高考英语 阅读微技能训练 主旨大意(2)

1 阅读微技能训练阅读微技能训练 3 3 主旨大意主旨大意 2 2 巩固练习巩固练习 ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 1 1 Man even in the lower stage of development possesses a faculty which for want of a better name I shall call Number Sense This faculty permits him to recognize that something has changed in a small collection when without his direct knowledge an object has been removed from or added to the collection Number sense should not be confused with counting which is probably of a much later vintage and involves as we shall see a rather intricate mental process Counting so far as we know is an attribute exclusively human whereas some brute species seem to possess a rudimentary number sense akin to our own At least such is the opinion of competent observers of animal behavior and the theory is supported by a weighty mass of evidence 1 The main idea of this passage is that A man s rudimentary number sense is found in lower species B counting is not to be confused with number sense C birds have a limited number sense D number sense is a primitive form of counting ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 2 2 The suggestion that computers will be our brain s successor seems absurd how can the richness of human thought be compared to the mechanical thinking of a computer It is true that the electronic brains of today are very primitive compared with the human brain in fact they have little going for them except a prodigious memory and some math skills Yet the newest models can be wired up to follow an argument ask pertinent questions and write pleasing poetry and music They can also carry on somewhat distracted conversations so convincingly that their human partners do not know they are talking to a machine In another few decades according to the current trends we will see the computer as an emergent form of life competitive with man 2 The main idea of this passage is A the human brain is a most complicated device and nothing can surpass it B it is ridiculous to think that computers will be more intelligent than human beings in the future C to tell people that there are two different visions of the human brain D to reveal the bright prospects of the computer ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 3 3 By learning the life cycle of insects scientists have found ways to control insect pests The scientists who study insects are called entomologists Entomologists discover what an insect is like in each stage of its development where it lives and what it eats From these facts a plan for controlling the insect can often be worked out For example the eggs of the stalk borer are laid on the stems of wild plants in late summer and stay there all winter They hatch in May or June and then the larvae bore into the stems of the wild plants Later the larvae move on to cultivated plants where they again bore into stems In August the larvae become pupae in the stems of the cultivated plants About three weeks later they come out as adults and lay their eggs on wild plants Burning the wild plants in late 2 autumn or early spring greatly reduces the number of stalk borers that attack cultivated plants 3 The main topic of the passage is A the life cycle of insects B scientists use of their life cycles to control insect pests C the life cycle of the stalk borer D the work of entomologists ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 4 4 Researchers at Boston s Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School recently described what may prove to be the first simple reliable blood test to detect cancer long before it s visible on an X ray or before any symptoms appear Radiologist Eric T Fossel and his colleagues employed a device relatively new to medical diagnosis the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer NMR which classifies chemical molecules by their response to radio waves in magnetic field In a person with cancer NMR detects a characteristic abnormality in certain lipoprotein molecules 4 Which of the following can serve as the appropriate title for the passage A A New Medical Device B Blood Test for Cancer C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer D The Enemy of Cancer ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 5 5 If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language you will get answers like Shakespeare Samuel Johnson and Webster but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn t even speak English William the Conqueror Before 1066 in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups In the west central region lived the Welsh who spoke a Celtic language and in the north lived the Scots whose language though not the same as Welsh was also Celtic In the rest of the country lived the Saxons actually a mixture of Anglos Saxons and other Germanic and Nordic peoples who spoke what we now call Anglo Saxon or Old English a Germanic language If this state of affairs had based English today would be close to German But this state of affairs did not last In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England For about a century French became the official language of English while Old English became the language of peasants As a result English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German In some cases modern English even shows a distinction 区别 between upper class French and lover class Anglo Saxon in its words We even have different words for some foods meat in particular depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming while the upper class Normans were doing most of the eating When Americans visit Europe for the first time they usually find Germany more foreign than France because the German they wee on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man s ambition 5 What is the subject discussed in the text A The history of Great Britain B The similarity between English and French C The rule of England by William the Conqueror 3 D The French influences on the English language ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 6 6 Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work a move scientists say can be good for productivity workplace morale 士气 and the well being of animals A study found that 25 of Australian women would like to keep an office pet Sue Chaseling of Petcare information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets On the pets side they are not left on their own and won t feel lonely and unhappy she said A study of major US companies showed that 73 found office pets beneficial 有益的 while 27 experienced a drop in absenteeism 缺勤 Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington My customers love them they are their favorites she said They are not troublesome They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years working at Punch Gallery in Balmain Owner lain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass he said Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation But she said owners had to make sure both their co workers and the cats were comfortable 6 TheThe bestbest titletitle forfor thisthis texttext wouldwould bebe A Pet Help Attract Customers B Your Favorite Office Pets C Pets Join the Workforce D Busy Life for Pets ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 7 7 The twentieth century saw greater changes than any century before changes for the better changes for the worse changes that brought a lot of benefits to human beings changes that put man in danger Many things caused the changes but in my opinion the most important was the progress in science Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadened our views It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure of matter and of the universe it has brought us a better understanding of the nature of life and of its continuous development Technology the application of science has made big advances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life The continuation of such activities in the twenty first century will result in even greater advantages to human beings in pure science a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning in applied science a more reasonable sharing of material benefits and better protection of the environment Sadly however there is another side to the picture The creativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind Th6 Application of science and technology to the development and production of weapons of mass destruction has created a real danger to the continued existence of the human race on this planet We have seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons Although their actual use has so far occurred only in the Second World War the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready for use was so large that if the weapons had actually been used the result could have been the ruin of the human race as well as of many kinds of animals William Shakespeare said The web of our life is of a mingled yarn 4 纱线 good and ill together The above brief review of the application of only one part of human activities science seems to prove what Shakespeare said But does it have to be so Must the ill always go together with the good Are we biologically programmed for war 7 Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage 8 From the fourth paragraph we can infer that A a great many nuclear weapons were actually used for war B a large number of nuclear weapons should have been used for war C the author is doubtful about the ruin of human beings by nuclear weapons D the author is anxious about the huge number of nuclear weapons on the earth 9 The underlined word mingled in the last paragraph most probably means A simple B mixed C sad D happy 10 What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write A Further application of science to war B More reading of William Shakespeare C Proper use of science in the new century D Effective ways to separate the good from the ill ReadingReading MaterialMaterial 8 8 The increase in global trade means that international companies cannot afford to make costly advertising mistakes if they want to be competitive Understanding the language and culture of target markets in foreign countries is one of the keys to successful international marketing Too many companies however have jumped into foreign markets with embarrassing results Translation mistakes are at the heart of many blunders in international advertising General Motors the US auto manufacturer got a costly lesson when it introduced its Chevrolet Nova to the Puerto Rican market Nova is Latin for new star and means star in many languages but in spoken Spanish it can sound like nova meaning it doesn t go Few people wanted to buy a car with that cursed meaning When GM changed the name to Caribe sales picked up dramatically Marketing blunders have also been made by food and beverage companies One American food company s friendly Jolly Green Giant for advertising vegetables became something quite different when it was translated into Arabic as Intimidating Green Ogre When translated into German Pepsi s popular slogan Come Alive with Pepsi came out implying Come Alive from the Grave No wonder customers 5 in Germany didn t rush out to buy Pepsi Successful international marketing doesn t stop with good translations other aspects of culture must be researched and understood if marketers are to avoid blunders When marketers do not understand and appreciate the values tastes geography climate superstitions religion or economy of a culture they fail to capture their target market For example an American designer tried to introduce a new perfume into the Latin American market but the product aroused little interest The main reason was that the camellia used in it was traditionally used for funerals in many South American countries Having awakened to the special nature of fore