-高二英语寒假提升天天练之阅读理解Day4政治经济文化含解析

Day4政治经济文化A“WhenIgrowup,Iwanttobearunner.”ThesewordsarespokenbythousandsofKenyanchildren.50percentoftheKenyantoprunnersaremembersofKalenjin,oneminorityraceofthecountry.TheymakeuplessthantwopercentofKenya’spopulation.Thisfacthaspuzzledsportsscientists.Theyhavespentconsiderabletimeandefforttryingtoansweronequestion:WhatenablestheKalenjinpeopletorunsofast?Althoughthequestionseemssimple,findingtheanswerhasproventobedifficultandcontroversial.AteamofDanishsportsscientistsspent18monthsanddiscoveredtheKalenjinshadremarkablyslowheartratesevenwhenrunninglongdistances.TheKalenjinsliveinhigh-elevation（高海拔）villagesintheRiftValleyinwesternKenya.Peoplelivingathighelevationsproducemoreredbloodcells,whichaidinthetransportofoxygenthroughoutthebody.Becausetheairisthinnerandcontainslessoxygenathighelevations,thebodyproducesmoreredbloodcells.Scientistsbelievethereisaconnectionbetweenincreasedredbloodcellsandlowheartratesandthatbothmayenablehigh-altitudeathletestooutperformthosewhotrainatlowaltitudes.TheDanishscientistsalsostudiedthebodiesoftheKalenjinsandcomparedthemtothoseoftheDanes.TheyfoundthattheKalenjinshavelonger“birdlike”legs.TheKalenjinsalsohavelowerbodymassindexes(ameasureofbodyfatbasedonweightandheight)andshorterbodiesthanDanishpeople.AsaresultoftheDanishstudy,somescientistsmadetheconclusionthattheKalenjinspossesswhatiscalleda“speedgene(基因)”.However,KenyanrunnerswereoffendedbythisconclusionTheycreditedtheirsuccesstohardworkandendlesshoursoftraining.Althoughthecontroversyoverthe“speedgene”remainsunsolved,BritishrunnerMoFarah’sexperienceoffersaninterestingperspectiveonthesubject.In2005,herealizedhewasn’tmeetinghispotentialasarunner.AgroupofKenyanrunnersweretraininginEnglandthen.AfterheaccidentallyobservedtheKenyans’stricttrainingroutinesanddedicationtotheirsport,Farahsaiditwaslikeaswitchhadbeenturnedoninhishead.Hebeganeatinghealthyfoods,goingtobedearly,andtrainingharderthanhehadevertrainedinhislife.Asaresult,Farah’srunningcareerexploded.HehaswonsevenworldandOlympictitlesinthe5000mandregularlybeatsKenya’stoprunners!Farah’sstoryproveswhatKenyanshaveknownallalong.Regardlessofgenetics,theirsuccesswouldnotbepossiblewithouthardwork,dedication,sacrifice,andmentaltoughness.Their“secret”issimple.Trainhard,runfast,andnevergiveup.1.Whatinterestedthesportsscientists?A.Kenyansportshistory.B.Kanlenjins’runningability.C.Kanlenjins’trainingmethods.D.Kenyans’enthusiasmforsport.2.AccordingtoDanishscientists,whatleadstotheKanlenjins’success?A.Physicalcondition.

B.Hardtraining.C.Livingstyle.

D.Strongwill.3.HowdidKenyanrunnersthinkaboutDanishresearchresult?A.Convincing.

B.Astonishing.C.Unacceptable.

