阅读理解之说明文类（原卷版）-高考英语一轮考点复习

考向27阅读理解之说明文类

语篇特征

说明文是对事物或事理进行客观说明的一种文体，它以说明为主要表达方式，通过解说事物或阐明事理，达

到教人以知识的目的，在结构上往往采用总分、递进等方式按一定的顺序(如时间、空间、从现象到本质)进行

说明。

说明文的特点是客观、简练、语言准确、明了，文章很少表达作者的感情倾向。阅读说明文的重点在于读懂

它说明的事物或事理，了解事物的性质、构造、成因、功能等，了解事理的含意、特点等。最近五年，说明文的

出现变化不大，一直很稳定，选材通常是各学科的前沿问题：高科技领域的科研成果；人们比较关心的社会问题；

人文方面的经典。由「阅读理解题的设置采用渐进式，即由简到难的方式，因此说明文是高考试卷中阅读理解题

中相对比较难的，通常后置。阅读理解试题的中要考点之一是考杳学生对词汇和句式的掌握。

说明文的词汇和句式的运用较别的体裁的文章难度更大。词汇运用灵活，同词的不同词性的用法交替出现,

未列入考纲的生词较多，通常达到了45%。不过考生可以通过说明文的语言特点来帮助理解语篇，例如，下定义、

解释、举例、同义词、反义词、上下义词以及标点符号(如破折号、置号都有表示解释和说明)等。

科普说明文

这种题材的文章大部分是介绍科技前沿、科学动态、新的发明创造、科研方法，或是对某•个问题的来龙去脉和

解决方法等加以介绍。作者的目的就是让读者获得知识、信息，定说明对象有所了解，并获得某些方面的启示。

其特点如下：

1.文章中会牵涉到实验、研究考、研究方法、在某项主题上的不同意见和争鸣，有时会出现读者还不熟悉

的前沿性的科学题材，但作者一般持客观的态度，不显示自己的褒贬之意；

2.此类文章为了做到通俗易懂，在语言上尽量避免使用专业性词汇，对于动词，做到这一点较轻易，但是

有些专有名词则无法避免，不过，作者通常会对较难的专有名词进行解秤，甚至举例说明，这往往也是出题的地

方；

3.在语法上，此类文章长句使用较多，主从复合句、同位语、插入语、非谓语动词形式和被动语态使用率

较高；

4.此类文章语篇模式一般比较固定、整洁，主题句通常位于段首，多使用平行结构。

针对科普文章的这些特点，首先我们平时要多关注科学题材的文章，了解一些基本的科普知识；其次,

在阅读时要注重实验的目的和结果，不能凭想象和猜测下结论；对于较难理解的句子要利用语法结构去分析；最

后，要利用文章特点找准主题句，把握中心，从而一一破解题目。

命题方式

考向一细节理解题

说明文中考查的细节理解题大致与记叙文相似。命题区域都有其共同点：⑴在列举处命题，only...butalso...>

second(ly)、third(ly)finally、notonly...butalso...、then、inaddition等表示顺承关系的词语列举出事实。试题要求

考生从列举出的内容中选出符合题,要求的答案项。⑵在例证处命题，句中常用由as>suchas,forexample>

forinstance等引导的短语或句子作为例证，这些例句或比喻就成为命题者设问的焦点。⑶在转折对比处命题，一

般通过however、but、yet、infact等词语来引导。对比用unlike、until、notsomuch…as等词语引导，命题者常

对用来对比的双方属性进行考查。⑷在比较处命题，无端的比较、相反的比较、偷换对象的比较，经常出现在干

扰项中，考生要标记并且关注到原文中的比较，才能顺利地排除干扰。(5)在复杂句中命题，包括同位词、插入语、

定语、从句、不定式等，命题者主要考查考生对句子之间的指代关系和语法关系。

细芍类问题一般都能在原文中找到出处，只要仔细就可以在文中找到答案。但正确的选择项不可能与阅读材料

的原文完全相同，而是用不同的语句成句型表达相同的意思,°

考向二语意猜测题

说明文为了把自然规律，事物的性质等介绍清楚或把事理阐述明白，因此学术性强的生词较多，所以常进行

生词词义判断题的考查，命题方式多以theunderlinedpart...inparagraph...refersto...或

whatdoestheunderlinedwordmean?或whatisthemeaningoftheunderlinedword?为设问方式。解题时考生应认真

