1、三十九选修8 Unit 4Pygmalion(限时35分钟). 阅读理解A(2021合肥模拟)Most of Bangladesh is at or below sea level. Rising seawater linked to climate change has severely affected the country. High water from storms in coastal areas also adds salt to soil. The land is becoming salty. Crops are less productive and many areas
2、 of cropland in the country are becoming unfit for farming. These are big problems for the small country. More than 155 million people live in Bangladesh. Growing crops is the most common way Bangladeshis support themselves. To find a way out, farmers in the country are learning to grow vegetables i
3、n so-called“vertical gardens”. The soil in these gardens is better because heavy rains have removed much of the salt. A vertical garden is easy to make. Villagers fill containers with good soil and natural fertilizers. They put the containers on bricks so they are off the ground. They add pieces of
4、the bricks to the soil to help water flow and drain(排水). The farmers cut small holes into the sides of the containers. This permits vegetables with short roots a place to grow. Vegetables with long roots grow on top of the container. One bag of soil can produce up to eight kilograms of vegetables in
5、 one season. The farmers also grow vegetables in containers made from large, thin pieces of plastic supported by bamboo. This“vertical tower” measures more than a meter wide. Each of these towers can produce more than 100 kilograms of vegetables. It costs about $12-$13 to build. 【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。“农作物产
6、量减少”是孟加拉国的一个大问题。为了找到出路, 这个国家的农民正在学习在所谓的“垂直花园”里种植蔬菜。1. What is mentioned as a big problem for Bangladesh? A. Severe climate conditions. B. Too many people to support. C. Lack of enough fresh water. D. Reduced crop productivity. 【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Crops are less productive and many areas of cropland
7、 in the country are becoming unfit for farming. These are big problems for the small country. ”可知, “农作物产量减少”是孟加拉国的一个大问题。2. Which mainly makes vegetables growing in vertical gardens successful? A. Places in the soil for roots. B. Heavy rains kept in the soil. C. The good soil with little salt. D. Bri
8、ck pieces added to the soil. 【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据第二段的第二句“The soil in these gardens is better because heavy rains have removed much of the salt. ”可知, 少盐的好土让垂直花园的蔬菜种植成功。3. What does the underlined word“they” in Paragraph 3 refer to? A. Bricks. B. Fertilizers. C. Villagers. D. Containers. 【解析】选D。代词指代题。根据第三段
9、可知, 垂直花园很容易建造。村民们用好土和天然肥料装满容器。他们把容器放在砖上, 这样它们就离地了。他们在土壤中加入砖块来帮助水流和排水。由此推断画线词they指代的是“容器”。4. What can we infer about the vertical tower? A. It is off the ground. B. It drains very improperly. C. It uses bamboo for containers. D. It is unfit for growing vegetables. 【解析】选A。推理判断题。根据最后一段的前两句“The farmers
10、also grow vegetables in containers made from large, thin pieces of plastic supported by bamboo. This vertical tower measures more than a meter wide. ”可知, 农民们也在由竹子支撑的大而薄的塑料片制成的容器里种植蔬菜。这个“vertical tower”有一米多宽。BIt is one of the oldest magic tricks in the booka magician locks a woman in a box, with her
11、head and feet sticking out from either end, and saws(锯) it in half. But when she finally jumps out of the box the woman is unharmed. This trick was introduced nearly a century ago. It has been around for some time, but it never goes wrong. Why is it so successful? The answer is simple: The human min
12、d is easily fooled. Our brain processes the world around us based on information that sensory organs, including the eyes, pick up. For instance, when we see a cow or a horse standing behind a tree, we automatically“fill in” the part of the animals body that is hidden from our sight. “So the brain is
13、 taking this kind of very sparse(匮乏的) information about the world and its generating this rich world by filling in information, ”Stephen Macknik, scientist at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona, US, told Science magazine. But since our brains are filling in the gaps, sometimes they get it
14、wrong. They tend to be driven by your previous experiences and you expect things to go as they did in the past even if sometimes they do not. This tendency explains magicians success in fooling people with well-known coin tricks. For example, when you see a magician thrown a coin up and down in one
15、hand and then fake a coin throw to the other hand, you would naturally believe that the coin is in the other hand. Apart from the information gaps, magicians also use the“blind spots”theory when doing their shows. The most well known experiment demonstrating this theory is called the “invisible gori
