专题01 阅读理解记叙文&说明文
(1)
（江苏省盐城市三校2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Archan Chan recalls her first experience working in a Chinese restaurant more than 14 years ago. Employed as an apprentice (学徒) chef, she was one of just two women in the kitchen — the other’s only job was to beat eggs. “She was unbelievably fast at beating eggs. I guess for a woman to survive in a traditional Chinese kitchen back then, you had to be the best in something,” she says.
Today, Chan leads the kitchen of Ho Lee Fook, one of Hong Kong’s most popular restaurants. After spending more than a decade working in fine dining restaurants in Australia and Singapore, she is one of a few female chefs who have risen to the top of a high-end Chinese restaurant. That’s an impressive achievement, given how unbelievably challenging it has been for women to show in high-end Chinese kitchens.
Female chefs have long been a minority in professional kitchens around the world. But the situation is even severer in Chinese kitchens. There’s no denying the work is physically demanding — an empty pot weighs about 2.2 kilograms. In the past, few chefs would risk employing a female trainee into that tough environment.
Given all of these barriers, not many women would even consider this male-dominated industry as an attractive career path. Thankfully, there are signs of a shift in mindset — the number of female Chinese head chefs has been rising in recent years.
“Even if it’s a kitchen almost full of men, all everyone cares about is food — the cooking. They don’t care if you’re a male or female. Gender shouldn’t matter,” Chan says.
“Yes, there is a physical barrier but I think the mental barrier may be more of a barrier to the increase of women in Chinese kitchens,”Chan adds. “It isn’t just about how much you want it but how much hard work you’re willing to put into it. There are days when you feel like your arms are falling apart and you can’t move them anymore, but the next day, you’re stronger and may be able to work a heavier work.”
1. What can we learn about Archan Chan
A. She got a rapid promotion. B. She does best in beating eggs.
C. She is the best female chef in China. D. She made a great achievement in her career.
2. What’s a cause of very few female chefs in professional kitchens
A. Kitchen is a tough place for women. B. Women are afraid of physical work.
C. Customers care about the gender of the chef. D. Women face both mental and physical barriers.
3. Which of the following can best describe Archan Chan
A. Strong-willed. B. Open-minded. C. Cool-headed. D. Kind-hearted.
4. What would be the best title for the text
A. Female chefs have risen to the top. B. Female chefs have long been a minority.
C. Female chefs are proving doubters wrong. D. Female chefs are replacing male chefs gradually.
【答案】1. D 2. D 3. A 4. C
【解析】本文是一篇记叙文。在女性当厨师要面临着身体上和精神上的两重障碍时，陈用自身经历证明了女性也可以当厨师。
1. 推理判断题。根据第二段“Today, Chan leads the kitchen of Ho Lee Fook, one of Hong Kong's most popular restaurants. After spending more than a decade working in fine dining restaurants in Australia and Singapore, she is one of a few female chefs who have risen to the top of a high-end Chinese restaurant. (如今，陈领导着香港最受欢迎的餐厅之一——Ho Lee Fook的厨房。在澳大利亚和新加坡的高级餐厅工作了十多年后，她是少数几位升到高端中餐厅高层的女厨师之一。)”可知，陈在她的事业生涯上取得了傲人成就。故选D。
2. 推理判断题。根据最后一段“‘Yes, there is a physical barrier but I think the mental barrier may be more obstructive (阻碍的) to the increase of women in Chinese kitchens,”Chan adds. (“是的，存在着身体障碍，但我认为精神障碍可能对中国厨房中女性人数的增加更具阻碍作用，”陈补充道。)”可知，女性要当厨师，面临着身体上和精神上的两重障碍。故选D。
3. 推理判断题。根据最后一段“Chan adds. ‘It isn’t just about how much you want it but how much hard work you're willing to put into it. There are days when you feel like your arms are falling apart and you can’t move them anymore, but the next day, you’re stronger and may be able to work a heavier work.’(陈补充道。“这不仅仅是你有多想要，而是你愿意付出多少努力。有时候你会觉得手臂要散架了，再也动不了了，但是第二天，你就变得更强壮了，可以做更重的工作了。”)”可知，陈累得手臂要散架了，再也动不了了，但是仍然在坚持。可知她意志坚定。故选A。
4. 主旨大意题。根据最后一段“‘Yes, there is a physical barrier but I think the mental barrier may be more obstructive（阻碍的）to the increase of women in Chinese kitchens,”Chan adds. (“是的，存在着身体障碍，但我认为精神障碍可能对中国厨房中女性人数的增加更具阻碍作用，”陈补充道。)”以及第二段“Today, Chan leads the kitchen of Ho Lee Fook, one of Hong Kong's most popular restaurants. After spending more than a decade working in fine dining restaurants in Australia and Singapore, she is one of a few female chefs who have risen to the top of a high-end Chinese restaurant. (如今，陈领导着香港最受欢迎的餐厅之一——Ho Lee Fook的厨房。在澳大利亚和新加坡的高级餐厅工作了十多年后，她是少数几位升到高端中餐厅高层的女厨师之一。)”可知，虽然女性当厨师，面临着重重障碍和怀疑，但是陈本身就是一个很好的例子，证明女性也可以当厨师。故选C。
(2)
（江苏省南京师大附中2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Animal populations across the world have been reduced by 69% in less than 50 years, according to a new scientific report. The report’s authors are calling for urgent action to restore the natural world.
The Living Planet Report (LPR) is produced every two years by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. The most recent report, released on October 13, 2022, shows that almost 70% of the world’s monitored wildlife was lost between 1970 and 2018. The report is based on research from 195 countries around the world. Data was collected from almost 32,000 populations of 5,230 species.
Although the average global loss of wildlife is 69%, the rate is greater in the global south. Latin America and the Caribbean in particular have seen the sharpest fall, having lost 94% of their wildlife since 1970. Across the world, the biggest drop was in freshwater populations of wildlife — including almost 1,400 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles — which have decreased by 83%.
The report identifies several causes for wildlife loss, including hunting, farming, the loss of forests, pollution and climate change. However, the report also promotes solutions, such as designing less destructive food production systems, urgently protecting the Amazon rainforest, limiting the use of fossil fuels, and creating new laws to protect our natural environment.
Commenting on the report, Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, called the figures “terrifying”, and said “we need to restore nature and not simply halt its loss.” In December 2022, world leaders are meeting in Montreal for the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference, also known as COP 15. The authors of the LPR say that this is an opportunity for a global plan to deal with wildlife loss and restore nature. “Government leaders must step up at COP 15,” said Lambertini. “The world is watching.”
1. What does the author mainly want to show by listing the numbers in the first three paragraphs
A. The causes of the urgent situation. B. The detailed process of the research.
C. The severity of wildlife loss worldwide. D. The drop in freshwater populations of wildlife
2. According to the report, what is a possible solution to population decline of wildlife
A. Stop hunting and farming. B. Ban the production of wildlife food.
C. Offer legal protection of natural environment. D. Replace the fossil fuels with renewable energy.
3. What does the underlined word “halt” mean in the last paragraph
A. Accept. B. Stop. C. Fear. D. Suffer.
4. What is Lambertini’s attitude towards wildlife loss
A. Objective. B. Indifferent. C. Ambiguous. D. Concerned.
【答案】1. C 2. C 3. B 4. D
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了全球野生动物损失的严重性，因此需要全球共同努力，关注并解决该问题。
1. 推理判断题。根据第一段“Animal populations across the world have been reduced by 69% in less than 50 years, according to a new scientific report. The report’s authors are calling for urgent action to restore the natural world. (根据一份新的科学报告，在不到50年的时间里，世界各地的动物数量减少了69%。该报告的作者呼吁采取紧急行动来恢复自然世界)”以及第二段中“The most recent report, released on October 13, 2022, shows that almost 70% of the world’s monitored wildlife was lost between 1970 and 2018. The report is based on research from 195 countries around the world. Data was collected from almost 32,000 populations of 5,230 species.(2022年10月13日发布的最新报告显示，1970年至2018年期间，全球近70%的受监测野生动物消失。该报告基于全球195个国家的研究。数据来自5230个物种的近32000个种群)”以及第三段中“Latin America and the Caribbean in particular have seen the sharpest fall, having lost 94% of their wildlife since 1970. (拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的野生动物数量下降尤其严重，自1970年以来已经失去了94%的野生动物)”可知，作者主要想通过列举前三段的数字来展示世界范围内野生动物损失的严重性。故选C。
2. 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“However, the report also promotes solutions, such as designing less destructive food production systems, urgently protecting the Amazon rainforest, limiting the use of fossil fuels, and creating new laws to protect our natural environment.(然而，该报告也提出了解决方案，例如设计破坏性较小的粮食生产系统，紧急保护亚马逊雨林，限制化石燃料的使用，以及制定新的法律来保护我们的自然环境)”可知，根据该报告，为自然环境提供法律保护是解决野生动物数量下降的一个可能的解决方案。故选C。
3. 词句猜测题。根据划线词前面的句子“Commenting on the report, Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, called the figures “terrifying”,( 在评论该报告时，世界自然基金会国际总干事马可·兰伯蒂尼称这些数字“令人恐惧”)”以及“we need to restore nature(我们需要恢复自然)”可知，面临野生动物数量急剧下降的情况，我们不仅仅是停止当前的损失，更需要做的是需要去恢复自然。由此可知，划线词halt与stop(停止)意思接近。故选B。
4. 推理判断题。根据最后一段中“The authors of the LPR say that this is an opportunity for a global plan to deal with wildlife loss and restore nature. “Government leaders must step up at COP 15,” said Lambertini. “The world is watching.”(LPR的作者说，这是一个应对野生动物损失和恢复自然的全球计划的机会。兰伯蒂尼说：“政府领导人必须在第15届缔约方会议上采取行动。“全世界都在看着。”)”可知，兰伯蒂尼认为领导人必须在第15届缔约方会议上采取行动。由此推知，他对野生动物数量减少的态度是担心的。故选D。
(3)
（22-23高二下·山东日照·期中）Virtual reality gamers (VR game) who finished it faster than their fellow gamers also have higher levels of general intelligence and processing capacity. This was the result of a study conducted by Markus Weinmann from the University of Cologne. The results also indicate that virtual reality games can be useful supplementary (补充) human resource management tools in companies for predicting the job performance of an applicant.
Several studies have already shown that video games may indicate or even help to develop intellectual and cognitive abilities. As intelligence is one of the most commonly used predictors for job performance, video games could be interesting for the human resource management. Although many companies are increasingly using VR technology to recruit (招募) candidates, only few studies have specifically investigated whether and how VR games can be used to draw conclusions about intelligence in this area. The study contributes to bridging the gap between research and practice.
Weinmann invited 103 participants to their lab. Under controlled laboratory conditions, they played the commercial VR game “Job Simulator”and completed the short version of the intelligence test BIS-4. The researcher’s analyses show that an increase of 17% in processing capacity correlated with less time spent playing the game (by an average of 3.7 minutes).
The results are a scientific novelty, as it has hardly been possible to conduct VR studies with state-of-the-art VR hardware. There are thus few studies that have investigated the correlation between behavior in VR and intelligence, “There are already some companies that use games, so-called ‘serious games’, for recruiting. The new results are in line with this specific application of VR games and show that they can be used for recruiting,” said Weinmann.
The scientists intend to continue their research on the potential of video games for practical applications. Among other things, they are investigating how people behave in virtual world.
1. What can we learn from Weinmann’s study
A. The results are far from satisfactory. B. The participants can play the game freely.
C. It aims to develop intellectual ability. D. It helps to combine research with practice.
2. What is Weinmann’s attitude to the result of the study
A. Unclear. B. Intolerant. C. Favorable. D. Doubtful.
3. What is the last paragraph mainly about
A. Limitations of the study. B. Possible directions for future study.
C. The present situation of the study. D. The explanation of the research method.
4. Which of the following is the best title for the text
A. VR games can be used in recruitment B. VR games can indicate intelligence level
C. VR games improve applicants’ performance D. VR games have gain popularity in management
【答案】1. D 2. C 3. B 4. A
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍的是一项研究发现虚拟现实游戏可以作为人力资源管理的辅助工具，用于对应聘者的工作能力进行测试。
1. 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“Although many companies are increasingly using VR technology to recruit (招募) candidates, only few studies have specifically investigated whether and how VR games can be used to draw conclusions about intelligence in this area. The study contributes to bridging the gap between research and practice. (尽管许多公司越来越多地使用VR技术来招聘候选人，但只有少数研究专门调查了VR游戏是否以及如何用于得出这一领域的智力结论。这项研究有助于弥合研究与实践之间的空缺。)”可知，该项研究填补了在研究与实践之间的空缺，所以这项研究帮助把研究与实践结合起来。故选D项。
2. 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的“The new results are in line with this specific application of VR games and show that they can be used for recruiting,” said Weinmann.(新的结果与VR游戏的具体应用相一致，并表明它们可以用于招聘。”)”可知，Weinmann认为这项研究成果可用于招聘中，所以他对研究结果持赞成态度。故选C项。
3. 主旨大意题。根据尾段“The scientists intend to continue their research on the potential of video games for practical applications. Among other things, they are investigating how people behave in virtual world.(科学家们打算继续研究电子游戏在实际应用中的潜力。除此之外，他们正在调查人们在虚拟世界中的行为。)”可知，科学家将继续研究电子游戏在实际应用中的潜力以及人们在虚拟世界中的行为，由此可推断，该段主要介绍的是未来研究的方向。故选B项。
4. 主旨大意题。根据首段中的“The results also indicate that virtual reality games can be useful supplementary (补充) human resource management tools in companies for predicting the job performance of an applicant.(研究结果还表明，虚拟现实游戏可以作为企业人力资源管理的辅助工具，用于预测应聘者的工作表现。)”并结合下文对该研究成果的解析可知，本文主要介绍的为VR虚拟现实游戏可知用于招聘中对应聘人员的工作表现进行测试，所以“VR game可用于招聘”作为文章题目概括了全文内容也体现了文章主题。故选A项。
(4)
（22-23高二下·江苏泰州·期中）It was National Adoption Day. The pet store was working with the Lexington Humane Society to find good homes for abandoned dogs and cats. After endless pleas (恳求) from my sons, Mark and Luke, I decided to stop in. I didn’t know it at the time but adopting a homeless dog would really make me feel better. I was struggling with depression. We’d moved from Ohio to Kentucky. Ohio had been my home for forty years, and I missed my parents, friends and the familiarity of home.
