高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day144

高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day144

高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day 144

Passage 1

Orwell’s Impact on the World

Few writers have had such an impact on the thinking of the

modern world as British writer George Orwell(1903—1950).

Orwell wrote many things on a variety of topics, for example,

poverty in England in the 1930s during the Great Depression and

his experience in the Spanish Civil War(1936—1939).

But he is most famous for his works of fiction, Animal

Farm(1945) and, especially, Nineteen Eighty-Four(1949). These

last books became especially influential in the West in the 1950s

during the early Cold War years.

In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell imagined a Britain of the

future, modeled on the Soviet union. His chilling tale of Winston

Smith, a regular man who comes into conflict with the

government, was close to the fears of many people of the time.

Ideas from the novel soon entered everyday culture, and are still

in use today. “Big Brother”, for example, is a phrase from the

book that refers to how authority is always looking over one’s

shoulder.

Other phrases used in the novel, like “War is Peace” and

“Freedom is slavery” are also still used now. Indeed, many

people see Orwell’s book as warnings about what might

happen if those in power become corrupted.

Even today, Orwell remains an influential voice. Often, writers

achieve great fame and popularity, but they don’t affect how

people live their everyday lives. For example, British author JK

Rowling is a huge literary success, but people wouldn’t say that Harry Potter has affect the way people think about politics. For

better or for worse, however, George Orwell has.

It’s because of Orwell’s influence on popular thinking that

UNESCO’S Memory of the World Programme recently decided

to include a collection of Orwell’s writings on its register.

The Memory of the World register is similar to UNESCO’s

world heritage site program, which protects places and buildings

and natural features in the world. According to its website, the

idea behind the body is “that the world’s documentary

evidence belongs to all” and should be “permanently

accessible to all”.

University College London, which proposed the idea to

UNESCO, said in its application that Orwell’s work “had a great

influence on human thought in all parts of the world, an influence

that remains potent today”.

1. What do we know about Orwell?

A. His most famous works were based on his own experience.

B. His books were well-received during the Cold-War.

C. He mainly wrote about imaginative, beautiful worlds.

D. His writings are often compared to those of JK Rowling.

2. What’s the novel Nineteen eight-Four about?

A. The cruelty of war in the 20th century.

B. The serious effects of poverty in England.

C. People’s various conflicts with the government.

D. A corrupt UK government of the future.

3. The phrases from Orwell’s books are mentioned in the

article mainly to__________.

A. share some of his classic ideas

B. show how he used language in a creative way

C. stress his ideas are still meaningful today D. show how he described the dark side of society

4. Why were Orwell’s writings included on the Memory of

the Word register?

A. They introduced a new way of writing.

B. They were a huge literary success.

C. They shaped political systems in Western countries.

D. They continue to have a great influence on human thought.

Passage 2

If you land in India anytime in late February or March, it’s

wise to check the dates of the annual Holi festival and bring a

spare set of clothes. That’s because for a few days in spring,

people crowd the streets and pelt

(投掷) anyone walking by with brightly-colored powder to

celebrate the arrival of spring and the end of evil. It’s hard to

avoid the fun and the paint, unless you stay inside or look angry

enough to discourage the custom.

“Watch out, madam!” said my taxi driver in Amritsar as we

drove through a crowd of young people pelting each other with

powder. “The colors never come out of your clothes,” he said.

“And you might be having purple hair for many days.”

I did a quick check. I was wearing black, a color rarely seen

in India. It is usually connected with the lowest social classes, and

can be viewed as unlucky. I was happy for my clothes to be

painted in colors.

“I have some powder I bought for my children. You can have

some gladly, to join in our customs.” he encouraged. Holding

what the driver handed me as my weapon of choice, I walked into

the Holi smoke. At first people politely avoided foreigners. But

then a girl in a sari(一种印度服饰) ran up smiling and put paint on

my face. I returned the favor with a handful of pink.