(新高考)高考英语一轮复习考点练习18-阅读之说明文（2份打包，解析版+原卷版）

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考点18 阅读之说明文（原卷版）
【命题趋势】
说明文在高考中一直处于主导地位，其特点：词汇量和长难句比其他体裁的文章多，学生只要账务相关词汇，熟悉句式句型，基本上不会有问题。以下是近两年真题和模拟试题，学生可以集中练习。

1.【2021年6月浙江卷】
If you ever get the impression that your dog can "tell" whether you look content or annoyed, you may be onto something. Dogs may indeed be able to distinguish between happy and angry human faces, according to a new study
Researchers trained a group of 11 dogs to distinguish between images（图像）of the same person making either a happy or an angry face. During the training stage, each dog was shown only the upper half or the lower half of the person's face. The researchers then tested the dogs' ability to distinguish between human facial expressions by showing them the other half of the person's face on images totally different from the ones used in training. The researchers found that the dogs were able to pick the angry or happy face by touching a picture of it with their noses more often than one would expect by random chance.
The study showed the animals had figured out how to apply what they learned about human faces during training to new faces in the testing stage. "We can rule out that the doge simply distinguish between the pictures based on a simple cue, such as the sight of teeth," said study author Corsin Muller. "Instead, our results suggest that the successful dogs realized that a smiling mouth means the same thing as smiling eyes, and the same rule applies to an angry mouth having the same meaning as angry eyes.”
"With our study, we think we can now confidently conclude that at least some dogs can distinguish human facial expressions," Muller told Line Science.
At this point, it is not clear why dogs seem to be equipped with the ability to recognize different facial expressions in humans. "To us, the most likely explanation appears to be that the basis lies in their living with humans, which gives them a lot of exposure to human facial expressions," and this exposure has provided them with many chances to learn to distinguish between them, Muller said.
28. The new study focused on whether dogs can_________.
A. distinguish shapes B. make sense of human faces
C. feel happy or angry D. communicate with each other
29. What can we learn about the study from paragraph 2?
A. Researchers tested the dogs in random order.
B. Diverse methods were adopted during training.
C. Pictures used in the two stages were different
D. The dogs were photographed before the lest.
30. What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A. A suggestion for future studies. B. A possible reason for the study findings.
C. A major limitation of the study D. An explanation of the research method.

2.【2021年全国甲卷】
Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding (繁育) programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf (犀牛幼崽). When the tiny creature arrived on January 31, she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity (圈养).
Paul Beer, head of rhino section at Port Lympne, said: “Obviously we're all absolutely delighted to welcome another calf to our black rhino family. She's healthy, strong and already eager to play and explore. Her mother, Solio, is a first-time mum and she is doing a fantastic job. It's still a little too cold for them to go out into the open, but as soon as the weather warms up, I have no doubt that the little one will be out and about exploring and playing every day.”
The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild. The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global black rhino population has dropped as low as 5500, giving the rhinos a “critically endangered” status.
4. Which of the following best describes the breeding programme?
A. Costly. B. Controversial. C. Ambitious. D. Successful.
5. What does Paul Beer say about the new-born rhino?
A. She loves staying with her mother. B. She dislikes outdoor activities.
C. She is in good condition D. She is sensitive to heat.
6. What similar experience do Solio and Kisima have?
A. They had their first born in January. B. They enjoyed exploring new places
C. They lived with their grandmothers. D. They were brought to the reserve young
7. What can be inferred about Porn Lympne Reserve?
A. The rhino section will be open to the public.
B. It aims to control the number of the animals.
C. It will continue to work with the World Wildlife Fund.
D. Some of its rhinos may be sent to the protected wild areas.
3.【2021年全国乙卷】
The Biggest Stadiums in the World
People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A.D., the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world’s best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome’s Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.
These days, safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan’s desire for a good view and comfortable seat—tend to keep stadium capacities（容量） slightly lower. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each; gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.
For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanent capacity, as well as updated information from official stadium websites.
All these stadiums are still functional , still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.
·Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang D.P.R. Korea. Capacity: 150,000. Opened: May 1,1989.
·Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U. S. Capacity: 107,601. Opened: October 1, 1927.
·Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania, U. S. Capacity: 106,572. Opened: September 17, 1960.
·Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U. S. Capacity: 104,944. Opened: October 7,1922.
·Kyle Field, College Station, Texas, U. S. Capacity: 102,512. Opened: September 24, 1927.
21. How many people could the Circus Maximus hold?
A. 104,944. B. 107,601. C. About 150,000. D. About 250,000.
22. Of the following stadiums, which is the oldest?
A. Michigan Stadium. B. Beaver Stadium. C. Ohio Stadium. D. Kyle Field.
23. What do the listed stadiums have in common?
A. They host big games. B. They have become tourist attractions.
C. They were built by Americans. D. They are favored by architects.

4.【2021年全国乙卷】
When almost everyone has a mobile phone, why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline（座机）?
These days you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesn’t own a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere, anytime.
Still, 55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter （29%） rely only on their smartphones according to a survey （调查）. Of those Australians who still have a landline, a third concede that it’s not really necessary and they’re keeping it as a security blanket — 19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.
More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone. Age is naturally a factor（因素）— only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers who’ve perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. Age isn’t the only factor; I’d say it’s also to do with the makeup of your household.
Generation Xers with young families, like my wife and I, can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said, to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents, to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone（using Caller ID would take the fun out of it）.
How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries?
24. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones?
A. Their target users. B. Their wide popularity.
C. Their major functions. D. Their complex design.
25. What does the underlined word “concede” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Admit. B. Argue.
C. Remember. D. Remark.
26. What can we say about Baby Boomers?
A. They like smartphone games. B. They enjoy guessing callers’ identity.
C. They keep using landline phones. D. They are attached to their family.
27. What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph?
A. It remains a family necessity.
B. It will fall out of use some day.
C. It may increase daily expenses.
D. It is as important as the gas light.

