跟踪练06+阅读理解说明文30篇3-冲刺2022年高考英语之名校阅读理解试题跟踪练(通用版)

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冲刺2022年高考英语之名校阅读理解试题跟踪练(通用版)06
阅读理解说明文30篇3
1
（2022·四川泸州·二模）The blue whale is the largest animal to ever live on our planet. You might wonder how much such a large creature eats. Well, you are not alone.
Scientists recently carried out a study to find out how much blue whales eat in a day. Their findings were not surprising. They found the whales eat a lot. In just one day, blue whales living in the North Pacific Ocean can eat about 14.5 metric tons of krill (磷虾). That means blue whales eat around 1450 metric tons of food every year.
Matthew Savoca of Stanford University said, “It’s an unimaginable amount of food.” Savoca also described the blue whales’ size as “unimaginable.” Blue whales are larger than even the biggest dinosaurs. They can grow to 33 meters long and weigh about 181 metric tons. The animal can grow to about the size of a Boeing 737 airplane. Nick Pyenson was the co-writer of the study. He said the amount of food blue whales eat in a day is about the weight of “one fully-loaded school bus.”
To measure the amount of food the whales ate and to study eating behaviors, the researchers used many devices. Electronic tag devices were attached to the animal’s back. They also used cameras, microphones, a GPS locator device and an instrument that follows movement. They used drones (无人机) to estimate the size of a whale’s mouth area and how much food it could eat at one time. And they used instruments that recorded sound waves to estimate the amount of food in the waters near the whales.
Because they eat so much, they also produce much more excrement, than scientists had thought. This provides important nutrients for ocean ecosystems. These nutrients help to form phytoplankton (浮游植物), which serve as the base of ocean food webs. Whale hunting during the 20th century caused sharp drops in whale populations. Pyenson added that supporting whale recovery may help repair “ecosystem functions lost in the past hundred years.”
1. What did Savoca think of the amount of food a blue whale eats?
A. Impossible. B. Incredible. C. Inspiring. D. Imaginary.
2. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A. The record of sound waves. B. The behaviors of whales.
C. The use of electronic devices. D. The ways of studying whales.
3. What does the underlined word “excrement” in Paragraph 5 means?
A. Waste material. B. Food shortage.
C. Phytoplankton. D. Reproduction.
4. What may be discussed next according to the passage?
A. How to protect ecosystems. B. How to repair ecosystem functions.
C. How to study future ocean creatures. D. How to increase whale populations.
2
（2022·浙江·杭州学军中学海创园学校模拟预测）One thing you probably always wondered about is why Americans drive on a different side of the road than their British cousins. It might seem strange that the UK drivers stay on the left, but they are not alone. Around 35% of the world population does the same, including people in Ireland, Japan, and some Caribbean islands.
It is said that originally almost everybody traveled on the left side of the road. However, their mode of transport was quite different from today: Think four legs instead of four wheels. For medieval (中世纪的) swordsmen on horseback, it made sense to keep to the left to have their right arms closer to enemies. Mounting and dismounting was also easier from the left side of the horse, and safer done by the side of the road than in the center.
Things changed in the late 1700s when large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses were used to transport farm products in France and the US. In the absence of a driver’s seat inside the wagon, the driver sat on the left, with his right arm free to use his whip (鞭子) to keep the horses moving. Since he was sting on the left, and wanted other wagons to pass on his left, so he kept to the right side of the road.
The British Government refused to give up their left﹣hand driving ways and made laws to encourage driving on the left. Meanwhile post-revolution France, under their left﹣handed ruler Napoleon, accepted the right side of the road. During all this driving confusion, the British and the French were giving up their power across the globe, and as part of their rapid colonization (殖民化) they insisted that the countries they occupied drive on the same side of the road. This explains why former British colonies such as Australia, New Zealand, and India drive on the left, while former French colonies like Algeria, Ivory Coast, and Senegal drive on the right.
5. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To make a question about two driving patterns.
B. To make a comparison about two driving patterns.
C. To give background of the text.
D. To support the following paragraphs.
6. What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A. People in ancient times were accustomed to walking on the right of the road.
B. People in ancient times usually afforded to hang out by carriage.
C. Swordsmen rode warhorses to make them fight better.
D. Swordsmen usually rested their warhorses on the left side.
7. What’s the text mainly talking about?
A. The history of the left-hand rules in colonial corners.
B. The evolution process of the left-hand rules.
C. The medieval history of the left-hand rules.
D. The progress of the left-hand rules in colonies.
3
（2022·吉林·东北师大附中模拟预测）What makes a sports event a winner? Exciting action? Tick. Athletes competing to win honour and glory for their club or motherland? Tick. History and tradition? Tick. Delicious snacks? Tick. Most people think global events such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup are the most exciting, but there is some serious competition. Here’s a look at some of the hottest tickets in sports.
The World Series
The World Series is the final championship of the American baseball leagues. The seven-game series is played in October or November and attracts a great number of fans. Baseball is one of America’s favourite sports and has many traditions, such as the "seventh-inning stretch (七局伸展操)". The song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is played so that everyone can get up after sitting for a long time. The break is also a good time for a snack. Hot peanuts are a hit with hungry baseball fans, but the hot dog is the real winner!
Indian Premier League
Cricket is from England but has become as Indian as saris and curry. The Indian Premier League has the largest audience of all cricket leagues in the world and is the sixth most-watched sports league in the world. Cricket is a unique sport and may seem a little confusing at first, but once you start learning the rules, you’ll love it. The most popular cricket snacks are finger foods like biscuits and cucumber sandwiches.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon is a treat for all tennis fans. The tournament started in 1877 and many of the rules are the same today. For example, the players may only wear white clothes. The event, however, is quite colourful since fans often dress up for the games and wear amazing hats. And when it comes to snacks, it’s "game, set, and match" at Wimbledon. Where else can you enjoy champagne and strawberries as you cheer for the champion?
8. According to the text, which of the following is NOT an attraction of the sports events?
A. History and tradition. B. Competing athletes. C. Prize money. D. Exciting action.
9. What is the most popular snacks for fans of the World Series?
A. Hot peanuts. B. Hot dogs.
C. Strawberries. D. Cucumber sandwiches.
10. Which event has a strict clothing requirement for players?
A. Wimbledon B. The World Series
C. Indian Premier League D. None of the above
4
（2022·天津·一模）While it may be commonplace, snubbing one’s friends can have serious impacts on relationships, and there are a variety of factors that may drive individuals to ignore their friends in favor of an electronic screen, according to a new University of Georgia study.
The study reveals positive associations between depression and social anxiety and increasing snubbing: depressed people are likely to snub their friends more frequently, and socially anxious people, who prefer online social interactions, might also exhibit more snubbing behavior. These people are really sensitive to their messages. With each buzz or sound, they consciously or unconsciously look at their phones. The device’s various applications are key drivers contributing to this dynamic.
The finding also shows that agreeable individuals have a lower instance of snubbing in the presence of their friends. People who have agreeableness as a personality feature tend to show cooperative, polite and friendly behaviors in their interpersonal relationships and social settings. Though agreeable people may prioritize strong friendships, an exploratory study reveals they are also more likely to turn to phones in the presence of three or more people.
That dynamic may influence the spread of snubbing in the context of a work environment. “It’s ironic that while so many people believe that snubbing behavior is rude, they still do it,” Sun said. “A majority of people snub others, and in a group, it may seem OK, because it’s just me, the speaker doesn’t notice I’m using the phone. The number of people in a group can be one reason.”
Alternately, disabling or turning over a phone can indicate a show of respect for a situation and focus on a person. That, too, is a signal—I am listening to what you are saying and I am focusing on you.
