-备战2023年高考英语考点微专题（全国通用）考向17 阅读理解之人与社会（含解析）

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真题典例
)考向17 阅读理解之人与社会
Passage1（2022·全国·高考真题）As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it used to be. In most people the first signs show up in their 50s or early 60s. And among people who don’t exercise, the changes can start even sooner.
“Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart. Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that even if you haven’t been an enthusiastic exerciser, getting in shape now may help improve your aging heart.
Levine and his research team selected volunteers aged between 45 and 64 who did not exercise much but were otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic (无氧) exercise—balance training and weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw remarkable improvements in heart health.
“We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,” says Levine. “And the reason they got so much stronger and fitter was that their hearts could now fill a lot better and pump (泵送) a lot more blood during exercise.” But the hearts of those who participated in less intense exercise didn’t change, he says.
“The sweet spot in life to start exercising, if you haven’t already, is in late middle age when the heart still has flexibility,” Levine says. “We put healthy 70-year-olds through a yearlong exercise training program, and nothing happened to them at all.”
Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, says Levine’s findings are a great start. But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.
1．What does Levine want to explain by mentioning the rubber band
A．The right way of exercising. B．The causes of a heart attack.
C．The difficulty of keeping fit. D．The aging process of the heart.
2．In which aspect were the two groups different in terms of research design
A．Diet plan. B．Professional background.
C．Exercise type. D．Previous physical condition.
3．What does Levine’s research find
A．Middle-aged hearts get younger with aerobic exercise.
B．High-intensity exercise is more suitable for the young.
C．It is never too late for people to start taking exercise.
D．The more exercise we do, the stronger our hearts get.
4．What does Dr. Nieca Goldberg suggest
A．Making use of the findings. B．Interviewing the study participants.
C．Conducting further research. D．Clarifying the purpose of the study.
【答案】1．D2．C3．A4．C
【解析】本文是一篇说明文，主要讲的是锻炼对于心脏的好处。
1．推理判断题。根据第二段的““Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart.(“想想橡皮筋。一开始，它是灵活的，但把它放在抽屉里20年，它就会变得干燥，很容易破碎，”德克萨斯大学的心脏专家本·莱文博士说。这就是心脏的变化。)”可知，莱文想通过提到橡皮筋来解释心脏的老化过程，故选D。
2．推理判断题。根据第三段的“The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic exercise—balance training and weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week.(第一组每周参加三次非有氧运动——平衡训练和重量训练。第二组在教练的指导下每周进行4天或更多的高强度有氧运动。)”可知，两组在研究设计上的不同在于运动类型的不同，故选C。
3．细节理解题。根据第三段的“The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw remarkable improvements in heart health.(第二组在教练的指导下每周进行4天或更多的高强度有氧运动。两年后，第二组的心脏健康状况有了显著改善。)”和第四段的““We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,” says Levine.(莱文说:“我们把这些50岁的心脏的时钟拨回30或35岁的心脏。”)”可知，莱文的研究发现了通过有氧运动，中年人的心脏会变得更年轻，故选A。
4．推理判断题。根据最后一段的“But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.(但这项研究的规模很小，需要在更大的人群中重复进行，以确定日常锻炼的哪些方面会产生最大的影响。)”可知，妮卡·戈德堡博士建议进行进一步的研究。故选C。
Passage2
（2022·全国·高考真题）Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.
Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse. Americans are still texting while driving, as well as using social networks and taking photos. Road accidents, which had fallen for years, are now rising sharply.
That is partly because people are driving more, but Mark Rosekind, the chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said distracted（分心）driving was "only increasing, unfortunately."
"Big change requires big ideas." he said in a speech last month, referring broadly to the need to improve road safety. So to try to change a distinctly modern behavior, lawmakers and public health experts are reaching back to an old approach: They want to treat distracted driving like drunk driving.
An idea from lawmakers in New York is to give police officers a new device called the Textalyzer. It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of the drivers and use the Textalyzer to check in the operating system for recent activity. The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York's hands-free driving laws.
"We need something on the books that can change people's behavior,” said Félix W. Ortiz, who pushed for the state's 2001 ban on hand-held devices by drivers. If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, "people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone."
5．Which of the following best describes the ban on drivers' texting in the US
A．Ineffective. B．Unnecessary.
C．Inconsistent. D．Unfair.
6．What can the Textalyzer help a police officer find out
A．Where a driver came from. B．Whether a driver used their phone.
C．How fast a driver was going. D．When a driver arrived at the scene.
7．What does the underlined word "something" in the last paragraph refer to
A．Advice. B．Data. C．Tests. D．Laws.
8．What is a suitable title for the text
A．To Drive or Not to Drive Think Before You Start
B．Texting and Driving Watch Out for the Textalyzer
C．New York Banning Hand-Held Devices by Drivers.
D．The Next Generation Cell Phone: The Textalyzer-
【答案】5．A6．B7．D8．B
【解析】本文一篇说明文。为解决司机在开车时使用手机造成“分神”，引发交通事故的问题，纽约的一名立法者提出使用Textalyzer（短信监控器）的技术来监控司机在开车的时候是否使用了手机。
5．推理判断题。根据第一段中“Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.”（在过去的七年里，大多数州都禁止司机发短信，公共服务活动也尝试了各种各样的方法来说服人们在开车时放下手机。）以及第二段中“Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse.”（然而，无论以何种标准衡量，这个问题似乎都在恶化。）可知，大多数州使用了各种各样的方法说服司机们在开车的时候放下手机，可是情况却越来越糟糕。所以各种方法是无效的。A选项ineffective意为“无效的”，与此相符。故选A。
6．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York's hands-free driving laws.”（这项技术可以确定司机是否发了短信、发了邮件，或者做了纽约免提驾驶法不允许的其他事情。）可知，Textalyzer能够确定的是司机是否使用了手机发短信、邮件以及其他驾驶法不允许的行为。B 选项意为“是否司机使用了手机。”与此相符，故选B。
7．词义猜测题。根据句中的“We need something on the books that can change people's behavior.”（我们需要一些能改变人们行为的东西，）可知，something是能够改变人们的行为的事情。根据下文的“If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, "people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone.”（他说，如果Textalyzer法案成为法律，“人们会更害怕拿起手机。）可知，人们的行为会改变的条件是当Textalyzer法案成为法律。收到法律的约束和惩罚，司机们才不会在开车的时候使用手机。故something指代的是法律。故选D。
8．主旨大意题。纵观全文，第一段和第二段阐述的是“虽然大多数州已经尝试了各种各样的方法来说服人们在开车时放下手机。可是问题却越来越严重”。第三段中“That is partly because people are driving more.”（部分原因是开车的人越来越多）可知，解释了该行为产生的部分原因。第四段至第五段讲述的是为了解决该问题是纽约立法者提出了一个新的想法即利用Textalyzer技术，来监控司机在开车的时候是否使用了手机。最后一段讲述的是：相关人士呼吁该项技术能够成为真正的法案由此才能真正的改变人们的行为。故B选项Texting and Driving Watch Out for the Textalyzer（发短信还是在开车？防范短信监控器。）适合文章的标题。故选B。
Passage3
（2022·全国·高考真题）We journalists live in a new age of storytelling, with many new multimedia tools. Many young people don’t even realize it’s new. For them, it’s just normal.