5.【2021年全国乙卷】
You’ve heard that plastic is polluting the oceans — between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes enter ocean ecosystems every year. But does one plastic straw or cup really make a difference? Artist Benjamin Von Wong wants you to know that it does. He builds massive sculptures out of plastic garbage, forcing viewers to re-examine their relationship to single-use plastic products.
At the beginning of the year, the artist built a piece called “Strawpocalypse,” a pair of 10-foot-tall plastic waves, frozen mid-crash. Made of 168,000 plastic straws collected from several volunteer beach cleanups, the sculpture made its first appearance at the Estella Place shopping center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Just 9% of global plastic waste is recycled. Plastic straws are by no means the biggest source（来源）of plastic pollution but they’ve recently come under fire because most people don’t need them to drink with and, because of their small size and weight, they cannot be recycled. Every straw that’s part of Von Wong’s artwork likely came from a drink that someone used for only a few minutes. Once the drink is gone, the straw will take centuries to disappear.
In a piece from 2018, Von Wong wanted to illustrate（说明） a specific statistic: Every 60 seconds, a truckload’s worth of plastic enters the ocean. For this work, titled “Truckload of Plastic,” Von Wong and a group of volunteers collected more than 10,000 pieces of plastic, which were then tied together to look like they’d been dumped（倾倒） from a truck all at once.
Von Wong hopes that his work will also help pressure big companies to reduce their plastic footprint.
28. What are Von Wong’s artworks intended for?
A. Beautifying the city he lives in. B. Introducing eco-friendly products.
C. Drawing public attention to plastic waste. D. Reducing garbage on the beach.
29. Why does the author discuss plastic straws in paragraph 3?
A. To show the difficulty of their recycling.
B. To explain why they are useful.
C. To voice his views on modern art.
D. To find a substitute for them.
30. What effect would “Truckload of Plastic” have on viewers?
A. Calming. B. Disturbing.
C. Refreshing. D. Challenging.
31. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Artists’ Opinions on Plastic Safety
B. Media Interest in Contemporary Art
C. Responsibility Demanded of Big Companies
D. Ocean Plastics Transformed into Sculptures
6.【2021年全国乙卷】
During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction（干扰）in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street — so I can focus”. His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout（布局）. But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works.
The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking. They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background, from total silence to 50 decibels（分贝）, 70 decibels, and 85 decibels. The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant; however, the participants in the 70 decibels group — those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop — significantly outperformed the other groups. Since the effects were small, this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.
But since the results at 70 decibels were significant, the study also suggests that the right level of background noise — not too loud and not total silence — may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability. The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander, without making it impossible to focus. This kind of “distracted focus” appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.
So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus. Indeed, the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process, and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.
32 Why does the interviewer prefer a coworking space?
A. It helps him concentrate. B. It blocks out background noise.
C. It has a pleasant atmosphere. D. It encourages face-to-face interactions.
33. Which level of background noise may promote creative thinking ability?
A. Total silence. B. 50 decibels C. 70 decibels. D. 8 5 decibels.
34. What makes an open office unwelcome to many people?
A. Personal privacy unprotected. B. Limited working space.
C. Restrictions on group discussion. D. Constant interruptions.
35. What can we infer about the author from the text?
A. He’s a news reporter.
B. He’s an office manager.
C. He’s a professional designer.
D. He’s a published writer.
7.【2021年新高考全国卷Ⅰ】
When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl ( 水 禽 ) were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.
In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory ( 迁徙的) waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, lowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System — a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934 better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
28. What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?
A. Loss of wetlands. B. Popularity of water sports.
C. Pollution of rivers. D. Arrival of other wild animals.
29. What does the underlined word “decimate” mean in the first paragraph?
A. Acquire. B. Export.
C. Destroy. D. Distribute.
30. What is a direct result of the Act passed in 1934?
A. The stamp price has gone down. B. The migratory birds have flown away.
C. The hunters have stopped hunting. D. The government has collected money.
31. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A. The Federal Duck Stamp Story B. The National Wildlife Refuge System
C. The Benefits of Saving Waterfowl D. The History of Migratory Bird Hunting

8.【2021年新高考全国卷Ⅰ】
Popularization has in some cases changed the original meaning of emotional (情感的) intellingence. Many people now misunderstand emotional intelligence as almost everything desirable in a person's makeup that cannot be measured by an IQ test, such as character, motivation, confidence, mental stability, optimism and “people skills.” Research has shown that emotional skills may contribute to some of these qualities, but most of them move far beyond skill-based emotional intelligence.
We prefer to describe emotional intelligence as a specific set of skills that can be used for either good or bad purposes. The ability to accurately understand how others are feeling may be used by a doctor to find how best to help her patients, while a cheater might use it to control potential victims. Being emotionally intelligent does not necessarily make one a moral person.
Although popular beliefs regarding emotional intelligence run far ahead of what research can reasonably support, the overall effects of the publicity have been more beneficial than harmful. The most positive aspect of this popularization is a new and much needed emphasis (重视) on emotion by employers, educators and others interested in promoting social well-being. The popularization of emotional intelligence has helped both the public and researchers re-evaluate the functionality of emotions and how they serve people adaptively in everyday life.
Although the continuing popular appeal of emotional intelligence is desirable, we hope that such attention will excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study of emotion. It is our hope that in coming decades, advances in science will offer new perspectives (视角) from which to study how people manage their lives. Emotional intelligence, with its focus on both head and heart, may serve to point us in the right direction.
32. What is a common misunderstanding of emotional intelligence?
A. It can be measured by an IQ test. B. It helps to exercise a person’s mind.
C. It includes a set of emotional skills. D. It refers to a person’s positive qualities.
33. Why does the author mention “doctor” and “cheater” in paragraph 2?
A. To explain a rule. B. To clarify a concept.
C. To present a fact. D. To make a prediction.
34. What is the author’s attitude to the popularization of emotional intelligence?
A. Favorable. B. Intolerant.
C. Doubtful. D. Unclear.
35. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about concerning emotional intelligence?
A. Its appeal to the public. B. Expectations for future studies.
C. Its practical application. D. Scientists with new perspectives.
9.【2021年1月浙江卷】
At the start of the 20th century, an American engineer named John Elfreth Watkins made predictions about life today. His predictions about slowing population growth, mobile phones and increasing height were close to the mark. But he was wrong in one prediction: that everybody would walk 10 miles a day.
Today, in Australia, most children on average fall 2,000 steps short of the physical activity they need to avoid being overweight. In the early 1970s, 40 per cent of children walked to school, while in 2010, it was as low as 15 per cent.
The decline is not because we have all become lazy. Families are pressed for time, many with both parents working to pay for their house, often working hours not of their choosing, living in car-dependent neighborhoods with limited public transport.
The other side of the coin is equally a deprivation: for health and well-being, as well as lost opportunities (机会) for children to get to know their local surroundings. And for parents there are lost opportunities to walk and talk with their young scholar about their day.
Most parents will have eagerly asked their child about their day, only to meet with a “good”, quickly followed by “I’m hungry”. This is also my experience as a mother. But somewhere over the daily walk more about my son’s day comes out. I hear him making sense of friendship and its limits. This is the unexpected and rare parental opportunity to hear more.
Many primary schools support walking school-bus routes (路线), with days of regular, parent-accompanied walks. Doing just one of these a few times a week is better than nothing. It can be tough to begin and takes a little planning — running shoes by the front door, lunches made the night before, umbrellas on rainy days and hats on hot ones — but it’s certainly worth trying.

