阅读理解综合测试(116193)-高二英语阅读(662)-21英语网

A

Big Ben, the Queen, a plate of ham and eggs – no, no, no. If you’re looking for a symbol of Britain, only one thing passes the test – the umbrella.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – we have rain in China and we have umbrellas too. Certainly, I will never forget the way it rained when I lived in Beijing: the streets became instant (立即的) rivers and the sky flashed with lightning for hours on end. People rushed for cover under bin bags, the shops were emptied of their plastic ponchos (斗篷) within seconds, and I found myself soaked (浸透) from head to foot, my poorly-chosen skirt and T-shirt now totally see-through.

This would never have happened in Britain. For one thing, during my year in Beijing, it only really rained about 10 times. But although we never get a Beijing-style washout in London, the drizzle (毛毛雨) that does fall is all but constant. Even when the sky is perfectly blue, you can be sure it’s going to cloud over and start drizzling again within the hour.

And when it does, there is chaos. Trains stop, drains (下水道) block, and buses break down as if this was the first time the local authorities had seen this wet stuff coming out of the clouds.

So, as with so many things in the UK, it’s up to ordinary people to sort themselves out. No self-respecting Briton will ever leave home without his “brolly” – as the umbrella is affectionately (亲切地) known.

A brolly has hundreds of uses, even on rare rain-free days. A real gentleman of London will use his umbrella as a walking stick. A traditional game of cricket (板球) can be played using an umbrella as a bat (球棒). Nor do you ever have to be afraid of robbers – your umbrella doubles as a defensive weapon (武器).

There is no brolly more British than my own. But it’s not from London or Manchester or anywhere in the UK. It was a gift from my Chinese teacher – in Beijing.

How fitting that my No 1 symbol of Britishness – like almost everything in Britain – was made in China.

1. The author mentioned her rainy weather experience in Beijing to show that ______.

A. many foreigners have embarrassing moments living in Beijing

B. the rain in Beijing is usually much heavier than the rain in London

C. unlike Beijingers, it is necessary for British people to get prepared for whenever-possible rain

D. both Beijingers and Londoners have unpleasant experiences with sudden rain

2. The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 3 refers to “______”.

A. people getting extremely wet on rainy days

B. sudden rain leading to traffic troubles

C. people being well-prepared on rainy days

D. it only raining a dozen times per year

3. The underlined word “chaos” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______.

A. doubt B. excitement C. joy D. disorder

4. What is the main idea of the article?

A. Beijing-style rain and London-style drizzles both bring chaos.

B. Everything in Britain was made in China.

C. Why the umbrella is the best symbol of Britain.

D. What British people use a brolly for.

B

When US teenager Jake Olson isn’t playing football or golf for his high school, he’s often offering inspiration through his new book about his own life.

These activities might be too much for the average 16-year-old to deal with, but Jake is blind. When people ask him how he can possibly play golf without being able to see the ball, he says he is thankful for his father’s guidance.

It seems obvious that his early experience playing sports as a person with sight and muscle memory – repeating behaviors over and over until they become second nature – have also enabled Jake to hit the ball quite well.

Jake was born with a rare kind of eye cancer that took away the vision (视力) from his left eye when he was an infant (婴儿) and eventually his right eye, in 2009, when he was 12 years old.

Rather than letting the disease hold him back, Jake used his loss of sight and his faith as sources of motivation (动力).

“If I was going to sit on the couch (沙发) all day feeling sorry for myself, I wasn’t going to [do] anything. I decided right then and there that I wasn’t going to let it stop me and that I was going to go out and persevere (坚持不懈),” he said.

It was with that mind-set that the student from Orange Lutheran High School in California was able to write his first book, Open Your Eyes: 10 Uncommon Lessons to Discover a Happier Life.

“It’s about opening the readers’ eyes to their true potential in life and making sure that they use all the abilities that they have,” Jake said.

Jake’s father, Brian Olson, said the family is impressed with what he has done with his life, including showing people that they can get through adversity (困境).

