2012高考英语冲刺阅读理解专项 50-33
A
A child who has once been pleased with a tale likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.
A charge made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises (出现) from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.
There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two - headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar (奇怪的) that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl -friend.
No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.
1. The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when it is ______.
A. repeated without any change???? B. treated as a joke
C. made some changes by the parent?? D. set in the present
答案解析：答案为C。本题为细节推理题。 由第一段的 “It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.”可知，作者认为如果父母讲神话故事结合小孩所在的真实时间情况，而不仅仅是从故事书上读故事，效果更好。故答案为C，即父母如果对神话故事作一些变化，更有效。解答此题要注意同一意思的不同表达。
2. According to the passage, great fear can take place in a child when the story is _______.
A. in a realistic setting??? B. heard for the first time
C. repeated too often??? D. told in a different way
答案解析：答案为B。本题为细节题。由第二段 “As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises from the child having heard the story once.”可知，作者认为如果故事只讲了一遍，小孩会产生恐惧感。故答案为B。
3.The advantage claimed (提出) for repeating fairy stories to young children is that it _______.
A. makes them less fearful
B. develops their power of memory
C. makes them believe there is nothing to be afraid of
D. encourages them not to have strange beliefs
答案解析：答案为A。本题为细节推理题。由第二段的最后一句话 “Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.”可知，作者认为不断的重复故事可以让小孩变得熟悉(familiarity)故事, 这样恐惧的痛苦（pain of fear） 就会变成恐惧的快乐（pleasure of a fear），故答案为A。B，D在文章中未提及；C选项 “让小孩相信没有什么可害怕的” 意思与此不符，且此答案显得绝对。
4. The author’s mention of sticks and telephones is meant to suggest that ______.
A. fairy stories are still being made up
B. there is some misunderstanding about fairy tales
C. people try to modernize old fairy stories
D. there is more concern for children's fears nowadays
答案解析：答案为B。本题为推断题。从第三段 “…If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl -friend.” 和第四段 “No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.” 可知，作者的观点是神话故事不是对现实世界的描述，没有哪个聪明的小孩相信它们是真的。故答案为B，作者用sticks and telephones 来证明一些人对神话故事存在误解。
5. One of the reasons why some people are not in favor of fairy tales is that _______.
A. they are full of imagination
B. they just make up the stories which are far from the truth
C. they are not interesting
D. they make teachers of history difficult to teach
答案解析：答案为B。本题为细节题。从第三段的首句 “There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two - headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist…”可知，也有人反对神话故事是因为它们不是客观真实的，故答案为B。解答此题同样要注意同义句的转换， “not in favor of”与object to 同义；”not objectively true” 与 “far from the truth”同义。
B
With the possible exception of equal rights, perhaps the most heated argument across the United States today is the death penalty (死刑). Many argue that it is an effective deterrent (威慑) to murder, while others think there is no enough proof that the death penalty reduces the number of murders.
The argument advanced by those opposed （反对） to the death penalty is that it is cruel and inhuman punishment, that it is tile mark of a bad society and finally that it is of questionable effectiveness as a deterrent to crime (罪行) anyway.
In our opinion, the death penalty is a necessary action. Throughout recorded history there have always been those peculiar persons in every society who made terrible crimes such as murder. But some are more dangerous than others.
For example, it is one thing to take the life of another in time of blind anger, but quite another to coldly plan and carry out the murder of one or more people in the style of a butcher. Thus, murder, like all other crimes, is a matter of different degree. While it could be argued with some reason that the criminal in the first instance should be merely kept from society, such should not be the fate of the latter type murderer.
The value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime may be open to discussion. But the majority of people believe that the death penalty protects them. Their belief is proved by the fact that the death penalty prevents murder. For example, from 1954 to 1963, when the death penalty was carried out from time to time in California, the murder rate remained between three and four murders for each 100, 000 population. Since 1964 the death penalty has been done only once, and the murder rate has risen to10.4 murders for each 100, 000 population. The sharp climb in the state's murder rate, which began when killings stopped, does not happen by chance. It certainly shows that the death penalty does deter many murderers. If the law about death penalty is vetoed (否决), some people will be murdered- some whose lives may have been saved if the death penalty were in effect. This is really a life or death matter. The lives of thousands of people must be protected.
1. The main purpose of this passage is to _____.
A. speak for the majority???
B. support a veto
C. speak ill of the government???
D. argue for the value of the death penalty
答案解析：答案为D。本题为文章的主旨大意题。由第一段的 “Many argue that …, while others think ...”和最后一段的首句 “The value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime may be open to discussion.”可知，本文讨论死刑的价值。
2. Which of the following is among the heated arguments across the USA besides death penalty?
A. Air pollution. B. The war against Iraq.
C. Equal rights. D. Election of president.
答案解析：答案为C。本题为细节题。从第一段的首句 “With the possible exception of equal rights, perhaps the most heated argument across the United States today is the death penalty (死刑).” 可知，除了人权问题，在美国讨论最热烈的问题是死刑。
