.C
【解析】本文是一篇议论文。主要讨论了美国和法国的生活方式的不同，以及他们的生活方式与肥胖之间的关系。作者认为美国人在与肥胖作斗争而法国人享受着美食且保持身材苗条，由此引出话题，并展开讨论。
50.细节理解题。根据第二段的第一句“ According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style.”可知法国人将饮食当作生活重要的一部分，故选C。
51.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章主要介绍了美国和法国的生活方式的不同，而且美国的饮食宜造成肥胖，而法国的饮食可保持身体苗条，因此推断文章主要介绍生活方式与肥胖之间的关系，故选B。
52.推理判断题。纵观全文可知，作者在讨论生活方式与肥胖的关系的时候，使用对比手法，对比了美国人与肥胖作斗争而法国人则享受着美食并保持身材苗条。故选A。
53.推理判断题。本文主要介绍了美国和法国生活方式的不同以及生活方式带来的体型变化等，故应是来源于健康报告。故选C。
2.（2014年，全国卷I）
A typical lion tamer (驯兽师) in people’s mind is an entertainer holding a whip (鞭子)and a chair .The whip get all of the attention , but it’s mostly for show .In reality , it’s the chair that does the important work .When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face , the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time .With its focus divided , the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next .When faced with so many options , the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion ? How often do you have something you want to achieve (e,g. lose weight , start a business , travel more ) –only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress ?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best , the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information .The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things , and so we take less action , make less progress , and stay the same when we could be improving .
It doesn’t have to be that way .Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face , remember this :All you need to do is focus on one thing .You just need to get started .Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people .If you have somewhere you want to go , something you want to accomplish , someone you want to become ….take immediate action .If you’re clear about where you want to go , the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out the way .
54.Why does the lion tamer use a chair?
A.To trick the lion.
B.To show off his skill .
C.To get ready for a fight.
D.To entertain the audience.
55.In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?
A.They feel puzzled over choices.
B.They hold on to the wrong things.
C.They find it hard to make changes.
D.They have to do something for show.
56.What is the author’s attitude towards the experts mentioned in paragraph 3?
A.Tolerant B.Doubtful C.Respectful D.Supportive
57.When the world is “waving a chair in your face”, you’re advised to_____.
A.wait for a better chance B.break your old habits
C.make a quick decision D.ask for clear guidance
【答案】54.A 55.A 56.B 57.C
【解析】这是一篇议论文。本文通过驯兽师驯狮子的经过，让我们了解到“当你发现这个世界在你的面前挥舞着椅子时,你要做的事情就是把注意力集中在一件事情上,你需要的就是开始”。
54.推理判断题。由第一段When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face , the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time .With its focus divided , the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next .When faced with so many options , the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.当驯狮师把椅子放在狮子面前时，狮子试图同时集中注意力在椅子的四条腿上。当它的注意力被分开时，狮子会感到困惑，不知道下一步该做什么。当面对如此多的选择时，狮子选择了冻结和等待，而不是攻击坐在椅子上的人。由此判断出,驯兽师拿着椅子的目的就是为了让狮子感到不知所措。故选A项。
55.细节理解题。由第二段的最后“only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress”可知,结果被摆在你面前的所有选择弄得不知所措，再也没有进步。所以人类和狮子的相似之处是:面临许多选择时会感到困惑。故选A项。
56.推理判断题。根据第三段第一句This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best , the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information .可知,专家们对最佳选择争论不休,而那些想提高生活的人们对这些矛盾的信息困惑不解,作者对此感到心烦。由此可知,专家的做法无助于问题的解决,作者对他们持怀疑态度。故选B项。
57.细节理解题。由第四段第二、三句Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face , remember this :All you need to do is focus on one thing .You just need to get started .可知,当你发现这个世界在你的面前挥舞着椅子时,你要做的事情就是把注意力集中在一件事情上,你需要的就是开始。也就是迅速做出决定。故选C项。
3.（2014年，江西卷）
Everyone looks forward to progress, whether in one’s personal life or in the general society. Progress indicates a person’s ability to change the way he is living at the moment. Progress must lead a better way of doing things. All these, however, remains true only in so far as people want to accept technology and move forward by finding new and more efficient ways of doing things.