11. What does the underlined word “snubbing” in paragraph 1 mean?
A. ignoring B. depressing C. respecting D. suspecting
12. What can cause snubbing behavior?
A. Social requirements. B. Unhealthy mental condition.
C. Frequent social interactions. D. Limited communication devices.
13. What can be inferred about the agreeable people?
A. They are insensitive to phone messages.
B. They are more likely to snub their friends.
C. They attach importance to firm friendships.
D. They get accustomed to groups with more people.
14. Why do some people continue snubbing behavior even if they know it’s rude?
A. The majority are using phones.
B. They don’t like the environment.
C. The speaker doesn’t care about it.
D. They think they will go unnoticed.
15. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. How snubbing behaviors can be avoided
B. Why people snub their friends with their phones
C. Why people are addicted to phone messages
D. How phones influence people’s social interactions
5
（2022·福建·二模）By examining tiny vessels (血管) inside a person’s eyes, doctors might one day be able to predict that person’s risk of early death, according to a new study.
Past research had shown the retina (视网膜), light-sensitive layers of nerve tissue at the back of the eye, as a possible indicator of a person’s bjological age. The retina offers a unique, accessible “window” to evaluate underlying pathological (病理的) processes of some serious diseases that are associated with increased risks of death. In the new study, the researchers turned to a deep-learning technique that could predict a person’s risk of death by analyzing the biological age of the retina.
Their deep-learning model, a type of machine learning and artificial intelligence that’s modeled to learn similar to a human brain, analyzed more than 80.000 images of fundus (眼底) - the internal back surface of the eye that includes the retina. They obtained the images from nearly 47.000 people between the ages of 40 and 69, stored in the UK. Biobank. TO figure out whether their model was accurate, they first analyzed more than 19,000 fundus images taken from more than 1,100 participants who were in relatively good health. The idea was that the retinal biological ages of these people should be fairly similar to their chronological age (实际年龄) .
The model was fairly accurate in predicting retinal ages, with an accuracy of within 3.5 years to chronological ages. They then used the model to assess the remaining nearly 36,000 participants’ fundus photos collected across a span of 11 years. They found that 51 percent of the participants had a “retinal age gap” - the difference between biological and chronological age - of more than 3 years, 28 percent had a gap of more than 5 years and 4.5 percent had a gap of more than 10 years. In other words, these participants had “older” eyes compared to their chronological age.
Those who had larger age gaps had a 49-67 percent higher risk of death from causes other than cardiovascular disease or cancer. With every one year increase in the age gap, the risk of death increased by 2 percent for any cause and 3 percent for causes other than cardiovascular disease and cancer.
16. What can we know about the retina?
A. It causes serious diseases.
B. It indicates the risk of death.
C. It speeds pathological processes.
D. It improves people’s physical health.
17. How do researchers know the retinal age?
A. By examining the nerve tissue.
B. By studying the human brain,
C. By checking the eyesight.
D. By analyzing fundus images.
18. What percentage of the participants had the largest retinal age gap?
A. 3.5%. B. 4.5%. C. 28%. D. 51%
19. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A. A new study is conducted on tiny vessels
B. Image technology is used to predict diseases
C. Eyes may reveal a person’s biological age
D. A deep-leaning on the retina is necessary
6
（2022·广东广州·一模）Sometimes a book comes along that isn’t just “interesting” or “well done”— it’s a book where it seems like the author looked into your brain and wrote a book specifically for you. A book like that for me was released this week. It’s called 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet, written by editor Pamela Paul.
Paul lists 100 things we used to do that the Internet has either changed or taken over completely: writing letters, print newspapers, the joys of being bored, and hot having all the knowledge in the world in your pocket.
As I’m a longtime accumulator of random knowledge, certain entries on the list—Being the Only One, Figuring Out Who That Actor is—hit me where live; remembering detailed facts is no longer   nearly as impressive when everyone has the capability to find the answer in seconds.
On and on the list goes, with every minor shift adding to the pile. What this book does so well is illustrate the growth of that pile; while any individual item might be no big deal, the collected set is significant. It’s a list of ways in which the world now is different from the world then.
Obviously, Paul isn’t saying that everything back then was better. Time marches on, after all. and it’s tough to argue against the many benefits that the Internet has brought into our lives. But that isn’t really the point. It’s not about whether it used to be better. It’s that it used to be different.
100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet is a fun read for those of us who share some of Paul’s memories and experiences. We remember what it was like and we like to remember. The landscape has shifted, and no doubt it will shift again as technology’s advancement continues apace. This book serves as a reminder of the simple truth that when gains are made, sometimes something is lost.
20. What is the purpose of the text?
A. To review and recommend a good read.
B. To comment on the effect of the Internet.
C. To argue for the viewpoint of a new book.
D. To urge the readers to value what they have.
21. Which might be entries on Paul’s list?
A. Maps and Eye Contact.
B. E-pay and Compact Disks.
C. Postcards and Homeschooling
D. Bad Photos and Washing Machines.
22. What does the underlined phrase “hit me where l live” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Prove what I’m good at.
B. Introduce how I grew up.
C. Describe the place I live in.
D. Speak out what is on my mind.
23. What conclusion has the author drawn after reading Paul’s book?
A. Things in the past are better.
B. There’re no gains without pains.
C. The internet is a double-edged sword.
D. Technology is constantly changing the world.
7
（2022·福建·二模）Scientists in Australia have discovered that they can use the world’s smelliest fruits to make devices that could power electric cars. A durian is a fruit that looks like a pineapple. It is a delicacy in some Asian countries, but its smell is so unpleasant that some of those countries have banned it from public places. Its smell has been compared to rotting eggs and even smelly old gym socks.
Vincent Gomes and his colleagues at the University of Sydney, in Australia, used a durian and a jackfruit—another fruit known for its terrible smell—to make energy storing devices called supercapacitors.
Supercapacitors are an alternative to batteries. They can’t store as much energy as a normal battery does, but they are much quicker to recharge. Durians and jackfruits contain some of the chemicals used in supercapacitors, which gave Gomes the idea. To make the fruit-based devices, the team heated and then freeze-dried the uneatable cores of the durian and jackfruit to make a special kind of material called an aerogel.
Aerogels are one of the world’s lightest solid materials. Often called “frozen smoke”, they are made by removing the liquid from a gel and replacing it with air. They have many scientific uses, but one of their special properties is the ability to conduct electric currents, which makes them an important part of supercapacitors. The aerogels made from durian and jackfruit both worked well when placed inside a supereapacitor, although the durian aerogel was found to be the better of the two.
The discovery is important because the materials currently used to make supercapacitors are expensive. Using natural foods like durians and jackfruits, Gomes says, could reduce environmental pollution, as well as costs.
24. What makes some countries have different attitudes toward the durian?
A. Its smell. B. Its appearance.
C. Its value. D. Its popularity.
25. Which paragraph mentions Gomes’s inspiration of innovation?
A. Paragraph 1. B. Paragraph 2.
C. Paragraph 3. D. Paragraph 4.
26. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. Aerogels. B. Scientific uses.
C. Properties. D. Electric currents.
27. What can we learn about fruit-based supercapacitors?
A. They are devices for producing electricity.
B. They are chemicals from durians.
C. They are green and economical.
D. They are light and liquid.
8
（2022·江苏·一模）A human heart is so much more than an organ. No one says they left their pancreas (胰 腺) in San Francisco, for example, or that two kidneys (肾脏) beat as one. Yet most of us believe that two hearts can beat as one, and that the heart reveals our real emotions. Now there’s some evidence that such folk wisdom is true.
When people listen to the same story — each alone in their own home — their heart rates rise and fall together, according to a new study published last month in Cell Reports. Professor Lucas Perra, a senior author of the study, said, “It’s the story that drives the heart.”
This finding corresponds with a mountain of research showing that our brains synchronize (同步) when we interact in the same location or participate in the same activity. The new study goes one step further; it tests whether our heart rates become synchronized while taking in the same narrative — even though we’re not in the same room nor even listening at the same time as other listeners.