Inside the pet store, there were rows of cages filled with furry animals. I spotted ours immediately: a two-year-old female Jack Russell named Princess. I looked into her cage. She pushed her nose toward the cage, sniffed and then lowered her head. Trembling in her cage, she seemed unsure of her surroundings. I wondered if Princess felt that way when she’d been brought here, surrounded by people she didn’t know. Is that why she was shaking so hard It made me want her.
“Let’s adopt her,” I said. My sons couldn’t contain their excitement, “We want her!” My husband also agreed. After I filled out the paperwork, we took Princess home. She barely ate and didn’t bark the first few days, but gradually she relaxed.
One afternoon, I was about to doze off (打盹) when I felt Princess jump on the bed. She was like a friend next to me. Actually, after adopting Princess, I felt better. While I still missed my parents and friends, I started making friends and visiting places in Kentucky.
When my son Luke turned seven, we had a birthday party. While I was making the cupcakes, Princess settled on the floor next to me. She was taking in everything: the sounds of children laughing, the smell of food and two of my new friends sitting at the kitchen table. She looked around and then up at me and wagged her tail. I thought it was her way of saying, “I’m finally home” And you know what She was right. We were both home.
1. Why did the author feel depressed
A. She was homesick then. B. She lost her previous pet.
C. She disliked her new life. D. She felt sorry for the animals.
2. What made the author decide to adopt Princess
A. Its attractive physical appearance. B. Its elegant responses to her family.
C. Its seemingly emotional suffering. D. Its obviously favorable personality.
3. How did the arrival of Princess impact the author’s life
A. It changed her routine. B. It changed her lifestyle.
C. It improved her social life. D. It improved her family life.
4. What might be the best title for the text
A. Setting in B. Holding on C. Changing for good D. Caring for animals
【答案】1. A 2. C 3. C 4. A
【解析】这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲述作者在远在他乡想家的情况下收养似乎和自己经历相同情感痛苦的小狗Princess。Princess慢慢适应了在作者家的生活，而她也让作者逐渐适应了肯塔基的生活。
1. 细节理解题。根据第一段的“I was struggling with depression. We’d moved from Ohio to Kentucky. Ohio had been my home for forty years, and I missed my parents, friends and the familiarity of home.(我一直在与情绪低落作斗争。我们从俄亥俄州搬到了肯塔基州。俄亥俄州是我四十年的家，我想念我的父母、朋友和熟悉的家)”可知，作者情绪低落是因为当时她很想念家人和朋友。故选A。
2. 推理判断题。根据第二段的“I spotted ours immediately: a two-year-old female Jack Russell named Princess. I looked into her cage. She pushed her nose toward the cage, sniffed and then lowered her head. Trembling in her cage, she seemed unsure of her surroundings. I wondered if Princess felt that way when she’d been brought here, surrounded by people she didn’t know. Is that why she was shaking so hard It made me want her.(我立刻发现了我们的：一只名叫Princess的两岁雌性Jack Russell。我看着她的笼子。她把鼻子伸向笼子，嗅了嗅，然后低下了头。她在笼子里颤抖着，似乎对周围的环境不确定。我想知道当Princess被带到这里，周围都是她不认识的人时，她是否有这种感觉。那就是她抖得这么厉害的原因吗？这让我想要她。)”推知，作者最终决定收养Princess是因为当时的Princess和作者的状态很相似，正遭受情感上的痛苦。故选C。
3. 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段的“Actually, after adopting Princess, I felt better. While I still missed my parents and friends, I started making friends and visiting places in Kentucky.(事实上，收养Princess后，我感觉好多了。虽然我仍然想念我的父母和朋友，但我开始结交朋友，去肯塔基州的一些地方。)”可知，Princess的到来改善了作者的社交生活。故选C。
4. 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章主要讲述作者在远在他乡想家的情况下收养似乎和自己经历相同情感痛苦的小狗Princess。Princess慢慢适应了在作者家的生活，而她也让作者逐渐适应了肯塔基的生活。结合最后一段的“I thought it was her way of saying, “I’m finally home” And you know what She was right. We were both home.(我认为这是她说“我终于有了家”的方式，你知道吗？她是对的。我们都有了“家”。)”可知，A项“安顿下来”可以作为本文的最佳标题。故选A。
(5)
（浙江省杭州市学军中学2022-2023学年下学期高二期中）A college professor at my university years ago shocked his class with a frog. He showed off a wood frog that was still alive but frozen solid. Then suddenly, he threw it against a wall and it broke into pieces. Everyone took a quick deep breath. Moments later, he explained that he hadn’t actually thrown the frog. For dramatic effect he had switched the frog for a large piece of ice. But the goal was to illustrate a point: That a wood frog does in fact freeze as solid as ice to survive the winter. Then it thaws again in the spring.
The wood frog is one of the most frequently studied animals on Earth that freezes. First, it’s liquid, it’s hopping around, then ice comes on it from the outside. Its skin gets frozen a little bit, its eyes glaze over, its brain freezes, and ice pushes blood to the frog’s heart before eventually that, too, is rock solid. This transition requires major changes in biochemistry. Ice slowly forms around the outside of organs and cells. At the same time, the frog’s liver pumps out incredible amounts of glucose — a sugary liquid that acts like antifreeze for vital organs — that flows everywhere including the insides of cells to keep them from dying.
But true supercooling in nature — and especially with human organs — comes with risks, says Shannon Tessier, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studies how suspended animation in nature can translate to human organ transplants.
Wood frogs and other animals that survive extreme conditions in nature have many applications in medicine, especially in the world of organ transplants, Tessier says. A human heart, for example, can only exist outside the body for about four hours. “So we’re trying to use the principles from wood frogs with high amounts of glucose and freeze a whole heart or other organ, keep it in suspended animation, safely awake it, and transplant it.”
1. Why did the college professor take a frog to the class
A. To show off his amazing pet. B. To switch a piece of ice with it.
C. To tell students some frog facts. D. To conduct a special experiment.
2. What does the underlined word “thaws” mean in paragraph 1
A. Freezes itself. B. Comes to life. C. Becomes warm. D. Turns back into water.
3. What protects the frozen frog from dying
A. Its icy cell. B. Its vital organ. C. Its warm blood. D. Its sugary liquid.
4. Who will probably benefit from the frog’s principles according to Shannon Tessier
A. The one who has to take a heart transplant operation.
B. The one who is applying for the Harvard Medical School.
C. The one who works on the development of a new medicine.
D. The one who plans to experience extreme conditions in nature.
【答案】1. C 2. B 3. D 4. A
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了冻成冰块冬眠的木蛙。这种具有超强耐冻能力的动物在冬眠时甚至连呼吸、心跳都停止了，看起来就像被冻死了，但一到春天，它们也会像其他冬眠动物一样苏醒过来。木蛙这种冬眠的方式的确对人类很有启发，比如在医学上应用于对人体器官的低温保存，让病人可以顺利进行器官移植，从而有更大几率存活下来。
1. 推理判断题。根据第一段“A college professor at my university years ago shocked his class with a frog. He showed off a wood frog that was still alive but frozen solid. Then suddenly, he threw it against a wall and it broke into pieces. Everyone took a quick deep breath. Moments later, he explained that he hadn’t actually thrown the frog. For dramatic effect he had switched the frog for a large piece of ice. But the goal was to illustrate a point: That a wood frog does in fact freeze as solid as ice to survive the winter.(几年前，我们大学的一位教授用一只青蛙震惊了全班。他展示了一只林蛙，它还活着，但已经冻成固体了。突然，他把它扔到墙上，它摔成了碎片。每个人都深深地吸了一口气。过了一会儿，他解释说他并没有把青蛙扔出去。为了产生戏剧效果，他把青蛙换成了一大块冰。但这个实验的目的是为了说明一个问题：木蛙为了过冬，确实会冻得像冰一样坚硬)”可知，大学教授要带一只青蛙去上课是为了告诉学生一些青蛙的事实。故选C。
2. 词句猜测题。根据画线词上文“But the goal was to illustrate a point: That a wood frog does in fact freeze as solid as ice to survive the winter.(但这个实验的目的是为了说明一个问题：木蛙为了过冬，确实会冻得像冰一样坚硬)”以及后文“again in the spring”可知，木蛙为了过冬，确实会冻得像冰一样坚硬。然后在春天再次复苏过来。故画线词意思是“复苏”。故选B。
3. 细节理解题。根据第二段中“At the same time, the frog’s liver pumps out incredible amounts of glucose — a sugary liquid that acts like antifreeze for vital organs — that flows everywhere including the insides of cells to keep them from dying.(与此同时，青蛙的肝脏会排出大量的葡萄糖——一种含糖液体，对重要器官起防冻剂的作用——这些葡萄糖流动到包括细胞内部在内的所有地方，以防止它们死亡)”可知，含糖液体保护冻青蛙免于死亡。故选 D。
4. 推理判断题。根据最后一段中“So we’ re trying to use the principles from wood frogs with high amounts of glucose and freeze a whole heart or other organ, keep it in suspended animation, safely awake it, and transplant it.(因此，我们正试图利用含有大量葡萄糖的木蛙的原理，冷冻整个心脏或其他器官，使其处于假死状态，安全地唤醒它，然后移植)”可知，Shannon Tessier 准备将木蛙原理运用到器官移植的技术中，因此一个接受心脏移植手术的人最有可能从这个原理中获益。故选 A。
(6)
（22-23高二下·浙江杭州·期中）On Friday, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed and was taken over by federal regulators, marking one of the largest bank failures since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. California’s banking regulators shut down SVB and effectively gives control of the bank to the FDIC, which created a new entity (实体) to oversee it. With a 40-year history, SVB served many companies, and it played an important role in the technology industry, successfully competing with bigger-name banks.
SVB’s business boomed as tech companies did well during the Covid-19. However, the technology industry recently faced difficulties, and many clients withdrew money. To fulfill these withdrawals, SVB sold part of its bond holdings (持有债券) at a $1.8 billion loss. The Federal Reserve’s (美联储) sharp rise in interest rate also affected bonds and stocks. Then SVB decided it wanted to reduce its bond portfolio (债券投资组合) to avoid further losses.
But that announcement spooked the bank’s clients, who got worried and then proceeded to withdraw even more money from the bank—a textbook definition of a bank run. The bank’s stock price (股价) fell by 60% on Thursday, and as its share price continued to sink overnight. Trading was halted, and the FDIC took over SVB.
While concerns emerged about the banking sector, shares of major banks like J. P. Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America dropped by around 5%. Investors worried that other banks, particularly smaller ones, might experience similar withdrawals. However, by Friday, fears regarding the broader banking sector had eased. Experts argued that SVB’s situation was unusual and should not impact other regional banks.
The FDIC-created entity, Deposit Insurance National Bank of Santa Clara, will oversee SVB. Insured deposits (存款), typically up to $250,000, will be accessible by Monday. Uninsured deposits face uncertainty, with the FDIC offering an “advance dividend (提前股息)” and “certificates” accounting for the uninsured funds. The regulator has not clarified what this means for uninsured depositors. Investors will continue monitoring any potential impact on other banks.
1. What do we learn about Silicon Valley Bank
A. It is the world’s first bank that has failed.
B. It has already been taken over by the FDIC.
C. It failed because of the severe situation during the pandemic.
D. It collapsed as a result of competition with the famous banks.
2. What does the underlined word “spooked” in paragraph 3 probably mean
A. Calmed. B. Inspired. C. Panicked. D. Persuaded.
3. What is the direct cause of SVB’s failure
A. Loss of the bond portfolio.
B. The decline of the tech industry.
C. The reduction of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate.
D. Withdrawals from a large number of customers.
4. What can be learned in the passage
A. All small banks will be impacted sooner or later.
B. The banking industry is facing the biggest challenge.
C. Those who have uninsured deposits will lose everything.
D. SVB’s deposit users are likely to be affected by its collapse.
【答案】1. B 2. C 3. B 4. B
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了硅谷银行（SVB）破产的原因以及所造成影响。
1. 细节理解题。根据文章第一段“California’s banking regulators shut down SVB and effectively gives control of the bank to the FDIC, which created a new entity(实体) to oversee it.(加州银行监管机构关闭了SVB，并将该行的控制权实际上交给了FDIC，FDIC创建了一个新的实体来监管该行。)”可知，硅谷银行已经由FDIC接管了，故选B。
2. 词义猜测题。根据第三段中划线词spooked的后文“who got worried and then proceeded to withdraw even more money from the bank—a textbook definition of a bank run.(他们开始担心，然后开始从银行提取更多的钱——这是教科书上对银行挤兑的定义。)”可知，客户担心，于是从银行提取更多的钱，因为此处划线词spooked与C项“使……恐慌”意思相近，这一声明让客户恐慌起来，因此开始担心，然后从银行提取了更多的钱，故选C。
3. 细节理解题。根据文章第二段“SVB’s business boomed as tech companies did well during the Covid-19. However, the technology industry recently faced difficulties, and many clients withdrew money.(随着科技公司在新冠疫情期间表现良好，SVB的业务蓬勃发展。然而，科技行业最近遇到了困难，许多客户撤回了资金。)”可知，硅谷银行失败的直接原因是科技产业的衰落，故选B。
4. 推理判断题。根据文章第一段“On Friday, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed and was taken over by federal regulators, marking one of the largest bank failures since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.(周五，硅谷银行倒闭，被联邦监管机构接管，这是自2008年全球金融危机依赖最大的银行倒闭之一。)”以及通读全文可知，文章主要介绍了硅谷银行（SVB）破产的原因以及所造成影响，所以B选项“银行业正面临着最大的挑战”符合文意，故选B。
(7)
（浙江大学附属中学2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Feeling overloaded by your to-do list can certainly make you unhappy, but new research suggests that more free time might not be the elixir many of us dream it could be.