However, at the back of the minds of many people, especially those who missed the “good old days”,_______________When communication becomes efficient, people are able to contact one another no matter where they are and at whatever time they wish to. The click of a button allows people miles apart to talk or to see each other without even leaving their homes. With the communication gadgets, such as mobile phones and iPads, people often do not take the effect to visit one another personally. A personal visit carries with it the additional feature of having to be in the person’s presence for as long as the visit lasts. We cannot unnecessarily excuse our selves or turn the other person off.
With efficiency also comes mass production. Such is the nature of factories and the success of industrialization today. Factories have improved efficiency. Unskillful tasks are left to machines and products are better made and produced with greater accuracy than any human hand could ever have done. However, with the improvements in efficiency also comes the loss of the personal touch when making these products. For example, many handcrafts(手工艺品) are now produced in a factory. Although this means that supply is better able to increase demand, now that the supply is quick and efficient, the demand might fall because mass production lowers the quality of the handicraft and it is difficult to find unique designs on each item.
Nevertheless, we must not commit the mistake of analyzing progress only from one point of view. In fact, progress has allowed tradition to keep up. It is only with progress and the invention of new technology that many old products can be brought back to their old state. New technology is required for old products to stay old.
It is people’s attitude towards progress that causes the type of influence that technology has on society. Technology is flexible. There is no fixed way of making use of it. Everything depends on people’s attitude. The worst effects of progress will fall on those who are unable to rethink their attitudes and views of society. When we accept progress and adapt it to suit our needs, a new “past” is created.
58.According to Paragraph 1, progress can benefit people when they are willing to _______.
A.live a better life
B.look for better methods
C.change ways of living
D.accept technology and advance steadily
59.The underlined word “gadgets” is closest in meaning to _______.
A.tools B.messages C.barriers D.skills
60.The author explains “efficiency comes with a price” by _______.
A.describing a process B.using examples
C.following time order D.making classification
61.Compared with home-made handicrafts, machine made products _______.
A.lack great accuracy B.lack the personal touch
C.are of high value D.are quite welcome
62.What can be learned about technology from Paragraph 4?
A.It can destroy old traditions.
B.It can lead to social progress.
C.It can be used to correct mistakes.
D.It can be used to preserve old products.
63.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
A.Progress can suit the needs of daily life.
B.People review the past with great regret.
C.Technology should be introduced in a fixed way.
D.People’s attitude decides the use of technology.
【答案】58.D 59.A 60.B 61.B 62.D 63.D
【解析】这是一篇议论文。众所周知，发展可以为人类和社会带来各种便利，但新技术的使用对社会产生何种影响取决于人们的态度。因为发展的同时，会付出一定的代价。如，大批量生产使手工产品质量的降低，产品个性的缺失，产品人文性的丧失等。呼吁先进性与传统性要协调同步发展。
58.D解析：细节理解题 文章第一段告诉我们，不论个人还是社会都需要发展，发展为的是改善现状，求得更有效的行事方法。但是，所有的这些只有在人们接受这些技术和改进（All these, however, remains true only in so far as people want to accept technology and move forward......），这样发展才能起更大作用。因此D选项符合此意。
59.A解析：词义猜测题 原文说“有了交际......，比如手机，ipads 等，人们就不会经常登门拜访（With the communication gadgets, such as mobile phones and ipads, people often do not take the effect to visit one another personally.），根据所划线部分词举的例子，我们可以猜出是指手机等交往工具。因此A选项正确。
60.B解析：写作手法理解题 该段首句提出，怀旧的人们认为：高效率带来的发展要有代价的。接着作者以人们手机，平板电脑等的使用为例加以说明。由此得知，B选项与此意吻合。
61.B解析：细节理解题 第三段告诉我们高效率带来产品的大批量的生产。但比起手工制作， 因没有个性造成与人类联系的缺失（However, with the improvements in efficiency also comes the loss of the personal touch when making these products.）。.所以B 选项正确。
62.D解析：段意理解题 第四段从发展的另一角度告诉我们，新技术可以用来保持传统。就是因为发展和新技术的运用使许多古老的东西风韵犹存（It is only with progress and the invention of new technology that many old products can be brought back to their old state.），所以D 选项正确。
63.D解析：主旨要义题 最后一段首句告诉我们，人们对发展的态度是技术给社会产生相应影响的根源（It is people’s attitude towards progress that causes the type of influence that technology has on society.）；然后作者从正反两方面论证这一中心。所以D 选项正确。
4.（2014年，江苏卷）
However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone’s time or money could be better spent on something else.
Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost—namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.
Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the____money and____to have dinner with friends? This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost.
For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo—in terms of money and enjoyment—in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.
Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it’s human nature to do precisely that—we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.
In the business world, a popular phrase is “value for money.” People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: “value for time.” The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.
64.According to the passage, the concept of “opportunity cost” is applied to ________.
A.making more money
B.taking more opportunities
C.reducing missed opportunities
D.weighing the choice of opportunities
65.The “leftover ... time” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to the time ________.
A.spared for watching the match at home
B.taken to have dinner with friends
C.spent on the way to and from the match
D.saved from not going to watch the match
66.What are forgone opportunities?
A.Opportunities you forget in decision-making.
B.Opportunities you give up for better ones.
C.Opportunities you miss accidentally.
D.Opportunities you make up for.
【答案】64.D 65.C 66.B
【解析】本文是一篇议论文。文章论述了不管我们多么的富有，在一天里我们不可能找到足够的时间做我们想要做的一切。因此，我们要放弃一些事情选择做更好的事情。
64.推理判断题。根据文章第二、三段，尤其第三段最后一句This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost可知“机会成本”这个概念应用于衡量机会的选择方面。故D正确。
65.词义猜测题。题中“leftover money and time”是指“剩下来的钱和时间”。根据文章第三段第一句Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium.可知leftover … time所指的是“花在观看比赛（路上）来去的时间”。故C正确。
66.推理判断题。根据文章第四段，尤其最后一句Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.可以推测出forgone opportunities是指“所放弃用于更好的机会”。故B正确。
5.（2014年，福建卷）
Perhaps you think you could easily add to your happiness with more money. Strange as it may seem, if you're unsatisfied, the issue is not a lack of means to meet your desires but a lack of desires—not that you cannot satisfy your tastes but that you don't have enough tastes.
Real riches consist of well-developed and hearty capacities (能力) to enjoy life. Most people are already swamped(淹没) with things. They eat, wear, go and talk too much. They live in too big a house with too many rooms, yet their house of life is a hut.
Your house of life ought to be a mansion (豪宅) , a royal palace. Every new taste, every additional interest, every fresh enthusiasm adds a room. Here are several rooms your house of life should have.
Art should be a desire for you to develop simply because the world is full of beautiful things. If you only understood how to enjoy them and feed your spirit on them, they would make you as happy as to find plenty of hamburgers and eggs when you're hungry.
Literature, classic literature, is a beautiful, richly furnished room where you might find many an hour of rest and refreshment. To gain that love would go toward making you a rich person, for a rich person is not someone who has a library but who likes a library.
Music like Mozart's and Bach's shouldn't be absent. Real riches are of the spirit. And when you've brought that spirit up to where classical music feeds it and makes you a little drunk, you have increased your thrills and bettered them. And life is a matter of thrills.
Sports, without which you remain poor, mean a lot in life. No matter who you are, you would be more human, and your house of life would be better supported against the bad days, if you could, and did, played a bit.
Whatever rooms you might add to your house of life, the secret of enjoying life is to keep adding.
67.The author intends to tell us that____________.
A.true happiness lies in achieving wealth by fair means
B.big houses are people's most valued possessions
C.big houses can in a sense bring richness of life
D.true happiness comes from spiritual riches
68.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph probably implies that______.
A.however materially rich, they never seem to be satisfied
B.however materially rich, they remain spiritually poor
C.though their house is big, they prefer a simple life
D.though their house is big, it seems to be a cage
69.It can be learned from the passage that __________.