24. Why does the author mention Watkins’ predictions in the first paragraph?
A. To make comparisons. B. To introduce the topic.
C. To support her argument. D. To provide examples.
25. What has caused the decrease in Australian children’s physical activity?
A. Plain laziness. B. Health problems.
C. Lack of time. D. Security concerns.
26. Why does the author find walking with her son worthwhile?
A. She can get relaxed after work.
B. She can keep physically fit.
C. She can help with her son’s study.
D. She can know her son better.
10.【2021年1月浙江卷】
Researchers say they have translated the meaning of gestures that wild chimpanzees (黑猩猩) use to communicate. They say wild chimps communicate 19 specific messages to one another with a “vocabulary” of 66 gestures. The scientists discovered this by following and filming groups of chimps in Uganda, and examining more than 5,000 incidents of these meaningful exchanges.
Dr Catherine Hobaiter, who led the research, said that this was the only form of intentional communication to be recorded in the animal kingdom. Only humans and chimps, she said, had a system of communication where they deliberately sent a message to another group member.
“That’s what’s so amazing about chimp gestures,” she said. “They’re the only thing that looks like human language in that respect.”
Although previous research has shown that apes and monkeys can understand complex information from another animal’s call, the animals do not appear to use their voices intentionally to communicate messages. This was a significant difference between calls and gestures, Dr Hobaiter said.
Chimps will check to see if they have the attention of the animal with which they wish to communicate. In one case, a mother presents her foot to her crying baby, signalling: “Climb on me.” The youngster immediately jumps on to its mother’s back and they travel off together. “The big message from this study is that there is another species (物种) out there that is meaningful in its communication, so that’s not unique to humans,” said Dr Hobaiter.
Dr Susanne Shultz, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Manchester, said the study was praiseworthy in seeking to enrich our knowledge of the evolution of human language. But, she added, the results were “a little disappointing”.
“The vagueness of the gesture meanings suggests either that the chimps have little to communicate, or we are still missing a lot of the information contained in their gestures and actions,” she said. “Moreover, the meanings seem to not go beyond what other animals convey with non-verbal communication. So, it seems the gulf remains.”
27. What do chimps and humans have in common according to Dr Hobaiter?
A. Memorizing specific words.
B. Understanding complex information.
C. Using voices to communicate.
D. Communicating messages on purpose.
28. What did Dr Shultz think of the study?
A. It was well designed but poorly conducted.
B. It was a good try but the findings were limited.
C. It was inspiring but the evidence was unreliable.
D. It was a failure but the methods deserved praise.
29. What does the underlined word “gulf” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Difference. B. Conflict.
C. Balance. D. Connection.
30. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. Chimpanzee behaviour study achieved a breakthrough
B. Chimpanzees developed specific communication skills
C. Chimpanzees: the smartest species in the animal kingdom
D. Chimpanzee language: communication gestures translated
11.【2020年全国卷Ⅰ】
Returning to a book you’ve read many times can feel like drinks with an old friend. There’s a welcome familiarity — but also sometimes a slight suspicion that time has changed you both, and thus the relationship. But books don’t change, people do. And that’s what makes the act of rereading so rich and transformative.
The beauty of rereading lies in the idea that our bond with the work is based on our present mental register. It’s true, the older I get, the more I feel time has wings. But with reading, it’s all about the present. It’s about the now and what one contributes to the now, because reading is a give and take between author and reader. Each has to pull their own weight.
There are three books I reread annually. The first, which I take to reading every spring, is Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. Published in 1964, it’s his classic memoir of 1920s Paris. The language is almost intoxicating (令人陶醉的)，an aging writer looking back on an ambitious yet simpler time. Another is Annie Dillard’s Holy the Firm, her poetic 1975 ramble (随笔) about everything and nothing. The third book is Julio Cortazar’s Save Twilight: Selected Poems, because poetry. And because Cortazar.
While I tend to buy a lot of books, these three were given to me as gifts, which might add to the meaning I attach to them. But I imagine that, while money is indeed wonderful and necessary, rereading an author’s work is the highest currency a reader can pay them. The best books are the ones that open further as time passes. But remember, it’s you that has to grow and read and reread in order to better understand your friends.
24. Why does the author like rereading?
A. It evaluates the writer-reader relationship.
B. It’s a window to a whole new world.
C. It’s a substitute for drinking with a friend.
D. It extends the understanding of oneself.
25. What do we know about the book A Moveable Feast?
A. It’s a brief account of a trip.
B. It’s about Hemingway’s life as a young man.
C. It’s a record of a historic event.
D. It’s about Hemingway’s friends in Paris.
26. What does the underlined word ＂currency＂ in paragraph 4 refer to?
A. Debt. B. Reward. C. Allowance. D. Face value.
27. What can we infer about the author from the text?
A. He loves poetry. B. He’s an editor. C. He’s very ambitious. D. He teaches reading.
12.【2020年全国卷Ⅰ】
Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running, research shows, while most likely contributing to fewer injuries. It does, however, have its own problem.
Race walkers are conditioned athletes. The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometer race walk, which is about five miles longer than the marathon. But the sport’s rules require that a race walker’s knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact(接触) with the ground at all times. It’s this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity, however, says Jaclyn Norberg, an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.
Like running, race walking is physically demanding, she says. According to most calculations, race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories(卡路里) per hour, which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking, although fewer than running, which would probably burn about 1,000 or more calories per hour.
However, race walking does not pound the body as much as running does, Dr. Norberg says. According to her research, runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step, while race walkers, who do not leave the ground, create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step.
As a result, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers. But the sport’s strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips, so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport. In fact, anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique, she says. It takes some practice.
28. Why are race walkers conditioned athletes?
A. They must run long distances.
B. They are qualified for the marathon.
C. They have to follow special rules.
D. They are good at swinging their legs.
29. What advantage does race walking have over running?
A. It’s more popular at the Olympics.
B. It’s less challenging physically.
C. It’s more effective in body building.
D. It’s less likely to cause knee injuries.
30 What is Dr. Norberg’s suggestion for someone trying race walking?
A. Getting experts’ opinions. B. Having a medical checkup.
C. Hiring an experienced coach. D. Doing regular exercises.
31. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to race walking?
A. Skeptical. B. Objective. C. Tolerant. D. Conservative.
13.【2020年全国卷Ⅰ】
The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another, employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.
The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology（MIT）have taken it a step further — changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse, even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they’re short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. ＂We’re thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day,＂explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.
One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow（发光）in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano’s team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light, about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by, is just a start. The technology, Strano said, could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn tree into self-powered street lamps.
In the future, the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plant’s lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off ＂switch＂where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.
Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source（电源）— such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway — a lot of energy is lost during transmission（传输）. Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.
32. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. A new study of different plants. B. A big fall in crime rates.
C. Employees from various workplaces. D. Benefits from green plants.
33. What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineers?
A. To detect plants’ lack of water. B. To change compositions of plants.
C. To make the life of plants longer. D. To test chemicals in plants.
34. What can we expect of the glowing plants in the future?
A. They will speed up energy production. B. They may transmit electricity to the home.
C. They might help reduce energy consumption. D. They could take the place of power plants.
35. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Can we grow more glowing plants? B. How do we live with glowing plants?
C. Could glowing plants replace lamps? D. How are glowing plants made pollution-free?
14.【2020年全国卷Ⅱ】
Some parents will buy any high-tech toy if they think it will help their child, but researchers said puzzles help children with math-related skills.
Psychologist Susan Levine, an expert on mathematics development in young children the University of Chicago, found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills. Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition(认知) after controlling for differences in parents’ income, education and the amount of parent talk, Levine said.
The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child-parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age.
“The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not, on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate(旋转)and translate shapes,” Levine said in a statement.
The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would, and about half of children in the study played with puzzles at one time. Higher-income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently, and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills. However, boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls, and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than parents of girls.
The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science.
24. In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play?
A. Building confidence. B. Developing spatial skills.
C. Learning self-control. D. Gaining high-tech knowledge.
25.What did Levine take into consideration when designing her experiment？
A. Parents’ age. B. Children’s imagination.
C. Parents’ education. D. Child-parent relationship.
26. How do boy differ from girls in puzzle play?
A. They play with puzzles more often.
B. They tend to talk less during the game.
C. They prefer to use more spatial language.
D. They are likely to play with tougher puzzles.
27. What is the text mainly about?
A. A mathematical method. B. A scientific study.
C. A woman psychologist D. A teaching program.
15.【2020年全国卷Ⅱ】
When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list, fur probably didn’t cross your mind. But some ecologists and fashion (时装）enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria(海狸鼠).
Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have（showcased）nutria fur made into clothes in different styles. “It sounds crazy to talk about guilt-free fur-unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year”, says Cree McCree, project director of Righteous Fur.
Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters $5 a tail. Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month.
Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild. “The ecosystem down there can’t handle this non-native species（物种）.It’s destroying the environment. It’s them or us." says Michael Massimi, an expert in this field.
The fur trade kept nutria check for decades，but when the market for nutria collapsed in the late 1980s，the cat-sized animals multiplied like crazy.
Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana. He says it’s not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green, but he has no doubt about it. Hunters bring in more than 300,000 nutria tails a year, so part of Mouton’s job these days is trying to promote fur.
Then there’s Righteous Fur and its unusual fashion. Morgan says，“To give people a guilt-free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them—1 think that’s going to be a massive thing, at least here in New York.” Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable. She trying to come up with a lable to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco-friendly.
28. What is the purpose of the fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn?
A. To promote guilt-free fur.
B. To expand the fashion market.
C. To introduce a new brand.
D. To celebrate a winter holiday.
29. Why are scientists concerned about nutria?
A. Nutria damage the ecosystem seriously.
B. Nutria are an endangered species.
C. Nutria hurt local cat-sized animals.
D. Nutria are illegally hunted.
30. What does the underlined word “collapsed” in paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. Boomed. B. Became mature.   C. Remained stable.  D. Crashed.
31. What can we infer abouf wearing fur in New York according to Morgan?
A. It’s formal. B. It’s risky. C. It’s harmful. D. It’s traditional.

