1、2014届高考英语二轮复习阅读理解创优专练3 Passage 1 BEIJING，Feb.28，2008（Xinhua）-China plans to carry out its first spacewalk in second half of the year，an official of the nations manned space program said here on Thursday.The Shenshou spacecraft will be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwes
2、tern province of Gansu late in the year and the astronauts will leave their spaceship for the first time, the official told XinhuaCompared with the previous two manned space flights，the upcoming Shenzhou space mission is more complex.Besides the spacewalk，the crew is also expected to perform extra-v
3、ehicular work such as fixing and tightening equipment.The spaceship will also release a small inspection satellite，which keeps an eye on its own performance.China may live broadcast the first ever spacewalk.“The Shenzhou spaceship is able to live-broadcast the walk，but it has not been decided whethe
4、r the spacewalk will be broadcast in a live or recorded version.”the official told Xinhua.Breakthroughs have been made in significant techniques related to the spacewalk.Research into the development of spaceship and rockets has been going smoothly，and astronauts have undertaken extensive training，a
5、ccording to the official.“The Shenzhou mission will start the second phase of Chinas three-stage space program” said the official.In the second stage，China plans further breakthroughs in manned space flight，such as spacewalks.In this phase，China will put into orbit a space laboratory staffed by huma
6、ns for short periods and create a fully-equipped space engineering system.In the third stage，China will build a permanent space station and a space engineering system Astronauts and scientists will travel between the Earth and the space station to conduct large-scale experiments.56.The news mainly t
7、ells its readers that_ A.China intends to conduct a spacewalk for the first timeB.China plans to launch her third manned space flightC.China tries to live broadcast her first-time spacewalkD.China prepares to start her third-stage space program57.What is included in the second stage of Chinas three-
8、stage space program?A.Creating an ever-lasting space station for astronautsB.Placing a man-staffed lab into orbit for long periods.C.Carrying out large-scale experiments in laboratories.D.Setting up a fully-equipped space engineering System.58.It can be learned from the passage thatA.important techn
9、ique about spacewalk remains uncertain in spite of researches.B.spacewalk is the only factor that leads to Shenzbou missions complexity.C.due to Shenzhou s inability，its uncertain how to broadcast the spacewalk.D.our country is getting along quite well with developing spaceship and rockets59.Whats t
10、he main function of the inspection satellite?A.To keep an eye on the Shenzhou s performanceB.To keep watch on the weather changes.C.To broadcast the TV programmers.D.To work as a detector for the space flight.60.Which of the following tasks is NOT to be performed by the Shenzbou ？A.Carrying out a sp
11、acewalk. B.Performing some repair work.C.Releasing a small inspection satellite.D.Building a permanent space station and a space engineering system.参考答案 61.B 62.B 63.D 64.C Passage 2Writing being largely a self-taught occupation, texts on how to get about it -though great in number- seldom are of mu
12、ch use. You try, and fail. Then try again. Until at last, if you have some gift for it, the failures become less frequent, or at any rate less apparantly.It is this ability to cover up ones defects that is finally regarded as accomplishment or achievement.Along the way there are the discouragements
13、of unkind criticism, outright rejection, troublesome insecurity and irregular inability to meet debts.It is uncommon, therefore, to come across a book containing advice of much practical value for anyone toying（漫不经心地考虑） with the dangerous idea of staring on a writing life.A friend recently lent me s
14、uch a book, however - one I wish Id had the luck to read years ago, and which I would recommend to any young person devoted to making a career of words. It is the autobiography （自传） of the English novelist Anthony Trollope, first published in 1883, the year after his death.Needing some means to supp
15、ort himself, Trollope at age 19 worked as a junior clerk in the British postal service. He was at his desk at 5:30 each morning to write for three hours. And he remained in the mail service 33 years, long after reputation and prosperity had come to him.Now, what of his advice in his works?1. For saf
16、etys sake, arm yourself with some other skills, some other line of work to fall back on（求助）。 That way, failure at writing, though the disappointment may appear, will not mean ruin.2. Do not depend too much on inspiration. Writing is a craft, which Trollope compared to the craft of shoemaking. The sh
17、oemaker who has just turned out one pair of his work sets to work immediately on the next pair.3. Have a story to tell, but, more important than that, people with characters who will speak and move as living creatures in the readers mind. Without memorable characters, story alone is nothing.4. Meet
18、your deadlines. Life is endlessly “painful and troublesome” for writers who cant finish their work on time.5. Do not be carried away by praise. And, above all, do not be injured by criticism.6. Understand the risks of writing for a living. “The career, when successful, is pleasant enough certainly;
19、but when unsuccessful, it is of all careers the most painful.”63. This passage mainly discusses_.A. the difficulties and risks of making a career of wordsB. the uselessness of instructions contained in writing guidebooksC. the autobiography of the 19th century English novelist Anthony TrollopeD. sou
20、nd advice provided in Anthony. Trollopes autobiography64. From the context we can figure out that the underlined word “defect” in Paragraph 3 means_.A. advantage B. fault C. truth D. disadvantage65. According to the author, writing _.A. is basically a self-taught occupation and no instructions on ho
21、w to deal with it are of any practical useB. is a “trial and error” process and it does not count whether you have the gift for writing or notC. for a living is the most pleasant of all careers, full of praise and enjoymentD. sometimes provides good hopes of winning public praise and escaping povert