This hit home for me as I was sitting with my 2-year-old grandson on a sofa over the Spring Festival holiday. I had brought a children’s book to read. It had simple words and colorful pictures — a perfect match for his age.
Picture this: my grandson sitting on my lap as I hold the book in front so he can see the pictures. As I read, he reaches out and pokes (戳) the page with his finger.
What’s up with that He just likes the pictures, I thought. Then I turned the page and continued. He poked the page even harder. I nearly dropped the book. I was confused: Is there something wrong with this kid
Then I realized what was happening. He was actually a stranger to books. His father frequently amused the boy with a tablet computer which was loaded with colorful pictures that come alive when you poke them. He thought my storybook was like that.
Sorry, kid. This book is not part of your high-tech world. It’s an outdated, lifeless thing. An antique, like your grandfather. Well, I may be old, but I’m not hopelessly challenged, digitally speaking. I edit video and produce audio. I use mobile payment. I’ve even built websites.
There’s one notable gap in my new-media experience, however: I’ve spent little time in front of a camera, since I have a face made for radio. But that didn’t stop China Daily from asking me last week to share a personal story for a video project about the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.
Anyway, grandpa is now an internet star — two minutes of fame! I promise not to let it go to my head. But I will make sure my 2-year-old grandson sees it on his tablet.
9．What do the underlined words “hit home for me” mean in paragraph 2
A．Provided shelter for me. B．Became very clear to me.
C．Took the pressure off me. D．Worked quite well on me.
10．Why did the kid poke the storybook
A．He took it for a tablet computer. B．He disliked the colorful pictures.
C．He was angry with his grandpa. D．He wanted to read it by himself.
11．What does the author think of himself
A．Socially ambitious. B．Physically attractive.
C．Financially independent. D．Digitally competent.
12．What can we learn about the author as a journalist
A．He lacks experience in his job. B．He seldom appears on television.
C．He manages a video department. D．He often interviews internet stars.
【答案】9．B10．A11．D12．B
【解析】这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲述了作者曾经是一名记者，在春节期间，作者给孙子拿了一本儿童读物，孙子却以为是平板电脑，不停地戳书。
9．词句猜测题。根据第一段“We journalists live in a new age of storytelling, with many new multimedia tools. Many young people don’t even realize it’s new. For them, it’s just normal.”以及画线词后文“as I was sitting with my 2-year-old grandson on a sofa over the Spring Festival holiday.”可知，作者是记者，生活在一个讲故事的新时代，有许多新的多媒体工具。许多年轻人甚至没有意识到它是新的。对他们来说，这很正常。而这在春节假期，作者和两岁的孙子坐在沙发上，尤其清楚认识到了这一点。故画线词意思是“我很清楚”。故选B。
10．细节理解题。根据第五段中“He was actually a stranger to books. His father frequently amused the boy with a tablet computer which was loaded with colorful pictures that come alive when you poke them. He thought my storybook was like that.(事实上，他对书本并不熟悉。他的父亲经常用一台装有彩色图片的平板电脑逗他开心，当你戳它们的时候，这些图片就会变得栩栩如生。他认为我的故事书就是那样的)”可知，那孩子戳故事书是因为他把它当成了平板电脑。故选A。
11．细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中“Well, I may be old, but I’m not hopelessly challenged, digitally speaking. I edit video and produce audio. I use mobile payment. I’ve even built websites. (我可能老了，但从数字角度来说，我还没有毫无希望的挑战。我编辑视频，制作音频。我用移动支付。我甚至建立了网站)”可知，作者认为自己懂数码技术。故选D。
12．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“There’s one notable gap in my new-media experience, however: I’ve spent little time in front of a camera, since I have a face made for radio.(然而，在我的新媒体体验中有一个明显的差距：我很少在镜头前呆着，因为我的脸是为电台而生的)”可知，作者作为记者他很少上电视。故选B。
Passage4
（2022·全国·高考真题）Like most of us, I try to be mindful of food that goes to waste. The arugula (芝麻菜)was to make a nice green salad, rounding out a roast chicken dinner. But I ended up working late. Then friends called with a dinner invitation. I stuck the chicken in the freezer. But as days passed, the arugula went bad. Even worse, I had unthinkingly bought way too much; I could have made six salads with what I threw out.
In a world where nearly 800 million people a year go hungry, “food waste goes against the moral grain,” as Elizabeth Royte writes in this month’s cover story. It’s jaw-dropping how much perfectly good food is thrown away — from “ugly” (but quite eatable) vegetables rejected by grocers to large amounts of uneaten dishes thrown into restaurant garbage cans.
Producing food that no one eats wastes the water, fuel, and other resources used to grow it. That makes food waste an environmental problem. In fact, Royte writes, “if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world.”
If that’s hard to understand, let’s keep it as simple as the arugula at the back of my refrigerator. Mike Curtin sees my arugula story all the time — but for him, it's more like 12 bones of donated strawberries nearing their last days. Curtin is CEO of DC Central Kitchen in Washington, D．C．, which recovers food and turns it into healthy meals. Last year it recovered more than 807,500 pounds of food by taking donations and collecting blemished (有瑕疵的) produce that otherwise would have rotted in fields. And the strawberries Volunteers will wash, cut, and freeze or dry them for use in meals down the road.
Such methods seem obvious, yet so often we just don’t think. “Everyone can play a part in reducing waste, whether by not purchasing more food than necessary in your weekly shopping or by asking restaurants to not include the side dish you won’t eat,” Curtin says.
13．What does the author want to show by telling the arugula story
A．We pay little attention to food waste. B．We waste food unintentionally at times.
C．We waste more vegetables than meat. D．We have good reasons for wasting food.
14．What is a consequence of food waste according to the test
A．Moral decline. B．Environmental harm.
C．Energy shortage. D．Worldwide starvation.
15．What does Curtin’s company do
A．It produces kitchen equipment. B．It turns rotten arugula into clean fuel.
C．It helps local farmers grow fruits. D．It makes meals out of unwanted food.
16．What does Curtin suggest people do
A．Buy only what is needed. B．Reduce food consumption.
C．Go shopping once a week. D．Eat in restaurants less often.