16、lla”, in which volunteers watch a video of two basketball teams. They are asked to count how many times the teams wearing white shirts pass the ball. In the meantime, a person dressed as a gorilla walks onto the court. But shockingly, half of the viewers dont notice the gorilla, even when they appea
17、r to be looking directly at it. Magicians employ this trick, what they call“misdirection”, in almost every one of their acts. They direct our attention somewhere else using comedy and music, which can make us miss stuff during the performance. 【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了一些著名的魔术以及魔术师在表演过程中所使用的一些原理。5. For wh
18、at purpose is the magic trick mentioned in the first paragraph? A. To introduce the steps of the magic trick. B. To prove magic tricks seldom go wrong. C. To show how magic tricks are designed. D. To get readers to wonder about magic tricks. 【解析】选D。写作意图题。根据第一段可知, 文章描述了一个大家都熟悉的魔术场景, 目的是吸引读者的注意力, 让读者对
19、魔术感到好奇。6. What theory do the magicians use in coin tricks? A. Information gaps. B. Blind spots. C. Misdirection. D. Invisible gorilla. 【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第三、四段及第五段第一句可知, 魔术师取得硬币戏法的成功是利用了信息断层的原理。7. Why do volunteers watching the video ignore the“gorilla” in the experiment? A. They dont look directly at i
20、t. B. They are not interested in it. C. They are too focused on counting. D. They consider it to be a distraction. 【解析】选C。推理判断题。通读全文尤其是第六段第一句中的“use the blind spots theory”可知, “invisible gorilla”实验证明了盲点理论; 再根据最后一段第一句中的“misdirection”可知, 这一实验之所以有这样的结果, 是因为在实验中用到了误导策略。由此可推知, 实验参与者被要求去数穿白色衣服球队的传球数目, 导致参与
21、者的精力全都集中在数数上了, 所以他们看不到大猩猩。. 完形填空Over the last summer I volunteered at a summer camp for children aged 5 through 12. Every day for six weeks I 1 pedal power to conquer the hill known only as Depot. 2 I arrived at Abbot School at 7: 30, I began my seven-hour day of cleaning, entertaining and others. B
22、y helping these kids and working with other counselors, I was able to develop a better 3 of responsibility not just myself, but for 4 around me. In the beginning I helped with a 5 of twelve-year-olds. I had a lot of fun because they were the most mature 6, and I could relate to them. They didnt need
23、 as 7 help as the younger kids so the director of the camp switched me down to six-year-olds. For the 8 few years I had been to an adventure camp in the woods of Maine. There I participated in rafting, rock-climbing, and sea-kayaking. But nothing could have 9 me for working non-stop with 15 six-year
24、-olds. From fights over batting order 10 who got to sip from the water fountain 11, we were in a constant 12 of noise. I could now understand why parents always seemed to 13 a sigh of relief as they dropped off their little bundles of energy every morning. For the first summer I was doing something
25、that 14 someone else, and I found more 15 in that than any wasted breezy day of summers past. During this unique opportunity of giving a 16 part of my summer, I was able to get back so much more. I learned how much my time is really 17 and how to take responsibility for myself and 18 others. I learn
26、ed how different each individual is and how needs 19. I gained more confidence when I realized I could 20 in the real world. 【文章大意】本文是夹叙夹议文。作者讲述了去年夏天, 自己在一个5到12岁儿童的夏令营当志愿者的经历。这次经历使作者收获了许多, 受益匪浅。1. A. usedB. producedC. wastedD. accumulated【解析】选A。句意: 在六个星期里, 我每天都用自行车的力量去征服那座被称为Depot的小山。use用; produce产生
27、; waste浪费; accumulate积累。故选A。2. A. ThoughB. BecauseC. OnceD. If【解析】选C。句意: 一旦我七点半到达Abbot学校, 我就开始了一天七小时的清洁、娱乐和其他活动。故选C。3. A. knowledgeB. senseC. dutyD. sight【解析】选B。句意: 通过帮助这些孩子, 并与其他辅导员一起工作, 我不仅能够培养自己更好的责任感, 而且能够为我周围的人培养责任感。knowledge知识; sense感觉; duty责任; sight景象。故选B。4. A. anyB. onesC. theseD. those【解析】选
28、D。any任何; ones代替上文出现的可数名词复数; these这些; those那些。故选D。5. A. gradeB. groupC. classD. pack【解析】选B。句意: 起初, 我帮助一群12岁的孩子。grade年级; group群; class班级; pack包装。故选B。6. A. campersB. volunteersC. teachersD. guides【解析】选A。根据Over the last summer I volunteered at a summer camp for children aged 5 through 12. 可知这里意思是我玩得很开心,
29、 因为他们是最成熟的露营者, 我能与他们产生共鸣。camper露营者; volunteer志愿者; teacher教师; guide指南。故选A。7. A. manyB. someC. muchD. other【解析】选C。句意: 他们不像年幼的孩子那样需要那么多的帮助, 所以夏令营的负责人把我调到了6岁年龄组。as many as和一样(修饰可数名词); some一些; as much as和一样(修饰不可数名词); other其他的。故选C。8. A. nextB. oldC. previousD. future【解析】选C。句意: 在过去的几年里, 我参加了缅因州森林里的探险营地。nex
30、t其次的; old年老的; previous早先的; future未来的。故选C。9. A. preventedB. restrictedC. advisedD. prepared【解析】选D。句意: 但没有什么能让我准备好和15个6岁的孩子不停地工作。prevent阻止; restrict限制; advise建议; prepare准备。故选D。10. A. toB. inC. forD. of【解析】选A。句意: 从为击球顺序争吵到谁先喝喷泉式饮水器里的水, 我们一直处于嘈杂的状态。from. . . to从到, 该用法是固定用法, 故选A。11. A. directlyB. firstC.