In a new study released last week, researchers analyzed data from two large-scale (大规模) surveys about how Americans spend their time. Together, the surveys included more than 35,000 respondents. The researchers found that people with more free time generally had higher levels of subjective well-being — but only up to a point. People who had around two hours of free time a day generally reported they felt better than those who had less time. But people who had five or more hours of free time a day generally said they felt worse. So ultimately the free-time “sweet spot” might be two to three hours per day, the findings suggest.
Part of finding this seemingly tricky “sweet spot” has to do with how people spend the extra time they have, the researchers behind the new study argue. They conducted several smaller online experiments. In one they asked participants to imagine having 3.5 to 7 free hours per day. They were asked to imagine spending that time doing “productive” things (like exercising) or to imagine doing “unproductive” activities (like watching TV). Study participants believed their well-being would suffer if they had a lot of free time during the day — but only if they used it unproductively. Though that experiment was hypothetical, which is one limitation of the new research, it’s certainly in line with other research showing that being in a state of “flow” can be good for people’s mental health.
Of course, what feels “productive” is up to you. Many traditionally productive or purposeful activities can be easy and fun. Engaging in a bit of low-key cardio, like walking and jogging, can help burn stress. Free-time activities like reading or cooking are also known to put people in a state of flow.
1. What does the underlined word “elixir” in paragraph 1 refer to
A. Magic solution. B. Physical power. C. Psychological test. D. Relaxed atmosphere.
2. How did the researchers carry out the new study
A. By doing large-scale online surveys. B. By giving interviews and mental tests.
C. By comparing respondents’ backgrounds. D. By conducting experiments and analyzing data.
3. What is a distinct finding of the new research
A. Doing unproductive things leads to unhappiness.
B. Being in a state of flow benefits people’s mental health.
C. Man’s well-being is positively related to the free time they have.
D. How people spend their free time affects their sense of well-being.
4. What is the focus of the last paragraph
A. The importance of burning stress. B. Easy and fun activities to kill time.
C. Further explanation of being productive. D. The benefits of engaging in free-time activities.
【答案】1. A 2. D 3. D 4. B
【解析】这是一篇说明文。本文介绍了一项实验研究，得出结论：人的幸福感跟空闲时间的长短无关，而跟空闲时间的使用率相关。
1. 词句猜测题。根据划线词所在句“Feeling overloaded by your to-do list can certainly make you unhappy, but new research suggests that more free time might not be the elixir many of us dream it could be.(被待办事项清单压得喘不过气来肯定会让你不开心，但新的研究表明，更多的空闲时间可能不是我们许多人梦想的灵丹妙药)”中的but转折可知，面对待办事项时，我们最需要的可能是时间，但是研究表明，事实并非如我们想象的这般，太多的空闲时间反而不是解决待办事项的最好方法。由此可推知，划线词“elixir”与“Magic solution”表达意义相同，指“万能的（解决方法）”。故选A。
2. 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句“In a new study released last week, researchers analyzed data from two large-scale (大规模) surveys about how Americans spend their time.(在上周发布的一项新研究中，研究人员解析了两项关于美国人如何打发时间的大规模调查的数据)”及第三段第二句“They conducted several smaller online experiments.(他们进行了几项规模较小的在线实验)”可知，研究者是通过实验和数据解析的形式进行研究的。故选D。
3. 细节理解题。根据第三段第五句“Study participants believed their well-being would suffer if they had a lot of free time during the day — but only if they used it unproductively.(研究参与者相信，如果他们白天有很多空闲时间，但是没有有效利用时，他们的幸福感会变差)”可知，人们如何度过空闲时间会影响到幸福感。故选D。
4. 主旨大意题。根据最后一段第二句“Many traditionally productive or purposeful activities can be easy and fun.(许多传统上富有成效或有意义的活动都是轻松有趣的)”及后面列举的一些活动可知，本段主要是关于介绍一些轻松有趣的，用于消磨时间的活动的。故选B。
(8)
（22-23高二下·浙江宁波·期中）Pupils (瞳孔) respond to more than just light. They can indicate one’s interest or mental exhaustion. Pupil dilation (扩大) is even used by the police to detect lies. Now work conducted in our laboratory suggests that the pupil size is closely related to individual differences in intelligence. The larger the pupils are, the higher the intelligence is, as measured by the tests of reasoning, attention and memory.
We first uncovered this surprising relationship while studying differences in the amount of mental effort people used to complete memory tasks. We used pupil dilation as an indicator of effort, a technique psychologist Dani Kahneman popularized in the 1960s and 1970s. When we discovered a relationship between the pupil size and intelligence, we weren’t sure if it was real or what it meant.
Curiously, we conducted several large-scale studies in which we recruited more than 500 people aged 18 to 55 from the Atlanta community. We measured the participants’ pupils at rest while they stared at a blank computer screen for up to four minutes with an eye tracker. All the while, the eye tracker was recording. Using the tracker, we then calculated each participant’s pupil size.
To be clear, the pupil size refers to the diameter (直径) of the black circular aperture in the center of the eye. The pupil is surrounded by the colorful area known as the iris (虹膜), which is responsible for controlling the size of the pupil. Pupils become tighter and smaller in response to bright light, so we kept the laboratory dim (昏暗的) for all participants.
In the next part of the experiment, the participants completed a series of tests designed to measure “fluid intelligence”, the capacity to reason through new problems, “working memory capacity”, the ability to remember information over a period of time, and “attention control”, the ability to focus attention amid distractions and interference.
We found that a larger pupil size was correlated with greater fluid intelligence, attention control and, to a lesser degree, working memory capacity—indicating a fascinating relationship between the brain and the eyes. Interestingly, the pupil size was negatively correlated with age: older participants tended to have smaller pupils. Once standardized for age, however, the relationship between the pupil size and intelligence remained.
1. Which of the following statements might Daniel Kahneman support
A. Those with big eyes have good memory. B. Pupil dilation can cause mental exhaustion.
C. The pupil size is related to one’s intelligence. D. Pupil dilation can reflect one’s mental effort.
2. Why did the researchers conduct the large-scale studies
A. To complete their memory tasks. B. To study the function of the pupil.
C. To test whether their discovery is true. D. To find a way to record the pupil size.
3. The laboratory was kept dim so that the participants could ________.
A. wholly focus on the tests B. better respond to bright light
C. control the size of their pupils D. keep their eyes open comfortably
4. What is a suitable title for the text
A. Can you “see” the good from the bad
B. The eyes do communicate various emotions.
C. The eyes may be the window to the brain as well.
D. Why does the pupil size correlate with intelligence
【答案】1. D 2. C 3. D 4. C
【解析】这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了瞳孔大小与个体智力差异密切相关。从推理、注意力和记忆力测试的结果来看，瞳孔越大，智力越高。
1. 推理判断题。第六段提到“We found that a larger pupil size was correlated with greater fluid intelligence, attention control and, to a lesser degree, working memory capacity—indicating a fascinating relationship between the brain and the eyes. ”（我们发现，瞳孔越大，流体智力越强，注意力控制能力越强，工作记忆能力也越强（在较小程度上）——这表明大脑和眼睛之间存在着一种奇妙的关系。）由此判断，Daniel Kahneman可能会支持“Pupil dilation can reflect one’s mental effort.”（瞳孔扩张可以反映一个人的脑力劳动。）这一说法。故选D。
2. 推理判断题。第二段最后一句提到“When we discovered a relationship between the pupil size and intelligence, we weren’t sure if it was real or what it meant.”（当我们发现瞳孔大小和智力之间的关系时，我们不确定这是真的还是意味着什么。）和第三段提到“Curiously, we conducted several large-scale studies in which we recruited more than 500 people aged 18 to 55 from the Atlanta community. ”（出于好奇，我们进行了几次大规模的研究，我们从亚特兰大社区招募了500多名年龄在18到55岁之间的人。）由此判断，进行大规模实验研究的原因就是为了检测瞳孔大小和智力之间的关系是否成立。故选C。
3. 细节理解题。第四段最后一句提到“Pupils become tighter and smaller in response to bright light, so we kept the laboratory dim (昏暗的) for all participants.”（在明亮的光线下，瞳孔会变得更紧、更小，所以我们为所有参与者保持了昏暗的实验室。）如果光线太强烈的话，瞳孔的尺寸就会变得更大，可能会影响研究的结果。因此在昏暗的环境中进行实验时，研究对象的眼睛可以舒服地睁开，同时也不会因为光线影响瞳孔的尺寸。故选D。
4. 主旨大意题。第一段提到“Now work conducted in our laboratory suggests that the pupil size is closely related to individual differences in intelligence. The larger the pupils are, the higher the intelligence is, as measured by the tests of reasoning, attention and memory.”（现在，我们实验室的研究表明，瞳孔大小与个体智力差异密切相关。从推理、注意力和记忆力测试的结果来看，瞳孔越大，智力越高。）后文中介绍了针对瞳孔大小和智商之间关系的实验，最后一段提到“We found that a larger pupil size was correlated with greater fluid intelligence, attention control and, to a lesser degree, working memory capacity—indicating a fascinating relationship between the brain and the eyes.”（我们发现，瞳孔越大，流体智力越强，注意力控制能力越强，工作记忆能力也越强(在较小程度上)——这表明大脑和眼睛之间存在着一种奇妙的关系。）由此判断，瞳孔的大小也能反应智商情况。C项“The eyes may be the window to the brain as well.”（眼睛可能也是大脑的窗户）适合做文章标题，故选C。
(9)
（22-23高二下·湖北襄阳·期中）By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi (茶百戏), an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern coffee art. However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing. Zhang Zhifeng, a practician of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.
Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth (泡沫), and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making coffee because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea—making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.
“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways are similar to what we have now,” Zhang said.
Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice.
“To let this technique fade would be a shame. It must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.
1. What do the underlined words “gone viral” in paragraph 1 probably mean
A. Maintained highly competitive. B. Received good protection.
C. Started declining gradually. D. Became popular quickly.
2. What do we know about chabaixi
A. It develops based on coffee art. B. It involves complicated tea-making skills.
C. It mainly describes beautiful scenery. D. It is painted with whipped milk.
3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about
A. The origin of chabaixi. B. The uniqueness of chabaixi.
C. The significance of chabaixi. D. The development of chabaixi.
4. What can be the best title for this passage
A. Zhang Zhifeng—A Practician of Chabaixi B. Ancient Tea Technique Finds New Popular Recognition
C. A China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage D. Chabaixi—A Famous Tea-making Technique
【答案】1. D 2. B 3. C 4. B
【解析】这是一篇说明文。介绍了中国古代茶艺“茶百戏”，因一部电视剧走红。这项技术于2017年被列入中国非物质文化遗产，并介绍了这项非遗技艺的传承人张志峰为此所做的努力。
1. 词句猜测题。根据划线词前“an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama(最近一部电视剧中展示的中国古代茶艺“茶百戏”)”及下文“However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing.(然而，十年前，这种独特的技术几近消失)”可知，一项古老的茶艺几乎失传，应该是很多人不知道的，但是在一部电视剧中展示这项技艺，应该是更多的观众对这项古老技艺有了了解。由此推断，划线部分的意思是由于这部电视剧“茶百戏”再次为人熟知，流行开来。即划线部分意为“快速流行起来”。故选D项。
2. 推理判断题。根据第二段“Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth, and finally drawing the patterns.(茶百戏可以创造出无数的图案，如竹子和山脉，甚至书法。从磨成细粉，到倒开水，搅拌成浓沫，最后画出图案，总共有十几道工序)”及“ The process before the drawing is known as the tea-making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.(画之前的泡茶过程被称为点茶。 点茶的质量是以后能否成功制作出图案的关键)”可知，茶百戏涉及非常复杂的泡茶艺术。 故选 B 项。
3. 主旨大意题。根据第三段“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways resemble what we have now.(茶百戏是中国无数种制茶技术中的一种。茶百戏的重要性不仅在于它的技术在世界上是独一无二的，还在于它让我们得以一窥宋代人们的生活方式，当时的休闲活动在某些方面与我们现在的生活方式很相似)”可知，该段落主要介绍这种古老技艺对于我们现代人具有重要意义。故选C项。
4. 主旨大意题。根据第一段“By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi (茶百戏), an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern coffee art. However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing.( 最近一部电视剧中展示的中国古代茶艺“茶百戏”，通过在茶杯表面画图案，因其与现代咖啡艺术的明显相似而走红。然而，十年前，这种独特的技术几近消失)”可知，文章主要介绍一种古老几乎失传的一种中国茶艺因一部电视剧而重又被人了解认识，后面全文主要向读者介绍这种茶艺及其价值。因此B项“古代茶艺获重新获得大众认可”可以作为本文的最佳标题。故选B项。
(10)
（21-22高二下·湖北·期中）In many people’s eyes, artist Mark Rothko’s enormous paintings are nothing more than masses of color. Yet, a painting can be worth nearly $100 million. Besides, Pablo Picasso’s twisted faces attract some viewers but terrify others.
