江苏省高考英语考前最后押题 阅读理解专练（含答案）(1).doc

阅读理解专项练习（一）all gardeners know this is going to happen every year, and yet many are still surprised when it does. im talking about the arrival of freezing temperatures. there will come a time when we need to protect some of our landscape plants from freezing temperatures. and since no one reliably predicts the weather, now is a good time to get ready.many calls i receive are from the gardeners who confuse frosts and freezes. while both are cold weather events, they are completely different. frosts relate to the amount of water in the air. when air temperatures drop low enough, the water in the air condenses (凝结) onto surfaces as dew(small drops of water). an example of this is a cold glass of iced tea sweating on a hot summer day.frosts typically occur when the sky is clear and the wind is calm. heat absorbed by the soil and plants during the day goes into the air at night. calm wind conditions allow surface temperatures to drop below freezing while higher elevations (高度) remain warmer.if the surface temperature and dew point are below freezing, ice crystals (结晶体) form on the cool surfaces. sometimes the air is too dry for ice crystals to form, but a frost event has still occurred. a frost can occur when the air temperature is above 32f(0c). a freeze occurs when a mass of cold air moves into the area. this weather event often happens under windy conditions with a cloud cover. a typical freeze case is very different from a frost. when the outside air temperature falls below 32f for a certain number of hours, a freeze can cause plant damage. a hard freeze occurs with temperatures below 28f for a certain number of hours.so what can a gardener do to prepare for these events? fortunately, we have lots of resources to keep us informed on the weather. tv, radio and weather websites can help us know when one is expected, though even then we can be fooled.a couple of years ago, i followed the tv forecast that called for 36f, and i didnt cover my lettuce plants. when i woke up the next morning, it was 26f outside. its a good thing most of our leafy green, cool-season vegetables can tolerate some fairly low temps. so knowing the cold is coming, here are some tips to help your landscape plants and winter vegetables bundle up.make sure your plants are well watered just before a cold weather event. as water freezes, it releases heat that protects the root system during cold snaps. plants grown in containers have the advantage of being portable. when temperatures drop toward freezing and below, an easy solution is simply moving the plants into the house or garage for a couple of days. if moving the plants inside is not an option, simply place them up against the house for some protection. west- and south-facing walls are best, as they absorb and release more heat energy from the sun.maintain 2 to 3 inches of mulch (护根) around the base of landscape plants to protect water and act as a blanket for the roots. cover in-ground plants with plastic sheets, cloth, boxes or something similar. ideally, the leaves should not touch the covering because frost and ice will form on these surfaces.whatever method you use, just be ready to put it into practice on short notice as we move further in november and another mississippi winter.1. we can infer from paragraph 1 that .a. the weather forecast is reliable b. nobody is willing to protect their plants c. the author can predict the weather correctly d. freezing weather is always a trouble for gardeners2. which of the following is true about a freeze?a. no plants can survive a freeze. b. a freeze needs a colder weather condition than a frost. c. a freeze occurs when the air is wet enough. d. dew will appear on the leaves when a freeze occurs.3. several suggestions are mentioned to protect plants from a freeze except . a. watering the plants in advance b. transplanting all plants into containers c. paying attention to the weather changes d. covering the roots of the plants with mulch 4. the passage is intended to tell gardeners in mississippi to .a. distinguish between frosts and freezesb. watch out closely for weather forecast c. be ready to protect plants from cold weatherd. take care of themselves in the coming winter（二）i didnt grow up in a very happy household. my parents saw the world as a menacing place, full of people out to cheat you. “life is a battle, and youve got to give it hell every day” was my moms rough equivalent of “god bless you” when i was leaving the house in the morning. like many americans, my parents placed a high value on material possessions. i witnessed my parents exhibit short moments of happiness via purchases and experiences related to all the stuff. but those moments were bursts of something that was not true happiness, just a moment that ran like water between the fingers.for years, i didnt understand that happiness is something you create and are responsible for. i thought that was one of those foolish ideas only highly-developed spiritual people had. with no idea how to create my own happiness, i kept looking for it in things outside myself in moments, temporary rushes, things that would take me away or make me forget, like shopping, a night of partying, much like my parents had done.not until i was a mother did i begin to examine my own beliefs about happiness and transform my own thinking. i knew i didnt want to raise my kids in the “life is a battle”. but when i asked myself the question of how i can raise happy children with an optimistic view of life, the answer i realized was connected with happy parents. and if i didnt feel consistently happy or understand the sources of my own happiness, then how could i possibly set the right example to my children and pass this on? because i lacked the right skill set and knowledge, i set out to discover new tools that i