【备考2023】高考英语热点+重难点专题特训学案（全国通用）——热点练02 阅读理解之记叙文

这是一份【备考2023】高考英语热点+重难点专题特训学案（全国通用）——热点练02 阅读理解之记叙文，文件包含备考2023高考英语热点+重难点专题特训学案全国通用热点练03阅读理解之说明文教师版docx、备考2023高考英语热点+重难点专题特训学案全国通用热点练03阅读理解之说明文学生版docx等2份学案配套教学资源，其中学案共72页， 欢迎下载使用。

热点练03 阅读理解之说明文

最近五年，说明文的出现变化不大，一直很稳定，选材通常是各学科的前沿问题；高科技领域的科研成果；人们比较关心的社会问题；人文方面的经典。说明文所选材料题材丰富多样，涉及社会、科技、文化、生活、人物、教育、生态、安全等方面。说明文在高考阅读理解中的重要性不容忽视。







一、细读文章重点
关注文章结构；文章主题句；各段首末句；体现作者观点态度的词句。
二、明确说明对象
通读全文，明确作者是针对哪一个说明对象从不同的角度和侧面对其加以说明的。在阅读过程中要概括、总结每一段说明的侧重点，理清各段之间的逻辑联系，加深对说明对象的理解。
三、弄清说明顺序
在说明的过程中作者会选择合理的说明顺序对说明对象进行有条不紊的解说。把握了说明顺序，就能准确把握文章的脉络，加深对整篇文章的理解。
四、把握作者态度
说明文的首段一般借用生活中的某个场景事件引入说明的事物。一般穿插人们对被说明事物的看法和观点，要仔细体会观点的倾向性和情感色彩，来对比作者态度和写作情感。
五、吃透长难句子
学会运用括号法分析长难句，把影响考生理解的各种从句、非谓语动词短语以及复杂介词短语括起来，从而达到“去枝叶，留主干”的目的，进而准确理解句子含义。
六、学会适当放弃
无关大局的生僻词汇阅读中经常会遇到一些生词，如果这些生词对理解全文没有影响或影响不大就可略过。较长的人名、地名有许多较长的表示人名、地名等的专有名词，阅读时可一扫而过或干脆用其首字母代替，不必试图把整个专有名词读出来。
说明文热衷话题有：科普类，环保类。





真题链接



（每篇限时7分钟）
【2022新高考1卷】
B
Like most of us, I try to be mindful of food that goes to waste. The arugula (芝麻菜)was to make a nice green salad, rounding out a roast chicken dinner. But I ended up working late. Then friends called with a dinner invitation. I stuck the chicken in the freezer. But as days passed, the arugula went bad. Even worse, I had unthinkingly bought way too much; I could have made six salads with what I threw out.
In a world where nearly 800 million people a year go hungry, “food waste goes against the moral grain,” as Elizabeth Royte writes in this month’s cover story. It’s jaw-dropping how much perfectly good food is thrown away — from “ugly” (but quite eatable) vegetables rejected by grocers to large amounts of uneaten dishes thrown into restaurant garbage cans.
Producing food that no one eats wastes the water, fuel, and other resources used to grow it. That makes food waste an environmental problem. In fact, Royte writes, “if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world.”
If that’s hard to understand, let’s keep it as simple as the arugula at the back of my refrigerator. Mike Curtin sees my arugula story all the time — but for him, it's more like 12 bones of donated strawberries nearing their last days. Curtin is CEO of DC Central Kitchen in Washington, D.C., which recovers food and turns it into healthy meals. Last year it recovered more than 807,500 pounds of food by taking donations and collecting blemished (有瑕疵的) produce that otherwise would have rotted in fields. And the strawberries? Volunteers will wash, cut, and freeze or dry them for use in meals down the road.
Such methods seem obvious, yet so often we just don’t think. “Everyone can play a part in reducing waste, whether by not purchasing more food than necessary in your weekly shopping or by asking restaurants to not include the side dish you won’t eat,” Curtin says.
24. What does the author want to show by telling the arugula story?
A. We pay little attention to food waste.
B. We waste food unintentionally at times.
C. We waste more vegetables than meat.
D. We have good reasons for wasting food.
25. What is a consequence of food waste according to the test?
A. Moral decline. B. Environmental harm.
C. Energy shortage. D. Worldwide starvation.
26. What does Curtin’s company do?
A. It produces kitchen equipment.
B. It turns rotten arugula into clean fuel.
C. It helps local farmers grow fruits.
D. It makes meals out of unwanted food.
27. What does Curtin suggest people do?
A. Buy only what is needed.
B. Reduce food consumption.
C. Go shopping once a week.
D. Eat in restaurants less often.
C
The elderly residents (居民) in care homes in London are being given hens to look after to stop them feeling lonely.
The project was dreamed up by a local charity (慈善组织) to reduce loneliness and improve elderly people’s wellbeing, It is also being used to help patients suffering dementia, a serious illness of the mind. Staff in care homes have reported a reduction in the use of medicine where hens are in use.
Among those taking part in the project is 80-year-old Ruth Xavier. She said: “I used to keep hens when I was younger and had to prepare their breakfast each morning before I went to school. ”
“I like the project a lot. I am down there in my wheelchair in the morning letting the hens out and down there again at night to see they’ve gone to bed.”
“It’s good to have a different focus. People have been bringing their children in to see the hens and residents come and sit outside to watch them. I’m enjoying the creative activities, and it feels great to have done something useful.”
There are now 700 elderly people looking after hens in 20 care homes in the North East, and the charity has been given financial support to roll it out countrywide.
Wendy Wilson, extra care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the project, said: “Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here.”
Lynn Lewis, director of Notting Hill Pathways, said: “We are happy to be taking part in the project. It will really help connect our residents through a shared interest and creative activities.”
