1、河北省2012高考英语二轮复习专题训练：阅读理解（5）阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和 D）中，选出最佳选项。AIf English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Havent you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?According to a new study by a British unive
2、rsity, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.The study also found the effect is grea
3、ter, the younger people learn a second language.A team led by Dr Andrea Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of late
4、r learners.Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the ex
5、perience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the worl
6、d and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的),” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writi
7、ng, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.1. The main subject talked about in this passage is _.A. science on learning a second languageB. ma
8、ns ability of learning a second languageC. 1anguage can help brain power D. 1anguage learning and maths study2. In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to _.A. say language is also a kind of physical laborB. prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a lang
9、uageC. to show the importance of using the language when you learn the languageD. make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well3. We may know from the scientific findings that _.A. the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density isB. there is
10、no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesnt know a second languageC. the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on peoples brainD. the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time4. The underlined word “bilingual” probably means _.A. a
11、researcher on language learningB. a person who is good at learning foreign languagesC. a person who can speak two languagesD. an active language learnerBSTRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are
12、some popular practices that are storming the worlds youth on this V-day.Speed datingIts exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more th
13、an two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again25 times in all.Lock and key partyWomen are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One ca
14、n hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot（票数） for top prizes!Dinner in the darkWaiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated
15、at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.Message partyHave A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arriv
16、e, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait Youve got a message Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have o
17、f winning prizes.5. What do you think the similarities of these parties are?A. All the parties have very strict rules for their members.B. If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.C. All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.D. All the parties are suitable
18、 not only for the young but for the old.6. In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?A. Speed dating. B. Lock and key party. C. Dinner in the dark. D. Message party.7. If you go to the Dinner in the dark, _.A. you have to wear night vision glassesB. you have to eat with your
19、 handsC. guests eat all the courses in the darknessD. your dining partners will help you choose the food8. How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?A.1. B.2. C.3. D.4.CWhen you think of an artist, you probably think of someone painting on canvas (画布). But Guido Daniele creates fantastic paintin
20、gs of birds, elephants, tigers, and giraffes by painting on skin. Born in Soverato, Italy, Guido Daniele has been called “Hand Gogh” (after artist Vincent van Gogh) since he began creating works of art on peoples hands in 1990.Painting on the hands can be a challenge because, unlike canvas, the skin
21、 moves when rubbed. Danieles models must remain perfectly still for hours as he paints. He often uses his daughter and his son as his “canvases”.Before he can begin to create his “manimals” (the artists name for his hand animals), Daniele studies photographs of the animal that he will be painting in
22、 order to be able to understand its character and give it life. “Next,” he says, “I look at the hand from different perspectives (视角) ,and I begin to imagine what is the best way to position the hand for me to paint the animal. “He also studies the skin of the model, preferring it to have little hai
23、r and few blemishes (瑕疵).Daniele starts by drawing on the models hand with a pencil. He next paints the skin using watercolors made specifically for body art. The eyes of Danieles painted animals look amazingly real, and they are the most difficult part to paint.Paintings on hands must eventually be
24、 washed away. Guido Daniele says that hes gotten used to this part and that he doesnt really mind seeing his work washed down the drain (排水沟). “Tomorrow, I will paint the next one. The important thing is to take many good photo- graphs before washing the hand!”9. Danieles paintings are mainly about
25、_.A. scenery B. plants C. stories D. animals10. In paragraph 3 the author mainly tells us _.A. what Daniele needs to do before paintingB. why Daniele chooses to paint “animals”C. how Daniele develops this own style of paintingD. how Daniele paints on the skin of his models11. How does Daniele feel a
26、bout the fact that his paintings must be washed away? _.A. He feels disappointed at this. B. He cares little about this.C. He is satisfied to see this. D. He in fact cant accept this.12. What do we learn about Daniele from the passage? _.A. His real name is Hand Gogh. B. His works are mainly drawn w
27、ith pencils.C. He is an artist who paints on hands. D. He often asks his wife to be his model. DA small town in southwest Britain is banning (禁止) plastic bags in an attempt to help the environment and cut wastea step that environmentalists believe is a first for Europe.Shopkeepers in Modbury populat
28、ion 1,500, agreed to stop handing out disposable plastic bags to customers on Saturday. They said paper sacks and cloth carrier bags would be offered instead. Last month, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban plastic grocery bags. Internationally, laws to discourage the use of plastic bags
29、 have been passed in parts of South Africa and Ireland, where governments either tax shoppers who use them or fine companies that hand them out. Bangladesh already bans them, and so do at least 30 remote Alaskan villages.Modbury, about 225 miles southwest of London, has also declared a bag ammesty (
30、宽限期), allowing local people to hand in plastic bags that have piled up at home. They will be sent for a recycling.The Modbury ban was the idea of Rebecca Hosking, who saw the effect of bags on marine life while working in the Pacific as a wildlife camerawoman. She said response in the town so far ha
31、d been “really positive”.“Modbury is quite an old-fashioned town and a lot of people have wicker(柳条) baskets to go out shopping anyway,” Hosking told Sky News Television.The World Watch Institute, an environmental research agency, states that 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away each year in the
32、 United States alone. More than 500 billion are used yearly around the world.13. The underlined word “disposable” in the passage probably means _. A. acceptable B. valuable C. environmentally-friendly D. long-lasting14. It can be inferred from the passage that _. . A. most of the people in Modbury c
33、ontinue to use plastic bags _.B. fewer and fewer plastic bags will be used in the worldC. San Francisco is the first city to ban plastic bags in the worldD. most countries in the world have passed laws to ban plastic bags15. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage? _A. Environmental Protection B. Big Cities Banning Plastic BagsC. British Town Banning Plastic Bags D. Effect of Plastic bags on Sea Animals115 CDAC CABB DABC DBC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