阅读原文，分析其对某些科学原理是如何定义、如何解释的，并以此为突破口抽象概括出生词词义。也可以通过

上下文来猜测某个陌生词语的语意。或者找出某个词语在文章中的同义词。要注意破折号、同位语从句、定语从

句、插入语等具有解释、说明作用的语言成分。说明文在阐述说明对象时易发生动作变换、人称转变的现象，这

类题目常以il,they,them等代词为命题点，因此考生要根据上下文语境，认真阅读原文，分析动作转换背景,

弄清动作不同执行者，以便准确判断代词的其实际指代对象。

考向三主旨大意题

说明文常用文章大意判断题考查考生对通篇文意的理解。即对文章的主题或中心意思的概括和归纳。主要考

杳考生对文章的整体理解能力。命题形式常以Thispassagemainlytalksabout.

Whatisthemainideaofthepassage?为设问方式。

答题时首先阅读题干，掌握问题的类型，了解试题题干以及各个选项所包含的信息、，然后有针对性地对文章

进行扫读，对有关信息进行快速定位，再将相关信息进行整合、甄别、分析、对比，有根有据地排除干扰项，选

出正确答案。

考向四判断推理题

这种试题常以(l)thepassageisintendedto...(2)theauthorsuggeststhat...(3)thestoryimpliesthat...(4)which

pointofviewmaytheauthoragree(o?(5)from(hepassagewecanconcludethat...(6)thepurposeofthepassageisto...

为设问方式。这种题型的答案在原文中不是直接就能找到的，它要求考生进行合理的推断。如因果关系，文中的

某些用词、语气也往往具有隐含意义，考生要将这种含义读出来。说明文常出现图示判断题，这种试题可以事物

之间匚确的依赖关系为命题点，要求考生判断其正确的流程顺序相互关系等。考生一定要认真阅读原文，并对照

原文介绍的情况，弄清图示的差异，根据题干需要最终做出正确判断。如：动物介绍性说明文常出现动物能力判

断题，考查考生对特定动物所具有能力的判断。解题时考生应认真阅读原文对动物形态活动能力的判断，了解动

物的生存环境和是否会使用工具，是否善于爬行、匕翔和游泳等。观点态度题也是判断推理题考查的内容之一.

说明文的对象为客观事实，但设题以议论的表达方式抒发对该说明对象的想法。如对某种新发明的赞赏，或对某

个事物的批判。这类题目常见的题干表达方式有whatwastheauthor,sattitudetowards...?等。

解题技巧

高考阅读理解中，说明文为主要体裁之一。高考阅读理解题的设问主要围绕以下四方面：细节事实题、主旨

大意题、推理判断题、猜测词义题。其中，说明文主要以细节事实、主旨大意和猜测词义三方面问题为主。

一、词义猜测类题型

阅读理解题中常要求学生猜测某些单词或短语的意思。历年英语高考题中均有此类题目，有的文章尽管没有

专门设题，但由于文章中常常,出现生词，因此，词义的猜测还是贯穿在文章的阅读理解之中。解这类题目一般是

通过上下文去理解或根据构词法去猜测。判断一个单词的意思不但离不开句子，而且还需要把句子放在上下文中，

根据上下文提供的线索加以猜测。运用构词法,语境等推测关键词义，可以根据以下几种方法猜测：

（一）内在逻辑关系

根据内在逻辑关系推测词义是指运用语言知识分析和判断相关信息之间存在的逻辑关系，然后根据逻辑关系

推断生词词义。

1.通过同义词和反义词的关系猜词

通过同义词猜词，一是要看由and或oi•连接的同义词词组，如hippyandgay，即使我们不认识gay这个词，

也可以知道它是愉快的意思。这是高三册第八单元阅读第五段的句子：

Theword"secure"inparagraph5lineisclosestinmeaningto.

