1、湖北省2012高考英语二轮复习专题训练：阅读理解（45）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。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 univer
2、sity, 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 great
3、er, the younger people learn a second language.A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, 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 later l
4、earners.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 exper
5、ience 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 world and
6、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, writing, and c
7、omprehension 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. man s ability
8、 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 languageC. to sh
9、ow 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 no differenc
10、e between a later second language learner and one who doesn t know a second languageC. the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people s brainD. the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time4. The underlined word “bilingual” probably means _.A. a researcher
11、 on language learningB. a person who is good at learning foreign languagesC. a person who can speak two languagesD. an active language learnerB Decision-making can be extremely difficult. Decision-making styles are significantly different in different cultures. In any approach to a problem and in an
12、y negotiations, the Western world turns to the “I to you” approach while Japan, the “you to you” approach. The former means both sides present their arguments openly from their own point of view. Naturally, often comes a confrontation(冲突) situation, which Westerners are very skillful in dealing with
13、. The latter is based on each side trying to understand the other person s point of view. Thus, the direction of the meeting is a mutual(相互的) attempt to reduce confrontation and achieve harmony. Besides, Western decision-making goes mostly from top management(管理人员) and often does not consult middle
14、management or the worker. However, in Japan great consideration is given to the thoughts and opinions of everyone at all levels. Based on “bottom-up direction”, ideas can be created at the lowest levels, travel upward through an organization and have an effect on the final decision. Difference in de
15、cision-making also comes from different communication styles. The Japanese business person works to achieve harmony, even if the deal falls through, and will spend whatever time is necessary to determine a “you to you” approach, communicating personal views only indirectly. They put a thorough job a
16、bove the Western deadline approach. So the Japanese are thorough in their meetings. Thus Americans are often annoyed by the many meetings in many Japanese businesses. But where the American is pressing for a specific decision, the Japanese is trying to think up a rather broad direction. On the other
17、 hand, once a given agreement is made, it is the Japanese who sometimes wonder at the slow pace in which Westerners carry out the decision. The Japanese are eager to move forward and Westerners, perhaps, lag(落后) behind as they take the time for in-depth planning.5. A Japanese business bases its deci
18、sion .A. on top-down direction B. on nothing but its workers viewsC. on bottom-up direction D. only on its top leaders opinions 6. The text mainly tells us that Japan and the Western world .A. face great difficulty in making decisions B. are different in decision-making styles C. have all members co
19、ntribute to a decision D. have two approaches: “I to you” and “you to I”7. Which of the following is TRUE of the Westerners?A. They carry out the decision once it is made. B. There are many meetings in their businesses.C. They work to achieve harmony in doing business. D. They are good at handling c
20、onfrontation situation.8. The author s attitude towards Japanese decision-making is .A. positive B. critical C. negative D. casualC Many languages are quickly disappearingOf the estimated (大约估计的) 7, 000 languages spoken in the world today, linguists (语言学家) say, nearly half are in danger of extinctio
21、n and likely to disappear this century. In fact, one falls out of use about every two weeks.Some languages vanish in an instant at the death of the sole (唯一的) surviving speaker. Others are lost gradually in bilingual (双语的) cultures, as indigenous (当地的) tongues are edged out by the dominant (占主导地位的)
22、language at school, in the marketplace and on television.New research, supported by the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, has found the five regions where languages are disappearing most rapidly. They are northern Australia, central South America,
23、 North America s upper Pacific coastal zone, eastern Siberia, and Oklahoma and the southwestern United States. All have indigenous people speaking diverse languages, in falling numbers.K. David Harrison, an associate (副的) professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College, US, said that more than half t
24、he languages had no written form and were “vulnerable (脆弱的) to loss and being forgotten.” Their loss leaves no dictionary, no text, or no record of the accumulated knowledge and history of a vanished culture.Harrison and other researchers started their rescue project last year. They have been trying
25、 to identify and record endangered languages. They interviewed and made recordings of the few remaining speakers of a language and collected basic word lists. The individual projects, some lasting three to four years, involve hundreds of hours of recording speech, developing grammar and preparing ch
26、ildren s readers in the obscure (逐渐没落的) language. The research has concentrated on preserving (保存) entire language families.“These are probably languages that cannot be brought back, but at least we made records of them,”said Gregory Anderson, director of the Living Tongues Institute, in Oregon, US.
27、9. What may be the reasons why many languages are in danger of extinction EXCEPT _?A. They are gradually replaced by another dominant language. B. It s easier to lose the languages that are only passed down orally.C. Researchers do not do enough to help those endangered languages.D. Some languages d
28、ie out together with the death of their last few speakers.10. What does the underlined word“vanish”in Paragraph 2 mean?A. disappear B. spread C. finish D. survive11. What s NOT mentioned as efforts made by researchers to rescue the dying languages?A. To teach children to learn the endangered languag
29、e. B. To clear up the entire language families.C. To interview and make recordings of the remaining speakers.D. To collect and record their vocabulary and develop grammars.12. From the passage we can conclude that _. A. the researchers feel rather optimistic about the result of their rescue work B.
30、the disappearance of an unrecorded language means the loss of a culture C. the indigenous languages can survive as long as they have developed their written forms D. the government should take legal action to protect the indigenous languages DAfter the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletic
31、s have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletics and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability. But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest Pa
32、ralympics will not be taking part. She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thormpson. Born with spine hifida (脊椎裂) which left her paralysed from the waist Bown. Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. at first, she was not keen on sport, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense
33、of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back. Indeed, Tannis athletic career took off. In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100metres at the Junio
34、r National Wheelchair Games. In 1998, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul. She won bronze in the 400 metres. Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelonn. Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same
35、 year she achieved she first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories. Tannis enduring success had been part motivation(动机), part preparation, “The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter(短跑运动员) enables me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps m
36、e prepared for whatever distance I want to see. I am still competing at a very high lever, but as I get older things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart.” Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Ol
37、ympic Games. In spite of ups and downs, she never take her fate lying down. In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in series of Paralympics- a top lever athletic career covering two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, m
38、ore than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records. What advice does she have for young athletes? “Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again.”13. Which of the following sports did Tanni like before thirteen? A. Basketball B. Swimming. C. Tennis. D. Horse-
39、riding.14. When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal? A. In 1984. B. In 1988. C. In 1992. D. In 2007.15. The underlined word “that” in the 5th paragraph refers to _. A. fifty weeks training B. being a good sprinter C. training almost every day D. part motivation and part preparation16. Whats t
40、he right order of the events related to Tanni? a. She works as a coach. b. She took up athletics. c. She won four gold medals in Barcelong. d. She competed in her first Paralympic Games. e. She achieved a victory in her first London Wheelchair Marathon. A. b, d, c, e a B. a, d, b, c ,e C. A,d,c,e,b
41、D. b.d.a.e.c17. What can we learn from Tannis success? A. Union is strength. B. Never too late to learn. C. Well begun is half done. D. No pains, no gains.ESubmission GuidelinesBefore sending us a manuscript(稿件)，look through recent issues(刊物)of the Post to get an idea of the range and style of artic
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