1、2014高考英语阅读理解系列训练（20）及答案解析第三部分阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)第一节(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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。A(2012河南洛阳统考改编)In the USA，driving laws differ somewhat from state to state and considerably from what you are used to.Here is a list of some important differences.Speed LimitsSpeed limits are design
2、ated in miles per hour(MPH)，not kilometers.One mile equals 1.6093 kilometers.Within cities the speed limit is usually 25 mph.Major streets with two or more lines may post a higher limit of 35 mph，but you should assume a 25 mph limit unless you see a sign with a higher limit.Highways have a speed lim
3、it of 55 mph，with some interstate highways posting a higher limit of 65 mph.Fines for speeding are heavy and can result in higher insurance fees and license suspension(扣留)Driving on the RightUnlike the UK，some countries in Asia，in Australia，and in the United States cars drive on the right side of th
4、e road，and steering wheels(方向盘) are located on the left side of the car.Even if you dont drive a car，you need to be aware of this rule.Every year a few international students are hit by cars because they step off the roadsides into the path of oncoming traffic.On most streets cars will be coming fro
5、m your left，not your right.InsuranceMost states require you to maintain certain minimum levels of insurance on your car in case you are involved in an accident.The insurance covers your liability(责任) for damage to other cars and injuries caused to all the people involved in the accident.We strongly
6、recommend getting insurance that covers more than the legal minimum.You can also get collision(碰撞) insurance to cover the cost of fixing your car and theft insurance in case the car is stolen，but this is only worthwhile for a new car or a model of recent years.If you dont have car insurance，you wont
7、 be able to register the car.56When driving in an American city，youd better limit your speed within about _.A25 mph B35 mph C55 mph D65 mph57If you drive beyond the speed limits，youll _.Abe sent into prison Bget no car insuranceChave to pay much money Dbe taken to the police station58We learn from t
8、he passage that international students in America _.Aalways drive cars on the left Bcan hardly afford to have their own carsCknow about the rules clearly Dshould pay more attention to the rules59Which car insurance should you get in order to save your money to repair your car?ALiability insurance. B
9、Theft insurance.CCollision insurance. DInjury insurance.56A根据“Speed Limits”中第三、四句的内容可知当你开车行驶在美国的城市里时，最好将车速限制在每小时25英里左右。57C根据“Speed Limits”中最后一句的内容可知如果超速行驶，驾车者须付很重的罚金，保险费用更高，且驾照也会被扣留。58D根据“Driving on the Right”中第二段第二句可推知在美国的外国留学生应该多注意交通规则。59C根据“Insurance”中的“You can also get collision(碰撞) insurance to
10、 cover the cost of fixing your car.”可知，如果你想省下修车的钱，可以办理“碰撞险”。*结束 The Alps are the youngest and highest mountain system in Europe.They stretch across the western and southern part of the continent in a broad arc.The mountain range starts near the Mediterranean Sea on the border between France and Ital
11、y.Then it curves north and eastward through northern Italy，Switzerland，Liechtenstein，southern Germany，Austria and Slovenia.The Alps are about 1,000 km long，and the broadest section is over 260 km wide.The highest peak，Mont Blanc，situated on the border between France，Italy and Switzerland，rises 4,807
12、 meters above sea level.Other famous peaks are the Monte Rosa，the Matterhorn，the GroBglockner and the Zugspitze.Millions of years ago the area of todays Alps was covered by a large sea that separated Europe and Africa.The southern land mass started moving northwards.This movement folded rock layers
13、at the bottom of the sea.Heat and pressure transformed the rock and pushed the_material upwards.Today these regions are the highest parts of the Alps.Most of the newly formed rock is granite and gneiss，but many ranges consist of limestone which also formed on the seabed.During the Ice Age，which star
14、ted about a million years ago，the Alps were covered with a thick blanket of snow.Glaciers moved down valleys and made them wider and deeper.As they moved they took rock and other material with them，creating moraines(冰碛)When glaciers started to melt water filled up behind these natural dams and creat
15、ed the alpine lakes we know today.The largest of these glaciers is the Aletsch in Switzerland which reaches a length of about 25 km.The longest glacier of the eastern Alps is the 8 km long Pasterze，at the foot of the GroBglockner.The ice and snow of the alpine regions helped create the large rivers
16、of today：the Rhine，Rhone，Danube and the Po.60From the first two paragraphs we know the Alps _.Aare about 260 km wideBstretch across the western part of AfricaCare the youngest mountain system in the worldDhave the highest peak 4,807 meters above sea level61What does the underlined phrase “this mater
17、ial” in paragraph 3 refer to?ASea water and rock. BRock that was transformed.CRock layers that were folded. DLimestone which was on the seabed.62It can be inferred from the passage that the Alps were formed _.Abefore the Ice Age Bduring the Ice AgeCbecause of seas movement Dbecause of glaciers movem
18、ent63From the passage we know Danube is _.Aa kind of rock Bone of the Alps famous peaksCthe name of a river Done of the largest glaciers60D由第二段的第二句话可知阿尔卑斯山脉的最高峰勃朗峰海拔4807米。61B根据该句的结构“Heat and pressure transformed the rock and pushed the material upwards.”可知该词语指代前面的the rock，故选B项。62A根据第三、四段的首句，可以推断出阿尔卑
19、斯山脉是在冰河世纪之前形成的，故选A项。63C由文章最后一段可知Danube(多瑙河)是由阿尔卑斯山脉的冰雪融化形成的大河之一。*结束 (2012南京学情调查)There is a boy called Bill in my gym class who has unbearable yellow teeth that almost make everyone feel unpleasant.Recently another boy told Bill that he should have his teeth scaled(刮除牙石)Bill was crushed.If the other
