1、2015届高考英语二轮复习优化训练：阅读理解AMention the terms Italian Culture and Renaissance Art and one is immediately reminded of the mysterious smile of Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa. The renaissance period had a deep effect on European culture development. Having its beginnings in Italy, by the 16th century, it had
2、spread to the rest of Europe. Its influence was felt in different fields such as philosophy, literature, religion, science, politics, and, of course, art. The scholars of the renaissance period applied the humanist method in every field of study, and wanted human emotion and realism in art. Renaissa
3、nce scholars studied the ancient Latin and Greek texts, searching the monastic(修道院的)libraries of Europe for works of ancient times that had become obscure, in their hunt for improving and perfecting their worldly knowledge. This was completely different from the religion that Christianity(基督教)stress
4、ed. However, that does not mean that they refused Christianity. In fact, much of the greatest works of the renaissance period was devoted to it, with the church supporting a lot of the works of renaissance art. However, there were slight changes in the manner in which the scholars began to treat rel
5、igion, which affected the cultural life of the society, which in turn influenced the artists of that period and therefore was reflected in their art. In Raphaels School of Athens, for example, some well-known people were described as classical scholars, with Leonardo da Vinci being given as much imp
6、ortance as Plato in his time. Giotto di Bondone, 12671337, a Florentine, who is regarded as the greatest Italian painter just earlier than the renaissance period, is thought to be the first artist who treated a painting as a window into space. However, it was only after the writings of Filippo Brune
7、lleschi, 13771446, who is considered the first great builder of the Italian Renaissance, that perspective was formally accepted as an artistic technique. 【文章大意】文章介绍了文艺复兴的发源地意大利在当时的背景下的文化特色和相关艺术家在这个时期的作用。1. What makes Italy stand out in a way in world history? A. Its artists during the Renaissance we
8、re numerous. B. It was the center of the European countries. C. It had Leonardo da VincisMona Lisa. D. It was the home to the Renaissance. 【解析】选D。推理判断题。第二段第二句话的beginnings in Italy, by the 16th century, it had spread to the rest of Europe说明意大利正是文艺复兴的发源地, 从而影响整个欧洲。2. The underlined word“obscure”in Par
9、agraph 3 most probably means“”. A. meaningless and hard to recognizeB. clear and meaningful to guide peopleC. unclear and difficult to understand or seeD. easy to understand but having little meaning【解析】选C。词义猜测题。该题根据语境结合选项进行猜测。句中的the monastic说明这些资料的来源, 和宗教有关的应该是较难理解的, works of ancient times也说明了这一点。3
10、. When was perspective officially received during the Renaissance? A. After the completion of Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa. B. After Leonardo da Vincis being compared to Plato. C. After Giotto di Bondones paintings were respected. D. After Filippo Brunelleschis completing his writings. 【解析】选D。细节理解题。
11、最后一段的强调结构里的被强调部分就是本题的解题线索。4. The passage aims to tell us. A. Italys renaissance art and artistsB. the famous artists in Italys historyC. Italys influence on the world in cultureD. the hardships during the renaissance in Italy【解析】选A。主旨大意题。文章是围绕着意大利在文艺复兴中的文化发展和相关的艺术家展开的。BBritains long-term unemployed
12、could be forced to carry out manual work or risk losing their welfare benefits under plans being put forward by the government. The U. S. -style scheme would see the long-term jobless ordered to take up four-week placements in order to get them used to having a full-time job. The idea is part of maj
13、or reforms, due to be unveiled this week, to make cuts to Britains huge welfare bill, reduce dependency on benefits and weed out those earning money but not declaring it, papers said. “What we are talking about here is people who have not been used to working having both the opportunity and perhaps
14、a bit more of a push as well, to experience the workplace from time to time. The vast majority of people in Britain will think that is the right thing to do. ”Foreign Secretary William Hague told BBC TV. Shortly after the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Union took power in May, Work and Pensions Secre
15、tary Iain Duncan Smith unveiled plans to simplify the complex web of benefits available to reduce errors and inefficiencies. Duncan Smith said the system had become regressive and was not giving people the right encouragement to work as many were financially better off unemployed. Under his plans, s
16、eparate benefits for items such as housing, income support or disability will be replaced by a“universal credit”system whereby(靠那个)individual households would get a single welfare payment to ensure those in work would be better off. The Observer newspaper said that in return, long-term unemployed wo
17、uld be told to take up work placements of at least 30 hours a week for a four-week period. If they refuse or fail to complete the programme, their jobseekers allowance, worth 64. 30 pounds a week for those over 25, could be stopped for at least three months. 【文章大意】由于英国的福利过高, 再加上近年来的经济危机造成的高失业率, 越来越多
18、的英国人不愿再去劳心费力地工作, 干脆赖在家里向政府伸手要钱。当局为了减少养“好逸恶劳者”的经费, 出台强制性劳动方案, 要求失业的人从事劳力工作, 以此督促他们积极寻找工作。5. What will the unemployed with welfare benefits face if the major reform takes effect? A. They will lose their welfare benefits if they dont work. B. They will be encouraged to buy their own farms. C. They will
19、 do some kinds of jobs. D. Either A or C. 【解析】选D。细节理解题。第一段第一句话的carry out manual work or risk losing their welfare benefits说明在新政下“懒汉”们面临的两种选择。6. What will most British people think of the new reform according to William Hague? A. They are against it since the unemployed are poor. B. They are for it s
20、ince the unemployed should keep fit. C. They are for it since its unfair for the employed and unemployed. D. They dont care as therere a few unemployed people having welfare benefits. 【解析】选C。推理判断题。第四段中The vast majority of people in Britain will think that is the right thing to do. 说明绝大多数英国人支持新政。7. T
21、he underlined word in Paragraph 6 most likely means. A. well-receivedB. far-reachingC. old-fashionedD. live-and-let-live【解析】选C。词义猜测题。从该词所在句的was not giving people the right encouragement to work可知即将取消的措施就要过时了。8. What is the aim of Britains major reform for the long-term unemployed? A. To reduce the c