28. What is the purpose of the project?
A. To ensure harmony in care homes.
B. To provide part-time jobs for the aged.
C. To raise money for medical research.
D. To promote the elderly people’s welfare.
29. How has the project affected Ruth Xavier?
A. She has learned new life skills.
B. She has gained a sense of achievement.
C. She has recovered her memory.
D. She has developed a strong personality.
30. What do the underlined words “embark on” mean in paragraph 7?
A. Improve. B. Oppose. C. Begin. D. Evaluate.
31. What can we learn about the project from the last two paragraphs?
A. It is well received.
B. It needs to be more creative.
C. It is highly profitable.
D. It takes ages to see the results.

D
Human speech contains more than 2,000 different sounds, from the common “m” and “a” to the rare clicks of some southern African languages. But why are certain sounds more common than others? A ground-breaking, five-year study shows that diet-related changes in human bite led to new speech sounds that are now found in half the world’s languages.
More than 30 years ago, the scholar Charles Hockett noted that speech sounds called labiodentals, such as “f” and “v”, were more common in the languages of societies that ate softer foods. Now a team of researchers led by Damián Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has found how and why this trend arose.
They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human adults were aligned (对齐), making it hard to produce labiodentals, which are formed by touching the lower lip to the upper teeth. Later, our jaws changed to an overbite structure (结构), making it easier to produce such sounds.
The team showed that this change in bite was connected with the development of agriculture in the Neolithic period. Food became easier to chew at this point. The jawbone didn’t have to do as much work and so didn’t grow to be so large.
Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global change in the sound of world languages after the Neolithic age, with the use of “f” and “v” increasing remarkably during the last few thousand years. These sounds are still not found in the languages of many hunter-gatherer people today.
This research overturns the popular view that all human speech sounds were present when human beings evolved around 300,000 years ago. ”The set of speech sounds we use has not necessarily remained stable since the appearance of human beings, but rather the huge variety of speech sounds that we find today is the product of a complex interplay of things like biological change and cultural evolution,“ said Steven Moran, a member of the research team.
32. Which aspect of the human speech sound does Damián Blasi’s research focus on?
A. Its variety.
B. Its distribution.
C. Its quantity.
D. Its development.
33. Why was it difficult for ancient human adults to produce labiodentals?
A. They had fewer upper teeth than lower teeth.
B. They could not open and close their lips easily.
C. Their jaws were not conveniently structured.
D. Their lower front teeth were not large enough.
34. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?
A. Supporting evidence for the research results.
B. Potential application of the research findings.
C. A further explanation of the research methods.
D. A reasonable doubt about the research process.
35. What does Steven Moran say about the set of human speech sounds?
A. It is key to effective communication.
B. It contributes much to cultural diversity.
C. It is a complex and dynamic system.
D. It drives the evolution of human beings.

【2022年全国甲卷】

B
Goffin’s cockatoos, a kind of small parrot native to Australasia, have been shown to have similar shape-recognition abilities to a human two-year-old. Though not known to use tools in the wild, the birds have proved skilful at tool use while kept in the cage. In a recent experiment, cockatoos were presented with a box with a nut inside it. The clear front of the box had a “keyhole” in a geometric shape, and the birds were given five differently shaped “keys” to choose from. Inserting the correct “key” would let out the nut.
In humans, babies can put a round shape in a round hole from around one year of age, but it will be another year before they are able to do the same with less symmetrical (对称的) shapes. This ability to recognize that a shape will need to be turned in a specific direction before it will fit is called an “allocentric frame of reference”. In the experiment, Goffin’s cockatoos were able to select the right tool for the job, in most cases, by visual recognition alone. Where trial-and-error was used, the cockatoos did better than monkeys in similar tests. This indicates that Goffin’s cockatoos do indeed possess an allocentric frame of reference when moving objects in space, similar to two-year-old babies.
The next step, according to the researchers, is to try and work out whether the cockatoos rely entirely on visual clues (线索), or also use a sense of touch in making their shape selections.
24. How did the cockatoos get the nut from the box in the experiment?
A. By following instructions. B. By using a tool.
C. By turning the box around. D. By removing the lid.
25. Which task can human one-year-olds most likely complete according to the text?
A. Using a key to unlock a door.
B. Telling parrots from other birds.
C. Putting a ball into a round hole.
D. Grouping toys of different shapes.
26. What does the follow-up test aim to find out about the cockatoos?
A. How far they are able to see.
B. How they track moving objects.
C. Whether they are smarter than monkeys.
D. Whether they use a sense of touch in the test.
27. Which can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Cockatoos: Quick Error Checkers
B. Cockatoos: Independent Learners
C. Cockatoos: Clever Signal-Readers
D. Cockatoos: Skilful Shape-Sorters

C
As Ginni Bazlinton reached Antarctica, she found herself greeted by a group of little Gentoo penguins (企鹅) longing to say hello. These gentle, lovely gatekeepers welcomed her and kick-started what was to be a trip Ginni would never forget.
Ever since her childhood, Ginni, now 71, has had a deep love for travel. Throughout her career (职业) as a professional dancer, she toured in the UK, but always longed to explore further. When she retired from dancing and her sons eventually flew the nest, she decided it was time to take the plunge.
After taking a degree at Chichester University in Related Arts, Ginni began to travel the world, eventually getting work teaching English in Japan and Chile. And it was in Chile she discovered she could get last-minute cheap deals on ships going to Antarctica from the islands off Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of the South American mainland. “I just decided I wanted to go,” she says. “I had no idea about what I’d find there and I wasn’t nervous, I just wanted to do it. And I wanted to do it alone as I always prefer it that way.”
In March 2008, Ginni boarded a ship with 48 passengers she’d never met before, to begin the journey towards Antarctica. “From seeing the wildlife to witnessing sunrises, the whole experience was amazing. Antarctica left an impression on me that no other place has,” Ginni says. “I remember the first time I saw a humpback whale; it just rose out of the water like some prehistoric creature and I thought it was smiling at us. You could still hear the operatic sounds it was making underwater.”
The realization that this is a precious land, to be respected by humans, was one of the biggest things that hit home to Ginni.
28. Which of the following best explains “take the plunge” underlined in paragraph 2?
A. Try challenging things. B. Take a degree.
C. Bring back lost memories. D. Stick to a promise.
29. What made Ginni decide on the trip to Antarctica?
A. Lovely penguins. B. Beautiful scenery.
C. A discount fare. D. A friend’s invitation.
30. What does Ginni think about Antarctica after the journey?
A. It could be a home for her. B. It should be easily accessible.
C. It should be well preserved. D. It needs to be fully introduced.
31. What is the text mainly about?
A. A childhood dream. B. An unforgettable experience.
C. Sailing around the world. D. Meeting animals in Antarctica.
【2022全国乙卷】
C
Can a small group of drones (无人机) guarantee the safety and reliability of railways and, at the same time, help railway operators save billions of euros each year? That is the very likely future of applying today’s “eyes in the sky” technology to making sure that the millions of kilometres of rail tracks and infrastructure (基础设施) worldwide are safe for trains on a 24/7 basis.