3. The numbers in the last paragraph show that ______.
A. if they stick to death penalty, the number of murders will be reduced
B. death penalty almost stopped from 1954 to 1963
C. the population of California has risen
D. death penalty is of little value
答案解析：答案为A。本题为推理题。从最后一段的第二句 “But the majority of people believe that the death penalty protects them.” 和最后三句 “If the law about death penalty is vetoed (否决), some people will be murdered- some whose lives may have been saved if the death penalty were in effect. This is really a life or death matter. The lives of thousands of people must be protected.”都是在强调死刑可以保护人的生命，故答案为A, 如果国家坚持死刑，谋杀案件的数目会减少。
由本段的第四句话 “For example, from 1954 to 1963, when the death penalty was carried out from time to time in California…” 可知，1954年到1963年期间，死刑时不时地在California执行，并不是废除了，故选项B错误。C选项在文中未提及，D选项与本段的中心意思违背。
4. It can be inferred that the writer thinks that ______.
A. the death penalty is the most important problem in the United States today
B. the second type of murderers (in Paragraph 4) should be sentenced to death
C. the veto of the law about death penalty is of little importance
D. the value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime is not to be discussed
答案解析：答案为B。本题为推理题。细读第四段， 由“it is one thing … blind anger, but quite another to coldly plan …in the style of a butcher. Thus, murder… is a matter of different degree. While it could be argued with some reason that the criminal in the first instance should be merely kept from society, such should not be the fate of the latter type murderer.”可知，作者认为谋杀分为 “blind anger （盲目的愤怒）” 和 “coldly plan …in the style of a butcher （冷酷的屠夫式的谋杀），谋杀的程度不一样，如果是第一种就仅仅让谋杀者与社会隔离即可，而不是后一种谋杀者的命运，言外之意就是后一种谋杀应该判死刑。故答案为B。
结合前面几题的分析，第一段作者认为除了人权问题，在美国讨论最热烈的问题是死刑。故选项A错误。从最后一段倒数第三句话 “If the law about death penalty is vetoed, some people will be murdered- some whose lives may have been saved if the death penalty were in effect.” 可知，如果死刑被否决，一些本可以挽救的生命就会被谋杀，可见死刑的否决对保护人的生命有着重要的意义，C选项的意思与此相反，故错误。D选项与最后一段的首句 “The value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime may be open to discussion.” 表达相反，故错误。
2012高考英语冲刺阅读理解专项 50-31
A
Everybody is happy as his pay rises. Yet pleasure at your own can disappear if you learn that a fellow worker has been given a bigger one. Indeed, if he is known as being lazy, you might even be quite cross. Such behavior is regarded as “all too human”, with the underlying belief that other animals would not be able to have this finely developed sense of sadness. But a study by Sarah Brosnan of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, which has just been published in Nature, suggests that it is all too monkey, as well. ??? The researchers studied the behaviors of some kind of female brown monkeys. They look smart. They are good-natured, co-operative creatures, and they share their food happily. Above all, like female human beings, they tend to pay much closer attention to the value of “goods and services” than males. ??? Such characteristics make them perfect subjects for Doctor Brosnan’s study. The researchers spent two years teaching their monkeys to exchange tokens (奖券) for food. Normally, the monkeys were happy enough to exchange pieces of rock for pieces of cucumber. However, when two monkeys were placed in separate and connected rooms, so that each other could observe what the other is getting in return for its rock, they became quite different. In the world of monkeys，grapes are excellent goods (and much preferable to cucumbers). So when one monkey was handed a grape in exchange for her token, the second was not willing to hand hers over for a mere piece of cucumber. And if one received a grape without having to provide her token in exchange at all, the other either shook her own token at the researcher, or refused to accept the cucumber. Indeed, the mere presence of a grape in the other room (without an actual monkey to eat it) was enough to bring about dissatisfaction in a female monkey.
The researches suggest that these monkeys, like humans, are guided by social senses. In the wild, they are co-operative and group-living. Such co-operation is likely to be firm only when each animal feels it is not being cheated. Feelings of anger when unfairly treated, it seems, are not the nature of human beings alone. Refusing a smaller reward completely makes these feelings clear to other animals of the group. However, whether such a sense of fairness developed independently in monkeys and humans, or whether it comes from the common roots that they had 35 million years ago, is, as yet, an unanswered question.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true? ? A. Only monkeys and humans can have the sense of fairness in the world. ? B. Women will show more dissatisfaction than men when unfairly treated. ???C. In the wild, monkeys are never unhappy to share their food with each other. ???D. Monkeys can exchange cucumbers for grapes, for grapes are more attractive.