【答案】13．B14．B15．D16．A
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了我们日常生活中的食物浪费现象以及华盛顿DC中央厨房的首席执行官科廷为解决食物浪费而采取的努力。
13．推理判断题。根据第一段中的“Like most of us, I try to be mindful of food that goes to waste.(像我们大多数人一样，我努力关注那些被浪费的食物)”及“But as days passed, the arugula went bad. Even worse, I had unthinkingly bought way too much; could have made six salads with what I threw out.(但随着时间的推移，芝麻菜变坏了。更糟糕的是，我不假思索地买了太多东西；我扔掉的东西可以做六份沙拉)”可推知，作者想通过讲述芝麻菜的故事来表明我们有时会无意间浪费食物。故选B。
14．细节理解题。根据第三段“Producing food that no one eats wastes the water, fuel, and other, resources used to grow it. That makes food waste an environmental problem. In fact, Royte writes, “if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world.”(生产没人吃的食物会浪费用于种植食物的水、燃料和其他资源。这使得食物浪费成为一个环境问题。事实上，罗伊特写道，“如果食物浪费是一个国家，它将是世界上第三大温室气体排放国。”)”可知，根据文中的说法，浪费食物的一个后果是对环境的危害。故选B。
15．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的“Curtin is CEO of DC Central Kitchen in Washington. D.C., which recovers food and turns it into healthy meals. Last year it recovered more than 807,500 pounds of food by taking donations and collecting blemished (有瑕疵的) produce, that otherwise would have rotted in fields. And the strawberries Volunteers will wash, cut, and freeze or dry them for use in meals down the road.(科廷是华盛顿DC中央厨房的首席执行官，该公司把食物复原，变成健康的食物。去年，该组织通过接受捐赠和收集有瑕疵的农产品，收回了超过807500磅的食物，否则这些农产品就会在地里腐烂。草莓呢？志愿者们将清洗、切割、冷冻或干燥它们，以便在路上的餐食中使用)”可知，科廷的公司用人们不想要的食物重新制作食物。故选D。
16．细节理解题。根据最后一段中的““Everyone can play a part in reducing waste, whether by not purchasing more food than necessary in your weekly shopping or by asking restaurants to not include the side dish you won’t eat,” Curtin says.(“每个人都可以在减少浪费方面发挥作用，无论是在每周的购物中不购买不必要的食物，还是要求餐馆不包括你不吃的配菜，”科廷说)”可知，科廷建议人们只买需要的东西来避免浪费食物。故选A。
Passage5
（2022·全国·高考真题）The elderly residents (居民) in care homes in London are being given hens to look after to stop them feeling lonely.
The project was dreamed up by a local charity (慈善组织) to reduce loneliness and improve elderly people’s wellbeing, It is also being used to help patients suffering dementia, a serious illness of the mind. Staff in care homes have reported a reduction in the use of medicine where hens are in use.
Among those taking part in the project is 80-year-old Ruth Xavier. She said: “I used to keep hens when I was younger and had to prepare their breakfast each morning before I went to school. ”
“I like the project a lot. I am down there in my wheelchair in the morning letting the hens out and down there again at night to see they’ve gone to bed.”
“It’s good to have a different focus. People have been bringing their children in to see the hens and residents come and sit outside to watch them. I’m enjoying the creative activities, and it feels great to have done something useful.”
There are now 700 elderly people looking after hens in 20 care homes in the North East, and the charity has been given financial support to roll it out countrywide.
Wendy Wilson, extra care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the project, said: “Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here.”
Lynn Lewis, director of Notting Hill Pathways, said: “We are happy to be taking part in the project. It will really help connect our residents through a shared interest and creative activities.”
17．What is the purpose of the project
A．To ensure harmony in care homes. B．To provide part-time jobs for the aged.
C．To raise money for medical research. D．To promote the elderly people’s welfare.
18．How has the project affected Ruth Xavier
A．She has learned new life skills. B．She has gained a sense of achievement.
C．She has recovered her memory. D．She has developed a strong personality.
19．What do the underlined words “embark on” mean in paragraph 7
A．Improve. B．Oppose. C．Begin. D．Evaluate.
20．What can we learn about the project from the last two paragraphs
A．It is well received. B．It needs to be more creative.
C．It is highly profitable. D．It takes ages to see the results.
【答案】17．D18．B19．C20．A
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。主要讲述了旨在减少孤独，改善老年人的健康状况的项目。
17．推理判断题。根据文章第二段“The project was dreamed up by a local charity (慈善组织) to reduce loneliness and improve elderly people’s wellbeing (该项目由当地一家慈善机构构想，旨在减少孤独，改善老年人的健康状况)”可知，这个项目的目的是为了提高老年人的幸福。故选D。
18．推理判断题。根据文章第五段““It’s good to have a different focus. People have been bringing their children in to see the hens and residents come and sit outside to watch them. I’m enjoying the creative activities, and it feels great to have done something useful.” (有不同的关注点很好。人们把自己的孩子带进来看母鸡，居民们也来外面坐着看它们。我喜欢创造性的活动，做一些有用的事情的感觉很好)”可推知，Ruth Xavier通过该项目获得了一种成就感。故选B。
19．词义猜测题。根据文章倒数第二段“Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here. (居民们非常欢迎该项目的想法和创意会议。我们期待这个项目能给这里的人们带来好处和乐趣)”以及划线处前的“one of the first (第一批人之一)”可知Wendy Wilson是着手这项工程的人之一，划线处的含义与C项：“Begin (开始)”含义相近。故选C。
20．推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段“Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here. (居民们非常欢迎该项目的想法和创意会议。我们期待这个项目能给这里的人们带来好处和乐趣)”以及最后一段“Lynn Lewis, director of Notting Hill Pathways, said: “We are happy to be taking part in the project. It will really help connect our residents through a shared interest and creative activities.” (“诺丁山路径”的负责人林恩·刘易斯说:我们很高兴能参与这个项目。它将通过共同的兴趣和创造性活动真正帮助我们的居民联系起来)”可知，该项目的反响很好。故选A。
(
经典变式练
（基础练、提升练、真题练）
)
※基础练
Passage1
A YOUNG girl raises her hand in class to answer the teacher’s question. She proudly gives the correct answer when her classmates start to giggle . Among them, she hears somebody call her a “know-it-all” and sees another roll his eyes. She doesn’t dare to speak up again because confident women are often called“ “bossy”.
Despite decades of advances, it seems that women continue to face prejudice when it comes to holding a position of power.
Laila Farah, an associate professor at DePaul University in Chicago in the US, said the reason for this stereotype lies in history.
“This is an old phenomenon which reflects the fact that many people think females don’t have the same brain capability compared to the male brain,” Farah said.
