全国中考英语阅读冲刺(四)社会文化篇

1、Section IV社会文化篇Passage 32For most people, the word“fashion ” means “clothes ” . But people may ask the question,“What clothes are in fashion?” And they use the adjective （ 形容词） “ fashi on able ” in the same way:“ She was weari ng a fashi on able color.”But of course there are fashi ons in many thin

2、gs, not only in clot hes. There are fashions in holidays, in restaurants, in films and boo ks. There are eve n fashi ons in school subjects, jobsand in Ian guages.Fashi ons cha nge as time goes. If you look at pictures of people o r things from the past, you will see that fashi ons have always cha n

3、ge d. An En glish house of 1750 was differe nt from his grandson in 1860.Today fashi ons cha nge very quickly. Some of this is n atural （自然的）.We hear about things much more quickly tha n in the past. Newspap ers, radios, teleph ones and televisio n send in formatio n from one coun try to ano ther in

4、 a few hours.New fashi ons mean that people will buy new thi ngs, so you see the re is money in fashi on.1. From this passage we know that“fashion ” means.A. clothes B. many things C. most of the popular things D. everyt hing2. Which of the followi ng things is fashi on able today?A. Surfi ng on the

5、 Internet B. Havi ng a family dinner on New Year's DayC. Lear ning to sing songs on the radio D. Doing morning exercises at school.3. Today fashi ons cha nge very quickly because.A.People read n ewspapers every day B. radios send in formatio n f rom one country to ano therC. new things that peop

6、le like are ofte n show n on TVD. people quickly lear n what is happe ning in the world4. “There is money in fashion.” means.A. clothes are expe nsive B. money comes from fashi onC. people like new thi ngs D. there are no fashi ons without moneyPassage 33First Fren chma n: I once heard some one shou

7、t, "Look out," I put my head out of a window and a bas in （ 盆）of water fell on me. It seems that "Look out" may mean "don t look out."Second Frenchman: Once I was on a ship and heard the captain （船长）shout, "All hands on deck," I put my hands on the deck and so

8、me on e walked on them.Third Fren chma n: I once visited an En glish frie nd early in the mo rning and the maid who came to the door and said, "He' s not up yet.Come back in half an hour," When I went again for him, she said, "He s not dow n yet.""If he ' s not up an

9、d he ' s not down, where is he?" I asked.She said, "He ' s still in bed. When I say He' s not up ' I mean he has not yet got up ' . When I say He' s not down ' I mean 'he has not yet come downstairs,'"1. "Look out" h ere means “”.A. put yo

10、ur head out of the win dow and look B. Take careC. I ' m going to pour the water D. Help me2. "All hands on deck" means“ ”.A.All the sailors gather （集合）on deck B. Give your hands to meC.Put your right hand and left hand on deck D. Shake your hands w ith me3. When the maid said,“He'

11、 s not up yet. ” She meant thatA. he has not grow n up yet B. he has not yet got upC. he has not woke up yet D. he has not yet come upstairs4. Whe n the third Fren chma n went back, the En glish frie ndA. was wash ing his face B. was hav ing his breakfastC. was still in an upstairs room D. was readi

12、ng a newspaper5. Which do you think is the best title for this article?A. Three Fren chme n and their En glish Frie nds B. The En glish Langu ageC. Three French Stories D. What a Lan guage!Passage 34Newspapers are very importa nt in our daily life. Many people begin their day by read ing the paper.