Marcel Proust wrote at the turn of the 20th century, “the heart does not lie.” Data tells us much the same: The heart’s connection to the brain is so tight that when we hear the same story, our heart rates synchronize. Subjects in the same group produced synchronized heart rate patterns that rose and fell at roughly the same times during the narrative.
The results are“heartwarming,”said Prof.Perra.“Heart rat correlation (关联) between subjects does not require them to actually be interacting, or even be in the same place. It’s not the interaction between people but the story itself that does the trick.”
The point, he said, is that when we listen to the same radio program or watch a Netflix show, our hearts beat together, showing that “we’re not alone.”
28. What does the underlined expression “folk wisdom”refer to in the first paragraph?
A. Kidneys beat like hearts. B. Hearts are important organs.
C. A human heart conveys feelings. D. Organs have close links with emotions.
29. What can we learn from the new study in Cell Reports?
A. People like listening to the same story in separate places.
B. Human’s brains synchronize when driven by different stories.
C. People tested in the same group have the same heart rates.
D. The same story can make listeners have the same heart rates.
30. What’s the author’s purpose of writing this article?
A. To report a research finding. B. To argue against an opinion.
C. To tell readers a moving story. D. To call for immediate action.
31. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. The Way Human Hearts Work B. The Same Story, the Same Heartbeat
C. The Heart’s Connection to Brain D. The Importance of Heart Rates
9
（2022·福建·二模）Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a partial solution for two of our county’s longstanding problems: garbage and poverty. It’s called the Chip Bag Project. The 26-year-old student and environmentalist from Detroit is asking a favor of local snack lovers: Rather than throw your empty Chip bags in the trash, donate them so she can turn them into sleeping bags for the homeless.
Chip eaters drop off their empty bags from Doritos, Lay’s, and other favorites at two locations in Detroit: a print shop and a clothing store, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers collect them. After they clean the chip bags in soapy hot water, they slice then open, lay them fat, and iron them together.
It takes about four hours to sew a sleeping bag, and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags, depending on whether they’re single-serve or family size. The result is a sleeping bag that is “waterproof, lightweight, and easy to carry around,” Oleita told the Detroil News.
Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected more than 80,000 chip bags and, as of last December, created 110 sleeping bags.
Sure, it would be simpler to raise the money to buy new seeping bags. But that’s only half the goal for Oleita—whose family moved to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago with the hope of attaining a better life—and her fellow volunteers. “We are committed to making an impact not only socially, but environmentally,” she says.
And, of course, there’s the symbolism of salvaging bags that would otherwise land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. I’s a powerful reminder that environmental injustice and poverty often go hand in hand. As Oleita told hourdetroit com: “I think it’s time to show connections between all of these issues.”
32. What is the purpose of the Chip Bag Project?
A. To make donations for the homeless.
B. To deal with garbage and sleeping bags.
C. To stop pollution caused by snack lovers.
D. To protect the environment and reduce poverty.
33. How did Oleita get materials for sleeping bags?
A. By turning to chip eaters.
B. By producing chip bags.
C. By purchasing snacks.
D. By cooperating with the poor.
34. Which of the flowing can best explain the underlined word “salvaging” in the last paragraph?
A. Sewing. B. Designing.
C. Emptying. D. Recycling.
35. Which of he following best describes Eradajere Oleita?
A. Devoted and creative. B. Determined and honest.
C. Ambitious and humorous. D. Caring and independent.
10
（2022·北京房山·一模）Many animals depend upon sound to find food, detect predators and communicate with one another. These species understandably suffer when loud motorways cut through their habitats. Some deal with this problem by singing more loudly, some change the timing of their calls to occur when fewer people are driving, others just move to quieter places.
It has always been assumed that noise is a problem unique to animals. But a new study by Ali Akbar Ghotbi-Ravandi, a botanist at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, has revealed that plants suffer too.
That plants can be affected indirectly by noise pollution has never been in doubt. Since most flowering species depend upon pollinators and most fruit-bearing species need animals to disperse their seeds, it is obvious that if these animal partners are harmed by noise then their botanical plants will do badly, too. What has remained unknown is whether or not plants themselves suffer directly from noise pollution.
Sounds are pressure waves transmitted through gases, liquids and solids. Scientists have previously predicted that plants may be able to sense these waves as they are struck by them. A number of experiments have confirmed this in recent years—plants attacked with ultrasound in the lab have shown a range of hurtful responses, including the expression of stress-related genes, underdeveloped growth and reduced germination(发芽) of seeds.
Working with a team of colleagues, Dr Ghotbi-Ravandi grew two species in his lab that are commonly found in urban environments. The plants were grown from seeds and allowed to mature for two months in the same space before they were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to 73 decibels(分贝) of traffic noise recorded from a busy motorway in Tehran for 16 hours a day. The other group was left to grow in silence. After 15 days, samples were taken from the youngest fully expanded leaves on every plant in the experiment and studied.
None of the plants exposed to the traffic noise did well. Analysis of their leaves revealed that all of them were suffering. Harmful chemicals in them are indicators of stress in plants and both were found at much higher levels in the plants exposed to the traffic noise. Most notably, levels of the harmful chemicals in the plants exposed to noise were two to three times what they were in those grown in silence. The findings make it clear that the noise of traffic bothers the plants.
36. What’s the function of the first two paragraphs?
A. To lead in the topic of the passage.
B. To prove that only animals suffer from noise.
C. To introduce how animals avoid the urban traffic noise.
D. To compare the different effects of noise on animals and plants.
37. Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the word “disperse” in Paragraph 3?
A. Classify. B. Spread. C. Damage. D. Collect
38. What can we learn from Dr Ghotbi-Ravandi’s experiment?
A. Urban traffic noise mainly poses a threat to animals.
B. Plants themselves suffer indirectly from noise pollution.
C. Plants exposed to the traffic noise bear higher levels of stress.
D. Plants that don't need animals for growth will not be influenced by noise.
10
（2022·湖南常德·模拟预测）It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War Ⅰ. German, British, and French soldiers already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized (打得火热) with “the enemy” along two-thirds of the Western Front. German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches (战壕) with signs, “Merry Christmas.”
“You no shoot, we no shoot.” Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man’s land filled with dead bodies. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, and even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced (拥抱) men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the Generals (将军) forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.
It shocked the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this peacemaking to be wrong. Fifteen million would be killed.
Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played “Christmas in the Trenches” several times and was surprised by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations. “Some callers even telephone the host deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, ‘What the hell did I just hear?’”
You can probably guess why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, “This really happened once.” It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, ou of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial (微不足道的) and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.
39. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Troops celebrated their victories. B. Generals forced their army to fight back.
C. Soldiers made peace with their enemies. D. Soldiers decided to give in to their enemies.
40. What would the soldiers’ actions result in according to the passage?
A. A fierce war. B. Many deaths. C. A peaceful world. D. Many heroes.
41. Why were the callers in tears?
A. They experienced the war. B. They lost loved ones in the war.
C. They valued the life in peace. D. They desired to protect their motherland.
42. What do the TV and newspaper stories probably convey?
A. Being against wars. B. Cherishing today’s happiness.
C. Remembering heroes. D. Showing no respect for life.
11
（2022·湖南常德·模拟预测）The Brazilian scientists were in disbelief after seeing the results. They tested different models to re-check their information. But all returned the same. The country with the most freshwater resources in the world had lost 15 percent of its surface water since 1991.
Evaporation (蒸发) is a part of the natural process that can lessen water resources. This is especially true in areas with low water levels like the Pantanal wetlands. But the scientists believe something else is happening.
Experts have warmed human activity is affecting the world’s weather patterns. It is causing extreme events to happen more often, such as severe droughts and floods. The cutting and burning of forest and the building of large hydroelectric factories and dams for watering crops all affect natural patterns.
In Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, water evaporates then travels on air flows to provide rainfall far away. But some climate experts say if too much forest is destroyed, the Amazon will start an irreparable process of becoming a savannah (大草原).
