杭州外国语学校2019年高考英语集训阅读理解每日一练41

杭州外国语学校杭州外国语学校 2019 年高考英语集训阅读理解每日一练年高考英语集训阅读理解每日一练 41 倒数第二周星期一 A When should people be made to retire 55 65 Should there be a compulsory age limit Many old people work well into their 70s and 80s running families countries or corporations Other people however despite being fit and highly talented are forced to retire in their fifties or even earlier because of the regulations of a company or the nation This essay will examine whether people should be allowed to continue working as long as they want or whether they should be encouraged to retire at a particular stage Some people think there are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able First of all older employees have a large amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire A second point is that older employees are often extremely faithful employees and are more willing to carry out company policies than younger less committed staff However a more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people To force someone to resign or retire at 60 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that effectively their useful life is over Age is irrelevant to a working life Surely if older employees are told they cannot work after 60 this is age discrimination That they become old does not necessarily mean they are going to be sick Old people could be more aware experienced and committed than some youngsters Others however think that allowing older people to work indefinitely is not a good policy Age alone is no guarantee of ability Old people are only ambitious workaholics who are too selfish and egocentric to believe that a younger person could do better Actually many younger employees have more experience or skills than older staff who may have been stuck in one area or unit for most of their working lives Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization In addition without age limits however many people would continue to work purely because they did not have any other plans or roles A third point of view is that older people should be rewarded by society for their life s labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy their leisure We now have youngsters who can t find jobs because old people are choosing not to retire Old people are not retiring because this new generation of old people think they will never die due to modern advances in medicine With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low level positions there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers However this can affect the older individual s freedom and right to work and can deprive society of valuable experience and insights I feel that giving workers more flexibility and choice over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual 41 What is the purpose of this passage A To explain the compulsory age limit B To discuss the retirement age C To examine people s working life D To introduce a particular stage 42 Which of the following is NOT a reason for allowing old people to continue working according to the passage A Their contribution should be valued B Their experience should be made use of C They can help the youngsters D They are loyal employees 43 It can be inferred in the fourth passage that A the young people have more creative spirits B modern advances in medicine make old people never die C pensions and freedom are not given to the old now D old people believe that a younger person could do better 44 The passage is arranged as follows A B C D 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 2 2 3 4 5 3 3 5 4 4 5 5 45 What is the author s opinion on the retirement age A The author thinks when to retire depends on the employees themselves B The author is against lengthening the retirement age C The author thinks that retirement age varies from country to country D The author is in favor of allowing old people to continue working B Classical philosophers called humans the rational 理性的 animal Clearly they never looked closely at ants A new study suggests that ant colonies avoid irrational decisions that people and other animals often make Consider the following scenario You want to buy a house with a big kitchen and a big yard but there are only two homes on the market one with a big kitchen and a small yard and the other with a small kitchen and a big yard Studies show you d be about 50 likely to choose either house and either one would be a rational choice But now a new home comes on the market this one with a large kitchen and no yard This time studies show you ll make an irrational decision Even though nothing has changed with the first two houses you ll now favor the house with the big kitchen and small yard over the one with the small kitchen and big yard Overall scientists have found people and other animals will often change their original preferences when presented with a third choice Not so with ants These insects also shop for homes but not quite in the way that humans do Solitary worker ants spread out looking for two main features a small entrance and a dark inside If an ant finds an outstanding hole such as the inside of an acorn or a rock crevice it brings another worker ant to check it out As more ants like the site the number of workers in the new hole grows Once the crowd reaches a critical mass the ants race back to the old nest and start carrying the queen and larvae to move the entire colony To test ant rationality Stephen Pratt a behavioral ecologist at Arizona State University in Tempe and a colleague designed a series of possible nests for 26 ant colonies The duo cut rectangular holes in balsa wood and covered them with glass microscope slides The researchers then drilled holes of various