Why does the phenomenon happen The answer may lie in our brain networks. Researchers have now developed an algorithm (算法) that can predict art preference by analyzing how a person’s brain breaks down visual information and decides whether a painting is “good”. The findings show for the first time how basic features of a painting combine with human judgment to give art value in our minds.
Most people, including researchers, consider art preference to be various, says Anjan Chatterjee, a neurologist (神经学家) at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the study. In some cases, personal preference is rooted in biology. For instance, sugary foods help us survive. and people tend to share similar standards of beauty when it comes to human faces and landscapes. However, when it comes to art, we seem to care about and value relatively arbitrary (任意的) things, according to Chatterjee.
To figure out how the brain forms value judgments about art, neuroscientist Kiyohito ligaya and his colleagues first asked more than 1,300 volunteers on the website Amazon Mechanical Turk to rate a selection of 825 paintings from four Western types including impressionism, cubism, abstract art and color field painting. Volunteers were all over the age of 18, but researchers didn't give exact information about their familiarity with art or their ethnic (种族的) or national origin.
The researchers revealed that paintings preferred by the same groups of people tended to share certain visual characteristics. These characteristics all fell into two categories: “Low-level” characteristics, like contrast and color, were intrinsic (固有的) to an image; “High-level” characteristics, like the emotion a painting brought about, required human understanding. Once the method was trained, it could analyze these characteristics in new paintings and accurately predict which works a person would like.
1. What do the cases in Paragraph I mainly indicate
A. The value of different works of art. B. The characteristics of different artists.
C. The importance of facial appearances. D. The differences in people’s appreciation of beauty.
2. Which of the following ideas may Anjan Chatterjee support
A. People’s preference is mainly rooted in biology.
B. People usually share common feelings towards scenery.
C. Researchers’ art preference is different from others’.
D. Art works have fewer arbitrary things to value
3. Which of the following factors was taken into account during the study
A. The identity of the participants. B. The background of the paintings.
C. The wide range of paintings. D. The national origin of the participants.
4. What’s the last paragraph mainly about
A. The findings of the study. B. The researchers’ different viewpoints.
C. The process of the study. D. The researchers’ prediction for related research.
【答案】1. D 2. B 3. C 4. A
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。人们对不同的艺术作品的评价不同，经过研究人员的最新调查发现，这与人们的大脑网络结构有关。
1. 推理判断题。根据第一段的描述“In many people’s eyes, artist Mark Rothko's enormous paintings are nothing more than masses of color. Yet, a painting can be worth nearly $100 million. Besides, Pablo Picasso’s twisted faces attract some viewers but terrify others.(在许多人眼里，艺术家马克·罗斯科的巨大画作只不过是大量的色彩。然而，一幅画可能价值近1亿美元。此外，巴勃罗·毕加索扭曲的面孔吸引了一些观众，但也吓到了其他人。)”及第二段的解析“Why does the phenomenon happen The answer may lie in our brain networks. Researchers have now developed an algorithm(算法) that can predict art preference by analyzing how a person’s brain breaks down visual information and decides whether a painting is “good”. The findings show for the first time how basic features of a painting combine with human judgment to give art value in our minds. (为什么这种现象会发生呢？答案可能在于我们的大脑网络。研究人员现在已经开发了一种算法，可以通过解析一个人的大脑如何分解视觉信息并决定一幅画是否“好”来预测艺术偏好。研究发现首次展示了一幅画的基本特征是如何与人类的判断结合起来，在我们的头脑中赋予艺术价值的方式。)”可知，第一段的两个例子主要是用来说明人们对美的感知不同，引出话题。故选D。
2. 推理判断题。根据第三段中“Most people, including researchers, consider art preference to be various, says Anjan Chatterjee, a neurologist(神经学家) at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the study. In some cases, personal preference is rooted in biology. For instance, sugary foods help us survive. and people tend to share similar standards of beauty when it comes to human faces and landscapes.(宾夕法尼亚大学的神经学家，没有参与研究的Anjan Chatterjee说，大多数人，包括研究人员，认为艺术偏好是不同的。在某些情况下，个人偏好根植于生物学。例如，含糖的食物可以帮助我们生存。当涉及到人脸和风景时，人们往往共享相似的美丽标准)”可知，Anjan Chatterjee认为人们对于风景的看法可能是相同的。故选B。
3. 细节理解题。根据第四段 “… a selection of 825 paintings from four Western types including impressionism, cubism, abstract art and color field painting.(精选了印象派、立体派、抽象艺术和色彩领域绘画的825幅画作。)”可知，研究考虑了不同类型的绘画作品。故选C。
4. 主旨大意题。根据最后一段“The researchers revealed that paintings preferred by the same groups of people tended to share certain visual characteristics. These characteristics all fell into two categories… (研究人员发现，同一组人更喜欢的绘画往往具有特定的视觉特征。这些特征都可以分为两类……)”以及下文的解释可知，本段主要总结研究发现。故选A。
(11)
（21-22高二下·湖北·期中）A year after I left college, I was given the opportunity to host the 6 o’clock news in Baltimore. The whole goal in the media at the time I was coming up was try to move to larger markets, so getting the job at 22 was such a big deal. And I was so proud, because I was finally going to have my chance to be like Barbara Walters, who had been my idol since the start of my TV career. I was 22 in 1976, making $22,000 a year, it didn’t feel right yet.
The first sign was when they tried to change my name. The news director said to me at the time, “Nobody’s going to remember Oprah. So, we want to change your name. We’ve come up with a name we think that people will remember and people will like. It’s a friendly name: Suzie.”
I grew up not loving the name, but once I was asked to change it, I thought, well, it is my name and do I look like a Suzie to you I thought, no, it doesn’t feel right. I’m not going to change my name. And whether people remember it or not, that’s OK.
And then they said they didn’t like the way I looked, so they sent me to a salon where they gave me a perm (烫发). After a few days all my hair fell out and I had to shave my head. At last, they really didn’t like the way I looked, because I was black and bald and sitting on TV wasn’t a pretty picture.
But even worse than being bald, I really hated being sent to report on other people’s tragedies as a part of my daily duty. And after eight months, I lost that job. They said I was too emotional. But since they didn’t want to pay out the contract, they put me on a talk show. And the moment I sat down on that show, the moment I felt like I’d come home. I realized that TV could be more than just a playground, but a platform for helping other people lift their lives. And the moment I sat down, doing that talk show, it felt like breathing. And that’s where everything that followed for me began.
1. What can we infer from paragraph 1
A. The writer’s aim after graduation was to leave Baltimore.
B. Barbara Walters was a host the writer admired most.
C. The writer didn’t feel right because she thought she could earn more.
D. The writer was proud because she could work with Barbara Walters
2. What caused the author to dislike her first job
A. Reporting tragedies every day.
B. Not being good at reporting on other people’s tragedies.
C. The boss’s wanting to put her on another talk show.
D. Being black and bald and sitting on TV.
3. Which can best describe Oprah
A. Careful and considerate. B. Understanding and optimistic.
C. Persuasive and emotional. D. Determined and sympathetic.
4. What can we learn from the writer’s story
A. Pride goes before a fall. B. Opportunity knocks only once.
C. Practice makes perfect. D. Let your heart talk more.
【答案】1. B 2. A 3. D 4. D
【解析】这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了作者参加工作的经历，通过这样的经历悟出了一个道理：听从自己的内心。
1. 推理判断题。根据第一段中“because I was finally going to have my chance to be like Barbara Walters, who had been my idol since the start of my TV career.”（因为我终于有机会成为Barbara Walters了，她从我开始电视生涯起就是我的偶像。）可知，Barbara Walters是作家最崇拜的主持人，故选B。
2. 细节理解题。根据第五段中“But even worse than being bald, I really hated being sent to report on other people’s tragedies as a part of my daily duty.”（但比秃顶更糟糕的是，我真的很讨厌被派去报道别人的悲剧，这是我日常工作的一部分。）可知，每天报道悲剧导致作者不喜欢她的第一份工作，故选A。
3. 推理判断题。根据第三段中“I’m not going to change my name. And whether people remember it or not, that’s OK.”（我不会改名字的。不管人们记不记得，都没关系。）可知，作者的意志力很坚定；根据第五段中“But even worse than being bald, I really hated being sent to report on other people’s tragedies as a part of my daily duty. ”（但比秃顶更糟糕的是，我真的很讨厌被派去报道别人的悲剧，这是我日常工作的一部分。）可知，作者是富有同情心的，故选D。
4. 推理判断题。根据第五段中“And the moment I sat down, doing that talk show, it felt like breathing. And that’s where everything that followed for me began.”（当我坐下来做脱口秀的那一刻，感觉就像呼吸一样。这就是我接下来的一切开始的地方。）可知，做人做事要听从自己的内心，故选D。
(12)
（21-22高二下·湖北·期中）David Bennett became the first person to have a heart transplanted successfully into him from a pig. In press material issued three days after the operation, the University of Maryland confirmed Mr Bennett was doing well, and was capable of breathing on his own. While he continues to rely on artificial support to pump blood around his body, the team behind the surgery, led by Bartley Griffith, plan gradually to reduce its use.
This operation is a milestone for xenotransplantation — the transfer of organs from other species to human patients. Doctors say the next few weeks will be a critical to see how Bennett does with the new organ and whether his body begins to reject it.
The operation itself received exceptional authorization from America’s Food and Drug Administration under a provision which lets doctors use experimental treatments as a matter of last resort. Prior to the operation, Mr. Bennett was diagnosed with terminal heart disease, but was judged too ill to qualify for a human transplant. Having spent months in a hospital bed with no improvement to his condition, he gave his agreement to the surgery.
Bennett released a statement through the medical center the day before the operation. In it, he said: “It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.”
Past attempts at pig-to-human transplants have failed because of genetic differences that caused organ rejection. To reduce the risk of that happening in this case, scientists removed several genes from the donor pig that are linked with organ rejection. They also removed another gene from the animal in an effort to prevent too much growth of pig heart tissue.
Bennett’s genetically modified pig heart was provided by Revivicor, a regenerative medicine company based in Blacksburg, Virginia. On the morning of the surgery, the transplant team removed the pig’s heart and placed it into a special device to keep it running until the operation.
1. Why did Bennett adopt a pig heart transplant
A. Genetic differences may cause organ rejection.
B. He failed to get approval from America’s Food and Drug Administration.
C. He couldn’t manage to find a suitable human heart.
D. His heart disease was too severe to receive a human transplant.
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “a shot in the dark” in Paragraph4
A. A possibility that shoots oneself in the evening.
B. A belief that all things will go smoothly.
C. A guess that is based on little evidence or information.
D. A challenge someone must face.
3. How do scientists prevent the organ rejection
A. By taking away some of unfavorable genes.
B. By promoting the growth of pig heart issue.
C. By placing the pig’s heart into a special device.
D. By connecting to a heart-lung machine until the operation.
4. What’s the best title for the text
A. Bennett’s New Life with a Pig Heart B. First Successful Pig-to-Human Transplant
C. A New Progress in Life-Saving Transplants D. Past Attempts at Pig-to-Human Transplants
【答案】1. D 2. C 3. A 4. B
【解析】本文是说明文。文章主要讲述第一个从猪身上成功移植心脏到人身上的科学案例。
1. 细节理解题。根据第三段“Prior to the operation, Mr. Bennett was diagnosed with terminal heart disease, but was judged too ill to qualify for a human transplant.(在手术之前，Bennett先生被诊断出患有晚期心脏病，但由于病情严重，无法接受人体移植)”可知，Bennett先生接受移植猪的心脏是因为他病情严重，无法接受人体移植。故选D。
2. 词句猜测题。根据第四段“It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.(要么死要么做这个移植。我想活着。我知道它是a shot in the dark，但这是我最后的选择)”可知，a shot in the dark是名词，描述当时手术的特点。根据第二段“This operation is a milestone for xenotransplantation — the transfer of organs from other species to human patients.(这次手术是异种移植的一个里程碑——将其他物种的器官移植给人类患者)”可知，这样的手术是第一次做，所以有很大的未知性，没有任何的依据和可借鉴的信息，所以一切都是猜测。所以a shot in the dark的意思应该是“瞎猜的”，和选项C意思一致。故选C。
3. 细节理解题。根据第五段“To reduce the risk of that happening in this case, scientists removed several genes from the donor pig that are linked with organ rejection.(为了降低这种情况发生的风险，科学家从捐赠猪身上移除了几个与器官排斥有关的基因)”可知，为了避免排异现象的发生，科学家从捐赠猪身上移除了几个与器官排斥有关的基因。故选A。
4. 主旨大意题。根据第一段“David Bennett became the first person to have a heart transplanted successfully into him from a pig. (David Bennett成为第一个从猪身上成功移植心脏的人)”可知，这篇文章主要讲述第一个从猪身上成功移植心脏到人身上的科学案例。故选B。
(1)
（江苏省南京师大附中2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）CERTAIN CREATURES-namely, bees-have evolved to be skillful flying builders. To assemble (组装) a nest, worker insects team up to do various work to the specification of a complex design that ends up being many times their size. This process takes months, many times longer than the average lifespan of all but the queen. Meanwhile the insects must adjust as they go.