31、 politelyD. slow【解析】选B。directly直接地; first首先; politely有礼貌地; slow慢慢地。故选B。12. A. spiritB. viewC. stateD. shape【解析】选C。spirit精神; view观察; state状态; shape形状。故选C。13. A. bring aboutB. result fromC. find outD. let out【解析】选D。句意: 我现在明白了为什么父母们每天早上放下他们的小淘气包时, 似乎总是会松一口气。bring about引起; result from由造成; find out找出; le
32、t out放出。故选D。14. A. defeatedB. benefitedC. regrettedD. interested【解析】选B。句意: 第一个夏天, 我做了一些让别人受益的事情, 我从中得到的满足感比以往任何日子都要多。defeat击败; benefit使受益; regret后悔; interest感兴趣。故选B。15. A. opportunityB. relationshipC. differenceD. satisfaction【解析】选D。opportunity 机会; relationship关系; difference不同; satisfaction满足。故选D。16
33、. A. smallB. valuableC. boringD. major【解析】选A。句意: 在我夏天中的一小部分, 给我这个难得的机会, 让我能够得到这么多。small小的; valuable有价值的; boring无聊的; major主要的。故选A。17. A. shortB. worthC. necessaryD. unique【解析】选B。句意: 我认识到我的时间是多么宝贵, 学会了如何为自己, 尤其是他人负责。short短的; worth值的; necessary必要的; unique独特的。故选B。18. A. particularlyB. merelyC. especiall
34、yD. thoroughly【解析】选C。particularly特别地; merely 只不过; especially尤其; thoroughly彻底地。故选C。19. A. varyB. improveC. increaseD. develop【解析】选A。句意: 我了解到每个人是多么不同以及需求如何变化。vary 变化; improve改善; increase增加; develop进步。故选A。20. A. createB. struggleC. appearD. survive【解析】选D。句意: 当我意识到我可以在现实世界中生存时, 我获得了更多的信心。create创造; strug
35、gle 挣扎; appear出现; survive生存。故选D。. 语法填空阅读下面材料, 在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。Iceland is a land of volcanoes. Nowhere is 1. _(evident) than on the Westman Islands off the southern coast of Iceland. Here, 2. _(century) of volcanic eruptions formed many eye-catching sea cliffs(悬崖), among 3. _ one stands
36、out: A part of the volcano-formed coast on Heimaey looks exactly like the head of a large elephant 4. _(stick) its trunk in the water. In fact, it looks so much like an elephant that many people think it must have been shaped by humans. That is not 5. _ case, however. The elephants realistic 6. _(ap
37、pear) is, at least partially, due to the fact that the cliff 7. _(consist) of a special rock. The rock gives the figure “skin” that looks wrinkled and gray, just like that of a real elephant. The most common theory is that the rock formations came from the Eldfell Volcano, which 8. _(erupt) many tim
38、es since the 1940s. In spite of the strong resemblance to an elephant, some people 9. _(actual) see something different when they look at the rock formation. They see the fictional character Cthulhu, a sea beast. Whether you see an elephant 10. _ a fictional beast, as one of many attractions on Heim
39、aey, the rock does draw curious sightseers. 【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文, 主要介绍了冰岛南部海岸的韦斯特曼纳群岛上一处由火山喷发形成的形状外观类似大象的景观。1. 【解析】more evident。考查形容词的比较级。根据空后的“than”判断, 此处表示比较概念, 故用比较级。evident的比较级为more evident。2. 【解析】centuries。考查名词的复数。century是可数名词, 前面没有修饰语, 故用复数形式centuries。3. 【解析】which。考查定语从句。分析句子结构可知, 两个句子之间是逗号, 而且没有连词,
40、 故判断逗号后部分是非限制性定语从句。先行词是sea cliffs, 所以介词后接which引导的定语从句。故填which。4. 【解析】sticking。考查非谓语动词。分析句子结构可知, 此处为非谓语动词短语作后置定语, 被修饰词elephant和动词stick之间是主动关系, 故用现在分词形式sticking。5. 【解析】the。考查冠词。the case 表示“实情, 事实”, that is not the case事实并非如此。故填定冠词the。6. 【解析】appearance。考查词性转换。名词所有格elephants和形容词realistic后面需跟名词, 而且谓语是is,
41、 所以用名词的单数形式。故填appearance。7. 【解析】consists。考查动词的时态和主谓一致。此处是介绍一个景观, 而且主语是单数名词cliff, 所以谓语动词应该用一般现在时的第三人称单数形式。consist of “由组成”, 没有被动形式。故填consists。8. 【解析】has erupted。考查动词的时态和主谓一致。根据时间状语“since the 1940s”判断, 句子应用现在完成时, 因为which指代the Eldfell Volcano, 是单数, 所以此处应填 has erupted。9. 【解析】actually。考查副词。修饰动词see应用副词形式, 故填actually。10. 【解析】or。考查连词。whether. . . or. . . 表示“不管是还是”。故填or。
