高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day49

高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day49

高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day 49

Passage 1

I use maps. Not the tiny, annoyingly limited ones on

smartphones. I use real paper maps that you open from a

rectangle and rarely refold properly. Maps you can take out to

rapidly scan on the road in unfamiliar places. Paper maps are

there for you every time you need them and need no recharging.

They simply and dependably orient(指方向) and inform.

I’ve traveled in and out of the state with my grandson

Connor often enough to have long since introduced him to this

way of getting from place to place. His first response as an 8-year-old was “Grandma, just use the GPS.” But that was no help

since the one in my old Honda Fit was hopelessly out of date. As

for a smartphone, I didn’t own one. And so Connor is learning

to use paper maps too. Opening one myself is akin to texting

while driving, perhaps even more distracting(分散注意力的)for me.

I’ve done it, but I’ve reformed.

Our next trip will be to visit friends in Connecticut, and I’ve

just picked up new copies of the state’s road maps. I’ve yellow-highlighted our route from Providence, Rhode Island, to Old

Saybrook and Durham in Connecticut, then back to Providence.

It is a pretty familiar route for me, as I’ve spent multiple

summers doing geologic fieldwork in the forests and the

Connecticut River Valley. Still, I wouldn’t think of driving without

paper maps. It would be too out of character. It would be like

traveling

without a good book or a moral compass.

Going over the route with now 13-year-old Connor so that he can follow along and occasionally answer a routing question

while I’m driving may take some perseverance(毅力) on my part.

He looks at road maps the same way he looks at my old college

typewriter or my mom’s Nokia phone. However, his next tutorial

on navigating(导航)with paper is around the corner, and I’m

determined that he should learn the ropes. By the time he’s

driving himself, I’ll put new maps of India surrounding states in

his car. Who knows when a cellphone might quit or a GPS system

might stop working?

I could really annoy Connor by informing him of directional

signs from the sun, moon, and stars. But enough is enough for a

teenager. For this next trip at least, we’ll stay grounded in maps.

1. What does the author like about paper maps?

A. They can be neatly refolded.

B. They can be easily carried.

C. They are quite reliable.

D. They are very cheap.

2. What does the underlined word “akin” in Paragraph 2

mean?

A. Difficult.

B. Similar.

C. Suitable.

D. Dangerous.

3. Why does the author need road maps during her next trip

to Connecticut?

A. She is unfamiliar with this place.

B. She is used to driving with maps.

C. Her grandson insists on bringing maps.

D. Her geologic fieldwork requires maps.

4. What will the author teach Connor during their next trip? A. How to drive a car.

B. How to draw a map.

C. How to use paper maps.

D. How to navigate by the sun.

Passage 2

You are standing in a hall packed with friends, family,

colleagues and peers. You are about to walk onto the stage and

address theme. You’re expected to say something meaningful

and profound and everyone is hanging on your every word. You

need to be clearly spoken, confident and calm, maybe even funny.

How do you feel?

If you’re shaking, sweating and looking for the exit, you’re

normal. Most of us are scared of public speaking and yet, as a

society, we’re becoming more obsessed with hearing what

people have to say: we watch endless TED talks, download

podcasts and screen hours of YouTube clips. Being able to

address a crowd is no longer the domain of the brave—if you

want to get ahead in your career, you need to master it. I’ve

done enough public speaking to have picked up some tips and

tricks, and these are the ones I rely on most.

The most important thing is to prepare. You don’t have to

write out your speech word by word but get the headline, three

key points and the

concluding sentence on paper and put bullet points under

each. Then run through it and note which of your bullet points

made it in and what you added. Adapt your notes and try again.

Keep going until you have a structure.

Now it’s time to watch yourself—yes, get out your camera

and film yourself. This is how you will see the points that need

work and where you can polish it up.