It is these insect building teams that inspired Mirko Kovac, a roboticist at Imperial College London, to develop a way to improve the flexibility of 3D printing. A typical 3D printer is limited by the range of its nozzle (喷嘴), and can only make objects smaller than itself. Dr Kovac’s team has removed these limitation by using flying robots.
Dr Kovac describes a system of flying robots that is composed of two types of multi-rotor drones: builders and scanners. The builders carry the 3D-printing nozzle. The scanners are robots equipped with cameras that are responsible for monitoring the progress of the builders.
The building process alternates between builders and scanners, layer by layer, printing and adjusting, until a structure is complete. First, a builder remains suspended over its area of operation and begins to release a jet or rush of the building material along its flight path. The choice of material is important—it must be lightweight enough for the drones to carry but strong enough to hold the subsequent layers that will be built on top. Once the builder robot has sprayed a layer of material, the scanner robot flies over, inspects the progress. The system then computes the next layer that the builder should make, while also correcting for any errors that might have been discovered in what has already been built.
Because the flying robots can, in theory, operate anywhere, they could fix things in dangerous or otherwise inaccessible places. Dr Kovac says that his robots could be used to spot and seal leaks in oil or gas pipelines, repair leaky insulation or fix cracks on tall buildings. Thinking more long term, Dr Kovac even sees a potential future for his construction robots, building on the surfaces of the Moon or Mars.
1. Why does the author mention bees in the text
A. To become a theme. B. To introduce a topic. C. To give an explanation. D. To analyze the cause.
2. What is the character of typical 3D printers
A. They can expand the range of printing. B. They can make adjustment while printing.
C. They are more flexible than traditional ones. D. They can make objects smaller than themselves.
3. What can we learn from the building process
A. The Builders can correct the errors while calculating.
B. The building material should be strong enough for scanner.
C. Builders and scanners can print and monitor at the same time.
D. The building process has strict requirement of the building material.
4. What can be the suitable title for the text
A. Teams of flying robots can make 3D objects.
B. Teams of flying robots have a limited future.
C. The flexibility of typical 3D printer has been improved.
D. Teams of flying robots have been used in dangerous situation.
【答案】1. B 2. D 3. D 4. C
【解析】这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了科学家受到昆虫建巢穴的启发开发了一种提高3D打印机的灵活性的方法。
1. 推理判断题。根据第一段中“CERTAIN CREATURES-namely, bees-have evolved to be skillful flying builders. (某些生物，即蜜蜂已经进化成熟练的飞行建设者)”和第二段中“It is these insect building teams that inspired Mirko Kovac, a roboticist at Imperial College London, to develop a way to improve the flexibility of 3D printing. (正是这些昆虫制造团队激发了伦敦帝国理工学院机器人学家Mirko Kovac的灵感，开发了一种提高3D打印灵活性的方法)”可知，文中提到蜜蜂是为了介绍本文的主题。故选B项。
2. 细节理解题。根据第二段中“A typical 3D printer is limited by the range of its nozzle (喷嘴), and can only make objects smaller than itself. (典型的3D打印机受到喷嘴范围的限制，只能使物体比自己小)”可知，典型的3D打印机的特点是只能把物体做得比自己小。故选D项。
3. 细节理解题。根据第四段中“The choice of material is important——it must be lightweight enough for the drones to carry but strong enough to hold the subsequent layers that will be built on top. (材料的选择很重要——它必须足够轻，可以让无人机携带，但足够坚固，可以容纳将要建造在上面的后续层)”可知，我们可以从建造过程中了解到建造工艺对建造材料有严格的要求。故选D项。
4. 主旨大意题。通读全文，根据第二段“Dr Kovac describes a system of flying robots that is composed of two types of multi-rotor drones: builders专题01 阅读理解记叙文&说明文
(1)
（江苏省盐城市三校2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Archan Chan recalls her first experience working in a Chinese restaurant more than 14 years ago. Employed as an apprentice (学徒) chef, she was one of just two women in the kitchen — the other’s only job was to beat eggs. “She was unbelievably fast at beating eggs. I guess for a woman to survive in a traditional Chinese kitchen back then, you had to be the best in something,” she says.
Today, Chan leads the kitchen of Ho Lee Fook, one of Hong Kong’s most popular restaurants. After spending more than a decade working in fine dining restaurants in Australia and Singapore, she is one of a few female chefs who have risen to the top of a high-end Chinese restaurant. That’s an impressive achievement, given how unbelievably challenging it has been for women to show in high-end Chinese kitchens.
Female chefs have long been a minority in professional kitchens around the world. But the situation is even severer in Chinese kitchens. There’s no denying the work is physically demanding — an empty pot weighs about 2.2 kilograms. In the past, few chefs would risk employing a female trainee into that tough environment.
Given all of these barriers, not many women would even consider this male-dominated industry as an attractive career path. Thankfully, there are signs of a shift in mindset — the number of female Chinese head chefs has been rising in recent years.
“Even if it’s a kitchen almost full of men, all everyone cares about is food — the cooking. They don’t care if you’re a male or female. Gender shouldn’t matter,” Chan says.
“Yes, there is a physical barrier but I think the mental barrier may be more of a barrier to the increase of women in Chinese kitchens,”Chan adds. “It isn’t just about how much you want it but how much hard work you’re willing to put into it. There are days when you feel like your arms are falling apart and you can’t move them anymore, but the next day, you’re stronger and may be able to work a heavier work.”
1. What can we learn about Archan Chan
A. She got a rapid promotion. B. She does best in beating eggs.
C. She is the best female chef in China. D. She made a great achievement in her career.
2. What’s a cause of very few female chefs in professional kitchens
A. Kitchen is a tough place for women. B. Women are afraid of physical work.
C. Customers care about the gender of the chef. D. Women face both mental and physical barriers.
3. Which of the following can best describe Archan Chan
A. Strong-willed. B. Open-minded. C. Cool-headed. D. Kind-hearted.
4. What would be the best title for the text
A. Female chefs have risen to the top. B. Female chefs have long been a minority.
C. Female chefs are proving doubters wrong. D. Female chefs are replacing male chefs gradually.
(2)
（江苏省南京师大附中2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Animal populations across the world have been reduced by 69% in less than 50 years, according to a new scientific report. The report’s authors are calling for urgent action to restore the natural world.
The Living Planet Report (LPR) is produced every two years by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. The most recent report, released on October 13, 2022, shows that almost 70% of the world’s monitored wildlife was lost between 1970 and 2018. The report is based on research from 195 countries around the world. Data was collected from almost 32,000 populations of 5,230 species.
Although the average global loss of wildlife is 69%, the rate is greater in the global south. Latin America and the Caribbean in particular have seen the sharpest fall, having lost 94% of their wildlife since 1970. Across the world, the biggest drop was in freshwater populations of wildlife — including almost 1,400 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles — which have decreased by 83%.
The report identifies several causes for wildlife loss, including hunting, farming, the loss of forests, pollution and climate change. However, the report also promotes solutions, such as designing less destructive food production systems, urgently protecting the Amazon rainforest, limiting the use of fossil fuels, and creating new laws to protect our natural environment.
Commenting on the report, Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, called the figures “terrifying”, and said “we need to restore nature and not simply halt its loss.” In December 2022, world leaders are meeting in Montreal for the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference, also known as COP 15. The authors of the LPR say that this is an opportunity for a global plan to deal with wildlife loss and restore nature. “Government leaders must step up at COP 15,” said Lambertini. “The world is watching.”
1. What does the author mainly want to show by listing the numbers in the first three paragraphs
A. The causes of the urgent situation. B. The detailed process of the research.
C. The severity of wildlife loss worldwide. D. The drop in freshwater populations of wildlife
2. According to the report, what is a possible solution to population decline of wildlife
A. Stop hunting and farming. B. Ban the production of wildlife food.
C. Offer legal protection of natural environment. D. Replace the fossil fuels with renewable energy.
3. What does the underlined word “halt” mean in the last paragraph
A. Accept. B. Stop. C. Fear. D. Suffer.
4. What is Lambertini’s attitude towards wildlife loss
A. Objective. B. Indifferent. C. Ambiguous. D. Concerned.
(3)
（22-23高二下·山东日照·期中）Virtual reality gamers (VR game) who finished it faster than their fellow gamers also have higher levels of general intelligence and processing capacity. This was the result of a study conducted by Markus Weinmann from the University of Cologne. The results also indicate that virtual reality games can be useful supplementary (补充) human resource management tools in companies for predicting the job performance of an applicant.
Several studies have already shown that video games may indicate or even help to develop intellectual and cognitive abilities. As intelligence is one of the most commonly used predictors for job performance, video games could be interesting for the human resource management. Although many companies are increasingly using VR technology to recruit (招募) candidates, only few studies have specifically investigated whether and how VR games can be used to draw conclusions about intelligence in this area. The study contributes to bridging the gap between research and practice.
Weinmann invited 103 participants to their lab. Under controlled laboratory conditions, they played the commercial VR game “Job Simulator”and completed the short version of the intelligence test BIS-4. The researcher’s analyses show that an increase of 17% in processing capacity correlated with less time spent playing the game (by an average of 3.7 minutes).
The results are a scientific novelty, as it has hardly been possible to conduct VR studies with state-of-the-art VR hardware. There are thus few studies that have investigated the correlation between behavior in VR and intelligence, “There are already some companies that use games, so-called ‘serious games’, for recruiting. The new results are in line with this specific application of VR games and show that they can be used for recruiting,” said Weinmann.
The scientists intend to continue their research on the potential of video games for practical applications. Among other things, they are investigating how people behave in virtual world.
1. What can we learn from Weinmann’s study
A. The results are far from satisfactory. B. The participants can play the game freely.
C. It aims to develop intellectual ability. D. It helps to combine research with practice.
2. What is Weinmann’s attitude to the result of the study
A. Unclear. B. Intolerant. C. Favorable. D. Doubtful.
3. What is the last paragraph mainly about
A. Limitations of the study. B. Possible directions for future study.
C. The present situation of the study. D. The explanation of the research method.
4. Which of the following is the best title for the text
A. VR games can be used in recruitment B. VR games can indicate intelligence level
C. VR games improve applicants’ performance D. VR games have gain popularity in management
(4)
（22-23高二下·江苏泰州·期中）It was National Adoption Day. The pet store was working with the Lexington Humane Society to find good homes for abandoned dogs and cats. After endless pleas (恳求) from my sons, Mark and Luke, I decided to stop in. I didn’t know it at the time but adopting a homeless dog would really make me feel better. I was struggling with depression. We’d moved from Ohio to Kentucky. Ohio had been my home for forty years, and I missed my parents, friends and the familiarity of home.
Inside the pet store, there were rows of cages filled with furry animals. I spotted ours immediately: a two-year-old female Jack Russell named Princess. I looked into her cage. She pushed her nose toward the cage, sniffed and then lowered her head. Trembling in her cage, she seemed unsure of her surroundings. I wondered if Princess felt that way when she’d been brought here, surrounded by people she didn’t know. Is that why she was shaking so hard It made me want her.
“Let’s adopt her,” I said. My sons couldn’t contain their excitement, “We want her!” My husband also agreed. After I filled out the paperwork, we took Princess home. She barely ate and didn’t bark the first few days, but gradually she relaxed.
One afternoon, I was about to doze off (打盹) when I felt Princess jump on the bed. She was like a friend next to me. Actually, after adopting Princess, I felt better. While I still missed my parents and friends, I started making friends and visiting places in Kentucky.
When my son Luke turned seven, we had a birthday party. While I was making the cupcakes, Princess settled on the floor next to me. She was taking in everything: the sounds of children laughing, the smell of food and two of my new friends sitting at the kitchen table. She looked around and then up at me and wagged her tail. I thought it was her way of saying, “I’m finally home” And you know what She was right. We were both home.
1. Why did the author feel depressed
A. She was homesick then. B. She lost her previous pet.
C. She disliked her new life. D. She felt sorry for the animals.
2. What made the author decide to adopt Princess
A. Its attractive physical appearance. B. Its elegant responses to her family.
C. Its seemingly emotional suffering. D. Its obviously favorable personality.
3. How did the arrival of Princess impact the author’s life
A. It changed her routine. B. It changed her lifestyle.
C. It improved her social life. D. It improved her family life.
4. What might be the best title for the text
A. Setting in B. Holding on C. Changing for good D. Caring for animals
(5)
（浙江省杭州市学军中学2022-2023学年下学期高二期中）A college professor at my university years ago shocked his class with a frog. He showed off a wood frog that was still alive but frozen solid. Then suddenly, he threw it against a wall and it broke into pieces. Everyone took a quick deep breath. Moments later, he explained that he hadn’t actually thrown the frog. For dramatic effect he had switched the frog for a large piece of ice. But the goal was to illustrate a point: That a wood frog does in fact freeze as solid as ice to survive the winter. Then it thaws again in the spring.
The wood frog is one of the most frequently studied animals on Earth that freezes. First, it’s liquid, it’s hopping around, then ice comes on it from the outside. Its skin gets frozen a little bit, its eyes glaze over, its brain freezes, and ice pushes blood to the frog’s heart before eventually that, too, is rock solid. This transition requires major changes in biochemistry. Ice slowly forms around the outside of organs and cells. At the same time, the frog’s liver pumps out incredible amounts of glucose — a sugary liquid that acts like antifreeze for vital organs — that flows everywhere including the insides of cells to keep them from dying.