sizes into the glass slides and slipped plastic light filters under the glass to vary the features ants care about most At first the colonies only had two options A and B A was dark but had a large opening whereas B was bright with a small opening As with humans the ants preferred both options equally The researchers found no difference between the number of colonies that picked A versus B Then the scientists added a third option called a decoy 干扰项 that was similar to either A or B in one characteristic but clearly worse than both in the other a very bright nest with a small opening for example Unlike humans the ants were not tricked by the decoy the team reports online today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B Although a few colonies picked the third nest the other colonies did not start favoring A or B and still split evenly between the two Pratt speculates that ant colonies avoid making the irrational decision because unlike humans each ant doesn t evaluate all options before making a choice When the scouts find a nest they re unaware of what else is out there and either they pick the nest or they don t The group may do better precisely because the individuals are ignorant Pratt says Melissa Bateson an ethnologist at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom believes the findings could have really interesting implications for the benefits of collective decision making which we could learn something from Many grant review boards for example behave like ants Reviewers see only a subset of the total grant applications and thus have to make a decision without seeing every option 46 The survey of house buying is mentioned to A reveal the serious housing problems of modern society B explain how to make a more reasonable choice when buying houses C show that in fact humans are not so rational as known when making choices D criticize the selfishness of human nature 47 Choose the correct order of the steps for ants to move to a new place a An ant finds an ideal hole with two main features b The ants race back to carry the queen and larvae to move c Another worker ant is brought to check it out d Worker ants are sent out e More ants come to the site until they have enough workers A a c e b d B d a c e b C a e c d b D d a e c b 48 Which of the following options could be an appropriate decoy to the experiment in paragraph 5 A a dark nest with a small opening B a dark nest with a large opening C a bright nest with a small opening D a dark nest with a very large opening 49 According to Stephen Pratt why are the ant colonies able to make the rational choice in comparison with humans A They are not aware of more optional places B They have clever worker ants to make the discoveries C They are not well educated and intelligent as humans D Ants are better at making collective choices with their ignorant partners 50 The best title for the passage would be A Can t Decide Ask an Ant B Better Choice Better Life C Man Be Rational D Who lies Philosophers or Scientists C The addictive pull of Internet shopping is dragging thousands of victims into a rise of debt including thousands of women who have run up huge credit card bills they cannot repay The appeal of 24 hour access and the explosion in goods and services on offer has seen a 10 percent increase in credit card debts in the UK this year Much of it has accounted for online spending The latest report on Internet usage shows the number of adults logging on at home has risen from 10 million in October last year to 15 5m this month The report by Continental Research which has monitored Internet access in the UK for the past six years found that while online shopping used to be experimental it is now becoming habitual especially for women Colin Shaddick who heads the company said Women are logging on in record numbers online shopping has certainly played a big role in this The study found that average annual spending online is 700 a year for each Internet shopper The draw of the Internet is especially strong for collectors Business lecturer Stephen Hall who has been buying and selling books since he was a child now has a collection worth 40 000 He is passionate about the opportunities offered by shopping online You can find a book in minutes that you could spend months hunting down at auctions or second hand bookshops he said It can easily become addictive and all the collectors I know use the Internet I suspect you do waste money because you are less likely to send back a book to Little Rock Arkansas than take it back to the high street shop Like Stephen Hall most of us can shop online sensibly but for some it provides an easy anonymous and accessible way to feed their habit It also provides secrecy a central part of any addiction Dr Samantha Haslett a psychologist and expert in addiction at the Promos counseling centre said It s compulsive in the same way as alcohol and gambling and addicts find themselves completely unable to stop themselves despite debt mounting and relationships breaking up It s the thrill and the buzz of purchasing that ignores all the negative consequences People laugh at shopping addictions but it s the same as food overeating bulimics don t eat nice stuff or things that are good for them Shopping addicts are the same they ll buy things they don t need or want or like What they re buying is of no importance compared to the thrill they get spending money and acquiring something new I ve counseled people who have bought piles of bed linen and curtains and just left them piled up in the corner of the room I have seen people s marriages ruined There s something more damaging about Internet shopping too because it takes place in the home so the trick and secrecy is that