A.more money brings more happiness
B.art is needed to make your house beautiful
C.literature can enrich your spiritual life
D.sports contribute mainly to your physical fitness
70.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.House of Life B.Secret of Wealth
C.Rest and Refreshment D.Interest and Enthusiasm
【答案】67.D 68.B 69.C 70.A
【解析】本文是一篇议论文。主要论证了精神富有与真正快乐之间的关系。很多人物质上非常丰富，住豪宅，享美食。但是他们真正幸福吗？他们的内心生活的房子又是如何呢？作者在文章里告诉我们，要想得到内心的幸福，需要了解艺术，文学，音乐等等不同的内容来丰富我们的内心世界。
67.推理判断题。根据文章4,5,6,7段第一句Art should be a desire for you和 Literature, classic literature, is a beautiful, richly furnished room和Music like Mozart's and Bach's shouldn't be absent.和Sports, without which you remain poor, mean a lot in life.可知，真正幸福的人需要懂得和拥有：艺术，文学，音乐和运动等，而这些主要是与我们精神上的丰富有关系的。也就是说真正的幸福是精神上的富有。故选D项正确。
68.句意猜测题。根据本句句意可知，很多人住的是豪宅，但是他内心里的生命的住所是一个小棚屋。因此推断无论他物质上多么富有，但是内心的精神世界是贫穷的。故选B项正确。
69.主旨大意题。纵观全文可知，本文主要讲述了现实生活里很多人物质上非常丰富，住豪宅，享美食。但是他们精神上却是贫穷的，要想得到内心的幸福，需要了解艺术，文学，音乐等等不同的内容来丰富我们的内心世界。文章中多次提到house，把生活比喻为一所房子，要想幸福，必须在这所房子里填满艺术、文学、音乐等精神上的东西。故A项中House of Life涵盖了这些内容。故选A项正确。
【2013年】
1.（2013年，天津卷）
Last night’s meteor (流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothschild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.
“My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment.”
Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—have been complaining about this problem for decades. They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats, frogs, snakes, etc. For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating (迁徙的) birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association, “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers.”
Countless more animal casualties (伤亡) result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings. But some scientists think it can be harmful for humans, too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase a person’s chances of getting cancer.
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution. For years, Flagstaff, Arizona, has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night.
71.It happened last night that _____.
A.the city’s lights affected the meteor watching
B.the meteors flew past before being noticed
C.the city light show attracted many people
D.the meteor watching ended up a social outing
72.What do the astronomers complain about?
A.Meteor showers occur less often than before.
B.Their observation equipment is in poor repair.
C.Light pollution has remained unsolved for years.
D.Their eyesight is failing due to artificial lighting.
73.What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
A.Birds may take other migration paths.
B.Animals’ living habits may change suddenly
C.Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced
D.Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting.
74.Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to _____.
A.lessen the chance of getting cancer
B.create an ideal observation condition
C.ensure citizens a good sleep at night
D.enable all creatures to live in harmony
75.What message does the author most want to give us?
A.Saving wildlife is saving ourselves.
B.Great efforts should be made to save energy.
C.Human activities should be environmentally friendly.
D.New equipment should be introduced for space study..
【答案】71.A 72.C 73.D 74.B 75.C
【解析】许多人想在晚上看流星雨，结果由于光线太亮，影响了他们的观看效果。由此引发了人们对光污染的思考。本文是一篇议论文，文章由一个事例引发出要讨论的话题。
71.第一段的最后一句话a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead表明答案为A。
72.题干中的Astronomers出现在第三段，文中有一句话have been complaining about this problem for decades，第一段就提到了光线太亮，这句话的后面又提到了light pollution。结合选项，答案为C。
73.第四段第一句话就告诉我们除了专业及业余的观星者之外，还有些群体也收到了光污染的影响。而这些群体指的就是birds、bats等动物。D项的意思是“动物的生存受到户外灯光的影响”。
74.题干中的信息告诉我们答案应该出现在最后一段，根据“in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory”，答案显然为B。
75.文中作者反复强调光污染问题对人类的一些活动和动物的影响。这显然是强调环境问题。
2.（2013年，天津卷）
When asked about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, an absolute delight, which seems to get rarer the older we get.
For kids, happiness has a magical quality. Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved (毫无掩饰的).
