阅读理解精练

贾庆文　耿　让　陈孟尔　黄　刚

1

Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute mile? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in 1954.

What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when someone, who does not know how to swim, falls in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.

Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam(堵塞) if the operator typed too fast.

These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers a direct command to your nervous system.

I used a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, saidsnakes were slippery, slimy (粘糊糊的) and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.

Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change.

1. In the authors opinion, if a person in deep water doesnt know how to swim, he will drown because_______.

A. he is afraid of water

B. he believes he will drown

C. he hasnt learned to swim before

D. he doesnt want to live in the world

2. The author thinks that the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard in order to_______.

A. save more space

B. satisfy the operator

C. reduce ones typing speed

D. increase ones typing speed

3. The authors experiment shows that_______.

A. snakes are dry and clean

B. snakes can be caught easily

C. snakes are slimy and poisonous

D. snakes in India arent poisonous

4. According to the passage, we know that_______ .

A. students from India have unrealistic beliefs on how to live a better life

B. an animal who has not learned to swim will drown if you put it in a pond

C. most people dont like the order the letters are arranged on your keyboard

D. Roger Banister was the first person who ran a mile in less than four minutes

5. The main idea of this passage should be that_______.

A. beliefs are very powerful

B. beliefs make us seem stupid

C. changing your beliefs now is necessary

D. people should always believe in themselves

2

Self-esteem(自尊心) is all about how much we feel valued, loved, accepted, and thought well of by others—and how much we value, love, and accept ourselves. People with healthy self-esteem are able to do better in school and find it easier to make friends. They tend to have better relationships with others, feel happier, find it easier to deal with mistakes and failures, and are more likely to stick to something until they succeed. People with low self-esteem may feel as if no one will like them or accept them or that they cant do well in anything.

The following ways may help you improve your self-esteem.

Try to stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself. If youre used to focusing on your shortcomings, start thinking about positive aspects of yourself that outweigh(比……更有价值、更重要) them. It is good to aim high, but your goals for yourself should be within reach. Thats why you should set practical goals and never expect the impossible. Mistakes are part of learning, so view mistakes as learning opportunities. Accept that you will make mistakes because everyone does. Also you should recognize what you can change and what you cant. If you realize that youre unhappy with something about yourself that you can change, then start today. If its something you cant change (like your height), then start to work toward loving yourself the way you are. Feeling like you are making a difference and that your help is valued can do wonders to improve your self-esteem. So dont hesitate to make a contribution. You can lend a hand to a classmate who is having trouble, help clean up your neighborhood, or volunteer to do some other things.

Self-esteem plays a role in almost everything you do. Its never too late to build healthy, positive self-esteem. It takes some work, but its a skill youll have for life.

1. According to Paragraph 1, we can know that healthy self-esteem is very_______.

A. supportiveB. practical

C. importantD. successful

2. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 refers to your_______.

A. goalsB. classmates

C. strong pointsD. shortcomings

3. According to the passage, which of the following can help improve your self-esteem?

A. setting high goals similar to others

B. lending a hand to a classmate in trouble

C. never forgiving yourself for your mistakes

D. changing the things that make you unhappy

4. The passage is mainly about_______.

A. what self-esteem really means

B. how people improve their self-esteem

C. what people with low self-esteem are like

D. what people with high self-esteem are like

5. We can infer from the passage that_______.

A. it is not easy to build healthy self-esteem

B. there are more people with low self-esteem

C. the old tend to have healthy self-esteem than the young

D. we should build healthy, positive self-esteem when young

3

The day was Thankful Thursday. Its a weekly tradition that my two little girls and I began years ago. Thursday has become our day to go out to the world and make a positive contribution. On this particular Thursday, we had no idea exactly what we were going to do. At noon, I drove to a McDonalds with my daughters because they kept complaining that they hadnt had enough at breakfast. There we saw some homeless people in the street and we bought lunch for them.

We were about to complete when we found a small woman standing at the corner, asking for change. We handed her some food, and then started to head home. Suddenly from the mirror of the car, I saw the woman waving at us, so I had to turn around and stopped where this little woman stood. She made her way to our car, and spoke, “No one has ever done anything like this for me before,” she said with amazement. I replied, “Well, Im glad that we were the first.” Then I asked, “So, when do you think youll eat your lunch? Its nearly 3 oclock now.”