Drones are already being used to examine high-tension electrical lines. They could do precisely the same thing to inspect railway lines and other vital aspects of rail infrastructure such as the correct position of railway tracks and switching points. The more regularly they can be inspected, the more railway safety, reliability and on-time performance will be improved. Costs would be cut and operations would be more efficient (高效) across the board.
That includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection of railway personnel safety. It is calculated that European railways alone spend approximately 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sending maintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the rail infrastructure. That can be dangerous work that could be avoided with drones assisting the crews’ efforts.
By using the latest technologies, drones could also start providing higher-value services for railways, detecting faults in the rail or switches, before they can cause any safety problems. To perform these tasks, drones for rail don’t need to be flying overhead. Engineers are now working on a new concept: the rail drones of the future. They will be moving on the track ahead of the train, and programmed to run autonomously. Very small drones with advanced sensors and AI and travelling ahead of the train could guide it like a co-pilot. With their ability to see ahead, they could signal any problem, so that fast-moving trains would be able to react in time.
28. What makes the application of drones to rail lines possible?
A. The use of drones in checking on power lines.
B. Drones’ ability to work at high altitudes.
C. The reduction of cost in designing drones.
D. Drones’ reliable performance in remote areas.
29. What does “maintenance” underlined in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Personnel safety.
B. Assistance from drones.
C. Inspection and repair.
D. Construction of infrastructure.
30. What function is expected of the rail drones?
A. To provide early warning.
B. To make trains run automatically.
C To earn profits for the crews.
D. To accelerate transportation.
31. Which is the most suitable title for the text?
A. What Faults Can Be Detected with Drones
B. How Production of Drones Can Be Expanded
C. What Difficulty Drone Development Will Face
D. How Drones Will Change the Future of Railways

D
The Government’s sugar tax on soft drinks has brought in half as much money as Ministers first predicted it would generate, the first official data on the policy has shown.
First announced in April, 2016, the tax which applies to soft drinks containing more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, was introduced to help reduce childhood obesity (肥胖). It is believed that today’s children and teenagers are consuming three times the recommended level of sugar, putting them at a higher risk of the disease.
Initially the sugar tax was expected to make £520m a year for the Treasury. However, data of the first six months showed it would make less than half this amount. At present it is expected to generate £240m for the year ending in April 2019, which will go to school sports.
It comes after more than half of soft drinks sold in shops have had their sugar levels cut by manufacturers (制造商) so they can avoid paying the tax. Drinks now contain 45 million fewer kilos of sugar as a result of manufacturers’ efforts to avoid the charge, according to Treasury figures. Since April drinks companies have been forced to pay between 18p and 24p for every litre of sugary drink they produce or import, depending on the sugar content.
However some high sugar brands, like Classic Coca Cola, have accepted the sugar tax and are refusing to change for fear of upsetting consumers. Fruit juices, milk-based drinks and most alcoholic drinks are free of the tax, as are small companies manufacturing fewer than 1m litres per year.
Today’s figures, according to one government official, show the positive influence the sugar tax is having by raising millions of pounds for sports facilities (设施) and healthier eating in schools. Helping the next generation to have a healthy and active childhood is of great importance, and the industry is playing its part.
32. Why was the sugar tax introduced?
A To collect money for schools.
B. To improve the quality of drinks.
C. To protect children’s health.
D. To encourage research in education.
33. How did some drinks companies respond to the sugar tax?
A. They turned to overseas markets.
B. They raised the prices of their products.
C. They cut down on their production.
D. They reduced their products’ sugar content.
34. From which of the following is the sugar tax collected?
A. Most alcoholic drinks.
B. Milk-based drinks.
C. Fruit juices.
D. Classic Coke.
35. What can be inferred about the adoption of the sugar tax policy?
A. It is a short-sighted decision. B. It is a success story.
C. It benefits manufacturers. D. It upsets customers.
【2022年新高考2卷C篇】
Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.
Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse. Americans are still texting while driving, as well as using social networks and taking photos. Road accidents, which had fallen for years, are now rising sharply.
That is partly because people are driving more, but Mark Rosekind, the chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said distracted（分心）driving was "only increasing, unfortunately. "
"Big change requires big ideas. " he said in a speech last month, referring broadly to the need to improve road safety. So to try to change a distinctly modern behavior, lawmakers and public health experts are reaching back to an old approach: They want to treat distracted driving like drunk driving.
An idea from lawmakers in New York is to give police officers a new device called the Textalyzer. It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of the drivers and use the Textalyzer to check in the operating system for recent activity. The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York's hands-free driving laws.
"We need something on the books that can change people's behavior,” said Félix W. Ortiz, who pushed for the state's 2001 ban on hand-held devices by drivers. If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, "people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone. "
8. Which of the following best describes the ban on drivers' texting in the US?
A. Ineffective. B. Unnecessary.
C. Inconsistent. D. Unfair.
9. What can the Textalyzer help a police officer find out?
A. Where a driver came from.
B. Whether a driver used their phone.
C. How fast a driver was going.
D. When a driver arrived at the scene.
10. What does the underlined word "something" in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Advice. B. Data. C. Tests. D. Laws.
11. What is a suitable title for the text?
A. To Drive or Not to Drive? Think Before You Start
B. Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer
C. New York Banning Hand-Held Devices by Drivers.
D. The Next Generation Cell Phone: The Textalyzer.
【2022年新高考2卷D篇】
As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it used to be. In most people the first signs show up in their 50s or early 60s. And among people who don’t exercise, the changes can start even sooner.
“Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart. Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that even if you haven’t been an enthusiastic exerciser, getting in shape now may help improve your aging heart.
Levine and his research team selected volunteers aged between 45 and 64 who did not exercise much but were otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic (无氧) exercise—balance training and weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw remarkable improvements in heart health.