D.Important.4.WhyisMoFarah’sstorymentionedinthepassage?A.Toshowrunningmethodscount.B.ToencourageBritishathletes.C.Toproveeffortpaysoff.D.Tosupportgenetheory.BPeopleinmostwesterncountriescelebrateValentine'sDay(情人节)onFebruary14th.Itisaspecialtimetosendgreetingcardscalledvalentinestotheirsweethearts,friends,parentsandotherfamilymembers.EstherA.HowlandofWorcester,Massachusetts,becameonethefirstAmericanmanufacturers(生产者)ofvalentinesin1847.ShesawseveralBritishvalentinesanddecidedtomakeherown.Sheusedribbons,lace,flowersandpaintedleavesonhercards.Todayvalentinesaresoldinmanystoresallovertheworldandmayhavemessagesofloveorbeveryhumorous.Peoplealsosendflowers,candyandgiftstothepeopletheywanttorememberonValentine’sDay.ChildreninAmericadecoratetheirclassroomswithpaperheartsandcupids(丘比特的画),andmanyholdclassroompartiestocelebrateValentine’sDaywiththeirclassmatesandteachers.OlderstudentsmayhavedancesattheirschoolsonValentine’sDay.Valentine’sDayinEuropeiscelebratedinmanyways.ChildreninEnglandsingspecialsongsandreceivegifts,candyandmoney.Peoplemaybakespecialbreadwithplums(葡萄干)inthem.InDenmark,peoplesendpressedwhiteflowerscalledsnowdropstotheirfriends.HoweveryoudecidetocelebrateonValentine’sDay,takesometimetotellyourfriendsandfamilythatyoulovethem.1.Whatisthemainideaofthiswriting?A.Valentine’sDayiscelebratedonFeb.14th.B.Howvalentinesaremade.C.Valentine’sDayisaspecialholidayforfriendsandfamily.D.WhyValentine’sDayisaspecialtime.2.WherewerethefirstvalentinesmadeinAmerica?A.InOregon.

B.InMassachusetts.C.InMichigan.

D.InFlorida.3.HowdopeopleinEnglandcelebrateValentine’sDay?A.Havedancesatschool.B.Receivegiftsoffruit,candyandmoney.C.Holdclassroomparties.D.Sendpressedsnowdropstotheirfriends.4.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrue?A.SchoolchildrencelebrateValentine’sDayinmanyways.B.PeopleinDenmarksendflowerscalledsnowdropstotheirfriends.C.Allvalentinesarefunnyorhumorous.CAsoneofthemostimportantlanguagesintheworld,Latinhadhumblebeginnings.ItoriginatedalongtheTiberRiverinItalyandonlyahandfulofpeoplespokethelanguage.Overtime,Latinbecamemorewell-knownasRomansgainedpoliticalpower.ManyfamousliterarytextsandscientificclassificationswerewritteninLatin.EventhoughknowingLatinindicatedapersonwaseducated,accordingtoBritannica,inthe20thcenturyfarfewerpeoplelearnedLatin,leadingittobeclassifiedasa“dead”language.Therearearound7,000livinglanguagesintheworld,but,accordingtoBritannica,“morethanhalfareatriskofdyingoutbytheendofthe21stcentury.”Civilizationsevolveovertimeandsodolanguages.Moreoftenthannot,alanguagediesbecauseeveryonewhospeaksthelanguagedies.Forexample,MarieSmithJones,perhapsthelastnativespeakeroftheAlaskanEyaklanguage,diedattheageof89in2008,andsodidthelanguage.Now,fewerandfewerpeoplespeakLatin,whichraisespublic’sawarenessaboutitsprotection.Actually,therearemanyotherreasonsastowhyLatinshouldbeprotectedortaught.“Itisawindowintoafascinatingancientcivilization,andstudyinganancientcivilizationteachesustorespectdifferentpointsofviewandunfamiliarculturalpractices,”saysKathleenColeman,JamesLoebProfessorofHarvardUniversity.Sinceitisn’tusedinordinaryconversations,therearealotofdifficultiesthatarisefromteachingLatin.“Teachinga‘dead’languageisdifferentfromteachingotherlanguages,”explainsColeman,“becausetherearenonativespeakerstoshowushowitsoundsoranswerquestionsaboutthemeaningofwordsorexplainidioms.Thoughit’shard,fortunately,westillcanfindtheanswerstoourquestionsfromthebrokenevidenceavailableinwrittentexts.”1.WhatcanwelearnaboutLatinfromParagraph1?A.Mostpeopledidn’tlearnLatininthe20thcentury.B.OnlyeducatedpeoplelearnedLatininthepast.C.Latinwasnotfavoredbyscientistsandwriters.D.Latinwaswell-knownsinceitsbirth.2.TheauthormentionsMarieSmithJonesinParagraph2toshow________.A.howalanguagediesB.whatadeadlanguageisC.howalanguageisprotectedD.whoisthelastAlaskanEyakspeaker3.WhyshouldpeoplelearnLatinaccordingtoColeman?A.Toshowunfamiliarpractices.

B.Torespectothers’opinions.C.Toprotecta“dead”language.