13、I n this way they lear n what is going on in the world. Sometimes, however, they did n t have the time toread the n ews carefully and must be pleased with a quick look at the front page. At other times they may be in such a hurry that they have time only to have a quick look at the headli nes （标题）.T

14、here are newspapers to please every reader. In big cities there are many types with several differe nt editi ons every day .In some tow ns there are fewer n ewspapers and perhaps only one editi on each day. In some places the paper is prin ted weekly.Most papers have several editi ons, especially on

15、 Sun days whe n theediti on is larger tha n usual. There are besides the front page withthe most importa nt n ews, the sports n ews, the amuseme nt （娱乐）page,a bus in ess page and so on.1. People read n ewspaper to.A. lear n about the most importa nt n ews B. be pleasedC. get some in formatio n D. le

16、arn about whatever they want2. Read ing the headli nes, people can know.A. what the passages are about B. what is going onC. about the most importa nt n ews D. about sports3.ln big cities n ewspapers are usually prin ted.A. daily B. weekly C. mon thly D. yearly4. Most papers haveon Sun days tha n us

17、ual.A. more types B. more pages C. less types D. less pages5.If you want to see a film, you' d better r eadin a newspaper.A. the bus in ess page B. the front pageC. the sports page D. the amuseme nt pagePassage 35This dicti onary tells you about En glish words and how to use them in reading, wri

18、ting and speaking English. It not only gives the mean ing of words, it can also help you with spelli ng, word buildi ng, gram mar and pronun ciatio n.To use your dictio nary correctly, you n eed to un dersta nd how the dictionary works. At the front of the book, you will find some exerci ses to help

19、 you make the most use of your dicti on ary.If you look up the word“colour ” , you will find two spellings for this word. “Colour ” is used in British English, while“color ”is used in America n En glish. Whe n such a thing happe ns, the dict ionar y shows it with the word“ BrE” for British English a

20、nd“AmE forAmerica n En glish.The dictio nary also helps you pronounce words correctly. It uses a special alphabet （特殊字母表）to show pronunciation. If you turn tothe in side back face, you will see all the phon etic letters （音标）with some words to show you how they are pronoun ced. Just have a look this

21、page when you ' re not sure how to say a word.The most important reason for using a dictionary is to find out t he mea ning of a word its DEFINITION.In this dictionary, the definitions have been written using only 2000 words. This means that the definitions of even the most difficul t words are

22、simply expla ined （ 简单解释）and easy to un dersta nd.Whe n a word has more tha n one meanin g, read all the meanings until you find the one that correctly tells the use of the word you are l ook ing for.Most of the words in this dicti onary can be used by people in all parts of the world.1. This dictio

23、 nary cannot help you with.A. si ngi ng B. grammar C. spelli ng D. pronun ciati on2. of the words in the dictio nary have two spelli ngs.A. All B. One C. Few D. Some3. The AmE spelling of the Chinese word“颜色” in this dictionaryis.A. colour B. collar C. color D. corner4. The pho netic alphabet helps

24、you each word correctly.A. un dersta nd B. write C. say D. know5. The Chinese meaning of“definition” here is.A.词性B.词条C.词义D.词库6. How many words are there in this dictionary?.A. Two thousand B. One thousand C. One hundred D. We don ' t know7. The dictio nary expla ins.A. some of the difficult word

25、s B. all the words in a simple wayC. all the easy words D. the words of two meaningsPassage 36The Win ter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this ti me, many colorful stamps are published （ 发行）to mark （ 标志）the grea t Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25,1932

26、 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishi ng stamps duri ng the White Olympics became a rule（规定）.During the 4th Win ter Olympic Games a group of stamps were publis hed in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were draw n on the front of the sportswear. I

27、t was the first time that the ring s appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics.In the 1950 ' s, the stamps o f this kind became more colorful. Whe n the White Olympics came, the host coun tries （东道主）as well as thenon-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published fo

28、ur stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sportsmen be gan to take part in the White Olympics.Japa n is the only Asia n country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14, 500 millio n stamps were sold to collect money for thi s sports meeti ng.Differe nt kinds of sports were draw n on

29、these small stamps. Peopl e can enjoy the beauty of the won derful moveme nts of some sportsme n.1. The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics.A. are the same thi ng B. are differe nt gamesC. are not held in win ter D. are held in summer2. The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great

30、 world Games.A. after the year 1936 B. after the 3rd Win ter OlympicsC. before the 3rd White Olympics D. before the year 19323. The Win ter Olympics is held once.A. every two years B. every three yearsC. every four years D.every five years4. Which of the following is true?A. Only the host countries

