06-11湖北高考阅读-社会科学6.doc

(2006湖北B篇)Have you ever received a gift that was so clearly not your taste that you wondered if perhaps it had been handed to you by mistake? Worse, have you ever given a present and watched your friend look as though she had opened the wrong box? Maybe she responded with a polite “Why, thank you,” but you knew you had missed the mark. Why do presents sometimes go wrong? And what do your choices (good and bad) reflect about your personal qualities?Choosing the right gift is an art, I believe. It calls for empathythe ability to put yourself into someone elses head and heart. Were all able to do this; in fact, weve born with a kind of natural empathy. After the earliest period of childhood, however, it needs to be reinforced（加强）by our parents, teachers, friends. When it isnt, were not able to understand other peoples feelings as sharply. This can show in the gifts we select, and so can many other emotional（情感的）qualities.Think back to the presents youve given over the past year, the time and effort you put into your selection, how much you spent, your thoughts while you were shopping, and your feelings when the receiver opened the package. Keep in mind that what you choose displays your inner world. Of course, you may express yourself differently with different friends, relatives, and other people you know.We live in a society where exchanging presents is an important part of communication. Ignoring the tradition wont make it go away. If you really dislike such a tradition, tell your friends ahead of time.60. The underlined expression “you had missed the mark” means “you had failed to”_.A. make her feel better B. keep your friendshipC. receive a present in return D. get the expected effect61. Which of the following is the main idea of the second paragraph?A. Natural empathy needs to be reinforced. B. Emotional changes influence ones choice of gifts.C. Selecting the right gift is an ability people are born with.D. Choosing gifts requires one to understand the receivers.62. In the third paragraph, the author tells us that_.A. attention should be paid to the receivers responses B. one learns from what he did in the pastC. the choice of gifts reflects ones emotional qualitiesD. one should spend more time choosing gifts63. The best possible title for this passage is “_”.A. Ways of Choosing Gifts B. An Important TraditionC. Exchanging Presents D. Message in a Gift(2006湖北E篇)Silence is unnatural to man. He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness. In between he does all he can to make a noise in the world, and he fears silence more than anything else. Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence. If he is introduced to another person, and a number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards himself as a failure, a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest-headed chatterbox（喋喋不休的人）. He knows that ninety-nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure（蜡塑人像）.The aim of conversation is not, for the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito(蚊子). But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing with his neighbors.Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other peoples ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel. At the end of an evening during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time, they just prove themselves to be successful conversationists.72. According to the author, people make conversation to_.A. exchange ideas B. prove their valueC. achieve success in life D. overcome their fear of silence73. By “the buzzing of a fly” (Para. 1) the author means “_”.A. the noise of an insect B. a low whispering soundC. meaningless talks D. the voice of a chatterbox74. According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors_.A. about whatever they have prepared B. about whatever they want toC. in the hope of learning something new D. in the hope of getting on well75. What is the authors purpose in writing the passage?A. To discuss why people like talking about weather.B. To encourage people to join in conversations.C. To persuade people to stop making noises. D. To explain why people keep talking.(2007湖北C篇)Almost every child is scared of something, from monsters in the cupboard to dogs in the park. But the fact that such fears are common and normal doesnt mean they can be taken lightly. Kids experience fears and phobias （恐惧症） much more strongly than adults. And the influence of the fear can be physical as well as psychological （心理的）. It can build up so they almost seem scared of everythinga kind of childhood anxiety. Dr. Creswell says: “Your child may always seem to expect the worst to happen and lack confidence in his or her ability to deal with any challenge.” So dont make the same old mistake of treating them as if theyre silly for being a “scaredy cat”. Handling the fears is essential.Children can be born nervous and, if you have such a baby, youll tend to prevent them from getting worriedSo if they fear dogs, Youll keep them away from dogs, but in fact that can just confirm to the child that dogs are scary. What is worse, keeping your child away from what they fear can turn that feeling into a phobiaInstead, you should encourage them to get in touch with the thing they fear, in a safe and supportive environment. Dr. Andy Field, a researcher of childhood fears, says: “You shouldnt force, for example, a dog anxious child to go up to a dog. But you can approach it yourself, show them there is nothing to be afraid of, stroke （抚摸） it, and talk about the dog being friendly. Once your child dares to stroke a dogone thats good with children, of coursethen you should encourage them to carry on until they feel calmer, and reward them for being brave.”69Childrens fears are usually taken lightly because_.Athey will not develop into phobias Btheir influence is psychologicalCthey exist widely in the world Dthey will disappear gradually70If we fail to help children to overcome fears, they will _.Amake the same old mistake Bovercome them by themselvesCexperience the worst of things Dgrow up lacking self-confidence71According to Dr. Andy Field, if a child is afraid of a cat, parents should_.Atell the child not to be afraid of it Bshow the child how to approach itCkeep the child away from it Dask the child to stroke it(2007湖北D篇)Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothe and house yourself, each extra dollar makes less and less difference.Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other waysscientists or actors, for examplemay happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desiresnot just for money, but for friends, family, job, healthrose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap （差距）. Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income,” says Michalos.Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad “Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied?” asks Professor Laura Carstensen.In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people, but negative emotions much less often. Why are old people happier? Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or theyre more realistic about their time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that dont.“People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”72According to the passage, the feeling of happiness_.Ais determined partly by genes Bincreases gradually with ageChas little to do with wealth Dis measured by desires73Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs_.Amake them feel much better Bprovide chances to make friendsCimprove their social position Dsatisfy their professional interests74Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more_.Aoptimistic Bsuccessful Cpractical Demotional75Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if_.Athe gap between reality and desire is bigger Bthey have a stronger desire for friendshipC. their income is below their expectation Dthe hope for good health is greater(2008湖北D篇)One morning a few years ago, Harvard President Neil Rudenstine overslept. For this busy man, it was a sort of alarm：after years of non-stop hard work, he might wear himself out and die an early death.Only after a weeks leaveduring which he read novels, listened to music and walked with his wife on a beachwas Rudenstine able to return to work.In our modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest. Amazingly, within this world there is a universal but silly saying: “I am so busy.”We say this to one another as if our tireless efforts were a talent by nature and an ability to successfully deal with stress. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, and to be unable to find time to relaxthis has become the model of a successful life.Because we do no rest, we lose our way. We miss the guide telling us where to go, the food providing is with strength, the quiet giving us wisdom.How have we allowed this to happen? I believe it is this: we have forgotten the Sabbath, the day of the week for followers of some religions for rest and praying. It is a day when we are not supposed to work, a time when we devote ourselves to enjoying and celebrating what is beautiful. It is good time to bless our children and loved ones, give thanks, share meals, walk and sleep. It is a time for us to take a rest, to put our work aside, trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world.Rest is a spiritual and biological need, however, in our strong ambition to be successful and care for our many responsibilities, we may feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest. The Sabbath gives us permission to stop work. In fact, “Remember the Sabbath” is more than simply permission to rest; it is a rule to obey and a principle to follow.73The “alarm” in the first paragraph refers to_.Aa signal of stress Ba warning of dangerCa sign of age Da spread of disease74According to Paragraph 4, a successful person is one who is believed to_.Abe able to work without stress Bbe more talented than other peopleCbe more important than anyone else Dbe busy working without time to rest75Some people feel guilty when taking time to rest because they_.Athink that taking a rest means lacking ambitionsBfail to realize that rest is an essential part of lifeCfail to realize that religions force them to rest Dthink that taking a rest means being lazy76What is the main idea of this passage?AWe should balance work with rest. BThe Sabbath gives us permission to rest.CIt is silly for anyone to say “I am so busy.”DWe should be available to our family and friends.(2010湖北E篇)Have you winterized your horse yet? Even though global warming may have made our climate more mild, many animals are still hibernating(冬眠). Its too bad that humans cant hibernate. In fact, as a species, we almost did.Apparently, at times in the past, peasants in France liked a semi-state of human hibernation. So writes Graham Robb, a British scholar who has studied the sleeping habits of the French peasants. As soon as the weather turned cold, people all over the France shut themselves away and practiced the forgotten art of doing nothing at all for months on end.In line with this, Jeff Warren, a producer at CBC Radios The Current, tells us that the way we sleep has changed fundamentally since the invention of artificial(人造的)lighting and the electric bulb.When historians began studying texts of the Middle Ages, they noticed something referred to as “first sleep”, which was not clarified, though. Now scientists are telling us our ancestors most likely slept in separate periods. The business of eight hours uninterrupted sleep is a modern invention.In the past, without the artificial light of the city to bathe in, humans went to sleep when it became dark and then woke themselves around midnight. The late night period was known as “The Watch”. It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighbours.According to some sleep re