What’s more, the prejudice is so deep in our society that it has become hard to ignore. “Gender bias is found in the media, schools, the workplace-basically everywhere,” Farah said. “It is learned in infancy and goes from toys chosen to assuming females aren’t good at math.”
Another reason for confident women being called bossy is that “some people aren’t used to women being confident enough to speak their minds”, said high school junior Jessica Bella from Illinois. Embarrassing women by calling them “bossy” has caused some of them to tone down their confidence.
In a study done by the Girls Leadership Institute, a program that helps girls develop strong leadership skills, many girls said the biggest thing holding them back from participating in class was being judged.
“Sometimes, I know I have the right answer in class, but I don’t raise my hand because I don’t want to be annoying, ” said high school junior Emily Grigg from Illinois.
Still, some women have bravely stood up against this stereotype.
“If women in leadership positions are considered to be bossy, then I like to do all I can to prove that wrong. We all have an equal opportunity to present our knowledge no matter how that may come across, ”said Christina Jakubas, an English teacher from Illinois.
Maybe what we need to do is turn being bossy into something empowering for women. After all, bossy people get the job done.
1．Why does the author write about the experience of a girl raising her hand in class
A．prove that confident women tend to be bossy
B．explain why bossy women are unpopular in groups
C．explore what stops women from being themselves
D．show how women should fight against gender bias
2．What do the underlined words ”this stereotype“ in Paragraph 3 refer to
A．Females failing to do as well as males in math.
B．Gender bias becoming hard to ignore in society.
C．Women who hold a position of power facing prejudice.
D．Females not having the same brain capabilities as males.
3．Which of the following would the author probably agree with according to the article
A．Confident women tend to possess strong leadership skills.
B．Bossy women usually get their jobs done better than men.
C．Females in leadership positions should try to avoid being bossy,
D．Females should ignore negative comments and bravely speak their minds
4．In which part of the magazine can we read the passage
A．Health B．Society C．Politics D．Entertainment
Passage2
Mattel is honoring frontline workers with Barbie dolls modeled on real-life doctors and nurses. Among them is a doll version of Amy O’Sullivan. She’s a nurse at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. That’s in Brooklyn, New York. O’Sullivan appeared on the cover of TIME last year. The doll has hand-painted tattoos, silver hair, and colorful socks like those O’Sullivan wears to work every day.
O’Sullivan was touched by these details. “I used to get a hard time from the administrators about my tattoos and my hair and my pants being rolled up,” she says. “But I didn’t want to be like anyone else… I had no role models when I was growing up. This, I think, shows kids it’s okay to be different. It encourages them to be themselves.”
There are five other dolls in the program. One is modeled on Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz, from Las Vegas, Nevada, who fights racial prejudice against Asian-American physicians. Another is for Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, from Canada, who is fighting racism in the healthcare system. Next is Sarah Gilbert, a professor in the United Kingdom who helped develop a new medication. There’s a doll for Dr. Jaqueline Goés de Jesus, a researcher who led work around the COVID-19 variant in Brazil. And there is Dr. Kirby White, from Australia. She developed reusable personal protective equipment, or PPE, for doctors.
Each woman was presented with her own one-of-a-kind doll. The honoring dolls are not for sale, but Mattel announced it will donate $5 for every doctor or nurse Barbie sold at Target Corporation. Mattel launched the campaign last year to give back to communities in need. “This fall, admittedly, we thought we would be further along in the pandemic,” Lisa McKnight says. She’s a senior vice president at Mattel and the global brand manager for Barbie. “But it is important to honor these amazing medical workers across the globe as we continue to face a difficult time.”
5．Which of the following is true of O’Sullivan
A．She loves dressing up as a doll. B．She had a hard time financially.
C．She sees growing up differently as OK. D．She tried to cover up her hand-painted tattoos.
6．What do the five other dolls have in common
A．They are modeled on the medical workers from the same continent.
B．They are designed in support of doctors striving for racial equality.
C．They are manufactured to honor frontline workers with doctor degrees.
D．They are presented to females who’ve contributed to the medical field.
7．It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ____________.
A．Mattel is probably the name of a frontline medical worker
B．China’s outstanding doctors may receive dolls modeled on them
C．you can get the honoring dolls for free as long as you donate $5
D．communities in need have made a great contribution to the campaign
8．What is probably the best title of the passage
A．TIME’s Person of the Year B．Thank You Everyday Heroes
C．Barbie dolls make a comeback D．Mattel Honors Frontline Workers
Passage3
The population of rare Atlantic puffins in Maine, US, took a hit this year, as the number of chicks to survive a tough summer collapsed. The state's coastal bays and the Gulf of Maine are among the fastest warming large water bodies on the planet, making the puffins' fate a test-case for how climate change could disrupt marine ecosystems worldwide.
The little clown-colored birds faced a complex of challenges: nests were flooded by some of the heaviest rains in a hundred years, exposing chicks to cold and predators. It was tough for young puffins, who were being brought up in caves along the island's shores. And their parents had a hard time finding herring (鲱鱼) and other North Atlantic prey they usually dive for, which scientists think may have swum to cooler waters too deep or far-off for the birds. The adult puffins flew farther than usual to find food. Scientists say this limited their time to keep baby puffins warm in their nests. They did find and bring to the nests a lot of butterfish, but the thing is that butterfish are too big for young puffins to swallow.
The director of the National Audubon Society's Seabird Institute, Don Lyons, says puffins provide a unique window on global warming, on how even small shifts in the range or timing of any one species' occurrence can influence the fate of many others. "Working with puffins in Maine, we're seeing the harbingers (预兆) of climate change every day," he said. "I tend to think of puffins as a group of researchers. They're going out and sampling our marine ecosystem all summer, many times a day. And the way we learn from them is watching what fish they bring back and how well they are able to raise baby coffins. ... They're really telling us to be concerned, you know, to pay attention."
Lyons says that with good management of herring and other fisheries that the puffins depend on, the birds should be able to hang on. Puffins can live up to 30 years and this means it won’t be too terrible if they meet only a bad year. He adds, though, that their future in Maine may depend on just how often those bad years keep rolling in.
9．The phrase “took a hit” (in the 1st paragraph) probably mean “________”.
A．suffer heavy losses B．escape bad fortune
C．increase on a large-scale D．decline moderately
10．According to the passage, which of the following statement is NOT true
A．Puffins’ nests are open to the attack of their predators.
B．Baby puffins are not adequately fed.
C．Puffins’ prey prefers to stay in warm waters.
D．Butterfish are not the appropriate food for baby puffins.
11．In the 3rd paragraph, Lyon compare puffins to researchers because ________.
A．puffins are helping human to maintain marine ecosystem
B．we can tell the marine ecosystem from what puffins do
C．puffins are more capable of diving for their prey
D．it’s interesting for researchers to work with puffins
12．From the last paragraph we know that ________ is to determine puffins’ future in Maine.