There are more immediate effects for worry, like possible power shortages this year. Hydroelectric reservoirs have had ten years of lower-than-usual rainfall. Reservoirs in the Parana River area have never before been overused.
The Parana River and its connected water bodies supply fresh water to some 40 million people. That includes the large city of Sao Paolo and several states. Fishing communities and farmers also depend on these water bodies.
Brazil’s decreasing water resources may also worsen fires that people set each winter to clear land. The fires then bum out of control. Last year, more than 25 percent of Brazil’s Pantanal was on fire. It was the worst yearly damage since officials began keeping records in 2003. In areas without roads, moving on smaller rivers can be a problem because of low water levels, Rabelo said. That means firefighters could soon have trouble reaching some fires. And, even if they can, less water is available to put them out.
43. What was the Brazilian scientists’ reaction to their findings?
A. Satisfied. B. Disappointed. C. Shocked. D. Overjoyed.
44. Which of the following belongs to “something else” in the third paragraph?
A. Evaporation. B. Building dams. C. Power shortage. D. Fishing.
45. What can we know from the passage?
A. Brazil lacks roads for firefighters to reach fires.
B. The destruction of the rainforest may affect the rainfall.
C. Brazil’s people set fires to keep wild animals away in winter.
D. Reservoirs in the Parana River area is useless due to water shortage.
46. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Water Study Raises Fears for Drought B. Brazil’s Forest Is Disappearing
C. More Water, More Happiness D. Cherish Water, Extend Life
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（2022·新疆·二模）The Winter Olympic Games are not just an opportunity for athletes to win medals and honour for their countries. Every four years, the Games also offer audiences a chance to get to know more about winter sports from around the world. The Winter Olympics may not have the large crowds and huge stars of its summer sibling, but they share the same Olympic spirit.
One of the most popular sports of the Winter Olympic Games is skiing. Skiers compete in the downhill and slalom, and in the short and long cross-country ski races. Skiing was originally a sport played only in cold northern countries, but now athletes from all over the world compete in this sport, even those from countries without any snow.
Skaters compete with each other in speed races or in figure-skating events. The figure-skaters are generally considered to be the stars of the Winter Olympic Games. These ice princes and princesses are so graceful that it’s easy to forget that they are actually highly skilled athletes.
The skeleton is one of the strongest-named sports of the Winter Olympics. The skeleton is named after the shape of the metal sleds used in the 1890s, when the sport first started. The skeleton is a downhill sled race, usually on ice. This sport looks a little like the luge（无舵雪橇）, where a person sits on the back of the sled with his or her feet forward, but the skeleton is a lot more exciting and dangerous than that. In the skeleton, a person lies on his or her stomach on the sled, with his or her head pointing downhill!
47. What is the “summer sibling” of the Winter Olympics?
A. Summer ball games. B. All kinds of summer sports.
C. The Summer Olympics. D. Track and field events.
48. What do you know about the sport of skiing?
A. It was originally a sport played only in cold northern countries.
B. It’s named after the shape of the sleds used in the 1890s.
C. It is one of the strongest sports of the Olympics.
D. It can involve speed and graceful figures.
49. How does the writer describe figure-skaters?
A. They compete in the downhill.
B. They are ice princes and princesses with high skills.
C. They sit with their feet forward.
D. They lie on their stomachs on the sleds.
50. Which of the following sports can’t you find in the Summer Olympic Games?
A. Wrestling. B. Weight listing. C. Gymnastics. D. Ice hockey.
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（2022·北京石景山·一模）When it comes to lowering our carbon emissions (排放), it seems that nothing is simple. Electric vehicles (EVs) act as an example of potential greenwash. “They seem very attractive at first sight,” writes The Next Web in a report. “When we look more closely, it becomes clear that they have a substantial carbon footprint.”
The rare earth metals and costly minerals included as essential ingredients in EV batteries are not renewable. What’s more, their extraction (提炼) is often anything but green.
So the question is: is it worth it? Just how much emission reduction can EVs justify? Luckily, a life cycle assessment has been done to give us some answers.
“A life cycle analysis of emissions considers three phases,” writes The Next Web. “the manufacturing phase, the use phase, and the recycling phase.” In the manufacturing phase, the battery is to blame. “Emissions from manufacturing EV batteries were estimated to be 3.2 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), 1/4 of those from an electric car, 13 tons of CO2. Those were bigger than emissions from gas cars, 10.5 tons of CO2.” If the vehicle life is assumed to be 150,000 kilometers, emissions from the manufacturing phase of an electric car are higher than gas cars.”
In the use phase, the source of electricity the consumer is using to power their car comes into play in a major way. “To understand how the emissions of electric car vary with a country’s renewable electricity share, consider Australia and New Zealand,” continues the report. “In 2018, Australia’s share of renewables in electricity was about 21%. In contrast, the number in New Zealand’s was about 84%. Electric car emissions in Australia and New Zealand are estimated at about 170g and 25g of CO2 per km respectively. As a consumer, our car is only as green as our country’s energy mix.”
Finally, in the recycling phase, we look at vehicle dismantling(拆除), vehicle recycling, battery recycling, and material recovery. “The estimated emissions in this phase, based on a study, are about 1.8 tons for a gas car and 2.4 tons for an electric car. This difference is mostly due to the emissions from battery recycling, which is 0.7 tons,” shows in the report. “While electric cars cause more greenhouse gas emissions than gas cars do, it's important to note the recycled batteries can be used in subsequent batteries. This could have significant emissions reduction benefits in the future. For complete life cycle emissions, the study shows that EV emissions are 18% lower than gas cars.”
So here’s the takeaway: EVs are greener. Maybe they’re not as green as we thought. There’s certainly room for improvement. But the real challenge lies in speeding the global energy transition toward greener energy-production.
51. Why is a life cycle analysis of emissions made?
A. To illustrate the advantages of EVs.
B. To show how gas cars outperform EVs.
C. To weigh the environmental impact of EVs.
D. To examine the energy sources of gas cars and EVs.
52. How does the author support the underlined statement in Paragraph 5?
A. By giving instructions. B. By highlighting features.
C. By making comparisons. D. By analyzing cause and effect.
53. According to the passage, what contributes to EVs’ beating gas cars?
A. Recycling of batteries. B. Overall driving distance.
C. Manufacturing technology. D. Government’s energy policy.
54. Which of the following statements does the author support?
A. EVs are worthy of the praise they have received.
B. EVs are not successful for their environmental downsides.
C. EVs will no longer be widely accepted for their emissions.
D. EVs are not truly green until their energy sources become green.
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（2022·陕西咸阳·二模）What exactly is technology? There aren't any easy answers. Despite the fact that technology has re-mained one of the most controversial areas of modern science, especially when linked to human life or so-cial morals, much progress has been made in recent years, which has made the experts and common peo-ple think again.
Technology is the application of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of the ordinary people, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars, television sets, cell phones, robots and so on. However, technology has also increased the a-mount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span through medical technology.
Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer may be yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and devel-opment, and the latest statistics show that developed countries are continuing to pump billions of dollars every year into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce (稀少的) resources we may well find technological substitutes for many of them through our research programs. Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production（land, labor and capital）are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills or techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.
55. Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's main points？
A. Science is the most important part of modern technology. B. Technology has nothing to do with the major factors of production. C. Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living. D. Technology leads to more needs in production and human life. 56. What's the author's attitude toward modern technology？
A. Favorable. B. Indifferent. C. Negative. D. Doubtful.
57. What could be inferred from Paragraph 3？
A. Technology has increased the amount of food. B. Technology can definitely make people live long. C. Technology can soon create non-renewable resources. D. Technology progress depends on more expenses and efforts. 58. Where is this article probably from？
A. A report to the government. B. A school textbook. C. Latest news in a newspaper. D. A scientific magazine.
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（2022·陕西咸阳·二模）Grandparents who help out occasionally with childcare or provide support for others in their community tend to live longer than seniors who do not care for other people, according to a study from Berlin, Germany.
