2020高考英语三模前阅读理解专题练04(学生版)三年真题研读专练

三模前阅读理解专题练16题组一ASmart Home Products for Living a Connected LifeWhat makes something a smart home product? Generally, it’s defined by its ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to interact with it from their smartphones. We’ve rounded up some cool, diverse offerings that you’ll love to have in your home.Nest Cam IQ$299.00The Nest Cam IQ is a beautifully designed home security camera that can recognize faces. It can warn you if there’s a stranger in your home. The device als o supports two-way communication via built-in microphones and a powerful speaker.Logitech Harmony Elite$249.99The Logitech Harmony Elite is one of the best universal remote controls available on the market. It can control just about every piece of electronics you own(it supports over 270,000 devices！)in every room of your house or apartment, including TVs,streaming devices, and sound systems.Apple HomePod$349.00The Apple HomePod has better audio quality than any other smart speaker available today. Available in white or space gray, the Siri-powered device also allows you to control a number of devices with your voice.August Smart Lock Pro$279.99The August Smart Lock Pro is compatible(兼容的)with most locks. A mobile app allows you to manage access to the lock, check its usage history, and get informed when someone opens the door. You can control it andcheck on the state of your door with voice commands.56. What can the Nest Cam IQ help you do?A. Properly use your smartphone cameraB. Control electronics with your voice.C. Check the locks of your house.D. Keep your home safe.57. Which device can help you operate almost all your electronic equipment remotely?A. Nest Cam IQ.B. Apple HomePod.C. August Smart Lock Pro.D. Logitech Harmony Elite.BThe word “invent” comes from a Latin word which means “to find.” Garrett Morgan, an African-American, was one such inventor. His first job was repairing machines in a factory. By accident, he had invented the hair straightener. He sold his products and then continued with his career as an inventor.Every day, Garrett Morgan watched traffic become more dangerous. Cars, bicycles and walkers all competed to cross the street. Police officers made simple “stop /go” signals at busy crossroads, but cars, bicycles and walkers still rushed into the crossroads at different speeds and many crashed into each other. One day he saw a traffic accident between a car and a bicycle at a busy crossroads. he realized ,the problem with the traffic light, was its poor design: the traffic signal lacked a transition (过渡)between “stop” and “go.”Morgan invented a new traffic signal that added a “caution(警告)” light that made traffic move more smoothly and safely. His traffic light stood on a T-shaped pole with arms that flashed a red light to stop traffic in all directions, allowing walkers to cross safely. After walkers crossed, traffic could only go in one direction.Soon, cities everywhere wanted his traffic light. In 1923, a popular electric company paid Morgan $40,000 to make and sell his invention. Traffic lights today work in the same basic way.The traffic light is Morgan’s most famous invention. In 1963, the United States government gave Garrett Morgan an award for his life-saving idea.58. What can we learn about Garrett Morgan from Paragraph 1?A. He worked in a factory all his life.B. He led a hard life in his early years.C. He made money from hair straighteners.D. He dreamed of being an inventor when he was a child.59. What made Morgan invent the traffic light?A. A traffic accident.B. A car driver’s advice.C. Worry about his safety.D. Hard work of police officers.60. According to the text, Garrett Morgan’s traffic light _______.A. made cars move more slowly.B. needed no help from police officers.C. was special because it had a “caution” light.D. was very different from the ones we use today.CArchaeologists used DNA taken from a broken clay pipe stem found in Maryland to build a picture of an enslaved woman who died around 200 years ago and had origins in modern-day Sierra Leone. One researcher called the work “a mind-blower.”“In this particular context, and from that time period, I think it’s a first,” team member Hannes Schroeder told The Wa shington Post. “To be able to get DNA from an object like a pipe stem is quite exciting. Also it is exciting for descendant(后裔)communities... Through this technology, they’re able to make a connection not only to the site but potentially back to Africa.”The pipe stem was found at the Belvoir plantation in Crownsville, Maryland, where enslaved people lived until 1864 and where a likely slave cemetery was recently found. DNA taken from the pipe linked back to a woman either directly from or descended from the Mende people, who lived in west Africa, in an area now part of Sierra.Julie Schablitsky, the chief archaeologist with the Maryland state highway administration, told The Post the discovery, based on saliva(唾液)absorbed into the clay pipe, was a “mind-blo wer”. She also said records show the existence of a slave trade route Sierra Leone to Annapolis, plied(定期往来)by British and American ships. "As soon as people stepped on those slave ships in Africa," she said, “whether they were from Benin or whether they were from Sierra Leone, wherever they were from, that identity was lost. Their humanity is stripped from. Who they are as a people has gone.”The new analysis is part of ongoing research around Belvoir that has given descendants of the people enslaved there new insight into the lives of their ancestors. Speaking to The Post, Nancy Daniels, a genealogist from Laurel, Maryland, who thinks she is a descendant of enslaved families from Belvoir but was not linked to the research on the pipe, called the discovery “overwhelming.” “I’m sitting here about ready to cry,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m so happy ... Thank God for the DNA. ”This year, events and ceremonies are being held to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved people in America, at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Slavery was effectively abandoned in the US on 1 January 1863, with the issue by Abraham Lincoln of the Emancipation Proclamation. It formally ended in December 1865, after the civil war, with the approval of the 13th amendment(修正案).61. What does the phrase “a mind-blower” in paragraphs 1 and 4 refer to?A. A surpriseB. A confusionC. An excitementD. A fascination62. According to Hannes Schroeder, the pipe stem was of great significance because________.A. it was the first direct evidence that slaves living in Maryland were originally from Africa.B. it helped the archaeologists to draw a portrait of the enslaved woman.C. it might contribute to identifying the birthplace of the descendant communities.D. it contained genic clues to the ancestral background of its owner.63. What can be inferred from the passage?A. The owner of the pipe once lived in what is now an area in west Africa.B. The history of slavery in America is an ongoing topic of concern.C. African slaves lost their identities when they arrived at the Belvoir plantation.D. Nancy Daniels, a genealogist was sorry for not being involved in the research.64. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?A. DNA from an old pipe throws lights on the origins of the enslavedB. A new research reveals the origins of enslaved African womanC. The descendants of enslaved people seek their identitiesD. DNA contributes to the breakthrough of a new researchDProfessor Stephen Hawking recently came out with a serious warning for people. While at the Starmus Festival, a festival in Trondheim, Norway, celebrating science and the arts, Hawking warned people that the human race is in serious danger.Hawking criticized President Donald Trump for denying climate change. Then the physicist warned the audience, “I am not denying the importance of fighting climate change and global warming, unlike Donald Trump, who may just have taken the most serious, and wrong, decision on climate change this world has seen.”Hawking proposed that the leading countries should send astronauts to the Moon before 2020 to restart a movement of more exploration in space. BBC reported that Hawking suggested that we “build a lunar base in 30 years’ time and send people to Mars by 2025.”Ac cording to BBC, Professor Hawking said, “Spreading out into space will completely change the future of humanity.” He continued, “I hope it would unite competitive nations in a single goal, to face the common challenge for us all.” The physicist shared more ideas to motivate the younger generation to continue exploring space. Hawking stated, “a new and ambitious space program would excite (young people), and stimulate interest in other areas, such as astrophysics and cosmology.”Hawking also revealed his vision for other forms of energy that could move us to a new planet. He warned the audience, “The Earth is under threat from so many areas that it is difficult for me to be positive.” He continued, “Our natural resources are being drained, at an alarming rate. We have given our planet the disastrous gifts of climate change, rising temperatures, reduction of the polar ice caps, deforestation, and decimation (大量毁灭) of animal species. We can be ignorant, unthinking lot (人).”The professor warned the audience that doing nothing would lead nowhere. He said, “If we succeed, we will send a probe (航天探测器) to Alpha Centauri within the lifetime of some of you alive today. It is clear we are entering a new space age. We are standing at the threshold (起点) of a new era. Human colonization and moving to other planets is no longer science fiction, and it can be science fact.” Hawking advised the audience to move to other worlds because we are running out of space.65. According to Hawking, what is the first step for humans to spread out into space?A. To build a lunar base.B. To send people to Mars.C. To send astronauts to the Moon.D. To change the future of humanity.66. What does the underlined phrase “a single goal” in Paragraph 4 refer to?A. Spreading out into space.B. Facing the common challenge of humans.C. Stimulating young people’s interest in other areas.D. Motivating the younger generation to explore space.67. The underlined word “drained” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “_______”.A. speeded upB. storedC. used upD. explored68. What is Hawking’s attitude towards the Earth’s future?A. WorriedB. ConfusedC. PositiveD. Indifferent69. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?A. To warn the audience that humans are in danger.B. To predict what will happen to the earth in future.C. To stress that humans are entering a new space age.D. To encourage the audience to move to other planets.70. The reason why humans must leave earth soon is that _______.A. the Earth is under threat and the human race is in serious dangerB. a new and ambitious space program would excite young peopleC. astronauts have found a better world in the space than the EarthD. humans have found other forms of energy to move to a new planet题组二AUniversity of Cambridge has several funds to support university athletes. Full information can be found below: TASS-The Talented Athlete Scholarship SchemeLaunched in April 2004, TASS is designed to help promising young athletes who want to balance their sporting ambitions with a University or college education.If you would like to be considered for the TASS Scheme, please contact your National Governing Body to see if you are eligible. You can find out more about TASS here.UCAPP-University of Cambridge Athlete Performances ProgrammeUCAPP was set up in 1985 thanks to the kind generosity of Mark Hanson, who was a Modern Pentathlete during his time at Cambridge.This programme aims to provide core services that any high-performance athletes would benefit from including Lifestyle Management, Physiotherapy, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition Advice, Sports Psychology Support and Gym Membership.To find out more information, please click here.The Eric Evans FundThe Eric Evans Fund was set up in 1996. The Fund is intended to support students who wish to improve their personal sporting performance beyond University level, or to enable them to undertake qualifications in connection with officiating, coaching or the administration of sport.The fund is managed by the Director of Sport and two other persons appointed by the Sports Committee. If you still have any further question, please send an e-mail to the Managers.The Hawks Charitable TrustThe Trust was established in January 1996 with a relatively small capital donated by some of the members to provide financial help to current Cambridge University students, male and female, whose sporting activities were being held back by financial problems.For more information on this Trust, including the qualifications required for application, please see the Hawks Website.56. What is special about UCAPP?A. It favors the promising young athletes.B. It requires no qualifications.C. It is intended for high-performance athletes.D. It helps to improve students’ personal sporting perf ormance.57. Which programme will you favor if your club needs money for a sport game?A. The Eric Evans FundB. UCAPPC. TASSD. The Hawks Charitable TrustBWhat is body surfing?Bodysurfing is related to riding on a wave with no help from a id tools such as a surfboard. That’s why it is called the “purest” form of surfing. In fact, it is one of very few extreme sports—free climbing and cliff diving are. others—that can be practiced using nothing but the human body.How do you do it?To catch a wave, swim to where the waves break and, as one approaches, start swimming towards the beach. You must try to travel at the same speed as the wave and, if you do it correctly, you will feel the wave lifting you and pushing you forwards. Then try and cut along the surface of the wave.What do you need?It is more enjoyable and safer if you use flippers (large flat rubber shoes). This is because they enable you to swim faster and surf along them more easily. A wetsuit is also advisable. Another aid is a handboard, a mini-surf board about the size of an iron, held in one hand to speed up along the wave. If you are lucky enough to be surfing in warm water, make sure you have your boardshorts at the ready.Unofficial world championshipBodysurfing is not a professional sport, but in Hawaii there is such a festival called the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic each year. Local bodysurfers compete against athletes from places such as Australia, Brazil, Japan or France. Famous bodyboarder Mike Stewart has won the event no fewer than 12 times, and Kelly Slater, the greatest surfer in history, has also competed.58. How does a bodysurfer surf while in the sea?A. Only using the human body.B. Only relying on a surfboard.C. Only following a wave.D. Only swimming along the beach.59. Which can make you surf faster?A. Flippers and a wetsuit.B. A wetsuit and a handboard.C. A handboard and boardshorts.D. A handboard and Flippers.60. What can we know about the Pipeline Body surfing Classic?A. It is for local bodysurfers.B. It is held annually in Hawaii.C. All famous bodysurfers favor it.D. Mike Stewart attends it every year.CWhen prehistoric man arrived in new parts of the world, something strange happened to the large animals. They suddenly became extinct. Smaller species survived. The large, slow-growing animals were easy game, and were quickly hunted to extinction. Now something similar could be happening in the oceans.That the seas are being overfished has been known for years. What researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are changing. They have looked at half a century of data from fisheries around the world. Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature, the biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) in a new fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In somelong-fished areas, it has halved again since then.Dr. Worm acknowledges that the figures are conservative. One reason for this is that fishing technology has improved. Today’s ves sels (船)can find their prey using satellites and sonar, which were not available 50 years ago. That means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes. In the early days, too, longlines (多钩长线) would have been more filled with fish. Some individuals would therefore not have been caught, since no baited hooks (带饵钩)would have been available to trap them, leading to an underestimate of fish stocks in the past. Furthermore, in the early days of longline fishing, a lot of fish were lost to sharks after they had been hooked. That is no longer a problem, because there are fewer sharks around now。

三模前任务型阅读专题练01题组一Social anxiety is a type of anxiety problem. People with social anxiety can usually interact easily with family and a few close friends. Instead of enjoying social activities, they might fear them and avoid some of them altogether. Like other anxieties, it is a fear reaction to something that isn’t actually dangerous, although the body and mind react as if the danger is real. Because the physical sensations that go with the response are real and sometimes quite strong the danger seems rea l. With social anxiety, a person’s fears and concerns are focused on the social performance whether it’s a major class presentation or small talk at the lockers. People tend to feel embarrassed and uncomfortable about being noticed or judged by others.Social anxiety might prevent someone from chatting with friends in the lunchroom, joining an after-school club, going to a party, or asking someone on a date. It might keep a person from volunteering an answer in class, reading aloud, or giving a presentation. It might prevent someone from acting the school play, being in the talent show, trying out for a team, or joining in a service project. It also prevents them from making the normal, everyday mistakes that help people improve their skills still further.Social anxiety develops because the genetic features from parents and other relatives can influence how the brain senses and controls anxiety, shyness, nervousness, and stress reactions. Meanwhile, some people are born with a shy character and tend to be ca utious and sensitive in new situations and prefer what’s familiar. Naturally a person’s shy character can be influenced by what he or she learns from role models. If parents or others react by overprotecting a child who is shy, the child won’t have a chanc e to get used to new situations and new people. If people born with a cautious nature have stressful experiences, social anxiety can make them even more cautious and shy. Feeling pressured to interact in ways they don’t feel ready for, being criticized or insulted, or having other fears and worries can make it more likely for a shy or fearful person to develop social anxiety.Sometimes, but not always, medicines that reduce anxiety are used as part of the treatment. Family or friends are especially important and the right support from a few key people can help those with social anxiety gather the courage to go outside their comfort zone and try something new. Dealing with social anxiety takes patience, courage to face fears and try new things, and the willingness to practice.题组二A great many parents send their children to pre-schools-educational programs for children under the age of five. It has been said that this is the time period when the brain does over fifty percent of its growing. This could mean that the learning process should be introduced during these years.However, the views that different societies hold regarding the purpose of early childhood education are not same. Whereas Chinese parents tend to see preschools primarily as a way of giving children a good start academically, parents in the United States regard the primary purpose of preschools as making children more independent and self-reliant.Preschools can operate under a guiding philosophy of play-based or academic learning. Play-based programs are guided by the cent ral belief that children learn best through play. Play is thought to build children’s interest and love of learning. Academic programs emphasize reading, math and science, and use structured, teacher-directed activities to promote foundational skills in these areas. In the United States, the best-known program designed to promotefuture academic success is Head Start. The program, which stresses parental involvement, was designed to serve the “whole child”, including children’s physical health, self-confidence, social responsibility, and social and emotional development.A recent evaluation suggests that preschoolers who participate in Head Start are less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to complete school in future. Furthermore, graduates of Head Start programs show higher academic performance at the end of high school, although the gains are modest. In addition, results from other types of preschool readiness programs indicate that for every dollar spent on the program, taxpayers saved seven dollars by the time the graduates reached the age of 27.Not everyone agrees that programs that seek to enhance academic skills during the preschool years are a good thing. In fact, according to developmental psychologist David Elkind, United States society tends to push children so rapidly that they begin to feel stress and pressure at a young age. Elkind argues that academic success is largely dependent upon factors such as inherited abilities and a child’s rate of maturation, which parents can do nothing about. Consequently, children of a particular age cannot be expected to master educational material without taking into account their current level of cognitive development. In short, children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.Early Childhood EducationReasons for attending preschools ◆The(71) ▲ of the brain matures under the age of five.◆Parents’ expectations of preschools(72) ▲ greatly.(73) ▲ ofpreschools ◆Some programs(74) ▲ on play activities while others on academic activities.◆Parents are(75) ▲ in some preschool programs.Benefits of attending preschools ◆Graduates are better(76) ▲ for future schooling.◆Graduates may achieve higher grades at high school.◆It can be(77) ▲ for households in the long term.(78) ▲ aboutpreschools ◆Children feel pressured at a young age.◆Factors determining academic success are(79) ▲ parents’ con trol.◆Early childhood education must be(80) ▲ with children’s development and characteristics.题组三Communication PrinciplesHow you see yourself can make a great difference in how you communicate. “Every individual exists in a continually changing world of experience of which he(or she)is the center”. Many communication scholars and social scientists believe that people are products of how others treat them and of the messages others send them. But every day we experience the centrality of our selves in communication. A student, for instance, may describe a conflict with a teacher as unfair treatment: “I know my teacher doesn’t like the fact that I don’t agree with his opinions.and that’s why he gave me such a poor grade in that class.” The teacher might say the opposite. Each person may believe that he is correct and that the other person’s view is wrong.The concept of serf originates in communication. Through verbal and nonverbal symbols, a child learns to accept roles in response to the expectations of others. You establish self-image. The sort of person you believe you are, by how others think of you. Positive, negative, and neutral messages that you receive from others all play a role in determining who you are. Communication itself is probably best understood as a dialogue process. Our understanding of communication comes from our interactions with other people. In a more obvious way, communication involves others in the sense that a competent communicator considers what the other person needs and expects when selecting messages to share. So, the communication begins with the self, as defined largely by others, and involves others, as defined largely by the self.Communication Occurs almost every minute of your life. If you are not communicating with yourself(thinking, planning, reacting to the world around you), you are observing others and drawing inferences from their behavior. Even if the other person did not intend a message for you, you gather observations and draw specific conclusions. A person yawns and you believe that person is bored with your message. A second person looks away from you and you conclude that person is not listening to you. A third person smiles(perhaps because of a memory of a joke he heard recently)and you believe that he is attracted to you. We are continually picking up meanings from others’ behaviors and we are constantly providing behaviors that have communicative value for them.More often than not, you may have hurt someone accidentally and you may have tried to explain that you did not mean that. You may have told the other person that you were sorry for your statement. You may have made a joke out of your rude statement. Nonetheless, your comment remains both in the mind of the other person and in your own mind. You cannot go back in time and erase your messages to others. Communication cannot be reversed(倒退), nor can it be repeated. When you tried to re—create the atmosphere, the conversation, and the setting, nothing seemedright. Your second experience with a similar setting and person made far different results.。