She just looked at me with her huge, tired brown eyes and said, “Oh honey, Im not going to eat this lunch.” I was confused, but before I could say anything, she continued. “You see, I have a little girl at home and she just loves McDonalds, but I can never buy it for her because I just dont have the money. But you know what ... tonight she is going to have McDonalds!”

I dont know if the kids noticed the tears in my eyes. So many times I had questioned whether our acts of kindness were too small to have effect on those poor people. Yet at that moment, I realized that it worked.

1. The writer drove to a McDonalds to_______.

A. meet the small woman

B. help the homeless people

C. help the womans daughter

D. have lunch with her daughters

2. We can learn from the passage that the small woman_______.

A. was very poor

B. was also homeless

C. was too busy to care for her daughter

D. stopped the writers car to ask for more money

3. It can be inferred from the story that_______.

A. the writer would continue to do her acts of kindness

B. the two daughters found their mother cried at the end of the day

C. the writer doubted whether what she did was of use to the poor

D. the two daughters would make friends with the womans daughter

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. The rich and the poor

B. No small act of kindness

C. No thanks, the homeless

D. No one helps the homeless

4

The US government has announced plans to list polar bears as a threatened species because of concerns that the ice where they live is melting. But as the BBCs Owen Clegg reports, the US plans are also important for other reasons.

Its estimated (估计) that there are no more than twenty-five thousand polar bears living in the wild, and this number could go down by a large amount as the floating ice upon which the bears survive melt away. Now, without admitting the cause of this melt, the US Fish and Wildlife Services are reviewing the bears living conditions.

That action is being taken at all, and marks an important change for the Bush administration; for the first time, it may be forced to acknowledge a link between global warming and its effect on a species. Such a conclusion by an unwilling Bush administration could force far wider changes in Washingtons policy towards the environment.

This review only came about after a union of environmental groups brought a legal case against the government to take action. Environmentalists, like David Doniger, believe that by calling on the protections of the Endangered Species Act, the US government may finally be forced to cut back on its sending out greenhouse gases:

“It is a very important thing today to have the Bush administration notice that global warming is threatening the existence of the polar bear. Now, its up to the administration to do something to stop the global warming thats threatening the polar bear.”(David Doniger)

The United States is the worlds largest emitter(发放者) of greenhouse gases which are blamed for trapping heat from the sun and changing the earths climate. Since taking office in 2001, President Bush has refused to make the link with global warming, but the bad, serious situation of the polar bear may force that position to change.

1. What is the direct reason for the polar bear to become endangered?

A. It is that the floating ice upon which they survive melt away.

B. It is that more greenhouse gases have been sent out.

C. It is because of the global warming.

D. It is because of no protection of their living conditions.

2. What is the significance of US Fish and Wildlife Services reviewing the bears living conditions?

A. It brought a legal case against the government.

B. It marks an important change for the Bush administration.

C. It is a conclusion by a Bush administration.

D. It makes the protections of the Endangered Species Act possible.

3. What is David Donigers comment on the review of the bears living conditions?

A. The US government may finally be forced to notice that global warming is totally caused by them.

B. The US government may finally be forced to stop sending out greenhouse gases.

C. The US government may finally be forced to do something to stop the global warming thats threatening the polar bear.

D. The US government may finally be forced to change the earths climate.

4. Which country has been sending out the largest number of greenhouse gases according to the passage?

A. China.

B. Britain.

C. The United States.

D. Not mentioned.

5. Which of the following is implied in the passage?

A. The Bush administration has long acknowledged that global warming is threatening the existence of the polar bear.

B. Bush administration has done a lot to control the sending-out of greenhouse gases.

C. The greenhouse gases have no links with the melting polar ice and the decreasing number of the polar bears.

D. The US government should be partly responsible for the melting polar ice and the decreasing number of the polar bears.

5

About 90 percent of Chinese believe the polarization between the rich and the poor is “serious” in China, according to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily. And more than 80 percent of the respondents surveyed said something must be done to narrow the expanding the gap between the rich and the poor, while 14.1 percent said it was unnecessary.

The polarization has aroused wide concern among the public in recent years. The State Development and Reform Commission(国家发改委) said the Gini Coefficient had reached 0.47 for China, up from 0.29 two decades ago. Usually, a country with a number above 0.4 is warned to pay more attention to the income inequality problem.