In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it’s conditional on such things as excitement, love and popularity. I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party.
In adulthood the things that bring deep joy—love, marriage, birth—also bring responsibility and the risk of loss. For adults, happiness is complicated (复杂的).
My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”. The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It’s easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even good health.
I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunch-box and had the house to myself. Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which I love. When the kids and my husband come home, I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.
Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work. I don’t think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either. She did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this what satisfied her.
We, however, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we’ve got to have. We’re so self-conscious about our “right” to it that it’s making us miserable. So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren’t necessarily happier.
Happiness isn’t about what happens to—it’s about how we see what happens to us. It’s the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative. It’s not wishing for what we don’t have , but enjoying what we do possess.
76.As people grow older, they ____.
A.feel it harder to experience happiness
B.associate their happiness less with others
C.will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness
D.tend to believe responsibility means happiness
77.What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 5 and 6?
A.She cares little about her own health.
B.She enjoys the freedom of traveling.
C.She is easily pleased by things in daily life.
D.She prefers getting pleasure from housework.
78.What can be inferred from Paragraph 7?
A.Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness.
B.Psychologists’ opinion is well proved by Grandma’s case.
C.Grandma often found time for social gatherings.
D.Grandma’s happiness came from modest expectations of life.
79.People who equal happiness with wealth and success ______.
A.consider pressure something blocking their way
B.stress their right to happiness too much
C.are at a loss to make correct choices
D.are more likely to be happy
80.What can be concluded from the passage?
A.Happiness lies between the positive and the negative
B.Each man is the master of his own fate.
C.Success leads to happiness.
D.Happy is he who is content.
【答案】76.A 77.C 78.D 79.B 80.D
【解析】幸福是什么？随着年龄的增长，童年，少年，成年，老年……幸福不会一成不变，时间会默默改变一切。但是真正的幸福不是在于我们身上发生了什么，而是在于我们如何看待这已经发生的一切。
76.A 推理判断题。通过第二、三、四段的描述可知，儿时的梦想很简单，青少年时幸福的概念就换了，而成年时幸福就变得复杂了，因此随着年龄的增长，人们发现体会幸福越来越难了。故选A。
77.C 推理判断题。根据第五段中的内容可知，作者说越享受自己拥有的，我们就会越幸福；第六段中作者用自己的体验叙述了作者经历的小小的幸福的时刻。因此可从第五、六段知道，作者很容易因生活中的一些小事而感到幸福。故选C。
78.D 细节理解题。第七段中说奶奶没有快乐的休闲时间，也没有令人满意的工作，但奶奶却有家人和朋友的密切的联系网，因此奶奶也很幸福。由此可知奶奶的幸福来自于对生活的朴素的期盼。故选D。
79.B 推理判断题。根据第八段中的内容，因为有那么多的选择、有想成功的压力，我们很多人把快乐变成了比我们所拥有的更想要的东西。而那些把幸福和财富以及成功等同起来的人，太过于看重自己拥有幸福的权利了。故选B。
80.D 主旨大意题。文章主要讲述了幸福，最后一段阐述了如何获得幸福：在逆境中找到积极的因素以及知足常乐。据此可知选D。
3.（2013年，江西卷）
One might expect that the ever­growing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holiday­makers. Indeed, a rosy picture is painted for the long­term future of the holiday industry. Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere. And every month another rock­bound Pacific island is advertised as the ‘last paradise(天堂) on earth’.
However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy. In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of sea­side holidays, over­crowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal.
Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most. In recent years, Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education. Its forests, full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise. In fact, the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holiday­makers traveling through the forest land. Ancient tracks became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent exploitation of precious trees and plants.
Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism. The people as well rapidly feel its effects. Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and airports; the old way of life goes. The one­time farmer is now the servant of some multi­national organization; he is no longer his own master. Once it was his back that bore the pain; now it is his smile that is exploited. No doubt he wonders whether he wasn't happier in his village working his own land.
Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers. The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies. At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people.
The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit. Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies. Increased understanding in planning world­wide tourism can preserve the market for these companies. If not, in a few years' time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.
81.What does the author indicate in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
A.The Pacific island is a paradise.