答案解析：答案为B。本题为推断题，考生需通读全文进行推断。本文讲述了当受到不公平待遇的时候，每个人都会生气，包括动物。但是雌性的动物比雄性的动物更加在意不公平的待遇，研究中用猴子作为实验来证明这一点。文章中第二段 “Above all, like female human beings, they tend to pay much closer attention to the value of “goods and services” than males.” 与第三段 “Such characteristics make them perfect subjects for Doctor Brosnan’s study.” 都有此表达，故答案为B “当受到不公平待遇的时候，女性比男性更加不满”。 从最后一段 “Refusing a smaller reward completely makes these feelings clear to other animals of the group. However, whether such a sense of fairness developed independently in monkeys and humans, or whether it comes from the common roots that they had 35 million years ago, is, as yet, an unanswered question.”中可知，independently (独立)对应A选项中的only，whether…or…an unanswered question（是否…或者…未知的问题）的表达方式与A选项的意思 “只有猴子与人类才具有公平意识” 不同，故A选项是错误的。
从第三段 “Normally, the monkeys were happy enough to exchange pieces of rock for pieces of cucumber. However, when two monkeys were placed in separate and connected rooms, so that each other could observe what the other is getting in return for its rock, they became quite different.”可知，猴子乐意用石块交换黄瓜，但是当看到另外一只猴子因为石块得到的回报，态度就不一样了。因此C选项 “猴子从不会不高兴彼此分享食物” 与该句意思不符。
从第四段首句 “In the world of monkeys，grapes are excellent goods (and much preferable to cucumbers).” 中注意 “excellent (极好的)” 与 “ preferable(更好的)” 两词，与D选项 “for grapes are more attractive（更具有吸引力的）” 意思不一致。综上分析，A, C, D都不符合文章意思。
2. The underlined statement “it is all too monkey” means that ________. ??? A. monkeys are also angry with lazy fellows ??? B. feeling bitter at unfairness is also monkey’s nature ??? C. monkeys, like humans, tend to be envious of each other ??? D. no animals other than monkeys can develop such feelings
答案解析：答案为B。本题为句意推断题。结合文章第一段中 “all too human”前面的内容是说当得知别人懒惰却加薪更多的时候，人人都会生气，这是人的本能。接下来提到的 “it is all too monkey” 也是表达 “猴子受到不公平待遇的时候感到痛苦也是猴子的本能。”的意思。故答案为B。A选项 “猴子对懒惰的同伴也会生气”, C选项 “猴子像人类一样会彼此嫉妒”, D选项 “除了猴子没有其他的动物会有那种感觉” 都与文章意思不符。
3. Female monkeys of this kind are chosen for the research most probably because they are ___ . ??? A. more likely to weigh what they get ??? B. attentive to researchers’ instructions ??? C. nice in both appearance and behaviors ????D. more ready to help others than their male companions
答案解析：答案为A。本题为细节推理题。从文章中第二段 “Above all, like female human beings, they tend to pay much closer attention to the value of “goods and services” than males.” 与第三段 “Such characteristics make them perfect subjects for Doctor Brosnan’s study.” 可知，雌性的猴子作为实验是因为她们比雄性的猴子更加关注 “物品与服务” 的价值。A选项 “她们更有可能掂量（weigh）她们得到的”, 与上述分析意思一致，故答案为A。B和D在文章中都未提到；C并不是根本的原因。
4. Which of the following conclusions is TRUE according to the passage? ??? A. Human beings' feelings of anger are developed from the monkeys. ??? B. In the research, male monkeys are less likely to exchange food with others. ??? C. Co-operation between monkeys stays firm before the realization of being cheated. ??? D. Only monkeys and humans have the sense of fairness which dates back to 35 million years ago.
答案解析：答案为C。本题为细节理解题。从文章最后一段 “Such co-operation is likely to be firm only when each animal feels it is not being cheated.” 可知，只有当每个动物感觉没有被欺骗的时候合作的态度才是坚定的”, C选项的意思 “意识到被欺骗之前猴子之间的合作非常坚定” 与上述分析一致。解答此题注意同义句的转换表达。A, B, D 与文章意思不符合。
5. What can we infer about the monkeys in Sarah’s study? ? A. The monkeys can be trained to develop social senses. ? ?B. They usually show their feelings openly as humans do.
C. The monkeys may show their satisfaction with equal treatment. ?? D. Co-operation among the monkeys remains effective in the wild.
答案解析：答案为C。本题为推断题。文章中说，猴子受到不公平待遇的时候会生气，这句话的意思就是C选项的表达 “猴子受到公平待遇的时候会满意”，故答案为C。解答此题仍然要注意推理题设置的技巧：用不同的表达方式来表达同样的意思。
从文章最后一段 “The researches suggest that these monkeys, like humans, are guided by social senses. In the wild, they are co-operative and group-living.” 可知，猴子自身就有社会意识，而不是通过训练获得，故A错误。B，D在文章中未提及。
B
The amount of time children spend in institutional care（机构式照顾）may affect how their brains develop. That’s the conclusion of a new study carried out by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Harvard Medical School and the University of Minnesota. The study is published in Child Development in the journal’s January/ February 2010 issue.
To learn how the lack of care and material needs that institutionalized children often experience affect brain development, the researchers looked at 132 8- and 9-year-olds. Some of them were adopted into U.S. homes after spending at least a year and three quarters of their lives in institutions in Asia, Latin America, Russia and Eastern Europe, and Africa. Others were adopted by the time they were 8 months old into U.S. homes from foster care（寄养）in Asia and Latin America; most of these children had spent no time in institutional care, while some had spent a month or two in institutions prior to foster placement. On average, the internationally adopted children had been living with their families for more than 6 years. These children were compared to a group of American children raised in their birth families.
