AmandaClementgrewupinHudson,So-优题课

第三部分阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
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。
People enjoy taking trips．But what are the reasons they leave home? One reason is for education．People travel because they want to broaden their horizons to learn about other people and other places．They are curious about other cultures．When people are tourists, they get a quick look at different ways of living．Even a short look at another kind of lifestyle is an important lesson．On a trip, a person can learn directly by visiting museums and historic spots．What does a tourist learn who sees the art museums, visits the historical places and other scenic spots in Paris and shops along the River Seine? He gets a vivid picture, a real life of one of the French people．He learns about their attitudes, how they feel about business; beauty and history．What about the tourist who goes to Hong Kong? Does he get the same information that he could get from a book? He might read that Hong Kong is crowded, that there is less than 200 square meters of space for each person．But seeing and feeling the lack of space will impress him much more．He might read that there are nearly 200 vehicles for every kilometer of roadway．But the sight of so many vehicles parked along the roadside would be a much more vivid lesson．The tourist to Hong Kong will never forget the contrasts: the straight vertical lines of tall modern buildings and the moving lines of boats that people live in.
1．Why do people leave home to travel according to passage?
A．For education. B．For adventure.
C．To enjoy themselves. D．To look for a different lifestyle.
2．What do we learn from the passage about Paris?
A．It has a dense population.
B．It has many towering buildings.
C．There are 200 vehicles for every kilometer of roadway.
D．There are many museums and palaces.
3．What impression will a tourist get of Hong Kong?
A．It has many big and beautiful parks.
B．It is a city of contrasts.
C．It possesses many historical sites.
D．It is an important industrial center.
4．What does the passage tell us about traveling?
A．It makes our life more interesting.
B．It enables us to get first-hand knowledge.
C．It helps develop our personalities.
D．It brings about changes in our lifestyle.

Do you know about a series of books that say they are “for dummies”? These American self-help books have been translated into more than thirty-nine languages including Chinese, Arabic, Russian, French, German, Greek and Spanish.
“Dummy” is a word for a stupid person. The dummies books are not really for stupid people. They are designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before, like painting a house or learning a language. The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies, such as World History for Dummies, Rabbits for Dummies, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Wedding Planning for Dummies. The first such book, DOS for Dummies, was published in 1991. It helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computers. Since then, more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been sold.
The dummies. com website explains the idea behind the books. It says that they show that people can be taught to do anything. First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand. Then they show how the information can be interesting and easy. The publishers say that the books do not provide more information than necessary. They give readers just enough information to do what they want. They say that the dummies books give the best and easiest way to do something. And the books use simple and easy language.
There are more than one thousand different dummies books. A report in New York Times says that the top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance.
The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need---like information about diseases, education and cooking. People interested in opera, car repair and wine can also find dummies books to help them. And there are even more dummies books to come. The publishers say that they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year.
1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Books for Dummies
B. The Easiest, the Best
C. Books for Stupid People
D. New Ideas Behind the Books
2. The dummies books have been popular because ______.
A. they provide enough information on the concerning subject
B. they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand
C. people can learn to do anything with just one copy
D. people can save lots of money through self-teaching
3. According to New York Times, we know that books on ____ sell best.
A. diseases and education
B. opera and car repairing
C. technology and personal finance
D. cooking and world history
4. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The first dummies book was on Chinese cooking.
B. The simple language was intended for child readers
C. Fifty million different dummies books have been published.
D. The dummies books will continue to be popular.