三模前阅读理解专题练02题组一A2020 SAN FRANCISCOWRITERS CONFERENCE17th Celebration of Craft, Commerce & CommunityFebruary 13-16, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency San FranciscoSpeakers: *Walter Mosley *Jonathan Maberry *Brooke WarnerPlus authors, editors, publishers & literary agents from New York, L.A. & S.F. Bay Area Visit to get event/contest/scholarship details, access online registration for the free SFWCNewsletter.Considerable Early Discounts and Special Room Rates!2019 SAN FRANCISCOWRITING FOR CHANGEA one-day conference for all writers who want to change the world through their writing.September 14th at the Unitarian Center Details and registration:SFWC/San Francisco Writers Foundation is a nonprofit organizationBehind the Scenes of a Writing ConferenceWhen you attend a writing conference, you see a façade(公众可见的场景)that took months or longer to make up. Plenty is going on behind the scenes. Let’s take a look behind the curtain.The day starts long before attendees walk through the door. Registration is set up, signs posted and tables arranged. Logistics(后勤)all fall on the conference organizers. For example, the annual conference I direct in San Francisco(see the poster above)is a simple one-day conference that takes more than eight months to put together and around 15 staff and volunteers to manage. Larger multi-day conferences have even more going on behind the scenes.Overseeing it all is the conference director, a conductor who typically works with committee directors to make sure everything runs smoothly. Over the course of the conference, staffers make sure everything stays on track. It’s not unusual for staff to walk miles in a day and go without meals.Conference staff and volunteers are always behind the curtains making sure your experience is perfect. The next time you attend a well-run writing conference, take a moment to thank staff and volunteers for their devotion. They deserve all the praise they can get because without them, there would be no conference.56. What’s the latest time to start to arrange for the one-day conference in San Francisco?A. July, 2019.B. March, 209.C. September, 2019.D. January, 2019.57. According to the writer, the attendees of the 2020 San Francisco Writers Conference should praise the ____ .A. three speakersB. authors and editorsC. staff and volunteersD. corporate sponsorsBDavid Miles, an Australian inventor has been accused of cheating desperate farmers by charging up to $50,000 Australian dollars for delivering rain on demand without so much as explaining the technology behind his business.On the official Miles Research website,Miles explains that in the 1990’s he realized that it was possible to influence weather patterns by creating a bridge between ‘the present’ and a ‘near-future event’ in the physical space-time continuum. He found that by applying small amounts of energy intelligently, even a large, messy weather system approaching from the future could be eased.While somewhat fascinating, Miles’ explana tion does little to explain how he is able to bring rainfall to the lands of farmers. He makes references to famous but debatable concepts like “the butterfly effect”. “We were advised against patenting because if basically exposing how it works, there will be a lot of big companies that invest in hunting out patents,” Miles said “I understand the doubts,the only other way is to fully prove up our science and physics. If we did that, we’ll lose it, it will be taken up as a national security interest and it’ll then be weaponized.”Miles’ claims raised suspicions for obvious reasons, including a since-deleted section of his company website, which claimed that his technology used “electromagnetic scalar waves”,which scientists say don’t even exist.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission(ACCC)has warned people against doing business with him, but the Australian inventor claims the ACCC is only trying to defame him and his company, as in reality they are success based—if it doesn’t rain, they don’t get paid.“Consumers signed the agreement that if by the end of June they receive 100mm, they pay $50,000, if they only receive 50mm, they would only pay $25,000. Anything under half,we don’t want to be paid,” Miles said of a handful of Wimmera farmers who agreed to take him up on his offer to deliver rain.Believe it or not, one of the farmers who paid David Miles for his so-called rain-making capabilities told ABCRadio that he was quite happy with the results.58. David Miles claims to be capable of _______.A. influencing the weather systemB. predicting the future eventsC. reducing the atmospheric temperatureD. easing the gravitational energy59. ACCC issued warning against doing business with Miles because _______.A. he charged too much for the services providedB. there was no solid science to hack up his technologyC. his practice was a threat to national security interestD. he didn’t officially patent his technology with ACCC60. What can be inferred from the passage?A. Miles needed safer facilities for his business.B. Miles brought about good crops as expected.C. Miles wasn’t discouraged by the critics.D. Miles was arrested by the local police.CEach year, backed up by a growing anti-consumerist movement, people are using the holiday season to call on us all to shop less.Driven by concerns about resource exhaustion, over recent years environmentalists have increasingly turned their sights on our “consumer culture”. Groups such as The Story of Stuff and Buy Nothing New Day are growing as a movement that increasingly blames all our ills on our desire to shop.We clearly have a growing resource problem. The produces we make, buy, and use are often linked to the destruction of our waterways, biodiversity, climate and the land on which millions of people live. But to blame these issues on Christmas shoppers is misguided, and puts us in the old trap of blaming individuals for what is a systematic problem.While we complain about environmental destruction over Christmas, environmentalists often forget what the holiday season actually means for many people. For most, Christmas isn’t an add-on to an already heavy shopping year. In fact, it is likely the only time of year many have the opportunity to spend on friends and family, or even just to buy the necessities needed for modern life.This is particularly, true for Boxing Day, often the target of the strongest derision(嘲弄)byanti-consumerists. While we may laugh at the queues in front of the shops, for many, those sales provide the one chance to buy items they’ve needed all year. As Leigh Phillips argues, “this is one of the few times of the yearthat people can even hope to afford such ‘luxuries’, the Christmas presents their kids are asking for, or just an appliance that works.”Indeed, the richest 7% of people are responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. This becomes particularly harmful when you take into account that those shopping on Boxing Day are only a small part of our consumption “problem” anyway. Why are environmentalists attacking these individuals, while ignoring such people as Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has his own￡1.5bn yacht with a missile defence system?Anyway, anti-consumerism has become a movement of wealthy people talking down to the working class about their life choices, while ignoring the real cause of our environmental problems. It is no wonder one is changing their behaviours—or that environmental destruction continues without any reduction in intensity.61. It is indicated in the 1st paragraph that during the holiday season, many consumers .A. ignore resource problemsB. are fascinated with presentsC. are encouraged to spend lessD. show great interest in the movement.62. It can be inferred from Paragraphs 2 and 3 that the environmentalist movement _______.A. has targeted the wrong personsB. has achieved its intended purposesC. has taken environment-friendly measuresD. has benefited both consumers and producers63. The example of Roman Abramovich is used to show environmentalists’ _______.A. madness about life choicesB. discontent with rich lifestyleC. ignorance about the real causeD. disrespect for holiday shoppers64. It can be concluded from the text that telling people not to shop at Christmas is _______.A. anything less than a responsibilityB. nothing more than a biasC. indicative of environmental awarenessD. unacceptable to ordinary peopleDA story posted by The New York Post Monday tells the tale of Katrina Holte, a Hillsboro woman who quit her job to cosplay a 1950s housewife.Let me start by expressing admiration to Holte for using her 2019 freedoms to follow her 1950s dreams. Everyone should be so lucky as to get to decide what they wear and how they spend their time. That’s the future our foremothers fought for.But as much fun as I am sure she is having living a vintage(复古的)life, which literally includes watching showslike “I Love Lucy” and listening to vinyl recordings(刻录碟片), I think it’s important to remember that being a 1950s housewife was actually totally awful, and something our grandmothers and mothers fought against.For example, once I called my grandma and asked her for her recipe for Cloud Biscuits, these delicious biscuits she used to make that we would cover with butter and homemade raspberry jam on Thanksgiving.“Why would you want that?” she said. “Go to the store. Go to the freezer section. Buy some pre-made biscuits and put them in the oven.”She straight-up refused to give me the recipe, because it was hard and took a long time to make. In her mind, it was a waste of time.Getting off the phone, it occurred to me that spending every day of your life serving a husband and five children wasn’t fun at all. And then there are the grandchildren who eventually come along demanding Cloud Biscuits, a whole new expanded set of people to feed.She was basically a slave to those hungry mouths, cooking scratch meals three times a dayWhen she wasn’t trapped in the kitchen, she had to keep the house clean, make sure she looked good enough to be socially acceptable, and make sure her kids and husband looked good enough to be socially acceptable. And she had no days off.I know my grandma loves her kids and her grandkids, her husband and the life she led, but man, it must have been a lot of thankless, mindless labor.No wonder everyone went all-in on processed foods when they came around. Imagine the nice break something like a microwave dinner would give a woman working, unpaid, for her family every single day?I also had another grandma. She was a scholar who helped found the Center for the Study of Women in Society at University of Oregon. She was a pioneering second-wave feminist who wrote books, gave lectures and traveled the world.But, she did all of that after divorcing my grandpa, when most of her kids were out of the house. Back then, in the 1950s and the 1960s, there was no illusion about women “having it all”. How could that even possibly happen? If you were taking care of a family, waiting on your husband, you had no time to follow your dreams, unless you made that your dreamA lot of women took that approach. We call it Stockholm Syndrome now.And of course, these women I am talking about are upper-middle-class white women. Romanticizing the 1950s is especially disgusting when you think about how women of color and poor women were treated back then, and the lack of education and choices available to them.Because the women in this country demanded something approaching equality, Holte has the chance to live out her fantasy. Not every woman in America is so lucky.We still don’t have pay equality and in many states, we still don’t have autonomy over our own bodies. Poor women and women of color still lack the opportunities of their wealthy and white peers.And while it’s getting better, women are still expected to be responsible for the emotional labor of running a household and raising the children.But at least we can get jobs. At least we don’t have to sew our own clothes, wear a full face of makeup every day and spend hours making Cloud Biscuits some ungrateful kid will wolf down, barely remembering to say thank you.65. According to the author, what is the future our foremothers fought for?A. Watching shows like “I Love Lucy” and listening to vinyl recordings.B. Having the freedom to make choices in their daily life.C. Making Cloud Biscuits for their kids and husbands.D. Making sure their kids and husbands socially acceptable.66. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 13 refer to?A. Writing books, giving lectures and traveling the world.B. Divorcing husband when kids were out of house.C. Taking care of a family and waiting on husband.D. Women’s illusion about “having it all”.67. What does the “Stockholm Syndrome” in paragraph 14 really mean in the passage?A. Women have been used to the unfair treatment at homeB. Women nowadays like the way of life in the 1950s.C. Victims end up sympathizing with the abusers.D. Women have the chance to live out their dreams.68. The author thinks of the life of a 1950s housewife as _______.A. fantasticB. admirableC. awfulD. unforgettable69. What can we learn from the passage?A. It was a waste of time to give grandchildren the recipe.B. All women are not lucky to follow their own dreams in America now.C. Housewives received recognition for their efforts from family members.D. The upper-middle-class white women did a better job in running the household.70. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this passage?A. To show great appreciation to her grandmas.B. To call on housewives to claim the pay for the housework they undertake.C. To draw readers’ attention to the situations women face, especially those poor and of color.D. To arouse women’s awareness of equal pay at work.题组二AInternational V olunteering in New ZealandIf y ou’re visiting New Zealand and would like to volunteer, DOC(Department of Concentration)welcomes you to get involved.Before you come to New ZealandYou do not need a work visa to volunteer with DOC. You ran volunteer on entry to New Zealand as long as you do not receive payment or benefits.You may need a police certificateDepending on the volunteer work you do with us, you may be required to provide a police certificate to DOC. Your police certificate would need to be written and certified in English. It’s easier for you if you get a police certificate before you leave your country.How to get a new police certificate if you’re already in New Zealand.(Click here)International studentsV olunteering with DOS is an option to gain experience. However, DOC does not offer opportunities to students who study at:●universities outside New Zealand, or other education providers outside New Zealand.InsuranceFor all volunteers with DOC, we strongly advise you gel comprehensive(综合的)travel insurance and unlimited medical cover. DOC does not accept responsibility for any:●personal medical or accident events.●loss or damage to personal items of equipment, or other associated costs while you’re volunteering with DOC.56. What may you offer to DOC if you want to volunteer as a foreigner in New Zealand?A. A work visa.B. A police certificateC. A university diploma.D. A driver license.57. Who cannot volunteer with DOC in New Zealand?A. An American official who is travelling in New Zealand.B. A Chinese businessman with some volunteering experiences.C. A Chinese exchange student in the University of Auckland in New Zealand.D. An English college student who has just been visiting his uncle in New Zealand for a few days.BWhile many of us may have been awa y somewhere nice last summer, few would say that we’ve “summered.” “Summer” is clearly a noun, more precisely, a verbed noun.Way back in our childhood, we all learned the difference between a noun and a verb. With such a tidy definition, it was easy to sp ot the difference. Not so in adulthood, where we are expected to “foot” bills, “chair” committees, and “dialogue” with political opponents. Chances are you didn’t feel uncomfortable about the sight of those verbed nouns.“The verbing of nouns is as old as the English language,” says Patricia O’Conner, a former editor at The New York Times Book Review. Experts estimate that 20 percent of all English verbs were originally nouns. And the phenomenon seems to be snowballing. Since 1900, about 40 percent of all new verbs have come from nouns.Even though conversion(转化)is quite universal, plenty of grammarians object to the practice. William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, in The Elements of Style — the Bible for the use of American English — have this to say: “Many nouns lately have been pressed into service as verbs. Not all are bad, but all are suspect.” The Chicago Manual of Style takes a similar standpoint, advising writers to use verbs with great care.“Sometimes people object to a new verb because they resist what is unfamiliar to them,” says O’Conner. That’s why we’re comfortable “hosting” a party, but we might feel upset by the thought of “medaling” in sports. So are there any rules for verbing? Benjamin Dreyer, copy chief at Random House, doesn’t offer a rule, b ut suggests that people think twice about “verbifying” a noun if it’s easily replaceable by an already existing popular verb. Make sure it’s descriptive but not silly-sounding, he says.In the end, however, style is subjective. Easy conversion of nouns to verbs has been part of English grammar for centuries; it is one of the processes that make English “English.” Not every coinage(新创的词语)passes into general use, but as for trying to end verbing altogether, forget it.58. What can we learn about the verbing of nouns?A. It hasn’t recently been opposed by many grammarians.B. It is more commonly accepted by children than adults.C. It hasn’t been a rare phenomenon in the past century.D. It is easily replaced by existing verbs in practice59. What does the author think of ending the verbing of nouns?A. PredictableB. PracticableC. ApproachingD. Impossible60. What is the best title for the text?A. Are 40 Percent of all new verbs from nouns?B. Are Summering and Medaling Annoying?C. Are You Comfortable about a New Verb?D. Are There Any Rules for Verbing?CEdgar Alan Poe was and is an abnormal figure among the major American writers of his period. It seems to have been true of Poe that no one could look at him without seeing more than they would wish.Poe published The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket in 1838, his only novel. Its importance is suggested by the fact that his major work comes after it. The Narrative’s shortcomings are sometimes considered to be the fact that it was written for money, as it surely was, and as almost everything else Poe wrote was also. This is not exceptional among writers anywhere, though in the case of Poe it is often treated as if his having done so were disgraceful. Be that as it may, the Narrative makes its way to a peak as strange and powerful as anything to be found in his greatest tales.The word that reoccurs most importantly in Poe’s fictions is horror. His stories are often shaped to bring the narrator and the reader to a place where the use of the word is reasonable, where the word and the experience it arouses are explored or by implication defined. Perhaps it is because Poe’s tales test the limits of mental health and good manners that he is both popular and criticized.The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym has the grand scale of the nineteenth-century voyage of discovery, and a different and larger scale in the suggestions that appear as the voyage goes on. The Narrative is frequently compared with Moby-Dick, published thirteen years later, after Poe’s dea th. Poe uses whiteness as a highly ambiguous symbol, by no means to be interpreted as purity or holiness or by association with any other positivevalue. There is blackness, too, in The Narrative, specifically associated with the populations that live in the regions nearest the South Pole. The native people in Tasmania, the island south of Australia, were said by explorers and settlers to be black, and were in any case, with the word “black,” swept into the large category of those related to displacement, exploitation, and worse.Something very like the occupation of Kentucky by white settlers lies behind the events that bring Pym to the far-sighted conclusion of his narrative. In the early years of the nineteenth century the British began what made the native people of Tasmania die out, who had tried to resist white invasion of their island. Such occupations were, of course, a major business of Europeans, or whites, almost everywhere in the world at the time Poe wrote. They, were boasted of as progress. It would have required unusual sensibility in Poe to have taken a different, very dark view of the phenomenon. But he was an unusual man. And the horror that fascinated him and gave such dreadful unity to his tales is often the unavoidable, conflict of the self by a perfect justice, the exposure of a guilty act in a form that makes its reveal a falling back of the mind against itself.Young Pym is simply telling a story of a kind popular at the time, a voyage adventure lived out beyond the farthest reaches of exploration. The story is disturbed by its own deeper tendencies, the rising through this surface of the kind of recognition that must find expression in another form of literature. As his ship approaches the region of the South Pole, Pym notes the mildness of the climate, coolly listing the resources of the islands, which were assumed by such voyagers to be there for the taking.If The Narrative were a conventional story, the immense roar and the towering flames might attract the notice of a passing sail—and there would be no need for a note explaining its lacking an ending. But the force of the narrative carries it beyond the fate of individuals, toward an engagement with a reality beyond any temporary human drama.61. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?A. Allan Poe was a famous America writer of his period.B. People expect too much of the American writer—Alan Poe.C. Unlike other writers, Allan Poe is a unique and unusual writer.D. People think Poe is a popular novelist like other famous writers.62. Which of the following can describe the characteristic of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?A. Poverty is the main theme of the novel.B. The novel is full of justice elements.C. Blackness can possibly be felt in the novel.D. Whiteness is the obvious symbol of the novel.63. Which of the following might be taken from the novel The Narrative?A. “One of these adventures was related by way of introduction to a longer narrative.”B. “Gordon Pym’s father was a respectable trader at Nantucket, where Pym was born.”C. “The wind, as I before said, blew freshly from the southwest. The night was very cold.”D. “Pym at length hit upon the idea of working on the terrors and guilty conscience of the mate.”64. Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?A. The Narrative is an adventurous story written in a conventional way.B. The Narrative is considered one of Alan Poe’s famous novels.C. Allan Poe was misunderstood to write The Narrative for money.D. Readers might not understand why The Narrative ended so abruptly.DA few weeks ago, a 71-year-old man pulled his car to the roadside in Northwest Portland and stopped. He rolled down the window, turned off the engine and stared at a house.The place, distinguished by three gables, is partially hidden by hedges and trees. Most people who pass by would never notice it. And if they did give it a glance, they’d probably think it’s a nice house in a nice neighborhood. Nothing more.The house, in the 2500 block of Northwest Westover Road, is known as the Bessie & Louis Tarpley House. Built in 1907, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The current owner is Barbee Lyon, 79.He and his first wife took possession in 1975. When they divorced, he bought out her share.A reti red lawyer, Lyon learned Louis Tarpley, the home’s first owner, had also been a Portland lawyer. Setbacks in Tarpley’s life led to the house auction(拍卖)in the late 1920s.“I’m only the fifth owner of the home,” Lyon said. A previous owner was Frank Masco.He and his wife, Esther, and their nine children had lived across town in a tiny house needing constant repairs. In the mid-1950s, the elder Masco wanted to move to a bigger house and one closer to work. A docker(码头工人), he was on-call 24 hours a day and had to quickly get to the Willamette River docks.He found a home on Westover Road. At the time, many people wanted to live in new construction in the suburbs. The Westover house was offered at a deep discount.And later the family moved on several times, finally living in Vancouver.One Sunday in July 2019, Charley Masco drove to Portland for an appointment at a computer store.When it ended, he traveled the familiar route to Westover Road, pulled over and looked at that home.He decided to do something bold. He got out of his car and walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. He waited. No response. Nervous, he thought it was a mistake to do this and considered turning around and walking back to his car.Barbee Lyon opened the door and saw a stranger.“I’m not selling anything,” Masco said quickly. “I just want you to know I once lived here.” Lyon opened the door wide.“Come in.”And for the first time since 1966, Masco stepped into his childhood home.Every room looked as Masco had remembered it: The built-in china hutch in the dining room, the hanging lights above the table and, in the kitchen, a massive wood-burning stove where his mother used to cook family meals. It was as if he had walked into his own museum.Lyon told Masco he’d never done major struct ural remodeling, which meant Masco knew his way around the home.It was as if he had never left.There, on the top floor, was the window he and his siblings quietly opened to sneak out at night and return before their parents knew they were gone. The loft where friends daydreamed about the future. The living room—no TV ever allowed—where the family gathered to share music, play cards or just talk with each other.Then they all walked to the basement.In the far corner, Masco saw his father’s old wooden work bench. And above it, baby food jars.Masco had forgotten about them.He explained that his father had nailed lids from the jars to a rafter, filling the glass with different size screws, nuts and bolts, and then screwing the jars back into the lids to give him easy access while working.Masco thought about his father, his mother and three of his siblings who have died. He thought about his father, tinkering in the basement, while his mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner.He thought about the 71-year-old man he was and the boy he had once been.Kruse, Lyon’s wife, reached up and unscrewed a jar. She handed it to Masco, believing it belonged to this stranger.Masco thanked her.He clutched the small bottle to his chest. “My dad,” he said quietly. “This is my dad.”。

三模前阅读理解专题练09题组一ATop 4 Motivational BooksWhether you’re looking for a graduation gift idea, or you’re hoping to help your teen make better choices, a motivational book might be the answer.Who Moved My Cheese? for TeensWho Moved My Cheese? has been a life changingbook for many adults. The teen version will surelycreate positive change in their lives as well.Adolescence is filled with change and uncertaintyand this book focuses on the skills needed to adapt anddevelop increased resilience.Help Yourself forTeens: Real-Life Advice for Real-Life ChallengesWritten by Dave Pelzer, the #1 New York Timesbestselling author of A Child Called “It”, this book is a‘part self-help book and part inspirational memoir.’Pelzer shows teens how they can overcome whateverchallenges they face in life.The Code: The Five Secrets of Teen SuccessThe author, Mawi Asgedom, grew up during a civilwar in Ethiopia. He overcame adversity and wasawarded a scholarship to Harvard. In this quick read,your teen will learn valuable lessons on resilience.The 7 Habits of Highly Effective TeensSean Covey, son of the author of The 7 Habits of HighlyEffective People, provides a teen-friendly version of thisclassic book. Helping your teen develop these habits atan early age will set him up for future success in life. 56. Who is the passage intended for?A. Parents.B. Teachers.C. Teenagers.D. Graduates.57. Which of the following is TRUE according to the introductions of the four books?A. Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens appeals to adults and teenagers alike.B. Help Yourself for Teens: Real-Life Advice for Real-Life Challenges is the #1 New York Times bestseller.C. The Code: The Five Secrets of Teen Success touches on achieving academic success against a background ofmilitary conflict.D. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is written by Sean Covey with the help from his father.B“Be afraid. Be very afraid,” says a character in The Fly, a horror film about a man who turns into an enormous insect. It captures the unease and disgust people often feel for the kingdom of cockroaches, Zika-carrying mosquitoes and creepy crawlies of all kinds. However, ecologists increasingly see the insect world as something to be frightened for, not frightened of. In the past two years, scores of scientific studies have suggested that trillions of murmuring, droning, honeybees, butterflies and beetles are dying off. “If all mankind were to disappear”, wrote E.O.Wilson, a respectable entomologist, “the world would regenerate… If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.”Most of the studies describe declines of 50% and more over decades in different measures of insect health. The immediate reaction is shock. Insects enable plants to reproduce, through pollination(授粉), and are food for other animals, so a collapse in their numbers would be catastrophic.But a second look leads to a different assessment. Rather than causing a panic, the studies should act as a timely warning and a reason to take precautions. That is because the worst fears are unproven. There are no studies at all of wild insect numbers in most of the world. Reliable data are too scarce to declare a global emergency.Moreover, where the evidence does show a collapse—in Europe and America—agricultural and rural ecosystems are holding up. Farm production still remains high. As some insect species die out, others seem to be moving into the niches(生态位)they have left, keeping ecosystems going, although with less biodiversity than before. It is hard to argue that insect decline is yet causing significant economic damage.But there are complications. Agricultural productivity is not the only measure of environmental health. Animals have value, independent of any direct economic contribution they may make. The more species make up an ecosystem, the more stable it is likely to be. The extinction of a few insect species among so many might not make a big difference. The loss of hundreds of thousands would.And the scale of the observed decline raises doubts about how long ecosystems can remain resilient(能复原的). An experiment in which researchers gradually pulled out insect pollinators from fields found that plant diversity held up well until about 90% of insects had been removed. Then it collapsed. Given the lack of data, it is impossible to know how close Europe and America are to an ecosystem collapse. But it would be reckless to find out by actually triggering one.58. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph imply?A. Ecologists have long been afraid of those disgusting insects.B. Ecologists are worried about the disappearance of some insects.C. Ecologists have already got rid of the prejudiced feeling about insects.D. Ecologists are respectful of the insect’s ability to regenerate th emselves.59. What conclusion can we draw from the studies conducted in the past 2 years?A. Though there is a decline in the number of insects, we still have the reason to be optimistic.B. Biodiversity can cause immediate damage so that we should take precautions right away.C. Data collected from all over the world is convincing to prove our environment is at risk.D. The consequence of decreasing biodiversity may be more serious than we can imagine.60. What is the purpose of writing the passage?A. To show the magical power of our mother nature.B. To analyze why insects are on the edge of extinction.C. To draw people’s attention to the decreasing insects.D. To urge the scientists to collect more data about insects.CThe advent of warm weather here in Maine calls for a seasonal ritual that, for me, puts an end to winter—fetching the wooden screen door.Note that I wrote “wooden”. The aluminum models just won’t do it—they close too neatly and keep their perfect form for decades. In the 1960s, a time of imperfection, there was no perfect house, no perfect car, no perfect kids or parents. Why should a screen door be an exception?I grew up with my siblings in a working-class neighborhood in New Jersey. When the warm weather arrived, my dad would pull out the wooden screen door and install it over the back door, which could then be left wide open, admitting a refreshing breeze(we had no air conditioning).My father was a Mr. Fix-it, so keeping the screen door serviceable was one of his hobbies. Every few years he gave it a fresh coat of paint and fixed it a bit. I distinctly remember him putting the last screw in the last hinge(铰链), and swinging the door shut with a “crack!”A good, wooden screen door, unsightly as it was, had an invaluable function in the age of the stay-at-home mom: It alerted her to the coming and going of the kids. My siblings, and my friends ran in and out of the house, tearing the screen door open and letting it slap shut behind us. A hundred times a day. It was all good, and my mom never complained about the noise, because that was the purpose of a wooden screen door—to slam shut and thereby announce that her children were within earshot.Several years ago, in a fit of nostalgia(怀旧), I went shopping for a wooden screen door. I was disappointed in the choices available. They looked a bit too solid, too well made. But I found one online, and within a week it was delivered to my doorstep.The firm had sent me one with the wrong dimensions, so I asked my carpenter to make the necessary adjustments. Ozzie worked away at it for a couple of hours until he got it to sit neatly in its frame. I gave it a test: I pulled it open and let go. It closed in a lazy fashion. “Not good,” I pronounced. “Please remove the automatic door closer and adjust the door so it swings shut with a good crack.”Ozzie went about his work and a short while later the task was done. The door was uneven in its frame, and the screen no longer lay flat. But when I pulled open the door and released it, the thing clapped shut like a rifle shot. “What do you think?” I asked. “It looks like hell,” said Ozzie. “But it sounds like heaven,” I said. And I, being the owner of the door—and the memory—had the final word.61. What particular function did the wooden screen door perform in th e writer’s childhood?A. It functioned as an air conditioner in summer.B. It helped sharpen his father’s repairing skills.C. It was more like a toy that kids often played with.D. It made Mom aware that the kids were close by.62. The reason why the writer asked the carpenter to continue to adjust the door is that _______.A. the door was not the right size for the frameB. the door was poorly made that it didn’t suit himC. he wanted to see how the door was supposed to shutD. he was determined to seize the ownership of the door63. What does the wooden screen door mean to the writer now?A. It is a reminder of the imperfect things.B. It is a symbol of his memory of summer.C. It is a contributor to the better life he leads.D. It is an antique worth cherishing in the museum.64. What is the best title for the passage?A. The good old days are gone.B. Never judge a door by its appearance.C. Summer announces itself with a crack.D. Every single imperfection adds to beauty.DBritish economist and philosopher, TR Malthus, wrote An Essay on the Principles of Population in 1798 and created shock waves around the world saying that population would grow in a geometric progression(like 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64...)while food production would increase in an arithmetic progression(like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...). Malthus had said that it is biologically inherent(固有的)in all living organisms to multiply fast.Now, after more than 200 years of Malthus’s theory, we see that the world population has increased from abo ut 1 billion to about 7.6 billion, but at a much slower rate than that predicted by Malthus. This is because of various contraceptive(避孕的) methods adopted in many countries and also the adoption of policies regulating birth. World food production has increased from about 500 million tonnes in 1960－1961 to about 2,600 million tonnes in 2017－2018. This is because of increase in production and cultivated(用于耕作的)areas as well as innovations in agricultural technology.My intention is not to prove Malthus wrong. Rather, it was his alarming prediction that created an awakening worldwide regarding adoption of family planning programmes. Having said that, one must realize that even an increase from about 1 billion to about 7.6 billion today is causing serious damage to the planet, which will definitely not be able to support larger populations. Imagine, what it would be like if the world population increases to 11 billion by 2100, as has been predicted under some models.Let me now discuss how this population explosion has given rise to environmental pollution. There are three main reasons: First, the larger the population, the larger the demand for food, and thus, the higher the requirement of cultivable land. Second, changing lifestyles has led to evolving consumption patterns; more and bigger cars, TVs, refrigerators, mobile phones, packaged foods, furniture items, and electrical devices of several types are being consumed widely and in greater numbers with each passing day. Third, we need to create housing for ever-increasing populations. All this puts a pressure on the environment and land. Thus, forests and bodies of water are being destroyed to meet the requirement of land, more so in poor countries. As a consequence, species of wildlife are disappearing as their habitats do not exist any more or are completely changed, resulting in the ecological balance getting disturbed. Not only this, given that forests act as carbon sinks, their destruction is worsening global warming. Thus, when it comes to pollution, ever-increasing global population is the criminal.Further, due to the above human activities, our energy consumption is increasing, which is largelyfossil-fuel-based today. This is causing massive emission(排放)of greenhouse gases that is responsible for climate change. Heavy vehicular traffic, besides creating noise pollution, is further contributing to these emissions. The carbon emissions in the atmosphere presently stand at about 380 ppm compared to 280 ppm about a decade back and, at the current rate of emission, the threshold limit of 550 ppm may be breached very soon.Today, we are facing several types of pollution. I am not discussing them in details as the issues are well known. Poor people are more affected by both increasing population and pollution. Further, poverty itself is the worst kind of pollution. Thus, there is a cause-and-effect relationship between environmental pollution and poverty. Climate change is negatively affecting agri-production, and the degradation of forests and oceans is reducing the availability of forest produce and marine products on which about 35% of the global population depends.It is all leading to price rise, affecting the poor the most and on multiple fronts. The loss of rich land to construction also aggravates poverty. Thus, poverty gets worse due to increase in population and pollution. To conclude, the world is in urgent need of stabilization of the population to fight both pollution and poverty.65. According to the passage, Malthus believes that ________.A. there are effective ways to decrease the growth of populationB. food production should increase in line with population growthC. the increase of population would exceed that of food productionD. lack of food supply is likely to bring about pollution and poverty66. What is implied in the second paragraph?A. Malthus’s prediction of world population is totally inexact.B. People have realized the necessity to control population growth.C. World food production has increased by about four times since 1960.D. Modern technology contributes most to the increase in food production.67. What’s the author’s attitude toward Malthus’s theory?A. Critical.B. Positive.C. Doubtful.D. Opposing.68. Which word can replace the underlined word “aggravates” in the l ast paragraph?A. Increases.B. Relieves.C. Exposes.D. Witnesses.69. What is the passage mainly about?A. The possibility of taking measures to control population.B. The urgency for the whole world to fight against poverty.C. The relationship between population, pollution and poverty.D. The consumption pressure on the environment from rising population.70. How is the passage mainly developed?A. By listing relevant figures.B. By providing typical examples.C. By comparing opinions from different fields.D. By presenting a cause and analyzing its effects.题组二ASometimes it can be easy to become too satisfied when it comes to living sustainably. We may all have recycling bins in our kitchens, but here are some ways you can live more sustainably.1. Put an end to plastic water bottles and one-off coffee cupsThe only way this is going to work is that if you have reusable options you really love, invest in a great water bottle. This is an advance payment, but it will save you money in the long run. A 750ml bottle of Evian costs 90p in Tesco, meaning if you buy one every two days you could save £10 within three weeks by filling up a reusable bottle at home.2. ______________________The high street is problematic on so many different levels. Not only are you buying items with questionable supply chains, but the carbon footprint of each product is shocking as well. Online shopping is even worse, with overpackaging for each item and the emissions from delivery trucks. The answer is to stick to reach-me-down or previously owned items as much as possible. Not only will this save you money, but there’s also a sense of satisfaction in finding a hidden treasure from the flea market where you find outstanding bargains or something used, which you simply can't get from shopping in Wal-Mart or on Amazon.3. Think hard about your transportationEven if your car is supposedly a low-emissions model, it’s still going to be a huge contribution to your carbon footprint. There are times when getting in a car can’t be avoided, but if you can substitute just one flight a year with a train, one car journey a week with a bus. and one bus a month with a bike ride, you’ll find that making more mindful transport decisions can easily make your day-to-day life more environmentally friendly with little effort.4. Try to buy local, seasonal produceYou may think buying strawberries in December or courgettes in spring is no big deal, but the chemicals and fuel used to artificially copy the right environment for them to grow create harmful gas emissions. Similarly, the environmental impact of transporting produce from another country is huge. Buying from local farmers also means you can often ignore the huge amounts of packaging the supermarkets use.56. According to the pa ssage, if we want to lower our carbon footprint, we’d better ________.A. purchase a 75ml bottle of Evian in Tesco every other dayB. never do some shopping in Wal-Mart or on AmazonC. buy strawberries in December or courgettes in springD. take transport with a low-emissions model if possible57. Which of the following is most suitable to fill in the blank?A. Avoid too much traffic on the high street.B. Buy items without questionable supply chains.C. Buy second-hand products as much as possible.D. Avoid buying items with excessive packaging.BIt’s common knowledge that some countries have higher life expectancies than others, but the city you live in can also affect your health.Some cities are hard on their residents. In places with poor city planning, for example Lagos, which was called out recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit, public spaces are few, making outdoor activities hard. Lack of infrastructure(基础设施)blocks the streets with cars and the air with pollutants, and residents work long hours for little money.These are just some of the factors added up by Spotahome, a rental agency. They’ve analyzed data from a range of sources, including the World Health Organization, TripAdvisor and the CIA World Factbook to score each city on health, gym availability and quality, life expectancies, obesity, green space and other elements to make a list to work out which are the world’s healthiest cities.The list is certainly Eurocentric and sunshine is seen as a positive factor. It does go some way toward suggesting which cities are getting it right in providing a good life for their residents. It may not be surprising to learn that most of the healthiest cities are in northern Europe, known for its people-first approach to city planning. The cities of Australia and Canada also do well. However, the first American city is only in 34th place. The U．