Children adopted early from foster care didn't differ from children raised in their birth families in the United States. Children adopted from institutional care performed worse than those raised in families on tests measuring visual memory and attention, learning visual information, and impulse （冲动）control. Yet these children performed at developmentally appropriate levels on tests involving sequencing and planning.
The take-home message: Children make tremendous advances in cognitive（认知的） functioning once they reach their adoptive families, but the early impact on their brains' development is difficult to change completely.
"We identified basic learning processes that are affected by early institutionalization," notes Seth Pollak, professor of psychology and pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, who was the study's lead author. "Policies that speed the time in which children can be removed from institutionalized care so they can develop within family contexts should be implemented to decrease the likelihood of learning problems later in children's lives."
1. The passage is mainly written to .
A. compare two childcare systems B. criticize the institutional childcare
C. present a new research finding D. introduce the basic learning process
答案解析：答案为C。本题为主旨大意题。本文运用了总----分----总的写作风格。注意文章第一段 “The amount of time children spend in institutional caremay affect how their brains develop.” 意为 “儿童受到机构式照顾的时间长短或许会影响大脑发育”，和最后一段"Policies that speed the time in which children can be removed from institutionalized care so they can develop within family contexts should be implemented to decrease the likelihood of learning problems later in children's lives." 可知，儿童应摆脱机构式照顾，而应在家庭环境下培养，从而降低他们以后有学习障碍的可能性” ，因此，文章主旨是在陈述一种新的发现。A，B，D都不是文章的主旨。
2. Children have their brain development affected in institutional care because .
A. they suffer form poor living conditions
B. they spend too much time learning
C. they don’t have freedom staying there
D. they are neither physically nor mentally satisfied
答案解析：答案为D。本题为细节推断题。从文章第二段首句 “To learn how the lack of care and material needs that institutionalized children often experience affect brain development,…”可知， 句中“care（照顾）” 对应D选项的 “mentally（精神地）”, “material needs（物质需求）” 对应D选项的 “physically（身体地）”, 故答案为D。
3．Compared with home-raised children, institutionalized children didn’t do as well in tasks like .
A. thinking in pictures and self-control
B. working in teams and self-expression
C. putting things in order and self-defense
D. adapting to the environment and self-panning.
答案解析：答案为A。本题为细节题。从文章的第三段 “Children adopted from institutional care performed worse than those raised in families on tests measuring visual memory and attention, learning visual information, and impulse control.” 可知，机构式照顾下的儿童比家庭环境下培养的儿童在视觉记忆、注意力、视觉信息和冲动控制上表现要差”, 故答案A “ 思考图片和自我控制” 意思符合文章的内容。
4．It can be concluded form the passage that .
A. the United States is a good place for children’s all-round development
B. a perfect family is beneficial to children’s all-round development
C. children in institutional care can hardly achieve anything great
D. nothing has been done to help children in institutional care
答案解析：答案为B。本题为主旨推断题。结合第一题，本文是在陈述一种观点，即：受到机构式照顾的儿童大脑发育会受到影响， 他们应在家庭环境下培养。A选项未提及；C、D选项太绝对。故答案为B。
2012高考英语冲刺阅读理解专项 50-32
A
Banks view online banking as a powerful “value-added” tool to attract and keep new customers while helping to eliminate costly paper handling or teller（出纳员）interactions in an increasingly competitive banking environment.
Today, most large national banks, many local banks and credit unions offer some form of online banking, variously known as PC banking, home banking, electronic banking or Internet banking. Online banks are sometimes referred to as “brick-to-click” banks, both to tell them from “brick-to-mortar” banks that haven’t yet offered online banking, as well as from “virtual”（虚拟）banks that have no physical branches or tellers whatsoever.
The challenge for the banking industry has been to design this new service channel in such a way that its customers will readily learn to use and trust it. Most of the large banks can now offer fully safe , fully functional（功能的）online banking for free or for a small cost. As more banks succeed online and more customers use their sites, fully functional online banking will likely become as commonplace as automated teller machines (ATM).
Online banking has a lot of advantages. Unlike your corner bank, online banking sites never close; they’re at hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they’re a mouse click away. If you’re out of state or even out of the country when a money problem appears, you can log on instantly to your online bank and take care of business. Online bank sites generally carry out and confirm （确认）deals at or quicker than ATM processing speeds. Many online banking sites now offer fashionable tools to help you manage all of your valuable items more effectively.
