2013年高考英语日日练专题一
重庆市万州二中高三上期中期考试
三、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
A
O. Henry was an American short-story writer, a master of surprising endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical of O. Henry’s stories.
William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) was born in North Carolina. His father was a physician. When William was three, his mother died, and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt. At the age of fifteen he left school, and then worked in a drug store. He moved to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of a bank clerk. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist. In 1897 he was convicted of embezzling money, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt.
While in prison O. Henry started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking (1899), appeared in McClure’s Magazine. After doing three years of the five-year sentence, P orter emerged from the prison in 1901 and changed his name to O. Henry.
O. Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, also was published in other magazines. Henry’s first collection, Cabbages and Kings appeared in 1904. The second, The Four Million, was published two years later and included his well-known stories The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room. O. Henry published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O. Henry’s last years were shadowed by ill health and financial problems. He married Sara Lindsay Coleman in 1907, but the marriage was not happy, and they separated one year later. O. Henry died on June 5, 1910, in New York.
56. The following statements are the characteristics of O. Henry’s stories except
______.
A. the stories often end with surprising endings
B. there are a lot of coincidences in his stories
C. the stories are mainly about common people
D. his own experiences are main subjects in his stories
57. We can infer from the text that ______.
A. O. Henry’s mother’s death resulted in his leaving school
B. O. Henry earned much money by starting the Weekly
C. some people believed O. Henry was put in prison for no good reason
D. his daughter asked O. Henry to write short stories
58. One of O. Henry’s most famous stories The Gift of the Magi came out in ______.
A. 1902
B. 1904
C. 1906
D. 1907
59. What do you think of O. Henry’s life?
A. Rough.
B. Smooth.
C. Rich.
D. Happy.
参考答案56—59、DCCA
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（2011·江苏卷）A
We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells —but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)？Shouldn’t we know who they are?
Joan Mclean think so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who”invented”what”, however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the”why” and ”how” questions. According to Mclean,”When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”
So,just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well,Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to Mew York City.The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights ,so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the winshield,she found hersefe wondering why there couldn’t be a buolt-in devic for cleaing the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would contral an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.
Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations，It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A.Morgan’s traffic light. It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J.Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible, Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?
56.By mentionong “traffic light”and “windshield wiper”,the author indicates that countless
inventions are .
A.beneficial,because their inventors are famous
B. benef icial,though their inventors are less famous
C.not useful, because their inventors are less famous
D. not useful, though their inventors are famous
57.Professor Joan McLean’s course aims to_____.
A. add colour and variety to students’ campus life
B. inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention
C. carry out the requirements by Mountain University
D. pre[are students to try theie own invention
58．Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was _________.
A. not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer
B. inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper
C. due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm
D. not related to Professor Jo an McLean’s lectures
59. Which 0f the following can best serve as the title of this pas sage?
A How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?
B How to Design a Built-in Dervice for Cleaning the Window?
C Shouldn’t We Know Who Inventd the Windshield Wiper?
D S houldn’t We Develop Inv ention Courses in Universities?
56. B 推理判断题。根据第一段内容结合下文可推断，作者提到交通信号灯、雨刮器等发明，
是想说无数的发明对人类十分有益，虽然它们的发明者没有太大的名气。
57. D 细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句可知，John McLean教授开设这门课程的目的就是让
学生有足够的准备去尝试自己发明东西。
58. B 细节理解题。根据第三段内容可知，Tommy Lee发明的“不会折断的雨伞”就是受到了
雨刮器背后的故事的激励。
59. C 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章的第一段就是主题段，特别是第一段最后一句充分
体现了作者想要表达的心声，接下来的内容都是围绕第一段展开并为第一段服务的。*******************************************************结束
B
Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do, be, and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow yourself to make you r life happen.
Successful and happy people have a vision of how their life should be and they set lots of goals (both short-term and long-range) to help them reach their vision. By set ting goals you are taking control of your life. It’s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it in this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind (her goal) which is laid out for her on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drivers aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas and oil. Which driver do you want to be?
Winners in life set goals and follow through on them. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren’t difficult to set,and they aren’t difficult to reach. It’s up to you to find out what your goals, ideals and visions reall y are. You are the one who must decide what to pursue and in what direction to aim your life.
Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract (合同) with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget.
Also when you write your goals in a particular way you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goals.
60. The author gave the example of two drivers to show______.
A. the foolishness of the first driver
B. the importance of having a map and right direction
C. the foolishness of the second driver
D. the importance of setting the right goals
61. According to this text, the most important thing in realizing one's ideal is to ______.
A. try to be realistic about one's ability
B. have a clear understanding of what he or she wants in life
C. let others understand him or her first, then work together with them
D. let others help him or her to make his or her dream come true
62. If people want to reach their goals, they should ______.
A. write down their goals
B. sign a contract with other people
C. face the difficulties in front of them
D. discuss with others and ask for their help
63. Wha t’s the main idea of this passage?
A. Failure always accompanies people who gives up easily.
B. Whenever you set goals, you will always succeed.
C. Winners never stop their efforts for success.
D. Success is possible only when a person has clearly set the goal.
参考答案60—63、BBAD
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