16.【2020年全国卷Ⅲ】
We are the products of evolution, and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago. As scientists look deeper into our genes(基因), they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years. People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes. Cattle-raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation(突变) that helps them digest milk as adults.
On Thursday in an article published in Cell, a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation — not to air or to food, but to the ocean. A group of sea-dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers. The Bajau, as these people are known, number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. They have traditionally lived on houseboats; in recent times, they’ve also built houses on stilts(支柱) in coastal waters. “They are simply a stranger to the land," said Redney C. Jubilado, a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau.
Dr. Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines. They made a living as divers, spearfishing or harvesting shellfish. "We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders," Dr. Jubilado said. “I could see them actually walking under the sea."
In201, Melissa Ilardo, then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen, heard about the Bajau. She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them. “It seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population," said Dr. Ilardo. She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive.
32. What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1?
A. Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers. B. New knowledge of human evolution.
C. Recent findings of human origin. D. Significance of food selection.
33. Where do the Bajau build their houses?
A. In valleys. B. Near rivers. C. On the beach. D. Off the coast.
34. Why was the young Jubilado astonished at the Bajau?
A. They could walk on stilts all day. B. They had a superb way of fishing.
C. They could stay long underwater. D. They lived on both land and water.
35. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea B. Highlanders’ Survival Skills
C. Basic Methods of Genetic Research D. The World’s Best Divers
17.【2020年新高考卷Ⅰ】
According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions（份）, it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.
To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly（表面上）participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.
Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.
For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.
The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?
12. What is the recent study mainly about? （ ）
A. Food safety. B. Movie viewership.
C. Consumer demand. D. Eating behavior.
13. What does the underlined word "beanpoles" in paragraph 1 refer to? （ ）
A. Big eaters. B. Overweight persons.
C. Picky eaters. D. Tall thin persons.
14. Why did the researchers hire the actor? （ ）
A. To see how she would affect the participants.
B. To test if the participants could recognize her.
C. To find out what she would do in the two tests.
D. To study why she could keep her weight down.
15. On what basis do we "adjust the influence" according to the last paragraph? （ ）
A. How hungry we are. B. How slim we want to be.
C. How we perceive others. D. How we feel about the food.