now apply to raising my kids.one of the first things i learned is you can actually choose to be happy. we have more control over happiness than we think. we need to develop habits that foster happiness. this allows us to set a higher baseline of happiness and be able to regain it quicker when life gets us down. one such habit i develop at home is a gratitude practice. happiness starts with recognizing the value and goodness in our own lives.every night, my kids and i say what we are thankful for. each one of us takes a turn as we go around the room recalling small things from our day to be thankful for, something as simple as “the fun conversation i had”, or big things like family and health. i love hearing the things they say. there is only one rule that no one can interrupt whoever is talking. and if they dont feel like participating then they dont have to, but i continue my practice to set the example. gratitude sets the foundation of happiness as you begin to see the joy in the every day. happiness stops to be an experience you seek or a thing to be gained. how many times have you thought, if i just had x, then i would be happy, like more money, a house, a better relationship? but even if you get x, then there is y and the cycle repeats itself. studies have proven more stuff doesnt make us happy, although we do need a baseline level of material comfort by way of food, clothing and shelter freedom from poverty to be happy. for many years, i didnt understand that happiness is actually there in front of you. 1. which of the following can be the best title for the passage?a. how i learned to be a happier momb. what i did with my trouble in lifec. how i put up with my noisy kidsd. what i was longing for in the past2. the underlined word “menacing” in the first paragraph probably means .a. magical b. threatening c. wonderful d. embarrassing3. compared with her parents, the author thinks childrens happiness .a. comes from the happy parents b. is influenced by the surroundingsc. comes from material possessionsd. is related to the sense of responsibility4. the purpose of the talk every night is .a. to get all the family members togetherb. to share what they have done all dayc. to help develop a good habit in lifed. to show gratitude for things in life5. we can learn from the passage that .a. money means happiness in real lifeb. happiness is determined by our attitudec. gaining more knowledge will make us happyd. raising kids is in fact a real happy thing（三）top beautiful bookstores in the worldcity lightscity lights, an independent bookstore-publisher combination specializing in world literature, the arts and progressive politics, is still one of the worlds greatest bookshops since its establishment by poet lawrence ferlinghetti. it became well-known for publishing allen ginsbergs influential poem howl and other poems. having been a gathering place for american literary icons (代表人物), like jack kerouac and allen ginsberg, this literary landmark attracts booklovers from across the country and around the world to browse, read, and just soak in the pleasant atmosphere. shakespeare &companyoriginally established in 1919 by sylvia beach, shakespeare &company is a combination of a bookstore and a reading library, specializing in english-language literature. in the 1920s, the store was a meeting point for literary icons such as ezra pound, ernest hemingway, william s. burroughs, james joyce and ford madox ford. located in the 5th arrondissement in pariss left bank, the current store was opened in 1951, named after and in honor of the earlier store that closed during world war ii. daunt booksdaunt books is an original edwardian bookshop in london. it already has five branches in the city. daunt books specializes in travel books, travel accounts, non-fiction, history and fiction. the staff are extremely knowledgeable, providing the customers with helpful advice.selexyz bookstorethe 800-year-old dominican church in maastricht has been turned into one of the most beautiful bookshops in the worldselexyz bookstore. the store keeps the character and charm of the old church. it houses the largest stock of books in english in the city. reading here is a religious experience. it is a bookshop made in heaven.1. we can learn from the text that _. a. city lights has the largest stock of books in london b. city lights was set up by allen ginsberg c. shakespeare &company is located in parisd. daunt books has five branches in the world2. in which bookstore can you get useful suggestions from the staff？a. city lights.b. daunt books.c. shakespeare &company. d. selexyz bookstore.3. what is the special feature about selexyz bookstore? a. it became well-known because of an influential poem.b. it once closed during world war ii.c. it keeps the character of the old church.d. it specializes in travel books.（四）reading award-winning literature may improve your ability to read other people, a new study suggests.researchers found that when they had volunteers read works of well-known literary awards, it seemed to temporarily improve their ability to understand other peoples emotions. the same was not true of nonfiction or “popular” fiction the mystery, romance and science-fiction books.experts said the findings suggest that literature might help people become more perceptive (有觉察力的).“reading literary fiction isnt just for passing time. its not just an escape,” said keith oatley, a professor of cognitive psychology (认知心理学) at the university of toronto. “it also enables us to better understand others, and then take that into our daily lives.”oatley was not involved in the new research, but worked on some of the first studies to suggest that reading literature can boost peoples empathy (共鸣) with others. his team has found that those who read a lot of fiction tend to show greater empathy on standard tests, but the same is not true of non-fiction fans.for the study, the researchers at the new school for social research, in new york city, set up a series of five experiments in which participants read either literary fiction, popular fiction, non-fiction or nothing at all before taking some standard tests.one test is known as “reading the mind in the eyes”. people have to look at photos of actors eyes, and then guess what emotion is being expressed in each. the test is considered a measure of empathy.