高二寒假阅读综合测试
本文作者： 21ST
A In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year. As a writer, I know about winning contests – and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children. A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.” I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it. Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience. While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices. 1. What do we learn from the first paragraph? A. A lot of amusements compete for children’s time nowadays. B. Children have lots of fun doing mindless activities. C. Rebecca is much too busy to enjoy her leisure time. D. Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing. 2. What did the author say about her own writing experience? A. She was constantly under pressure to write more. B. Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. C. She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. D. Her road to success was full of pain and frustrations. 3. The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ______. A. she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer B. she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing C. she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much D. she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance 4. The underlined sentence probably means that the author was ______. A. trying not to let her daughter enjoy her own life B. trying to get her daughter to do the thing she would have done C. making sure that her daughter would win the contest D. helping her daughter develop real skills for writing 5. What’s the author’s advice for parents? A. Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions. B. Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. C. Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience. D. A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue. B Statue of Liberty Basics: • Statue of Liberty Phone: 212-363-3200 • Statue Cruises Phone: 877-LADY-TIX Nearest Subways to Statue of Liberty: 4/5 to Bowling Green; N/R to Whitehall Street; 1 to South Ferry (you must be in the first 5 cars of the train to exit at South Ferry). Follow the signs to Castle Clinton to buy tickets for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. • There is plenty of room for running around and relaxing on Liberty Island. • For children 7-12 there is a Junior Ranger Program available. Pick up a free booklet on Liberty Island. Admission to Liberty State Park is free, but you must buy a ferry ticket to get there. Statue Cruises Ferry Ticket Prices: Adults $12; Senior Citizens (62+) $10; Children (4-12) $5; Children 3 and under free. You can buy your tickets for the ferry online at http://www.statuecruises.com/ferry-service/welcome.aspx Ferry ticket included with the New York Pass – present New York Pass in Castle Clinton bookstore for ticket. Statue of Liberty Hours: Ferries to the island depart from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Liberty Island closes at 6 pm and the last ferry returns to Battery Park by 6:30 pm. Schedules are updated and revised frequently, so please check the official ferry schedule. Statue of Liberty Tour Reservations: • Climb the Crown of the Statue of Liberty with a Crown Ticket, which costs an additional $3 and includes access to the Museum and Pedestal as well. • Museum/Pedestal Tickets are free (with ferry ticket purchase). • Order your tickets in advance: 877-LADY-TIX or online when you purchase your ferry ticket. • Tour tickets are time specific. 6. How much is the ferry fee for a family of two adults and two children aged 3 and 6? A. $ 34 B. $ 30 C. $ 29 D. $ 24 7. You can get a ferry ticket _________. a. at the 1, 4 or 5 subway stations b. at Castle Clinton c. online at http://www.statuecruises.com/ferry-service/welcome.aspx d. when you pay admission to Liberty State Park A. a, b B. b, c C. c, d D. a, d 8. In order to catch the last ferry back to downtown, you should ________. A. take the first ferry to the island at 8:30 am B. take the ferry back by 4:30 pm C. arrive at Battery Park by 6:30 pm D. check first in case of any change 9. If you want to buy a tour ticket in advance, you should _______. A. call 212-363-3200 B. call 877-LADY-TIX C. go to Castle Clinton D. get a booklet on Liberty Island C Zambra Gutierrez, a graduate from Cato Middle College High in Charlotte, North Carolina, US, has turned her family’s home into a makeshift (临时的) art gallery (画廊). A group of paintings hanging on the dining room wall feature bright yellows and oranges. Most of them show the human body, where Zambra said she gains her inspiration. “I’ve always been into the arts,” Zambra said, though a year ago her career goal was to become a pharmacist (药剂师). “But I realized I was going into pharmacy for all the wrong reasons, and I wanted change,” she said. Today, she dreams of creating a line of couture (时装) clothing. In the fall she will attend Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia – with hopes of becoming a successful fashion designer. “It was surprising,” said Zambra’s mother, Airam Gutierrez-Hammond. “But deep down as a mother I knew (changing careers) would happen.” Airam now sacrifices living space for Zambra’s latest creations. In the corner of the dining room also stands a dressmaker’s mannequin (人体模型), which displays the prom outfit (服装) Zambra created for herself. The outfit features floral (植物的) print pants and a black suit jacket. She paired the two with a red silk shirt. “I was the only one wearing pants at prom, but people liked it,” Zambra said, smiling. While Zambra says her talents are centered on the sewing machine, she also excels in the classroom. In late May, Zambra graduated from Cato Middle College High in the top 10 of her class. She has come a long way in her studies, moving to the US from Venezuela when she was just 9 years old. Upon her arrival in the States, Zambra did not speak English but her mother pushed her to learn the language. She quickly advanced and by sixth grade was fluent. Today, Zambra said she plans to move to New York City and start a clothing line, under her name, after college. Part of her profits will go back into the community to start a fund for girl students much like her, who want to go into the arts but may not be able to fully afford a college education. 10. According to the article, Zambra decided to change her major because ______. A. she believed a career in pharmacy had no future B. she wasn’t satisfied with her current living conditions C. she suddenly realized her true interest lay elsewhere D. her self-designed prom dress turned out to be a success 11. Zambra’s mother was ______ her decision to change major. A. supportive of B. doubtful of C. puzzled by D. disappointed with 12. We can learn from the article that Zambra ______. A. is good at learning languages B. was not a good student before moving to the US C. gained inspiration from paintings in art galleries D. balances her studies with her hobbies 13. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Zambra’s future plans? A. She will soon graduate from high school. B. She will start her own clothing line at home. C. She wants to help girls from similar backgrounds realize their dreams. D. She wants to sell the outfits she has designed to pay for her college education. D Have you ever been to the supermarket shopping for tangerines (柑橘)? If the peel (果皮) of the tangerine is green, you might assume that the fruit is sour; and if it’s orange, you know that it’s probably ripe and sweet. But how do we decode (解读) the information about the fruit’s taste before we even eat it? Some people say that the first bite is usually taken with the eye instead of the mouth. Scientists agree. “Half the brain is visual in some sense, versus (相对于) just a few percent for overall taste senses,” Charles Spence, an Oxford experimental psychologist, told The Guardian. It means that the appearance of the food, especially the color, can tell us a lot about its flavor (口味). How colors affect taste perception (知觉) is related to many factors (因素), such as our experience, expectations and cultural background. For example, if you were given a dyed-blue beefsteak to eat in the dark, you would think it tastes just fine, but if you turned the lights on and saw the color, you would probably go throw up right away, because your experience would tell you that blue meat is abnormal (异常的) and possibly dangerous. Even expert tasters can be fooled by the colors of what they eat or drink. Spence once did an experiment with a top wine taster in Spain. Spence asked him to taste a white wine that had been dyed red and then identify the wine. “He took some time before coming to his decision,” said Spence. But he finally fell for it, trying to decide “which particular red-berry fruit flavor it was”. In addition to the color of the food itself, the food’s wrapping (包装) can be deceptive (欺骗性的) too. Just think about it – wouldn’t you be taken aback if you ripped (撕开) open a red packet of snacks and only found they tasted like grape? Naturally you would expect them to be of cherry or strawberry flavor. Apart from the connection between colors and flavors, Spence also found that when multiple colors are used in food, people are more likely to eat a lot of it. Doubt it? Find out for yourself next time you try not to wolf down an entire container (容器) of M&M’s. 14. The author mentioned shopping for tangerines at the beginning of the article to ______. A. prove the efficiency of sight compared to taste B. suggest we often make wrong judgments about fruits’ taste C. suggest that colors influence our feelings about food D. introduce the topic of what determines the flavor of fruits 15. Which of the following statements might Charles Spence agree with? A. Our brain is better at processing taste information than visual information. B. It usually takes much longer for expert tasters to identify food and drinks. C. The color of food packages should be the same as the food inside. D. Food products with multiple colors are more attractive to customers. 16. The underlined phrase “fell for” in Paragraph 5 probably means ______. A. got rid of something B. was tricked into believing something C. gave up on something D. made the right conclusion 17. What is the main topic of the article? A. Factors that define our perception of food. B. How colors affect our judgments about how foods taste. C. How to identify food and drinks quickly and accurately. D. How we can be tricked by our visual senses. E In the Netherlands, cycling isn’t seen as eco-friendly exercise; it’s part of everyday life, as it is people’s top choice to commute (通勤) to school and work. “There are more bicycles than residents in the Netherlands. In cities like Amsterdam and The Hague, up to 70 percent of all journeys are made by bike,” said BBC. So how did cycling become such a popular means of transportation in the European country? In the 1970s, the Dutch government began to improve its cycling infrastructure (基础设施) due to both a domestic (国内的) social movement demanding safer cycling conditions for children and the oil crisis in the Middle East, when oil-producing countries stopped their exports to Western Europe. To make cycling safer and more appealing, the Dutch have built the widest cycling network in the world. The country has over 40,000 kilometers of bicycle lanes and paths, which are clearly marked, have smooth surfaces and include separate signs and lights for those on two wheels. The lanes are wide enough to allow side-by-side cycling and passing. In many cities the bike lanes are completely segregated (隔离的) from motorized traffic. And in many traffic situations cyclists are given priority (优先权) over drivers. Sometimes, where space is limited and both must share, you can see signs showing an image of a cyclist with a car behind accompanied by the words “Bike Street: Cars are guests”. As young people aren’t allowed to drive unsupervised (无人监管的) until they are 18, cycling offers Dutch teenagers an alternative form of freedom. The government also makes cycling proficiency (熟练) lessons a compulsory part of the Dutch school curriculum (课程). Bike parking facilities (设施) are ubiquitous (无所不在的) in the country. Cyclists are accommodated in the way motorists are elsewhere. Take Groningen, a city in the northeastern part of the Netherlands, for example. The city’s central train station has underground parking for 10,000 bikes. For many Dutch people, bikes are trusty companions for life’s adventures. In that kind of relationship it is longevity (长寿) that matters – that’s why many Dutch people ride older bikes. 18. What is the author’s purpose in writing the article? A. To explain why cycling isn’t eco-friendly exercise. B. To describe how cyclists are supported in the Netherlands. C. To inform us of important cycling rules in the Netherlands. D. To describe laws passed by the Dutch government related to cycling. 19. In the 1970s, the Dutch government started to improve the country’s cycling lanes and paths mainly _______. a. to improve cycling safety on the road b. to promote an environmentally-friendly lifestyle c. to build the widest cycling network in the world d. in response to the oil crisis in the Middle East A. a, d B. b, c C. b, c, d D. a, c, d 20. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article? A. Dutch teenagers are not allowed to cycle alone until they are 18. B. Cyclists have little priority over other vehicles in the Netherlands. C. Dutch students are required to learn to cycle at school. D. In the Netherlands, all bike lanes are separated from motorized traffic. 21. The underlined word “accommodated” in the second-to-last paragraph probably means _______. A. provided what they need B. charged very little C. offered a variety of choices D. given places to stay |  |
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