Believe it or not, optical illusion(错觉) can cut highway crashes.
Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. But stripes, called chevrons(人字形), which are painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.
Now the American Automobile Association Foundation(基金会) for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
Excessive (too great) speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all serious traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related danger are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can cut the average speed of drivers in half at the beginning. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.
1. On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ______.
A. they should avoid speed-related hazards
B. they are driving in the wrong lane
C. they should slow down their speed
D. they are coming near to the speed limit
2. The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ______.
A. can keep drivers awake
B. can cut road accidents in half
C. will look more attractive
D. will have a longer effect on drivers
3. The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________.
A. try out the Japanese method in certain areas
B. change the road signs across the country
C. replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons
D. repeat the Japanese road patterns
4. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A. a new way of highway speed control
B. a new pattern for painting highways
C. a new way of training drivers
D. a new type of optical illusion

The USA, New York —Whales and dolphins are facing increasing threats from climate change, according to a new report published by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society（WDCS）.
The report “Whales in hot water?” draws attention to the growing impacts of climate change on whales. They range from changes in sea temperature and the freshening of the seawater because of the melting of ice and increased rainfalls, to a sea level rise, loss of icy polar habitats and the decline of krill populations in key areas. Krill, a tiny shrimp that is dependent on sea ice, is the main source of food for many of the great whales.
The speeding up of climate change adds greatly to trouble from other human activities, such as chemical and noise pollution, which kills some 1000 whales every day.
“Whales and dolphins have an ability to adapt to their changing environment,” said Mark Simmonds, International Director of Science at WDCS. “But the climate is now changing at such a fast pace that it is unclear to what extent whales and dolphins will be able to adjust.”
Climate change impacts are currently greatest in the Arctic and the Antarctic. According to the report, cetaceans that rely on polar, icy waters for their home and food resources are likely to be greatly affected by the reduction of sea ice cover.
WDCS and WWF are urging governments to cut global production of CO2 by at least 50 percent by the middle of this century. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed it was possible to stop global warming if the world’s emissions start to decline before 2015.
1. From the passage, we can learn that whales mainly feed on ______.
A. dolphins B.krill C. sea horses D. sharks
2. Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined word “decline” (in Para 2)?
A. produce B. develop C. fall D. increase
3. In what place is climate change greatest?
A. Two polar areas. B. Asia.
C. The pacific ocean. D. Equator.
4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. Climate change will lead to the changes in sea temperature.
B. Climate change will result in the freshening of the sea water.
C. Climate change will have a bad effect on human activities and whales.
D. Human beings will forever have no ability to stop global warming

Five million people visit Grand Canyon in the US every year. For the purpose of helping protect Grand Canyon for your fellow visitors and future generations, please follow the guidelines below.
Camping
To protect the park, camping is allowed only within permitted campgrounds. Permits are required for overnight camping at the North Rim. Advance booking can be received by mail. Please write: Information Center, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
Fires
Because of the extreme fire danger, campfires are not allowed except at Mather and Desert View campgrounds. Collection of firewood is not allowed either.
Hiking
Please stay on permitted paths. Otherwise you may destroy desert plants. Pack out what you pack in, so you leave no signs of your visit. It is important to keep in mind that you are in a national park where wildlife exists.
Weather
The weather at Grand Canyon can change very quickly. With so much rock, lightning causes a particular danger during sudden summer storms. These storms also frequently bring floods inside valleys, a danger to hikers. Watch the skies and check daily weather reports.
Wildlife
Do not feed park wildlife. There have been a few cases at Grand Canyon National Park where deer were purposely shot because they ate plastic bags that left them sick and weak. Hungry deer can be a danger and have kicked and bitten visitors at Grand Canyon. Some other animals will also beg and bite. For your own safety and the well-being of the animals, please do not feed wildlife, no matter how gentle they may appear.
1. What can you do first if you want to go camping?
A. Book campgrounds in advance.
B. Know the permitted paths.
C. Make sure not to make a fire.
D. Stop at Mather and Desert View.
2. What do the underlined words “Pack out what you pack in” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. keep everything out of campgrounds
B. look after your personal belongings
C. carry all the necessary food
D. take away everything you bring in
3. Why were some deer killed on purpose at Grand Canyon?
A. They begged food from visitors.
B. They were a danger to other gentle animals.
C. They ate wrong things and became very ill.
D. They kicked and bit visitors.
4. What is the main purpose of the text?
A.To report some recent news.
B. To provide travel information.
C. To teach tourists hiking skills.
D. To introduce the wildlife.