“Having no contact with grandchildren at all can negatively impact grandparents’ health.” said Sonja Hilbrand, one of the researchers. The findings are drawn from data on more than 500 people over age 70 in the Berlin Aging Study. The study team compared this group with those who provided support for non-family members, such as neighbors, and seniors who did not provide any care for other people. Overall, after accounting for grandparents’ age and general state of health, the risk of dying over a 20-year period was one-third lower for grandparents who cared for their grandchildren, compared with grandparents who provided no childcare.
Caregiving was associated with a longer life even when the care receiver wasn’t a relative. Half of the grandparents who cared for grandchildren were still alive ten years after the initial interview. In contrast, about half of the participants who did not help others died within five years after the start of the study.
“Caregiving may give caregivers a purpose of life because they may feel useful for others and society. Caregiving may be thought also as an activity that keeps caregivers physically and mentally active,” said Professor Bruno Arpino, adding that caregiving is not the only activity that can improve old people’s health, and too many caring responsibilities can take away from other beneficial activities like working, being in social clubs, or volunteering. “Children should take into account their parents’ needs, willingness, and desires and agree with them on the timing and amount of childcare,” he suggested.
59. What does the underlined word “those” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Grandchildren. B. Researchers.
C. Findings. D. Seniors.
60. What is TRUE about Arpino’s opinion about caregiving?
A. Grandparents live a healthier life with right amounts of caring work.
B. Caregivers are helpful for grandparents to find a job in social clubs.
C. Grandparents are really the best choice for childcare.
D. Childcare makes old people completely lose touch with social activities.
61. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To share the experience of caregiving with readers.
B. To report the findings of a study.
C. To give the senior advice on how to live longer.
D. To remind readers of the skills of childcare.
62. What is the best title of the text?
A. Caregiving and Children’s Life
B. Grandparents and Family’s Happiness
C. Caregiving and Old People’s Health
D. Grandparents and Social Responsibility
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（2022·重庆市育才中学二模）Fritillaria plants can be easily spotted. The usually bright green plants often stand alone amid the rocks at the top of the Himalayan and Hengduan mountains in southwestern China — easy pickings for traditional Chinese medicine herbalists, who’ve ground the bulbs (鳞茎) of Fritillaria into a cough-treating powder for more than 2, 000 years. The demand for the bulbs is intense, since about 3,500 of them are needed to produce one kilogram of the powder, worth about $480.
But some Fritillaria are remarkably difficult to find, with leaves and stems that are barely distinguishable from the gray or brown rocky background. Surprisingly, the plants’ camouflage (伪装) seems to have evolved in response to people.
In wide open areas with little cover, like mountaintops, blending in can help the plants avoid hungry herbivores, says Yang Niu, a botanist at the Kunming Institute of Botany in China. But after five years of studying camouflage in Fritillaria, he did not spot any animals feeding on the plants. So Niu, his colleague Hang Sun and sensory ecologist Martin Stevens of the University of Exeter in England decided to see if humans might be driving the evolution of the plants’ camouflage.
During their research, local herbalists noted the total weight of the bulbs harvested each year from 2014 to 2019 at seven study sites. These records indicated contemporary harvesting pressure on the plants. In the meantime, the researchers assessed the ease of harvesting by recording how long it took to dig up bulbs at six of those sites. On some slopes, bulbs are easily dug up, but in others they can be buried under rocks. Both measures have revealed a striking pattern: The more harvested a site is, the better the color of a plant matches its background.
However, camouflage can present some challenges. Pollinators (花粉传播者) might have a harder time finding the camouflaged plants, and the gray and brown coloration could impair photosynthetic (光合) activity. Still, these Fritillaria show how adaptable the plants can be. The plants can better change their appearance than we might have expected.
63. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A. The living environment of Fritillaria.
B. The appearance of Fritillaria.
C. The reasons for picking Fritillaria.
D. The history of traditional Chinese medicine.
64. What do the researchers find during their research?
A. Fritillaria usually exist under rocks.
B. Animals drive Fritillaria to hide themselves better.
C. Frequent human activities make it easier to spot Fritillaria.
D. Fritillaria camouflage themselves better where harvested more often.
65. Which of the following statements is true according to the last paragraph?
A. All plants are poor at camouflaging.
B. Fritillaria are constantly changing how they look.
C. Camouflage can bring some side-effects to Fritillaria.
D. Fritillaria camouflaged to be gray which can promote growth.
66. What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. The demand for the Fritillaria is intense.
B. Fritillaria are remarkably difficult to find.
C. Camouflage can present some challenges to the Fritillaria.
D. Human activities drive the evolution of the Fritillaria’s camouflage.
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（2022·重庆市育才中学模拟预测）At an interview that marked her 18th birthday, Greta Thunberg discussed her lifestyle and some new and interesting choices she has made for herself. The environmental activist (积极分子）said she has stopped buying new clothes, yet she added she would not judge others who make less environmentally-friendly lifestyle choices than her own.
Greta’s interesting lifestyle choices include traveling by boat instead of flying. When asked about what she thought of people who talk about acting on climate change but fly around the world despite that, the teenager refused to criticize them, saying that others may feel that way, but not her. She said she is not telling anyone what they should do but pointed out that people who do not practice what they persuade others to do would be open to criticism themselves and would not be taken seriously.
Greta Thunberg said that while statistics show the best way for individuals to reduce their carbon emissions is to avoid long flights or not have children, she would not tell people not to produce children. According to her, it is not the people who are the problem but their behavior. Greta also pointed out that she does not believe it is selfish to have kids.
Although her lifestyle is quite different than that of most western teenagers, Greta Thunberg said she did not feel like she was missing out. She said that while she might buy second-hand clothes, she does not need new ones, and flying to a far-away place would not make her happier. According to her, because these are things she didn’t need, missing them didn’t feel like a sacrifice.
The young environmental activist said her perfect birthday present would be a promise from everyone that they would do everything they can for the planet. As a more tangible (可触摸的）gift, she pointed out that because in Sweden it gets very dark in the winter, she would like replacement headlights for her bike.
67. What kind of life does Greta Thunberg prefer to live?
A. A lonely and quiet life. B. An easy and luxury life.
C. A new life different from others’ D. An environmentally-friendly life.
68. How does she treat other people’s choices of lifestyle?
A. She makes straight forward judgement. B. She shows her respect to their choices.
C. She criticizes them in front of the public. D. She never takes them seriously at all.
69. What does she think of the things people think she misses?
A. She feels quite worthwhile. B. She wants spiritual satisfaction.
C. She doesn’t feel regretful. D. She doesn’t need anything at all.
70. Why does she want to get headlights for her bike as a birthday gift?
A. Because she needs them. B. Because they save electricity.
C. Because she wants to save money. D. Because they beautify her bike.
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（2022·重庆市育才中学模拟预测）If there’s one thing the UK is really good at, it’s saving its butterflies. The Butterfly Conservation program in the UK is the world’s largest conservation organization dedicated to saving rare and endangered insects. And recently, thanks to the efforts of UK farmers, the country’s rarest butterfly, the Duke of Burgundy butterfly, has been saved.
Ten years ago, if you were in the UK, you could only find this species in the North York Moors and the southern Lake District. The population of this butterfly experienced a significant drop of nearly 46% in the 90s and 00s which made it the rarest species in the UK at the time. However, thanks to the Butterfly Conservation organization and the efforts of many landowners, things are looking up.
Back in 2011, the Butterfly Conservation launched the Dukes on the Edge program that focused on restoring 23 hectares of habitat, providing management advice for more than 147 sites where the Duke butterflies are found, and getting over 1, 000 volunteers to help carry the conservation effort. Both local citizens and land owners joined the program, and as a result, the population of this species has grown by 25% in the last decade.
