高三英语二轮复习专题突破精品训练阅读理解30.doc

2014届高三英语二轮复习专题突破精品训练：阅读理解a after the violent earthquake that shook los angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report. the damage and death toll (伤亡) could have been much worse. more than 60 people died in this earthquake. by comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity that shook america in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims. injures and deaths were relatively less in los angles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the citys highways. in addition, changes made to the construction codes in los angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the citys buildings and highways, making them more resistant (有抵抗力的) to quakes. despite the good news, civil engineers arent resting on their successes. pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints (蓝图的) for improved quake-resistant buildings. the new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place. in the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible (柔韧的) materials, such as steel and wood, which bend without breaking. later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact (影响) of ground vibrations (颤动). the most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports, called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquakes vibrations. when the ground shakes and the buildings tip forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction. the new smart structures could be very expensive to build. however, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes. 1. one reason why the loss of lives in the los angeles earthquake was comparatively low is that _.a. new computers had been installed in the buildingsb. occurred in the residential areas (居民区) rather than on the highwaysc. large numbers of los angeles residents had rushed into los angeles for holidayd. improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways答案解析：答案为d。本题为细节推理题。第三段提到了洛杉矶地震中死亡人数相对较少有两个原因，一个是 “because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the citys highways.” 地震在假期发生，因此城市交通清闲；另外一个是 “changes made to the construction codes in los angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the citys buildings and highways” 建筑物和公路的构造发生了改变，故答案为d。干扰项最强的c选项不是直接的原因，不可选。 2. the function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to _ .a. counterbalance an earthquakes action on the buildingb. predict the coming of an earthquake with accuracyc. help strengthen the foundation of the building d. measure the impact of an earthquakes vibrations答案解析：答案为a。本题为细节推理题。由倒数第二段最后一句话 “when the ground shakes and the buildings tip forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.” 可知，当地面震动，建筑物倾斜，电脑会迫使建筑物向相反的方向移动，也就是说电脑的功能是平衡地震对建筑物的作用力，故答案为a。3. the smart buildings discussed in the passage _.a. would cause serious financial problemsb. would be worthwhile though costly c. would increase the complexity of architectural designd. can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes答案解析：答案为b。本题为推理题。由最后一段可知，新的灵敏的结构建造起来非常昂贵，然而，它们会拯救许多生命，被地震毁坏的可能性也较小，可以推断，新的建筑物虽然昂贵，但是非常值得，故答案为b。4. it can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing (最小化) the damage caused by earthquakes attention should be focused on _ .a. the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital constructionb. the development of flexible building materials c. the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations d. early forecasts of earthquakes 答案解析：答案为c。本题为推理题。由倒数第二段“in the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, which bend without breaking. later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations.”可知，在过去，使建筑物具有地震抗性是使用柔韧的材料，例如钢铁和木头，后来人们在建筑物和房基之间插入橡胶和钢铁，做这些的目的都是为了减小地面颤动的影响，因此要最小化地震带来的损害就是要减小地面颤动的影响，故答案为c。a、b都是减小地面颤动的方式，d选项 “早早预测地震”在文中未提，均不选。ba sunflower is a sunflower. a mobile phone is a mobile phone. but can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? as early as next year it may well be possible. when you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower. a biodegradable(生物所能分解的)mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. it is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle. scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. it looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and is able to change shape. over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. british researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. when this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms fertilizers. these feed the seed and help the flower grow. engineers have designed a small transparent(透明的)window to hold the seed. they have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. “weve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. but we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. maybe we could put roses in next time,” said one scientist. as phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. this means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. a biodegradable cover can offer some relief(缓解)for nature , according to the scientists. “the seed comes out and the flower grows in the pot so you dont have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said kerry kirwan. she leads the research team, which is based at the university of warwick in britain.1. what is the purpose of this passage?a. to tell the popularity of biodegradable cell phones.b. to persuade the reader to buy the biodegradable cell phone.c. to discuss the development of phone technology.d. to introduce an environmental-friendly cell phone to readers.