刘合良
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
A
Dear Alfred,
I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.
Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150 at 17, Im anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADHD (注意力缺陷多动障碍). Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.
However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.
While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldnt. So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.
Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, Im learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.
Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public, I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job—Data Analyst—this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.
Thank you. Youve given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because Im doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.
This is why youre saving my life.
Yours,
Tanis
56. Why didnt Tanis go to college after high school?
A. She had learned enough about computer science.
B. She had more difficulty keeping focused.
C. She preferred taking online courses.
D. She was too slow to learn.
57. As for the working environment, Tains prefers .
A. working by herself B. dealing with the public
C. competing against others D. staying with ADHD students
58. Tanis wrote this letter in order to .
A. explain why she was interested in the computer
B. share the ideas she had for her profession
C. show how grateful she was to the center
D. describe the courses she had taken so far
B
Surviving Hurricane Sandy(飓风桑迪)
Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house.“Its the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,”she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalies family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the citys bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalies friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalies school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
“My mom tells me that I cant control what happens to me,”Natalie says.“but I can always choose how I deal with it.”
Natalies choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patricks collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars(创痕)of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt.“I cant imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,”Natalie declares.“My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”
59. When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane, she found .
A. some friends had lost their lives
B. her neighborhood was destroyed
C. her school had moved to Brooklyn
D. the elderly were free from suffering
60. According to paragraph 4, who inspired Natalie most?
A. The people helping Rockaway rebuild
B. The people trapped in high-rise building
C. The volunteers donating money to survivors
D. Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people
61. How did Natalie help the survivors?
A. She gave her toys to the kids.
B. She took care of younger children.
C. She called on the White House to help.
D. She built an information sharing platform.
62. What does the story intend to tell us?
A. Little people can make a big difference.
B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C. East or West, home is best.
D. Technology is power.
C
California Condors Shocking Recovery
California condors are North Americas largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒)nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just dont see the power lines,”says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed condors died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nerve systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾)failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideouts team thinks that the California condors average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years.“Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them.”
63. California condors attract researchers interest because they .
A. are active at night
B. had to be bred in the wild
C. are found on in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
64. Researchers have found electrical lines are .
A. blocking condors journey home
B. big killers of California condors
C. rest places for condors at night
D. used to keep condors away
65. According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning .
A. makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of from condors blood
D. makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds
66. The passage shows that .
A. the average survival time of condors is satisfactory
B. Rideouts research interest lies in electric engineering
C. the efforts to protect condors have brought good results
D. researchers have found the final answers to the problem
D
“Did you hear what happened to Adam last Friday?”Lindsey whipers to Tori.
With her eyes shining, Tori brags,“You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago.”
Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happened to be yours truly, Adam Freedman, I can tell you that what they are saying is(a)not nice and(b)not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori arent very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话). I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.
An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic-breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out-that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.
If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? The answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor(传言)can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others dont. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the“in group.”In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(优越感).
Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The dos and donts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.
The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your“juicy story”might have.
67. The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to .
A. introduce a topic B. present an argument
C. describe the characters D. clarify his writing purpose
68. An important negative effects of gossip is that it .
A. breaks up relationships
B. embarrasses the listener
C. spreads information around
D. causes unpleasant experiences
69. In the authors opinion, many people like to gossip because it .
A. gives them a feeling of pleasure
B. help them to make more friends
C. makes them better at telling stories
D. enables them to meet important people
70. Professor David Wilson thinks that gossip can .
A. provide students with written rules
B. help people watch their own behaviors
C. force school to improve student handbooks
D. attract the polices attention to group behaviors
71. What advice does the author give in the passage?
A. Never become a gossiper.
B. Stay away from gossipers.
C. Dont let gossip turn into lies.
D. Think twice before you gossip.
(注:因北京卷D篇太长,不符合全国卷阅读题,因此此处的D篇换成了2016年浙江阅读A篇)
答案与解析
(A)本文是一篇感谢信,属应用文。作者虽然患有ADHD,不能正常读大学;但通过参加Alfred的网络课程,作者获得了知识、工作与自信,因此,写信表达感激之情!