A．the control of puffins’ population
B．prohibition of fishing herring and other fish
C．puffins’ abilities to adapt to different marine ecosystem
D．the frequency of the continuous occurrence of bad year
Passage4
It was a rainy, damp December day. I was headed to the store to pick up another week’s worth of food. I had put off shopping for Christmas presents until later in the month but wasn’t looking forward to the crowd of Christmas shoppers while I grabbed my groceries. I kept the CD player on while I drove to avoid the radio news. It only spoke of the world’s huge problems and how divided we all still were. And it usually just left me feeling helpless.
Still, I gave my son a dollar to put in the bell-ringer’s pot at the door to the store. We went in and soon filled our cart with food. Then we walked towards the self-checkout machines. I hated using them. I much preferred to chat with the friendly cashiers, but the line at them was five deep and I just didn’t have the time. As I pulled my cart up, I heard an old man at the machine next to mine grumbling (嘟囔) under his breath, trying his hardest not to curse. He only had a few items but every time he put his wrinkled, well-worn, twenty-dollar bill into the machine, the money was returned.
I quickly grabbed a newer twenty out of my purse and gave it to him. He thanked me with a warm smile and paid for his goods. I told him to keep his money but he insisted that I take his old, torn twenty. I nodded, put it in my coat pocket, and wished him a Merry Christmas.
After checking out, I remembered something Mother Teresa had once said about how we all can change the world. “Help one person at a time,” she said, “and always start with the person nearest you.” I reached into my pocket, smiled, and went outside. Then I dropped that torn twenty into the bell-ringer’s pot and walked to my car with my son happily.
13．Why did the author feel helpless
A．Radio provided unreliable news. B．There was always a Christmas rush.
C．People were disconnected from each other. D．Christmas was ruined by the terrible weather.
14．How did the author help the old man
A．By paying for his shopping items. B．By exchanging a newer note with him.
C．By teaching him how to use the machine. D．By calling out the friendly cashier in time.
15．Why did the author give twenty dollars to the bell-ringer
A．She wanted to pursue Mother Teresa’s ideas.
B．She desired to spread Mother Teresa’s words.
C．She expected to set a good example to her son.
D．She hoped to have a meaningful day with her son.
Passage5
If you start a sentence with, “If I were you...” or find yourself scratching your head over a decision when the answer is crystal-clear, there’s a scientific reason behind it. Our own decision-making abilities can become exhausted over the course of the day causing indecision or poor choices, but choosing on behalf of someone else is an enjoyable task that doesn’t suffer the same difficulties.
“The problem is decision fatigue, a psychological phenomenon that causes harm to the quality of your choices after a long day of decision making,” says Evan Polman, a leading psychologist.
Physicians on the job for several hours, for example, are more likely to prescribe antibiotics (抗生素) to patients when it’s unwise to do so. “Presumably it’s because it’s simple and easy to write a prescription and consider a patient case closed rather than investigate further,” Polman says.
But decision fatigue goes away when you are making the decision for someone else. When people imagine themselves as advisers, they feel less tired and rely less on decision shortcuts. “By taking upon the role of adviser rather than decision maker, one does not suffer the consequences of decision fatigue,” he says. “It is as if there is something fun about making someone else’s choice.”
“Getting input from others not only offers a fresh perspective and thought process, it often also includes riskier choices. While this sounds undesirable, it can be quite good. When people experience decision fatigue, when they are tired of making choices, they have a tendency to choose to go with status quo,” says Polman. “But it can be problematic since a change in the course of action can be important and lead to a positive outcome.”
To achieve a successful outcome or reward, some level of risk is almost always essential. “People who are susceptible to decision fatigue will likely choose to do nothing over something,” he says. “That’s not to say risk is always good, but it is related to taking action, whereas decision fatigue assuredly leads to inaction and the possible chagrin (懊恼) of a decision maker who might otherwise prefer a new course but is unfortunately hindered.”
“Just because you can make good choices for others doesn’t mean you’ll do the same for yourself,” Polman cautions. “Research has found that women negotiate higher salaries for others than they do for themselves,” he says, adding that people slip in and out of decision roles.
16．What does the author say about people making decisions
A．They tend to make decisions the way they think advantageous to them.
B．They may become exhausted making too many decisions for themselves.
C．They show considerable differences in their decision-making abilities.
D．They are more cautious in making decisions for others than for themselves.
17．When do people feel less decision fatigue
A．When they take decision shortcuts.
B．When they have advisers to turn to.
C．When they have major decisions to make.
D．When they help others to make decisions.
18．What are people likely to do when decision fatigue sets in
A．They avoid trying anything new.
B．They turn to physicians for advice.
C．They tend to make risky decisions.
D．They adopt a totally new perspective.
19．What does the passage say about taking some risk in decision making
A．It will enable people to be more creative.
B．It will more often than not end in regret.
C．It is vital for one to reach the goal desired.
D．It is likely to bring about serious consequences.
◎提升练
Passage6
Islands are different from a continent or mainland. The size and isolation of islands have a profound effect on island ecosystems and their inhabitants.
Scientists who specialize in species evolution have found that, among mammal species that settle on islands, big species tend to shrink while small ones are apt to enlarge. This phenomenon, discovered by J. Bristol Foster in 1964, has been called Foster’s rule, or the island effect. For instance, rodents (啮齿动物) living on islands tend toward gigantism, while big mammals are more likely to become dwarfed (矮小的). Although there are a number of exceptions to this pattern, the trend generally holds true for both fossil species and living island mammals.
Foster’s rule shows that body size regulates everything. In a mainland environment, being large is often a safer and adaptive form of avoiding predators. On an island, with few natural predators and less competition, being really big is no longer an advantage; in fact, it can be a hindrance since a huge animal will need a lot more food in order to survive and reproduce.
A new fossil study of island-dwelling proboscideans (长鼻目动物) further shows that the physical attributes and ecological structure of an island may affect the degree of shrinking in big mammals. On relatively balanced and species-rich islands, competition with other species often result in a relatively less dwarfed body size. In contrast, on smaller islands where food sources are limited and competitors lacking, members of this group become smaller surprisingly quickly. On one of the Channel Islands 15 miles off the coast of France, the red deer dwarfed to one-sixth the size of deer on continental Europe in a mere 6,000 years after the island became isolated.
20．What is the second paragraph mainly about
A．The reasons why mammals change and evolve through time.
B．A comparison of gigantism and dwarfism on different islands.
C．The different patterns of evolution for big and small island mammals.
D．The similarity between the evolution of fossil species and that of living species.
21．According to the passage, what is a problem big mammals might face on an island
A．There may be lack of food.
B．It is harder to find shelter for survival there.