22、y66. From the passage we may infer that the author is most probably .A. an instructor of writingB. a writer C. an educatorD. a publisher参考答案 63.D 64.B 65.A 66.B Passage 3If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.Take the taxi d
23、rivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the lea
24、st sign of anxiety.The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card
25、to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration （登记） card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge. The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say ho
26、w many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.With so many loopholes （漏洞） in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”。 But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have atten
27、ded to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”
28、。55. The underlined words in this passage means to “_”。A. be ready to help others B. make good use of ones friendsC. be a little ahead of others D. gain something at others expense56. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?A. While taking a taxi in Finland, you can get off witho
29、ut first paying your fare.B. In a big hotel in Finland, you can enjoy free meals if youre living in the hotel.C. The bosses in Finland pay the employees according to registration of their working hours.D. The workers are always honest with their working hours.57. We can learn from the passage that _
30、.A. the Finnish society is of very high moral （道德） levelB. there are many loopholes in everyday life in FinlandC. in Finland, most taxi drivers will not charge you anythingD. everyone in Finland is like a gentleman, for they have faith in themselves58. Which of the following is the best title of the
31、 passage?A. Life in Finland B. A Society with “Foolish” PeopleC. What a Life D. Honest accounts of the Finns参考答案 55.D 56.C 57.A 58.BPassage 4For the most part, schools are designed to produce people who fit into society, not people who set out to change it. However, schools, particularly universitie
32、s, may not only spread culture; they may add to the cultural heritage （遗产）。 Today American society places a good deal of emphasis on the development of new knowledge, especially in the physical and biological sciences, medicine, and engineering. In recent years, the nations leading universities have
33、 increasingly become research centres.An emphasis on research has led universities to judge professors not by abilities as teachers, but as researchers. Promotions, salary increases, and other benefits have long been dependent on research and publication （出版物）。 However, the most important is no long
34、er publishing. To be successful these days, professors have to bring in money provided by government and private industry. Critics claim that academic success is most likely to come to those who have learned to “ignore” their teaching duties to pursue research activities. Defenders say that even whe
35、n students themselves are not involved in research projects they benefit from such an emphasis on research.Major research universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have also cooperated with industrial companies to develop technology and products with commercial potential. With univ
36、ersity-industry ties continuing to grow, debate has increased about the consequences for basic science, academic openness, the control of information, the direction of research, and the influence on students.59. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT emphasized by todays American so
37、ciety?A. Physical science. B. Biological sciences.C. Engineering. D. Computer science.60. In the present standard, a successful professor is one who can _.A. teach well B. get financial support for researchC. get the highest salary D. have many publications61. Supporters of the present emphasis on r
38、esearch argue that _.A. it involves more students in itB. it does good to students anywayC. it has a direct good effect on teachingD. it earns a lot of money for a university62. The author seems to be _ the move of emphasis to research.A. totally against B. sorry to see C. in favor of D. neutral （中立
39、） about参考答案 59.D 60.B 61.B 62.D Passage 5In a recent class I was asked “What is a short story?” My first answer was that it was something that could be read in one sitting and brought an illumination（启示）to the reader, sudden and golden like sunlight cracking through heavy cloud. I went on to say tha
40、t in my opinion a “real” short story was closer to poetry than to the novel.Here are some definitions of the short story. My favorite is Benets: “something that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime”。 One writer said: “the theme of a novel wont fit into the framework of a short story;
41、 its like trying to squeeze a large painting done on a wall into the frame of a miniature （微型画）。 And as in a miniature painting, the details need to be sharp. ”The short story is an example of one aspect of human nature. Often a character undergoes some event, something that offers him or her change
42、. This is why its said that short stories usually “say something ”， often a small something, but sometimes delivered with such accuracy that the effect is strongly felt, even a life-moment for some readers, something similar to a religious experience or to witnessing a never-to-be-repeated scene in
43、nature.Ok, lets form a definition here: A short story is an account, rarely over 10, 000 words or below 500 words-more commonly 1, 500 to 5, 000 words-a single-sitting read, but with enough time and weight to move the reader. It is narrow and focused to produce an effect through the story, most comm
44、only through events affecting some change in an individual.Writer Isabelle Allende once wrote: “Novels are, for me, adding up details, just work, work, work, then youre done. Short stories are more difficult-they have to be perfect, complete in themselves. ”64.The writer of the passage is probably a
45、 _.A. poet B. painter C. teacher D. student65.What should the ideal short story be in length?A. at most 10, 000 words B. below 500 wordsC. over 5, 000words D. around 2, 000 words66.The underlined word “undergoes ” in the third paragraph probably means “_ ”。A. experiences B. discovers C. discusses D. appreciates67.What would be the best title for the passage?A. How Do You Write a Short Story? B. What Exactly Is a Short Story?C. Is a Short Story Similar to Poetry? D. Are Short Stories Perfect and Complete?参考答案64.C 65.D 66.A 67.B