1. The word “eliminate” in the first paragraph probably means “ ”.
A. keep B. remove C. reduce D. improve
答案解析：答案为B。本题为词义推断题。结合该词在第一段的前后文，银行认为网上银行是一种强大的增值工具, 可以用它来吸引和维护新的客户，同时也可以帮助 “to eliminate costly paper handling or …”，此处costly意为 “昂贵的，代价高的”, 由此可知，eliminate 意为 “去除” 。故选B。
2. What is the challenge for the banking industry according to the text?
A. To make online banking attractive. B. To open new services all over the world.
C. To offer online banking for free. D. To take care of business 24 hours a day.
答案解析：答案为A。本题为段落主旨题。第三段的首句为本段的中心句，提到了“The challenge for the banking industry…that its customers will readily learn to use and trust it.” 即银行业面对的挑战是让客户学习使用和信任这种新的服务，第三段后面的内容都是对中心句进行解释和说明。故答案为A，让网上银行变得具有吸引力。解答此题同样要注意同义句的转换。
3. From the text we can conclude that .
A. “brick-to-click” banks are in fact another kind of physical banks
B. the fun_ction of a “brick-to-click” bank is as common as that of an ATM
C. a “brick-to-mortar” bank is no better than a virtual one
D. customers can deal with their banking by a mouse click
答案解析：答案为D。本题为细节理解题。从第二段 “Online banks are sometimes referred to as “brick-to-click” banks, both to tell them from “brick-to-mortar” banks that haven’t yet offered online banking, as well as from “virtual”（虚拟）banks that have no physical branches or tellers whatsoever.”可知，网上银行有时候被称作是“brick-to-click” 银行，不同于没有网上银行业务的 “brick-to-mortar” 银行; 网上银行也是虚拟银行，没有实体的分行，故A不对；C选项中no better than 意为 “和 ... 一样不好”, 与文意不符。在第三段最后一句话 “… fully functional online banking will likely become as commonplace as automated teller machines (ATM).”中，注意 “will likely” , 故B选项不对。
通过分析知，网上银行被称作是 “brick-to-click” 银行, 可知D选项的意思 “顾客凭借鼠标就可以进行网上银行操作”与文意符合。故答案为D。
4. What would be the best title for this text?
A. Banking of Various Forms B. Improvement of Banking Industry
C. Development of Online Banking D. Functions of the “Brick-to-Click” Bank
答案解析：答案为C。本题考查文章的标题。本文都是在围绕网上银行展开，故答案为C。
B
Awareness Weeks （认知宣传周）have become a regular part of Britain’s cultural landscape over the past few years . They started back in 1957, when one charity （慈善机构）, Christian Aid, decided to make all its money-raising efforts on one time of year. It was thought that by doing this they would get more publicity for their cause.
They were right, and soon other charities and campaign （活动）groups followed them. These days , most donations（捐款）to charity are not collected on the streets. So instead of just asking for money, charities prefer to spend their time “raising awareness” —spreading knowledge of the work they do or the cause they support . They also compete with businesses and trade groups who use awareness weeks as marketing campaigns for their products.
There are now 500 awareness weeks held every year in the UK. No week goes by without one group or another trying to make the British public aware of something, with most held in May or October.
The danger with all these awareness weeks is that people start to become cynical(不信任). Take National Smile Week; it seems like a great idea. Let’s all make each other’s life a little bit happier with a friendly smile. But really it’s just a group of dentists and cosmetics companies trying to sell us toothpaste. It’s enough to make you want to start National Forget About It Week.
“People feel that many awareness campaigns are just marketing exercises,” says Ms Ormiston , who edits the Awareness Campaign Register, a news letter which encourages people who run Awareness Weeks to become more aware of each other . “But 90 per cent of campaigns are run by traditional charities or not for groups to make money.”
“There’s still no official group for awareness campaigns,” says Ms Ormiston. “People can do what they like, whatever the size of their budgets（经费）or their public relations machines allows .”
This situation has led to calls for laws to stop real charities having their efforts overshadowed by marketing campaigns. This could be done by making the two groups hold their weeks at different times or stopping businesses running imitation(模仿) charity campaigns.
But there is another way. Maybe it’s time for National Weak Awareness Week, especially for people whose awareness of Awareness Weeks is weak.
1. What’s the main purpose of awareness weeks run by charities in Britain?
A. To raise money for charities. B. To spread knowledge of charities.
C. To take up marketing campaigns. D. To advertise their goods for sale.
答案解析：答案为A。本题为细节题。从第一段第二句话 “…decided to make all its money-raising efforts on one time of year.”可知，答案为A。
2. Why do people start to become cynical about awareness weeks?
A. Too many awareness weeks make people feel bored.
B. People feel many awareness weeks are just for marketing exercises.
C. People have a weak awareness of awareness weeks.
D. Awareness weeks are held too often and too much money is raised.
答案解析：答案为B。本题为细节题。第四段中提到了人们开始对认知宣传周不满意，第五段中首句 “People feel that many awareness campaigns are just marketing exercises…”可知，答案为B。