31、can publish stamps to mark those Games.B. Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Ga mes.C. All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.D. Japan can ' t publish stamps to mark those Games.5. What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?A. Basketball. B. T

32、able tennis. C. Football. D. Skating.Passage 37In 1998, World Cup Football Match held in France took up a new rule. In stead of the usual black and white ball, a colorful ball was used in the game. The new ball was made up of 32 pieces of three colors:red, blue and white. I nteresti ngly eno ugh, th

33、e French n ati onal flag happe ned to be in three colors, too. Besides, 32 teams took part in t he coming World Cup. But early football was made up of eight pieces o f leather. As time went by, more pieces of leather were used, from 12 pieces to 18 to 26 and then to 32 now.About three million such n

34、ew footballs were made. And then some p layers were playi ng the new ball in their trai ning. The makers have w arned the goalkeeper that the new ball flies in a direct line at a fa st speed.After trying the ball for some time, a footballer said that the ball was quite differe nt from the traditi on

35、 al （传统的）black and whiteone, and that the goalkeeper would find it harder to catch them. Ano ther footballer said that there would be more goals.“ For the playeron the ground, the new ball is easier to control as it flies. A good play er can shoot in more goals, ” he said.1. What was the new rule in

36、 the 1998 World Cup Football Match?A. The new ball made up of 32 pieces of three colors was used.B. The flags of the teams were in three colors.C.Only 32 teams took part in the game.D.The white and black football was used in stead.2. What is the color of the French n ati onal flag?A. Black and white

37、. B. Red and black.C. Blue, red and white D.Black, white and red.3. Which of the followi ng senten ces is not true?A. Early footballs were made up of eight pieces of leather in two colors.B. Eighteen pieces of leather were once used to make a football.C. Footballers ofte n used the black and white b

38、alls in the past.D. The football made up of twelve pieces of leather was just used by twelve teams.4.It is not easy for the goalkeepers to catch the new footballs, because.A.they are not as big as the old onesB.they fly at a fast speedC. they are made up of more pieces of leather tha n the old onesD

39、. the goalkeepers ha ven' t tried the new football5. What' s the best title for this passage?A. Football of New Kind B. 98 World Cup Football MatchC. Goalkeepers and Players D. Three-color Flag of FrancePassage 38Most people have flow n kites or have see n one or ride and dip ina strong spri

40、ng wind. Not so many people know that kites were first made in China thousa nds of years ago. The ancient （古代的）Chin ese were making and flying kites even before they were writing.A long time ago, the Chinese made kites to use in wars. They woul d fly these war kites in the dark. The kites were fixed

41、 so that they made stra nge soun ds. Men who were at war with them would hear these s ounds and run away. The thought those sounds were made by gods in the sky.The ancient Chinese also flew kites to bring good luck and to mak e their crops grow rich and tall. Sometimes they tied long strings （绳子）and

42、 hooks （ 钩）to their kites. Then they would fly the kites o ver water, letting the hooks hang down to catch fish.The Chinese use sticks, strings and paper for their kites. Some o f these kites look like ani mals or trees. Others look like birds or h ouses.1. The main idea of the first paragraph is th

43、at.A.kites were first made in Chi naB.most of us have flow n or seen oneC. the ancient Chin ese were mak ing kites before they were writi ngD. the ancient Chin ese were good at making kites2.ln ancient China kites could be used for.A.catchi ng fish B. help ing people flyC. wateri ng the crops D. hel

44、p ing people walk in the dark3. The ancient Chin ese used kites in wars because the kitesA. could bring good luck B. looked like ani malsC. could help them win a war D. could fly high4. The Chin ese usually usefor their kites.A.sticks, stri ngs and grass B. stri ngs, hair and woodC. paper, strings a

45、nd sticks D. paper, ropes and hooksC. Beautiful Kites D. Chi nese5. What is the best title of this passage?A. Lucky Kites B. Stra nge Kites KitesPassage 39Shan ghai: Car ren tals （出租）are beco ming more and more popular as an in expe nsive way of tak ing to roads. Bus in ess people, foreig n and fami