“Your darkest hour can soon become your brightest, and with every setback, there’s a setup,” Jake said. “In every one of us, there’s more potential than we can ever imagine, and it really is a choice.”

1. We can learn from the article that Jake Olson ______.

A. was born a blind child

B. was born with a gift for golf

C. has great muscle memory

D. is trying to find the cure for his disease

2. According to the article, Jake’s family members ______.

A. pity him deeply

B. once gave up hope on him

C. encouraged him to write the book

D. admire his efforts and determination

3. The purpose of Jake’s book is to ______.

A. promote good approaches to getting along with disabled people

B. inspire people to discover and use their hidden abilities

C. help people come up with better life goals

D. explain different definitions (定义) of “a happier life”

4. The underlined word “setback” is closest in meaning to ______.

A. experience B. failure C. opportunity D. success

C

Have you ever walked outside thinking it was one temperature but quickly discovered it felt colder? That is because of the “wind chill” effect.

Wind chill is how cold people and animals feel when they are outside, not the actual temperature on the thermometer (温度计). It is based on how quickly your body loses heat when it is exposed to wind and cold. When the wind is strong, your body quickly loses heat, making the temperature of your skin drop.

When scientists first started calculating wind chill, they used research done in 1945 by explorers to Antarctica who measured how quickly water froze outside.

But water freezes faster than exposed skin, so the wind chill index (指数) based on that data wasn’t accurate.

In 2001, the US government began to measure wind chill more precisely by testing how quickly people’s skin froze.

Twelve volunteers were placed in a chilled wind tunnel (隧道). Equipment was stuck to their faces to measure the heat flow from their cheeks, forehead, nose and chin while they walked three miles per hour on a treadmill (跑步机).

The experiment showed how quickly exposed skin can be damaged, particularly unprotected areas like your fingers, toes, the tip of your nose and your ear lobes. In fact, 40 percent of your body heat can be lost through your head! Signs you might have frostbite (冻疮) are when the skin turns white or pale and you lose feeling in that area.

The information collected from the volunteers helped scientists work out the math to compute wind chill. It involves wind speed and air temperature.

If, for example, the temperature outside is zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing at 15 miles per hour, the wind chill is calculated at 19 degrees below zero. At that wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.

You can find a calculation table at www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml.

Experts advise in cold weather that you wear loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing, worn on top of each other. Air caught between the clothes will keep you warm. The best cold-weather coats have head coverings made of woven material that keep out water. So next time the temperature drops and you want to play outside, listen to your parents when they tell you to wrap up warm!

1. According to the text, wind chill ______.

A. means how fast exposed skin freezes

B. doesn’t affect your head as much as other body parts

C. changes according to the temperature on the thermometer

D. changes from person to person depending on their health

2. When might a person have frostbite according to the text?

A. When his skin turns red and he loses feeling in that area.

B. When he is running faster and he is losing strength quickly.

C. When his face is exposed and quickly loses heat even indoors.

D. When his skin turns pale and he has no feeling in that area.

3. Which of the following influences wind chill?

A. A person’s body temperature and wind speed.

B. Wind speed and a person’s strength.

C. Air temperature and wind speed.

D. The location and air temperature.

4. What can we conclude from the text?

A. It was in 1945 that scientists first began to calculate wind chill.

B. Compared with water, people’s exposed skin freezes more slowly.

C. The wind chill index based on Antarctica data is considered a standard.

D. With the development of technology, many previous researches have been proven wrong.

D

This is a dangerous world we live in. The number of murders goes up every year, people are dying of cancer, more people contract (感染) HIV, more teens are using drugs, etc. You know this because you’ve heard all the statistics (数据) on the news and in the paper. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background statistics mean very little.

This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous. For example, several years ago a high school student reported the dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors (肿瘤), is often found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statements is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made the mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background.