A.freefromanxietyB.anxiousC.nervousD.happy

根据上下文和同义词，可以选出答案A。

二是看在进•步解释的过程中使用的同义词，如ManhasknownsomethingabouttheplanetsVenus,Mars,and

Jupiterwiththehelpofspaceships.此句中的Venus（金星），Mars（火星）Jupiter（木星）均为生词，但只要知道

planets就可猜出这几个词都属于"行星"这一义域.通过反义词猜词，一是看表转折关系的连词或副词，如but,

while,however等；二是看与not搭配的或表示否定意义的词语，如：Heissohomely,notatallashandsomeashis

brother.根据notalall...handsome我们不难推测出homely的意思，即不英俊，不漂亮的意思。

2.根据因果关系猜测词义

通过因果关系猜词，首先是找出生词与上下文之间的逻辑关系，然后才能猜词。有时文章借助关联词（如

例如;Insecticideisappliedwhereitisneeded.后缀cidc表示"杀者,杀灭剂"，结合大家熟悉的词根insect

（昆虫），不难猜出insecticide意为"杀虫剂"。Thenthevapormaychangeintodroplets.后缀let表示"小的",

词根drop指”滴，滴状物"。将两个意思结合起来，便可推断出droplet词义"小滴，微滴"。

3.根据复合词的各部分猜测词义

例如：Growingeconomicproblemswerehighlightedbyaslowdowninoiloutput.Hightlight或许是一个生词，但

是分析该词结构后，就能推测出其含义。它是由high（高的，强的）和light（光线）两部分组成，合在一起便

是"以强光照射，使突出"的意思。BullfightisverypopularinSpain.Bull（公牛）和fight（打,搏斗）结合在一

起，指一种在西班牙颇为流行的体育运动一斗牛。

二、主旨大意类题型

主旨大意类题型主要测试学生对文章全面理解和概括的能力，提问的内容可能是全文的大意，也可能是某段

的段落大意，一般不易在文中直接找到答案。怎样把握主旨大意题呢？通常有以下几种方法：

（一）阅读文章的标题或副标题

文章的标题是一篇文章的题眼，通过阅读标题或副标题可以迅速把握文章的主旨大意。

（二）寻找文章的主题句

分析篇章结构，找出文章主题。在许多情况下，尤其在阅读说明文和议论文时，根据其篇章特点我们可以通

过仔细阅读短文的第一句或第二句，即文章的主题句来归纳出文章的主题.若短文由若干段组成，除仔细阅读第

一段的首句外，还须仔细阅读每一段的第一句，即段落中心。通常文章的中心思想包含在文章的苜句，有时也在

文章的末句，其他句子都是用来说明和阐述主题句。因此，在确定文章的中心思想时，要求学生重视阅读文章的

首句和末句。但也有一些文章，中心思想常常贯穿在全文中，因此要求学生综观全文，对段落的内容要融会贯通，

对文章透彻理解后归纳总结。主题句的特点是：1.相对于其他句子，它表达的意思比较概括；2.主题句一般结

构简单；3.段落中其他句子必定是用来解释，支撑或发展主题句所表达的思想的。

总之，为提高阅读理解能力，在阅读时应抓中心思想，作者意图及关键词语，运用联想、比较、归纳、推测

等方法，得出最佳结论，选择最佳答案，不能主观臆测，把自己的观点强加进去，与文章的观点混为一谈。经过

长时间有计划，有目的的系统训练，使学牛加快阅读速度，提高阅读的正确性，使两者有机地统一起来，以樨高

学生阅读英语和运用英语进行交际的能力，为继续学习和运用英语切实打好基础.阅读是一种综合性很强的语言

实际活动。我们只有进行大量的课内外阅读，掌握一定的阅读技巧，正确运用阅读方法，才能有效地提高阅读理

解能力。

【检测训练】

1

Asapopularsubjectofstudyamongevolutionaryecologists,ihreespinedsticklebackisknownfortheirdifferent

shapes,sizes,andbehaviors——theycanevenliveinbothseawaterandfreshwater,andunderawiderangeof

temperatures.Butwhatmakesthat?

Theresearcherstrackedsixpopulationsofthefishbeforeandafterseasonalchangestotheirenvironment,using

genomesequencing.Seasonalchangesresultingreatchangesinhabitatstructureandbalanceofsaltandfreshwater,and

onlythosefishabletotoleratetheserapidchangessuniveintothenextseason.