The recovery of the Duke was solidified when a butterfly enthusiast found the largest single colony in the UK. Located quietly on the hills of a dairy farm, the colony was the result of the efforts of a farmer who has proudly been supporting the habitat for over two decades. The good news is that the Duke butterfly is no longer the UK’s rarest, and the Butterfly Conservation organization continues to save dying species at maximum speed. They even convinced the UK government to include butterflies and moths as formal biodiversity indicators.
71. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To give background information. B. To summarize the main idea.
C. To provide strong supporting proof. D. To attract readers’ attention.
72. How is paragraph 3 developed?
A. By listing statistics. B. By giving examples.
C. By providing comments. D. By making a comparison.
73. What does the underlined word “solidified” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Interrupted. B. Changed.
C. Noticed. D. Strengthened.
74. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A. The UK Butterfly Conservation Program Works
B. UK Butterflies Welcome a New Species
C. UK Farmers Save a Butterfly from Extinction
D. UK Government Cooperates to Save Butterflies
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（2022·山东聊城·一模）Making eye contact with a robot can be a very strange experience. Scientists even have a name for the feeling: the “uncanny valley”. Now, researchers at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Italy have found that it is more than just a feeing. They ran an experiment that showed how a robot’s gaze can trick people into thinking they are socially interacting with a human being. That experience can slow a person’s ability to make decisions.
“Gaze is an extremely important social signal,” said the lead writer, Professor Agnieszka Wykowska, “The question is whether the robot’s gaze will evoke very similar mechanisms in the human brain as a human’s gaze would.”
The team asked 40 participants to play a video game of “chicken”. Each player had to decide whether to permit a car to run straight toward another car or to turn to avoid a crash. The people played against a human-like robot sitting across from them. During breaks in the game, players had to look at the robot. Sometimes the robot would look back and at other times it would look away. As the interactions happened, the scientists collected data on participants’ behavior and brain activity.
“Our results show the gaze of the robot had an impact on the way humans made decisions and humans’ responses, so humans were much slower in making decisions in the game,” Wykowska said. Given that the robot, is designed loosely to copy the shape and appearance of people, it’s not altogether startling perhaps that its gaze can influence people’s attention.
The findings could be useful for deciding where and how human-like robots might be placed. When we understand when and how robots change people’s social behavior,“then we can decide in which sort of context this is desirable and beneficial for humans and in which context this should not occur,” Wykowska said.
75. Why was the experiment conducted?
A. To find out how the robot interacted with people.
B. To study the function of the robot’s eyes.
C. To test the effect of robots’ gaze on people.
D. To arouse people’s interest in service robots.
76. What were the participants asked to do?
A. Control the direction of a real car. B. Look at the robot in the game breaks.
C. Have a car race with a robot. D. Gaze at the robot while playing games.
77. What does the author think of the results according to paragraph 4?
A. Unsurprising. B. Amazing. C. Disappointing. D. Threatening.
78. What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To advertise the robot.
B. To introduce a study.
C. To stress the importance of eye contact.
D. To show robots’ ability to make decisions.
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（2022·盘锦市辽东湾实验高级中学（辽宁省实验中学辽东湾分校）模拟预测）Finger painting is an art that most people have experienced in childhood. But there are still people who know little about this art form. Finger painting is a simple activity that involves dipping(浸；蘸) fingers in paints and then using fingers to create objects and shapes on a piece of paper. All you need is a table at elbow height, a few sheets of plain paper, and a few bottles of watercolor.
When engaging kids in this activity, one should use non-toxic(无毒的) paints only. If not available in the market readily, non-toxic paints can be made at home easily. Preferably, the paints should also be eatable. Finger paints come in bright colors and can be purchased relatively inexpensively. Adults can save money by making their own finger paints using a mixture of cornstarch, food coloring and water.
It is a common fallacy that finger painting is for children alone; rather it’s an activity that can be enjoyed by adults in equal measure. Adults can use rubber gloves while painting to avoid dirty marks of paints on their hands. When a group of people are gathered for an exercise of finger painting, it can be a great way of creating a bond between the group. Art and painting parties are a popular concept in the West. Organizations can also use finger painting as a team-building activity by making participants paint together on a large canvas(画布).
There’s no limit to the expression of feelings in finger painting. All one needs to do is go all out and put all their feelings on a piece of paper by dipping their fingers in paints. While painting, one may unconsciously choose colors that reflect their emotions. For example, you may choose the color red to express your anger or green to express hope. At times you may be confused, and the painting will help you describe your confused state of mind. Once you get your emotions on paper, you are likely to feel relieved.
So what are you waiting for? Plan a finger-painting session soon, and experience the joy.
79. What can we know about finger painting?
A. Most people loved it in their childhood. B. The preparation for it is quite difficult.
C. Kids learn it much faster than adults. D. Finger painting is easy to carry out.
80. What should people do when there are kids involved in finger painting?
A. Prepare safe paints for them. B. Have parents stay with them.
C. Use paints of bright colors. D. Buy inexpensive paints.
81. What does the underlined word “fallacy” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Goal. B. Sense.
C. Principle. D. Misunderstanding.
82. What does the example in Paragraph 4 show?
A. Finger painters can find artistic inspiration from emotions.
B. Finger painting provides freedom of self-expression.
C. Finger painting shows people’s emotions correctly.
D. Finger painters have a wide choice of colors.
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（2022·江西九江·二模）A new study warns 1,500 endangered languages could no longer be spoken by the end of this century.
The study, led by The Australian National University (ANU), identified predictors that put endangered languages at high risk. Co-author Professor Lindell Bromham said that of the world’s 7,000 recognized languages, around half were currently endangered. “We found that without immediate intervention, language loss could triple in the next 40 years. And by the end of this century, 1,500 languages could cease (停止) to be spoken.”
Their study finds the widest range of factors ever putting endangered languages under pressure. One finding was that more years of schooling increased the level of language endangerment. The researchers say it shows we need to build curricula that support bilingual education, promoting both native language proficiency as well as use of regionally-dominant languages. “Across the 51 factors or predictors we investigated, we also found some really unexpected and surprising pressure points. This included road density,” Professor Bromham said. He added, “Contact with other local languages is not the problem. But we found that the more roads there are, connecting country to city, and villages to towns, the higher the risk of languages being endangered. It’s as if roads are helping dominant (主导的) languages ‘steam roll’ over other smaller languages.”
Professor Bromham said the study’s findings were a vital reminder that more action was urgently needed to preserve at-risk languages. He added, “When a language is lost, or is ‘sleeping’ as we say for languages that are no longer spoken, we lose so much of our human cultural diversity. Every language is brilliant in its own way. Many of the languages predicted to be lost this century still have fluent speakers, so there is still the chance to invest in supporting communities to bring native languages back to life and keep them strong for future generations.”
83. Which suggestion is mentioned to save the endangered languages?
A. Setting up bilingual courses. B. Avoiding building more roads
C. Opening more local schools. D. Contacting different languages.
84. What does the author mainly tell us in Paragraph 3?
A. Some exact examples for the new research.
B. Detailed ways to help dominant languages.
C. Different factors to brighten at-risk languages.
D. Elements to make endangered languages at risk.
85. What’s Bromham’s attitude towards saving at-risk languages?
A. Indifferent. B. Hopeless.
C. Optimistic. D. Uncertain.
86. What can be the best title for the text?
A. 1,500 endangered languages at high risk.
B. A new study concerning dominant languages.
C. Reasons putting languages under pressure.
D. Some good ways to save endangered languages.
22
（2022·江西九江·二模）Scientists know quite a lot about stars. After centuries of pointing telescopes at the night sky, astronomers and amateurs alike can figure out key traits of any star, such as its mass or its composition.
To calculate a star’s mass, just look at the time it takes to orbit a companion star. Then do a bit of calculation. To determine what it’s made of, look to the spectrum of light the star sends out. But one question scientists haven’t quite cracked yet is how to calculate the exact time of a star.
“The sun is the only star we know the age of,” says astronomer David Soderblom. He works at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. We use what we know about it and how it compares to others, he says, to figure out the age of other stars.