K. doesn’t fare too well either—its only city in the top 50 list is London, in 40th.Whether you’re planning a wholesome holiday, or simply wondering what your city can do better in its quest for happy citizens, the list of the 50 healthiest cities will give you pause for thought about the future of city planning. Here are the slender, healthy-eating, clean-aired cities that are getting it right.58. What plays the key role in building a healthy city according to the text?A. Local culture.B. City planning.C. Economic condition.D. Geographical position.59. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?A. How the list of the healthiest cities came into being.B. What Spotahome discovered in the recent study.C. The reasons why Spotahome carried out the study.D. The places where the data of the study came from.60. What can we learn from the text?A. Cities in America lack enough sunshine.B. The U. K. ranked higher than America in the list.C. Australia and Canada have the best city planning.D. Some people in Lagos may live a poor life.COne evening at a busy crossroads, I noticed a sister struggling to keep her little kid under control while she talked on the pay phone. She wanted him to stay still next to her, but he wanted to run and play by the road, close to rushing buses and taxis. One could sense the woman’s frustration, that she was pulled in too many directions: She was angry at the person on the telep hone and shouting at the younger that she would “snap(折断)his leg” if he moved again. As I waited for the traffic light to change, the child began to complain and struggle to free himselffrom the woman’s grasp. She dropped the phone, seized the neck of his tiny. T-shirt and gave him a back-hand blow across the face that I know made his little head spin.The light changed, and passers-by continued on their way. But I stood there, fixed to the pavement. I knew this extremely upset woman would carry through on her threat of violence to the child. Before, I had wanted to get close to her and offer to watch the youngster while she dealt with the troubling situation on the phone. Now I wanted to comfort the little boy. I also wanted to speak to the sister to calm her and to caution(告诫)her, as I wish someone had cautioned me when I was passing my pain on to my daughter and causing her emotional suffering. But I was chicken. I thought, she may think I’m out of line, or I may be her next target.Often I’ve thought abo ut that child and the many others abused by adults. I wonder how they will internalize(使……藏在心底)their pain, and if it will crush their spirits. Will this little boy grow up to be an abusive man? Will he be gloomy(阴郁的,沮丧的)and withdrawn(孤僻,内向的)? Will he find it hard to communicate with women, with other men? Or will he survive and be sensitive, caring and determined not to continue the cycle?There is too much crueltyin the world, too much cruelty between people. I tremble at the increasing verbal(言语的)bitterness and violence among Black girls, and among young mothers trying to discipline their children. This behavior isn’t class-or age-related: I hear sharp words from Black women from all walks of life who are overworked and stressed out and have grown impatient. At times I, too, become impolite to others, or, like the sister on the phone, strike out at(抨击)those closest to me.Often we’re tired because we've made the wrong choices. Young girls who still need mothering are loaded with children. We sisters easily get hurt and annoyed when we don’t compromise with our own sense of self. Our personal fulfillment requires knowing what is best for us, setting our boundaries and keeping them undamaged. We will always be asked to do more than we are comfortable doing. When we know our boundaries, we can decline comfortably. People—and we ourselves—will act in ways we don’t like. But they, like us, are still worthy of love.Whatever irritates(激怒)us about a person should be examined. Is the person reflecting behavior in us that needs to be changed? Often, when I find people irritating, I find they mirror something about me that I need to correct.What’s needed in our personal relationships is a return to gentleness and tolerance. We must allow one another our learning experiences. Just as violence results to violence, verbal violence—the hard words and sharp tones we use to release inner stress—adds to the distance between us.What we people of African root must do to become, and continue to be strong begins with love, sensitivity and our ability to work together. We Black women have these spiritual resources in abundance. Now we mustencourage them to create a peaceful place—for ourselves, our children, our men.61. We can learn from the passage the mother of the little kid must be ________.A. frustrated and hot-temperedB. cruel and talkativeC. confused and quick-mindedD. considerate and sensitive62. By saying “She may think I am out of line”, the author meant the woman might say _______.A. “You’re not standing in the queue.”B. “You can watch and comfort my kid.”C. “Walk away. It’s none of your business.”D. “You are walking in the wrong direction.”63. The wrong choices the author mentions in Paragraph 5 include _______.a. We sisters refuse to marry youngb. We aren’t satisfied with ourselvesc. We have our boundaries damagedd. We decline others’ requests for helpA. a, bB. c, dC. a, dD. b, c64. According to the author, when we find a person irritating, we should ________.A. return to gentleness and toleranceB. reflect on our behavior that needs correctingC. avoid the hard words and sharp tonesD. examine if anything is wrong with himDThe United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place next week in Poland. About 20, 000 people from 190 countries are expected to take part in the conference. There, world leaders will debate how to limit climate change—the weather events linked to slowly rising temperatures on Earth. They will discuss ways to reduce carbon emissions(排放物)and other pollution which, scientists say, can give rise to long-term changes to our planet.For environmentalists, one area of concern is South America’s Amazon rainforest. Brazil holds about 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest. It is also the most biodiverse country on Earth, with more than 56, 000 species of plants, 1, 700 species of birds, 695 amphibians, 578 mammals, and 651 reptiles. Studies have shown that the Amazon takes in as much as 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year and releases about 20 per cent of Earth’s oxygen.Scientists wonder whether the rainforest will be protected under Brazil’s next president, Jair Bolsonaro, who will take office on January 1, 2019. Bolsonaro has said that his country should withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement. Under the agreement, most nations promised to reduce carbon emissions by 37 percent over 2005 levels by the year 2030. The president-elect claims a mandate(授权)from voters to develop land for agriculture and otherpurposes. He said that Brazil’s rainforest pr otection is standing in the way of economic success.Scientists say deforestation is a major reason for climate change. Studies have linked rising temperatures to the destruction of forests. Scientists worry about the future of the Amazon. New Brazilian government records show the speed of deforestation has increased over the past year.Carlos Nobre, a climate scientist at the University of São Paulo, told the Associated Press that it is almost impossible to say just how important the rainforest is to the p lanet’s living systems. Some scientists call the Amazon “the lungs of the planet”. They liken it to human lungs. Each tree takes in and stores carbon dioxide from the air around it. The trees also release the oxygen we need to live.The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, also creates weather. Billions of trees pull up water through their roots. Then the trees release water vapor into the air. The vapor forms a thick mist, made up of tiny drops of water. These water particles move up into the clouds and later return to earth as rain. Scientists estimate that the Amazon creates 30 to 50 percent of its own rainfall.During the election campaign, Bolsonaro promised to ease protection for areas of the Brazilian Amazon set aside for native peoples and wildlife. He said the indigenous lands and nature reserves restrict economic growth. “All these reserves cause problems for development,” he said. The president-elect also talked about taking away the power of Brazil’s environmental ministry to enforce laws for p rotecting the environment.Paulo Artaxo is a professor of environmental physics at the University of São Paulo. He said that if Bolsonaro keeps his campaign promises, then “deforestation of the Amazon will probably increase quickly—and the effects will be felt everywhere on the planet”．However, senator-elect Luiz Carlos Heinze, noted that farmers are not invaders(侵略者), but producers. He blamed the past administrations for supporting native rights at the expense of farmers. “Brazil,” he said, “will be the b iggest farming nation on Earth during Bolsonaro’s years.”Scientists warn that if the Amazon and other rainforests lose too many trees, this could affect rainfall and global climate. Nobre and others estimate that the “tipping” point(引爆点)for the Amazon system is 20 to 25 percent deforestation. Without enough trees to support the rainfall, the longer and bigger dry season could turn more than half of the rainforest into a tropical grassland.65. What does the author say about the Amazon rainforest?A. It is home to more than 56,000 species of plants.B. It makes up about 60% of Brazil’s rainforests.C. It creates 30 to 50 percent of the world’s rainfall.。

三模前阅读理解专题练18题组一AItem 1You thought your curved TV was cool? The LG SignatureOLED TV R is a 65-inch 4K TV that is, unlike your lameand rigid screen, rollable, and can retract(收回)into its basewhen you’re not enjoying it. While you can control it usingeither Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, the TV R alsosupports Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit.Item 2Gaming laptops aren’t new, but they usually lack powercompared to their beefier desktop counterparts. Nvidia’slatest announcement changes that, and brings thedesktop-class power found in its RTX line of graphics cardsto laptops. More than 40 laptop models will turn up by theend of the month with RTX graphics cards inside, which canproduce more realistic graphics and boost performance forthe most gamers.Item 3If sleeping is harder than it should be, the Dreem band mightbe able to help you figure out what you’re doing wrong. TheDreem band is a fabric-covered headband that wraps aroundyour head and uses a combination of sensors like the ones inyour Apple Watch to detect various biometrics like yourheart rate and respiration activity. It also uses boneconduction to communicate audio cues to you privately.Item 4Samsung’s shown off its Micro LED technology in the past,using it to build The Wall, a 146-inch TV. The company’snow showing off a smaller Micro LED TV. Using Samsung’sMicro LED panels, you can create a variety of display sizessupporting different aspect ratios, going from an ultra-wide21:9 screen to a perfectly square 1:1 display without losingimage quality.56.If one likes doing things by himself, which of the items suits him best?A. Item 1.B. Item 2.C. Item 3.D. Item 4.57.Which of the following technologies appeared for the first time in the show?A. The TV R User’s controlling the TV by Google AssistantB. Nvidia’s laptops’ solving the problem of powerC. The Dreem band’s detect your heart rateD. Samsung’s Micro LED technology making a 146-inch TV possibleBReasons Every Teen Should Go To Summer Camp◆1 Improve Interpersonal Skills & Form Close FriendshipsIn a world where anyone can look up a fact and where machines are replacing even complex workplace tasks, employers need employees who can interact effectively with other people. This is one of the most important skills teens learn at camp. In the non-competitive camp culture, teens build up their “emotional intelligence”(EQ), their face-to-face communication and relationship skills.◆2 Experience Character Development and Develop Life SkillsTeens develop other important life skills at camp, including independence, responsibility, and decision-making. Teens grow considerably in environment away from their parents where they are forced to live on their own and find their own resources.◆3 Meet Positive Role ModelsWalk into any well-run summer camp and you’ll be surrounded by wholesome, outdoorsy young people. Camp offers teens the opportunity to be among young adults who are positive role models and to form close relationships with them. Most camp counselors are hard-working college students who want to serve others. Aren’tthey just the kind of young adults you want your teen to become?◆4 Discover Their Best SelfCamp experiences offer teens the chance to step back from the tiring task of academic and competitive sports and instead think about what’s important to them. Many campers become less self-absorbed after spending a few weeks at camp, learning to train their focus on others. They discover new hobbies and avenues to pursue in education and their future careers.58.What can teens acquire in the camp to meet their future career?A. Computer competence.B. Communication skills.C. Adventurous spirit.D. Academic quality.59.Which of the following best describes camp counselors?A. Committed.B. Ambitious.C. Humorous.D. Demanding.60.What change can camp experiences bring to many campers?A. Preferring non-competitive culture.B. Becoming positive role models.C. Focusing more on academics competition.D. Finding more suitable future career choices.CFor as long as there have been gifts, we naturally make choices based on the recipient(接受者). But what if we have been wrong all along and that we could turn things around, which not only made gift buying easier, but the recipient happier?In 2015, psychologists Lauren Human and Lara Aknin conducted an online survey, which suggested that when people buy gifts, they prefer to choose something based on the recipient’s personality and tastes. Most people also said that they preferred receiving gifts bought with them in mind: gifts for them.But Human and Aknin wondered if this approach to giving failed to take advantage of the way we connect as people. So they sent 78 volunteers into a shopping centre before Mother’s Day. Half were told to buy a card that “reveals(揭示)your knowledge of the recipient” while the others set out to buy a card that “reveals your true self”. After the purchase, the givers who had thought partly of themselves reported feeling emotionally closer to their mothers.To find out how that approach goes down with recipients, the psychologists did another test, asking more than 100 students to choose a song on iTunes to give to a friend, partner or family member. Each half of the group received the same instructions as the card buyers. Results revealed that recipients of songs that revealed something of the givers felt closer to them than those who received gifts bought only with them in mind.Human and Aknin suggest it might apply to all gifts. “If buildin g stronger social connections is the underlying(潜在的)goal” of a gift and surely it should be—then we “may well be advised to offer moreself-reflective gifts”. In short, for a present to be meaningful, you need to give away a bit of yourself, even if there is a risk that the gift might not so closely suit the recipient’s practical needs or tastes as one acquired purely with that in mind.Moreover, giving something of oneself can be a safer act, the psychologists added. Because it reduces the risk of revealing poor knowledge of a recipient by attempting to buy something that fits their character—and failing.But a note of caution here: what the research does not examine is the potential risk in repeated, unsympathetic giver-centered giving, which, according to Human and Aknin “could signal self-obsession” —and nobody wants to reveal that about themselves.61.From the Mother’s Day card test, we can conclude that _______.A. gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the giverB. most people choose gifts with the recipient in mindC. most people choose gifts based on their personal tastesD. gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the recipient62.What do the underlined words “them, them” refer to in order of appearance?A. The recipients; the giversB. The givers; the recipientsC. The givers; the giversD. The recipients; the recipients63.What does the author think is the significance of gift giving?A. Making the giver’s life happier.B. Showing one’s knowledge of the recipient.C. Establishing and strengthening social connections.D. Meeting the recipient’s practical needs.64.Which of the following is Human and Aknin’s advice on gift giving?A. Choose gifts that reflect more of yourself.B. Just focus on your own tastes when choosing gifts.C. Buy something that fits the recipient’s character most.D. Be careful not to signal your true personality.DShelly hugged her husband. “Be careful, Billy.”“Come on, Shell!” Bill rolled his eyes. “You worry too much, Honey. Me and the boys will be OK. It’s just a three—day trip. We’ll catch enough halibut to be able to fix up the baby’s room the way you want it.” ‘“Billy, I love you and worry every time you go to sea, especially in winter.”“Shell, I promise I’ll be careful. I may be the youngest captain in this port, but I’m the most careful. I learned at the helm of Daddy’s boat, which I was practically raised on.”They hugged again. Bill planted a tender kiss on her cheek, rested his open palm on her slightly swollen stomach, “Besides, I need to be here. Little Billy will need his daddy.” Shelly slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s Billy Jean and you know it.”Bill laughed, “Not on my watch, Girl. I gave you a boy to take over as captain.”Their laughter broke the tension. “I have to go, Shell. See you in a few days?” He turned to leave and then turned back, reached into the pocket of his heavy coat and pulled out an envelope.” I almost forgot. Here’s my letter?”Shelly took the crisp envelope and slipped into the pocket of her dress. “Thanks,Bill y.” It had been their custom since they started dating. Billy gave her a note before he went to sea. She wasn’t allowed to open it until the next day. He usually wrote of love or sometimes something silly - both made her smile. She wrote a reply and left it on the kitchen table for him. Reading her reply was the first thing he did when he came home.She watched as her husband walked the length of the pier to where the forty-five foot “Shelly Girl” and his crew waited. He gave a final wave and climbed aboard.Shelly stood by their pickup truck and watched until the boat rounded the point and disappeared from view. “I love you, Billy.” she whispered. “Be safe.”①That evening, five hundred miles to the south, a small winter depression moved north along the Atlantic coast of the USA. Experts found an unexpected change in the jet stream, which would make the small depression become a raging winter storm.②Shelly woke in the morning and listened to the weather report on the battered radio sitting on kitchen table. The phone rang. “Hello.”“Shelly?”“Hi, Gail!” She recognized the voice of her friend, who was the wife of one of Billy’s crew. “Have you heard the weather?”“Hang on a second. I just turned the radio on.” Shelly’s face paled as she heard the weather perso n say a major winter depression had moved into the area. “Oh crap!”“That’s what [ said too.”“They’ll be OK, Gail. They’re experienced fishermen.” Shelly said to Gail It was a attempt to convince herself that her man would be safe. ③Off the south shore of Nova Scotia, Bill struggled to control the Shelly Girl in the growing waves. Wind and water attacked Bill and his crew from all directions. The forty-and fifty-foot walls of water were too much of a challenge for the young captain.The force of the water flipped the boat over, tore the wheelhouse off and tossed Bill and his crew into the icy Atlantic.The water, only a few degrees above the freezing point, soon overcame Bill’s will to live. “Shelly!He took a last painful breath of salt water and slipped below the surface.④The crisp envelope bent beneath her fingers as she laid it on her lap and read. “Shelly, you are my life,, my love and soon-to-be mother of our son-girl if that is what you really want. I’ll always come home.”Shelly reached for the pen in her dress pocket. Tears dripped from her face and stained the paper she wrote on, “________.”Her note sits on their kitchen table still—never read.65.Why was Shelly worried too much when Billy go to sea this time?A. Because she and their baby Billy Jean needed Billy’s protection and care.B. Because she knew from the radio that a major winter depression would come.C. Because she had a feeling that Billy would never return home.D. Because she cared about Billy’s safety in the sea, especially in wint er.66.What can we learn from the passage?A. Billy could read Shelly’s reply letter only when he returned home from the sea.B. Billy and Shelly wrote letters to each other since they got married.C. Shelly read Billy’s letter eagerly each time she got hi s letter.D. They exchanged their letters with each other every time Billy went out.67.Which word can be filled in the blank in the passage?A. weakB. strongC. hardD. desperate68.Where can the sentences “Shell sat in her favorite spot on the porch of their weathered beach house, the salty air sticking to her heavy winter clothes. The oncoming storm blew sand across her winter boots.,” be put in?A. ①B. ②C. ③D. ④69.Which of the following may be Shelly’s reply to Billy’s letter?A. Billy, you were so brave, I always knew.B. Billy, I always knew the ocean was your home.C. Billy, I always knew, you would come back.D. Billy, I love you, I would always wait for you.70.