3. What does Ms Ormiston think about awareness weeks?
A. Most of the awareness weeks should not be for making money.
B. Official groups should take the place of charities in awareness campaigns.
C. People can do what they like in awareness weeks.
D. People can get larger budgets through awareness campaigns.
答案解析：答案为A。本题为细节题。从第五段的最后一句话 ““But 90 per cent of campaigns are run by traditional charities or not for groups to make money.”可知，答案为A。在第六段中Ms Ormiston提到认知宣传活动没有正式的群体（no official group for awareness campaigns），因而人们可以做他们想做的，不考虑到活动经费或者公共关系机器所允许的范围。故B，C，D都与文意不符。
4. Which of the following is the right measure to be taken to solve the problems in awareness campaigns?
A. Laws should stop awareness weeks run by real charities.
B. There should be large public relations departments in awareness campaigns.
C. Business and awareness campaigns should not be held at the same place.
D. Marketing campaigns should not be in the name of charity ones.
答案解析：答案为D。本题为推理题。从倒数第二段首句 “This situation has led to calls for laws to stop real charities having their efforts overshadowed by marketing campaigns.”可知，要解决前面提到的问题就要制定法律来阻止真正的慈善活动被市场营销活动所过度遮蔽，言外之意就是市场营销活动不应在慈善活动的名义下进行。故答案为D。A选项与文意不符；B选项未提及。倒数第二段的第二句话 “This could be done by making the two groups hold their weeks at different times or stopping businesses running imitation charity campaigns.”可知，文中提到了 “different times”，而非C 选项的 “not be held at the same place”, 故C选项不正确。
5. What’s the writer’s view on Awareness Weeks?
A. National Forget About It Week should be held to stop awareness weeks.
B. National Smile Week is a great idea to improve people’s life.
C. National Weak Awareness Week can help people better understand awareness weeks.
D. Awareness Weeks should be stopped because of marketing campaigns.
答案解析：答案为C。本题考查作者的观点态度。最后一段中，作者提到 “Maybe it’s time for National Weak Awareness Week, especially for people whose awareness of Awareness Weeks is weak.”，由此可知，作者认为对那些认知宣传周意识薄弱的人要进行宣传，言外之意就是National Weak Awareness Week可以帮助人们更好的理解认知宣传周。故答案为C。 A，B, D 都与文意不符。
2012高考英语冲刺阅读理解专项 50-34
A
Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it is steamy, warm, damp and thick. But if you had been around 15,000 years ago, during the last ice age, would it have been the same? For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests like the Amazon might have reacted（反应）to the cold, dry climates of the ice ages, but until now, no one has reached a satisfying answer.
Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO2 from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming. Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tones of CO2 each year; equal to the total amount of CO2 giving off in the UK each year. But how will the Amazon react to future climate change? If it gets drier ,will it still survive and continue to draw down CO2 ? Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past.
Unfortunately, getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult. To study past climate, scientists need to look at fossilized pollen, kept in lake muds. Going back to the last ice age means drilling deep down into lake sediments （沉淀物）, which requires specialized equipment and heavy machinery . There are very few roads and paths, or places to land helicopters and aeroplanes. Rivers tend to be the easiest way to enter the forest ,but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers completely unsampled（未取样）. So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change.
1. The underlined phrase “mopping up” in the second paragraph means ________.
A. cleaning up B. taking in
C. wiping out D. giving out
答案解析：答案为B。本题为词义推断题。结合上下文，与mopping up并列的是 “helping to slow global warming”，由此可以推断，mop up 就是去除CO2；并且后面的 “Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tones of CO2 each year…”中的 “take in” 也对此进行了呼应，故答案为B。“clean up”意为 “清洁”； “wipe out” 意为 “消灭，彻底摧毁”； “give out”意为“分发，散发”。
2. How will the Amazon rainforest react to future climate change?
A. It’ll get drier and continue to remove C O 2.
B. It’ll remain steamy, warm, damp and thick
C. It’ll get warmer and then colder and drier.
D. There is no exact answer up to present.
答案解析：答案为D。本题为细节题。第二段提出问题，第三段进行探索问题。结合第三段首句 “Unfortunately, getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult.” 和最后一句 “So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change.” 可知，收集信息非常困难，即使目前收集到的一点信息也没有哪一点可以作出证明。故答案为D。
3. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. It’s important to drill deep down into lake sediments to collect information.
B. It’s impossible to prove how climate changes in the Amazon rainforest.
C. It’s hard to collect information for studies of the past climate in the Amazon rainforest.
D. It’s necessary to have specialized equipment and machinery to study the past climate.
答案解析：答案为C。从第三段的最后一句话 “So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change.” 可知，答案为C。B选项显得绝对。
4. The best title for this passage may probably be_________.
A. Studies of the Amazon B. Climates of the Amazon
C. Secrets of the Rainforests D. Changes of the Rainforests
答案解析：答案为C。 本文第一段前两句提出问题，第三句话引入文本的讨论点：热带雨林的变化。下文以亚马逊热带雨林为例进行研究，最终发现很难收集资料去证明热带雨林的变化，热带雨林的秘密有待人们去探索。故答案为C。本文的重心是在讨论如何收集到足够的证据来证明热带雨林的变化，而不是揭示热带雨林有何变化。故排除干扰性最强的D选项。
B
Wind is the great maker of waves. There are exceptions, such as the tidal (潮汐的) waves sometimes produced by earthquakes under the sea. But the waves most of us know are produced by winds blowing over the sea.
