1、2012年1月份百题精练（1）英语试题第三部分：阅读理解（共2小题；每小题2分，满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。）AHappy birthday! Do birthday really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthday celebrate the day when we were born. Besides, that extra candle on the cake suggest another year of growth and maturity(成熟)o
2、r so we hope. We all like to imagine that we are getting wiser and not just older. Most of us enjoy seeing the wonder of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderf
3、ul process. But growing old? That is a different story.Growing old is not exactly for people in youth-oriented(以年轻人为中心) American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, “Youre young as you feel.” Older people joke about how many years young they
4、are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favor those that are young, or at least “young at heart”.Many older Americans find the “golden years” to be anything but golden. Economically, “senior citizens” of
5、ten struggle just to get by. Retirement at the age of 65 brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care, and housing. Some even experience age discrimination(歧视). American sociologi
6、st Pat Moore once dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets. She was often treated rudely-even cheated and robbed. However, dressed as a young person, she received much more respect.Unfortunately, the elderly population in America is increasing fast. Why? People are living longer. Fe
7、wer babies are being born. And middle-aged “baby boomers” are rapidly entering the group of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles(皱纹) are “in”. Marketing experts are ready noticing this growing group of consumer.56Growing up is a wonderful thing because _Apeople can celebrate their
8、 birthdayBpeople can become more mature and wiserCpeople can receive many presentsDpeople will feel younger at heart57We can infer from the second paragraph that _Ayoung people lack experience and wisdomBAmerican older people often joke about their old ageCAmerican culture is very youngDdifferent co
9、untries have different opinions on the old age58What does the first sentence in the third paragraph mean?Athe golden years can make the old earn lots of money and receive good medical careBthe old in America are leading a hard life without good nutrition, medical care or housingCthe old in America h
10、ave to retire at the age of 65DAmerican social security benefits are not good59What does the underlined word “in” in the last paragraph mean?AseriousBcoolCdisappearing slowlyDgrowing fast60According to this passage, which of the following statement is correct?Athe young are much more respected than
11、the old in AmericaBthe old are much more respected than the young in America.Cgrowing old makes people feel proud in America.Dthe young are often discriminated in AmericaBThe roundtheclock(24小时不断的) availability that cell phone have brought to peoples lives may be taking a toll on family life, a new
12、study suggests. The study, which followed more than 1,300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone throughout the study period were more likely to report negative “spillover” between work and home life-and, in turn, less satisfaction with their family life.Spillover
13、 essentially(本质上) means that the line between work and home begins to become unclear. Work life may invade home life when a parent is taking jobrelated calls at home, for instance-or family issue may start to take up work time. For example, a child may call mom at work, telling her “microwave explod
14、ed”, explained Noelle Chesley, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be that they are allowing forever more spillover between work and home.This may be especially true for working woman, the stu
15、dy found. Among men, consistent use of mobile phones seemed to allow more work issues to creep(潜入) into family time. But for women, the spillover tended to go in both directions being “connected” meant that work cut into home time, and family issues came into work life.Cell phones seem to be opening
16、 more lines for stressful exchanges among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover, according to Chesley. “Employers”, she said, “could look at their policies on contacting employees after hours to make sure their expectations are reasonable”. “For their part, employees could d
17、ecide that cell phones go off during family time,” Chesley said.61What does the underlined phrase “taking a toll on” probably mean in Paragraph 1?AExplainingBProtecting.CExtending.DDamaging.62What is the purpose of offering the example “microwave exploded” in Paragraph 2?ATo show the microwave is of
18、 poor quality.BTo indicate how dependent the child is.CTo indicate family issues affect work hours.DTo show work time creeps into family life.63As a result of negative “spillover”, people will feel _.Aless satisfied with their family lifeBless satisfied with their workCangry with their troublesome c
19、hildrenDunwilling to get married at an early age64According to Chesley, what is the best solution to the problem caused by cell phones?ARefuse to use cell phones.BSeparate work hours from family time.CIgnore coming calls during family time.DEncourage women to stay at home.65We can learn from the pas
20、sage that _.Aspillover makes the line between work and home unclearBcell phones seem to be convenient to familiesCcell phones affect men as much as women Dwe can do nothing to solve the problemCThe flag, the most common symbol(象征) of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. Wit
21、h a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的) artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years development. Historians bel
22、ieve that it has two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. Peoples food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after t
23、hey had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the directio
24、n of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They
25、believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked. The king of China around 1,000 B.C. was known to have a
26、white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.66The best
27、 title for the passage would be _.ADevelopment of the National FlagBPower of the National FlagCTypes of FlagsDUses of Flags67The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 meansAimpossible to make sure ofBlikely to be protectedCeasy to damageDdifficult to find68The earliest flags were connected wit
28、h heavenly power because _.Athey could tell wind directionBthey could bring good luck to fightersCthey were handed down by the ancestorsDthey were believed to stand for natural forces69What does the author know of the first national flag?AHe knows when it was sent to Europe.BHe believes it was made
29、in Egypt.CHe thinks it came from China.DHe doubts where it started.70What will the author most probably talk about next?AThe role of China in the spread of the national flag.BThe second ancestor of the national flag.CThe use of modern flags in Europe.DThe importance of modern flags.DBefore astronaut
30、s can go into space, they have to have the right suit. Thats why NASA(美国家航天和航空局) scientists are developing a kind of space suitlighter and more flexible than before. These new space suits will have more mobility for the astronauts, but will not need much maintenance(保养). NASA wants the suits to incl
31、ude new technology that can help astronauts be safe in outer space.Right now, the American space suit weights about 275 pounds and is big and massive. But the suit is easy to work in for long periods of time. The Russian space suit is less complex, but is used only a few times and then gets thrown a
32、way.“Finding the right balance is always going to be a challenge,” said long-time American astronaut Jeff Williams, who has worn both types of suits. Space suits protect astronauts from both extreme heat and freezing temperatures. They carry life-packs with oxygen for the astronauts. They also prote
33、ct astronauts from radiation.Scientists are using computers to design the new suits. This allows them to change the design again and again, and to even test the design out before actually making anything.“Theres a lot more capable tools and technology to get the job donea lot more knowledge, as well
34、.” Said Joe Kosmo. Kosmo helped design, develop and test suits during the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and shuttle periods.These new space suits will be much lighter and use a new kind of complex material. They also will have a smaller life-pack, thanks to tiny electronics. NASA hopes to have th
35、e first prototypes(原型) in development by 2010 and confirm the suit by 2012. This will be in time for the launch of the Orion spaceship in 2014.71The main characteristic of the new space suit is that it will _.Anot need much maintenanceBbe easy to work inCbe lighter and more flexibleDhelp astronauts
36、be safe in outer space72The disadvantage of the Russian space suit is that _.Ait is big and massiveBit is too complexCit can only be used a few timesDit costs too much to make73What does the underlined part “both types of suits” refer to?AThe new space suit and the present American space suit.BThe p
37、resent American and Russian space suits.CThe new pace suit and the present Russian space suit.DThe Apollo space suit and the Mercury space suit.74A smaller life-pack is designed for the new space suit because _.Ait is safer than a larger oneBit can make the space suit much lighterCit can hold more o
38、xygen for the astronautsDit is more useful to protect the astronauts from radiation75We can learn from the passage that _.Athe new space suit has been put into use alreadyBJoe Kosmo is an experienced astronautCits the first time that computers have been used to develop space suitsDthe new space suit is likely to be put into practical use in 2014参考答案5660 BDBDA 6165 DCABA 6670 ACDDB 7175 CCBBD