“Thesechangesprobablyresemblethehabitatshiftsexperiencedbysticklebackpopulationsduringthepast10,000

years?saysProfessorBarrett“Wehopetogaininsightintothegeneticchangesthatmayhaveresultedfromnatural

selectionlonginthepast.^^

Remarkably,theresearchersdiscoveredtheevidenceofgeneticchangesdrivenbytheseasonalshiftsinhabitats,

whichmirroredthedifferencesfoundbetweenlongestablishedfreshwaterandsaltwaterpopulations.uThesegenetic

changesoccurredinindependentpopulationsoverasingleseason,highlightingjusthowquicklytheeffectsofnatural

selectioncanbedetected,“saysProfessorBarrett,“Thefindingssuggestthatwemaybeabletousethegenetic

differencestopredicthowpopulationsmayadapttoenvironment.^^

Theresearchemphasizestheimportanceofstudyingspeciesindynamicenvironmentstogainabetter

understandingofhownaturalselectionoperates.Infurtherresearch,theyplantoinvestigatehowrepeatabletheobserved

geneticchangesare,bytestingwhethertheyshowupyearafteryear.Doingsowoulddemonstratetheirabilitytoreliably

forecasttheevolutionaryfutureofthesepopulations.

1.Whatdoestheunderlinedwordk4thaf'refertoinParagraphI?

A.Sticklebackisunderawiderangeoftemperatures.

B.Sticklebackispopularwithevolutionaryecologists.

C.Sticklebackcanadapttodifferentlivingconditions.

D.Sticklebackhasdifferentshapes,sizes,andbehaviors.

2.WhatisParagraph2mainlyabout?

A.Thedifficultiesoftheresearch.B.Thepurposeoftheresearch.

C.Thebackgroundoftheresearch.D.Themethodsoftheresearch.

3.Whatisthemainreasonforstickleback'ssurvival?

A.Habitatshifts.B.Geneticchange.

C.Seasonalchanges.D.Independentpopulations.

4.Whywillscientistsstudytherepetitionofthegenneticchanges?

A.Toknowwha(naturalselectionis.

B.Tostudyspecicesindynamicenvironments.

C.Totestthercliablityofthepresentdiscoveries.

D.Toforecasttheevolutionaryfutureofcertainspecies.

2

Asagingpopulationgetsbiggeranddementia（老年痴呆症）moremon,morefamiliesarestrugglingwithaplex

question:Howdoyousupportalovedonewithdementia,especiallywhenyouhaveafulltimejobandseveralkids?

RegUrbanowskimayhaveananswertothispressingissue:ROBOTS.

HeandhisteammanagedtodevelopanewtypeofrobotsnamedTProbots.Lookinglikestandupvacuumcleaners

attachedtoaniPad,theycanbeactivatedremotelyviaasmartphoneandguidedremotelybyacontrollerappsimilarto

thewayamouseisusedonadesktopputer.Allpossessaudioandvisualmunicationcapabilities,allowingtheoperator

tobe'intheroom^^tointeractwithMomorDad.

HebelievesthatcaregiversandfamilymemberscanuseaTProbotto“lookin''onpeoplewithmilddementia.He

says,“TProbotsprovideaneHectivesolutionfbrminimizingcaregiverburden,especiallyforthosewhohavecareeror

otheroutofhomeactivities.^^

UrbanowskiandhisteamhaveconductedastudythatinvolvesprovidingTProbotsfor15Manitobafamilies.These

robotsareprogrammedtoprovideremindersofnecessarydailyroutineliketurningoffthegas,takingmedicineand

havingdinner.Theywillalsohelpensurepatientsarcgettingtheexercisetheyneedtomaintaintheirhealthand

wellbeing.

ErinCrawford,ProgramDirectorwiththeAlzheimerSocietyofManitoba,saysshehasfaiththatTProbotswill

provebeneficial,particularlywhenitestoremindingpeoplewithdementiatodocertainthingsatcertaintimes."It

meansthatfamilymembersthatcan'tbethere,fbrwhateverreason,knowthatthosethingsaretillhappening,^^shesays.

5.WhdlcanweinferaboutTProbotsfromParagraph3?

A.It'seasytooperate.B.Itcancleantheroom.

C.It'sconvenienttocarry.D.Itcanbeusedonaputer.

6.HowwillTProbotshelpthosewithdementia?