C．It may be difficult to move around on small islands.
D．They become less competitive due to fewer reproduction.
22．How does the author conclude the last paragraph
A．With a prediction. B．With a summary. C．With a suggestion. D．With an illustration.
Passage7
Every year on the third Sunday in June, Father’s Day is celebrated by families all around the world. We celebrate and honor fathers and their influence in our lives. Apart from your biological father, you can also celebrate grandfathers, stepfathers, and others you consider father figures. ___23___
The history of Father’s Day goes back to 1908, when a church in West Virginia honored 362 men killed the previous year in a coal mining explosion. The following year, a woman named Dodd started her quest to establish Father’s Day as a national holiday. ___24___ So she thought fathers should be honored in the same way as mothers.
___25___ It was finally declared a national holiday in 1972. It took more than 60 years from the birth of the idea to Father’s Day actually being recognized as a holiday. ___26___ In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a national movement to get rid of both Mother’s and Father’s Day and replace them with one “Parent’s Day”. Meanwhile, many fathers didn’t want such a holiday. After all, as the only breadwinners at the time, they didn’t particularly want their hard-earned cash spent on flowers and chocolates.
___27___ Struggling businessmen pushed the gift-giving holiday during the Depression, and during the War, Father’s Day became a way to honor the many fathers serving overseas. By the time President Nixon signed the Father’s Day as a holiday, it was already a national institution.
A．Dodd was one of six children raised by their single father.
B．Therefore, the history of Father’s Day isn’t straightly accepted.
C．A lot happened to threaten the parent-celebrating holidays then.
D．We have the answers to your wonder about this dad-centered day.
E．Give them a nice dad gift to show how much you appreciate them!
F．Dodd’s home state of Washington celebrated Father’s Day in 1910.
G．The Great Depression and World War II helped boost the idea of Father’s Day.
Passage8
Millions of A$50 banknotes in Australia have an embarrassing typographical error that was overlooked by the country’s central bank before they were printed and circulated.
The goof first became known on Thursday when a listener on radio outlet Triple M sent the station a magnified photo of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) new A$50 note highlighting the word “responsibility“ misspelt as ”responsibilty” three times.
The A$50 currency is the most widely circulated in Australia and accounts for nearly half the total value of other banknotes in use, according to the RBA．But for now, around 46 million of the new notes are in use across the country.
The note came into circulation on Oct. 18, 2018 with new security features designed to deter counterfeiting and with tactile (触觉的) elements for the visually impaired .
But it has no intention of withdrawing or recalling the notes from circulation. The error will be corrected in the next print run, the RBA said.
An RBA spokeswoman said in an emailed statement to Reuters the Bank “is aware of it and the spelling will be corrected at the next print run.”
“This does not affect the legal tender status of the banknotes. We have reviewed our processes to remove the likelihood of such an error occurring in the future,” an RBA spokeswoman said.
It sports a head-shot of Edith Cowan, who served as the first woman elected to an Australian legislature from 1921 to 1924.
“ It is a great responsibility to be the only woman here, and I want to emphasize the necessity which exists for other women being here,” it says.
The Bank said in its latest annual report its note printing subsidiary delivered 227 million Australian banknotes in 2017/18, including around 184 million new series A$50 banknotes.
28．What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage
A．To introduce Australian Central Bank’s annual report on A$50.
B．To recall the newly-printed A$50 banknotes due to printing error.
C．To report a printing mistake of A$50 banknotes in Australia.
D．To warn Australian people of the typographical error in A$50 banknotes.
29．What is the underlined word “goof” in the second paragraph
A．fault B．circulation C．damage D．reproduction
30．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage
A．A listener on radio Triple M called the station to tell the error of new A$50
B．The new A$50 notes account for most of the total value of other banknotes in use in Australia.
C．The RBA will withdraw new A$50 notes and they will not be in circulation.
D．The RBA is aware of the typographical error and it will correct the printing error in the next print run.
31．What can we infer from the passage
A．The correct spelling in the new A$50 note is “responsibility”.
B．The typographical error affects the legal status of the banknotes.
C．The new A$50 note with typographical error came into circulation on August,2018.
D．The new A$50 note has a head-shot of Mr. Cowan who was once an Australian legislature.
Passage9
British chip maker Walkers is being flooded with mail deliveries of its own packaging. An online petition (请愿) with more than 312,000 signatures so far urges signers to mail their empty chip plastic bags to Walkers as an act of protest against the bags’ non-recyclable design.
As petition organizer Geraint Ashcroft explained, the majority of chip packets, made from metallized plastic, are not recyclable and have been found fully undamaged up to 33 years after consumption. The UK alone consumes 6 billion bags of chips a year, and Walkers turns out 11 million bags daily. Ashcroft wrote, “At today’s consumption rate in 33 years’ time, there will be 200 billion packets either sent to landfill or polluting our oceans. Many will be eaten by animals fish or birds leading to a slow death.”
Mailing the bags to Walkers is a way to hold the company accountable for its packaging and to pressure it to come up with a better design. Because Walkers has what’s known as a’Freepost’ address,the Royal Mail postal service is obligated (有义务的) to deliver anything that is addressed correctly — even if it’s an empty chip bag. But it is controversial. Royal Mail isn’t happy about it,asking people to put their chip bags in an envelope to help with ease of delivery. Critics on Twitter question the logic of buying a product in order to protest against its producer and suggest that giving up chips altogether would improve one’s health as well as the environment.
Walkers issued a statement on Wednesday, saying it will make its packaging plastic-free by 2025.“We have received some returned packets and recognized the efforts being made to bring the issue of packaging waste to our attention. The returned packets will be used in our research as we work towards our commitment of improving the recyclability of our packaging.”
32．Why do people mail their empty chip bags to Walkers
A．To make Walkers use them once more. B．To exchange them for some new chips.
C．To object to Walkers’ plastic packaging. D．To appeal to people for not using the bags.
33．What does the second paragraph mainly show
A．The harm of chip bags. B．The organization of the petition.
C．The production of plastic bags. D．The opinion of Geraint Ashcroft.
34．What is the underlined word“accountable”in paragraph 3 probably mean
A．Explainable. B．Responsible. C．Essential. D．Anxious.
35．How does Walkers react to the campaign
A．Doubtfully. B．Oppositely. C．Cautiously. D．Positively.
Passage10
An experimental cleanup device called RemoveDebris has successfully cast a net around adummy (仿造的) satellite, simulating (模拟) a technique that could one day collect spaceborne garbage.
The test, which was carried out this week, is widely believed to be the first successful demonstration of space cleanup technology, experts told CNN. And it signals an early step toward dealing with what is already a key problem: rubbish in space.