56. B 推理判断题。由题干中的题眼why可知此题是要找寻“真正的原因”,所以要联系上下文确定符合逻辑的因果关系,不能单单在同一段内找答案。第四段中作者表明“想去读大学,但不行”,原因就在于第一段中阐述的事实:作者患有ADHD,不能较长时间保持注意力。故选B项。
57. A 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼working environment可知答案的信息点在第六段,原文working alone与A选项的working by herself进行对比之后,会发现它们词汇有不同但意义相同。故选A项。
58. C 写作目的题。由题干中的题眼in order to可知此题要凝练作者写信的意图。因为最后一段中明确写了“Thank you. Youve given me hope that I can follow my heart.”。故选C项。
(B)本文是一篇记叙文,记述了在飓风之后,Natalie的家乡Rockaway被严重破坏。很多志愿者来帮助重建家园,受此启发,Natalie创建网站,把受灾人的信息与救援者相匹配,很多受灾人因此得到帮助。
59. B 细节理解题。 由题干中的题眼returned与found可知信息点在第三段第一行。而且in ruins与destroyed为近义词。故选B项。
60. A 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼inpired可知信息点在第四段第一行。原文的the men and women helping Rockaway recover,明确地表达出,启迪Natalie的人就是帮助重建家园之人。故选A项。
61. D 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼how与help可知信息点在第六段与第七段。原文所述She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help,意思是她创建了一个网站,把把受灾人的信息与救援者相匹配。而D选项的意思是她创建了一个信息共享的平台,其实与原文的意思相同,表述角度不同而已。故选D项。
62. A 主旨大意题。由题干中的题眼what与intend to tell可知,此题要求考生在掌握全文基本信息的基础上,凝练出作者的写作意图!所以考生必须鸟瞰全局,抓住核心要素:Natalie虽然只有14岁,但通过自己的网站帮助了很多受灾人并重建家园。这就与A选项的“小人物也可大贡献”相吻合!故选A项。
(C)本文是一篇说明文,介绍了导致加利福尼亚秃鹰面临灭绝的两大原因:被电线电死与铅中毒。科学家们针对性地采取措施,并取得了良性效果。
63. D 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼attract researchers可知信息点在第一段,即引起研究者们对秃鹰兴趣的原因,就是秃鹰面临灭绝的境地。故选D项。
64. B 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼electrical lines可知信息点在第三段,而且原文的kill off与B项中的big killers相吻合。故选B项。
65. D 推理判断题。由题干中的题眼Paragraph 5可知信息点在第五段,即铅中毒对秃鹰产生了什么影响。A选项的意思是“令秃鹰太焦虑而不能飞翔”,这是望文生义。B选项的意思是“对秃鹰的肾的影响很小”,这与原文kidney failures相反。C选项的意思是“几乎无法从秃鹰的血液中清除”,这与原文removes lead from the blood over several days相反。而D选项与原文This affects their ability to produce baby birds意思相近。故选D项。
(D)本文是一篇议论文,论述了“讲人闲话”的三个作用:伤害他人、得到满足感、在群体内产生社交压力,并得出了“三思而后讲闲话”的结论。
66. A 推理判断题。文章开头引用了一个对话,目的就是引出本文的话题gossip。故选A项。
67. D 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼negative effect可知信息点在第四段。原文An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person 明确阐述了讲人闲话会伤害到人,即与D选项相吻合。A选项“使人断绝关系”貌似正确,但原文并未提及。B选项是把原文信息胡乱拼接。C选项并不是负面作用。故选D项。
68. A 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼like to gossip可知信息点在第五段。原文明确说了讲人闲话会给人以满足感、归属感甚至优越感,这与A选项“给人快乐”是相吻合的。故选A项。
69. B 细节理解题。由题干中的题眼Professor David可知信息点在第六段。从原文的gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group和The dos and donts这两处信息可知,在一个群体内,分享闲话的同时,他们会尽力避开被讲闲话的嫌疑行为。也就是说,他们会注意自己的言行举止,以免被人说闲话;这与B选项恰恰吻合!故选B项。
70. D 主旨大意题。作者论述了“讲人闲话”的三个作用,在最后一段点明了自己的结论:但凡想讲人闲话之前,要三思!故选D项。
责任编辑 蒋小青