22、ost of welfare bill with healthy economy system. B. To make them healthier and save cost in medical care. C. To help more people go through financial crisis. D. To increase pay and bonus for those employed. 【解析】选A。主旨大意题。第三段的to make cuts to Britains huge welfare bill是直接目的, 最终的目的还是要建立合理健康的福利制度体系。CI ju
23、st hope that our brains wont crash(死机). Are you working on your typing skills to make you a more efficient worker? That may be all for nothing as Intel believes that well be able to control our computers with our brains by 2020. Intel and its research partners are studying how brain acts when it thi
24、nks. For example, scientists have found that peoples brains react in a similar manner when asked to think of a bear. Through sensors(感应器)that can find this sort of brain activity, Intel thinks that it will be able to read and translate this into an input system thanks to a chip in the brain. “Were t
25、rying to prove you can do interesting things with brain waves. ”Intel research scientist Dean Pomerleau told Computerworld. “Eventually people may be willing to be, more devoted to brain implants(植入物). Imagine being able to surf the Web with the Power of your thoughts. ”Even if thinking about a bear
26、 isnt enough to show that you want to copy and paste something. Intel still thinks that theres a future in using your brain instead of the keyboard. “If we can get to the point where you can accurately find specific words, you could mentally type, ”he added. “You could compose characters or words by
27、 thinking about letters flashing on the screen or typing whole words rather than their individual characters. ”While this may all sound impractical for present time, Intel thinks that its possible and something well all want. “I think human beings are unusually adaptive(适应的), ”said Andrew Chien, vic
28、e president of research and director of future technologies research at Intel Labs. “If you told people 20 years ago that they would be carrying computers all the time, they would have said, I dont want that. I dont need that. Now you cant get them to stop carrying devices. There are a lot of things
29、 that have to be done first but I think implanting chips into human brains is well within the scope of possibility. ”Make good use of your favorite mouse and keyboard set-up before theyre old-fashioned. 【文章大意】本文主要讲了现在Intel及同伴正在研究怎样用人脑控制我们的电脑。1. What are Intel and its partners doing at present? A. Co
30、ntrolling our computers with our brains. B. Working on typing skills to improve efficiency. C. Studying how the brain behaves when it thinks. D. Finding how the brain reacts when it thinks of a bear. 【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据文章第二段中首句Intel and its research partners are studying how brain acts when it thinks可知答
31、案。2. According to Dean Pomerleau, we can learn that. A. brain implants will not be acceptedB. he holds negative attitude to the researchC. mentally typing will be possible in the futureD. people need a period of time to accept the new idea【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据文章第四段和第六段中Dean Pomerleau所言可以推知C项正确。其他选项所述与文章内容
32、不符。3. Computers were taken for example by Andrew Chien(in the last but one paragraph)to prove. A. nothing is impossibleB. mankind has great powerC. society is always changingD. human beings can adapt very well【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段首句I think human beings are unusually adaptive可知, Andrew Chien举电脑的例子是为
33、了证明首句的观点。4. In the last paragraph, the author probably means that. A. there will be no mouse or keyboard any moreB. new kinds of mouse and keyboard will appearC. human brains will replace the present computersD. the mouse and keyboard should be used to the full【解析】选A。主旨大意题。最后一段作者风趣地告诉读者: 人类大脑将控制电脑是必
34、然趋势, 鼠标和键盘终将被淘汰。DWe dont know how different our future will be in the year 2050. We can only try to imagine it. At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day. We will be making new friends through the Interneteven our husbands or wives will be m
35、et in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people wont be as important as they are todaywe will feel a little lonely. Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to mak
36、e their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us. Spending holiday will also be completely different. Travelling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Mea
37、ns of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much more environmentally friendly. We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isnt true. We will pay more attention to protecting the enviro
38、nment. And, scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as health will be in better condition. Although we cant predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and o
39、ur childrens future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen. 【文章大意】本文主要预测2050年的生活将会是怎样的。5. Why will people probably feel a little lonely in 2050? A. Because the number of people w
40、ill become much smaller. B. Because there will be less face-to-face communication. C. Because people wont like making friends with each other. D. Because people wont communicate with each other much often. 【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第二段的内容可知, 在2050年, 人们主要通过电脑进行交流, 而很少进行面对面的交流, 人与人之间的关系也就淡薄了, 因此那时的人们会感到有点孤独。6. T
41、he third paragraph mainly tells us. A. that computers will do all the things for human beingsB. how people will use computers to communicate with each otherC. that machines like computers and robots will help people a lotD. how people will use robots to do the housework【解析】选C。段落大意题。根据第三段的内容可知, 计算机和机
42、器人等机器会给人类很大的帮助, 故选C项。7. The underlined word“sanguine”in the last paragraph most probably means. A. disappointedB. surprisedC. curiousD. optimistic【解析】选D。词义猜测题。根据文章最后一句可以猜测出作者认为我们对未来应该持积极乐观的态度, 故选D项。8. What does the passage mainly talk about? A. How people will communicate in the year 2050. B. What our life will be like in the year 2050. C. How people will travel and spend their holidays in the year 2050. D. What high technology will appear in the year 2050. 【解析】选B。主旨大意题。文章的第一段就是本文的中心, 即设想2050年的生活是什么样子的, 故选B项。