much closer to the partner who is being tricked Tennis star Serena Williams this year admitted to kicking an Internet shopping addiction that saw her spending up to six hours a day online in an attempt to avoid being seen out in public Every day I was in my room and I was online Williams said I wasn t able to stop and I bought bought bought I was just out of control Confidence is also growing in online security Danny Meadows Klue chairman of Interactive Advertising Bureau the Internet commercial watchdog said Online card fraud 欺 诈 is a drop in the ocean compared to total credit card fraud but it is increasing We want to increase consumer confidence by encouraging shoppers to take simple steps to protect themselves But there are still barriers to online shopping declares James Goudie a consumer psychologist at North Umbria University For certain items some people prefer to shop personally for example to try on an item of clothing and feel the quality Payment of delivery charges is also off putting 51 It can be learned from the passage that A people have run into debts mainly because of their Internet shopping addiction B many people don t tend to get back their refund though the goods quality is poor C avoiding been noticed by the public entirely leads to Serena s shopping addiction D the reason for online shopping results from much less credit fraud on the Internet 52 According to Dr Samantha Haslett we can draw a conclusion that A the main reason for ruining people s marriage contributes to shopping online B it is the convenience of Internet that brings about people s shopping addiction C a great many things women purchase on the Internet are of little practical use D spending money by clicking the mouse can satisfy customers desire greatly 53 The underlined word off putting in the last passage means A annoyingB pleasantC excitingD tense 54 Which of the following do you think the author would most probably agree with A Shopping online has advanced the consumers debt increase in a way B many items are piled up in the room corner because they are out of date C shopping addiction is harder to be removed than alcohol and gambling D paying by credit can account for the phenomenon of online shopping 55 Which do you think can be the best title of the passage A Net Shopping Cost People Much MoneyB Warm Tips on Internet Shopping C Net Shopping Hooks Army of AddictsD Shopping Online Is Very Popular D Wanda the neighborhood witch was a good witch and had been one for about 221 years Her fondest dream was to become a fairy godmother She had been going to the Fairy Godmother Academy for 103 years learning fairy godmother magic how to turn pumpkins into coaches how to make things vanish in clouds of smoke even how to change mice into horses and footmen Just that very morning the principal of the Academy had said Wanda was ready for her final test She was to change the first animal she met into something else The animal was to be so happy at becoming whatever it became that it would say Oh happy day I m a If it did Wanda would pass the test She would become a fairy godmother with a sparkling pink dress a golden crown and a magic wand tipped with a shining star However if she failed she would have to start school all over again all 103 years of it Good luck the principal said as Wanda left the Academy The very first animal Wanda bumped into was Charley a little green frog who sat in a pond by the side of the road catching bugs with his long sticky tongue and croaking Baroomp Baroomp When Charley saw Wanda he jumped onto a lily pad Hi he cried Witch way are you going Ha ha That s a joke Wanda Witch way are you going Get it I get it Charley replied Wanda but it s not much of a joke Anyway I m glad you re here I have a surprise for you You ll be so happy Then without even an if you please Wanda waved her wand said a magic word and poof 吹熄蜡烛的声音 Charley the little green frog turned into a prince He was a handsome prince but a wet one The lily pad had collapsed under his weight and dumped him into the water Charley turned prince stood up and looked at his reflection in the water Hey he cried You turned me into a prince It s a surprise all right but I don t want to be a prince I want to be a frog Change me back right now Oh dear Wanda said You know I don t like to be yelled at Charley Now you ve made me forget the reverse spell But who wouldn t rather be a prince than a frog I wouldn t cried Charley I want to be a frog He stuck out his tongue missing a bug flying by the end of his nose Look at that Wanda I was such a good fly catcher And I had eyes on top of my head too I could see forward and backward and sideways all at once but look at me now With my eyes in front of my face I can only see one direction at a time I don t even have a castle Wanda What kind of prince is that I d really rather be a frog Please change me back I can t Charley But you ll learn to be happy as a prince As for a castle I can take care of that She waved her wand and suddenly a castle appeared by the banks of the pond It had stone walls oaken doors and pennants waving from its turrets Your very own palace Charley You ll have servants eat fancy foods and ice cream Bah Charley interrupted Who wants servants or ice cream and fancy foods I want bugs He stuck out his tongue and looked down his nose at it cross eyed This tongue is no good it s too short he cried I can t even see it Again Wanda waved her wand Look Charley musicians she said Out of the castle marched dozens of musicians blowing trumpets tootling flutes and banging drums See Your own band They ll play music and you can sing and dance and snap your fingers to your heart s content I don t want to sing and dance Charley cried And why would I do