46、lies alike are maki ng good use of the grow ing in dustry （工业）.The first car ren tal compa ny ope ned in Shan ghai in 1992 and now 1 2 car ren tal players are in the game, with more tha n 11,500 cars in t heir books.The largest player-Sha nghai Basher Tourism Car Ren tal Cen ter offe rs a wide varie

47、ty of choices deluxe seda ns, minivans, statio n wago ns, coaches. Santana seda ns are the big favorite.Compa nies can attract （ 吸引）eno ugh customers （ 消费者）for 70 per cent of their cars every mon th. This figure （数字）shoots up duri ng holiday seasons like National Day, Labor Day and New Year' s D

48、ay, withsome recordi ng 100 % ren tal.The mai n market force rests in the grow ing populati on of white-co llar employees （白领雇员）,who can afford the new service, said Zhuang Yu, marketi ng man ager of Shan ghai An gel Car Ren tal Co.1. The words “deluxe sedans, ”“ minivans ” and “station wagonsused i

49、n the text refer to（A. cars in the maki ng B. car ren tal firms C. cars for rent D. car makers2. Which of the following statements is true according to the tex t?A. 70% of the cars can be ren ted out on holiday.B. 70% of the customers are white-collar employees.C. More firms are open for service dur

50、ing holiday seasons.D. Some firms rent out all their cars duri ng holiday seas ons.3. Shanghai ' s car rental industry is growing so fast mainly due to.A. better cars supplied by producersB. fast service offeredby car ren tal firmsC. the in creas ing nu mber of white-collar employeesD. people &#

51、39; s growing interest in traveling during holidaysPassage 40The cost of medical care in the United States is very high. More time and money that doctors spend on their medical education is proba bly one reas on for this problem.A visit to a doctor ' s office costs from 15 to 50 dollars. It isal

52、most impossible for people to pay for the medical care they n eed. M any people in the United States think that doctors are overpaid. Most doctors, however, disagree. They say that they were required （要求）to study medicine for a long time. Tuition for many years of medical education costs a lot of mo

53、ney. Doctors say that it is necessary for most medical stude nts to borrow money from bank to pay their tuiti on.Because their money must be repaid to the bank, young doctors n eed to receive a lot of money for their work. So, they charge （收费）people high prices for medical care.Therefore, it is poss

54、ible that the high cost of medical care in A merica is unn ecessary, because high tuiti on is one cause of high cost s. One way to lower costs would be to have medical schools that are f ree or have low tuiti on.1. The word“tuition ” in the passage probably refers to.A. teachi ng the stude nts B. st

55、udy ing the coursesC. payme nt foreducatio n D. liv ing at school2. The reas on for the high medical cost told in the passage is that.A.tuition in medical schools is high B. the price of medicine is highC. doctors are overpaid D. doctors must pay money to the banks3.0ne way to lower the cost of medi

56、cal care would be.A. not to see a doctorB. to pay doctors less moneyC. to let medical stude nts have free or partly free medical educa tio nD. to forbid doctors to ask their patie nts for too much money4. The main idea of the article is that.A. a visit to a doctor ' s office may cost as much as

57、$15 to $50 i n the Uni ted StatesB. the cost of medical care is the main reason for the high costs in the United StatesC. medical care in the Un ited States costs a lot of money because doctors want to be richD. the high cost of tuiti on in medical schools is one reas on for the high cost of medical

58、 care in America5. The cost of medical care in the United States is very high. Wha t does the writer think about it?A. He agrees that doctors are overpaid.B. He thinks it a big problem and suggests a way to settle it.C. He does n't think the medical stude nts should borrow money from ban ks.D. He does n't think it n ecessary for the medical stude nts to stud y for a long time.Passage 41You will have a lot of reading to do in this grade this year. Youcan do more of it in less time if you learn to read rapidly.Perha