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?A. An unlucky BillyB. A storm in lifeC. A broken ShellyD. Never read题组二ABuilding a company website is one of the most important parts of creating a successful business. But designing a website can be time consuming and expensive. Web designers are difficult to work with, and even though you’re paying them. There are cheaper ways to establish your company online, and Wix. com stands out among them.Wix. com offers free HTML5 and Flash website design that you can do on your own, without having to pay for a pricey web designer. With unlimited space for as many pages as you want, customized looks, photo galleries, and blog platform capabilities, social networking buttons, Wix has everything a business of any size needs to make an impact online. You get f ull control over what information fills in the blanks, and you don’t have to know a thing about HTML to make this work. The way your website looks says a lot about your company. Wix does that, and it does it for free. Another thing that makes Wix the most affordable option in creating a website is that you don’t have to pay for a separate web host—every page created on Wix is hosted on Wix, free of charge.The Internet is the marketplace of ideas: your company needs to share what you think. If you think just because you don’t sell a product online you don’t need a website, you’re dead wrong. No matter what kind of business you have, if you want to reach an audience, you want to have a website that speaks to people. Wix lets you do that as quickly and easily as possible for free.If you have a bigger budget, Wix has more options than just the free website design. You can choose to upgrade(升级)to the ad-less version which won’t fill up your customer’s screens when they visit your site. But if the most importa nt thing to you is getting your company’s name online right now, try Wix. com today.56.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?A. Ways of finding free service.B. Advantages of Wix. com.C. Skills of creating websites.D. Tricks of running a company.57.What’s the purpose of the text?A. To teach a budget lesson.B. To make an advertisement.C. To present a website design.D. To introduce a new business.BAs New York City parents debate how to give all students fair access to good public schools, some advocates in Brooklyn want to abolish middle schools’ use of academic criteria to select students.Some supporters of the proposal for District 15 from its Diversity Plan Working Group are optimistic they will win, partly because New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has questioned the principle for accepting students by ability. Other parents are cautious, saying they want their hard-working children to have the chance to earn their way into desirable schools.District 15, which includes low-income immigrant neighborhoods such as Sunset Park and more-affluent(富裕的)areas like Park Slope, is one of the first in the city trying to change its admission system to better integrate(整合)all of its middle schools. Its Diversity Group, which includes parents and city Department of Education officials, has tried to drum up support by hosting workshops and seeking community input.Michele Greenberg, a District 15 parent, calls the proposal more fair than the current selective system, which she said discriminates against students with few resources. “Children shouldn’t be rejected because they don’t somehow fit,” she said.Department officials said they will decide on the proposal this summer. If approved, the plan would mark a huge change from today’s method. Now, students rank the schools they want to attend, and schools rank students they want to enroll, based on varying criteria such as course grades, test scores, behavior, attendance, punctuality and auditions. The department makes matches. Many parents complain this complex process brings massive anxiety.Alina Rodriguez, a special-education teacher who works and lives in District 15, feels torn. As a mother, she believes her daughter would get into a strong middle school through selective admissions. But as a teacher, she worries many of her students aren’t prepared for more severe choices. “I want them to be pushed but don’t want them to fail,” she said.Screened(筛选的)admission has led to enrollment disparities(差异)by income and race. About 70% of the district’s white students clustered at three top-performing, low-poverty middle schools last year, including M.S.51, Math & Science Exploratory School and New V oices, according to state data. At two lower-performing schools, by contrast, nearly all students were poor and Hispanic. Andrew Robertson, a District 15 parent, said the proposal would equalize the playing field. “The people so frightened by the concept are the modern-day version of people worried about civil rights,” he said.58.According to the passage, the present selective system of competitive public schools ________.A. equalizes the playing field for students rich or poorB. doubts the principle for accepting students by abilityC. abolishes middle schools’ use of academic standard sD. attaches importance to students’ school performance59.Who holds a conflicting attitude towards the proposal?A. Alina RodriguezB. Richard CarranzaC. Andrew RobertsonD. Michele Greenberg60.What is the best title of the passage?A. Students get equal access to educationB. The new proposal gains great currencyC. School entry plan draws mixed reactionD. Screened admission should be canceledCThe world we live in is becoming increasingly complex and uncertain. And with it, the conventional thinking of yesterday is no longer sufficient. Creating real breakthrough opportunities requires a fundamental change in our thinking. As Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”There’s no be tter example of this than the myth of the four-minute mile.For centuries, runners had been attempting to run a mile in under four minutes. In the 1950s, the attempt to break the barrier took on renewed importance, and a number of famous runners publicly and unsuccessfully attempted the challenge. Many of the newspapers of the day began to question whether humans would ever be able to run a sub-four-minute mile. Then, in 1954, a man named Roger Bannister did the unthinkable. He broke through the imaginary barrier, running the mile in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. It was an amazing achievement.But here’s what’s really interesting: it was only forty-six days later that another runner broke Bannister’s record. And the following year, two new runners broke the four-minute mark in the same race. Dozens followed, and as of this writing, more than 1,400 runners have accomplished the goal, including one runner who ran two miles in less than eight minutes.Did something change with respect to human body, track conditions, weather patterns, running shoes, or the human diet between the start of Bannister’s race and the few years that followed? No. So what explains the sudden and dramatic explosion of athletic achievement?The myth’s unimaginable power over runners had lif ted. What Bunnister had done was not just break the four —minute—mile barrier; he shattered(粉碎)the myth that created the barrier in the first place. This paradigm(榜样)had offered a set of actions available for runners to take. Runners were really free to run through the invented boundary.Creating breakthroughs requires shattering the myths that limit our imagination and lock us into conventional thinking. Think about your own situation. What myths are you stuck in? And what would be possible if you had the courage to challenge the myths?61.What is needed to create breakthroughs?A. Conventional thinking.B. Changes in our thinking.C. Complex situation.D. Einstein’s encouragement.62.What was the real barrier that kept runners succeeding in the four-minute mile?A. The belief that it was unachievable.B. Lack of professional training.C. The poor track conditions.D. Lack of sufficient diet.63.The example of Roger Bannister is used to .A. list a new record in the raceB. prove newspapers are wrongC. show barrier can be brokenD. call on us to learn from him64.What does the writer try to explain in Paragraph 6?A. The power of the myth.B. The achievements of Bannister.C. The importance of running freely.D. The significance of breaking barriers.65.What is the best title of the passage?A. Creating BreakthroughsB. Accepting the MythsC. Locking Your ImaginationD. Becoming the Best AthleteDA recent BBC documentary, The Town That Never Refired sought to show the effects of increasing the state pension age by putting retirees back to work.Although the documentary was fun, they need not have bothered. Away from the cameras, a great numbers of older people are staying in work. Since the start of the economy declines that began in 2008. the number of 16-to 24-year-olds in work has fallen by 597,000. Over the same period the number of workers over the age of 65 has increased by 240.000.The graying of the British workforce dates back to around 2001 since when the proportion of older people working has nearly doubled. But it has accelerated since the start of the economy declines. There are severalreasons why. Happily, people are living longer and healthier lives, which makes staying in work less discouraging than it was. Less happily, low interest rates, a disappointing stock market and the end of many defined-benefit(固定收益)pension schemes make it a financial necessity. And changing attitudes, inspired by rules against age discrimination, are making it easier than ever.Most older workers are simply hanging on at the office: 63% of workers over state pension age have been with their employer for more than ten years. Over two-thirds of them work part-time, mostly doing jobs that they once performed full-time. A big advantage is that they need not pay national insurance contributions.According to Stephen McNair, director of the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce the flexibility explains why older workers have not suffered so much in the period of economy decline Instead of cutting back on the workforce, as in previous depression, many firms have stopped taking on new workers and cut working hours. At small businesses m particular, keeping on older workers is cheaper and less risky than training replacements. Over half of workers overstate pension age work for businesses with fewer than 25 employees.Christopher Nipper, who owns David Nipper, a women’s wear manufacturer based in Derbyshire, prizes his semi-retired workers, who can be employed at short notice and do not need to work full-time to survive. Retired machinists can fill in if there is a rise in orders; former sales advisers can work as part-time consultants. As his competitors have moved production abroad, leaving the pool of trained labor behind, continuing to have older workers and their skills has become even more important.There is a tendency for the older workforce to expand• Workers over the age of 50 who are made unemployed find it harder to pick up new jobs, which could mean that more of them want to work than are able to. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, reported on July 12th that an ageing, unproductive population is the biggest long-term threat to Britain’s economic health.Data from the OECD, a think-tank, shows that employment rates among workers approaching retirement age are split in Europe, with old workers hanging on best in the north. Government credit ratings follow a similar pattern. That Britain’s ageing workforce more closely resembles Germany’s than Italy’s co uld prove the country’s being saved from harm.66.Which of the following can be inferred from the BBC documentary The Town That Never Retired?A. It has received good comments from audience.B. What it intends to reveal is contrary to the reality.C. It aims to criticize the poor pension system in the UK.D. It reflects the current phenomenon of retirees coming back to work.67.According to the passage, the underlined word “it” in Para.3 refers to _______.A. a financial necessityB. staying in work after retiringC. age discriminationD. the changing attitude68.According to Christopher Nieper, why are semi-retired workers favored in hiring?A. Because the pool of labor in the UK is emptied.B. Because they can fill in the job vacancy in a brief time.C. Because their working hours can be as flexible as they want.D. Because they work harder than the young because of economic pressure.69.The report from the Office for Budget Responsibility shows the older workforce will play a _______ role in thecountry’s economic healthA. steadyB. positiveC. negativeD. fundamental70.It can be concluded from the last paragraph that _______.A. Britain’s credit ratings are higher than Italy’sB. Britain’s ageing workforce is similar to Italy’sC. Brita in’s rescue measure is better than Germany’sD. Britain’s employment rates of ageing workforce are higher than Germany’s题组三AWhy YOUR keyless car could be gone in 23 seconds: It’s a crime wave reaching high proportions and the gadgets(小装置)used to hack into your car and steal it are being sold to thieves by High Street locksmiths.Car thieves are using high-tech gadgets to break into and steal cars in seconds. One thief stands by a house to pick up a signal from a car key using a relay. The relay broadcasts the signal to the car, where a second thief opens the door. The scheme, which does not involve breaking windows, steals cars in seconds.Thousands of cars across Britain are at risk of a new form of high-tech theft which allows thieves to fool bypass the security systems in keyless cars using a relay system to boost the signal. So-called ‘relay’ theft occurs when two thieves work together to break into keyless cars. They use equipment to capture electro-magnetic signals emitted by key fobs. Any vehicle with keyless entry could be easily stolen. These include cars from BMW, Ford, Audi, Land Rover, Volkswagen and Mercedes.56.Why does the crime wave reach high proportions?A. The security system in cars couldn’t let off electro-magnetic signals.B. With high-tech gadgets, car thieves could easily steal keyless cars.C. High Street locksmiths invented new-style devices against theft.D. Drivers tended to leave their cars naturally without locking doors.57.What’s the procedure of the car thieves’ stealing cars?a. The relay sends a signal to the car.b. The car is cheated and unlocks the door.c. Relay box boosts car key signal.d. A second thief starts the car and drives it off.A. c, a, b, dB. a, c, b, dC. b, d, c, aD. d, b, c, aBCamp Odayin provides fun, safe and supportive camp experiences and community building opportunities for young people and their families this year.。

2020年全国高考英语模拟试卷三及答案选择题（共80分）第一部分：英语知识运用第一节：单项填空（共20小题；每小题0.5分，满分10分）从题目所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

1. — What do you want to do next? We have half an hour until the basketball game.— ______. Whatever you want to do is fine with me.A.It just dependsB. It’s up to youC. All rightD. Glad to hear that.2. Scientists say it may be five or six years _____ it is possible to test this medicine onhuman patients.A. sinceB. afterC. beforeD. when3. The best method to ______ this goal is to unite as many people as possible.A. undertakeB.conductC. performD. accomplish4. Why! I have nothing to confess. ______ you want me to say?A.What is it thatB.What it is thatC. How is it thatD.How it is that5. You may______remember some idioms in the texts but you couldn’t ______ remember all the words in them.A.probably; possiblyB. possibly; likelyC.probably; likelyD. likely; possibly6. We agreed to accepted ______ they thought was the best tourist guide.A. whateverB. anyoneC. whicheverD. whoever7. If you live in the country or have ever visited there, ______ are that you have heard birds singing to welcome the new day.A. situationsB. factsC. possibilitiesD. chances8. — Why was our foreign teacher unhappy yesterday?— News about the tsunami striking her country ______ an attack of homesickness.A. set forB. set outC. set aboutD. set off 9. —You didn’t invite Mary to the ball?—___ her, too?A. Must I inviteB. Would I have invitedC. Must I have invitedD. Should I have invited10. The factory produced many famous cars, none of ____ shipped to foreign countries.A. thatB. whatC. whichD. them11. By the time I saw the angry expression on his face, I ______ exactly what I was having to face. But not for a moment ______ I should quit.A. had known; I thoughtB. have known; had I thoughtC. would know; I would thinkD. knew; did I think12. Julie is one of those women who always _____ the latest fashion.A. put up withB. keep up withC. come up withD. get on with13. The pollution is getting worse and worse; we must stop pollution ______ a better life.A. to liveB. from livingC. livingD. live14. Some kinds of animals can ______ the color of their surroundings.A. take onB. dress upC. put onD. get into15. I wonder what it feels like to be one of ______ really rich. The Browns already haveRolls Royce and now they are buying ______ third.A. the; theB. /; aC. the; aD. /; the16. ----Shall we go and help them with their work?----We’d better not. They said we’d just be ______ if we tried to help.A. in a wayB. by the wayC. on the wayD. in the way17. ---What do you think made her mother so angry?---______ the exam.A. Because she didn’t passB. Her not passingC. She didn’t passD. Because of her not passing18. Had they known what was coming next, they _____ second thoughts.A. may haveB. must have hadC. could haveD. might have had19. She lost her temper, ______ I decided to go back home.A. in this caseB. in which occasionC. at which pointD. in the event20. Korean culture is really popular right now. The Korean Wave is ______ Asian countriesincluding China.A. sweepingB. strikingC. appplyingD. experiencing第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21～40各题所给的四个选项（A.B.C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。

三模前任务型阅读专题练03题组一Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you. Sometimes it’s just enough to know they’re standing by. Friendship doubles your joy and divides your sorrow.A friendship is priceless and should be developed.◆Remembering the golden ruleWithout a doubt, the greatest human relations principle is to treat other people like you want to be treated. When you show respect for your friends and gratitude for their friendship, you’ll be blessed in untold ways.Whatever the cause of others’ rudeness, you don’t have to accentuate(突出)the problem. A kind word or a gentle, understanding smile may help the person more than returned rudeness would.◆Considering enemies as friendsA friend looks after your own good. On the other hand, a foe(敌人)is someone who isn’t interested in your well-being.Yet some students view their teachers as enemies. However, a student’s success in school partly depends on the teacher’s effectiveness in the classroo m. Instead of being an enemy, a teacher who corrects you and helps you to achieve can be the best friend you ever had.So change this kind of thinking and adjust yourself a little, both of you are better off.◆Making friends by being an optimistDo you enjoy being around a pessimist, someone who is generally described as being able to brighten up a room just by leaving it? The answer is obvious. Most people have a preference for being around people who believe that tomorrow is going to be better than today, rather than people who believe that today is even worse than yesterday.◆Capturing the pleasing personalityHow do you develop a pleasing personality? Here are some steps you can take:Smile when you see someone. You don’t have to give a wide grin—just a pleasant, friendly smile.Speak in a pleasant, upbeat tone of voice. Talk to people as if they are good friends, even if they don’t really fall into that category yet.Take a course in public speaking. The ability to express yourself attracts favorable attention from many sources.Develop a sense of humor. Pick up a couple of joke books. This makes you a little more outgoing and friendly.◆Don’t criticize unjustlyInstead of criticizing others all the time, take the humane(人道的) and sensible approach. Look for the good in others. Encourage them. Build them up.To conclude, most people seldom think through each situation completely and consider the other person’s point of view. If you take the time and effort to do this, you’ll end up befriending more peopl e.Passage outline Supporting detailsIntroduction to friendship Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch. Sometimes friends share each other’s (72) ▲ and sorrow.(71) ▲ of developing friendship ◆Remembering the gold ruleTreat other s like you want to be treated. Don’t have to accentuate the problem even though they are (73) ▲ to you, because sometimes a gentle understanding (74) ▲ is better than returned rudeness.◆Considering enemies as friends(75) ▲ of enemies as friends can make both of you better off.◆ Making friends by being an optimistMost people (76) ▲ to be around the ones who are optimistic.◆Capturing the pleasing personality●Give a (77) ▲ and friendly smile.●Speak in a pleasant, upbeat tone of voice.●Take a course about speaking (78) ▲ .●Develop a sense of humor.◆Don’t criticize unjustly●(79) ▲ criticizing others.●Look for the good in others.题组二There are times when you want to know how to make friends. Maybe you are ju st not confident because you’re afraid that people may not react the way you want them to. But it is not very hard to make friends; it is just what you think it is that makes you not willing to do it. Continue reading to find out how!Don’t be mean or rude; you do not want to lose any potential friends. Be nice and friendly. If you want to make friends, you first need to put yourself out there somehow in order to meet people. If you just sit alone, friends might come to you, but the odds are much smaller. I f you’re still in school, sit somewhere with other people. It doesn’t have to be the ‘‘popular’’ or ‘‘cool’’ table, or a crowded one, but one with at least two other people. Hang out with many others. The popular kids won’t matter when you’re older, but a true friend will be there for you forever.There is no necessary need to have a lot of common interests with people in order to make friends with them. But if you like a specific topic, try searching for just an organization or a club where you can find people who are also interested in it and become a member of it. It’s a great way to meet new local people.V olunteering is also a great way for people of all ages to meet others. By working together you build bonds with people, and you might meet others who have a passion for changing things the way you do, that is, a common cause.There are many ways to start a conversation-a comment about your immediate environment(The weather is a classic: ‘‘At least it’s not raining like last week!’’), a request for help (‘‘Can you help me carry a few boxes, if you have a minute?’’or ‘‘Can you help me decide which one of these is a better gift for my mum?’’) or a compliment (‘‘I love your shoes.’’). Follow up immediately with a related question: Do you like this warm weat her? What kinds of gifts do you normally buy for your mums? Where did you get shoes like that? Also, make a small talk. Remember the 30% talking and 70% listening ratio during small talk.You’ve probably heard of fair-weather friends. They’re the ones who are happy to be around you when things are going well, but are nowhere to be found when you really need them. Part of being a friend is being prepared to make sacrifices of your time and energy in order to help your friends out. If a friend needs help with an unpleasant chore, or if he or she just needs a shoulder to cry on, be there. If your friend tells a joke, laugh with him or her. Never complain about a friend. If you and your friend agree to meet somewhere, don’t be late, and do not stand him or her u p. If you’re not going to make it on time or make it at all, call him or her as soon as you realize it. Apologize and ask to reschedule. Be someone who people know that they can count on.In a word, when you get along with people around you, it’s important for you to actively approach others, start a small conversation freely and then develop a close relationship with others.