18.【2020年7月浙江卷】
I am an active playgoer and play-reader, and perhaps my best reason for editing this book is a hope of sharing my enthusiasm for the theater with others. To do this I have searched through dozens of plays to find the ones that I think best show the power and purpose of the short play.
Each play has a theme or central idea which the playwright（剧作家）hopes to get across through dialogue and action. A few characters are used to create a single impression growing out of the theme. It is not my intention to point out the central theme of each of the plays in this collection, for that would, indeed, ruin the pleasure of reading, discussing, and thinking about the plays and the effectiveness of the playwright. However, a variety of types is represented here. These include comedy, satire, poignant drama, historical and regional drama. To show the versatility（多面性）of the short play, I have included a guidance play, a radio play and a television play.
Among the writers of the plays in this collection, Paul Green, Susan Glaspell, Maxwell Anderson, Thornton Wilder, William Saroyan, and Tennessee Williams have all received Pulitzer Prizes for their contributions to the theater. More information about the playwrights will be found at the end of this book.
To get the most out of reading these plays, try to picture the play on stage, with you, the reader, in the audience. The houselights dim（变暗）. The curtains are about to open, and in a few minutes the action and dialogue will tell you the story.
21. What do we know about the author from the first paragraph?
A. He has written dozens of plays. B. He has a deep love for the theater.
C. He is a professional stage actor. D. He likes reading short plays to others.
22. What does the author avoid doing in his work?
A. Stating the plays’ central ideas. B. Selecting works by famous playwrights.
C. Including various types of plays. D. Offering information on the playwrights.
23. What does the author suggest readers do while reading the plays?
A. Control their feelings. B. Apply their acting skills.
C. Use their imagination. D. Keep their audience in mind.
24. What is this text?
A. A short story. B. An introduction to a book.
C. A play review. D. An advertisement for a theater.
19.【2020年7月浙江卷】
The traffic signals along Factoria Boulevard in Bellevue, Washington, generally don’ t flash the same length of green twice in a row, especially at rush hour. At 9：30 am, the full red/yellow/green signal cycle might be 140 seconds. By 9：33 am, a burst of additional traffic might push it to 145 seconds. Less traffic at 9：37 am could push it down to 135. Just like the traffic itself, the timing of the signals changes.
That is by design. Bellevue, a fast-growing city, just east of Seattle, uses a system that is gaining popularity around the US：intersection（十字路口） signals that can adjust in real time to traffic conditions. These lights, known as adaptive signals, have led to significant declines in both the trouble and cost of travels between work and home.
“Adaptive signals can make sure that the traffic demand that is there is being addressed,” says Alex Stevanovic, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University.
For all of Bellevue’ s success, adaptive signals are not a cure-all for jammed roadways. Kevin Balke, a research engineer at the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute, says that while smart lights can be particularly beneficial for some cities, others are so jammed that only a sharp reduction in the number of cars on the road will make a meaningful difference. “It’s not going to fix everything, but adaptive signals have some benefits for smaller cities,” he says.
In Bellevue, the switch to adaptive signals has been a lesson in the value of welcoming new approaches. In the past, there was often an automatic reaction to increased traffic: just widen the roads, says Mark Poch, the Bellevue Transportation Department’s traffic engineering manager. Now he hopes that other cities will consider making their streets run smarter instead of just making them bigger.
25. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Increased length of green lights. B. Shortened traffic signal cycle.
C. Flexible timing of traffic signals. D. Smooth traffic flow on the road.
26. What does Kevin Balke say about adaptive signals?
A. They work better on broad roads.
B. They should be used in other cities.
C. They have greatly reduced traffic on the road.
D. They are less helpful in cities seriously jammed.
27. What can we learn from Bellevue’ s success?
A. It is rewarding to try new things. B. The old methods still work today.
C. It pays to put theory into practice. D. The simplest way is the best way.
20.【2020年7月浙江卷】
Challenging work that requires lots of analytical thinking, planning and other managerial skills might help your brain stay sharp as you age, a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology suggests.
Researchers from the University of Leipzig in Germany gathered more than 1, 000 retired workers who were over age 75 and assessed the volunteers’ memory and thinking skills through a battery of tests. Then, for eight years, the scientists asked the same group to come back to the lab every 18 months to take the same sorts of tests.
Those who had held mentally stimulating（刺激）, demanding jobs before retirement tended to do the best on the tests. And they tended to lose cognitive（认知）function at a much slower rate than those with the least mentally challenging jobs. The results held true even after the scientists accounted for the participants’ overall health status.
“This works just like physical exercise,” says Francisca Then, who led the study. “After a long run, you may feel like you’re in pain, you may feel tired. But it makes you fit. After a long day at work — sure, you will feel tired, but it can help your brain stay healthy. ”
It’s not just corporate jobs, or even paid work that can help keep your brain fit, Then points out. A waiter’ s job, for example, that requires multitasking, teamwork and decision-making could be just as stimulating as any high-level office work. And “running a family household requires high-level planning and coordinating（协调）,” she says. “You have to organize the activities of the children and take care of the bills and groceries.”
Of course, our brains can decline as we grow older for lots of reasons — including other environmental influences or genetic factors. Still, continuing to challenge yourself mentally and keeping your mind busy can only help.
28. Why did the scientists ask the volunteers to take the tests?
A. To assess their health status. B. To evaluate their work habits.
C. To analyze their personality. D. To measure their mental ability.
29. How does Francisca Then explain her findings in paragraph 4?
A. By using an expert’s words. B. By making a comparison.
C. By referring to another study. D. By introducing a concept.
30. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. Retired Workers Can Pick Up New Skills
B. Old People Should Take Challenging Jobs
C. Your Tough Job Might Help Keep You Sharp
D. Cognitive Function May Decline As You Age
21.【2020年1月浙江卷】
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is road testing a new way to keep winter roads ice-free — by spreading on them cheese brine, the salty liquid used to make soft cheeses, like mozzarella.
Wisconsin, also called “America’s Dairyland,” is famous for its cheese. The state produced 2.8 billion pounds of cheese last year! As a result, there was a lot of leftover cheese brine. Disposing of (处置) the brine can be expensive. So what should cheese makers do with the waste?
Normally, towns use rock salt to de-ice streets. The salt lowers water’s freezing point, causing ice to melt (融化). But using cheese brine could help both cheese producers and cities save money, while keeping roads safe. Cheese brine has salt in it, which, like the rock salt, helps lower water’s freezing point.
In addition to saving money, cheese brine could also be a more eco-friendly option. Many people suspect that all the rock salt used every winter is harming the environment.
Rock salt is made of sodium chloride, the same compound (化合物) in ordinary table salt. Sounds harmless, right? But while you probably add only a small amount of salt to your food, road crews spread about 20 million tons of salt on U.S. roads every year!
The chemical washes off roads and goes into the ground. There it can pollute drinking water, harm plants, and eat away soil. By spreading cheese brine on streets before adding a layer of rock salt, Milwaukee may be able to cut its rock salt use by 30 percent.
Cheese brine has a downside too — a smell similar to that of bad milk. “I don’t really mind it,” Emil Norby told Modern Farmer magazine. He works for one of Wisconsin’s county highway commissions and came up with the idea of using cheese brine. “Our roads smell like Wisconsin!” he said.
24. Why can cheese brine help keep winter roads ice-free?
A. It is soft. B. It contains salt.
C. It is warm. D. It has milk in it.
25. What is a benefit of using cheese brine on roads?
A. Improving air quality. B. Increasing sales of rock salt.
C. Reducing water pollution. D. Saving the cheese industry.
26. Milwaukee’s new way to de-ice streets may be an example of ______.
A. barking up the wrong tree B. putting the cart before the horse
C. robbing Peter to pay Paul D. killing two birds with one stone
22.【2020年北京卷】
Baggy has become the first dog in the UK—and potentially the world—to join the fight against air pollution by recording pollutant levels near the ground.
Baggy wears a pollution monitor on her collar so she can take data measurements close to the ground. Her monitor has shown that air pollution levels are higher closer to ground level, which has helped highlight concerns that babies and young kids may be at higher risk of developing lung problems.
Conventional air pollution monitors are normally fixed on lampposts at about nine feet in the air. However, since Baggy stands at about the same height as a child in a pushchair（婴儿车）, she frequently records pollution levels which are much higher than the data gathered by the Environment A gency.
The doggy data research was the idea of Baggy's 13-vea-old owner Tom Hunt and his dad Matt. The English youngster noticed that pollution levels are around two-thirds higher close to the ground than they are in the air at the height where they are recorded by the agency. Tom has since reported the shocking findings to the government in an attempt to emphasise that babies are at higher risk of developing asthma（哮喘）.
Matt Hunt said he was "very proud" of his son because “when the boy gets an idea, he keeps his head down and gets on with it, and he really does want to do some good and stop young kids from getting asthma."
“Tom built up a passion for environmental protection at a very early age," Matt added. “He became very interested in gadgets（小装置）. A bout one year ago, he got this new piece of tech which is like a test tube. One Sunday afternoon, we went out to do some monitoring, and he said, why don't we put it on Baggy's collar and let her monitor the pollution？'So we did it."
Tom said, "Most of the time, Baggy is just like any other dog. But for the rest of the time she is a super dog, and we are all really proud of her."
34. With a monitor on her collar, Baggy can ____________.（ ）
A. take pollutant readings B. record pollutant levels
C. process collected data D. reduce air pollution
35. What can we learn from the Baggy data? （ ）
A. High places are free of air pollution. B. Higher pushchairs are more risky for kids.
C. Conventional monitors are more reliable. D. Air is more polluted closer to the ground.
36. What is Tom's purpose of doing the research? （ ）
A. To wan of a health risk. B. To find out pollution sources.
C. To test his new monitor. D. To prove Baggy's abilities.
37. According to the passage, which word can best describe Tom Hunt?（ ）
A. Modest. B. Generous. C. Creative. D. Outgoing.