But true supercooling in nature — and especially with human organs — comes with risks, says Shannon Tessier, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studies how suspended animation in nature can translate to human organ transplants.
Wood frogs and other animals that survive extreme conditions in nature have many applications in medicine, especially in the world of organ transplants, Tessier says. A human heart, for example, can only exist outside the body for about four hours. “So we’re trying to use the principles from wood frogs with high amounts of glucose and freeze a whole heart or other organ, keep it in suspended animation, safely awake it, and transplant it.”
1. Why did the college professor take a frog to the class
A. To show off his amazing pet. B. To switch a piece of ice with it.
C. To tell students some frog facts. D. To conduct a special experiment.
2. What does the underlined word “thaws” mean in paragraph 1
A. Freezes itself. B. Comes to life. C. Becomes warm. D. Turns back into water.
3. What protects the frozen frog from dying
A. Its icy cell. B. Its vital organ. C. Its warm blood. D. Its sugary liquid.
4. Who will probably benefit from the frog’s principles according to Shannon Tessier
A. The one who has to take a heart transplant operation.
B. The one who is applying for the Harvard Medical School.
C. The one who works on the development of a new medicine.
D. The one who plans to experience extreme conditions in nature.
(6)
（22-23高二下·浙江杭州·期中）On Friday, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed and was taken over by federal regulators, marking one of the largest bank failures since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. California’s banking regulators shut down SVB and effectively gives control of the bank to the FDIC, which created a new entity (实体) to oversee it. With a 40-year history, SVB served many companies, and it played an important role in the technology industry, successfully competing with bigger-name banks.
SVB’s business boomed as tech companies did well during the Covid-19. However, the technology industry recently faced difficulties, and many clients withdrew money. To fulfill these withdrawals, SVB sold part of its bond holdings (持有债券) at a $1.8 billion loss. The Federal Reserve’s (美联储) sharp rise in interest rate also affected bonds and stocks. Then SVB decided it wanted to reduce its bond portfolio (债券投资组合) to avoid further losses.
But that announcement spooked the bank’s clients, who got worried and then proceeded to withdraw even more money from the bank—a textbook definition of a bank run. The bank’s stock price (股价) fell by 60% on Thursday, and as its share price continued to sink overnight. Trading was halted, and the FDIC took over SVB.
While concerns emerged about the banking sector, shares of major banks like J. P. Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America dropped by around 5%. Investors worried that other banks, particularly smaller ones, might experience similar withdrawals. However, by Friday, fears regarding the broader banking sector had eased. Experts argued that SVB’s situation was unusual and should not impact other regional banks.
The FDIC-created entity, Deposit Insurance National Bank of Santa Clara, will oversee SVB. Insured deposits (存款), typically up to $250,000, will be accessible by Monday. Uninsured deposits face uncertainty, with the FDIC offering an “advance dividend (提前股息)” and “certificates” accounting for the uninsured funds. The regulator has not clarified what this means for uninsured depositors. Investors will continue monitoring any potential impact on other banks.
1. What do we learn about Silicon Valley Bank
A. It is the world’s first bank that has failed.
B. It has already been taken over by the FDIC.
C. It failed because of the severe situation during the pandemic.
D. It collapsed as a result of competition with the famous banks.
2. What does the underlined word “spooked” in paragraph 3 probably mean
A. Calmed. B. Inspired. C. Panicked. D. Persuaded.
3. What is the direct cause of SVB’s failure
A. Loss of the bond portfolio.
B. The decline of the tech industry.
C. The reduction of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate.
D. Withdrawals from a large number of customers.
4. What can be learned in the passage
A. All small banks will be impacted sooner or later.
B. The banking industry is facing the biggest challenge.
C. Those who have uninsured deposits will lose everything.
D. SVB’s deposit users are likely to be affected by its collapse.
(7)
（浙江大学附属中学2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Feeling overloaded by your to-do list can certainly make you unhappy, but new research suggests that more free time might not be the elixir many of us dream it could be.
In a new study released last week, researchers analyzed data from two large-scale (大规模) surveys about how Americans spend their time. Together, the surveys included more than 35,000 respondents. The researchers found that people with more free time generally had higher levels of subjective well-being — but only up to a point. People who had around two hours of free time a day generally reported they felt better than those who had less time. But people who had five or more hours of free time a day generally said they felt worse. So ultimately the free-time “sweet spot” might be two to three hours per day, the findings suggest.
Part of finding this seemingly tricky “sweet spot” has to do with how people spend the extra time they have, the researchers behind the new study argue. They conducted several smaller online experiments. In one they asked participants to imagine having 3.5 to 7 free hours per day. They were asked to imagine spending that time doing “productive” things (like exercising) or to imagine doing “unproductive” activities (like watching TV). Study participants believed their well-being would suffer if they had a lot of free time during the day — but only if they used it unproductively. Though that experiment was hypothetical, which is one limitation of the new research, it’s certainly in line with other research showing that being in a state of “flow” can be good for people’s mental health.
Of course, what feels “productive” is up to you. Many traditionally productive or purposeful activities can be easy and fun. Engaging in a bit of low-key cardio, like walking and jogging, can help burn stress. Free-time activities like reading or cooking are also known to put people in a state of flow.
1. What does the underlined word “elixir” in paragraph 1 refer to
A. Magic solution. B. Physical power. C. Psychological test. D. Relaxed atmosphere.
2. How did the researchers carry out the new study
A. By doing large-scale online surveys. B. By giving interviews and mental tests.
C. By comparing respondents’ backgrounds. D. By conducting experiments and analyzing data.
3. What is a distinct finding of the new research
A. Doing unproductive things leads to unhappiness.
B. Being in a state of flow benefits people’s mental health.
C. Man’s well-being is positively related to the free time they have.
D. How people spend their free time affects their sense of well-being.
4. What is the focus of the last paragraph
A. The importance of burning stress. B. Easy and fun activities to kill time.
C. Further explanation of being productive. D. The benefits of engaging in free-time activities.
(8)
（22-23高二下·浙江宁波·期中）Pupils (瞳孔) respond to more than just light. They can indicate one’s interest or mental exhaustion. Pupil dilation (扩大) is even used by the police to detect lies. Now work conducted in our laboratory suggests that the pupil size is closely related to individual differences in intelligence. The larger the pupils are, the higher the intelligence is, as measured by the tests of reasoning, attention and memory.
We first uncovered this surprising relationship while studying differences in the amount of mental effort people used to complete memory tasks. We used pupil dilation as an indicator of effort, a technique psychologist Dani Kahneman popularized in the 1960s and 1970s. When we discovered a relationship between the pupil size and intelligence, we weren’t sure if it was real or what it meant.
Curiously, we conducted several large-scale studies in which we recruited more than 500 people aged 18 to 55 from the Atlanta community. We measured the participants’ pupils at rest while they stared at a blank computer screen for up to four minutes with an eye tracker. All the while, the eye tracker was recording. Using the tracker, we then calculated each participant’s pupil size.
To be clear, the pupil size refers to the diameter (直径) of the black circular aperture in the center of the eye. The pupil is surrounded by the colorful area known as the iris (虹膜), which is responsible for controlling the size of the pupil. Pupils become tighter and smaller in response to bright light, so we kept the laboratory dim (昏暗的) for all participants.
In the next part of the experiment, the participants completed a series of tests designed to measure “fluid intelligence”, the capacity to reason through new problems, “working memory capacity”, the ability to remember information over a period of time, and “attention control”, the ability to focus attention amid distractions and interference.
We found that a larger pupil size was correlated with greater fluid intelligence, attention control and, to a lesser degree, working memory capacity—indicating a fascinating relationship between the brain and the eyes. Interestingly, the pupil size was negatively correlated with age: older participants tended to have smaller pupils. Once standardized for age, however, the relationship between the pupil size and intelligence remained.
1. Which of the following statements might Daniel Kahneman support
A. Those with big eyes have good memory. B. Pupil dilation can cause mental exhaustion.
C. The pupil size is related to one’s intelligence. D. Pupil dilation can reflect one’s mental effort.
2. Why did the researchers conduct the large-scale studies
A. To complete their memory tasks. B. To study the function of the pupil.
C. To test whether their discovery is true. D. To find a way to record the pupil size.
3. The laboratory was kept dim so that the participants could ________.
A. wholly focus on the tests B. better respond to bright light
C. control the size of their pupils D. keep their eyes open comfortably
4. What is a suitable title for the text
A. Can you “see” the good from the bad
B. The eyes do communicate various emotions.
C. The eyes may be the window to the brain as well.
D. Why does the pupil size correlate with intelligence
(9)
（22-23高二下·湖北襄阳·期中）By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi (茶百戏), an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern coffee art. However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing. Zhang Zhifeng, a practician of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.
Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth (泡沫), and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making coffee because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea—making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.
“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways are similar to what we have now,” Zhang said.
Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice.
“To let this technique fade would be a shame. It must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.
1. What do the underlined words “gone viral” in paragraph 1 probably mean
A. Maintained highly competitive. B. Received good protection.
C. Started declining gradually. D. Became popular quickly.
2. What do we know about chabaixi
A. It develops based on coffee art. B. It involves complicated tea-making skills.
C. It mainly describes beautiful scenery. D. It is painted with whipped milk.
3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about
A. The origin of chabaixi. B. The uniqueness of chabaixi.
C. The significance of chabaixi. D. The development of chabaixi.
4. What can be the best title for this passage
A. Zhang Zhifeng—A Practician of Chabaixi B. Ancient Tea Technique Finds New Popular Recognition
C. A China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage D. Chabaixi—A Famous Tea-making Technique
(10)
（21-22高二下·湖北·期中）In many people’s eyes, artist Mark Rothko’s enormous paintings are nothing more than masses of color. Yet, a painting can be worth nearly $100 million. Besides, Pablo Picasso’s twisted faces attract some viewers but terrify others.
Why does the phenomenon happen The answer may lie in our brain networks. Researchers have now developed an algorithm (算法) that can predict art preference by analyzing how a person’s brain breaks down visual information and decides whether a painting is “good”. The findings show for the first time how basic features of a painting combine with human judgment to give art value in our minds.
Most people, including researchers, consider art preference to be various, says Anjan Chatterjee, a neurologist (神经学家) at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the study. In some cases, personal preference is rooted in biology. For instance, sugary foods help us survive. and people tend to share similar standards of beauty when it comes to human faces and landscapes. However, when it comes to art, we seem to care about and value relatively arbitrary (任意的) things, according to Chatterjee.
To figure out how the brain forms value judgments about art, neuroscientist Kiyohito ligaya and his colleagues first asked more than 1,300 volunteers on the website Amazon Mechanical Turk to rate a selection of 825 paintings from four Western types including impressionism, cubism, abstract art and color field painting. Volunteers were all over the age of 18, but researchers didn't give exact information about their familiarity with art or their ethnic (种族的) or national origin.
The researchers revealed that paintings preferred by the same groups of people tended to share certain visual characteristics. These characteristics all fell into two categories: “Low-level” characteristics, like contrast and color, were intrinsic (固有的) to an image; “High-level” characteristics, like the emotion a painting brought about, required human understanding. Once the method was trained, it could analyze these characteristics in new paintings and accurately predict which works a person would like.
1. What do the cases in Paragraph I mainly indicate
A. The value of different works of art. B. The characteristics of different artists.
C. The importance of facial appearances. D. The differences in people’s appreciation of beauty.
2. Which of the following ideas may Anjan Chatterjee support
A. People’s preference is mainly rooted in biology.
B. People usually share common feelings towards scenery.
C. Researchers’ art preference is different from others’.
D. Art works have fewer arbitrary things to value
3. Which of the following factors was taken into account during the study
A. The identity of the participants. B. The background of the paintings.
C. The wide range of paintings. D. The national origin of the participants.
4. What’s the last paragraph mainly about
A. The findings of the study. B. The researchers’ different viewpoints.
C. The process of the study. D. The researchers’ prediction for related research.
(11)
（21-22高二下·湖北·期中）A year after I left college, I was given the opportunity to host the 6 o’clock news in Baltimore. The whole goal in the media at the time I was coming up was try to move to larger markets, so getting the job at 22 was such a big deal. And I was so proud, because I was finally going to have my chance to be like Barbara Walters, who had been my idol since the start of my TV career. I was 22 in 1976, making $22,000 a year, it didn’t feel right yet.
The first sign was when they tried to change my name. The news director said to me at the time, “Nobody’s going to remember Oprah. So, we want to change your name. We’ve come up with a name we think that people will remember and people will like. It’s a friendly name: Suzie.”
I grew up not loving the name, but once I was asked to change it, I thought, well, it is my name and do I look like a Suzie to you I thought, no, it doesn’t feel right. I’m not going to change my name. And whether people remember it or not, that’s OK.
And then they said they didn’t like the way I looked, so they sent me to a salon where they gave me a perm (烫发). After a few days all my hair fell out and I had to shave my head. At last, they really didn’t like the way I looked, because I was black and bald and sitting on TV wasn’t a pretty picture.
But even worse than being bald, I really hated being sent to report on other people’s tragedies as a part of my daily duty. And after eight months, I lost that job. They said I was too emotional. But since they didn’t want to pay out the contract, they put me on a talk show. And the moment I sat down on that show, the moment I felt like I’d come home. I realized that TV could be more than just a playground, but a platform for helping other people lift their lives. And the moment I sat down, doing that talk show, it felt like breathing. And that’s where everything that followed for me began.