Now before constructing an imaginary life history of a typical wave, we need to know certain physical things about it. A wave has height, from trough (low point) to crest (high Point). It has long-the distance from this crest to that of the following wave. The period of the wave means the time it takes for succeeding crests to pass a fixed point. None of these things stays the same--for all depend upon the wind, upon the depth of the water and many other matters.
The water that makes up a wave does not advance with it across the sea. Each drop of water turns around in a little circle with the passing of the wave, but returns very nearly to its original position. And it is fortunate that this is so. For if the huge masses of water that make up a wave actually moved across the sea, sailing would be impossible.
If we want to find the speed of a wave, we may use the following way:
Speed = wavelength × frequency
Here, wavelength is the distance between two high points (crests), frequency means the number of cycles per second
1. What causes waves?
A. Earthquakes and nothing else. B. Only wind.
C. Wind causes most waves. D. Wind causes some waves.
答案解析：答案为C。本题为细节题。由第一段的最后一句话 “But the waves most of us know are produced by winds blowing over the sea.” 可知，答案为C。
2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The water of a wave moves away across the sea.
B. The water of a wave remains almost at the same place.
C. The water of a wave goes with the passing of the wave.
D. The length of a wave means the distance from the top of a wave to the bottom.
答案解析：答案为B。本题为细节题。从第三段 “The water that makes up a wave does not advance with it across the sea. Each drop of water turns around in a little circle with the passing of the wave, but returns very nearly to its original position.” 可知，组成波的水并不随着波的前进而前进，每一滴水随着波的前进形成了一个小圆圈，但是几乎回到原位置。故A，C错误，B选项正确。最后一段提到 “Here, wavelength is the distance between two high points (crests)…”, 故答案D错误。
3. The speed of Wave 1 is 100 cm/s, frequency 10. The frequency of Wave 2 is 300, while its speed is twice that of Wave 1. Which of the following is right?
A. The wavelengths of the two are equal.
B. The wavelength of Wave 1 is 10 times longer than that of Wave 2.
C. The wavelength of Wave 2 is longer than that of Wave 1.
D. The wavelength of Wave 1 is longer than that of Wave 2.
答案解析：答案为D。本题为计算题。按照后文提到的公式 “Speed = wavelength × frequency” 即可计算出答案为D。
2012高考英语冲刺阅读理解专项 50-35
A
During times of trouble, Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke from a small room without a fireplace in the White House basement to millions of Americans. In his calm and conversational manner, he reassured（使……恢复信心）the nation in the depths of the Great Depression（大萧条）and through a World War.
Saul Bellow described his own experience of listening to President Roosevelt, hold the nation together, using only a radio and the power of his personality.
“I can recall walking eastward on the Chicago Midway… drivers had pulled over, parking bumper to bumper, and turned on their radios to hear Roosevelt. They had rolled down the windows and opened the car doors. Everywhere the same voice, its odd Eastern accent, which in anyone else would have angered Midwesterners. You could follow without missing a single word as you walked by. You felt joined to these unknown drivers, men and women…”
The nation needed the assurance of those Fireside Chats, the first of which was delivered on March 12, 1933. Between a quarter and a third of the work force was unemployed. Every bank in America had been closed for at least eight days. It’s hard for us to imagine. It was the hardest time of the Great Depression.
The “Fireside” was symbolic（象征性的; most of the chats came from a small room in the White House basement. Frances Perkins, Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor, described the change that would come over him just before the broadcasts: “His face would smile and light up as though he were actually sitting on the front porch(门廊) or in the parlor with them. People felt this, and came to respect and love him.”
In that first radio visit, Roosevelt began by explaining how the banking system worked: “When you put money in a bank, the bank does not place the money into a safe—deposit vault（金库房. It invests your money in many different forms of credit—bonds, mortgages.” He went on to announce that the banks would reopen the next day.
1. The main purpose of the article is to .
A. give examples of the power of radio broadcasting
B. make people examine their attitudes toward money
C. suggest that Roosevelt was America’s greatest president
D. show how Roosevelt reassured Americans during hard times
答案解析：答案为D。本题为主旨大意题。纵观全文，本文主要讲述美国总统罗斯福在困难时期如何恢复人们的信心。第一段为本文的中心段落，后面的内容都是围绕本段展开。故答案为D。
2. According to the article, the Fireside Chats raised the hopes of Americans because President Roosevelt .
A. spoke to them in a friendly and confident tone
B. explained to them how to invest their money
C. was open about his own fears for the country
D. used humor to draw their attention away from their problems
答案解析：答案为A。本文为细节题。从第一段的第二句话 “In his calm and conversational manner, ....”可知，与此意思最接近的就是选项A。
3. The name “Fireside Chats” was probably intended to .
A. demand listeners to protect resources
B. encourage spirited discussion among listeners
C. request people to desire for hope and reassurance
D. persuade Americans to talk with their families
答案解析：答案为C。本题为细节题。从文章第四段首句 “The nation needed the assurance of those Fireside Chats, the first of which was delivered on March 12, 1933.”可知，Fireside Chats主要是帮助人们恢复希望和信心。故答案为C。