Even well-studied stars surprise scientists every now and then. In 2019, the red supergiant Betelgeuse became gradually dark. At the time, astronomers weren’t sure if this star was just going through a phase. The alternative was more exciting: It might be ready to explode as a supernova. (Turns out it was just a phase.) The sun also shook things up when scientists noticed that it wasn’t behaving like other middle-aged stars. It’s not as magnetically active as other stars of its age and mass. That suggests astronomers still might not fully understand the timeline of middle age.
Using physics and indirect measurements, scientists can make a rough estimate of a star’s age. Some methods, it turns out, work better for different types of stars.
Why do we even care? Galaxies are huge collections of stars of different ages. Star ages might help us figure out how such galaxies grow and evolve or how planets within them form. Knowing star ages might even assist in the search for life in other solar systems.
87. What may scientists want to research about stars most now?
A. Their companions. B. Their types.
C. Their ages. D. Their characteristics.
88. What does the underlined word “cracked” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Discussed. B. Described. C. Touched. D. Solved.
89. Why is the example in 2019 mentioned?
A. To show scientists still have puzzles about stars.
B. To prove scientists have studied stars to the full.
C. To provide facts for scientists’ researches on stars.
D. To warn scientists to notice some surprising stars.
90. What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. The reasons for caring about the space. B. The significance of researching star ages.
C. The ways of measuring a star’s age. D. The benefits of figuring out solar systems.
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（2022·山西临汾·二模）A new type of weather condition has been observed, existing primarily in one particular part of the world: small, slow-moving, moisture-rich pools. Researchers are calling these atmospheric lakes.
This unique type of storm occurs over the western Indian Ocean and moves towards Africa. Unlike most storms created by a vortex(漩涡), the lakes are produced by water vapor concentrations that are dense enough to produce rain. These atmospheric lakes are similar to atmospheric rivers, narrow bands of dense moisture(水分密集). However, the new type of meteorological phenomenon is smaller, slower moving, and separates itself from the atmospheric river that creates it. Existing as they do in an equatorial region where the wind speed is often very low, these atmospheric lakes are in no rush.
Over the five years,17 atmospheric lakes lasting longer than six days were discovered, within 10 degrees of the equator. A team is now being put together to run a full study on the phenomenon. One of the questions the researchers will be looking at is why atmospheric lakes detach themselves from the river-lake patterns they form from. The climate change angle is an important one, because if increasing temperatures in any way affect the formation and movement of atmospheric lakes, that could impact the rainfall that reaches the east coast of Africa.
According to Brian Mapes, an atmospheric scientist from the University of Miami, if all the water in a year’s worth of atmospheric lakes were to become liquid at once, it would create a puddle just a few centimeters deep but a kilometer (0.62 miles) wide. That’s a significant amount of precipitation(降水量). Professor Mapes believes this could be a solution for the dry regions of East Africa, where millions of people live and need rainfall to survive.
It remains to be seen whether the concept of “atmospheric lake” can be widely accepted or not. However, it is obviously an effective way to explore nature to analyze various phenomena in the atmosphere and reveal their laws and possible impacts by using new sounding instruments and acquired data.
91. What mainly contributes to the formation of an atmospheric lake?
A. A gentle vortex. B. Large-scale moving winds.
C. A violent ocean storm. D. Heavy water vapor concentrations.
92. What does the underlined word “detach” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Separate. B. Defend. C. Recover. D. Prohibit.
93. What is probably the benefit of “atmospheric lakes”?
A. Providing a solution to air pollution.
B. Easing the drought in parts of Africa.
C. Improving the quality of people’s life.
D. Bringing abundant rainfall to southern Africa.
94. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to the study of “atmospheric lakes”?
A. Disapproving. B. Favorable. C. Ambiguous. D. Skeptical.
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（2022·天津市新华中学模拟预测）A scientist turned out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she dealt with it. Some children reached eagerly for the candy they saw. Some lasted a few minutes before they gave in. But others were determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reached high school, something amazing had happened. A survey found that those who were four-year-olds having enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation (诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily upset and inflexible.
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant (有抵抗力的) soul.
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "characters".
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together and how one’s ability handles stress, for instance, affecting the ability to concentrate and putting intelligence to use. Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now gradually agree that IQ counts for about 20%, the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues are finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.
95. Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text?
A. To make the readers amused. B. To prove the scientists’ wisdom.
C. To introduce the topic of the text. D. To show us how to do an IQ test.
96. The experiment with the four-year-olds shows us that________.
A. the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment
B. the ability of sell-control plays a role in personal success
C. emotional intelligence won’t show up until teen years
D. candy can be used to measure a person’s emotional intelligence
97. The underlined word “upbeat” in Paragraph 4 probably means________.
A. positive B. negative C. impatient D. friendly
98. From the passage we learn that_________.
A. EQ does not have any connection with IQ
B. the higher a person’s IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is
C. brain theory is able to explain what we wonder about most
D. scientists haven’t discovered the way EQ and IQ work together.
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（2022·山东聊城·一模）Do you know that forests cover an estimated 38 percent of the total land surface of the European Union (EU)? And that these extensive areas covered with trees and underbrush need to be protected so they can continue to do good for the environment for the next generation? Now the EU has just come up with is ambitious new “Forest Strategy”.
Forests can fight against climate change and prevent biodiversity loss They can reduce the impacts of climate change by cooling down cities, protecting us from heavy flooding, and reducing drought impacts. They are valuable ecosystems that are home to a major part of the world’s plants and animals. But forests also improve our health and well-being through functions like water regulation, erosion (侵蚀) control and air purification. And they serve as ideal settings for “recreation, relaxation and learning, as well as securing livelihoods”.
This new European- wide forest conservation vision takes in an impressive commitment to plant a minimum of three billion additional trees over the next decade. This is an ambitious plan but a long overdue one because forests have been battered by severe weather and human impacts, particularly the demand for wood over the last ten years. As the EU Observer puts it,“extreme weather events and the increasing demand for forest services and products, driven by wood-based bioenergy and international trade, have accelerated tree cover loss in the last decade.”
This EU strategy takes into account the complexity of ; forest sustainability. Observation, knowledge exchange, ongoing monitoring and close cooperation between public and private organizations and individuals are also key elements in this new continent- wide forest protection strategy.
This is a future- focused blueprint, designed to protect these precious green areas, and ensure that the trees and greenery are here to stay!
99. Why are two questions raised in the beginning?
A. To tell us the EU’s forest coverage.
B. To call on people to protect forests.
C. To explain the reason for the strategy.
D. To encourage more forest expansion.
100. What does the author intend to show in paragraph 2?
A. The urgency of the strategy.
B. The importance of forests.
C. The background of the strategy.
D. The environmental role of forests.
101. What does the underlined word “battered” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Preserved. B. Controlled. C. Removed. D. Damaged.
102. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A. Planting Trees for the World
B. Irreplaceable Benefits of Forests
C. EU’s Action to Protect the Earth
D. Taking Forests into the Future
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（2022·新疆·二模）Stress used to be an almost unknown word, but now that we are used to talking about it, I have found that people are beginning to get stressed about being stressed.
In recent years, stress has been regarded as a cause of a whole range of medical problems, from high blood pressure to mental illness.
But like so many other things, it is only too much stress that does you harm. It is time you considered that if there were no stress in your life, you would achieve little. If you are stuck at home with no stress, then your level of performance will be low. Up to a certain point, the more stress you are under, the better your performance will be.
Beyond a certain point, though, further stress will only lead to exhaustion, illness and finally a breakdown. You can tell when you are over the top and on the downward slope, by asking yourself a number of questions. Do you, for instance, feel that too much is being expected of you, and yet find it impossible to say no? Do you find yourself getting impatient or annoyed with people over unimportant things?... If the answer to all those questions is yes, you had better control your stress, as you probably are under more stress than is good for you.