“We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,” says Levine. “And the reason they got so much stronger and fitter was that their hearts could now fill a lot better and pump (泵送) a lot more blood during exercise. ” But the hearts of those who participated in less intense exercise didn’t change, he says.
“The sweet spot in life to start exercising, if you haven’t already, is in late middle age when the heart still has flexibility,” Levine says. “We put healthy 70-year-olds through a yearlong exercise training program, and nothing happened to them at all. ”
Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, says Levine’s findings are a great start. But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.
12. What does Levine want to explain by mentioning the rubber band?
A. The right way of exercising. B. The causes of a heart attack.
C. The difficulty of keeping fit. D. The aging process of the heart.
13. In which aspect were the two groups different in terms of research design?
A. Diet plan. B. Professional background.
C. Exercise type. D. Previous physical condition.
14. What does Levine’s research find?
A. Middle-aged hearts get younger with aerobic exercise.
B. High-intensity exercise is more suitable for the young.
C. It is never too late for people to start taking exercise.
D. The more exercise we do, the stronger our hearts get.
15. What does Dr. Nieca Goldberg suggest?
A. Making use of the findings. B. Interviewing the study participants.
C. Conducting further research. D. Clarifying the purpose of the study.
热点练



【名校联盟（浙江省名校新高考研宄联盟）2022-2023学年髙三第一次联考】
C
Before you worry about bacon and how much it may cost when new animal welfare laws go into effect next year, let’s talk about the pigs that gave their lives for it.
California has been on the forefront of protecting animals who live short lives on factory farms either to produce food for us or to be slaughtered and sold as food. The latest advance came in November 2018, when 62.7% of the state’s voters supported Proposition 12, the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act. The law began going into effect last year, requiring hens and veal calves to be given more space to live in. Starting on Jan. 1st, the law will require that all eggs sold in California come from cage-free hens and that pork sold in the state come from breeding pigs that are not held in cages. These are humane steps designed to lift these animals out of structures that barely allow them to move.
Pork producers have had the longest time to comply (遵守). Some big companies like Hormel Foods have pledged to do so fully, but others have spent the last few years fighting the law rather than figuring out how to put it into practice. They say that the law will significantly raise the price of pork and that it violates the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, which gives Congress sole power over interstate business activity. So far, that fight has been a waste of time that pork producers could have better spent figuring out how to retrofit (翻新)their farms.
They also complain that the regulations on the law are not set. But the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which has yet to finalize the regulations, says that the delay should not have prevented producers from retrofitting their housing for breeding pigs. The agency has publicly posted draft regulations, which mostly concern record-keeping, certification and definitions of terms.
For fans of bacon and other pork, any rise in cost is the price of not having a pig suffer before it’s killed for food. It’s a price the animals shouldn’t have to pay.
28. What do we know about Proposition 12?
A. The law will come into force next year.
B. More space is required for raising hens and pigs.
C. Raising hens and pigs in limited space is humane.
D. Half of the state’s voters subscribed to Proposition 12.
29. What does the underlined word “pledged” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Suspect. B. Refuse. C. Promise. D. Hesitate.
30. Which of the following is TRUE according to paragraph 3?
A. Some pork producers have raised the price of pork.
B. All the pork producers don’t comply with the law.
C. Pork producers have wasted a lot of time retrofitting their farms.
D. Pork producers resist the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.
31. Which word can best describe the author's attitude to the new animal welfare laws?
A. Skeptical. B. Conservative C. Tolerant. D. Favorable.
D
Tina Brigham, a 50-year-old store owner from a suburb of Washington, DC, wrestled with the puzzles while waiting for customers. “If it’s a 30-minute puzzle, I try to figure it out in 12,” she said. After several years, she found she could easily put together employee work schedules in her head. A lot of stores use an electronic scheduling tool, but I have all the data in my mind,” she said. “I think my brain seems sharper and more focused because of the game.”
The games do seem to work. In one 2020 study, Gary Small, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center, found that 1,091 women and men who frequently played cards, bingo, or did crossword puzzles had sharper thinking and memory skills — equivalent to an IQ up to 5.6 points higher — than those who rarely did. The study doesn’t prove that the puzzles directly led to the higher IQs, but it does show that even people who increased their game-playing in their 70s seemed to get brain benefits within a few years.
Exactly how games sharpen memory and cognitive function is still something of a mystery. But advances in neuroimaging (神经影像学) allow researchers to study how the brain reacts to all sorts of outside stimulation. Small later included 60 women and men completing Latin squares. As the puzzles grew more difficult with fewer clues, players slowed down and made more mistakes. That’s when he discovered something surprising: More regions of the brain got involved, especially in the prefrontal cortex (前额叶皮质区)，an area involved with problem-solving, judgment, and memory.
Small suggests that if you find yourself debating whether to spend the next 20 minutes taking a walk or playing a brain game, you should choose the walk. Physical activity can help deliver oxygen and fuel to your brain cells. “If you do one thing to help your brain, I’d say it’s exercise.” he says. “Getting good sleep and keep a balanced diet are also important. Brain games work best as part of a whole package of brain-healthy strategies. And remember: A little fun never hurts.
32. How does the author introduce the topic in paragraph 1?
A. By sharing a story. B. By comparing facts.
C. By report findings. D. By presenting figures.
33. What can we know from Gary Small's study?
A. Puzzles directly leads to higher IQs.
B. People in their 70s benefit more from brain games.
C. How games sharpen minds has not been clearly understood.
D. Physical activities play an equally important role ais brain games.
34. Why does the author mention good sleep and a healthy diet in the last paragraph?
A. To advocate good sleep and a balanced diet.
B. To advise what we should do to keep healthy.
C. To stress the importance of good sleep and a healthy diet.
D. To explain that brain games function best as part of brain-healthy strategies.
35. What is the main idea of the text?
A. Puzzles make brains sharp and focused.
B. Physical activities play an important role in sharp thinking.
C. Brain games are beneficial to memory skills and cognitive function.
D. Sharp memory and cognitive function depend largely on brain games.
【2023届安徽省江淮十所名校高三第一次联考】
A contact lens (隐形眼镜) that can release a drug if it detects high pressure within the eye has been created by scientists who say it could help treat glaucoma.
Glaucoma is an eye disease that involves damage to the optic nerve, and can lead to blindness if not treated. According to the charity Glaucoma UK, the most common form of the disease, known as primary open angle glaucoma, is thought to affect almost 10% of people older than 75. This form is generally caused by increased pressure within the eye, usually as a result of a buildup of fluid.