20、boy had been thinking，he would have realized that there is a better way to handle such a situation.He could have dealt with it with tact(得体)He could have showed this hurtful truth in a more careful，sensitive waythats tact.If a person isnt sensitive to anothers feelings，there is no way he or she can
21、be tactful.Yesterday，my 5yearold brother proudly announced that he had cleaned the screen of our television set.Unfortunately，he used furniture polish，which produced an oily film on the television screen.My mother smiled and thanked him for his efforts and then showed how to clean the screen properl
22、y.Her sensitivity enables my brother to keep his selfrespect.Yet，sensitivity alone does not make tact.“Tactfulness” also requires “truthfulness”Doctors，for example，must be truthful.If a patient has just been disabled in an accident，a tactful doctor will tell the truth but express it with sensitivity
23、.The doctor may try to give the patient hope by telling him curing techniques under study or about advanced equipment now available.Doctors must use tact with patients relatives as well.Instead of bluntly saying，“Your husband is disabled，” a doctor might say，“Im sorry，but your husband has lost feeli
24、ng in his legs and.”Tact should not be confused with trickery.Trickery occurs when a nurse is about to give a patient an injection(注射) and says，“This wont hurt a bit.”Instead of trickery，the nurse might guarantee the patient that the discomfort of the injection is a small thing compared to the benef
25、its of it.It would also be thoughtful for the nurse to tell the patient about some of these benefits.Tact is a wonderful skill to have，and tactful people are usually admired and respected.Without tact our society would become an intolerable place to live in.64The underlined word “crushed” in the fir
26、st paragraph probably means _.Asurprised Bcheated Cregretful Dupset65According to the author，his mother was _ to his brother.Asensitive and tactful Bsensitive but not tactful enoughCtruthful but not tactful enough Dsensitive but tricky66Which of the following is true according to the passage?ATricke
27、ry often occurs in hospital. BTactfulness means truthfulness.CWe should be tactful in our society. DNurses are not honest to patients.64D第一段主要讲述当另一个男孩让比尔刮除牙石时，比尔对他这种直白的话语感到不高兴。第一段最后一句“He could have showed this hurtful truth.”也是答案提示，故选D项。65A作者的妈妈先感谢了作者的弟弟，然后教他清洗电视屏幕的正确方法，既保住了他的自尊，又让他认识到了自己的错误之处，所以是“同
28、情理解的”和“机智的”故A项正确。66C从最后一段最后一句“Without tact our society would become an intolerable place to live in.”可知答案。*结束 (2012银川一中第四次考试)The common cold is the worlds most widespread illness，which is a plague that man receives.The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold.They are not.They
29、 are caused by viruses passing on from person to person.You catch a cold by coming into contact，directly or indirectly，with someone who already has one.If cold causes colds，it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever.But they do not.And in isolated Arctic regions，explore
30、rs have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.During the First World War，soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches，cold and wet，seldom caught colds.In the Second World War，pr
31、isoners at Auschwitz concentration camp，naked and starved，were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.At the Common Cold Research Unit in England，volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time.After taking
32、hot baths，they put on bathing suits，allowed themselves to be with cold water，and then stood about dripping wet in a room.Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion.Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped i
33、n his nose.If then，cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds，why are they more frequent in winter？Despite the hardest research，no one has yet found out the answer.One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times，and
34、 that makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.No one has yet found a cure for the cold.There are drugs and painkillers such as aspirin，but all that they do is to relieve the symptoms.67The writer offered _ examples to support his argument.A4 B5 C6 D368Arctic explorers may catch colds when _
35、.Athey work in the isolated Arctic regionsBthey write reports in terribly cold weatherCthey are free from work in the isolated Arctic regionsD they come into touch with people with colds from the outside world69Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _.Asuffered a
36、lot Bnever caught coldsCoften caught colds Dbecame very strong70The passage mainly discusses _.Athe experiments on the common cold Bthe false belief about the common coldCthe reason why people catch colds Dthe continued spread of the common cold67B通读全文可知，作者共列举了五个例子来证明自己的观点，分别是Eskimos，explorers in is
37、olated Arctic regions，soldiers in the First World War，prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp和volunteers in experiments。68D根据第二段的最后一句话中的“.explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world.”可知，探险者若与外界感冒的人接触会感冒。69A根据第五段所举的志愿者的例子
38、可知，这些志愿者为配合实验吃了不少苦。70C第二段的前两句话“The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold.They are not.”是本文的主题句。本文主要阐述的观点是：感冒不是由寒冷引起的，而是由直接或间接接触病毒引起的。*结束*结束 (2011江苏卷，C)According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gigawatts of electricity every year.Unfo
39、rtunately，the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills(see picture)to touch bottom. An experiment under way off the coast of Norway，however，could help put them anywhere.The project, called Hywind，is the worlds first largescale deepwater wind turbine(涡轮发电机)Although it uses a fairly