Millions of pieces of junk are turning around in orbit, the result of 50 years of space travel and few regulations to keep space clean. At orbital speeds, even a small bit of paint crashing with a satellite can cause serious damage.
Various companies have plans to send thousands of new satellites into low-Earth orbit, already the most crowded area.
The RemoveDebris experiment is run by a company and researchers led by the UK’s Surrey Space Centre and includes Airbus, Airbus-owned Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and France’s Ariane Group.
Guglielmo Aglietti, the director of Surrey Space Centre, said that an operational version of the RemoveDebris technology would cast out a net that remains fastened to the main satellite so the debris can be dragged out of orbit. It could target large pieces of junk, including dead satellites up to 10meters long.
The RemoveDebris satellite will conduct a few more experiments in the coming months, including testing navigation systems that could help guide the satellite to a specific piece of debris. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, said the success of this week’s experiment was exciting, but he cautioned against “over-publicizing” it. There are still big barriers to clear before operational cleanup tasks will be underway, he said, and the biggest challenge is figuring out how to fund such projects.
Aglietti, the Surrey professor who helped lead the RemoveDebris project, said “the challenge will be to convince the relevant authorities to sponsor these tasks”. Aglietti said he hopes RemoveDebris will conduct a few cleanup tasks per year, targeting the largest pieces of rubbish in the most crowded orbits. Aglietti is hopeful.
36．What attracts people to invent RemoveDebris
A．Exploring space. B．Testing an orbit.
C．Cleaning satellites. D．Removing waste in space.
37．How does the RemoveDebris work
A．It throws a net to take junk from orbit. B．It fastens junk to the main satellite.
C．It targets large pieces of junk carefully. D．It drags junk up to 10 meters long.
38．What do we know about RemoveDebris
A．It is successful in cleanup tasks.
B．It still needs to be broadcasted widely.
C．It should get some financial help from authorities.
D．It helps researchers to find a specific junk.
39．What’s the best title of the text
A．Space Garbage Causes Severe Damage
B．Researchers Advertise Waste Collecting Satellite
C．Authorities Sponsor RemoveDebris Project
D．Satellite First Time Collects Waste
¤真题练
Passage1
（全国·高考真题）In 1916, two girls of wealthy families, best friends from Auburn, N. Y. — Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood — traveled to a settlement in the Rocky Mountains to teach in a one-room schoolhouse. The girls had gone to Smith College. They wore expensive clothes. So for them to move to Elkhead, Colo. to instruct the children whose shoes were held together with string was a surprise. Their stay in Elkhead is the subject of Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden, who is a magazine editor and Dorothy Woodruff’s granddaughter.
Why did they go then Well, they wanted to do something useful. Soon, however, they realized what they had undertaken.
They moved in with a local family, the Harrisons, and, like them, had little privacy, rare baths, and a blanket of snow on their quilt when they woke up in the morning. Some mornings, Rosamond and Dorothy would arrive at the schoolhouse to find the children weeping from the cold. In spring, the snow was replaced by mud over ice.
In Wickenden’s book, she expanded on the history of the West and also on feminism, which of course influenced the girls’ decision to go to Elkhead. A hair-raising section concerns the building of the railroads, which entailed (牵涉) drilling through the Rockies, often in blinding snowstorms. The book ends with Rosamond and Dorothy’s return to Auburn.
Wickenden is a very good storyteller. The sweep of the land and the stoicism (坚忍) of the people move her to some beautiful writing. Here is a picture of Dorothy Woodruff, on her horse, looking down from a hill top: “When the sun slipped behind the mountains, it shed a rosy glow all around them. Then a full moon rose. The snow was marked only by small animals: foxes, coyotes, mice, and varying hares, which turned white in the winter.”
1．Why did Dorothy and Rosamond go to the Rocky Mountains
A．To teach in a school. B．To study American history.
C．To write a book. D．To do sightseeing.
2．What can we learn about the girls from paragraph 3
A．They enjoyed much respect. B．They had a room with a bathtub.
C．They lived with the local kids. D．They suffered severe hardships.
3．Which part of Wickenden’s writing is hair-raising
A．The extreme climate of Auburn. B．The living conditions in Elkhead.
C．The railroad building in the Rockies. D．The natural beauty of the West.
4．What is the text
A．A news report. B．A book review. C．A children’s story. D．A diary entry.
Passage2
（2022·全国·高考真题）The Government’s sugar tax on soft drinks has brought in half as much money as Ministers first predicted it would generate, the first official data on the policy has shown.
First announced in April, 2016, the tax which applies to soft drinks containing more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, was introduced to help reduce childhood obesity (肥胖). It is believed that today’s children and teenagers are consuming three times the recommended level of sugar, putting them at a higher risk of the disease.
Initially the sugar tax was expected to make 520m a year for the Treasury. However, data of the first six months showed it would make less than half this amount. At present it is expected to generate 240m for the year ending in April 2019, which will go to school sports.
It comes after more than half of soft drinks sold in shops have had their sugar levels cut by manufacturers (制造商) so they can avoid paying the tax. Drinks now contain 45 million fewer kilos of sugar as a result of manufacturers’ efforts to avoid the charge, according to Treasury figures. Since April drinks companies have been forced to pay between 18p and 24p for every litre of sugary drink they produce or import, depending on the sugar content.
However, some high sugar brands, like Classic Coca Cola, have accepted the sugar tax and are refusing to change for fear of upsetting consumers. Fruit juices, milk-based drinks and most alcoholic drinks are free of the tax, as are small companies manufacturing fewer than 1m litres per year.
Today’s figures, according to one government official, show the positive influence the sugar tax is having by raising millions of pounds for sports facilities (设施) and healthier eating in schools. Helping the next generation to have a healthy and active childhood is of great importance, and the industry is playing its part.
5．Why was the sugar tax introduced
A．To collect money for schools. B．To improve the quality of drinks.
C．To protect children’s health. D．To encourage research in education.
6．How did some drinks companies respond to the sugar tax
A．They turned to overseas markets. B．They raised the prices of their products.
C．They cut down on their production. D．They reduced their products’ sugar content.
7．From which of the following is the sugar tax collected
A．Most alcoholic drinks. B．Milk-based drinks. C．Fruit juices. D．Classic Coke.
8．What can be inferred about the adoption of the sugar tax policy
A．It is a short-sighted decision. B．It is a success story.
C．It benefits manufacturers. D．It upsets customers.
Passage3
（2022·全国·高考真题）Sometime in the early 1960s, a significant thing happened in Sydney, Australia. The city discovered its harbor. Then, one after another, Sydney discovered lots of things that were just sort of there — broad parks, superb beaches, and a culturally diverse population. But it is the harbor that makes the city.