B.The Pacific island is worth visiting.
C.The advertisement is not convincing.
D.The advertisement is not impressive.
82.The example of Nepal is used to suggest ________.
A.its natural resources are untouched
B.its forests are exploited for farmland
C.it develops well in health and education
D.it suffers from the heavy flow of tourists
83.What can we learn about the farmers from Paragraph 4?
A.They are happy to work their own lands.
B.They have to please the tourists for a living.
C.They have to struggle for their independence.
D.They are proud of working in multi­national organizations.
84.Which of the following determines the future of tourism?
A.The number of tourists.
B.The improvement of services.
C.The promotion of new products.
D.The management of tourism.
85.The author's attitude towards the development of the tourist industry is ________.
A.optimistic B.doubtful
C.objective D.negative
【答案】81.C 82.D 83.B 84.D 85.C
【解析】本文为说明文。文章主要介绍了旅游业的发展对当地人们的生活以及环境等方面的影响。
81.推理判断题。由第一段中的最后一句And every month another rock-­bound Pacific island is advertised as the 'last paradise(天堂)on earth'.可知，每个月广告上不停地更换所谓的太平洋上某个岛是“地球上最后的天堂”，由此可推出这些广告是不可信的，故选C项。
82.推理判断题。根据第三段中的In fact, the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holiday-makers traveling through the forest land.(事实上，大自然很快就感受到了成千上万的度假者穿越森林的影响)可知，尼泊尔为了发展旅游业，对外开放了森林，然而大自然很快就受到了旅游业带来的负面影响。所以用尼泊尔的例子说明这个国家正经受着旅游业带来的痛苦。故选D项。
83.推理判断题。由第四段中的后几句“The one ­time farmer is now the servant of some multi­-national organization；he is no longer his own master.Once it was his back that bore the pain；now it is his smile that is exploited.”可知，从前的农夫现在是一个多民族组织的仆人，他不再是他自己的主人了。从前是他背痛，现在是他的微笑被利用了。由此推断他们不得不通过取悦游客来谋生。故选B项。
84.细节理解题。根据最后一段中的"The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit.(未来十年旅游业的经营方式将决定其命运，也将决定我们都想去的国家的命运)"可知，未来十年，如何管理旅游业将决定旅游业和我们要去参观的国家的命运，所以旅游业的管理方式将决定旅游业未来的命运。故选D项。
85.推理判断题。综观全文可知，作者既讲了旅游产业的负面影响，也讲了旅游业的发展优势，所以，作者对旅游产业的发展持客观的（objective）态度。故选C项。
4.（2013年，北京卷）
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today's stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world's attention. Paparazzi(狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids(小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature!
According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time，” Villarreal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold­out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain(抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film­stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren't all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
86.It can be learned from the passage that stars today ________.
A.are often misunderstood by the public
B.can no longer have their privacy protected
C.spend too much on their public appearance
D.care little about how they have come into fame
87.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A.Great heroes of the past were generally admired.
B.The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.
C.Well­known actors are usually targets of tabloids.
D.Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.
88.What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
A.Availability of modern media.
B.Inadequate social recognition.
C.Lack of favorable chances.
D.Huge population of fans.
89.What is the author's attitude toward modern celebrity?
A.Sincere. B.Sceptical.
C.Disapproving. D.Sympathetic.
【答案】86.B 87.B 88.A 89.D
【解析】本文是议论文。文章讲述的是成名给名人们的生活带来的影响，以及处理这些问题的方法，并依此引发读者思考。
86.推理判断题。根据第一段的“They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives”他们是全世界关注的焦点，狗仔队在他们家外面扎营，小报上到处都是关于他们私人生活的惊悚故事。可知，他们的生活完全被媒体多报道，生活中的隐私已经处于了没有任何保护的状态了，故选B。
87.细节理解题。根据第三段的中心句，即第一句“The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages”可知，该段落主要讲的是追踪名人已经有了很久的历史了，故选B。
88.细节理解题。根据第四段的“Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever”可知，他们做任何事情都会被现代照相机、英特网等当代媒体捕捉到，因此，这些现代媒体让今天的人成为名人不容易，故选A。
89.推理判断题。通读全文可知，作者介绍了很多名人受成名所累，失去了生活的隐私，失去了自我，变得孤独、变得被世界隔离，因此可以推断出作者对他们抱有同情的态度，故选D。
【2012年】
1.（2012年，全国卷I）
Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials(尝试) increase the length of time we will remember it.