1. What can we infer from paragraph 1
A. The writer’s aim after graduation was to leave Baltimore.
B. Barbara Walters was a host the writer admired most.
C. The writer didn’t feel right because she thought she could earn more.
D. The writer was proud because she could work with Barbara Walters
2. What caused the author to dislike her first job
A. Reporting tragedies every day.
B. Not being good at reporting on other people’s tragedies.
C. The boss’s wanting to put her on another talk show.
D. Being black and bald and sitting on TV.
3. Which can best describe Oprah
A. Careful and considerate. B. Understanding and optimistic.
C. Persuasive and emotional. D. Determined and sympathetic.
4. What can we learn from the writer’s story
A. Pride goes before a fall. B. Opportunity knocks only once.
C. Practice makes perfect. D. Let your heart talk more.
(12)
（21-22高二下·湖北·期中）David Bennett became the first person to have a heart transplanted successfully into him from a pig. In press material issued three days after the operation, the University of Maryland confirmed Mr Bennett was doing well, and was capable of breathing on his own. While he continues to rely on artificial support to pump blood around his body, the team behind the surgery, led by Bartley Griffith, plan gradually to reduce its use.
This operation is a milestone for xenotransplantation — the transfer of organs from other species to human patients. Doctors say the next few weeks will be a critical to see how Bennett does with the new organ and whether his body begins to reject it.
The operation itself received exceptional authorization from America’s Food and Drug Administration under a provision which lets doctors use experimental treatments as a matter of last resort. Prior to the operation, Mr. Bennett was diagnosed with terminal heart disease, but was judged too ill to qualify for a human transplant. Having spent months in a hospital bed with no improvement to his condition, he gave his agreement to the surgery.
Bennett released a statement through the medical center the day before the operation. In it, he said: “It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.”
Past attempts at pig-to-human transplants have failed because of genetic differences that caused organ rejection. To reduce the risk of that happening in this case, scientists removed several genes from the donor pig that are linked with organ rejection. They also removed another gene from the animal in an effort to prevent too much growth of pig heart tissue.
Bennett’s genetically modified pig heart was provided by Revivicor, a regenerative medicine company based in Blacksburg, Virginia. On the morning of the surgery, the transplant team removed the pig’s heart and placed it into a special device to keep it running until the operation.
1. Why did Bennett adopt a pig heart transplant
A. Genetic differences may cause organ rejection.
B. He failed to get approval from America’s Food and Drug Administration.
C. He couldn’t manage to find a suitable human heart.
D. His heart disease was too severe to receive a human transplant.
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “a shot in the dark” in Paragraph4
A. A possibility that shoots oneself in the evening.
B. A belief that all things will go smoothly.
C. A guess that is based on little evidence or information.
D. A challenge someone must face.
3. How do scientists prevent the organ rejection
A. By taking away some of unfavorable genes.
B. By promoting the growth of pig heart issue.
C. By placing the pig’s heart into a special device.
D. By connecting to a heart-lung machine until the operation.
4. What’s the best title for the text
A. Bennett’s New Life with a Pig Heart B. First Successful Pig-to-Human Transplant
C. A New Progress in Life-Saving Transplants D. Past Attempts at Pig-to-Human Transplants
(1)
（江苏省南京师大附中2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）CERTAIN CREATURES-namely, bees-have evolved to be skillful flying builders. To assemble (组装) a nest, worker insects team up to do various work to the specification of a complex design that ends up being many times their size. This process takes months, many times longer than the average lifespan of all but the queen. Meanwhile the insects must adjust as they go.
It is these insect building teams that inspired Mirko Kovac, a roboticist at Imperial College London, to develop a way to improve the flexibility of 3D printing. A typical 3D printer is limited by the range of its nozzle (喷嘴), and can only make objects smaller than itself. Dr Kovac’s team has removed these limitation by using flying robots.
Dr Kovac describes a system of flying robots that is composed of two types of multi-rotor drones: builders and scanners. The builders carry the 3D-printing nozzle. The scanners are robots equipped with cameras that are responsible for monitoring the progress of the builders.
The building process alternates between builders and scanners, layer by layer, printing and adjusting, until a structure is complete. First, a builder remains suspended over its area of operation and begins to release a jet or rush of the building material along its flight path. The choice of material is important—it must be lightweight enough for the drones to carry but strong enough to hold the subsequent layers that will be built on top. Once the builder robot has sprayed a layer of material, the scanner robot flies over, inspects the progress. The system then computes the next layer that the builder should make, while also correcting for any errors that might have been discovered in what has already been built.
Because the flying robots can, in theory, operate anywhere, they could fix things in dangerous or otherwise inaccessible places. Dr Kovac says that his robots could be used to spot and seal leaks in oil or gas pipelines, repair leaky insulation or fix cracks on tall buildings. Thinking more long term, Dr Kovac even sees a potential future for his construction robots, building on the surfaces of the Moon or Mars.
1. Why does the author mention bees in the text
A. To become a theme. B. To introduce a topic. C. To give an explanation. D. To analyze the cause.
2. What is the character of typical 3D printers
A. They can expand the range of printing. B. They can make adjustment while printing.
C. They are more flexible than traditional ones. D. They can make objects smaller than themselves.
3. What can we learn from the building process
A. The Builders can correct the errors while calculating.
B. The building material should be strong enough for scanner.
C. Builders and scanners can print and monitor at the same time.
D. The building process has strict requirement of the building material.
4. What can be the suitable title for the text
A. Teams of flying robots can make 3D objects.
B. Teams of flying robots have a limited future.
C. The flexibility of typical 3D printer has been improved.
D. Teams of flying robots have been used in dangerous situation.
(2)
（22-23高二下·江苏泰州·期中）A few years ago, Ruo, a retired esports player of the video game League of Legends, shouted out “Uzi, YYDS”, when watching Uzi, another Chinese professional player, on a live broadcast.
YYDS, the pinyin abbreviation (缩写) of the four-Chinese-character expression, literally meaning “eternal god”, illustrates one’s feeling for something or someone godlike and exceptional. The abbreviated slang (俚语) reached its peak of popularity at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Whenever a Chinese player won gold at the Games, the video was filled with YYDS bullet comments.
However the internet slang like “YYDS” has raised concerns among those in education.
Cheng Xudong, an elementary school teacher, says that the evolution of the internet slang is not all fun and carefree. From his daily observations, the boundary between the internet slang and formal language is disappearing, as he has seen that his pupils’ compositions are flooded with abbreviated slangs.
“As a Chinese language teacher, I don’t feel comfortable when I read these abbreviations in their compositions,” he says. “The misuse of homophones (同音异义词) is also causing a big headache, Ya is seen many times intentionally replaced by some pupils using one of the homophones that means ‘duck’,” he adds. “The sentence ‘I am so happy’ literally turns to ‘I am happy duck’ by using the homophone.”
However, many experts and scholars in linguistics believe that internet language is a natural product of the dynamic development of language, and it is not necessary to prohibit it.
The post 80s generation despised the “Martian text (火星文)” used by those of post-90s back then, which replaced Chinese characters with substandard ones of foreign scripts. People who do not know how to use it often need to use an online translator to understand it. It was regarded as brain-disabled characters 10 years ago. But later, interestingly, the Martian text disappeared naturally and no one is using it nowadays.
The evolution of language reflects the development of the times as well as the current social and cultural life psychology. In this sense, it is not that this generation of young people do not speak “well”, but in fact, each generation has a generational style of language, says novelist Ma Boyong, when addressing the phenomenon at an interview.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning YYDS
A. The extensive use of Chinese internet slang.
B. The negative influence of Chinese internet slang.
C. The use of Chinese internet slang in video games.
D. The misunderstanding about Chinese internet slang.
2. What is a matter of concern according to Cheng Xudong
A. Some of his pupils use the internet slang at will.
B. Some of his pupils cannot distinguish homophones.
C. Some of his pupils cannot express themselves with right words.
D. Some of his pupils make inappropriate changes to the internet slang.
3. What does the underlined word “despised” in the last but one paragraph probably mean
A. Thought highly of. B. Kept up with. C. Looked down upon. D. Looked forward to.
4. What does Ma Boyong think of Chinese internet slang
A. Misleading. B. Meaningless. C. Beneficial. D. Acceptable.
(3)
（浙江省杭州市学军中学2022-2023学年下学期高二期中）The walls of our house were supposed to be white. But I never remember them being white. At first, they were grey, then turning black. My father was a coal worker. He made charcoal (木炭) in our house. Have you ever seen charcoal being made The little bags you buy in the store for barbeque, they come from somewhere, and honestly, it’s a very dirty business.
I remember one day I was bagging up the charcoal with my dad, and it was really cold and raining. All we had was the tiny roof over our heads. After a few hours, I got to go to school, where it was warm. My dad stayed out there working, all day. If he didn’t sell that day, maybe we wouldn’t have enough to eat. I thought to myself: At some point, everything is going to change.
For this, I owe football everything. I started football early. I played so much football that every two months, my boots would break apart. When I was seven, I must have been pretty good, because I scored 64 goals for my neighborhood team. That year, my dad got a call from a coach saying they wanted me to play there. My dad asked, “Oh, it’s too far away. Nine kilometers. How will we get him there ” My mom said, “No, no, no! Don’t worry, I’ ll take him!” And that is when Graciela was born.
Graciela was an old yellow bicycle that my mother would use to drive me to training every day. It had a little basket in the front. Imagine this: A woman biking through town with a little boy on the back and a bag in the basket with his boots. Up hills. Down hills. Through the dangerous neighborhoods. In the rain. In the cold. In the dark. Graciela got us where we needed to go.
Nowadays people look on YouTube, watch the World Cup and see the results, but they don’t know the journey. They don’t know about my living room walls turning from white to black. They don’t know about my father working under a little roof. They don’t know about my mother riding Graciela through the rain and the cold.
1. Why did the walls of the author’s house turn black
A. His family wanted to change the look of their old house.
B. The color black could cover up his father’s dirty business.
C. The author often made indoor barbeques with the charcoal.
D. There was a lot of coal dust created from his father’s work.
2. What can we learn about Graciela
A. Graciela was a yellow bicycle with a basket. B. Graciela was named after the author’s mother.
C. Graciela was born when the author was nine. D. Graciela got the family wherever they wanted to go.
3. What good quality do the author and his parents have in common
A. Determined. B. Confident. C. Ambitious. D. Easygoing.
4. What does the author intend to tell us
A. In time of test, family is best. B. Happiness is a choice, not a result.
C. One who fears failure limits his activities. D. Behind every glory there is always a story.
(4)
（22-23高二下·浙江杭州·期中）In 1973, the artist Marc Chagall made an emotional return to Russian soil. He was 85 years old and hadn’t seen the country of his birth for more than half a century.
“I feel. more muscular now,” he said shortly after the trip was over. “It did me good. It refreshed me for my work.” The remarkable thing, however, is that despite his advanced age, Chagall never needed much refreshing. He continued working till his dying day, aged 97.
It was in his later years that his use of intense colour notably advanced. There were two obvious catalysts (催化剂) for this. One was Chagall’s move in 1949 from Paris to the Cote d’Azur, where the colorful landscape, with its green seas and purple fields, left their mark. The other one was Chagall’s work designing stained-glass windows (彩色玻璃). Chagall’s efforts in stained glass undoubtedly contributed to his oil-painting practice. The pure passages of yellow, green, orange, purple and white that divide the canvas (画布) of L’ervol du peintre into three are a fine example.
Dallmayr suggests in his book Marc Chagall: The Artist as Peacemaker (2020) that after living through two world wars, as well as the horror of the Holocaust, Chagall developed an “artistic vision of peace”. His work was characterised by a sense of harmony and happiness.
As one of the world’s greatest artists, he was never short of speaking invitations, and in a lecture in 1959 he said that “love should be the basis of true politics—it could bring about real peace”.
It’s important to stress that Chagall was an artist, not a politician—but the speeches from his latter years do shed a certain light on his work from that time.
He never stopped innovating, whether in painting or in his embrace and command of new media entirely. All the while, his art was marked by its warmth, wit and—perhaps especially in later life—the aim of giving peace a chance.
1. How did Marc Chagall feel about the trip to Russia
A. Excited. B. Relieved. C. Exhausted. D. Bored.
2. Why is Marc Chagall’s painting L’envol du peintre mentioned
A. To show his extraordinary understanding of intense colors.
B. To display his application of different colors in the oil painting.
C. To demonstrate the impact of designing stained glass on his oil painting.
D. To illustrate the exceptional division of the canvas in oil painting practice.
3. According to the passage, what words can best describe Marc Chagall
A. Creative and peace-loving. B. Passionate and emotional.
C. Considerate and hardworking. D. Friendly and imaginative.
4. According to the passage, which of the following influences the style of his works
A. His advanced age. B. His political view. C. His marriage life. D. His school education.
(5)
（浙江大学附属中学2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）When elderly people stay active, their brains have more of a class of proteins that enhances the connections between neurons (神经元) to maintain healthy cognition (认知), a UC San Francisco study has found.
“Our work is the first that uses human data to show that synapse protein regulation (突触蛋白质调节) is related to physical activity and may drive the beneficial cognitive outcomes we see,” said Kaitlin Casaletto, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and lead author on the study. The beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition have been shown in mice but have been much harder to demonstrate in people.
The project tracked the late-life physical activity of elderly participants, who also agreed to donate their brains when they died. Maintaining the integrity of these connections between neurons may be vital to fighting against mental disorder, since the synapse is really the site where cognition happens. Physical activity—a readily available tool—may help boost this synaptic functioning.