Andrew Reynolds, a cheerful fellow in his early 30s, pilots Sydney ferryboats for a living. I spent the whole morning shuttling back and forth across the harbor. After our third run Andrew shut down the engine, and we went our separate ways — he for a lunch break, I to explore the city.
“I’ll miss these old boats,” he said as we parted.
“How do you mean ” I asked.
“Oh, they’re replacing them with catamarans. Catamarans are faster, but they’re not so elegant, and they’re not fun to pilot. But that’s progress, I guess.”
Everywhere in Sydney these days, change and progress are the watchwords (口号), and traditions are increasingly rare. Shirley Fitzgerald, the city’s official historian, told me that in its rush to modernity in the 1970s, Sydney swept aside much of its past, including many of its finest buildings. “Sydney is confused about itself,” she said. “We can’t seem to make up our minds whether we want a modern city or a traditional one. It’s a conflict that we aren’t getting any better at resolving (解决).”
On the other hand, being young and old at the same time has its attractions. I considered this when I met a thoughtful young businessman named Anthony. “Many people say that we lack culture in this country,” he told me. “What people forget is that the Italians, when they came to Australia, brought 2000 years of their culture, the Greeks some 3000 years, and the Chinese more still. We’ve got a foundation built on ancient cultures but with a drive and dynamism of a young country. It’s a pretty hard combination to beat.”
He is right, but I can’t help wishing they would keep those old ferries.
9．What is the first paragraph mainly about
A．Sydney’s striking architecture. B．The cultural diversity of Sydney.
C．The key to Sydney’s development. D．Sydney’s tourist attractions in the 1960s.
10．What can we learn about Andrew Reynolds
A．He goes to work by boat. B．He looks forward to a new life.
C．He pilots catamarans well. D．He is attached to the old ferries.
11．What does Shirley Fitzgerald think of Sydney
A．It is losing its traditions. B．It should speed up its progress.
C．It should expand its population. D．It is becoming more international.
12．Which statement will the author probably agree with
A．A city can be young and old at the same time.
B．A city built on ancient cultures is more dynamic.
C．Modernity is usually achieved at the cost of elegance.
D．Compromise should be made between the local and the foreign.
Passage4
（2022·全国·高考真题）Human speech contains more than 2,000 different sounds, from the common “m” and “a” to the rare clicks of some southern African languages. But why are certain sounds more common than others A ground-breaking, five-year study shows that diet-related changes in human bite led to new speech sounds that are now found in half the world’s languages.
More than 30 years ago, the scholar Charles Hockett noted that speech sounds called labiodentals, such as “f” and “v”, were more common in the languages of societies that ate softer foods. Now a team of researchers led by Damián Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has found how and why this trend arose.
They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human adults were aligned (对齐), making it hard to produce labiodentals, which are formed by touching the lower lip to the upper teeth. Later, our jaws changed to an overbite structure (结构), making it easier to produce such sounds.
The team showed that this change in bite was connected with the development of agriculture in the Neolithic period. Food became easier to chew at this point. The jawbone didn’t have to do as much work and so didn’t grow to be so large.
Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global change in the sound of world languages after the Neolithic age, with the use of “f” and “v” increasing remarkably during the last few thousand years. These sounds are still not found in the languages of many hunter-gatherer people today.
This research overturns the popular view that all human speech sounds were present when human beings evolved around 300,000 years ago. ”The set of speech sounds we use has not necessarily remained stable since the appearance of human beings, but rather the huge variety of speech sounds that we find today is the product of a complex interplay of things like biological change and cultural evolution,“ said Steven Moran, a member of the research team.
13．Which aspect of the human speech sound does Damián Blasi’s research focus on
A．Its variety. B．Its distribution. C．Its quantity. D．Its development.
14．Why was it difficult for ancient human adults to produce labiodentals
A．They had fewer upper teeth than lower teeth.
B．They could not open and close their lips easily.
C．Their jaws were not conveniently structured.
D．Their lower front teeth were not large enough.
15．What is paragraph 5 mainly about
A．Supporting evidence for the research results.
B．Potential application of the research findings.
C．A further explanation of the research methods.
D．A reasonable doubt about the research process.
16．What does Steven Moran say about the set of human speech sounds
A．It is key to effective communication. B．It contributes much to cultural diversity.
C．It is a complex and dynamic system. D．It drives the evolution of human beings.
Passage5
（2022·全国·高考真题）Can a small group of drones (无人机) guarantee the safety and reliability of railways and, at the same time, help railway operators save billions of euros each year That is the very likely future of applying today’s “eyes in the sky” technology to making sure that the millions of kilometres of rail tracks and infrastructure (基础设施) worldwide are safe for trains on a 24/7 basis.
Drones are already being used to examine high-tension electrical lines. They could do precisely the same thing to inspect railway lines and other vital aspects of rail infrastructure such as the correct position of railway tracks and switching points. The more regularly they can be inspected, the more railway safety, reliability and on-time performance will be improved. Costs would be cut and operations would be more efficient (高效) across the board.
That includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection of railway personnel safety. It is calculated that European railways alone spend approximately 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sending maintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the rail infrastructure. That can be dangerous work that could be avoided with drones assisting the crews’ efforts.
By using the latest technologies, drones could also start providing higher-value services for railways, detecting faults in the rail or switches, before they can cause any safety problems. To perform these tasks, drones for rail don’t need to be flying overhead. Engineers are now working on a new concept: the rail drones of the future. They will be moving on the track ahead of the train, and programmed to run autonomously. Very small drones with advanced sensors and AI and travelling ahead of the train could guide it like a co-pilot. With their ability to see ahead, they could signal any problem, so that fast-moving trains would be able to react in time.
17．What makes the application of drones to rail lines possible
A．The use of drones in checking on power lines. B．Drones’ ability to work at high altitudes.
C．The reduction of cost in designing drones. D．Drones’ reliable performance in remote areas.
18．What does “maintenance” underlined in paragraph 3 refer to
A．Personnel safety. B．Assistance from drones.
C．Inspection and repair. D．Construction of infrastructure.
19．What function is expected of the rail drones
A．To provide early warning. B．To make trains run automatically.
C．To earn profits for the crews. D．To accelerate transportation.
20．Which is the most suitable title for the text
A．What Faults Can Be Detected with Drones
B．How Production of Drones Can Be Expanded
C．What Difficulty Drone Development Will Face
D．How Drones Will Change the Future of Railways
参考答案
※基础练
1．C
1．C2．C3．D4．B
【解析】这是一篇说明文。尽管取得了几十年的进步，但女性在掌权方面似乎仍然面临偏见。文章主要说明了女性在社会中仍然存在的偏见问题，列举了不同的人对女性勇敢发言的看法。
1．推理判断题。根据第一段“A YOUNG girl raises her hand in class to answer the teacher’s question. She proudly gives the co