A.Byhavingdinnerwiththem.B.Byturningoffthegasforthem.

C.Bydoingactivitieswiththem.D.Byremindingthemtotakepills.

7.What'sErinCrawford'sattitudetothefutureofTProbots?

A.Optimistic.B.Cautious.C.Doubtful.D.Critical.

8.Whatisthemainideaofthetext?

A.TProbotsprovideanewsolutiontodementia.

B.TProbotshelptotakecareofdementiapatients.

C.CaregiversofdementiawillbereplacedbyTProbots.

D.Urbanowskiandhisteamaredevelopinganewrobot.

3

Lastyear,Americansspentover$30billionatretail（零售）storesinthemonthofDecemberalone.Asidefrom

purchasingholidaygifts,mostpeopleregularlybuypresentsforotheroccasionsthroughouttheyear,includingweddings,

birthdays,anniversaries,graduations,andbabyshowers.Thisfrequentexperienceofgiftgivingcancreateambivaleni

feelingsingiftgivers.Manybelievethatgiftgivingoffersapowerfulmeanstobuildstrongerbondswithintended

receivers.Atthesametime,manyworrythattheirpurchaseswilldisappointratherthandelighttheintendedreceivers.

Anthropologists（人类学家）describegiftgivingasapositivesocialprocess,servingvariouspolitical,religious,and

psychologicalfunctions.Economists,however,offeralessfavorableview.Theythinkthatgiftgivingrepresentsan

objectivewasteofresources.Peoplebuygiftsthatreceiverswouldnotchoosetobuyontheirown,oratleastnotspend

asmuchmoneytopurchase.Giversarelikelytospend$100topurchaseagift（hatreceiverswouldspendonly$80to

buythemselves.

Whatissurprisingisthatgiftgivershaveconsiderableexperienceactingasbothgiftgiversandgiftreceivers,butstill

tendtooverspendeachtimetheysetouttopurchaseameaningfulgift.Inthepresentresearch,psychologistsfinda

uniqueexplanationforthisoverspendingproblem—giftgiversequate（等同）howmuchtheyspendwithhowmuch

receiverswillappreciatethegift.Althoughalinkbetweengiftpriceandfeelingsofappreciationmightseemrelevantto

giftgivers,suchanassumptionmaybeunfounded.Indeed,wefind（hatgiftreceiverswillbelesswillingtobasetheir

feelingsofappreciationonthegiftpriesthangiversassume.

Thethoughtsofgiftgiversandgiftrcccivcrsbeingunabletoaccountfbrtheotherparty'sperspective（立场）seems

puzzlingbecausepeopleslipinandoutoftheseroleseveryday.Yet,despitetheextensiveexperience（hatpeoplehaveas

bothgiversandreceivers,theyoftenstruggletotransferinformationgainedfromoneroleandapplyitinanother.

9.Whatdocstheunderlinedword“ambivalent”inParagraph1probablymean?

A.Concerned.B.Positive.

C.Unrealistic.D.Conflicting.

10.Whatdotheeconomiststhinkofgiftgiving?

A.Itstrengthensthebondsbetweenpeople.

B.Itiseconomicallybeneficialtothereceiver.

C.Itisactuallyaprocessofwastingresources.

D.Itincreasesthefinancialburdentothegiver.

11.WhatcanwelearnfromParagraph3?

A.Personalpreferencesaretheleasttobeconsidered.

B.Giftgiverstendtolinkthegiftcosttogiftreceivers,appreciation.

C.Moregiftreceivingexperiencehelpspreventoverspending.

D.Theassumptionmadebygiftgivers:umedout（obecorrect.

12.Accordingtotheauthor,thedifferentthoughtsbetweenthegiftgiversandreceiversarecausedby.

A.atrendofoverspending

B.aninabilitytochangeperspectives

C.agrowingoppositiontogiftgiving

D.amisunderstandingofgiftreceivers,tastes

4

Callingsomeonea“birdbrain“isconsideredrude.Itimpliesthatsomeonehasasmallbrainandthusisnotsmart.A

newstudyfoundthattheexpressiondoesn'tdobirdsjusticeeither:Birds'brainsaremuchbiggerthanwethought—at

leastparedtotheirsmallbodies.