To find out the peoples view, the survey covered 10,250 respondents, between the ages of 20 and 30 with a college education and a monthly salary between 1,000 and 3,000 Yuan. Surprisingly, most disagreed with the view of experts who claim the urban-rural difference is causing the widening gap. More than 70 percent of the respondents believed that “the group of special interests” is the prime reason for the polarization, followed by “people in power” 68 percent, and “bosses” 50 percent.

Another unexpected finding almost all agreed that a good educational background and knowledge were not the decisive factors in gaining wealth. About 95 percent said rich people are not necessarily those who are able to speak English or have a college education.

Today in China, rich people, accounting for 10 percent of the population, control 45 percent of the total social fortune, and poor people, also 10 percent of the population, only control 1.5 percent, according to an investigation published by the National Bureau of Statistics last June.

1. It can be inferred that the Gini Coefficient (in Paragraph 2) would probably be_______.

A. a unit used in advanced mathematics

B. a measure of income inequality

C. the level of the citizens living standard

D. the degree of a countys development

2. Experts hold the view that the main reason for the polarization is_______.

A. the bosses

B. the group of special interests

C. the people in power

D. the urban-rural difference

3. Which statement is correct according to the text?

A. The total social fortune of the rich is more than that of the other population.

B. Not all respondents surveyed thought it necessary to close the gap between the rich and the poor.

C. The respondents surveyed have the same view as the experts.

D. Those who can speak English and have a college education can easily become rich.

4. Which of following can show the correct proportion of the social fortune among population?

Percent of the total social fortune

5. Whats the best title of the passage?

A. Narrow the gap between the rich and the poor.

B. Survey conducted by China Youth Daily.

C. Higher education, higher pays.

D. Polarization between the rich and the poor.

6

GENEVA, Feb. 11 (Xinhua)—The current La Nińa weather phenomenon may just be a partial cause of south Chinas freeze-up at the start of 2008, said the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Monday.

The latest La Nińa pattern, which began in the third quarter of 2007, has picked up strength in the past three months, with sea surface temperatures now about 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius（摄氏度） colder than average over large parts of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean, said the latest report issued by the WMO.

Presenting the Geneva-based bodys report, Rupa Kumar Killi, a WMO climate expert, said the recent month-long snow and ice-storms in Chinas central, southern and eastern regions could be connected with the La Nińa phenomenon, the climatic opposite of El Nino(厄尔尼诺现象).

However, he said Chinas freeze-up was a result of several causes combined and was partly caused by a cold surge from the north and west.

He also said the present La Nińa cycle may last at least until mid-2008 and it is also possible, if less likely, that the cycle could stretch into the third quarter.

La Nińa is a large pool of unusually cold water in the equatorial Pacific that develops every few years and influences global weather. It is the climatic opposite of El Nino, a warming of the Pacific, and both have been associated with extreme weather around the globe.

Since Jan. 10, snow, sleet and low temperatures have swept Chinas southern regions, a rare occurrence for the area.

1. What partially caused south Chinas_______freeze-up at the beginning of 2008?

A. La Nińa B. El Nino C. Typhoon D. Frost

2. When did the latest La Nińa weather phenomenon begin?

A. In the spring of 2007.

B. In the summer of 2007.

C. In the fall of 2007

D. In the winter of 2007

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Due to the La Nińa, sea surface temperatures become colder over the eastern Pacific Ocean.

B. The La Nińa phenomenon is the climatic opposite of El Nino.

C. There were several causes which brought about Chinas freeze-up.

D. The present La Nińa cycle may last until spring in 2008 and disappear.

4. What can we learn from the sixth paragraph?

A. La Nińa does not happen every year but it influences global weather.

B. La Nińa happens every year and influences global weather.

C. La Nińa happens every year but seldom influences global weather.

D. La Nińa happens every few years and brings about warm and wet weather.

5. What is the best title of the passage?

A. La Nińa may be a partial cause of Chinas freeze-up

B. La Nińa and El Nino

C. What causes the La Nińa weather phenomenon?

D. How La Nińa destroys the whole worlds weather?

【答案与解析】

1

1. B。由结尾Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not一句可知。

2. C。由第三段中 ... was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter ...可知。

3. A。由倒数第二段的倒数第二句可知答案。

4. D。细读全文可知A、B、C 与原文所述不符，D 与第一段所说事实符合。

5. A。全文主要说信念的力量是很大的但也许不是那么明显。

2

我们做任何事都离不开自尊心。 有了健康的、积极的自尊心，我们在学习上就能取得进步， 就能与他人更融洽地相处， 就会有幸福感。 我们还能更好地面对错误和失败，坚持不懈，直到成功。

