1、湖北省2012高考英语二轮复习专题训练：阅读理解（46）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。AThe Growing Credit Crisis Forces Many Companies to Seek Government HelpOn September fifteenth, Lehman Brothers, a one hundred fifty-eight year-old investment bank, sought legal protection from its creditors. It had failed to find a buye
2、r after months of searching. With over six hundred billion dollars in debt, Lehmans failure was the largest bankruptcv in United States history At the same time，the nations biggest insurance company，American International Group, had gotten into trouble selling credit default swaps These are contract
3、s Similar to insurance that protect the holder against credit risk.Credit rating agencies downgraded A.I.G because of concerns it could not honor its contracts. Unable to get new loans, A.I.G asked for government help The Federal Reserve agreed to loan A .I.G. eighty-five billion dollars in return f
4、or eighty percent of the company but it was not enough. By November, the government had extended a total of about one hundred fiftv billion doliars in aid to A .I.Gthe most to any single company during the crisis.As banks refused to lend, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson proposed a plan to loosen cr
5、edit markets by buylng risky assets. Congress approved the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of Two. Thousand eight on October third The bill provided seven hundred billion dollars to buy hard to-value securltles from banks. But within weeks, the government changed plans. The Treasury moved to in
6、vest two handred fifty billion dollars directly in banks to help them lend money again.Lack of credit not only hurt banks but manufacturers, too. Falling car sales threatened Americas carmakers The big three automakersGeneral Motors, Ford and Chryslertold Congress that they needed loans or they face
7、d bankmptcy. In December, President Bush offered G.M and Chrysler over seventeen billion dollars in loans.As the year ended, the Federal Reserve tried to support economic growth by lowering its main interest rate to nearly zero for the first time. But there was one more bad surprise New York money m
8、anager Bernard Madoff admitted he had cheated investors out of fifty billion dollars. The news only added to the sense that two thousand eight was the worst economic year since the nineteen thirties.1. Which of the following is NOT the problem in the passage Lehman Brothers was faced with? A. lt is
9、an Investment bank with more than one and a half centuries history. B. It didnt find a buyer after months of searching. C. It has over six hundred billion dollars in debt.D. Its failure was the largest bankruptcy in United States history.2. The reason why A.I.G turned to the U.S government for help
10、was that . A. A.I.G would give eighty percent of the company in return for the loan B. A.I.G couldnt get new loans from credit rating agencies C. the government extended a total of about one hundred fifty billion dollars in aid to A.I.GD. the Federal Reserve agreed to loan A.I G eighty-five billion
11、dollars3. According to the passage, which of the following is probably NOT suffering from the lack of_ . A. Banks B. Manufacturers C. Carmakers D. Barbers4. The last sentence of this passage indicates that the authors attitude towards the U.S economy in 2008 is A.pessimistic B. optimistic C. objecti
12、ve D.subjectiveBFreeRFor Each Vocabulary Word You Get Right, We Donate Free Rice through the United Nations World Food Program to Help End World Hunger1 word = 20 grains;5 words = 100 grains Play and feed hungry people.How to playClick on the answer that best defines the word. If you get it right, y
13、ou get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word. For each word you get right, we donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. WARNING: This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance. (more)Frequently Asked Questio
14、nsHow does playing the vocabulary game at FreeRice help me?Learning new vocabulary has tremendous benefits. It can help you:Present your ideas better Write better papers, emails and business lettersSpeak more accurately and influentiallyRead faster because you understand betterGet better grades in h
15、igh school, college and graduate schoolPerform better at job interviews and conferencesBe more effective and successful at your job After you have done FreeRice for a couple of days, you may notice an odd phenomenon. Words that you have never consciously used before will begin to pop into your head
16、while you are speaking or writing. You will feel yourself using and knowing more words.How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work? FreeRice has a custom database(数据库) containing thousands of words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are words proper for people just learning English and words
17、that will challenge the most learned professors. In between are thousands of words for students, business people, doctors, truck drivers everyone! FreeRice adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, designs a pr
18、oper starting level for you. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. There are 60 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above level 50.5. Playing the vocabulary game at Freerice enables you to do the following
19、 EXCEPT_.A. be admitted to a top university B. perform better in a speech contestC. help the needy people in the world D. improve your performance at work6. People of different levels of learning can surf FreeRice because_.A. it offers a large vocabularyB. it adjusts to the players level of vocabula
20、ryC. it is free of charge to play the gameD. it is designed to meet the needs of people in different fields7. We can infer from the passage that the purpose of designing the game is to_.A. supply more rice to feed the hungry people in poor countriesB. promote English learning in non-English speaking
21、 countriesC. attract more people to learn English to stop hungerD. combine English learning with helping hungry people8. Where is the passage likely to appear?A. In a popular newspaper. B. In a farming magazineC. On the website. D. In a document of the UN.COne kilogramthat was all it took to crown（给
22、加冕） the worlds strongest man.German weightlifter Matthias Steiner pulled ahead of Russian rival Evgeny Chigishev to win the Olympic mens +105 kg weightlifting gold medal on Tuesday.Steiner lifted a total of 461kg, 203kg in the snatch(抓举) and 258kg in the clean and jerk(挺举), to beat Chigishev by a si
23、ngle kilogram. The German won the battle of giants in his last lift, winning his countrys first gold medal in the event at this years Games. Steiners winning lift was also the last effort of the sport for this Olympics at which China earned eight of the 15 golds.Steiner was born in Austria and repre
24、sented his country of birth at the Athens Olympics four years ago, placing seventh in the lower 105kg category, but had a falling out with Austrias weightlifting federation afterwards.He applied for German citizenship in 2005 and got married, but his career went into deep freeze（困境）as he could not c
25、ompete without a passport. He finally obtained the document last January.The German, who turns 26 on Monday, had come to these Games on a mission to win the title for his wife Susann, who died in a car accident in July last year. The German team said he used the personal tragedy to motivate himself