Aninternationalteamof37scientistsmeasuredthebrainvolume（脑容量）ofhundredsofdinosaursandextinct

birdsbyscanningfossilsoftheirskulls.Thereadingswereparedtoalargedatabasecontainingthebrainsizesofmodern

birds.Thesemeasurementswerethenanalyzed,takingintoconsiderationeachbird'sbodysize—resultinginsomething

called“relativebrainsize”.Theresultsshowedthatadramaticchangeofbirds5bodysizehappenedrightafterthemass

extinctionofdinosaurs66millionyearsago.

Accordingto（hestudy,publishedonApril23inthejournalCurrentBiology,birdsanddinosaurshadsimilarbrain

sizesbeforetheextinction.Aftertheextinctionofthedinosaurs,however,birdshadtofindawaytosurvive,sothey

shranktheirbodies—sincesmalleranimalsneedlessfood—buttheykepttheirbigbrains.

“Thechangedlandscapemayhavecausedtherapidevolutionofnewbrainbodyscalingpatterns（缩放比例）by

favoringbothlargerbrainsandsmallerbodies,“USpaleontologist（古生物学家）DanielKsepka,whoistheleadauthor

ofthestudy,toldCNN.

This^evolutionarybrainleap“一asscientistscallit—alsohappenedveryrapidly.Withoutdinosaurs,birds

quicklyrepopulated.Theycameinalltypesandsizes,whichcontributedto（hediversespeciesofbirdsweseetoday.

Butamongallthebirdspecies,cenainones"showaboveaverageratesofbrainandbodysizeevolution',,study

coauthorAdamSmithatClctnsonUniversity,US,saidinastatement-withcrowsandparrotsbeingthemostevident.

Infact,previousstudieshavealreadydiscoveredthatthesebirdshaveanamazingcognitivecapacity（认知能力）.They

areabletousetools,imitatehumanspeechandevenrememberhumanfaces.

So,inthewordsofSmith,^callingsomeone'birdbrained5isactuallyquiteapliment（恭维）”!

13.Howdidthescientistslearnthebrainsizesofdinosaursandextinctbirds?

A.Bystudyingtheirfossilskulls.B.Bysearchingthedatabase.

C.Byexperimentingontheirbrains.D.Byanalyzing（heirbodysize.

14.Howdidthebirdschangeaftertheextinctionof（hedinosaurs?

A.Thebirds'bodiesshrankastheirbrainsbecamesmaller.

B.Thebirds'bodiesbecamelargerwhiletheirbrainsbecamesmaller.

C.Thebirds'brainsremainedalmostthesameastheirbodiesshrank.

D.Thebirds'brainsbecamelargertoadapttotheenvironment.

15.AccordingtoAdamSmith,callingsomeone“birdbrained”is.

A.tomakeruderemarksB.tolaughatone'ssmallbodysize

C.topraiseone'sintelligenceD.tosuggestthepersonisnotsmart

16.Whatisthepurposeofthistext?

A.Todescribehowbirds'evolutionhappened.

B.Toexplaintheoriginoftheword“bidbrain”.

C.Toshowtheamazingabilitiesofbirdspecies.

D.Topresentthelateststudyonbirds'brainsize.

5

Ingeneral,therichesofthenaturalworldaren'tspreadevenlyacrosstheglobe.PlaceslikethetropicalAndesin

SouthAmericaaresimplypackedwithuniquespecies,manyofwhichcan'tbefoundinanyotherplaces.Untilrecently,

themainexplanationforthebiologicalrichesconcentratedinplacesliketheAmazonBasinwasthatsuchplacesmustbe

enginesofbiodiversity,withnewspeciesevolvingatafasterratethanotherpartsoftheworld.Butnow,newresearchon

birdevolutionmayturnthatassumptiononitshead,insteadsupportingtheideathatareaswithfewerspeciesactually

tendtoproducenewspeciesfaster.

Theresearcherssaythesebiodiversity"coldspots"aregenerallyfoundinenvironmentsfeaturingfreezing,dryand

unstableconditions.Thoughtheresearchersfoundtheselocationswithlewbirdspeciestendtoproducenewonesathigh

rates,theyfailtoaccumulatemanyspeciesbecausetheunstableconditionsfrequentlymakethenewlifeformsdieout.