答案解析：答案d。本题考查文章的写作目的。第一段引入新型手机，吸引读者；第二、三段详细介绍了该新型手机的特性，它可以分解，不污染环境；第四段介绍了该新型手机的研究过程；第五段解释为什么要开发这种手机；最后一段指出这种手机正处于开发当中。因此本文的目的是介绍一种环保手机，故答案为d。2. people throw away their cell phones most probably because .a. there is something wrong with themb. no sunflowers can grow out of themc. they are out of fashiond. they are becoming cheaper and cheaper答案解析：答案为c。本题为细节推理题。由倒数第二段首句 “as phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away.”可知，由于手机技术发展迅速，人们不断地扔掉原来的手机。可以推断，手机技术发展迅速使得手机更新换代非常快，因此人们原来的手机就过时了，则将其扔掉，故答案为c。3. it could be learned from the passage that .a. developing the new type of phone is mainly to protect the environmentb. phone-makers will benefit much more from the new type of phonec. the new type of phone will certainly be popular with users all over the worldd. the phones that can be recycled are available only in britain now答案解析：答案为a。本题为推理题。第二段介绍了一种生物所能分解的手机， 第三段提到 “over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals.” 该手机可以在土壤里分解而不释放出有毒的化学物，倒数第二段最后一句话再次提到 “a biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature , according to the scientists.” 该新型手机可以缓解自然污染，因此可以推断，开发新型手机主要是为了保护环境。故答案为a。 4. what might be the most suitable title for this passage?a. sunflower and phone. b. plant your phone.c. protect our environment. d. no worry about phone.答案解析：答案为b。本题考查文章的标题。由第一段最后一句话 “when you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.”可知，新的手机特点是不需要后可以埋在花园里或者花盆里，能够开花，因此b选项作为标题既能概括该手机的特点也可以吸引读者。technology has been an encouragement of historical change. it acted as such a force in england beginning in the eighteenth century, and across the entire western world in the nineteenth. rapid advances were made in the use of scientific findings in the manufacture (制造) of goods, which has changed ideas about work. one of the first changes was that other forms of energy have taken the place of human power. along with this came the increased use of machines to manufacture products in less time. people also developed machines that could produce the same parts for a product: each nail was exactly like every other nail, meaning that each nail could be changed for every other nail. this means that goods could be mass production, although mass production required breaking production down into smaller and smaller tasks.workers no longer started on the product and labored to complete it. instead, they might work only one thousandth of it, other workers completing their own parts in certain order. there is nothing strange about this manufacturing work by todays standards. highly skilled workers were unable to compare with the new production techniques, as mass production allowed goods of high standard to be produced in greater number than could ever be done by hand. but the skilled worker wasnt the only loser, the common workers lost too. similar changes forced farmer away. the increased mechanization (机械化) of agriculture freed masses of workers from ploughing the land and harvesting its crops. they had little choice but to stream toward the rapidly developing industrial centers. increasingly, standards were set by machines. workers no longer owned their own tools, their skill was no longer valued, and pride in their work was no longer possible. workers fed, looked after and repaired the machines that could work faster than humans at greatly reduced cost.1. in this passage, which of the following is not considered as a change caused by the use of scientific findings in the production of goods?a. other forms of energy have taken the place of human power.b. the increased exploitation of workers in the 19th century.c. the increased use of machines to make products in less time.d. the use of machines producing parts of the same standard. 答案解析：答案为b。本题为细节题。从文章的第一段 “one of the first changes was that other forms of energy have taken the place of human power. along with this came the increased use of machines to manufacture products in less time. people also developed machines that could produce the same parts for a product:” 可知，a、c、d都在文中提到了。故答案为b。2. according to the writer, highly skilled workers _a. completely disappeared with the coming of the factory systemb. were dismissed by the bossc. were unable to produce goods of high standardd. were unable to produce fine goods at that same speed as machines答案解析：答案为d。本题为细节题。从文章第二段 “highly skilled workers were unable to compare with the new production techniques, as mass production allowed goods of high standard to be produced in greater number than could ever be done by hand.” 可知，机器批量生产的产品标准高，数量多，这是手工生产无法匹敌的。故答案为d。3. according to the passage, what did the farmers have to do with the coming of mechanization of agriculture?a. many of them had to leave their farmland for industrial centers.b. they stuck to their farm work.c. they refused to use machines.d they did their best to learn how to use the machines.答案解析：答案为a。本题为细节题。从第二段的倒数第四句话 “they had little choice but to stream toward the rapidly developing industrial centers.” 可知，答案为a。