Researchers in China revealed they have developed a contact lens that can sense an increase in pressure within the eye and release an anti-glaucoma drug if the pressure transcends a certain level.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the team describe how they created the device using an upper and lower lens, with a snowflake-shaped pressure sensor and wireless power transfer device sandwiched between them around the rim of the lenses. When the pressure inside the eye increases, the gap between the upper and lower lenses decreases. This is detected by the pressure sensor by means of a cantilever. The sensor then sends a signal to the wireless system which subsequently triggers the release of an anti-glaucoma drug, from a hydrogel attached to an electrode, and enables it to cross the cornea of the eye. The drug, brimonidine, acts to reduce the pressure within the eye.
The study reveals that the contact lenses have so far been tested on pigs’ eyes and on the eyes of living rabbits—albeit with smaller-sized lenses—although trials have yet to be carried out in humans. The researchers note the lenses are not only soft and minimally invasive but are also battery-free, adding that the approach could be expanded to help tackle other eye diseases.
Prof Zubair Ahmed from the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham who was not involved in the work, said the research was potentially very exciting, adding that a rise in pressure within the eye was a significant problem for most people with glaucoma. “The materials required to create such contact lenses are inexpensive and soon could be mass-produced.” he added.
12. Who can probably get help from the contact lens?
A. Those who are blind.
B. Those who have glaucoma.
C. Those who are older than 75.
D. Those who are under heavy pressure.
13. Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “transcends” in paragraph 3?
A. Exceeds. B. Maintains. C. Lowers. D. Balances.
14. How did the team create the device?
A. By crossing the cornea of the eye and then sending a signal.
B. By enlarging the gap between the upper and lower lenses.
C. By using brimonidine to increase the pressure within the eye.
D. By employing pressure sensor and wireless power transfer device.
15. What can we learn about the contact lenses?
A. They are safe but too costly.
B. They have been tested on humans.
C. They will be put on the market soon.
D. They need to be used with battery power.
【河南省豫东名校2022-2023学年高三上学期开学摸底联考】
C
Color can affect moods, emotions and even actions. This includes sleep and health. In ancient cultures, color therapy is even used as a method of healing.
The color blue has been thought to stimulate (促进) a sleep state. Exposure to blue light can help lower body temperature and blood pressure. A decrease in blood pressure and body temperature is the preparation that signals to the body that it’s time to sleep. Therefore, seeing the color blue when you are ready to rest may cause the response and help you fall asleep more easily.
While there is much evidence that blue is the best choice for your bedroom walls, it’s really the tone that influences your sleep, not the color itself. Deep blue or other neutral (中性的) tones will even make a small bedroom seem more spacious.
While soft colors and earth tones are the most calming and restful bedroom colors for sleep, bright colors prevent your brain activity. These colors stimulate brain activity and stop you from falling asleep. While many parents paint their children’s rooms with bright colors, it’s better to choose fun, playful colors in gentle tones to encourage their kids to go to sleep. Light yellow, green and blue are all amazing choices to paint your children’s bedroom.
What you should remember is that never paint your bedroom walls purple! Purple stimulates creative thought and can lead to extremely vivid nightmares. Other bad choices for bedroom colors include bright reds and bright oranges. These colors stimulate the brain and increase energy. For example, red causes passion, increases energy and may even help you move more quickly. It may be a better choice for your home gym than for your sleep space.
Regardless of the size of your room, there are a few tones that we suggest for creating a healthy space for deep sleep. The most important factor is that you feel relaxed, calm and restful in the room. You should also keep your bedroom free from mess as much as possible and keep it clean. In your bedroom, sleep should be your main focus.
8. What is the effect the color blue has on people?
A. It can cause high blood pressure. B. It can keep the brain active.
C. It can adjust the sleep state. D. It can cool the body down.
9. Which color can help make the room look larger?
A. Light grey. B. Deep pink. C. Deep red. D. Orange.
10. What’s Paragraph 5 mainly about?
A. Ways to make sure of good sleep. B. Bad colors for the bedroom.
C. Color and brain activities. D. The advice on health.
11. What plays a key role in sleep?
A. The room is decorated well. B. The room is free from rubbish.
C. The room makes you feel at ease. D. The room shows different tones.
D
The sounds of the Northern Lights have been a mystery to scientists for over a century. But now it seems that a researcher has figured out how auroras (极光) really make sounds.
“It has pretty much been confirmed all over the world,” historian Fiona Amery said. “ In Canada, Norway and Russia, they are all hearing very much the same sounds.”
“The auroras can occur hundreds of kilometers above the ground,which strengthens opinions that their sounds are just a false impression,” said Fiona. Many scientists argued that auroras were too far away to hear and that any sound would take several minutes to reach the ground, so it was impossible for them to change in time with the auroras.
However, other scientists were convinced that the Northern Lights really made noises. In the 1920s, Canadian astronomer Clarence Chant first suggested a mechanism by which they could occur: The motion of the aurora caused changes in the electrification of the atmosphere that created crackling sounds close to the ground. Almost 100 years later, Clarence’s suggestion seems close to what could be the true reason for the sounds.
In 2012, an expert named Unto Laine showed a recording of auroral sounds after years of monitoring auroras. In 2016, he announced the mechanism that makes the sounds: an inversion layer (逆温层) of cold air in the atmosphere that can form below an aurora and a short distance above the ground in calm weather.
Unto argues that visible changes in the aurora cause changes in the inversion layer, causing accumulated electricity to discharge as sparks (火花) that create sounds that can be heard. That explains how the sounds correspond with the aurora’s visible movements — they begin to happen in the inversion layer only about 75 meters above the observer.
12. What are the words Fiona said in Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. The existence of the sounds of the Northern Lights.