Themorewcllknown"hotspots",bycontrast,haveaccumulatedtheirlargenumbersofspeciesbybeingwarm,

hospitableandrelativelystable.Indeed,theresearchersfoundthatthecountlessbirdspeciesthatcalltheAmazonhome

tendtobeolderinevolutionaiyterms."NewspeciesdoforminplacesliketheAmazon,justnotasfrequentlyasinthe

drygrasslandsintheAndes,"saysElizabeth,anevolutionarybiologistattheUniversityofTennessee.

Theresearchersmanagedtocollect1.940samplesrepresenting1.287ofthe1,306birdspeciesfromSouthAmerica.

Theiranalysisshowedthatthebestpredictorofwhetheranareawouldproducenewspeciesatahighratewashowmany

specieslived（here,ratherthanclimateorgeographicfeatureslikemountains.Speciesrichareastendedtoproducenew

speciesmoreslowly.

“Maybebadenvironmentsgeneratenewspeciesmorefrequentlybecausethcrc*slesspetitionandmoreavailable

opportunitiesfbrnewspeciesJsaysGustavoBravo,aleadresearcher.

Thestudy'sfindingsaddnewurgencytoprotectecosystemstha:maylookbarren,butmayactuallybenature's

hothousesfbrtheevolutionofnewspecies.

17.WhyisSouthAmericamentionedinthefirstparagraph?

A.Tomakeparison.B.Tointroducethetopic.

C.Toexplainafact.D.Todrawaconclusion.

18.Whatdeterminestherisingrateofnewspeciesinaplace?

A.Thenumberofitsthenspecies.B.Theenvironmenttheylivedin.

C.Thesurvivalskillsofspecies.D.Thedifferentbiologicalfactors.

19.Whichofthefollowingcanbestexplaintheunderlinedword"barren”inthelastparagraph?

A.Dryandbare.B.Livelyandactive.

C.Niceandgreen.D.plexandunpredictable.

20.Whatmightbethebesttidefor（he（ext?

A.Tropicalareasarehometolargenumbersofspecies.

B.Newspeciesprefertoliveintheextremeclimate.

C.Harshenvironmentsposeagreaterthreattospecies.

D.Theworstecosystemmaygivebirthtonewspeciesfastest.

6

Anartworkjointlycreatedbyarobotandahumanartistwillgoonsalethisweek.Theartwork一knownasan

NFT—istobesoldduringanonlineauction（拍卖）onTuesday.NFTstandsfbrnonfungibletoken.Itisapieceofart

liialonlyexistsonaputcrlechnulugyknownasbluukchain（区块链）.

NFTscanexistintheformofimages,video,musicandtext.Theyarcusuallyboughtwithelectronicmoney.While

anyonecanviewNFTs,thebuyerhasofficialownershiprightsovertheobjects.NFTshaverecentlybeengrowingin

popularityamonginvestorsandcollectors.Earlierthismonth,anartworkintheformofanNFTsoldfornearly$70

million.

Thepiecetobesoldthisweekwasacooperativeeffortbetweenahumanlikerobot,knownasSophia,andItalian

artistAndreaBonaceto.ThepanybehindSophia,HansonRobotics,saystheauctionwillbethefirstsaleofapiece

jointlycreatedbyahumanartist,arobotandartificialintelligence(AI).Theartwork,called“SophiaInstantiation,\isa

12secondvideofile.ItbinesonlineandphysicalpaintingsfromSophiawithelements(要索)fromBonaceto'swork.The

artworkalsoincludesinfluencesfromarthistory.

ThedigitalartworkwillewithaphysicalartworkcreatedbySophiaonaprintedcopyoftheonlinepiece.The

onlineauctionistobeheldbyapanycalledNiftyGateway.Afterthesale,Sophiawillmeetwiththebuyertostudyhis

orherface,beforeaddingafinalelementtotheartwork.Sophia'screator,DavidHanson,saidthispartoftheprojectwill

pennitthenewownertohaveanunusual“personalconnection“totheartwork.

BonacetosaidhehopeshiscollaborationwithSophiawill“makeastatementintheartworld,andeventhe

technologyworld''aboutthewayrobotsandhumanscancooperateinthefuture.