The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave out information that is different to his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people may die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightning strikes, but which is really the more dangerous? If you think about it, you realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people who are in danger of a lightening strike. When you think about it skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at statistics.

If we teenagers are to be left this world, we had better be able to think critically, and form our own views, rather than be easily persuaded by another’s. To be warned is to be prepared.

1. In Paragraph 1, what problem does the writer want to warn us?

A. We are now living in a dangerous world.

B. We get a lot of false statistics from the media.

C. There are around us more and more murders, diseases etc.

D. Statistics alone without full background doesn’t give us an accurate picture of things.

2. Why does the writer use the example in the second paragraph?

A. To show the danger of reporting only part of the information.

B. To argue that high school students are easily persuaded.

C. To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous.

D. To warn us of the harmful chemicals around us.

3. Relative information is often left out because _____.

A. relative information is not that important

B. the author is trying to show what he or she says is true

C. too much information will make readers feel confused

D. readers are not able to analyze so much information at once

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world.

B. We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides.

C. The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control.

D. Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.

E

Every person learning a new language wants a patient native-speaker friend who will politely correct their mistakes and teach them new vocabulary. But native speakers can be hard to find. If you’re having trouble finding one, American sitcoms (情景喜剧) are one way to improve your language ability. Such shows are rich mines of information about American culture. They also offer useful language instruction. Watching them will help you expand your vocabulary and teach you correct language usage in different situations. Best of all, sitcoms are a fun way to learn.

To help you get the most out of watching US TV shows, we have put together the following useful guide.

Before watching

Gather a group of friends before you sit down to watch a movie or a TV show. This will make it easier for you to practice some of the English words and expressions you hear. To aid your conversations, find out as much information as you can about the movie or TV show’s basic plot, characters, actors, director and awards. Be sure to have all of your discussions in English.

While watching

You might need to watch an episode, or certain scenes of a drama, a couple of times. This will depend on your level of English, and on the complexity of the drama. For a complicated show, watch it in English with Chinese subtitles (字幕) first. This will help you get the themes and plot. When you’re done, start thinking about issues to discuss with your friends.

Then, a couple of days later, watch the piece again – this time with subtitles in English. Focus on the language. As you are watching, write down at least 10 new words and 5 phrases or expressions. Guess their meaning. Later, check your guess by looking up the words and expressions in a dictionary, or by asking a native English speaker. Remember, some of the language will likely not be found in your textbooks! Be careful about how you use the words!

Next, watch the piece a third time, in English only, without subtitles. If you have fully mastered the meaning, lip-synch (对口型) the dialogues from the script with the actors. Try to memorize and act out your favorite scenes.

Finally, you must take responsibility for your own learning. Let watching movies and TV series teach you about life in other countries and help improve your knowledge of English.

1. All of the following EXCEPT ______ are reasons mentioned in the article to watch American sitcoms.

A. it provides us with a wonderful way to connect with native speakers

B. it can be hard to find native speakers to help us with English learning

C. it enables us to use English in suitable situations

D. it can make our study of English full of fun

2. If we are to watch a show in English, we’d better gather some friends because ______.

A. it makes it easier for us to practice expressions we learn from the show

B. it makes it possible for us to fully understand the basic plot of the show

C. it makes it possible for us to have a discussion about the show in English

D. it makes it easier for us to help each other when having difficulty understanding

3. Which of the following correctly shows the focus of each step in the section of “While watching”?

A. discover issues to discuss – use English subtitles – practice using – learn more about the country

B. understand themes and plots – use helpful subtitles – learn by heart – use what you learn

C. watch the show with Chinese subtitles – learn the expressions – learn by heart – use what you learn

D. understand themes and plots – master the expressions – practice using – learn more about the country

4. The purpose of writing the article is mainly to ______.

A. teach you how to expand vocabulary through movies in English

B. encourage you to watch US sitcoms without watching subtitles

C. tell you how to make the most of American sitcoms as language learners

D. show you how to gather information of US culture when watching its sitcoms

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