B. The need to make full use of the Northern Lights.
C. The problems caused by the Northern Lights.
D. The cause of the Northern Lights.
13. What can we learn about Clarence’s suggestion in the 1920s?
A. It matched a lot of old ideas. B. It was well recognized then.
C. It might be of great value. D. It was a total failure.
14. How does the author convey his idea in the text?
A. By listing research numbers. B. By making comparisons.
C. By providing explanations. D. By giving examples.
15. Which is the most suitable title for the text?
A. Can We Enjoy the Northern Lights?
B. Do the Northern Lights Make Sounds?
C. Why Should We Study the Northern Lights?
D. How Do the Northern Lights Come into Being?
【湖北省高中名校联盟2023届新高三第一次联合测评】
C
There are many sources of debate on a long Toad trip, including route selection, the choice of snacks, and, probably most importantly, what to Play on the radio. Finding a way for all parties to listen to their own audio without the need for headphones has been a goal of car makers for decades, and scientists may have finally managed it.
A team from the University of Le Mans in France carefully positioned microphones, speakers and filters（过滤器）to create personalised sound zones (PSZs) inside a car, and the small regions are where sound from a set of speakers can be heard clearly. Outside these, it can not be heard.
One barrier which scientists have previously been unable to overcome was the impact of moving one’s seat. They were able to form a PSZ, but unable to move it to follow a person if they moved the seat forwards or backwards.
The French team created a new algorithm(算法) specifically to tackle this issue, which handles the sound waves to create “bright” and “dark” zones in the car. “Loudspeakers are placed in the headrests, and specific filters for each transducer(换能器) are calculated to reproduce a sound signal that maintains good quality in the zone under consideration and is strongly weakened in other zones.” said Dr Lucas Vindrola, the author of the study. “The key to the technique working properly is having sufficient microphones placed around the car to detect how many people are in the car and where they are sitting. The price to pay is to have control microphones in the passenger section, so that the algorithm can work.”
However, the technique is not yet ready to be commercially rolled out as a luxurious optional extra just yet, as it currently works only for a limited range of frequencies.
28. What was once a challenge for scientists?
A. PSZs could hardly be formed.
B. The sound of moving a seat is loud,
C. They couldn’t create movable PSZs.
D. The seats couldn’t be moved back and forth.
29. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A. How the impact of moving one’s seat was addressed.
B. Why enough microphones are placed around the car.
C. When the algorithm can work well for all passengers.
D. Where “bright” and “dark” zones are created in the car.
30. What can we infer about the new technique?
A. It currently works without limitation.
B. It has been put into use commercially.
C. It can function well with enough microphones.
D. It is costly to detect the position of microphones.
31. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To launch a new debate.
B. To tackle an old problem.
C. To advertise an algorithm.
D. To introduce a new technology.
D
Several days ago Spanish fashion brand Zara sparked a fee debate after releasing its latest campaign featuring a Chinese model with freckles（雀斑）. Actually, there are some different beauty standards between the East and the West.
In East Asia, freckles might be considered a “destructive weakness” for celebrities, especially actors or singers. Although normal people don’t care that much, subconsciously they might prefer a “clean” face. Generally speaking, freckles are more likely to appear if people are out in the sun frequently, and most East Asian women avoid the sun as best they can.
Having freckles, instead, is a trademark for unconventional beauty in the Western world, and some call freckles “angel kisses”. For most westerners, having freckles is no longer just something you have to live with; instead, it is something to be desired. After all, not everyone is lucky enough to have freckles.
When it comes to eye shapes, it seems Western and Chinese beauty standards don’t see eye-to-eye. Many Chinese think girls with big eyes are the most beautiful. If their eyes have a double fold eyelid, that is considered perfect. However, most foreigners seem to prefer Chinese girls with slanted（斜的）and narrow eyes and eyebrows. Chinese known model Lyv Yan is often considered the country’s most beautiful by foreigners, while quite a few Chinese people think her appearance doesn’t fit with traditional beauty standards.
Young, girly feature or hot and mature feature? Zhao Liying from China, Aragaki Yui from Japan and Lim Yoon-A from South Korea enjoy high popularity in Asia, as they boast bright faces with warm smiles, which win them lots of male fans. The three young celebrities represent Asia’s beauty standards: women with cute, girly features. Most women in Asia try their best to stay young accordingly. Unlike Chinese girls, Western girls think a more mature look shows independence and uniqueness. The superhero Wonder Woman is an ideal type for most.
As ties continue to grow between China and the West, it is unavoidable that these beauty standards develop. But one thing’s for sure — no matter how you look, you are who you are, and that should be satisfaction enough.
32. What do most western people think of having freckles?
A. It is something unbearable.
B. It is a destructive weakness.
A. It is something to wish for.
D. It is a symbol of traditional beauty.
33. What do the underlined words “see eye-to-eye” mean in Paragraph 4?
A. Have the same opinion.
B. Recognize their strengths.
C. Misunderstand each other.
D. Argue against one another.
34. Why do western girls prefer to appear mature?
A. They think this beauty standard is better.
B. They want to look independent and unique.
C. They hope to have high popularity in Asia.
D. They admire Wonder Woman very much.
35. What does the text mainly talk about?
A. What Zara’s beauty standard is.
B. Why Chinese people don’t like freckles.
C. What causes the different beauty standards.
D. How easterners and westerners think of beauty.
【江苏省南通市通州、兴化、泗洪2022-2023学年高三上学期第一次质量监测考试】
C
A new study focused on birds examines how the movements of rivers in the Amazon have contributed to that area’s exceptional biological diversity.The research team, led by the American Museum of Natural History, found that as small river systems change over time, they spur the evolution of new species. The findings also reveal previously unknown bird species in the Amazon that are only found in small areas next to these dynamic river systems, putting them at high risk of extinction.
The lowland rainforests of the Amazon River basin harbor(藏匿) more diversity than any other ecosystem on the planet. It is also a globally important biome(生物群落) containing about 18 percent of all trees on Earth and carrying more fresh water than the next seven largest river basins combined. Researchers have long wondered and hotly debated how the Amazon’s rich biodiversity arose and accumulated.
“Early evolutionary biologists like Alfred Russel Wallace noticed that many species of primates and birds differ across opposite riverbanks in the Amazon,”said the study’s lead author Lukas Musher. “Moreover, accumulating geological evidence has suggested that these rivers are highly dynamic, moving around the South American landscape over relatively short time periods, on the order of thousands or tens of thousands of years.”
To investigate how the movement of rivers across the landscape has influenced the accumulation of bird species in the Amazon, the researchers sequenced the genomes(基因组) of six species of Amazonian birds.