D.Tolearnaboutanancientsociety.4.Whatwilltheauthorprobablydiscussinthefollowingparagraph?A.Thelearningmethods.

B.ThedevelopmentofLatin.C.Thelearningmaterials.

D.ThedifficultiesinlearningLatin.DMusicisaninternationallanguage.Thesongsthataresungorplayedbyinstrumentsarebeautifultoallpeopleeverywhere.PopularmusicinAmericaiswhateverystudentlikes.Studentscarrysmallradioswithearphonesandlistentomusicbeforeclass，afterclassandatlunch.Studentswithcarsbuylargespeakers(扬声器)andplaythemusicloudlyastheydriveonthestreet.Adultdriverslistentomusiconthecarradioastheydrivetowork.Theyalsolistentothenewsaboutsports，theweather，politics，andactivitiesoftheAmericanpeople.Butmostoftheradiobroadcastismusic.Poporpopularmusicsingersmakemuchmoney.TheymakeaCDortapewhichradiostationsuseineverystate.Oncethepopularsingerisheardthroughoutthecountry，youngpeoplebuyhisorhertapes.Someofthemoneyfromthesetapescomestothesinger.Whereverthesingergoes，alltheyoungpeoplewanttomeethimorher.Nowthesingerhasbecomeanationalstar.Besidespopmusic，therearetwootherkindsofmusicthatisimportanttoAmericans.Oneiscalledfolkmusic.IttellsstoriesaboutthecommonlifeofAmericans.Theotheriscalledwesternorcountrymusic.Thiswasstartedbycowboyswhowouldsingatnighttothecowstheywerewatching.Today，anymusicaboutcountrylifeandthelovebetweenacountryboyandhisgirliscalledwesternorcountrymusic.Seriousmusicfortheconcerthallsiscalledclassicalmusic.Musicforinstrumentsiscalledorchestramusic，suchasthesymphonies(交响乐)ofBeethoven.Thereisoperaforsingers，balletfordancerslikethestoryofLiangShanboandZhuYingtaiinChina.1.Inwhatwaycanmusicberegardedasaninternationallanguage?A.Popularmusiciswhateveryoneenjoys.B.Thewonderfulsongsarepopularwiththeworldpeople.C.Whenmusicisplayed，itseemsasifitwerespeakingtous.D.Musicistoopopularforeveryonetobeabletoplayit.2.WhatcanweknowaboutmusicandpeopleinAmerica?A.Adultdriverslistentonewsaswellasmusicwhentheydrivetowork.B.Adultdriversneverlistentomusicwhentheydrivetowork.C.Studentdriverscarrysmallradioswithearphoneswhentheydriveonthestreets.D.Studentsalwayslistentomusicbeforeclass，inclassandafterclass.3.WhichofthefollowingstatementisTRUEaccordingtothepassage?A.AllpeopleinAmericalikepopularmusic.B.Popsingerscangetallthemoneyfromthetapes.C.LiangShanboandZhuYingtaiisakindofpopmusicinChina.D.Now，westernorcountrymusicisalittledifferentfromitsbeginning.4.What's

thebesttitleofthepassage?A.Internationallanguage.

B.MusicinAmerica.C.Popmusic.