1.【2021届湖南省教育联合体高三7月联考】
They call it the “rule of 150”. An anthropologist(人类学家)called Robin Dunbar made a study of 21 different primitive societies. He found that they all lived in villages of around 150 people. Then he asked people living in modern cities to make a list of all the people they knew well enough to talk to. Each of them made a list of around 150 people. Many of us have left village life behind. But the idea of the village has not left us.
Other studies of businesses and army units have shown that when people are forced into groups of over 150 they become inefficient. There are just too many people around to communicate with effectively. It also seems that when our personal “villages” become too small, people feel lonely. We need other people to help us.
Many people see life as a kind of journey. As they travel they pick up things they need. These are friends, a family and jobs. This is a narrow way of looking at things. It does not explain why people who get good jobs and become rich are often unhappy.
Using the “rule of 150”, we can see things differently. Instead of being a lonely traveler, you are the head of your own village. You are responsible for every part of village life. Getting a good job helps with the “economic development of your village. But you also need to pay attention to the social harmony of your village.
Many people think that happiness is about winning a race. The winner gets a great job, a perfect family and a lot of money. The loser should expect to be unhappy. The “rule of 150” teaches us that happiness comes with getting the right balance of relationship in our lives.
In a competitive society it is easy to judge people according to the kind of job they have or how much money they make. In fact, we are all the boss of our own villages. This is a difficult job. It is worthy of your respect.
24．What does the figure “150” relate to?
A．The size of a group. B．The number of groups.
C．The amount of work. D．The number of primitive societies.
25．What is the author’s opinion about “seeing life as a kind of journey”?
A．It only refers to rich people. B．It doesn’t include village life.
C．It can’t cover all possibilities in life. D．It may bring about unhappiness.
26．What do you do as the head of your own village?
A．Take a long journey with the other villagers.
B．Compete against others to achieve happiness.
C．Use the “rule of 150” to improve the village life.
D．Deal properly with the people and things around you.
27．What is the “rule of 150” discussed in the text mainly about?
A．The journey of life. B．Relationship in one’s life.
C．The way to look at things. D．The competitive society.

2.【2021届广西钦州市第一中学高三开学摸底】
Antioxidants (抗氧化剂) in coffee are thought to help protect against stroke — but too much must raise blood pressure, which increases the risk, according to Japanese researchers. Similarly, green tea could also be beneficial for preventing the shocking event, caused when a blood vessel(血管) in or serving the brain is blocked.
The study looked at the drinking habits of more than 83,000 healthy adults, aged 45 to 74, whose health was tracked for 13 years on average. They found that people who drank at least one cup of coffee a day had about a 20 percent lower risk of stroke, compared to those who rarely drank it. To get an equal effect, about four cups of green tea a day were required.
All results were adjusted to take into account differences between the groups in age composition, gender, smoking, alcohol, weight, diet and exercise. Dr. Yoshihiro Kokubo, lead author of the study, published in the journal Stroke, said, “The regular action of drinking tea and coffee, largely benefits cardiovascular (心脏血管的) health.”
Their results for coffee were similar to that of “study of studies”, presented at a European conference, which found that one to three cups a day was associated with a 14 percent reduction. For three to six cups, there appeared to be a similar but weaker association, but there was no benefit from drinking six or more.
Exactly why coffee and green tea appears to lower stroke risk is unclear, although antioxidants are thought to be at work. However, the science is by no means cut and dried. Caffeine raises blood pressure, and there have been indications that too much coffee can raise stroke risk because of this.
Dr. Dale Webb, from the Stroke Association said, “We welcome this study which suggests that the benefits of antioxidants in coffee and green tea may offset the potential harm from caffeine.” He thought, the results show higher consumption of green tea and coffee might reduce the risks of stroke. “We would like to see further research to understand these findings,” he said.
28．What may lead to a stroke according to the first paragraph?
A．Higher blood pressure. B．Drinking a cup of coffee a day.
C．Blocked blood vessels in the brain. D．Antioxidants.
29．What can we infer from the passage?
A．The study mainly focuses on middle­aged people.
B．Drinking one cup of coffee a day benefits health.
C．Those who seldom drink coffee are healthier.
D．Drinking tea contributes to stroke.
30．What is the attitude of Dr. Dale Webb toward this study?
A．He saw more findings of this study unsatisfiedly.
B．He understood the difficulty of this study.
C．He appreciated the achievements of this study.
D．He was disappointed to find no following research.
31．What can be a suitable title for the text?
A．Drinking coffee raises blood pressure B．Drinking tea reduces stroke
C．Drinking coffee equals drinking tea D．Drinking tea or coffee properly matters

3.【2021届江西省景德镇一中高三8月月考】
When our ancestors were peasants in the earliest days of agriculture, the daily schedule was: work in field all day, eat midday meal in field, continue working in field. Today, after centuries of human advancement, it goes something like: work in coffee shop all day, buy and eat lunch there, continue toiling away on laptop until the sun sets. Though it may seem like the tech boom and gig economy(临时工经济) led the way in this modern mobile work style, working and dining have always been intertwined. In major cities like New York, Washington D．C．, Sydney and Hong Kong, restaurants are changing into official co-working spaces during off-peak hours.
Dr. Megan Elias, director of the gastronomy program at Boston University, says food and business have been linked since as far back as the ancient Sumer (who established civilization as we know it around 4000 B．C．) “What we think of as street food has always been part of human civilization,” she says. “There have always been marketplaces where humans came together to conduct some kind of business — like trading grain, trading animals or building houses. As long as there have been marketplaces, people have been eating at them while also doing business.”
The first example of a brick-and-mortar “restaurant” came during the merchant economy in the 15th and 16th centuries, according to Elias. During this stage in European, African, and East and South Asian history, inns allowed merchant businessmen to rest — and of course, eat — throughout their travels. During the colonial era of the 1600s and 1700s, concrete examples of American restaurants emerged as “Coffee Houses”. Coffee Houses were places that had newspapers, which at the time were very small and commercial," author and social historian Jan Whitaker explains.
Coffee houses remained tradesman staples throughout the early 19th century, with simple menu items like rolls and meat pies. More “grand meals,” as Elias calls them, were still taking place within homes for non-traveling folk. But, when the U.S. began industrializing in the 1840s and people stayed near workplaces during the day, eating establishments popped up around factories.
“Industrialization of the city is also restaurantization of the city,” Elias says. “Places sprung up to serve a business lunch crowd and an after-work dining crowd again, still doing business.”
8．How does the author mentioned our ancestors in paragraph1?
A．To make comparisons B．To present figures.
C．To raise questions D．To give examples
9．When did restaurants begin to provide not only eating but sheltering?
A．around 4000 B．C． B．in the 15th and 16th centuries.
C．During the 1600s and 1700s. D．In the early 19th century.
10．What can we learn about Coffee houses?
A．Newspapers were produced there first.
B．The food served there was limited at first.
C．They were especially popular around factories.
D．It was a perfect place for entertainment and eating.
11．What can be best title of the text?
A．the function of eating out. B．The slow formation of the modern city.
C．the evolution of the restaurant. D．The age of more work, less eating.