Because these rivers move around the landscape at different time scales, their movements can have varying outcomes for bird species: when river rearrangements occur quickly, populations of birds on each side can combine before they’ve had time to differ; when river changes happen slowly, species have a longer time to diverge from one another.
8. What does the underlined word “spur” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Stimulate. B. Renew. C. Pursue. D. Interrupt.
9. What have researchers debated on?
A. What the Amazon’s biodiversity indicates.
B. How the Amazon’s biodiversity was formed.
C. Whether the Amazon has the richest biodiversity.
D. Why Amazon bird species are at risk of distinction.
10. What can we conclude from LukasMusher’s words?
A. There are six species of American birds.
B. Rivers move very slowly in South America.
C. Most species differ across opposite Amazon riverbanks.
D. River movement may lead to the Amazon’s biodiversity.
11. What has influenced the change of bird species in the Amazon?
A. The location of river movement. B. The populations of birds.
C. The speed of river movement. D. The amount of the genomes.
D
China’s first group of e-sports major graduates will emerge in the summer of 2021,with data showing that even though this major has been underestimated by the public, the future appears promising as there are hundreds of thousands of related jobs available.
After the Ministry of Education decided that “electronic sports and management” should be listed in colleges’ major departments in September 2016, around 30 Chinese universities kicked off their e-sports major courses in the same year, to meet the needs of the rise of e-sports related industries in the Chinese market.
“The major is designed to meet the demand,”said Zheng Duo,co-founder of Tianjin Hero Sports Management and a visiting professor from the Communication University of China(CUC).
Chinese passion for e-sports is not in doubt, with more than 18,000 e-sports companies registered as of 2021, according to corporate database Qichacha.The number of e-sports users in China reached 500 million in 2021, and the market had a value of more than 145 billion yuan as of 2020, according to Chinese consulting group iResearch. Meanwhile,the industry chain is becoming more complete.
Jobs in areas such as supervision and content production require talent and training. The number of available jobs is estimated at 500,000,and could reach 3.5 million in the next five years, according to China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.
Well-known universities such as CUC and the Shanghai Theatre Academy have responded to the country’s call and are preparing graduates for the e-sports market.Yet not every major graduate is qualified for the positions available, as the jobs normally require practical experience,which is something a lot of graduates lack.
Industry insiders have indicated that e-sports is an industry with rapid iteration(迭代), and some companies prefer to hire people with experience instead of spending time training recruits.
Roughly half of the graduates will enter the gaming industry, said Xiao Pi, an e-sports major graduate from CUC. “Some of the rest will pursue further studies for their master’s degree.”
“Even though e-sports majors have advantages in finding jobs, students need practical experience to better suit the different positions,” said Gu Liming, president of Perfect World Games.
12. What do the public think of e-sports majors according to the text?
A. They don’t exist in job markets.
B. They deserve a promising future.
C. They don’t have a wide appeal.
D. They replace many other majors.
13. Why did universities start to offer e-sports major courses in 2016?
A. They had great passion for electronic sports.
B. They wanted to respond to the public’s call.
C. They had the potential for e-sports courses.
D. They wanted to meet the social demands.
14. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. E-sports have a large database.
B. E-sports see a larger-scale market.
C. E-sports get advice from iResearch.
D. E-sports arise from a complete chain.
15. What do e-sports graduates really need to be better qualified for the positions?
A. The fierce competition. B. Familiarity with markets.
C. Practical experience. D. A master’s degree.
【江苏南京六校联合体2023届高三联合调研试题】
Tourists visiting the Canary Islands can often hear locals communicating over long distances by whistling—not a tune, but the Spanish language. The locals are communicating in Silbo, a much more widespread use of whistled languages. In at least 80 cultures worldwide, people have developed whistled versions of their local languages when the circumstances call for it.
Whistled languages are almost always developed by traditional cultures that live in mountainous regions or in dense forests. That’s because whistled speech carries much farther than ordinary speech or shouting, says Julien Meyer, a linguist who explores the topic of whistled languages. Skilled whistlers can reach 120 decibels (分贝)—louder than a car speaker. As a result, whistled speech can be understood up to 10 times as far away as ordinary shouting can. That lets people communicate when they cannot get close enough to shout.
Whistled languages work because many of the key elements of speech can be imitated in a whistle. We distinguish one speech sound from another by minor differences in their sound frequency patterns. Whistlers can express all of these distinctions by varying the pitch (音高) of their whistle. And the skill can be adapted to any language, even those that have no tradition of whistling.
However, whistled languages are disappearing rapidly all over the world, and some—such as the whistled form of the Tepehua language in Mexico—have already disappeared. Modernization is largely to blame, says Meyer, who points to roads as the biggest factor. “That’s why you still find whistled speech only in places that are very, very remote, that have had less access to roads,” he says.
Fortunately, there is still a ray of hope. UNESCO has listed two whistled languages—Silbo in the Canary Islands, and a whistled Turkish—as elements of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. Such attention can lead to conservation efforts. In the Canary Islands, for example, Silbo is now taught in schools. “If people hadn’t made that effort, Silbo would probably have disappeared,” says Meyer. There, at least, the future of the whistled language looks bright.
28. What can be learned about Silbo?
A. It is an endangered tune.
B. It is employed to entertain tourists.
C. It is used in more than 80 cultures.
D. It is a whistled version of Spanish.
29. What are whistled languages mainly used to do?
A. Pass on secret information.
B. Get messages across over long distances.
C. Imitate the sound patterns of other languages.
D. Show minor differences between speech sounds.
30. Why are whistled languages disappearing according to Meyer?
A. Lack of skilled teachers.
B. Contact with modernity.
C. Difficulty in learning them.
D. Popularity of official languages.
31. What is the author’s attitude towards the future of Silbo?
A. Uncertain.
B. Dissatisfied.
C. Optimistic.
D. Uncaring.
【湖北省孝感市部分名校2022-2023学年高三上学期联考英语试题】
C
Apples have always played a significant yet diverse role in history. Today apples continue to astonish in medicine with headlines reporting that an apple a day really does have health benefits. In 2013, researchers in Oxford suggested that either an apple a day or a statin (a kind of drug) seemed to be equally successful at preventing heart attacks and strokes in people over the age of 50.