26、to win the gold medal.Chigishev was the strongest in the snatch session Tuesday. He kissed his fists after a 210-kg lift that gave him a 7-kg advantage over fourth-placed Steiner going into the second event - the clean and jerk. He let out a victorious roar after clearing 250 kg in his last lift, bu
27、t the glory was short-lived as Steiner stunned（使瞠目）everyone with his final, winning clean and jerk effort.Steiner had finished seventh in the 2004 Olympics in the 105kg weight category, and took the gold in the 2008 European Championship +105kg snatch competition, bronze in the clean and jerk and si
28、lver overall, with a total weight of 446kg.World champion Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia settled for bronze.9. Four years ago at the Athens Olympics Steiner represented _.A. Australia B. Germany C. Austria D. Russia10. The following statements are true except _.A. Steiner beat Chigishev by one kilogra
29、mB. Chinese weightlifting team won eight of the 15 gold medals at this years GamesC. Steiner didnt get the passport until last FebruaryD. Steiner got a bronze in the 2008 European Championship +105kg clean and jerk competition11. It can be inferred from the story that _.A. Steiner was inspired by hi
30、s unfortunate wife to win the gold medalB. Chigishev was also the strongest in the second eventC. it is hard to get a German citizenshipD. Steiner was determined to win the medal for the German team12. What is the best title of the story?A. Narrow VictoryB. Pitiful Failure C. Gold Medal for His Dear
31、est WifeD. Strongest Man of the WorldDThere are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama came from ritual (宗教仪式). The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natura
32、l forces of the world, even the seasonal changes, as unpredictable, and they sought through various means, to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then kept and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories aro
33、se which explained the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths (神话), coutinued to exist and provided material for art and drama.Those who believe that drama came from ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater beca
34、use music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the “acting area” and the “watching area.” In addition, there were performers,
35、and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in performing, religious leaders usually undertook that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often imitated other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and used gestures about the desired effect, success in hunt or battle, the
36、 coming rain, the revival (复活) of the Sun. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.Another theory traces the theaters origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales about the hunt, war, or other feats are gradually added in det
37、ail, at first through imitation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely-related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.13
38、. What does the passage mainly discuss?A. The origins of theater. B. The role of ritual in modern dance.C. The importance of storytelling. D. The variety of early religious activities.14. What aspect of drama does the author discuss in the first parapraph?A. The reason why drama is often unpredictab
39、le.B. The seasons in which dramas were performed.C. The connection between myths and dramatic plots. D. The importance of costumes in early drama.15. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a common element of theater and ritual?A. Dance. B. Costumes. C. Music. D. Magic.16. According to the passa
40、ge, what is the main difference between ritual and drama?A. Ritual uses music whereas drama does not. B. Ritual is shorter than drama.C. Ritual requires fewer performers than drama. D. Ritual has a religious purpose and drama does not.E The worlds oceans are slowly getting more acidic,”say scientist
41、s. The researchers from California report that the change is taking place in response to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The lowering of the waterspH value is not great at the moment but could cause a serious threat to current ocean life if it continues, they warn. Ken Caldeira an
42、d Michael Wickett, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, report their concerns in the journal Nature.Increasing use of oil fuels means more carbon dioxide is going into the air, and most of it will eventually be absorbed by seawater. Once in the water, it reacts to form carbonic acid. Sci
43、entists believe that the oceans have already become slightly more acidic over the last century. These researchers have tried to predict what will happen in the future by combining what we know about the history of the oceans with computer models of climate changeThis level of acidity will get much m
44、ore extreme in the future if we continue releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, said Dr Caldeira. And we predict the amount of future acidity will exceed（超过）anything we have seen over the last several hundred million years, let alone perhaps after rare disastrous events such as asteroid（小行星) impacts” Ho
45、wever, it is not absolutely clear what that means for ocean lifeMost organisms live near the surface, where the greatest pH change would be expected to occur, but deep-ocean life forms may be more sensitive to pH changesCoral reefs and other organisms whose shells contain calcium carbonate（小行星) may
46、be particularly affected if the waters acidity levels keep going up, the team predict. They could find it much more difficult to build these structures in water with a lower pH. In recent years some people have suggested storing carbon dioxide from power stations in the deep ocean as a way of dealin
47、g with global warmingBut Dr Caldeira said that such a strategy should now be re-considered. Previously, most experts had looked at ocean absorption of carbon dioxide as a good thing-because in releasing CO2 into the atmosphere we warm the planet, and when CO2, is absorbed by the ocean, it reduces th
48、e amount of greenhouse warming.”17. According to Dr Caldeira,_ . A. ocean absorption of carbon dioxide is a good thing B. more oil fuels will be used in the near future C. scientists may predict climate changes with computer models D. the future situation of the amount of acidity is extremely seriou
49、s18. If the waters acidity level keeps rising,_ . A. ocean life whose structures contain calcium carbonate may be affected B. the waterspH value will become higher and higher C. organisms living near the surface are more sensitive to pH changes D. some disastrous events will occur more often than be
50、fore19. Most experts once believed storing carbon dioxide in the ocean would reduce_ . A. the CO2 absorbed by the ocean B. the amount of greenhouse warming C. the acidity of the ocean D. the gradual release of CO220. The purpose of this passage is to_ . A. show people the findings of a research team B. inform people of how acid the ocean is now C. introduce Dr Caldeira and his teams research D. warn people of the higher level of CO2 120 ABDAA BDCCC ACACD DDABD 高考资源网独家精品资源，欢迎下载！高考资源网Ks5uK&S%5#UKs5uKs%U高考资源网高考资源网高考资源网