4.【湖南省汨罗2021届高三入学考试】
The royal family is filled with rules, and one in particular might explain why Princess Charlotte is a princess, but her kids likely won't be.
When it comes to the British royal family, one thing is almost always true: they have a pretty confusing set of official rules and protocols. For instance, the royal family doesn't have a last name. And don't forget the fact that Queen Elizabeth celebrates two birthdays every year.
If your head isn't swimming yet, consider the tradition of royal titles. As a British custom, only the daughter of a prince or a prince's wife may be considered a formal “princess”. The latter applies to Kate, who is both a princess and the Duchess of Cambridge thanks to her marriage to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. And their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, also bear official royal titles because their father is Prince William.
However, while Prince George's future children will also carry their father's royal status, any children that Princess Charlotte has will not automatically be considered princes or princesses. Why? Royal custom dictates that royal titles are passed down via sons, but not daughters.
However, while Prince George's future children will also carry their father's royal status, any children that Princess Charlotte has will not automatically be considered princes or princesses. Why? Royal custom dictates that royal titles are passed down via sons, but not daughters.
"Royal titles are inherited through sons, so if Princess Charlotte has children they would not automatically inherit the titles (his or her royal highness) HRH, Prince, or Princess,” Lucy Hume, associate director of etiquette experts Debrett's, told Town& Country.
Of course, exceptions can (and will!) be made. (Learn about every time the British royal family broke their own protocol.) The Queen has offered HRH status to other royal offspring in the past, including the children of Queen Elizabeth's daughter, Anne. Although Princess Anne and her husband, Captain Phillips, declined, perhaps Princess Charlotte will be extended the same offer when her own children are born.
12．What's the meaning of the underlined word "protocol" in the second paragraph?
A．Promise. B．Behavior. C．Manners. D．Connection.
13．What kind of child is regarded as "princess"?
A．The son of a princess. B．The daughter of a prince.
C．The daughter of a princess. D．The wife of a king.
14．Who is Charlotte's father?
A．Prince George. B．Elizabeth. C．Prince William. D．Captain Philips.
15．What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
A．Any person can break traditional rules.
B．Not every person must obey traditional rules.
C．Any British royal family member has their own title.
D．Maybe the British royal family will break their own rules.
5.【2021届安徽省六校教育研究会高三第一次素质测试】
While walking through some remote forest in Indonesia’s West Sumatra, some biologists claim to have spotted the world’s largest flower ever recorded.
The flower is a giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae, a species that only comes out for about seven days at the end of the plant’s lifespan. The record flower measured in at a diameter of 111 centimeters, which makes it larger than the previous record holder by 4 centimeters, also a Rafflesia tuan-mudae. “This is the largest Rafflesia tuan-mudae that has ever been documented,” said Ade Putra at the Agam Conservation Agency in Sumatra.
The flower is characterized by its flesh-colored petals (花瓣) that are covered in white spots. That might not sound like the most attractive description, but it’s proper considering the smell this species is known to give off. Rafflesia tuan-mudae is a type of special flower, which smells like a dying body. Don’t let this fact lessen the glory of a find like this, however. What the flower lacks in fragrance makes up for its appealing biology.
The pungent smell is meant to attract flies, which are this flower’s main pollinators (传粉者). Interestingly, it’s still a mystery as to what type of animal distributes the tuan-mudae seeds. These plants also grow inside the root of a host plant for around nine months until suddenly showing themselves to the world with their giant smelly flowers.
They were named “Rafflesia” after a British colonist (殖民者), Sir Stamford Raffles, who was the first to officially identify one in the early 19th century. Hopefully for Raffles’ sake, it was named after him to honor the discovery, not because of the good sir’s smell.
Luckily, it takes a special kind of scientists to run toward one of these flowers rather than away, but in this case the prize was worth the smell. Whatever its smell, it’s a special plant, and it’s encouraging that such rare natural wonders can still find room to grow on our crowded planet.
8．What was the diameter of the previous record holder of the biggest flower?
A．111 centimeters. B．104 centimeters.
C．107 centimeters. D．115 centimeters.
9．What does the underlined word “pungent” mean in Paragraph 4?
A．Strong and unpleasant. B．Relaxing and soft.
C．Fragrant and sharp. D．Pleasant and attractive.
10．What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
A．When the flower was found. B．Where the flower was found.
C．How the flower was named. D．Why the flower was so special.
11．How does the author find the discovery?
A．Nervous. B．Fortunate. C．Annoyed. D．Satisfied.

6.【广东省佛山市2021届高三质检】
There are many options for free video conferencing (会议) apps. Here’s our short list of the best ones, where they shine and where they fall short.
Google Hangouts
The free video chat app from Google is a great example of a consumer-grade app. It integrates with Gmail and Google Calendar, making it easier for users to operate.
Up to 10 participants can join the live conference with a plug-in application. And as it doesn’t support dual stream video and content, some users complain that the video is not clear or reliable.
Skype
The app, developed by Microsoft, gives 10 users access to a conference. It’s worth noting that Microsoft is integrated with Skype.
A plug-in application is required. Advanced features are fascinating, but only available for paid subscription.
Zoom
The free video conferencing solution from Zoom provides a service for group video calls with over 100 participants. The Zoom Basic plan allows users to have 40-minute calls with a handful of features like screen sharing, local recording and camera filters.
A plug-in application is necessary. All calls, which are limited to 40 minutes or less, are secured.
Lifesize
Lifesize has been in the video conferencing industry for long. By setting up a free account with Lifesize, you can quickly start a free video call with up to 25 participants. It is web-based and doesn’t require downloads or an application on your devices. Guests can join the live call right from the website by clicking on your personal meeting ID link.
To use the additional features like 300-way calling, Microsoft integrations and 4K video conference room systems requires a paid subscription.
1．Which aspect of Google Hangouts is not satisfactory?
A．User capacity.
B．Video quality.
C．User-friendliness.
D．Technical support.
2．Which app offers a ten-minute conference service with 30 people for free?
A．Google Hangouts. B．Skype. C．Zoom. D．Lifesize.
3．What is special about Lifesize?
A．It integrates with Microsoft.
B．It is completely free of charge.
C．There is no time limit to its conferences.
D．No application is needed for participants.

7.【广东省深圳市高级中学2021届高三模拟】
Boston wants to be smarter. The city has taken advantage of technologies to become more responsive to its residents' needs. But technology alone is not sufficient to make today's cities liveable. Boston has discovered that it also needs to reach the old-fashioned low-tech community and integrate that technology with city life.
Kris Carter rolled out Boston's smart city program in 2014. It started with an App that residents could download to report locations where sidewalks needed repair. The city sorted out those reports and ranked them in a database, which repair crews used to prioritize their work.
The system worked beautifully, except for one problem: most of the alerts(警报) came from wealthier neighborhoods, where the concentration of smartphone - equipped residents was highest. ＂The complaints from the App didn't always correlate with the greatest community need for repairs, " explains Carter.
Carter's group has moved away from the model common to many smart city initiatives of letting tech-savvy(精通技术的）residents drive the process. Instead, they run meetings to find out what problems people in different neighborhoods care about solving. When it came to sidewalks, Boston introduced a second method of collecting repair tips, hiring people to get out and walk the city's 1,700 miles of sidewalks to take notes on their condition.
Whether using low-tech or high-tech approaches, says Carter, to stay smart, a city needs to continually reassess its options to spot opportunities to improve residents' lives. Take the sidewalk repair program, walking on the streets was proved a useful, if inefficient way to prioritize repair needs. But last year the group found that walkers' mobile phones could be tracked as they moved along the streets, and that data could be analyzed to identify sidewalk routes which are most often used by neighborhoods.
“Combined with our other sidewalk information, that gave us an even better way to predict where faster repairs would do the most good," says Carter,"We're really always looking for whatever mix of approaches best solves the problem."
12．What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A．The citizens' life. B．The city's reputation.
C．The city's management. D．The benefits of technology.
13．What problem did Kris Carter's team meet when carrying out their program?
A．They faced many technical obstacles.
B．They couldn't serve all residents well.
C．They were not supported by residents.
D．They were annoyed by being short-staffed.
14．Which of the following might Kris Carter most agree with?
A．Maximizing the benefits of technology.
B．Mixing approaches for solving problems.
C．Giving full play to the power of residents.
D．Letting tech companies be a leading role.
15．What can be a suitable title for the text?
A．A Smart City: More Than Just Tech
B．A City with Intelligent Facilities
C．Joint-effort in City Construction
D．The Modernization of a City