To some extend you can control the amount of stress in your life. Doctors have worked out a chart showing how much stress is involved in various events. Getting married is 50, pregnaney 40, moving house 20, Christmas 12, etc. If the total stress in your life is over 150, you are twice as likely to get ill.
103. What can we learn about the stress from Paragraph 2?
A. It makes you expect too much.
B. It lets you never say “no” when asked for.
C. It can prevent you from getting angry easily.
D. It may let you have got the sickness of high blood.
104. Which can best explain the sentence “If there were no stress in your life, you would achieve little.”?
A. The more stress you are under, the better your performance will be.
B. With much stress, your level of performance will be low.
C. It’s time for you to control your stress.
D. Too much stress is harmful.
105. If the total stress in your life is 160, what does that mean?
A. You are fine. B. Everything is OK.
C. You are likely to have medical problems. D. You have nothing to worry about.
106. What does the text mainly talk about?
A. An unknown word “stress”. B. Stress — good or bad?
C. Various events. D. The cause of high blood.
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（2022·辽宁抚顺·一模）Scientists recently have discovered a new species of bat that has bright orange for and black wings. They later named it Myotis nimbaensis in the journal American Museum Novitates.
Jon Flanders, who works at Bat Conservation International (BCI), was leading a team with eight other researchers in the Nimba Mountains in Guinea where they found the orange bat. Many bats live in the mountains’ old mineshafts (井筒) that are now unsafe to enter, so researchers placed nets at the entrances to trap bats while they flew. One night in January 2018, a brightly colored bat standing out among its dark-furred neighbors was also caught in the net.
“The color is just unusual. Its wings are black with orange fur. There aren’t a lot of orange bats in the world. I don’t tend to work with that many brightly colored bats. It’s definitely an unusual one for me,” Flanders says.
There are about 1,400 bat species in the world, including a few orange ones in China and South America — far from Myotis nimbaensis’s home in West Africa. For the past several years, more than 20 new bat species have been added to the list. However, those discoveries usually come about when scientists tease (梳理) apart the small genetic and physical differences between nearly the same species.
“Experienced researchers went out in the field, caught an animal, and said, ‘This is something we can’t identify.’ That’s much more unusual.” says Nancy Simmons, the American Museum of Natural History’s director of mammals.
To make sure that they had found something new, the team recaptured (重新捕获) the first bat they had found and compared it with specimens (标本) of other species. After doing some research, the team concluded that the new species of bat is at least five percent different than the closest related species, reports The Times.
Next, the scientists hope to study more about Myotis nimbaensis’s ecology — where it lives, what it eats, and what it needs in a habitat.
107. What did the researchers do after arriving at the mineshafts?
A. They entered them for further observation.
B. They caught some bats with a big net.
C. They reported their newly found bat caves.
D. They made sounds to drive the bats away.
108. What can we know about the over 20 new bat species found previously?
A. They are commonly seen. B. They are different in colors.
C. They live in West Africa. D. They share similar genes.
109. Why did the researchers recapture the first bat they had found?
A. To attract more such bats. B. To make a specimen.
C. To identify its species. D. To keep it in their lab.
110. What would be the best title for the text?
A. An unusual adventure in Guinea B. Different bat species worldwide
C. A newly discovered bat species D. Bats living in old mineshafts
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（2022·辽宁抚顺·一模）On December 23, 2019, a Texas couple and their 12-year-old daughter delivering furniture in a rental truck got trapped in the San Juan National Forest in Colorado. After not being able to free the truck, they spent the evening in the truck, leaving the vehicle on and wrapping up in moving blankets to keep warm. In the morning, they wrapped plastic around their feet and chose to walk out to safety. Thanks to the concern of a family member, local authorities were contacted. The couple was spotted by a member of the Sheriff’s Department flying in his private plane.
This couple was making a quick run to deliver some furniture before the Christmas holiday. They were not thinking that they were putting themselves in a life-or-death situation. But where did things go wrong? They were using their GPS to take the fastest route. The issue with this is that GPS doesn’t take weather into account, especially snow that has fallen in rural areas. Also, GPS won’t account for what kind of vehicle you are driving! They had a cellphone. But it’s possible that being in a rural location, cell towers weren’t available. Or it could have been that they ran out of battery.
Every day has the potential to become a real-life survival situation. How can you ensure your story doesn’t turn into a survival story? You should always let people know where you are going and carry your phone and a battery charger. Besides, always check the weather and adjust your trip accordingly. Always be prepared. Preparedness is a lifestyle. It means taking responsibility, hoping for the best, and preparing for unfortunate events. Taking a few moments to make sure you are prepared when you leave your home is a smart thing to do.
111. What happened to the family on their way to delivering furniture?
A. Their car had run out of fuel. B. They got stuck in a rural area.
C. They lost directions in the woods. D. Their daughter suffered a heavy cold.
112. Who rescued the family?
A. An officer. B. A couple.
C. A GPS application. D. A neighbour.
113. What lesson can we learn from the Texas couple’s story?
A. Cell towers were outdated in some rural areas.
B. First aid training is necessary in all situations.
C. Modem technologies can go wrong occasionally.
D. Overall factors should always be taken into account.
114. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?
A. To warn against some dangerous travels.
B. To show the importance of responsibility.
C. To give tips on outdoor safety preparations.
D. To offer measures to deal with emergencies.
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（2022·湖南·岳阳一中二模）In February of 1942, Mexican farmer Dionisio Pulido thought he heard thunder coming from his cornfield. However, the sound wasn’t coming from the sky. The source was a large smoking break sending out gas and pushing out rocks. This opening would come to be known as the volcano Paricutin, and over the next 9 years, its lava and ash would cover over 200 square km. But where did this new volcano come from, and what caused its unpredictable eruption?
One of the most common causes of an eruption is an increase in magmastatic (静磁) pressure. Magma (岩浆) contains various elements and compounds. At high enough concentrations,compounds like water or sulfur (硫) form high-pressure gas bubbles. When these balls of gas reach the surface, they can burst with the force of a gunshot. And when millions of bubbles explode, the energy can send ash into the air. But before they pop or burst, they act like bubbles of CO2 in a shaken soda.
Not all eruptions are due to rising magmastatic pressure- sometimes the weight of the rock above can become dangerously low. Landslides can remove massive quantities of rock from atop a magma chamber or room, dropping the pressure and instantly touching off an eruption. This process is known as “unloading” and it’s been responsible for numerous eruptions, including the sudden explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1980. But unloading can also happen over longer periods of time due heating ice or melting glaciers. In fact, many geologists are worried that glacial melt caused by climate change could increase volcanic activity.
Unfortunately, knowing what causes eruptions doesn’t make them easy to predict. While scientists can roughly determine the strength and weight of the Earth’s crust (地壳), the depth and heat of magma chambers makes measuring changes in magmastatic pressure very difficult. But volcanologists are constantly exploring new technology to overcome this rocky field. Advances in thermal imaging (热成像) have allowed scientists to detect underground hotspots. Spectrometers can analyze gases escaping mag ma. Hopefully, these tools will help us better understand these gas breaks and their explosive eruptions.
1. Why does the author mention the story of a farmer in the first paragraph?
A. To show the power of volcano eruption.
B. To introduce the topic.
C. To introduce the volcano Paricutin.
D. To explain the reason.
2. What does the underlined word “they” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The bubbles of CO2. B. The ash of the volcano.
C. Gas bubbles of compounds. D. The elements of a soda.
3. Which of the following is true about the eruption of Mount St. Helens?
A. Landslides should be responsible for its eruption.
B. It began to explode over a long period of time.
C. The process of “unloading” occurred after its explosion.
D. The weight of the rock above it increased as to cause its eruption.
4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Scientists can determine the eruption of volcano in advance.
B. It is quite difficult to measure the weight of the Earth’s crust.
C. Spectrometers can help scientists to detect underground hotspots.
D. Scientists are positive about further study of volcano eruption.