4. Saul Bellow’s description of his own experience of listening to President Roosevelt shows .
A. how popular and encouraging Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats were
B. how easily Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats could be understood
C. what great interest general public took in national affairs
D. what a hard life Americans had in Great Depression
答案解析：答案为A。本题为细节推断题。从文章第二段 “…hold the nation together, ...”和倒数第二段 ““His face would smile and light up as though he were actually sitting on the front porch(门廊) or in the parlor with them. People felt this, and came to respect and love him.” 可知，罗斯福的Fireside Chats受到人们的欢迎，并鼓舞着人们。
B
English has become the world's number one language in the 20th century. In every country where English is not the native language, especially in the Third World, people must strive to learn it to the best of their abilities, if they want to participate fully in the development of their countries. But many people are concerned that English's dominance (优势地位) will destroy native languages. A close examination reveals （显示） a great number of languages have fallen casualty to English. For example, it has wiped out Hawaiian, Welsh, Scotch Gaelic, Irish, native American languages, and many others. Luckily, some of these languages are now being revived （复苏）, such as Hawaiian and Welsh, and these languages will live again, hopefully, if dedicated people continue their work of reviving them. In the case of Welsh, its revival is so successful that the language is now being used as a medium of insturction in schools and universities in Wales.
Many leaders of these Third World countries are obsessed with (被迷住) English and for them English is everything. They seem to believe that if the students speak English, they are already knowledgeable. These leaders speak and write English much better than their national languages. If these leaders deliver speeches anywhere in the world they use English and they feel more at home with it and proud of their ability as well. The citizens of their countries do not understand their leaders' speeches because they are made in a foreign language. All the greatest countries of the world are great because they constantly use their own languages in all national development activities, including education. From a psychological point of view, those who are taught in their own language from the start will develop better selfconfidence and self-reliance. From a linguistic point of view, the best brains can only be produced if students are educated in their own language from the start. Those who are taught in a foreign language from the start will tend to be imitators and lack self-confidence. They will tend to rely on foreign consultants. There is nothing wrong, however, in learning a foreign language at advanced levels of education. But the best thing to do is to have a good education in one's native language first, then go abroad to have a university education in a foreign language.
1. The main idea of the first paragraph is probably _________.
A. to stress the position of English
B. to appeal the protection of native languages
C. to show the importance of grasping English for employees
D. to demonstrate ( 阐述) English is the world’s number one language
答案解析：答案为B。本题为主旨题。虽是对第一段的大意提问，但实则是对全文的中心进行定位。考生要确定第一段的主题句 （topic sentence）.是第一句话 “English has become the world's number one language in the 20th century.” 还是该段的最后一句话 “But many people are concerned that English's dominance will destroy native languages.”？即作者关注的问题是英语还是本国语言？略读后文可知，由于更多的国家讲英语，很多其他语言已经消失， 然而也有一些语言在复苏，同时也谈到了母语对国家和个人的作用。因此，本文的重心是关注本国语言。故答案为B。
2. The revival of Hawaiian and Welsh shows any language will live if it ________.
A. is against foreign language B. is used as a medium in education
C. is taught in schools D. is done by dedicated people
答案解析：答案为D。本题为细节题。从第二段 “...and these languages will live again, hopefully, if dedicated people continue their work of reviving them.” 可知，答案为D。
3. The underlined expression in paragraph three probably refers to _________
A. they are sure to use English better with their families
B. they use English better in their countries than in foreign countries
C. their native language is poorer than their English
D. they are not afraid that critical audience find their errors
答案解析：答案为B。 本题为句意推断题。理解该句需要结合上下文。由划线部分的前一句话 “These leaders speak and write English much better than their national languages.”可知，这些领导用英语讲话和写作比用本国语言要好，因此可以推断，他们用英语发表演讲的时候，会感觉运用自如. 故答案为B。 本题的混淆选项C选项 “他们的本国语言比英语要差”强调的是本国语言，而划线部分强调的是领导人的英语运用能力。
4. In the opinion of the writer, which statement below is NOT true?
A. A native language has great effect on the development of a nation.
B. The earlier a person learns a foreign language, the greater his ability will be.
C. Learning a foreign language should be arranged in a later time.
D. The native language will greatly influence one’s life.
答案解析：答案为B。本题为推断题。从倒数第二段首句 “All the greatest countries of the world are great because they constantly use their own languages in all national development activities, including education.”可知，所有伟大的国家之所以伟大是因为他们在发展国家的时候使用了本国语言，故答案A正确。从倒数第二段后部分内容可知，从心理学的角度讲，一开始就学习母语的人会更自信，更独立；从语言学的角度讲，大脑只有在最开始学母语的情况下才能发展最好；而一开始就学外语的人会变成模仿者并缺乏自信。可以推断，作者认为母语对人的生活有影响，外语学习应该安排在后面，而不是越早学外语，一个人的能力就越强。故C、D正确，B错误。
