阅读理解
阅读下列四篇短文,从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
“Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves,” he said. Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity. Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The wind starts out by making little ripples(涟漪), but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.” When waves come toward the shore, people can set up dams to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮机). The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity.
“The resource is huge,” said Janet Swain of the World Watch Institute. “We will never run out of wave power.” Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal. Oceans cover three quarters of the Earth’s surface—that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.
Swain said that wave power still costs too much money. She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown. What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic. Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out. “Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world,” Swain said. In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to .
A.test the readers’ knowledge about waves |
B.draw the readers’ attention to the topic |
C.show Jamie Taylor’s importance |
D.invite the readers to answer them |
The underlined phrase “picking up” is closest in meaning to .
A.starting again | B.speeding up |
C.improving | D.gathering |
We can make better use of wave energy if we .
A.shorten its journey to thousands of homes |
B.build more small power stations on the oceans |
C.reduce the cost of turning it into electric power |
D.quicken the steps of producing electricity |
It can be inferred that someday we might not worry about .
A.our power supply |
B.our boat traffic |
C.air pollution |
D.our supply of sea fish |
Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as Mumbet or Mum Bett.
For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashleys wife tried to strike Mumbets sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious(狂怒的), she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued(起诉) for her freedom.
While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution.
Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants(后裔). One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights.
Mumbets tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal.What do we know about Mumbet according to Paragraph 1?
A.She was born a slave |
B.She was a slaveholder |
C.She had a famous sister |
D.She was born into a rich family |
What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new consititution?
A.She should always obey her owners’ orders |
B.How to apply for a job |
C.How to be a good servant |
D.She should be as free and equal as whites |
What did Mumbet do after the trial?
A.She chose to work for a lawyer |
B.She found the NAACP |
C.She continued to serve the Ashleys |
D.She went to live with her grandchildren |
What is the test mainly about?
A.A story of a famous writer and spokesperson |
B.The friendship between a lawyer and a slave |
C.A trial that shocked the whole world |
D.The life of a brave African American woman |
When I was 13, my bedroom walls were covered with posters of the Monkees and Beatles. I wrote fan letters and daydreamed about meeting the objects of my affections. I begged my parents to attend every rock concert and watch every TV show featuring my favorite celebrities (名人) ; my friends and I discussed for hours all the things we would say and do when we met our favorite movie stars and pop singers. I drove my mother crazy! But after a few years, my obsession (迷恋) stars faded as I matured and gained the confidence to socialize with "real" boys.
In the 35 years since I was a teenager, celebrity worship (崇拜) has increased among teens due to the explosion of television celebrity gossip shows, and instant access to celebrity news on the Internet. It's no wonder that many teens are obsessed with stars when news programs often are filled with entertainment stories and the lives of celebrities.
Celebrity worship syndrome (综合征) is now considered a personality disorder. While it is normal for teenagers to follow the lives of their favorite stars, parents should try to monitor everything their child finds interesting. Parents should take action if they suspect a teen is too obsessed with celebrities and showing little interest in school or withdrawing from the family. When teens talk a lot about celebrities and view them as just means of entertainment, this is considered normal celebrity worship. However, when a teenager is obsessed with a star and often expresses a desire to have a close personal relationship with a celebrity or feels they have a special connection to a star, this may be the time for concern.
Recent studies have shown that teens who develop an unhealthy obsession with celebrities often suffer from low self confidence and depression. Teens who are overly obsessed with stars often have damaged relationships with their parents.We learn from the second paragraph that ____.
A.teens today are not so obsessed with celebrities |
B.the author is surprised at celebrity worship |
C.the media greatly contributes to celebrity worship today |
D.celebrities expose their lives too much |
Parents should become concerned when their children ____.
A.talk a lot about celebrities with others |
B.put up celebrity posters in their bedrooms |
C.ask to go to their favorite star's concert |
D.desire a close personal relationship with their favorite star |
The last paragraph implies that ____.
A.parents should not care too much about a child's celebrity worship |
B.children can normally get out of celebrity worship when they are older |
C.children with celebrity worship usually have high opinion of themselves |
D.celebrity worship syndrome can be a serious problem if left overlooked |
What is most likely to be talked about in the paragraph following the passage?
A.The harm of celebrity worship syndrome. |
B.What to do with children's celebrity worship syndrome. |
C.More signs of celebrity worship syndrome. |
D.Who will suffer most from celebrity worship syndrome. |
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
A.take photos |
B.cheer herself up |
C.hop along the path |
D.find a solution to the project |
The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________".