1. C 。段意理解题。由第一段我们可以看出拥有健康的自尊是很重要的。“支持的、实际的、成功的”不符合段意。

2. D 。指代题。作者在此处给出了培养自尊心的第一个办法， 即尽量不要总想着自己的缺点，应该想一想自己的优点， 这些优点在此刻比缺点更重要， 因为它们能给你自信， 所以此处的them指代缺点。

3. B。理解判断题。文章的第三段讲的是如何培养健康的、积极的自尊心，最后一句提到了应该帮助有困难的同学， 所以B项正确。

4. B。主旨大意题。第二段The following ways may help you improve your self-esteem是主题句，引出了主要内容——如何培养健康的、积极的自尊心。

5. A。推理判断题。由文章最后一句可知培养健康的、积极的自尊心需要付出努力（是不易的），但这是我们生活中必不可少的一项技能。

3

1. D。细节理解题。根据第一段第四句“On this particular Thursday, we had no idea exactly what we were going to do.”和第五句“... they kept complaining that they hadnt had enough at breakfast.”可知作者开车去麦当劳是和女儿们一起吃饭，至于碰到那些穷人，那是她们没有预想到的。

2. A。细节理解题。第三段“... I have a little girl at home ...”说明B项不正确，C项在文中找不到依据，而妇女拦车是为了向作者表达自己的谢意和感受，所以D项也是错的；“... I just dont have the money.”说明这个妇女很穷。

3. A。推理判断题。最后一句“Yet at that moment, I realized that it worked.”说明作者认识到自己的行动见效了，因此她还会这样做的，所以A项正确。

4. B。主旨大意题。由最后一段作者的感想可知，做好事不分大小，一件小小的好事也会给别人带来很大的影响。故选B最佳。

4

1. A。细节理解题。The US government has announced plans to list polar bears as a threatened species because of concerns that the ice where they live is melting. And this number could go down by a large amount as the floating ice upon which the bears survive melt away.可以看出，北极熊减少的直接原因是冰块融化。

2. B。深层理解题。将北极熊列为濒危动物对布什政府是个重要的改变。That action is being taken at all, and marks an important change for the Bush administration; for the first time, it may be forced to acknowledge a link between global warming and its effect on a species. Such a conclusion by an unwilling Bush administration could force far wider changes in Washingtons policy towards the environment.

3. C。细节理解题。“It is a very important thing today to have the Bush administration notice that global warming is threatening the existence of the polar bear. Now, its up to the administration to do something to stop the global warming thats threatening the polar bear.” (David Doniger)。全球变暖导致北极冰块大量融化，威胁北极熊的生存环境，既然美国政府将北极熊列入濒危动物，那考虑根本原因也会是美国政府下一步的政策趋向。

4. C。细节理解题。The United States is the worlds largest emitter (发放者) of greenhouse gases which are blamed for trapping heat from the sun and changing the earths climate. 据此，可以看出，美国是世界上最大的温室气体排放国。

5. D。推理判断题。根据文章，我们可以了解到，美国是世界上最大的温室气体排放国，温室气体的大量排放导致了全球变暖，并导致北极的冰块融化，美国政府应当承担一定的责任。

5

1. B。分析该段可知，Gini Coefficient（基尼系数）是衡量收入分配不均程度的标准。

2. D。分析第三段“the view of experts who claim the urban-rural difference is causing the widening gap.”可知。

3. B。分析全文，B项正确。

4. A。分析最后一段可知。

5. D。分析全文可知，本文讲述的贫富程度加剧。

6

1. A。根据第一段第一句可知。

2. C。分析第二段第一句“The latest La Nińa pattern, which began in the third quarter of 2007”可知。

3. D。分析全文及第五段可知，D项错误。

4. A。分析第六段可知，拉尼娜现象每隔几年发生，常常带来恶劣的天气。

5. A。本文主要讲述尼娜现象是造成中国南方冰雪灾害的部分原因。