Casaletto found that elderly people who remained active had higher levels of proteins that facilitate the exchange of information between neurons. This result agreed with the earlier finding that people who had more of these proteins in their brains when they died were better able to maintain their cognition late in life.
“It may be that physical activity generates a global sustaining effect, supporting the healthy function of proteins that facilitate synaptic transmission throughout the brain,” Casaletto said.
The brains of most older adults store poisonous proteins that are the marks of mental illnesses, and the proteins can cause synapses and neurons to fall apart. “In older adults with higher levels of the proteins associated with synaptic integrity, this effect that leads to mental diseases appears to be weakened,” she said. “The study shows the potential importance of maintaining synaptic health to support the brain against mental diseases like Alzheimer’s.”
1. What helps elderly people keep cognitive ability according to the study
A. Proteins produced during physical activity. B. Body tissues with healthy chemical substances.
C. A certain connection between the brain regions. D. A type of neuron formed while they’re thinking.
2. What can be inferred from the last paragraph
A. Mental diseases may affect synaptic health.
B. Low levels of proteins help to prevent Alzheimer’s.
C. Synaptic integrity safeguards brains against mental illnesses.
D. The brain can automatically break down the poisonous proteins.
3. What’s the purpose of the text
A. To present a research result. B. To give practical advice.
C. To tell an interesting story. D. To solve an academic problem.
4. What can be the best title of the text
A. Breakthroughs Have Been Made in the Field of Neurons
B. Casaletto Makes Achievements in Studying Human Brains
C. Ways Are Created to Ensure the Physical Health of the Old
D. Exercise Changes Brain Chemistry to Protect Aging Synapses
(6)
（湖北省宜城一中、枣阳一中等六校2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Lithium (锂) is called “white gold” for good reason. The metal’s value has been growing rapidly over the last several years, mainly because it is an essential material of lithium-ion batteries, which play an important part in several key sustainable technologies, e. g. electric cars.
As ocean waves, wind and solar power have grown into major players in the energy industry, lithium has also become key to building a future free of petrol. But getting lithium comes at a huge cost. As with most metals, its mining is damaging. It often works like this: Briny water, containing lithium and other metals, is pumped to the surface from underground. Then it sits in pools to allow the water to evaporate, leaving the rest behind as poisonous matter. Workers use chemical reactions to remove the lithium from that, making it into powder which is then packaged and shipped to the buyers around the world. Any accident that releases mine matter into surrounding communities or the groundwater supply could have damaging long-term impacts.
Indigenous (原住民) communities often bear the result of the damage, and political leaders have paid little attention to their concerns. In Arizona, for example, an expanding lithium mine is threatening the Hualapai Tribe’s historical sites. And for politicians who have promised to work with native peoples to deal with it, mining lithium and other precious metals is putting them into a dilemma: How do you ensure the availability of materials which are essential to the future while protecting indigenous people’ rights
Mining of the metal is expected to increase greatly in coming years. Over time, that will make electric cars inexpensive and, therefore, more popular.
As environmentally conscious consumers buy electric cars in ever-greater numbers, it’s important to be aware of the dirty process that powers those clean air vehicles.
1. What do we know about Lithium in paragraph 1 and paragraph 2
A. It’s a kind of battery. B. It will be widely used in the future.
C. Only Lithium can replace fossil fuels. D. It is the same with wind and solar power.
2. What can be inferred from the mining process (开采过程)
A. It’s easily done. B. It does harm to the environment.
C. It costs much money. D. The workers benefit a lot from it.
3. What aspect of Lithium mining concerns the politicians
A. The shortage of Lithium. B. The prices of electric cars.
C. Their people will no longer support them. D. The balance between it and environment protection.
4. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to Lithium mining
A. Supportive. B. Indifferent. C. Worried. D. Optimistic.
(7)
（22-23高二下·广东深圳·期中）Feeling pressure from the Internet is nothing new for Lizzie Velasquez, an anti-bullying advocate, who found that browsing social media had a negative impact on her self-esteem.
In 2006, when she was just 17, a video calling her “The World’s Ugliest Woman” went viral on YouTube. It was a difficult period for her, who had been dealing with a lifetime of bullying due to a rare health condition. “I was diagnosed with neonatal progeroid syndrome (新生儿早衰症), which doesn’t allow me to gain weight and severely affects my eyes, my bones and my heart.”
Growing up, Velasquez says that she lived in two different worlds. At home, her family treated her just like everyone else. Her parents raised her to be optimistic and confident. Yet, things got hard when she started school. “I didn’t become aware of it until I entered this other world where I had to face the reality of, ‘I do not look like everybody else,’” says Velasquez.
As Velasquez transitioned into high school, she gained more understanding about her condition. This new level of self-acceptance inspired Velasquez to make new friends, join the cheerleading squad, and write for the school newspaper. She had started to feel gratitude for what she had accomplished, but then came the YouTube video, which threatened her already-shaky foundation. “To just see a video that says ‘the world’s ugliest woman,’ it felt like, within two seconds, everything that I had worked for up to that point was just sort of knocked over and done.” says Velasquez.
According to DoSomething. org, about 37 percent of teenagers have been bullied online. Among them, only one in 10 teen victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse. But Velasqez did speak up. That moment of bullying inspired Velasquez to use her newfound platform for good. In 2013, she gave a TEDxAustin Women talk about her experiences, reaching millions with her uplifting messages about beauty and happiness.
“My mission is just to remind people that no matter how different you are, you are meant to be in this world. Your purpose in life is out there waiting for you,” says the motivational speaker.
1. What can we learn about Lizzie Velasquez
A. She hasn’t received any support from her families.
B. She has been aware of her difference since she was born.
C. She has suffered from cyberbullying due to a rare disease.
D. She feels horrible every time she browses social media.
2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean
A. Velasquez’s efforts to establish confidence was destroyed by the video.
B. Velasquez’s status at school has been threatened because of the video.
C. Velasquez’s health-has been negatively affected after watching the video.
D. Velasquez’s achievement in high school became worthless due to the video.
3. Why did she give a talk on TEDxAustin Women
A. To share her experience as a victim of online bullying.
B. To show people the importance of beauty and happiness.
C. To encourage people to enjoy life whatever their differences.
D. To gain fame through the newly established online platform.
4. Which can be the best title for the text
A. The world’s ugliest woman B. A woman with a rare disease
C. The impact of cyberbullying D. A fighter against cyberbullying
(8)
（22-23高二下·广东深圳·期中）We can recognize our friends’ faces. Many social animals can also identify individuals of their own species by their facial features. That’s important, because they need to be able to adjust their behavior depending on who they meet. And research has shown that some species of monkeys, birds, and domesticated (驯养的) animals can even distinguish among different faces by looking at photographs alone.
Scientists have also wondered whether domesticated animals that have coexisted with people for thousands of years can recognize different human faces. Léa Lansade of France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment is one of them. Her experiment on horses provides insight into this.
She and her team first taught the horses how to “choose” between two side-by-side images by touching their noses to a computer screen. The horses were then shown photos of their present keeper alongside faces of unfamiliar humans. They had never seen photos of any of the people before. The horses correctly identified their present keeper and ignored the stranger’s face about 75% of the time, significantly better than chance.
What’s more, the horses also preferentially picked photos of their previous keeper — a person they hadn’t seen in six months. In fact, even though the horses didn’t get it right every single time, they were at least as accurate in picking out their previous keeper as they were in identifying their present one. The results suggest that not only can horses distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar human faces, but they know that photographs are two-dimensional representations of real life, without any other clues like sound. And they’re even better at this than our oldest animal companion, the domestic dog.
So maybe think twice before doing anything at a stable (马厩) that might give a horse a long face. After all, the horse could probably “remember” you.
1. Which one of the following is true about social animals
A. They can only tell different faces of human beings.
B. Their behavior remains unchanged whoever they meet.
C. They can recognise faces of those that are familiar to them.
D. They can identify anyone based on their facial expressions.
2. What did the researchers want to find out through the study
A. To compare the photos of different types of domesticated animals.
B. To prove the ability of domesticated animals to distinguish human faces.
C. To show the possibility of keeping and training domesticated animals.
D. To stress the importance of identifying faces of different domesticated animals.
3. What do we know about the horses in the experiment
A. They were better at identifying their present keepers.
B. Their performance was not as good as domestic dogs.
C. They could always correctly pick out their previous keepers.
D. They were aware of the relationship between real life and image.
4. Which of the following person is more likely to be “remembered” by a horse
A. People who work in the stables. B. People who have long faces.
C. People who look like horses. D. People who are friends of its keepers.
(9)
（广东省广州中学2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Five-year-old Willard Wigan struggled to tell the difference between an M and a W or a 6 and a 9. Unfortunately, his schoolteacher knew nothing about dyslexia (阅读障碍症), a learning disability that can make letters and numbers confusing. She didn’t try to help him. Not surprisingly, Willard didn’t like school. Usually, his mind drifted — to playing outside, to his dog Maxie, or to the ants that lived near his family’s garden shed. Willard was especially curious about those ants. He felt like them — small and insignificant. Thus, when he noticed some ants trying to build a house, he decided to help them! Willard constructed a little building. Then he sprinkled sugar inside to encourage the ants to move in. When they did, Willard built more houses.
At school, Willard still struggled, but now he knew he could do something special. Maybe he wasn’t a failure after all. If he had trouble with his reading or math, Willard would later go home and create tiny furniture for the ant houses. He even built an ant school, with teeny swings, ladders, seesaws, and a merry-go-round. His artistic skill increased, and a love for little things began to grow in his heart.
At age nine, Willard began carving faces on toothpicks. He discovered that his ability improved when he held his breath as he worked. When he quit school at age 15 to help support his family, Willard still spent his spare time carving. His confidence grew as more people appreciated his talent. Eventually, he quit his factory job to pursue his dream of becoming one of the best artists in the world. Now, years later, Willard carves the tiniest artwork in the world! His sculptures are so small that several can fit on a period at the end of a sentence.
Because of their beauty and rarity, his sculptures have made Willard a wealthy man. But he says, “Success isn’t about material things like an expensive watch or a costly ring; it’s about chasing and achieving your dreams.”
Willard Wigan, a microsculptor, has done just that. The man who felt small as a boy has shown the world that something small can really be big.
1. Which of the following best describes Willard’s teacher
A. Unsympathetic. B. Unhelpful. C. Impatient. D. Careless.
2. Why did Willard become interested in building homes for ants
A. Because he had a love for little things. B. Because he was absent-minded in class.
C. Because he wouldn’t have to struggle at school. D. Because he thought they both seemed unimportant.
3. What can we infer from the text
A. Willard gave up his study in school to pursue his dream.
B. Willard became popular when more people appreciated his work.
C. Willard was able to carve small artwork in a short period of time.
D. Willard found a way to make better artwork when he was at school.
4. Which of the following may Willard agree with
A. Failure is the mother of success.
B. Success belongs to those who don’t give up.
C. Dreaming big is the first step in achieving your goals.
D. Talent is sometimes more important for success than hard work.
(10)
（广东省广州中学2022-2023学年高二下学期期中）Researchers have developed a device that turns sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and formic acid (甲酸) — a stable fuel that can either be used directly or be changed into hydrogen, without requiring any additional components or electricity. The device, developed by a team from the University of Cambridge, is a significant step toward achieving artificial photosynthesis (光合作用).
Harvesting solar energy to turn carbon dioxide into fuels is a promising way to reduce carbon emissions. However, it is challenging to produce these clean fuels without unwanted by-products. “In addition, storage of gaseous fuels can be complicated — we want to get to the point where we can cleanly produce a liquid fuel that can also be easily stored and transported,” said Professor Eisner, senior author of the study.
In 2019, researchers from Eisner’s group developed a solar reactor based on an “artificial leaf” design, which also uses sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce a fuel, known as syn-gas. The new technology is quite similar to the artificial leaf but works in a different way and produces formic acid, which can be chemically converted into different types of fuel.
The artificial leaf used components from solar-cells, while the new device doesn’t require these components and relies entirely on photo-catalysts (光催化剂) placed on a sheet. The sheets are made up of semiconductor powders, which can be prepared in large quantities easily and cost-effectively. In addition, this new technology produces clean fuels that are easier to store.
“We were surprised how well it worked — it produced almost no by-products,” said Eisner. “Sometimes things don’t work as well as you expected, but this was a rare case where it actually worked better.”
The researchers are now working to further improve efficiency. Additionally, they are exploring other catalysts to get different solar fuels. “We hope this technology will pave the way toward sustainable and practical solar fuel production,” said Eisner.
1. What was a problem with artificial photosynthesis
A. It consumes too much electricity. B. It produces too many by-products.
C. The energy it produces is not easy to store. D. The energy it produces cannot be used directly.
2. What advantage does the new device have over the artificial leaf
A. It is more environment-friendly. B. It is lighter and easier to carry.
C. It is more economical and efficient. D. It uses less energy-demanding solar cells.
3. What do the researchers focus on doing now
A. Trying out new catalysts. B. Making full use of by-products.
C. Exploring other sustainable fuels. D. Mass-producing their new device.
4. What can be the best title for the text
A. The prospect of artificial photosynthesis B. A new device for artificial photosynthesis
C. Opportunities and challenges of photo-catalysts D. Artificial leaf: great progress on making clean energy
(11)
（广东省深圳市龙华中学2022-2023学年高二下学期5月期中）Fruit farmers in Okayama, Japan, have managed to make peeling (剥皮) a banana optional by developing a special variety with eatable skin. The peel of their ‘‘Mongee bananas
