高考英语二轮阅读理解三月特训（3）.doc

2014届高考英语二轮复习 三月精品练习阅读理解andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. he was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him. he rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. he came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. what he saw shocked and terrified him. a huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him. with no time to waste, andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiouslybut without knowing how to escape the swarm. with a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously, he sped down the rough road. as the bees came closer, his panic (惊慌) increased. andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇). the last sting had landed him in hospitaland that was only one bee sting! he had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. suddenly, his fathers words came to him. “when you are in a tight situation, dont panic. use your brain and think your way out of it. ”on a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the nelson family home. “bees dont like smoke,” he thought. “they couldnt get into the house.” andy raced towards the nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground. andy knew he could not reach the house in time. he estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon. suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by mr. nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden. off his bike and into the cool water he lived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. after holding his breath for as long as he could, andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. mrs. nelson took him inside and rang his mother. “youll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “thank goodness you didnt panic!” but andy did not hear her. he was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow. 1 why did andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?a. he was riding to school. b. he was listening to a strange sound. c. he was going fishing with his father. d. he was lost in the thought of the fishing trip. 2 which of the following is not mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?a. they crowded like a black cloud. b. they shocked and terrified andy. c. they tried to attack andy in a mass. d. they made andy stay in hospital for two days. 3 how did andy avoid the bees in the end?a. he asked mr. nelson for help. b. he did himself under the water. c. he rushed into the nelson house. d. he rode off in the opposite direction. 4 which of the following can best describe andys escape from the bees?a. no pains, no gains. b. once bitten, twice shy. c. where there is a will, there is a way. d. in time of danger, ones mind works fast. the $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “i never do anything right” into positive ones like “i can succeed.” but was positive thinking advocate norman vincent peale right? is there power in positive thinking?researchers in canada just published a study in the journal psychological science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.the studys authors, joanne wood and john lee of the university of waterloo and elaine perunovic of the university of new brunswick, begin by citing older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is very positive, they actually feel worse, not better. if you tell your stupid friend that he has the potential of an einstein, youre just underlining his faults. in one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist joel cooper of princeton asked participants to write essays opposing funding for the disabled. when the essayists were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.in this experiment, wood, lee and perunovic measured 68 students self-esteem. the participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. when it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, “i am lovable.”those with low self-esteem didnt feel better after the forced self-affirmation. in fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who werent urged to think positive thoughts.the paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. in the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. meditation techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. call it the power of negative thinking.5what do we learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry? a. it has produced positive results. b. it is a highly profitable industry. c. it is based on the concept of positive thinking. d. it was established by norman vincent peale.6 what does the word “underline” mean (line 4, para. 3)? a. point out b. lay emphasis on c. pay no attention to d. take for granted7which of the following is true about the canadian researchers study? a. encouraging positive thinking many do more good than harm. b. self-affirmation can bring a positive change to ones mood. c. there can be no simple therapy for psychological problems. d. forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem.8what do we learn from the last paragraph? a. meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy. b. people can avoid making mistakes through meditation. c. different people tend to have different ways of thinking. d. the effects of positive thinking vary from person to person.9britains parents have admitted school is harder today than it was when they were kidsa poll（民意测验）of 1，500 parents shows that those with children who have recently sat（参加）a-level or gcse exams believe todays exams are harder than the ones they sat at schoolone in four thought a-levels were getting harder-compared to just twelve percent who thought they were easierthe figures for gcses were more evenly split with 26 percent thinking they were harder and 21 percent believing they were easierthis is the first survey（调查）of the opinion of parents whose youngsters have just sat examsthey told pollsters they believed the higher pass rates in examinations today were due to the youngsters concerned working harderbut another reason given was that they believed todays youngsters felt there was little chance of success in life without qualification（资格）parents are seeing standards rise and their children working harder and being smarter than their generation. says dr christina townsend，president of the ed excel exam board，which commissioned（委托） the surveythe poll，carried out by opinion research business for the exam board，also showed parents supported government plans to allow students to see their marked papers after they had completed their examsthe move（行动）is designed to help them decide whether they should doubt their standard59. what do you know about britains school education from the text？ a. students are burdened with too much homework after schoolb. students are tired of learning at schoolc. most students cant pass the a-level or gcse examsd. exams are more difficult today and pupils are working harder60. the writers purpose in writing this text is _a. to show the result of a poll of 1，5000 parentsb. to tell parents that their youngsters are working hardc. to prove that youngsters are smarter than their parentsd. to request that exams be easier61. we can infer from the text that _a. the government will take steps to lower the standards of examsb. students were once not allowed to see their marked papersc. parents didnt work hard when they were at schoold. more parents think a-levels are getting harder and gcses are getting easierwalking down a path through some woods in georgia, i saw a small pool of water ahead on the path. i angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasnt covered by water or mud. as i reached the pool, i was suddenly attacked! yet i did nothing for the attack. it was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected. i was surprised as well as unhurt though i had been struck four or five times. i backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. had i been hurt i wouldnt have found it amusing. and i was laughing. after all, i was being attacked by a butterfly!having stopped, laughing, i took a step forward. my attacker rushed me again. he charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain. for a second time, i took a step backwards while my attacker paused. i wasnt sure what to do. after all, its just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. i stepped back to look the situation over. my attacker moved back to land on the ground. thats when i discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. he had a mate and she was dying. sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. i could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. he had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mates sake （缘故）, even though she was clearly dying and i was so large. he did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should i have been careless enough to step on her. his courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mates safety seemed admirable. i couldnt do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool. he had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed. since then, ive always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever i see huge barriers facing me.10 why did the writer change his direction while walking down a path?a. to get close to a butterfly.b. to look over the bad situation.c. to escape a sudden attack.d. to avoid getting his shoes dirty.11what made the man feel funny?a. making the attacker pause.b. being attacked by a butterfly.c. being stepped on by his mate.d. discovering the energetic butterfly.12 from this experience the man learned .a. what he should do when faced with troubleb. people should show sympathy to the weakc. how he should deal with attacksd. people should protect butterflies13 which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?a. careless. b. amusing. c. courageous. d. aggressive.these days no car show is complete without an electric car, and the 2011 north american international auto show in detroit, us, which ran from january 10 to 23, was no exception. among the fully electric vehicles on display were the ford focus electric and the honda fit ev. bmw and volvo also had prominent displays at the show, proving that they can produce practical, yet spacious family-oriented electric cars. industry insiders at the show claimed that more efficient batteries, improved performance and greater consumer acceptance could make 2011 the “year of electric car”.its long been clear that electric cars score heavily for convenience. they are, for instance, much easier to maintain than gasoline-powered cars. when the battery runs out, you simply replace it or recharge it, just like you would for a cell phone or a laptop. this is also a much cheaper method than filling your tank with gasoline. better yet, electric cars dont emit exhaust fumes. as a result, they dont produce environmentally damaging greenhouse gases. it appears that improved technology is making electric cars and their maintenance much more user-friendly. so, what are the obstacles which are preventing electric cars from becoming popular and fashionable? home charging for electric cars could be extremely convenient for users. however, it is also a potential obstacle. for a start, installing charging stations in owners homes will be a challenge, particularly for those who have to park several blocks away from their homes. also, charging the cars battery still takes quite a long time. it may be some time yet before you can recharge an electric car in the same time as you can refill your gas tank. another problem is that many electric vehicles have limited ranges that may only allow for journeys of 50 miles (80 km) or less between charges. in cases where a driver wishes to charge the car primarily at home (perhaps overnight), this limits their daily driving to the range of their vehicle.this may be one reason why hybrid cars are now becoming more popular. a hybrid car has more than one energy source, usually a traditional gasoline fuel tank and an electric battery. its like a more practical version of an electric car: its greener than a conventional vehicle, with fewer co2 emissions, yet it also doubles as a conventional vehicle.“i would say that hybrid is a transition to fully electronic,” road and track magazine editor richard horman told detroit news during the show. “the trend is for lighter, smarter, more economical cars. of course, electronic vehicles are meant to be that way.”this sounds promising, particularly in light of the fact that the show featured more electric cars from big manufacturers than ever before. however, it seems that the technology associated with electric cars is not yet able to fully meet peoples expectations. dont expect gasoline-powered cars to disappear from roads just yet. 14 what made electric cars more convenient? a. easier maintenance. b. high scores on the show.c. practicality and large space. d. much lower prices.15 which of the following could not act as a potential obstacle of electric cars? a. it is rough work to install charging stations at home.b. it is time-consuming to charge the batteries.c. the ranges between charges are limited.d. theres no need to fill the tank with petrol.16in paragraph 10, the underlined word “hybrid” is probably closest in meaning to _.a. gasoline b. electricc. combined d. separated17the writers purpose in writing this passage is to_.a. introduce the 2011 auto show in us b. get readers informed of electric carsc. comment on different types of cars d. advertise for electric carsknotts berry farm is the nations oldest, and first, theme park and draws around five million visitors each year. knotts berry farm hardly had a very good start. arriving in southern california in the 1920s, the knott family farmed about 20 acres of land and finally started a restaurant called mrs. knotts chicken dinner restaurant. mrs. knotts food became well known and her husband walter built a ghost town as a way of entertaining waiting customers. the family kept expanding and today, knotts berry farm has 165 rides, shows, attractions and restaurants. for more than 80 years, knotts berry farm has been entertaining families and visitors from around the world with great rides and fantastic fun.knotts berry farm is separated into six different themed areas with rides and attractions. fiesta village highlights (突出) californias spanish heritage (遗产) with art work, rides and food. indian trails is similar to fiesta village but with an accent on native american legends, crafts, music and dancing. the heart and soul of knotts, ghost town is an 1880s california boom town with cowboys, gunfights, stagecoaches, and a real steam train. the boardwalk makes people think of southern california beach and surfing heritage plus the boomerang roller coaster and the hammer-head. wild water wilderness is an 1800s-style park with water rapids and a magical journey into native north america. for peanuts fans, camp snoopy is a six-acre childrens wonderland with 30 rides and attractions. knotts berry farm also stages yearly special events such as scary farm and halloween haunt plus knotts merry farm for the holiday season. knotts berry farm is in buena vista, orange county, california. it is about half an hour from downtown los angeles and 10 minutes from disneyland. knotts berry farm is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week. the park is open on saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on sundays. during the summer month