In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.
The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表) are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, becausetheyare another of the things we overlearn in childhood.
The law of overlearning explains why cramming(突击学习)for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.
90.What is the main idea of paragraph 1?
A.People remember well what they learned in childhood.
B.Children have a better memory than grown-ups.
C.Poem reading is a good way to learn words.
D.Stories for children are easy to remember.
91.The author explains the law of overlearning by_________.
A.presenting research findings
B.setting down general rules
C.making a comparison
D.using examples
92.According to the author, being able to use multiplication tables is_______.
A.a result of overlearning
B.a special case of cramming
C.a skill to deal with math problems
D.a basic step towards advanced studies
93.What does the word "they" in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Commonly accepted rules.
B.The multiplication tables.
C.Things easily forgotten.
D.School subjects.
94.What is the author's opinion on cramming?
A.It leads to failure in college exams.
B.It's helpful only in a limited way.
C.It's possible to result in poor memory.
D.It increases students' learning interest.
【答案】90.A 91.D 92.A 93.B 94.B
【解析】本文是一篇议论文。成年人常常惊叹他们能很好地记着儿时学过的东西。作者认为这是儿时过度学习的结果，是因为当我们儿时学会一样东西的时候，我们不是就此停止，而是继续练习，才使我们记忆深刻。文章用例证法说明了“过度学习”的概念。 最后作者谈到了“过度学习”的好处和突击学习的弊端。
90.根据文章的第一段的“Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since.”可知：文章讲得是成年人常常惊叹他们非常好的记着儿时学过的东西。C、D断章取义，讲得太具体，B项错误，因为那是过度学习的结果，不是儿时记忆力好。所以A正确。
91.根据文章的内容可知：作者采用了举例子的说明方法。比如：practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. 和The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表) are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.
92.根据文章的第4段“becausetheyare another of the things we overlearn in childhood.”可知：乘法口诀仍然是儿时过度学习的结果。所以选A。
93.此处考查的是代词指代的问题。根据文意可知，they指的是“乘法口诀表”。此题较易。
94.根据文章的最后一段中的“By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned.”可知：突击学习只在有限的方面有帮助。所以B正确。
2.（2012年，北京卷）
Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways.
But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits, they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet.
For working parents, the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks, there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some, this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult.
The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in safeguarding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays, much of this is missed.
While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning.
In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council (委员会)is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down to four and a half weeks, with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real “down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning.
We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff, particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities. However, this must be weighed against the benefits for city children for whom we all have the greatest duty of care.
95.The passage is probably written by .
A.an experienced teacher B.a working parent
C.an inspired student D.a city council member
96.The underlined word "they" in the second paragraph refers to " ’.
A.environments B.holidays C.wages D.benefits
97.It is suggested in the passage that the summer break be reduced to.
A.2 weeks B.4.5 weeks C.5 weeks D.6 weeks
98.The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students_____ .