A.uninteresting | B.unrelated |
C.unsuccessful | D.unexpected |
In the author's opinion, __________.
A.a bath can make people relaxed |
B.adults should express their inner feelings freely |
C.walking in a busy city centre harms people's health |
D.depression is usually caused by hard work |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
A. suggestion | B.explanation |
C.introduction | D.reminder |
Are you nervous about climbing because you think it’s too dangerous? Do you feel you’re not fit enough to climb? Do you know how to start climbing?
Let’s consider the idea that climbing is dangerous. Being afraid is natural, but if you use suitable ropes and other climbing equipments you will feel completely safe. Climbers are usually very careful because they know what they are doing is dangerous. Accidents happen, but when they do, they tend to attract a lot of publicity. As a result, people think there are many more accidents than there are in reality.
You cannot expect to start climbing straight away. Climbing is a challenge and challenges take time. It is necessary first of all that you achieve a good level of fitness. Begin as soon as you become interested in climbing—go to the gym, go swimming, take up jogging and continue to do so throughout your training period.
Discover as much as you can about climbing. Visit the library and find books especially for beginners or buy climbing magazines and look for articles which describe your situation. Look up information on the Internet. Find out about equipment, methods and places to go.
Next, take a course on a climbing wall. There are plenty of climbing walls all over the country which have trained and qualified people as instructors. Call your local leisure centre to find out if there is one in your area. These training sessions are a quick way to get experience and you are likely to meet other beginners. After this, you can do an outside course or join a club where you can meet climbers of all abilities and eventually join in group-climbing events.
At first you may not understand the importance of a good training period, but after you have completed your first climb and you are standing safely at the top of a rock feeling thrilled, then you will know it was the right thing to do.The article is written by ______.
A.a doctor | B.an experienced climber |
C.a beginner | D.a fitness instructor |
The writer thinks a new climber should ______.
A.begin by becoming fit |
B.be aware of the causes of the accidents |
C.have the courage to meet the challenges |
D.do enough sports to get interested in climbing |
By climbing walls you can ______.
A.join a club you like |
B.become qualified instructors |
C.gain controlled experience |
D.take part in group-climbing events |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably means ______.
A.the climb | B.the training |
C.the equipment | D.the achievement |
In a class this past December, after I wrote some directions on the board for students about their final examination, one young woman quickly took a picture of the board using her smart phone. When I looked in her direction, she apologized: “Sorry. Was it wrong to take a picture?”
“I can’t read my own handwriting,”the young woman explained. “It’s best if I take a picture of your writing so I can understand the notes.”
That remark started a class-wide conversation about taking a picture instead of taking notes. For those in the photo-taking camp, motivations extended beyond their inability to comprehend their own handwriting. Some took pictures of notes because they knew their phone was a safe place to store material. They might lose paper, they reasoned, but they wouldn’t lose their phones. Some took photos because they wanted to record exactly the manner in which I had noted information on the board. Others told me that during class they liked to be able to listen to the discussion attentively.
Yet the use of cameras as note takers, though it may be convenient, does raise significant questions for the classroom. Is a picture an effective replacement for the process of note-taking?
Instructors encourage students to take notes because the act of doing so is more than merely recording necessary information—it helps prepare the way for understanding. Encouraging students to take notes may be an old-fashioned instructional method, but just because a method has a long history doesn’t mean it’s out of date. Writing things down engages a student’s brain in listening, visual, and kinesthetic(触觉的)learning—a view supported by a longstanding research. The act of writing down information enables a person to begin committing it to memory, and to process and combine it, establishing the building blocks of learning new concepts.
Taking a picture does indeed record the information, but it deletes some of the necessary mental engagement that taking notes employs. So can the two be equally effective?
I’m not sure how to measure the effectiveness of either method. For now, I allow students to take notes however they see fit—handwritten or photographed—because I figure that some notes, no matter the method of note-taking, are better than none.The woman apologized in the class because she____.
A.took a picture of the board |
B.missed the teachers’ directions |
C.had the bad handwriting |
D.disturbed other students’ learning |
Students refuse to take notes by hand because_____.
A.they are unable to take notes |
B.they are more likely to lose notes |
C.they are interested in using their phones |
D.they have a good memory of teachers’ instructions |
According to the passage, taking notes by hand_______.
A.requires students to think independently |
B.is unsuitable for students to learn new ideas |
C.helps students actively participate in learning |
D.proves to be an old and useless learning method |
What’s the author’s opinion towards taking notes by phones?
A.Supportive. | B.Neutral. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Disapproving. |