EPIC study, one of the biggest studies of its kind, involves half a million people and looks at the effects of eating fruit and vegetables on disease. Participants consuming at least eight portions a day had an astonishing 22% lower risk of heart disease, and risks of some cancers were slightly reduced. However, other cancers were unaffected, and there was no real effect on diabetes.
How might the humble apple be declaring war on heart disease and cancer, two of our biggest killers? The answer might lie in polyphenols (多酚) in apples, which is useful for protecting the fruit from disease and also giving it color and flavor. They have the potential to protect our body by reducing blood stickiness and cholesterol (胆固醇) levels.
Several studies also show a reduction in blood pressure when more fruit and vegetables are eaten. Furthermore, apples contain a fibre called pectin (果胶) which sticks to cholesterol in the body, slowing their absorption. What is clear is that the apple is a complex mix of components, working together for the good of our health.
But can we eat enough apples a day to keep the doctor away? Eating too many may not be a good idea, especially with a risk of lasting exposure to low levels of pesticide. Some people are even allergic to apples, and they can wear away outer layer of tooth. The Department of Health’s advice to consume “5-a-day” (including both fruit and vegetables) might be a realistic starting point.
8. Which of the following do the researchers agree with?
A. An apple a day can successfully cure heart diseases.
B. Eating fruit and vegetables can reduce diabetes greatly.
C. Apples and medicine have similar effect in some cases.
D. Those eating apples have a lower risk of all cancers.
9. Why are polyphenols and pectin mentioned in the text?
A. To make a comparison. B. To give advice on health.
C. To tell what apples contain. D. To clarify how apples work.
10. What does the underlined phrase “5-a-day” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. An apple and five vegetables per day. B. Five apples in different times every day.
C. Two apples and three vegetables every day. D. Five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
11. Where is the text probably taken from?
A. A biology textbook. B. A health magazine.
C. A travel brochure. D. A nursing report.
D
Emerging economies struggled to grow through the 2010s and pessimism covers them now. People wonder how they will pay debts during the COVID-19 and how they can grow rapidly as they did in the past in an era of deglobalisation (去全球化).
The freshest of many answers to this issue is the fast-spreading digital revolution. The digital revolution is already as progressive in emerging economies as developed ones. Among the top 30 nations by income from digital services as a share of gross domestic product(GDP), 16 are in the emerging world. Indonesia, for example, is further advanced by this measure than France or Canada. And since 2017, digital income has been growing in emerging countries at an average annual pace of 26 percent, compared with 11 percent in the developed ones.
How can it be that poorer nations are adopting common digital technologies faster than the rich? One explanation is habit and its absence. In societies filled with physical stores and services, customers are often comfortable with them and slow to abandon the providers. In countries where people have difficulty even finding a bank or a doctor, they will jump at the first digital option that comes along. Outsiders have a hard time grasping the impact digital services can have on underserved (服务不足的)populations. Nations lacking in schools, hospitals and banks can quickly bridge these gaps by establishing online services. Though only 5 percent of Kenyans carry credit cards, more than 70 percent have access to digital banking.
It’s early days, too. As economist Carlota Perez has shown, tech revolutions last a long time. Innovations like the car and the steam engine were still transforming economies half a century later. Now, the fading era of globalisation will limit the number of emerging markets, but the era of rapid digitisation has only just begun. This offers many developing economies a revolutionary new path to catch up with the living standards of the developed world.
12. What can we know about the digital revolution?
A. It increases people’s debts in deglobalisation.
B. It prevents emerging economy from developing.
C. It advances in emerging and developed economies.
D. It develops most rapidly in Indonesia in terms of GDP.
13. Where are people more willing to accept digital services?
A. In economies lacking in online services.
B. In countries short of basic physical facilities.
C. In nations with adequate stores and services.
D. In societies easy to access doctors and banks.
14. What does the author think of the future of digitisation?
A. Stable. B. Hopeful. C. Depressing. D. Challenging.
15. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Digital technology saves emerging economies.
B. Deglobalisation limits technology revolutions.
C. Emerging economies struggle in the pandemic.
D. Digital revolution grows better in globalisation.
【辽宁六校2022~2023学年上高三初考】
C
Some of the world’s best Coffea arabica is grown on Mount Kenya. This variety of the plant produces beans that are tastier than those from its poor cousin, Coffea canephora (known as robusta), which often ends up in instant coffee (速溶咖啡). However, global warming may reduce the total area that is most suited to growing arabica beans by about half by 2050.
Some farmers are trying to adapt to warming by moving uphill. Yet this pushes them into areas long used for growing tea. Not only is there less space higher up; the move stresses how warming also threatens to harm the tea crop, which supports about 10% of Kenya’s population. Warmer weather will push tea itself higher up area.
Kenya’s government-funded Coffee Research Institute is trying to find other ways of helping farmers adapt, such as encouraging them to plant trees to shade their coffee bushes, or to grow hardier (适应性更强) robusta plants. It is also trying to plant a hybrid, Arabusta, which would combine the hardiness of robusta with the flavour of arabica. Coffee snobs may turn up their noses at it, but they may have no other choices.
However, such adaptations may bring social costs. Many smallholder farmers are at risk of being pushed out of the industry altogether because they cannot afford the money needed to protect their crops.
Another option may be entirely new varieties. Researchers in London are studying a wild type of coffee, Coffea stenophylla. It is delicious and can also take the heat. But it produces lower harvest than existing varieties and it may be years before it is widely grown. Without a breakthrough of some sort, caffeine addicts may face a future too unpleasant to imagine. “If we don’t have the innovation (创新) to respond to climate challenges,” Vern Long of World Coffee Research says, “we’re just going to be drinking man-made coffee.”
8. In what way is Coffea arabica better than Coffea robusta?
A. Flavor. B. Harvest. C. Hardiness. D. Sales.
9. What does the underlined “it” refer to in Paragraph 3?
A. Robusta. B. Arabica. C. Arabusta. D. Stenophylla.
10. What might be the impact of the government’s policy?
A. Good money will be brought in.
B. The areas of tea crop will be reduced.
C. The cost of coffee-planting may drop.
D. Smallholder coffee farmers may disappear.
11. What’s the purpose of this text?
A. To give suggestions to coffee farmers.
B. To recommend new varieties of coffee.
C. To introduce coffee industry under threat.
D. To list possible solutions to climate changes.