A.obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs
B.get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school
C.benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment
D.have more school days to receive free school meals
99.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A.working parents can enjoy a five-week break to care for their children
B.the suggested plans for a five-term school year can hardly be carried out
C.the long summer holiday gives teachers and students real "down time"
D.some school staff will say “ No" to the plans for a shorter summer holiday
【答案】95.D 96.B 97.B 98.C 99.D
【解析】本文是一篇议论文。假期使我们放松并去一些地方去游玩，使我们释放压力，但是对于一些低收入家庭或靠救济而过活的家庭来说造成很多的经济负担，本文提倡在不影响学生学习的前提下减少假期的时间。
95.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段第一句话的口气可知作者是City Council的一名成员，D项正确。
96.词义猜测题。根据上文提到的holidays are expensive可知they指的是holidays，本句意为：假期是非常贵的，对于那些低收入或靠救济来过活的家庭的人来说，假期是获得不到的。故选B。
97.细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council (委员会)is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down to four and a half weeks,可知，建议把暑假缩短为四个半周。故选B。
98.推理判断题。根据文章第五段The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning.(六周没有免费的学校餐会导致家庭预算紧张，无法负担帮助孩子继续学习的鼓舞人心的经历。)可推断出，较短的暑假将帮助学生从关心和鼓舞人心的学习环境中受益更多。故选C。
99.推理判断题。根据第二段第一句话We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff, particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities. (我们承认这个改变对于一些教职工尤其是对于家里的孩子在其他机关接受教育的家庭来说是很难接受的)可推断出对于减少假期的时间学校的一些教职工是不支持的。故选D。
3.（2012年，北京卷）
Wilderness
“In wilderness(荒野) is the preservation of the world.” This is a famous saying from a writer regarded as one of the fathers of environmentalism. The frequency with which it is borrowed mirrors a heated debate on environmental protection: whether to place wilderness at the heart of what is to be preserved.
As John Sauven of Greenpeace UK points out, there is a strong appeal in images of the wild, the untouched; more than anything else, they speak of the nature that many people value most dearly. The urge to leave the subject of such images untouched is strong, and the danger exploitation(开发) brings to such landscapes(景观) is real. Some of these wildernesses also perform functions that humans need—the rainforests, for example, store carbon in vast quantities. To Mr.Sauven, these ”ecosystem services” far outweigh the gains from exploitation.
Lee Lane, a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, takes the opposing view. He acknowledges that wildernesses do provide useful services, such as water conservation. But that is not, he argues, a reason to avoid all human presence, or indeed commercial and industrial exploitation. There are ever more people on the Earth, and they reasonably and rightfully want to have better lives, rather than merely struggle for survival. While the ways of using resources have improved, there is still a growing need for raw materials, and some wildernesses contain them in abundance. If they can be tapped without reducing the services those wildernesses provide, the argument goes, there is no further reason not to do so. Being untouched is not, in itself, a characteristic worth valuing above all others.
I look forwards to seeing these views taken further, and to their being challenged by the other participants. One challenge that suggests itself to me is that both cases need to take on the question of spiritual value a little more directly. And there is a practical question as to whether wildernesses can be exploited without harm.
This is a topic that calls for not only free expression of feelings, but also the guidance of reason. What position wilderness should enjoy in the preservation of the world obviously deserves much more serious thinking.
100.John Sauven holds that_____.
A.many people value nature too much
B.exploitation of wildernesses is harmful
C.wildernesses provide humans with necessities
D.the urge to develop the ecosystem services is strong
101.What is the main idea of Para. 3?
A.The exploitation is necessary for the poor people.
B.Wildernesses cannot guarantee better use of raw materials.
C.Useful services of wildernesses are not the reason for no exploitation.
D.All the characteristics concerning the exploitation should be treated equally.
102.What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?
A.Objective. B.Disapproving. C.Sceptical. D.Optimistic.
103.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) : Conclusion
A. B. C. D.
【答案】100.B 101.C 102.A 103.D
【解析】本文为说明文，本文客观阐述了不同的人对于怎么利用荒原持有的不同的观点。
100.推理判断题。根据第二段these "ecosystem services" far outweigh the gains from exploitation.。得知John Sauven认为“生态系统服务”远比开发的利益重要得多，由此可推断他的观点是开发荒野有害。故选B 。
101.主旨大意题。根据本段第二句和第三句He acknowledges that wildernesses do provide useful services, such as water conservation. But that is not, he argues, a reason to avoid all human presence, or indeed commercial and industrial exploitation.可知，荒野的有益服务不能作为不开发的理由，故选C。
102.作者态度题。根据第四段I look forward to seeing these views taken further, and to their being challenged by the other participants.就可以看出，作者并没有偏向任何一个观点。只是比较客观的进行阐述。选A。
103.文章结构题。通读文章可知，作者就荒野保护的问题客观中立地阐述了对立双方的观点，文章第一段提出中心论点；第二、三两段分别阐述了两种不同的观点；第四段是作者自己的观点；最后一点是文章的结论。推出选D。