“literary” fiction has no clear definition. so kidd and his colleague emanuele castano chose contemporary works that have won or been finalists for famous literary awards. they included the round house by louise erdrich, salvage the bones by jesmyn ward and the short story corrie by alice munro. “popular” fiction included best-sellers like gone girl by gillian flynn, and danielle steels the sins of the mother.whats so special about literary fiction? “for one, its usually more focused on characters than on plot,” kidd noted. but beyond that, he said, there is usually no single “authoritative narrator” who takes us through the story. it demands that the reader almost become the writer and fill in the gaps. “you really have to think about the characters,” kidd said.oatley agreed. “alice munro doesnt tell you what to think,” he said. “you, yourself, have to make deduction about characters. and thats often what were doing in our real-life conversations.”or at least thats what people could do. often, kidd said, their daily interactions with other people are more automatic, and dont involve deep consideration. reading could offer a way to “practice” your social skills and use them more in real life, according to another researcher not involved in the study.1. what may be oatleys opinion on the new study?a. it still lacks solid evidence. b. it is beneficial to ones reading.c. it is meaningful and convincing. d. it is based on his own research.2. according to the researchers, which of the following cannot help you understand others emotions?a. salvage the bones.b. the round house. c. corrie.d. gone girl.3. reading literary fiction helps understand others better probably because .a. reading can help us control our emotions b. the writers are good at making conversationc. the characters in the fiction have good social skills d. reading involves deep understanding of the characters 4. which of the following can be the best title for the passage?a. different kinds of fiction b. reading literature for func. reading is more than entertainment d. literature lovers read people better （五）it was this time three years ago that i found myself, just like you, anxiously waiting for “that day” to arrive so i could get my a-level results and enter exeter university. however, when the day came i missed my grades and didnt get a place. back then i had thought that i was going to go to exeter university or i wasnt going to attend university at all. seeing my results meant this had to change. or have a year out and reapply later? but that wasnt what i did. i ended up going to the university of greenwich to study for an itmb degree and im so glad i did. that is why i want to share my story with anyone else who may find themselves in a similar position.when i found out i hadnt got in, i was disappointed. my as levels were fantastic so i knew id messed up on the final exams. i immediately had to think what was next and what were my options? i turned to friends for advice on other possible universities and routes. the more i thought about it, the more i knew that i wanted to do the course, the it management for business bsc degree (itmb), because it was developed by employers and offered such great link-ups with them throughout the three-year course. so i decided to call the itmb course director at exeter university. i had met him twice at open days and id asked for his business card and he said i was welcome to give him a call if i wanted to talk about anything so i did.he explained that he was actually starting a new post at the university of greenwich and that he would take my ucas application with him to talk to the department at greenwich. within 24 hours, he called to say he had spoken with the director and that he would like me to join greenwich in september. i couldnt believe it it had all happened so fast and here i was having gone from no university place to an offer in the space of a few days.if you miss your grades, remember to be open-minded and stay positive. i had not considered greenwich university despite the fact that they offered the itmb course that i wanted to study and i have had the most amazing three years. in life, you have to take the opportunities and challenges that life throws at you and turn them into positives. i had a summer internship (实习期) every summer while studying and i am about to start as a technical consultant for hp (hewlett-packard) a great graduate job for a fantastic company. these achievements are no mean feat in this day and age when many graduates find themselves struggling to find work.so, if it feels like the whole world is breaking around you, take some time to work out your next steps; talk to friends, family, school, college and any contacts that you may have made during the application process. be open to their suggestions and advice. while it might feel like everythings going wrong, the changes to your plans could turn out, like my experience, which really means that everything would go right.1. what is the authors purpose in writing the passage?a. to share his experience of choosing a course.b. to show how he was admitted to an ideal university.c. to prove going to university is not the only option.d. to encourage those who fail to attend their ideal universities.2. the author failed to enter exeter university because .a. he d