D.Musiclisteners.答案A【答案解析】1.B

2.A

3.C

4.C【分析】这是一篇议论文。卡伦津人占肯尼亚人口不到2%，但是50%左右的肯尼亚的领先赛跑运动员都是卡伦津人，这让科学家们很疑惑。丹麦的一队运动科学家通过研究认为卡伦津人生活在高海拔地方，导致他们体内有更多的红细胞，使得他们表现比其他人好。他们还说卡伦津人的体型使得他们占优势。但是卡伦津人却认为是他们的努力使得他们表现好。英国一个运动员Farah，看到卡伦津人的严格的训练后改变了自己的饮食和作息习惯、加强训练，取得了比之前更优异的成绩。这也证明了卡伦津人的观点。【1题详解】细节理解题。由第一段最后一句“Theyhavespentconsiderabletimeandefforttryingtoansweronequestion:WhatenablestheKalenjinpeopletorunsofast?（他们花大量的时间和精力来回答一个问题：什么使得卡伦津人跑的如此快？）”可知，科学家们对卡伦津人的长跑能力很感兴趣。故选B。【2题详解】细节理解题。第二段讲述了丹麦科学家的发现：卡伦津人跑的快的原因一是因为他们训练于高海拔地方，使得他们有更多的红细胞，所以他们的心率也比较低。二是因为他们的体型与丹麦其他人相比，有更长的腿、更低的体重指数与短小的身体。总结起来就是说丹麦科学家认为卡伦津人运动能力强的原因是他们的体质更适合跑步。A.Physicalcondition身体状况；B.Hardtraining高强度的训练；C.Livingstyle生活方式；D.Strongwill坚强的意志。故选A。【3题详解】细节理解题。由第三段中的“However,Kenyanrunnerswereoffendedbythisconclusion.Theycreditedtheirsuccesstohardworkandendlesshoursoftraining（然而，卡伦津人对这个结论却很生气。他们认为他们的成功归功于他们的努力工作与长时间的训练）”可知，卡伦津人认为丹麦科学家们的结论是不可接受的。A.Convincing令人信服的，有说服力的；B.Astonishing令人惊讶的；C.Unacceptable不可接受的；D.Important重要的。故选C。【4题详解】推理判断题。由最后一段首句“Farah’sstoryproveswhatKenyanshaveknownallalong.”可知，Farah的故事证明了卡伦津人一直以来相信的东西。而由第三段内容可知卡伦津人认为他们的成功归功于他们的努力工作与长时间的训练。所以Farah的故事是为了证明努力能够获得回报。故选C。B【答案解析】1.C

2.B

3.B

4.C【分析】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了一个西方的节日——情人节，这个节日对于家人、朋友来说都是个特别的日子。【1题详解】主旨大意题。根据第一段Itisaspecialtimetosendgreetingcardscalledvalentinestotheirsweethearts,friends,parentsandotherfamilymembers.(这是一个特殊的日子，向他们的情人、朋友、父母和其他家庭成员发送名为“情人卡”的贺卡)及下文对庆祝情人节的描述可知，本文主要介绍了情人节对于家人、朋友来说都是个特别的日子。故选C项。【2题详解】推理判断题。根据第二段中的EstherA.HowlandofWorcester,Massachusetts,becameonethefirstAmericanmanufacturers(生产者)ofvalentinesin1847.可知，马萨诸塞州伍斯特的EstherA.Howland于1847年成为美国第一批情人节贺卡制造商之一。由此可知，马萨诸塞州是第一批美国情人节礼物的生产地。故选B项。【3题详解】细节理解题。第四段提到欧洲庆祝情人节有很多种方式。根据ChildreninEnglandsingspecialsongsandreceivegifts,candyandmoney.可知，在英国，孩子们唱些特别的歌，并收到礼物、糖果和钱。故选B项。【4题详解】细节理解题。根据文章第五段HoweveryoudecidetocelebrateonValentine’sDay,takesometimetotellyourfriendsandfamilythatyoulovethem.可知，无论你决定如何庆祝情人节，花点时间告诉你的朋友和家人你爱他们。由此可知，虽然人们也举行各种好玩幽默的活动庆祝情人节，但情人节主要是向所爱的人表达爱，并不完全是滑稽幽默的。故选C项。C【答案解析】1.A

2.A

3.D

4.C这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了拉丁语作为世界上最重要的语言之一，在20世纪学习拉丁语的人却少得多，导致拉丁语被列为“死亡”语言，但这提高了公众保护拉丁语的意识。【1题详解】推理判断题。根据第一段中EventhoughknowingLatinindicatedapersonwaseducated,accordingtoBritannica,inthe20thcenturyfarfewerpeoplelearnedLatin,leadingittobeclassifiedasa“dead”language.尽管懂拉丁语意味着一个人受过教育，但根据《大英百科全书》的记载，在20世纪学习拉丁语的人却少得多，导致拉丁语被列为“死亡”语言。可知，从第一段我们能了解到在20世纪大多数人没有学习拉丁语。故选A项。【2题详解】推理判断题。根据第二段中Moreoftenthannot,alanguagediesbecauseeveryonewhospeaksthelanguagedies.Forexample,MarieSmithJones,perhapsthelastnativespeakeroftheAlaskanEyaklanguage,diedattheageof89in2008,andsodidthelanguage.通常情况下，一种语言的消亡是因为说这种语言的人都死了。例如，2008年，玛莉·史密斯·琼斯(MarieSmithJones)