Sophia'sartcouldbe“avery,veryimportanthistoricalpiece"，saidPabloFrailc,aMiamibasedartcollectorand

expertinNFTs."It'sthefirsttimetheseideashavebeenputtogether/'hesaid.

21.Theauthor'smainpurposeinwritingparagraph2isto.

A.explainthevalueofdifferentformsofNFTs

B.teachreadershowtobuyNFTswithelectronicmoney

C.providereaderswithsomeinformationaboutNFTs

D.advisereaderstocollectorinvestinNFTs

22.Whatcanweknowabout“SophiaInslantiation^^?

A.ItisthefirstNFTartworktobesold.

B.ItisaphysicalartworkcreatedbySophia.

C.Itisanartworkwithelementsfromarthistory.

D.ItisthefirstartworkcreatedbyarobotandAI.

23.WhatisPabloFraile'sattitudetowards^SophiaInstantiation^^?

A.Positive.B.Uncaring.C.Opposed.D.Skeptical.

24.Whatcanbethebesttideforthetext?

A.AnNFTWillGainHighPopularityAmongInvestors

B.MoreNFTsWillBeCreatedbyHumansandRobots

C.SophiaWillBeNecessaryinCreatingOnlineArtworks

D.OnlineArtworkThatRobotHelpsCreateWillBeSold

7

Formillionsofyears,Arcticseaicehasexpandedandshrunkinarhythmicdancewiththesummersun.Humans

evolvedinthisicyworld,andcivilizationreliedonitforclimatic,ecologicalandpoliticalstability.Butnowtheworldes

everclosertoafiiturewithoutice.TheNationalSnowandIceDataCenterreportedthat2019,sminimumarcticseaice

extentwasthesecondlowestonrecord.Arcticsummerscouldbccmostlyiccfrccin30years,andpossiblysoonerif

currenttrendscontinue.Asthenorthernseaicedeclines,theworldmustunitetopreservewhatremainsoftheArctic.

Althoughmostpeoplehaveneverseentheseaice,itseffectsareneverfaraway.Byreflectingsunlight,Arcticice

actsasEarth'sairconditioner.Oncedarkwaterreplacesbrilliantice,Earthcouldwarmsubstantially,equivalent(othe

warmingcausedbytheadditionalreleaseofatrilliontonsofcarbondioxide(CO?)intotheatmosphere4nddecliningsea

icethreatenswildlife,from(hepolarbeartoalgae(hatgrowbeneaththeseaice,supportingthelargeamountofmarine

life.

Toavoidtheconsequencesthescientificmunityshouldadvocatenotjustforloweringgreenhousegasemissions,

butalsoforprotectingtheArcticfromexploitation.TheAntarcticshowstheway.Inthe1950s,countriesracedtoclaim

theAntarcticcontinentforresourcesandmilitaryinstallations.Enterthescientists.The19571958International

GeophysicalYearbroughttogetherscientistsfrompetingcountriestostudyAntarctica,andcountriestemporarily

suspendedtheirterritorialdisputesIn1959,12countriessignedtheAntarcticTreatytopreservethecontinentfor

peacefulscientificdiscoveryratherthanterritorialandmilitarygain.

Sixtyyearslater,wemustnowsavetheArctic.AnewMarineArcticPeaceSanctuary(MAPS)Treatywouldprotect

theArcticOceanasascientificpreserveforpeacefulpurposesonly.SimilartoAntarctica,MAPSwouldprohibit

resourceexploitation,mercialfishingandshipping,andmilitaryexercises.Sofar.only2nonArcticcountrieshave

signedMAPS;97moreneedtosignontoenactitintolaw.Scientistscanhelp—justastheydidfortheAntarctic—by

givingstatementsofsupport,askingscientificorganizationstoendorse(支持)thetreaty,municatingtheimportanceof

protectingthearctictothepublicandpolicymakers,andabovealLbyconvincingnationalleaderstosignthetreaty.In

particular,Arcticnationsmustagreethatrecognizingthearcticasaninternationalpreserveisbetterthanfightingoverit.

In2018.thesecountriessuccessfullynegotiateda16yearmoratoriumonmercialfishingin(heArctichighseas,

demonsiraiingthatsuchagreementsarepossible.

Humanshaveonlyeverlivedinaworldtoppedbyice.Canwcnowwor