8.【2020届四川省天府名校高三5月教学质量联合测评】
I. M. Pei, one of the best-known architects of the 20th century, has died. He was 102. Born in China, Ieoh Ming Pei moved to the United States in 1935 to study architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
Pei’s works around the world include museums, government buildings, hotels, schools and other structures built with stone, steel and glass. One of his best-known and most disputed works was built 30 years ago. Pei created a new entrance for the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris. Pei first spent four months studying the museum and French history. He then drew plans for a 21-meter-tall steel and glass id, with three smaller pyramids nearby. It was a very futuristic style of work for the 12th-century building.
A French newspaper criticized Pei’s pyramids as “an annex to Disneyland”. An environmental group said they belonged in a desert. Others accused Pei of ruining one of the world’s greatest landmarks.
Pei said the Louvre was the most difficult job of his career. He argued that he had wanted to create a modern space that would not take away from the traditional part of the museum. He said the glass pyramids were based on the works of French landscape architect Le Notre. They honored French history.
The pyramids opened in the spring of 1989. Over the years that followed, the structure came to be loved by most, if not all, of its critics.
Other well-known Pei buildings include the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester, Massachusetts, the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Dallas City Hall in Texas. Pei officially retired in 1990. However, he continued to work on projects—including museums in Luxembourg, Qatar and his ancestral home of Suzhou.
8．What is true about the entrance created by Pei for the Louvre Museum?
A．Pei spent four mouths drawing plans for it. B．There are four pyramids in total.
C．It’s in a style of the 12th century. D．It took 30 years to complete the work.
9．What can we infer from Pei’s words in Paragraph 4?
A．The glass pyramids were originally designed by Le Notre.
B．The glass pyramids were based on the French landscape.
C．The glass pyramids were in harmony with the Louvre.
D．The glass pyramids reflected both French and Chinese style.
10．What were most people’s attitudes towards Pei’s pyramids years after its opening?
A．Indifferent. B．Puzzled.
C．Critical. D．Favorable.
11．What do we know about Pei according to the passage?
A．He was hardworking, optimistic and easygoing.
B．He spread Chinese traditional architecture to the world.
C．He created many great works both in China and other countries.
D．He was the most outstanding architect of the 20th century.

9.【2020届河北省衡水中学高三第六次调考】
The 2019 World Conference on VR Industry shows that Virtual Reality （VR） technology can be used to revolutionize people's experiences in practically any field．
Held in Nanchang from Oct． 19 to 22， the annual conference attracted more than 300 experts， leading scholars and company principals from over 30 countries． The theme of this year's World Conference on VR Industry was "VR+5G tor a new age of insight．" Conferences and exhibitions， which hosted more than 2，000 companies from across the world， were held during the event．
As China introduces 5G this year， experts and industry insiders said that the VR industry will hug the new era． "We will take the lead in VR technology creativity． For example， the technology has already been applied successfully to this year's National Day parade． The popularity of the technology among younger generations of users guarantees a large potential market， said Guo Ping， representative of Huawei．
In 2018， Oral Roberts University in the USA opened a new Global Learning Center， which has classrooms equipped with 360-degree cameras on the wail， which follows and records professors as they teach． Through an app on the smart phone， students can see images in 3D and manipulate （操纵）them．
In May 2019， a VR theme park opened to the public in London． Covering about 13，000 square meters with 120 sets of advanced VR equipment， the park attracts thousands of visitors every day．
During the 22nd Asian Music Festival， the musical Eight made its second appearance． Eight is a unique fusion of music， theater， VR technology and visual art， in which audience members wear VR headsets to walk through and manipulate an equipment． The show tells a poetic story of an old woman looking back on her life and it lasts for 15 minutes．
12．What does this year's World Conference suggest？ ______
A．VR technology can be used only with 5G．
B．VR technology can change people's lives．
C．China's 5G technology will take the lead．
D．More VR theme parks will be opened to public．
13．Why is Guo Ping confident about VR technology？ ______
A．Because it attracts experts to cooperate．
B．Because it has a large overseas market．
C．Because young customers have interest in it．
D．Because it has changed how to teach and learn．
14．What does the underlined word " fusion'' in the last paragraph refer to？ ______
A．research B．process
C．combination D．type
15．Which is the best title of the passage？ ______
A．China Is Leading the Way in the World
B．VR Technology Development in China
C．5G Technology： China Moves Ahead Quickly
D．The Bright Future of VR in Diverse Fields

10.【2020届辽宁省沈阳市东北育才学校高中部高三第八次模拟】
Has the volume in a restaurant ever made you finish your meal early? If so, you're not alone. Restaurants handle diners in various ways to influence food choices and consumption, from lighting to menu to server presentation. Unfortunately for those headache-prone restaurant goers, some places also choose to turn up the tunes and the background noise.
Chef Mario Batali is often blamed for the phenomenon of very loud or noisy restaurants in the 1990s, when he decided to flood the dining room with the same loud tunes he was playing in his kitchen. And other chefs followed suit. Some restaurateurs felt a "livelier" atmosphere encouraged more customers to dine there, and a side "benefit" was quicker table turnover, thus increasing the number of people who could dine in a specific evening.
A 1985 study out of Fairfield University looked at how chewing speed varied according to the type of music being played. Although the volume level was kept the same for both musical situations, it's important to note that fast-tempo (节奏) music often gives the impression of being louder than slower music.
"A significant increase in the number of bites per minute was found, and the effect was largest for fast music," the researchers wrote in the study. So, the faster, louder music gets people to down their food more quickly, relieving the table for future customers.
There are opinions about whether or not this is a sound practice. "A restaurant that places profit above dining experience often plays loud music with a fast tempo that puts diners under pressure to eat more quickly, even if that means they're less able to enjoy their meal," writes Dr. Neel Burton in Psychology Today, adding that loud, fast music reduces appetite.
What's more, some would-be repeat diners will shy away for fear of another very loud meal. The non-profit group Action on Hearing Loss found in a 2016 survey of nearly 1,500 people that 91% of those who view a restaurant as too noisy would choose not to return.
4．Why did some bosses of the restaurants favour loud music?
A．It might help attract more customers.
B．It was the favorite kind of music of them.
C．It made the restaurants softer and sweeter.
D．It could increase the popularity of their chefs.
5．What plays the most important role in the effect of music on diners according to the passage?
A．Its content. B．Its length.
C．Its speed. D．Its quality.
6．What is Dr. Neel Burton's attitude towards flooding restaurants with noisy music?
A．Doubtful. B．Disapproving.
C．Positive. D．Objective.
7．What could be a suitable tile for the text?
A．What People Think of Loud Restaurants?
B．Are Customers to Blame?
C．How Restaurants Improve Themselves?
D．Does Loud Music Really Benefit Restaurants?