题组三For decades, sociologists have been trying to understand why certain people rise to the top of their fields. A number of theories have emerged, so if you’re struggling on the path of success, perhaps these will give you some new clues.IQ is OverratedA high IQ is necessary, but it is not adequate to predict executive competence and corporate success. While people with high test scores do have more opportunities, that doesn’t mean that smart people are more successful. In fact, in many fields the link between success and intelligence is often weak or non-existent. Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don’t, even if the likeable person is offering a lower quality product or service at a higher price.The 10,000 Hours TheoryA Professor at the University of Colorado named Anders Ericsson decided to look at the differences betweenamateurs and professionals. In 1993, he released a paper that found on average amateurs only got about 4000 hours of practice, but professionals had practiced for at least 10,000 hours. While there’s some debate over whether 10,000 hours is a rule or just a theory, many experts agree that a significant number of people who are considered "great" have, on average, 10,000 hours of experience.Deliberate PracticeIf no one is born talented and you need 10,000 hours of practice, what’s the most effective way of using those hours? One theory is something sociologists call "deliberate practice." Essentially, there are six elements. The practice needs to be meant to specifically improve performance, and is even more effective if there’s coaching. It needs to be repeatable, and feedback regularly is crucial. It also has to be demanding, either physically or mentally. If you’re doing all of this correctly, it shouldn’t be a fun experience. An example would be a basketball player who isn’t very good at free throws spending hours and hours just doing free throws while being coached. Not a great time no matter how big of a basketball fan you are.No One Succeeds on Their OwnWhile it would be nice to succeed simply because we work hard, life doesn’t work that way. We need help and support from friends, family and teachers, and then we need chances from employers and other key figures in the fields we choose to pursue. In order to succeed, the gifts and interests of a person need to be encouraged, especially at a young age. Then as they grow up, people need to be given opportunities, breaks and second chances. Without help from other people, it makes it impossible to succeed because as Gladwell points out, “… no one—not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses—ever makes it alone.”You Have Amazing PotentialOn average, the human mind can remember a sequence of seven to nine numbers. After that it becomes incredibly hard to remember all the numbers in the right order. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University wanted to know if someone of average intelligence could break that barrier with practice. Through a lot of tests, researchers discovered what they called “the remarkable potential of ‘ordinary’ adults and their amazing capacity for change with practice.” Their research showed that even “ordinary” people have the potential to be great by challenging themselves. If you work hard, your goals can be more attainable than you thought.。

三模前阅读理解专题练15题组一AEvery week there are amazing things to do in Los Angeles with kids! We’ve collected a list of what we think are the most fun, most interesting family events in LA at the beginning of 2020—and hopefully will result in LA parents and kids having the best time together as a family!Kids Were ActivitiesVroman’s Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101Vroman’s Bookstore is hosting special Kids Week Activities all week long from Monday, Jan. 6th through Friday, Jan. 10th. Different activities are planned each day including an Art Extravaganza(on Tuesday)and Superhero Day(on Wednesday). All activities are free, but reserve in advance to make sure there are enough supplies and materials available for everyone. Check the website for a schedule of events.Into the WoodsHollywood Bowl 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90068Enjoy a performance of Into the Woods happening at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, Jan. 10th(8:00 pm), Saturday, Jan. 11th(8:00 pm), and Sunday, Jan. 12th(7:30 pm). Be a part of “an enchanted world of magic beans, towering giants, and handsome princes.” Tickets are available online.Family Sandcastle Building DayCabrillo Marine Aquarium 3720 Stephen M. White Dr., San Pedro, CA 90731Head to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on Saturday, Jan.11th 10:00 am to 3:00 pm for Family Sandcastle Building Day. Bring your favorite sandcastle building tools and your creativity to this free event.(The sand on the beach will already be thoroughly wet down and ready for creative builders!)Outdoor Art Moves, Winter 2020 & 826LA@Hammer: Who’s Got the Art? Hammer Museum 10899 Wilshire BIvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024The Hammer Museum is hosting two different special events on Sunday, Jan.12th. At both 11:00 am & 1:00 pm, children aged 5 and above can participate in Outdoor Art Moves, Winter 2020 led by movement director Zoe Rappa-port. Families will “discover relationships between nature, art, and the creative process” during these special movement activities. Free popsicles will be available after the program.Also happening at 11:00 am is 826LA@Hammer: Who’s Got the Art? Children aged 8-14 will help “inspect the galleries, correct clues, and crack the case of a legendary mystery theft." This workshop is designed for up to 20 students, so reservations are encouraged.56. Which activity needs to be booked in advance?A. Kids Week Activities.B. The performance Into the Woods.C. Family Sandcastle Building Day.D. Outdoor Art Moves, Winter 2020.57. For kids enjoying playing detectives, they can go _______.A. 695 E. Colorado Blvd., PasadenaB. 2301 N. Highland Ave, Los AngelesC. 3720 Stephen M. White Dr. San PedroD. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angles58. The passage is mainly intended for _______.A. parents and kidsB. artists and directorsC. guides and touristsD. builders and architectsBThe other day I was shopping at the local Chinese grocery store. There was a line at the fish counter, but only one staff person was there to take care of the customers. Some customers ordered quite an amount of fish for that staff person to work on. At last I was the second in line. All I wanted was a couple of crabs and should get out of there in no time.Noticing it was very busy at the fish counter, another staff person came over to help. I was ready to be served, but the staff person went to the end of the line and began to help a couple of ladies with snail(蜗牛). The customers in front of me, being served, turned around and looked at me sympathetically and the customer behind me called to the staff person, “You should start here,” pointing at me. He was, well, ignored.If someone asked me, “What is the most important rule to follow in America?” I would reply without hesitation. “Wait your turn at all times.” Wherever you go here in this country, you will find people waiting in a line quietly to get anything: whether in the supermarkets, department stores, bus stops, or gas stations, it’s just a matter of waiting your turn. In a larger sense, “wait your turn” is more than just a guid eline — it is a very basic rule that reflects the fundamental value of the western cultures. But in some situations your turn does not always come based on when you get there and how long you have waited in line, just like my case at the store. Even though this did not often happen, it did make me feel upset.59. What happened to the author at the store?A. He was ill-treated by a customer.B. He wasn’t served upon his order.C. He was asked to be served later.D. He was asked to do others a favor.60. What does the underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refer to?A. His belief.B. His culture.C. His experience.D. His rule.61. Why did the author write the text?A. To emphasize his kindness to others.B. To introduce some western cultures to us.C. To express his belief and his feeling.D. To show his disbelief in Queuing Rule.CSurrounded by the sea off the coast in Mid-Norway, lies an island called Myken. This small island has about ten permanent residents, and for more than 50 years has been supplied with electricity via a 32-kilometer undersea cable(电缆). A break that appeared in the cable last autumn resulted in two months without power, so the islandcommunity started looking into a better way of sourcing their electricity.“Myken is far out at sea, so as far as possible it should be taking care of things itself,” says Kyrre Sundseth, who is a hydrogen(氢)researcher in Norway and also the project manager for Myken’s energy project. “This is why we want Myken to become entirely self-sufficient in energy. It is also important to take the environment into consideration,” he says.Much points to the idea that the solution may lie in a Hydrogen plant, specifically tailored for small islands. The “raw materials” for hydrogen production come from nature itself in the form of the sun and wind. Researchers have calculated that energy costs will be lower by using hydrogen production than the undersea cable option. And it is possible to store energy in the form of hydrogen for longer periods. This means that supplies will not have to rely on a lot of expensive batteries or external energy sources, even during periods when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing.The Myken project has attracted several technology companies. They are currently working on a pilot project. The pilot involves experiments on the feasibility(可行性)of the hydrogen system in which electricity is generated from solar and wind sources. The electricity can be used immediately, but during periods when all the energy generated is not required, the spare energy can be used to split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can be stored in a tank, and used later to generate electricity. The pilot will help researchers know more about how effectively the system will work in the hydrogen plant. Since the island has a distillery(酿酒厂), where the distillation(蒸馏)process relies on energy, a hydrogen plant on Myken offers an even greater environmental benefit. Spare heat from the hydrogen system can also be used for the heating part in the distillation process.“In Norway alone there are about 300 island inhabited all year round by small populations,” says Kyrre Sundseth. “All of these islands may be candidates for using this technology. In global terms we’re talking about 10,000 similar islands.”62. Why is a hydrogen plant suitable for Myken?A. It is perfect in size for small islands.B. It can send electricity to faraway places.C. It will restore local natural environment.D. It provides green and sustainable energy.63. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?A. The study on the energy storage.B. The test on the hydrogen system.C. The experiment on the raw materials.D. The research on the innovation of the pilot.64. According to the passage, a hydrogen plant will _______.A. produce purified seawaterB. prove more technically reliableC. contribute in more than one wayD. benefit from the distillation process65. What does Kyrre Sundseth think of the project?A. Promising.B. Systematic.C. Irreplaceable.D. Time saving.DWith the possible exception of equal rights, perhaps the most controversial issue across the United States today is the death penalty. Many argue that it is an effective deterrent(威慑)to murder, while others maintain there is no convincing evidence that the death penalty reduces the number of murders.The principal argument advanced by those opposed to the death penalty, basically, is that it is cruel and inhuman punishment, which is the mark of a brutal society, and finally that it is of questionable effectiveness as a deterrent to crime anyway.In our opinion, the death penalty is a necessary evil. Throughout recorded history there have always been those extreme individuals in every society who were capable of terribly violent crimes such as murder. But some are more extreme than others.For example, it is one thing to take the life of another in a fit of blind rage, but quite another to coldly plot and carry out the murder of one or more people in the style of a butcher. Thus, murder, like all other crimes, is a matter of relative degree. While it could be argued with some conviction that the criminal in the first instance should be merely separated from society, such should not be the fate of the latter type murderer.The value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime may be open to debate. But the overwhelming majority of citizens believe that the death penalty protects them. Their belief is strengthened by evidence which shows that the death penalty deters murder. For example, from 1954 to 1963, when the death penalty was consistently imposed in California, the murder rate remained between three and four murders for each 100,000 population. Since 1964 the death penalty has been carried out only once, and the murder rate has risen to 10.4 murders for each 100,000 population. The sharp climb in the state’s murder rate, which began when executions stopped, is no coincidence. It is convincing evidence that the death penalty does deter many murderers. If the bill reestablishing the death penalty is banned, innocent people will be murdered—some whose lives may have been saved if the death penalty were in effect. This is literally a life or death matter. The lives of thousands of innocent people must be protected.66. The principal purpose of this passage is to _______.A. speak for the majorityB. initiate a banC. criticize the governmentD. argue for the value of the death penalty67. The author’s response to those who urge the death penalty for all is likely to be _______.A. negativeB. friendlyC. supportiveD. neutral68. According to the Paragraph 4, it can be inferred that _______.A. the death penalty is the most controversial issue in the United States todayB. the ban of the bill reestablishing the death penalty is of little importanceC. the second type of murderers should be sentenced to deathD. the value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime is not to be debated69. The passage attempts to establish a relationship between _______.A. the effects of execution and the effects of isolationB. the murder rate and the imposition of the death penaltyC. the importance of equal rights and that of the death penaltyD. executions and murders70. The author’s attitude towards “death penalty” is _______.A. opposingB. supportingC. neutralD. not clear题组二AAuthor Talks &Lectures in the Toronto Public LibraryIce Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin ExpeditionThu Apr 27, 20191:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m.Location: City HallPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Watson on the epic hunt for the lost Franklin Expedition and the rare mix of marine science and Inuit knowledge that led to the shipwreck’s(海难的)recent discovery.No registration required.Toronto 1910: Tales of Our Past: Clergy and ConvictsTue May 02, 201912:00 p.m.—1:00 p.m.Location: Barbara FrumLearn about your city’s history and participate in reading and slide show featuring excerpts(节选)from a new historical fiction novel series.To register, please call 416-395-5440.Beneath the African Sun with Author Maria LynchWed May 03, 20197:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.Location: Bloor/GladstoneJoin us for a book talk and Q &A with Maria Lynch, the author of Beneath the African Sun. Beneath the African Sun is a migrant’s story about moving from Portuguese Ind ia to British East Africa during the early 20th century. More than a history, it is a story about family, home, social justice and what it means to truly belong somewhere.Drop in. No registration required.The Science of ShakespeareWed May 10, 20197:00 p.m. —8:00 p.m.Location: BeachesWilliam Shakespeare lived in the first stage of the scientific revolution. New ideas about the human body, the earth, and the universe were transforming western thought—and—yet “Shakespeare” and “science” are rarely talked about in the same breath. Dan Falk will explore Shakespeare’s interest in the scientific discoveries of his time—asking what he knew, when he knew it, and how that knowledge is reflected in his works.No registration necessary.56. Where can you hear a lecture by a Pulitzer-Prize winner?A. Beaches.B. City Hall.C. Barbara Frum.D. Bloor/Gladstone.57. For which event do you need to register?A. The Science of Shakespeare.B. Beneath the African Sun with Author Maria Lynch.C. Toronto 1910: Tales of Our Past: Clergy and Convicts.D. Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition.58. What can be inferred from the last lecture?A. Shakespeare was interested in the universe.B. Science is touched upon in Shakespeare’s works.C. The scientifi c revolution changed Shakespeare’s thought.D. Shakespeare had a deep understanding of the scientific revolution.BGiselle Burgess knew moving into a homeless shelter with her five kids would be tough for her family. For security reasons, kids can’t hang out in each other’s rooms or in the hallway, so Burgess wanted more of a community feel.As Queens community development specialist for the Girl Scouts(女童子军)of Greater New York, Burgess already knew the benefits of joining a troop. She figured out a perfect solution. So Burgess called Heidi Schmidt, director of government relations for the New York City Department of Homeless Services. Together, they formed a troop for the homeless shelter.Girl Scout troops from the other five New York boroughs(行政区)are numbered in the 1,000s, 2,000s, 3,000s, 4,000s, and 5,000s. The new troop picked 6,000 to represent the homeless girls. Other Girl Scout troops have formed in other states before, but this was the first one in New York.Just eight girls, including Burgess’ three daughters, attended the first meeting, but they quickly spread the word. Now, Troop 6000 has 25 consistent members. The girls had seen each other around in the building before, but the meetings turned them into friends.Troop members range in age f rom five years old to early teens, but the age gap doesn’t get in the way of their sisterly bond. The older members are protective of the younger, helping them with activities. Not only are they spreading love, but they’re learning responsibility.The troop is already inspiring feminist leadership in the girls. Even beyond their weekly activities learning about a theme like women’s suffrage(选举权), financial literacy, or first aid, the girls are stepping up as leaders. Every meeting, they shoulder responsibil ities such as handing out snacks, taking attendance, and cleaning up. “It builds in this level of respect because they all know they have to come around and take the role on,”says Schmidt.And that responsibility lasts beyond the Girl Scout meetings. The troop is trying to get the rest of the community involved. Burgess and Schmidt hope to encourage women to take on leadership roles with the troop and to bridge the gap between the shelter and the rest of the neighborhood. “It’s good for families to know they’re embraced and welcomed by the community. The girls can go on to do great things and not be restricted by their current situation,” says Schmidt.59. What does the underlined phrase “a perfect solution” refer to?A. Starting a Girl Scout troop in the homeless shelter.B. Calling on people to donate to help homeless girls.C. Raising homeless girls’ awareness of self-protection.D. Asking for relevant policies to protect homeless girls.60. What can we know about the girls joining Troop 6000?A. They organize activities every other week.B. They support each other and spread positivity.C. They are required to have certain leadership qualities.D. They are encouraged to realize their full potential.61. What is the most suitable title for the passage?A. Why Girl Scout troops are badly needed in NYCB. How Girl Scout troops are originated and developedC. NYC’s Girl Scout troops expand to all five boroughsD. NYC launches its first Girl Scout troop for homeless girlsCWhen Brody, a 4-year-old Connecticut boy, was asked what wish he wanted to come true, his only dream was that he could be able to play outside.Brody was born premature(早产)at 27 weeks, which caused him to overheat and burn easily. That means he can’t spend any time outside and he’l l get burn blisters(水疱)on his face even when he is driven to the hospital. Besides, there are a lot of things he can’t do. He has trouble walking and only began talking one year ago. Brody can’t eat or drink and has to wear a backpack 24/7 that contains a pump that feeds him. “I can’t even count the number of surgeries he’s had since he was born,” Brody’s mother said. “He’s spent probably half his life at the hospital.”When Make-A-Wish Connecticut, an organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, heard about Brody’s request to play outside, they immediately jumped into action. “It’s the most simple, most sweet wish, just to play outside but it seems to be the most difficult to realize.” said Debbie Artinian, the manager of Make-A-Wish Connecticut.Artinian and her team determined that a temperature-controlled tent outside Brody’s home where he could play and not be in the sun would be the best option. But they had to find a tent that could stand weather conditions like wind and snow and had the right material to block all UV rays. Luckily, Artinian found a company based in the United Kingdom that could design and make the tent. Make-A-Wish Connecticut learnt that Brody loves the beach, even though he is not able to go into water because of his backpack. So they filled the tent with water toys and a kids’ pool filled with balls to make Brody feel as much as possible like he’s out at the beach.Brody got his first look at the tent earlier this summer. “When he walked out of the door and I saw his face, it was just everything,” said Artinian. “Now when Brody says ‘Can I go out and play?’, his mom can say, “Yes.” “Brody is now enjoying spending nearly all his time "outside” in the tent.It’s hard to make life completely normal for Brody, but Artinian and her team tried to make it as normal as they could.62. What can we learn about Brody?A. He can’t be exposed to sunlight.B. He can’t stand on his feet.C. He can’t be given surgeries any more.D. He can’t communicate with others.63. Make-A-Wish Connecticut thought Brody’s dream was _______.A. inspiring and heart-warmingB. simple but incredibleC. difficult and unachievableD. challenging but worthwhile64. Why does the author mention the beach in Paragraph 4?A. To show that Brody is a boy who loves nature.B. To prove that the design company was responsible.C. To suggest that Artinian and her team were considerate.D. To emphasize that the skill in building the tent was the latest.65. What does the story mainly tell us?A. One good turn deserves another.B. A helping hand makes a difference.C. All things are difficult before they are easy.D. Tough life experience may result in success.DIn many aspects, nowadays business environment has changed greatly since the late 1980s. The end of the cold war completely altered the very nature of the world’s politics and economics. In just a few short years, globalization has started a variety of trends with profound consequences: the opening of markets, true global competition, widespread deregulation(解除政府对……的控制)of industry, and an abundance of accessible capital. we have experienced both the benefits and risks of a truly global economy, with both wall street and main street(平民百姓)feeling the pains of economic disorder half a world away.At the same time, we have fully entered the information age, starting breakthroughs in information technology, which have irreversibly altered the ability to conduct business unconstrained by the traditional limitations of time or space. Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine a world without intranets, e-mail, and portable computers. With amazing speed, the internet is profoundly changing the way we work, shop, do business, and communicate.As a consequence, we have truly entered the post-industrial economy. We are rapidly shifting from an economy based on manufacturing and commodities to one that places the greatest value on information, services, support, and distribution. That shift, in turn, attaches great importance to “knowledge workers,” a new class of wealthy, educated, and mobile people who view themselves as free agents in a seller’s market.Beyond the field of information technology, the increasing pace of technological change in virtually everyindustry has created entirely new business, wiped out others, and produced a great demand for continuous innovation(创新).New product, process, and distribution technologies provide powerful levers for creating competitive value. More companies are learning the importance of destructive technologies-----innovations that hold the potential to make a product line, or even an entire business segment, virtually outdated.Another major trend has been the consumer and business markets. There’s a growing appreciation that superficially similar groups of customers may have very different preferences in terms of what they want to buy and how they want to buy it. Now, new technology makes it easier, faster, and cheaper to identify and serve targeted micro-markets in ways that were physically impossible or prohibitively expensive in the past. Moreover, the trend feeds on itself, a business’s ability to serve sub-markets fuels customers’ appetites for more and more specialized offerings.66. According to the first paragraph, the changes in the business environment in the past decades can be due to_______.A. technological advancesB. worldwide economic disorderC. the fierce competition in industryD. the globalization of economy67. What idea does the author want to convey in the second paragraph?A. The rapid development of information technology has taken businessmen by surprise.B. The internet, intranets, e-mail, and portable computers have entered every corner of the world.C. Information technology has removed the restrictions of time and space in business transactions.D. The way we do business today has brought about startling breakthroughs in information technology.68. If a business wants to boom in the post-industrial economy, ________.A. it has to invest more capital in the training of free agents to operate in a seller’s marketB. it should try its best to satisfy the increasing demands of mobile knowledgeable peopleC. it should not overlook the importance of information, services, support, and distributionD. it has to provide each of its employees with the latest information about the changing market69. In the author’s view, destructive technologies are innovations which _______.A. demand a radical change in providing servicesB. can eliminate an entire businessC. may destroy the potential of a company to make any profitD. call for continuous improvement in ways of doing business70. With the consumer and business markets, ________.A. an increasing number of companies have broken downB. manufacturers must focus on one special product to remain competitive in the marketC. it is physically impossible and prohibitively expensive to do business in the old wayD. businesses have to meet individual customers’ specific needs in order to succeed题组三ATaking your pulse during physical activity allows you to measure how hard you are exercising. You should exercise to stay within your target heart range.Increasing your heart rate is a key part of exercise, but it is important that your heart rate is not too high or too low. If you are a beginner, you should also be able to breathe comfortably while exercising. This will ensure that you are exercising at a level that is safe and effective for your body.The chart below illustrates target heart rate ranges for exercise based on the maximal heart rate for selected ages. Here are the steps for using the chart:56. Which of the following is TRUE?A. Exercise intensity can be reflected by a person’s heart rate.B. The faster your heart rate is, the more effective the exercise is.C. Vigor ous exercise will definitely present a threat to people’s safety.D. The target exercise heart rate range for a 45-year-old is 90–149 BPM.57. A 34-year-old man is running and the number of pulses he takes for 15 seconds is 40. His fitness coach hadbetter tell him _______.A. “You are doing fine.”B. “You can run faster.”C. “You should slow down a bit.”D. “You should drink some water.”58. What is the purpose of this passage?A. To advise people to form a habit of taking their pulses while exercising.B. To inform people of the target heart rate zone for those aged 60 and under.C. To tell people the importance of maintaining moderate amount of exercise.D. To show people how to measure heart rate to keep proper exercise intensity.BIt was just b efore 8 a.m.on October 17, 2010.She’d checked the higher summits forecast posted by the Mount Washington Observatory before she left. Based on her experience, Bales knew that her hike was realistic. Besides, she had two plans and extra layers of clothing to better regulate her temperature as conditions changed.At 10:30 a.m., the weather was showing its teeth. Bales added even more layers, including a jacket to protect herself from the cold winds and heavy fog. She made her way across the snow—covered ridge toward MountWashington and began to think about calling it a day. Then she noticed something: a single set of footprints in the snow ahead of her. She’d been following faint tracks all day and hadn’t given them much thought, because so many people climbed Jewell Trail. But these, she realized, had been made by a pair of sneakers. She silently scolded the absent hiker for breaking normal safety rules and walked on.Now she felt genuinely alarmed. She was sure the hiker could not navigate(找到方向)in the low visibility and was heading straight toward the challenging trails of the Great Gulf Wilderness. Bales stood there, shocked. The temperature and clouds were in a race to find their lowest point, and darkness was mere hours away. If Bales continued to follow t he tracks. she’d add risk and time to the route she’d already adjusted to manage both. But she could not let this go.She turned to the left and called out, “Hello!” into the frozen fog.Bales wouldn’t get an answer until a week later, when the president of her rescue group received a letter in the mail.It read: “I hope this reaches the right group of rescuers. I want to remain anonymous(匿名的), but I was called John.On Sunday, October 17, I went up my favorite trail, Jewell, to end my life. Weather was to be bad. Thought no one else would be there. I was dressed to go quickly. Next thing I knew this lady was talking to me, changing my clothes, giving me food, making me warmer.59. What does the underlined sentence mean?A. The weather began to get worse.B. Nobody controlled the weather.C. Weather could never be predicted.D. Weather was generally changeable.60. Why did Bales feel really frightened?A. Because she lost her way completely.B. Because the terrible weather was on the way.C. Because she was blinded by the frozen fog.D. Because she was convinced that someone was in trouble.61. What is the purpose of John’s hiking?A. To challenge his limit.B. To go up his favorite trail.C. To donate some money to rescue group.D. To kill himself without being discovered.COn January 15, 2009, the crew of US Airways Flight 1549 experienced a never-in-a-lifetime event. Less than two minutes after takeoff, some birds found their way into the airplane’s two engines and brought them to a sudden stop. Over the next three and a half minutes, the crew managed to identify the problem, decide what to do about it, and make the most successful emergency landing in aviation(航空)history.We all experience similar moments. Running into the person you canceled a date with –while you’re on another date. Realizing you hit “reply all” on an e-mail that you’d do anything to have back. Earthquakes, medical。

三年真题研读04(任务型阅读)一、真题解析2019The Cost of ThinkingDespite their many differences, all human beings share several defining characteristics. such as large brains and the ability to walk upright on two legs.The first unique human characteristic is that humans have extraordinarily large brains compared with other animals. It seems obvious that evolution should select for larger brains. Mammals(哺乳动物)weighing sixty kilograms have an average brain size of 200 cm2. Modern man has a brain averaging 1200-1400 cm2. We are so fond of our high intelligence that we assume that when it comes to brain power, more must be better. Unfortunately, that is not the case.The fact is that a huge brain is a huge drain—consumption of energy—on the body. I’s not easy to carry around, especially when boxed inside a massive skull(倾骨). It’s even harder to provides energy. In modern man, the brain accounts for about 2-3%of total body weight but it consumes 25% of the body’s energy when the body is at rest. By comparison, the brains of apes(类人猿)require only 8%of rest-time energy. Early humans pad for their large brains in two ways. Firstly, they spent more time in search food. Secondly, their muscles grew smaller and weaker. It’s hardly an obvious conclusion that this is a good way to sur vive. A chimpanzee(黑猩猩)can’t win an argument with a modern man, but it can tear the man apart like a rag doll.Another unique human characteristic is that we walk upright. Standing up, it’s easier to find food or enemies. In addition, their arms that are unnecessary for moving around are freed for other purposes, like throwing stones or signaling. As a result, humans can perform very complex tasks with their hands.Yet walking upright has its disadvantage. The bone structure of our ancestors developed for millions of years to support a creature that walked on all fours and has a relatively small head. Adjusting to an upright position was quite a challenge, especially when the bones had to support an extra-large skull. Humankind paid for its broad vision and skillful hands backaches and painful necks.We assume that a large brain makes huge advantages. It seems obvious that these have made humankind the most powerful animal on earth. But humans enjoyed all of these advantages for a full 2 million years during which they remained weak and marginal creature. Thus humans who lived a million years ago, despite their big brains and sharp stone tools, lived in constant fear of meat-eating animals.2018How Arts Promote Our EconomyWhen most people think of the arts, they imagine the end product, the beautiful painting, a wonderful piece of music, or an award-winning performance in the theater. But arts groups bring broader value to our communities. The economic impact of the arts is often overlooked and badly judged.The arts create jobs that help develop the economy. Any given performance takes a tour bus full of artists, technical experts, managers, musicians, or writers to create an appealing piece of art. These people earn a living wage for their professional knowledge and skills.Another group of folks is needed to help market the ev ent. “If you build it they will come” is a misleading belief. Painters, digital media experts, photographers, booking agents and promoters are hired to sell tickets and promote the event. According to the Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition, arts agencies employ more than10,000 people as full-or part-time employees or independent contractors.A successful arts neighborhood creates a ripple effect(连锁反应)throughout a community. In 2005, when the Bishop Arts Theatre was donated to our town, the location was considered a poor area of town. After investing more than $1 million in reconstructing the building, we began producing a full season of theater performances, jazz concerts, and year-round arts education programs in 2008. Nearly 40 percent of jazz lovers live outside of the Dallas city limits and drive or fly in to enjoy an evening in the Bishop Arts District.No doubt the theater has contributed to the area’s development and economic growth. Today, there are galleries, studios, restaurants and newly built work spaces where neighbors share experiences, where there is renewed life and energy. In this way, arts and culture also serve as a public good.TeCo Theatrical Productions Inc. made use of Bloomberg’s investment of $35,000 to get nearly $400,000 in public and private sector support during the two-year period. Further, Dallas arts and arts-based businesses produce $298 for every dollar the city spends on arts programming and facilities. In Philadelphia, a metro area smaller than Dallas, the arts have an economic impact of almost $3 million and support 44,000 jobs, 80 percent of which actually lie outside the arts industry, including accountants, marketers, construction workers, hotel managers, printers, and other kinds of art workers.The arts are efficient economic drivers and when they are supported, the entire small-business community benefits.It is wrong to assume arts groups cannot make a profit. But in order to stay in business, arts groups must produce returns. If you are a student studying the arts, chances are you have been ill-advised to have a plan B. But those who truly understand the economic impact and can work to change the patterns can create a wide range of career possibilities.2017Population ChangeWhy is the world’s population growing? The answer is not what you might think. The reason for the explosion is not that people have been reproducing like rabbits, but that people have stopped dropping dead like flies. In 1900, people died at the average age of 30. By 2000 the average age was 65. But while increasing health was a typical feature of the 20th century, declining birth rate could be a defining one of the 21st.Statistics show that the average number of births per woman has fallen from 4.9 in the early 1960s to 2.5 nowadays. Furthermore, around 50% of the world’s population live in regions where the figure is now below the replacement level(i.e.2.1 births per woman)and almost all developed nations are experiencing sub-replacement birth rate. You might think that developing nations would make up the loss(especially since 80% of the world’s people now live in such nations), but you’d be wrong. Declining birth rate is a major problem in many developing regions too, which might cause catastrophic global shortages of work force within a few decades.A great decline in young work force is likely to occur in China, for instance. What does it imply? First, China needs to undergo rapid economic development before a population decline hits the country. Second, if other factors such as technology remain constant, economic growth and material expectations will fall well below recent standards and this could invite trouble.Russia is another country with population problems that could break its economic promise. Since 1992 thenumber of people dying has been bigger than that of those being born by a massive 50%. Indeed official figures suggest the country has shrunk by 5% since 1993 and people in Russia live a shorter life now than those in 1961.Why is this occurring? Nobody is quite sure, but poor diet an above all long-time alcoholism have much to do with it. If current trends don’t bend, Russia’s population will be about the size of Yemen’s by the year 2050.In the north of India, the population is booming due to high birth rates, but in the south, where most economic development is taking place, birth rate is falling rapidly. In a further twist, birth rate is highest in poorly educated rural areas and lowest in highly educated urban areas. In total, 25% of India’s working-age population has no education. In 2030, a sixth of the country’s potential work force could be totally uneducated.One solution is obviously to import foreign workers via immigration. As for the USA, it is almost unique among developed nations in having a population that is expected to grow by 20% from 2010-2030. Moreover, the USA has a track record of successfully accepting immigrants. As a result it’s likely to see a rise in the size of its working-age population and to witness strong economic growth over the longer term.二、考点解读2019年考情统计(表1)说明：信息查找题：在文章中查找相关细节,锁定信息来源,并用文章中的词填空；信息转换题：根据已给句子查找并定位信息后,加工分析信息并转换成另一种表达方式,达到组织信息的目的。

三模前阅读理解专题练03题组一ANew York’s best classes for after-school kids include sports classes, performing arts classes, art classes and language programs. Make sure your kids are ready for new adventures with these super-cool offerings!92nd Street Y ClassesAt this institution your musicians can learn how to play instruments. After-school classes examine different musical pieces and encourage teamwork in a group setting. At the end of the program, mini Mozarts can impress their family and friends at open-house concerts. Plus, when they’re not jamming, kids can take advantage of homework help in the Clubhouse, where they are divided up by grade level. Ages 5-15.The Cliffs at LICAfter a day of fighting academic courses at school, your favorite achievers can reach heights on arock-climbing wall. The Cliffs’ offerings allow developing bodies to build muscle strength. For example, introductory sessions teach climbers how to safely tie knots as well as other basics, mastering them with hands-on games and activities. The Cliffs at LIC, Long Island City. Ages 6-18.Staten Island Skating PavilionThis large area maintains its year-round frosty temperatures for ice-skating fun. Courses are offered every day for a variety of interests and skill levels, and public and freestyle sessions are available to children who want to spend some afternoons there without instruction. Ages 4-15.West Side YMCAIf your children want to learn how to swim, you’d be hard-pressed to find more options than those offered here. Kids are grouped by age and ability. The courses cover personal safety and swimming techniques. If your children prefer dry land,the West Side YMCA also offers dance, basketball and football. Visit our website for class descriptions and price information. Ages 5-18.56. Which of the following offers homework help?A. The Cliffs at LIC.B. West Side YMCA.C. 92nd Street Y Classes.D. Staten Island Skating Pavilion.57. What can participants do at Staten Island Skating Pavilion?A. Learn basic climbing skills.B. Enjoy skating all year around.C. Try a variety of outdoor sports.D. Start skating at the age of three.BA 2018 report found that food waste would increase by a third to 2. 1billion tons by 2030. Beyond the cost of the waste itself,thrown-away food generates a gas that contributes to climate change.Home delivery meal kits(盒)can reduce food waste by more than two-thirds,but suppliers need to switch to reusable packaging to make them environmentally friendly.Tailor-made meal kits cut waste by providing people with precise amounts of fresh ingredients(烹饪原料)for chosen recipes,meaning leftovers are minimized. But while the delivery services score well on reducing food waste,buying the same food ingredients from the supermarket almost always saves energy overall simply because meal kits use so much single-use packaging. The good news is that if people have meals that are tailored for consumption,they won’t overbuy and have less food waste. They fine-tune the amount of food to what they will actually eat.Meal kits can reduce transport emissions(排放)if people go to the supermarket less frequently. If people only go and buy such goods as soap and toilet paper,they may only have to visit once every couple of months. A delivery truck can carry meals for a lot of people in the neighborhood. So dozens of car trips might be replaced with one truck trip.However,study found that even if delivery meal kits reduced food waste to zero,they would still use up more energy overall than buying the same food from the supermarket unless the energy used for the meal kit packaging was cut by a fifth. The packaging is a killer if it’s single-use and thrown away,which can make all the environmental benefits lost. But if the packaging can be reused,if it’s glass bottles,like in the old days,we can get some benefits.58. What can we learn about home delivery meal kits?A. They can cut down on daily expenses.B. They will totally solve the problem of food waste.C. They can keep energy consumption to a minimum.D. They will benefit the environment with reusable packaging.59. What does the underlined word “fine-tune” in paragraph 3 mean?A. Attach.B. Adjust.C. Raise.D. Compare.60. The author suggests carrying meals with a delivery truck to _______.A. reduce transport emissionsB. save more foodC. shop only in the supermarketD. shorten car trip distancesCA study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics, and wars. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors―or of people very different from our own—can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than what can be found in most history books.In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented: that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Franciso Goya was perhaps the first truly political artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May, 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pa blo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clements Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros ― as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martinez―showed these Mexican artists’ de ep anger and sadness about social problems.In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. Four hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle Eastwas(and still is)its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic(伊斯兰教的)belief that statues are unholy(不神圣的,亵渎的).61. Which of the following sentences is WRONG according to the passage?A. Art history concentrates on religious beliefs, emotions and psychology only.B. Art can provide information about the everyday activities of ancient people.C. Information and facts about politics are given objectively in history.D. Franciso Goya was perhaps the first truly political artist.62. The two pictures The Third of May, 1808 and Guernica mentioned in paragraph 2 show that _____.A. art is subjectiveB. artists are very similar even over a hundred yearsC. art can reflect political life of a countryD. history books present objective information63. The passage is mainly discussing _______.A. the difference between general history and art historyB. the development of art historyC. the influence of artists on art historyD. what we can learn from art64. It may be concluded from this passage that _______.A. Islamic artists focus on creating architectural decorations with pictures of flowers or geometric(几何)formsB. history teachers are more objective than artistsC. it is more difficult to study art history than general historyD. people and stories from the Bible were painted on churches and other buildings in order to popularize theBibleDWhen Laura wanted to go into the garden by the back door, it was blocked by servants.Something had happened.“What’s the matter? What’s happened?”“There’s been a ho rrible accident/said the cook. “A man killed.”“A man killed! Where? How? When?”Know those little cottages just below here, Miss?” Know them? Of course, Laura knew them. "Well, there’s a young guy living there, name of Scott, a carter His horse shied(受惊)at a traction-engine, and he was thrown out on the back of his head. Killed.“Dead!” Laura stared at the cook.“Dead when they picked him up,” said the cook. “Just now they were taking the body home. He’s left a wife and five little ones.”“Come here,” Laura caught her sister’s sleeve and dragged her through the kitchen into the garden. There she paused. “Jose! ” she said, horrified, “however are we going to stop everything? ”“Stop everything, Laura!” cried Jose in astonishment. “What do you mean?”“Stop the garden party, of course. Why did Jose pretend?”But Jose was still more amazed. “Stop the garden party? My dear Laura, don’t be so absurd. Of course we can’t do anything of the kind. Nobody expects us to. Don’t be so extravagant.”“But we can’t possibly have a garden party with a man dead just outside the front gate.”That really was extravagant. Those little cottages, those miserable houses, had no right to be in that rich neighbourhood in the first place. When Laura and Jose were little they were even forbidden to set foot there because of the rude language and of what they might see. It was dirty and disgusting.“And just think of what the band would sound like to that poor woman," said Laura.“Oh, Laura!” Jose began to be seriously annoyed, lf you are going to stop a band playing every time someone has an accident, you’ll lead a very difficult life, I’m every bit as sorry about it as you. But you won’t bring a drunken workman back to life by being sentimental(多愁善感的).”“Drunk! Who said he was drunk?” Laura turned angrily on Jose, “I’m going straight up to tell mother. Do, dear,” said Jose, gently.“Mother, can I come into your mom?” Laura turned the big glass door-knob.“Of course, child. Why, what’s the matter? What’s given you such a colour?” And Mrs. Sheridan turned round from her dressing-table. She was trying on a new hat.“Mother, a man’s been killed, began laura.“Not in the garden?” interrupted her mother.“No, no!”“Oh, what a fright you gave me!” Mrs. Sheridan sighed with relief and took off the big hat and held it on her knees.“But listen, mother,…said Laura, Breathless, half-choking, she told the dreadful story. “Of course, we can’t have our party, can we?” she begged.”The band and everybody arriving. And the poor family would hear us, mothe r; they’re nearly neighbours!”“Oh, Laura’s astonishment her mother behaved just like Jose; it was harder to bear because she seemed amused. She refused to take Laura seriously.”“But, my dear child, use your common sense. If someone had died there normall y—and I can’t understand how they keep alive in those little holes—we should still be having our party, shouldn’t we?”Laura had to say “yes” to that, but she felt it was all wrong.“Mother, isn’t it terribly heartless of us?” she asked.“Darling!" Mrs. Sheridan got up and came over to her, carrying the hat. “My child!” said her mother, “the hat is yours. It’s made for you. Wow! Look at yourself! And she held up her hand-mirror. ”“But, mother, Laura began again. She couldn’t look at herself; she turned aside.”This time Mrs. Sheridan lost patience just as Jose had done.“You are being very absurd, Laura,” she said coldly. “People like that don’t expect sacrifices from us. And ifs not very sympathetic to spoil everybody’s enjoyment as you are doing now.”“I don’t understand,’’ murmured Laura. Then, quite by chance, she saw this charming girl in the mirror, in the beautiful hat. Never had she imagined she could look like that. Is mother right? She thought. And now she hoped her mother was right. Am I being extravagant? Perhaps. Just for a moment she had another glimpse of that poor woman and those little children, and the body being carried into the house. But it all seemed blurred, unreal, like a picture in the newspaper. I’ll remember it again after the party’s over, she decided. And somehow that seemed quite the best plan …ura suggested stopping everything because _______.A. something bad had happened in the gardenB. her neighbours were experiencing great griefC. the servants blocked the back door of the gardenD. she wanted to provide material help for the poor family66.What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?A. Laura was trying to submit herself to her family.B. The news of the carter’s death finally hit the headlines.C. Laura hoped mother was right in choosing that hat for her.D. A poor man’s death was little more than an unimportant thing,67. What will most probably happen following this story?A. Laura came up with a best plan to solve all this.B. Laura managed to persuade her mother and sister.C. The party just continued as planned in the garden,D. The poor widow came over to scold the band.68.Which of the following can best describe Laura?A. Sentimental and persistent.B. Optimistic and easy-going.C. Considerate and sympathetic.D. Hardworking and open-minded,69.What does the underlined word “extravagant” probably mean?A. Too sensible.B. Not practicalC. Too upright.D. Not sympathetic.70.Which of the following can be the best title of the story?A. The garden party.B. The quarrel.C. the rich and the poor.D. The death of a neighbour.题组二AImproving your lifestyle through sportsDo you want to lead an active lifestyle? Are you passionate about sports? Have you thought about making new friends? Come on down and sign up for any of our classes at our exclusive launch!Date: 5 AprilTime: 10 a. m. to 7 p. m.Place: VibraSquare AtriumWe offer classes like badminton, tennis, basketball and volleyball for everyone from the age of 10 to 40. Come on down to learn more about our classes as well as our special rates. All our classes are conducted by certified coaches.A Mystery Gift will be given to the first 50 people who sign up for any sports class with us!Highlights of our launch event:• 1 p. m.: Talk on balancing sports and studies by Dr Claire Leow• 3 p. m.: Autograph signing session by professional badminton player Kate Wee, winner of the recent Singapore Open• 5p. m.: Talk on how sports can benefit one’s lifestyle by Mr. Ryan Tan• 6 p. m.: Free tennis clinic for children conducted by Michael Ismail, a former professional tennis player To register for the above events, please contact Michelle at 6234 6226 or email sports@ edufit. comLimited places available on a first-come-first-served basis.Take part in a sure-win lucky draw when you enter for any sports class on the day of our launch! Prizes include VibraSquare Mall vouchers(票券),Wellness & Fitness sports clothing and many more j Official Sponsors:VibraSquare Mall Wellness & Fitness Glizard Drinks56. What can we know about the Mystery Gift?A. It is available anytime during April.B. It is given to the first fifty class applicants.C. You may choose vouchers or clothing.D. Each participant of the launch event can get one.57. When will kids attend the launch event if they are fond of tennis?A. At 1 p. m..B. At 3 p. m..C. At 5 p. m..D. At 6 p. m..BAlida Monaco doesn’t spend her summers doing the usual teenage work, like working at the mall.Instead,she’s studying.It used to be that a summer job was considered a teenage thing. Today, Monaco, who has never had a summer job, is part of growing trend teenagers focusing on their studies, even during the summer. That’s down from 72% of Americans aged 16 to 19 who worked in July of 1978, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Fierce competition, older workers returning to the workforce and weak economic growth are all adding to the decrease of teenagers in the workforce. But as schoolwork grows increasingly heavy and homework eats up more tim e, data suggest the biggest reason why some teens won’t be working this summer is that they simply don’t1 have time.For college - bound teens, some teachers even advise students not to waste time on a summer job. “ Some of my students only have about six weeks off in the summer,” said Shannon Reed, a lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh and a former high school English teacher.” I could never advise that they get jobs during that short break. ”Young people who don’t work may miss out on valuable skills that they’11 need control and help people learn to deal with adult situations. But Monaco, who plans to attend Harvard, isn’t fazed by her lack of work experience. “Maybe I have missed out on a couple of life skills, “she said. “ But I don’t think it will harm me in way.”58. What is the trend of American teenagers?A. They are becoming lazy.B. They are fond of doing holiday jobs.C. They are focusing more on studies than on jobs.D. They are becoming particular about holiday jobs59. What is the third paragraph mainly about?A. The reasons for teenagers giving up work.B. The fierce competition teenagers face.C. The structure of America’s workforce.D. The effects of America9 s weak economy.60. What does the underlined word “fazed” in the last parag raph mean?A. supported.B. helped.C. upset.D. confused.CWhy is poverty so difficult to overcome? Why are poorer people less likely to invest in their own learning and ability development, but more likely to be addicted to television and video games?In the past, a poor person was normally considered to have bad character or have no ambition. Banerjee corrects such views and explains the economics behind the poor. Poor people tend to live with more worries in their lives, he said, so they need tools such as televisions, cell phones, junk food and video games to relieve worries more than others. But investment in learning often takes a long time to get rewards, while the poor are often impatient due to economic reasons, and their life in the meantime is getting more worrisome and boring.That goes for health. Banerjee and his wife find that the poor spend the same amount of money and time, or even more on health and medical care than the middle class group, but they tend to get bad effects. The reason is that the poor often lack the essential medical and healthy knowledge and they tend to get medical treatment when the disease has worsened to a certain stage. Besides, they tend to trust the doctors who “give strongmedicine”because they believe such doctors are the “good” ones. But in fact,“strong medicine”always leads to resistance to drugs and overtreatment. This kind of attitude, which emphasizes treatment rather than early prevention, has brought many poor people more economic stress and physical damage, and even has affected the education of their next generation. According to the study, children in poorer physical condition tend to spend less time in school and have lower incomes after graduation, so poverty gets “inherited”.When it comes to fin ance, Banerjee’s research has found that the poor often need to borrow little andshort-term loans while paying extremely high interest rates. It is also because the poor tend to take higher financial risks ----they often have unstable incomes and are unable to get working capital from banks, so they rely more on these high-interest loans. And these small loans put a brake on their savings against risks.How could the poor step into the middle class? Maybe starting a business is a way out. But for the extremely poor, it’s impossible to get the capital they need to start a business. In most cases, a more practical option is getting a job in government agencies because comparatively speaking, government jobs are very stable, which give the poor the opportunities to be hired for the long term, to increase the range of their thinking and thus enabling families to move from poverty to the middle class.Banerjee’s research provides a new perspective for governments to understand poverty, so that policies can be tailored to decrease poverty and ultimately eliminate(消除)it.61. How do the poor deal with the issue of health?A. They spend less money in preventing disease.B. They focus more on the diseases than early prevention.C. They usually think it essential to resist strong medicine.D. They are willing to get free medical treatment from the government.62. From the underlined sentence, we can learn that _______.A. poverty is produced by the poorB. poverty is passed down by their parentsC. poverty has some bad effects on the poorD. poverty causes people to bear more economic stress63. Banerjee considers it difficult to overcome poverty because _______.A. the poor have bad character or have no ambitionB. the poor prefer to invest in business rather than workC. the government hasn’t taken proper and effective measureD. the poor were troubled by their lives, health and finance64. What can we learn from the passage?A. The poor have attached importance to education.B. The government can’t provide the jobs for the poor.C. All the poor need to start a business for their survival.D. Banerjee’s research is helpful for the government to rid of poverty.DWhen I opened my closet door this morning, I saw a sign that says, “Good morning, beautiful business.” It’s a reminder to me of just how beautiful business can be when we put all our creativity, energy, and care into producing one product or service in exchange for another. Economic exchange can be one of the most meaningful and beautiful interactions among human beings.Over the past years since I started the White Dog Café, my business has not only provided me with a way of making a living and a way of serving others but also been my teacher. In reading Small Is Beautiful I realized that so much of what my business has taught me can be found in the great lessons of E.F. Schumacher: it is of great benefit to keep your business focusing on the needs of workers rather than only on what they produce; you’d better use a management style that balances freedom and order; you should build sustainable local economies and respect the land and nature. The effects of industrialization that worried Schumacher decades ago have gotten even worse: namely, wealth inequality and the growing degradation(退化)of our environment.Today much of what I care about ---nature, animals, communities, family farms, family businesses, native cultures, the character of our towns and cities, even our children’s future—is being threatened by corporate globalization. To protect all that I care deeply about, I need to step out of my own company, out of the White Dog Café. I started my journey with the simple idea that a sustainable global economy must be compromised of sustainable local economies. Rather than a global economy controlled by large international corporations, our movement advocates a global economy with a network of local economies made up of small independent businesses that create community wealth while working in harmony with natural system.I opened the White Dog Café in 1983 on the first floor of my house in a neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is the house I have lived in since I was a child. Today much of the food I serve at the White Dog Café comes from the same land where my ancestors once farmed. When I opened the café years ago, it was a simple coffee and cake take-away shop serving students who lived nearby. Over the years we have expanded our menu and grown to occupy five buildings. We now employ more 100 people, can seat more than two hundred customers, and earn over $5 million a year! I owe our success to making decisions not for the purpose of maximizing profits but instead maximizing the relationships with our customers and staff, with our community, with our suppliers and with our natural environment.Now I still live above the shop. I still have the old-fashioned way of doing business---the way it was in the old days with the family farm, the family inn, and the corner store. Living and working in the same community has given me a stronger sense of place and a different business outlook. When I make a business decision, it comes naturally for my decision to be made in the common interest of all involved because every day I see the people affected by my decision---my neighbours, my customers, and my employees as well as the natural world. There is a short distance between the business decision-maker and those affected by the decision. I believe that when we are surrounded by those affected by our decisions, we are more likely to make a decision from the heart as opposed to the head.Business schools teach “grow or die”. But I make a conscious decision to continue to be a small business because I know that when we grow in physical size, we give up something very important—authentic relationshipswith the people around us and those we do business with. I have come to realize that we can measure our success by measuring how much we improve our knowledge, deepen our relationships, achieve happiness, and have more fun.65. What do we know about the sign on the author’s closet door?A. It has been her family motto for years.B. It serves as an inspiration to her.C. It comes from one of her favourite book.D. It helps her forget difficulties in business.66. What is one drawback of corporate globalization according to the author?A. The high cost.B. Small profits.C. Poor management.D. Damage to the environment.67. What did the author do when facing the threat of corporate globalization?A. She worked together with other independent businesses.B. She fought against the global economy in her community.C. She expanded her own business at home and abroad.D. She learned from large international corporations.68. What is the secret behind the success of the White Dog Café?A. It always has regular customers.B. It has been run as a family business.C. It gets along well with the people involved.D. It makes big profits by developing fast.69. Why does the author choose to live and work in the same community?A.. She wants to stay close to her family.B. She can learn about o thers’ opinions easily.C. Food in her café can be served immediately.D. Neighbors can be her customers or employees.70. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph imply?A. We usually learn how to do business in business school.B. Business schools focus on the basic principles of business.C. We tend to measure success in business by constant growth.D. Business schools teach when to expand or leave the business.题组三AWanna soften the blow of a hangover?A hangover refers to the headache and sick feeling that you have the day after drinking too much alcohol. If you are looking for something to nurse your hangover, you will find the following right ideas.1. ASIAN PEAR JUICEHave some extra Asian pears at home? Run them through your juicer before your next night out. According to researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, just 7.4 ounces of Asian pear juice is enough to soften the blow of a hangover. The scientists say that the juice interacts with enzymes that break down alcohol, speeding up your metabolism and leaving less surplus alcohol for your body to absorb. There’s just one catch: The juice must be consumed before you drink anything else in order to be effective.2. MUSICAnyone who’s ever suffered through a massive hangover knows that sound is the enemy. But while your roommate’s 9 a.m. tap dancing practice might exacerbate(加剧)your symptoms, music may have the opposite effect. Research has shown that listening to music can provide relief to migraines, which are similar to hangover headaches. As long as the music is pleasant and suits your taste, it should help to drown out the chorus of pain laying in your mind. Head sensitivity isn’t the only symptom music helps with. According to researche rs at the University of Edinburgh, listening to your favorite music also eases pain.3. EGGSThe best way to tackle a hangover with food is to eat while you drink. Chowing down after the damage has already been done may distract you from your turmoil for a short while, but it won’t soothe your physical symptoms. There are a few exceptions: Eggs, for example, have hangover-fighting potential thanks to a special ingredient. The food is packed with cysteine, an amino acid that breaks down the drinking byproduct acetaldehyde(乙醛). So whether you prefer to enjoy brunch out or at home, make sure your meal includes eggs in some form.56. According to the passage, the author may agree with the following EXCEPT______.A. Asian pear juice can help soften the blow of a hangover if you drink it before anything else.B. Your roommate can make you suffer less from a hangover by practising tap dancing at 9.C. Eggs are said to contain a special ingredient that may soothe the symptoms of a hangover.D. Enjoying your favorite piece of music is an efficient way to fight the pain of a hangover.57. The passage is most probably taken from _______.A. a textbookB. a science fictionC. a health magazineD. an advertisementBFrom talking robots and video phones, technology has become so advanced that the previously impossible seems to occur on a daily basis. And yet—we still have no cure for the common cold.Why can’t we stop the common cold? According to Peter Barlow, a scientist at Edinburgh Napier University,。