40、standard 152ton,2.3megawatt turbine，Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar(see picture)，a technology Hywinds creator，the Norwegian company StatoilHydro，has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goe
41、s 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cables(缆索)；these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves.Hywinds stability(稳定性)in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for w
42、ind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but its difficult enough to b
43、alance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spars centre of gravity must be moved much closer to the oceans surface. To do that, the company plans to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox(变速箱) sits at sea l
44、evel rather than behind the blades(see picture)Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating windfarm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing off shore windmills are planted. Deepsea farms are i
45、nvisible from land, which helps overcome the windmillaseyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planets surface to one of the best lowcarbon power sources available.本文为科普短文，讲述世界上第一个深海风力发电机涡轮发电机以及它的发电原理及好处。9The Hywind project uses totally new technology to en
46、sure the stability of_.A. the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floorB. the spar which is floating in deepsea waterC. the blades driven by strong and steady sea windD. the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface答案：B。细节理解题。由文章第二段特别是“these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine
47、 from moving up and down in the waves”可知B项正确。10To balance a bigger turbine high on a floating spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting_.A. on the sea floor B. on the spar topC. at sea level D. behind the blades答案：C。细节理解题。由文章第三段最后一句“.one whose gearbox sits at sea level r
48、ather than behind the blades.”可知C项正确。11Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can_.A. solve the technical problems of deepwater windmillsB. make financial profits by producing more turbinesC. settle the arguments about environmental problemsD. explore lowcarbon power resources availabl
49、e at sea答案：D。细节理解题。由文章最后一句“.it will open up vast areas of the planets surface to one of the best lowcarbon power sources available.”可知D项正确。 (2011天津卷，C)An idea that started in Seattles public library has spread throughout America and beyond.The concept is simple：help to build a sense of community in
50、a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all，the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus，as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools
51、.The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched(发起)the“If All of Seattle Read the Same Book”project in 1998.Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cit
52、ies，and even to Hong Kong.In Chicago，the mayor (市长) appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the “One Book，One Chicago”program.As a result，reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city.Across the US, stories emerged of parents and
53、children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.The only problem arose in New York，where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population.This may show that the idea works best in mediumsized cities or lar
54、ge towns, where a greater sense of unity (一致) can be achieved.Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point，putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than into discussion about a book itself.Ultimately，as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured
55、by how many people read a book，but by how many people are enriched by the process，or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared_a_word.西雅图的一名图书管理员建议大家在同一时间阅读同一本书，并允许陌生人在公共场所对这本书进行讨论，这样做既可以促进陌生人之间的交流，又能培养公众的社区意识。然而，在像纽约等一些大城市，由于人口背景复杂，很难选出一本具有代表性的书，或许这一想法在一些中等城市更容
56、易实施。12What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?ATo invite authors to guide readers.BTo encourage people to read and share.CTo involve people in community service.DTo promote the friendship between cities.答案：B。细节理解题。由第二段“Her original program used author visits，study guides and book discus
57、sion groups to bring people together with a book”可以推知正确答案。13Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?AThey had little interest in reading.BThey were too busy to read a book.CThey came from many different backgrounds.DThey lacked support from the local government.答案：C。细节理解题。由第四段第
58、一句话可知，纽约城市大，人口众多且文化背景多样化，因此人们很难选出一本有代表性的书。14According to the passage，where would the project be more easily carried out?AIn large communities with little sense of unity.BIn large cities where libraries are far from home.CIn mediumsized cities with a diverse population.DIn large towns where agreement
59、 can be quickly reached.答案：D。细节理解题。由第四段第二句话可知，这一想法在中等城市或大的城镇较容易实施，因为在那儿人们很容易达成一致。C项为人口多样化的中等城市，与句意不符。15The underlined words“shared a word”in Paragraph 5 probably mean_.Aexchanged ideas with each otherBdiscussed the meaning of a wordCgained life experienceDused the same language答案：A。词义猜测题。由第二段内容可知，该活
60、动的目的就是让陌生人通过讨论这本书而达到交流的目的，故A项正确。16According to Nancy，the degree of success of the project is judged by_.Athe careful selection of a proper bookBthe growing popularity of the writersCthe number of people who benefit from readingDthe number of books that each person reads答案：C。细节理解题。根据最后一段“.the level of success is not measured by how many peope read the book，but by how many people are enriched by the process.”可知C项正确。