bthe earths most rich resourcewater has become one of the most precious resources in the united states as rivers, lakes, and freshwater reservoirs are increasingly exploited for human use. consequently, using precise farming techniques to refine “irrigation scheduling” is a research area of particular interest to susan moran, a researcher with the us department of agriculture. she explains that in the southwest, irrigation is both difficult and expensive. there, she says, farmers have a tendency to over irrigate, spending both more time and money than necessary. “im trying to provide new information that could be used by farmers to schedule irrigations to improve their profitability and use less water,” moran says. “farmers often look at weather changes and then schedule irrigation based on that information. but if they had better information, they could use scientific models to compute more precisely how much water their crop is using.” rather than guessing their crops potential need for water based upon weather changes, farmers can use remote sensors to measure how much water their crop is actually using. this would give them a more accurate measure of how much more water it needs. moran believes that if farmers are getting good and timely measurements of plant and air temperature, then they can program when and how much water to give each crop through an irrigation system. no more water would be used than needed, thus saving cost and conserving water. moran introduces one study she conducted in arizona to investigate the use of remote sensing data for scheduling cotton irrigations. typically, those farmers irrigate ten times per growing season, but evidence showed that some of those farmers could achieve basically the same harvest with only nine irrigations. “in those cases, one less irrigation saved more than all the cost of remote sensing data，” she states. “both irrigation and satellite remote sensing data are expensive. but then again many farmers are used to working together as a group. they are used to sharing. im hoping they could do the same with remote sensing datapurchase one scene over a large area to cover many farms, which would further reduce the cost.”1. what does moran think is the problem with farmers?a. overused reservoirs.b. precision farming. c. irrigation researches. d. overirrigation.答案解析：答案为d。 由第一段最后一句话 “ farmers have a tendency to over irrigate, spending both more time and money than necessary.” 可知，答案为d。2. how can farmers get the new information about their crop?a. to reschedule irrigation as required.b. to watch weather changes regularly.c. to use remote sensors as researchers suggest.d. to use scientific models since computing is more reliable. 答案解析：答案为c。本题为细节题。从第三段 “farmers can use remote sensors to measure how much water their crop is actually using.” 可知答案为c。本题容易错选d项。题干问的是 “农民如何得到关于庄稼的新信息？” 从第二段最后一句话 “but if they had better information, they could use scientific models to compute more precisely how much water their crop is using.” 可知，农民如果有了更好的信息可以使用scientific models。故答案d错误。3. what do farmers check upon when they decide how much water each crop needs?a. profitability.b. remote sensors.c. the cost.d. air temperature. 答案解析：答案为d。本题为细节理解题。从第四段 “moran believes that if farmers are getting good and timely measurements of plant and air temperature, then they can program when and how much water to give each crop through an irrigation system.”可知，农民依靠准确及时地测量植物和空气温度，来决定给每种庄稼配给相应的水分。 故答案为d。4. whats the purpose of moran introducing the study she carried out in arizona?a. to investigate the use of remote sensing data.b. to support her viewpoint in the previous paragraph.c. to show how farmers can reap a harvest.d. to criticize those farmers who used too much water. 答案解析：答案为a。本题为细节题。由倒数第二段首句 “moran introduces one study she conducted in arizona to investigate the use of remote sensing data for scheduling cotton irrigations.”可知，答案为a。5. what is among the best possible ways to help save farmers money?a. changing irrigation.b. sharing sensing data. c. buying one computer.d. extending the farms. 答案解析：答案为b。本题为细节题。由最后一段 “both irrigation and satellite remote sensing data are expensive. but then again many farmers are used to working together as a group. they are used to sharing.” 可知，答案为b。 its no secret that many children would be healthier and happier with adoptive parents than with the parents that nature dealt them. thats especially true of children of children who remain in abusive homes because the law blindly favors biological parents. its also true of children who suffer for years in foster homes because of parents who cant or wont care for them but refuse to give up custody (监护) rights.fourteen-year-old kimberly mays fits neither description, but her recent court victoty could eventually help children who do. kimberly has been the object of an angry custody battle between the man who raised her and her biological parents, with whom she has never lived. a florida judge ruled that the teenager can remain with the only father shes ever known and that her biological parents have “no legal right” on her.the ruling, though it may yet be reversed, sets aside the principle that biology is the primary determinant of parentage. thats an important development, though not so much in time.shorly after birth in december 1978, kimberly mays and another baby were mistakenly switched and sent home with the wrong parents. kimberlys biological parents, ernest and regina twigg, received a child who died of a heart disease in 1988. medical tests showed that the child wasnt the twiggs own daughter, but kim only was, thus causing a custody battle with robert mays. in 1989, the two families agreed that mr. mays would continue to have custody with the twiggs getting visiting rights. those rights were ended when mr. mays decided that kimberly was being harmed. the decision to leave kimberly with mr. mays caused people to debate her s