2021-2023年北京高中合格考英语试卷汇编：阅读理解含答案

2021-2023北京高中合格考英语汇编

阅读选择

一、阅读理解

（2023•北京•高二统考学业考试）Thebodygivesoffmanygases.Althoughsomesmellsmaysignalaneedto

batheorthatyouateacertainmeal,othergasesmightpointtoseriousdisease.Now,researchershavecomeupwith

asystemthatusesearmuffstocatchthedisease-signalinggases.Doctorscouldgettheinformationaspatientswear

asetofearmuffs.Resultscouldbereadywithinminutes.

“Theearisagoodplacetomonitor,explainsJohnson,abiomedicalengineer.Theear'sskinisfairlythin,he

notes.Sogasesdon'thavetotravelfartogetoutofthebloodandescapethroughskinpores.

Tocollectthegases,Johnsonandhisteamselectedearmuffsthatmakeatightsealwiththehead.Thesearethe

typepeopleoftenweartoprotecttheearsfromloudnoise.Histeammadetwoholesinthemuffcoveringoneear.A

tubeslowlypumpedairinonehole.Anothertubepulledairoutofthesecondholeandsentittoasensor.

Intheirtests,theteamfoundthattheycouldmeasurechangesintheamountofalcoholcomingfromtheskinof

theear.ItcouldworkmuchlikeaBreathalyzerthatpoliceusetotestpeoplefordrivingdrunk.Theteaminvitedthree

men.Eachhadtoavoiddrinkingalcoholforatleastthreedaysbeforetakingpart.Onceinthelab,thesemenwore

theearmuffsandsatfor10minutesasthesystemrecordednormalgaslevelsleavingtheirears.Afterward,themen

drankabigamountofalcohol.About7minuteslater,theearmuffsystemtestedoutariseinalcoholleavingtheskin.

After50minutes,alcohollevelsreachedthepeakandcontinuedfallinguntilthetestwasover.

Theteamthenmeasuredothergasesbychangingoutthesensor.Withtherightsensor,theirearmuffsystem

couldtestoutdisease.Later,theyreplacedtheearmuffswithaone-earedversiontomakeitabitmorecomfortable.

Johnsonimaginesanotherpossiblebenefit.Theearmuffsystemcouldhelpdoctorstellwhetherachild'sear

infectionshavebeencausedbybacteriaoravirus.How?Eachtypeofinfectionexudesdifferentgases.That,inturn,

couldguidehowdoctorscurethedisease.

1.Whatmakestheearagoodplacetomonitor?

A.Itssmallsize.B.Itsthinskin.

C.Itscleansurface.D.Itsbloodflow.

2.WhatdidJohnsonandhisteamfindintheirtests?

A.Sensorsshouldbeexaminedintime.B.Drunk-drivingtestswereineffective.

C.Seriousdiseasesweredifficulttoidentify.D.Theirsystemcouldbeusedtotelldiseases.

3.Whatdoestheunderlinedword"exudes“inParagraph6mostprobablymean?

A.Collects.B.Givesoff.C.Cutsoff.D.Uses.

4.Inwhichsectionofamagazineisthispassagemostlikelytoappear?

A.Politics.B.Business.C.Science.D.Entertainment.

（2023•北京•高二统考学业考试）Forthousandsofyears,peoplehavetrainedandstudiedhomingpigeons.

Thesebirdsadoptahomingspotbythetimetheyaresixweeksold.Whenreleasedfromunfamiliarplaces,theyhave

theunbelievableabilitytoreturntotheirhome.

Onitsjourneyhome:apigeoncanflyover500milesinasingleday.Inonestudy,somehomingpigeonswere

releasedfromAfricaandflewover7,000milestoarrivesafelyattheirhomeinEngland.Throughouttheirjourney

whichtook55days,theyflewasurprisinglystraightpathhome.

Homingpigeonshaveservedpeopleinmanywaysthroughouttheyears.Hospitalsusedpigeonstodeliver

medicine.InWorldWarI,pilotsbroughtthepigeonsalongastheyflewmissions.Iftheirplanewasdisabled,the

pilotwouldreleasethepigeonwithamessagestatinghislocationandcallingforhelp.Today,thereareover4million

trainedhomingpigeonsaroundtheworld.

Werecognizethehomingpigeons'amazingabilitytonavigate,butscientistsarestillpuzzledastohowthese

birdscanreturnhomeaccurately.Manyscientistsdiscoveredthatthebumpsonahomingpigeon'sbeakcontainiron

particleswhicharepointingtotheNorthPolemuchlikeaman-madecompass.

Scientistsarrangedanexperimenttotestthetheorythatbirdsusetheseironparticlestonavigate.Theyplaced

magnets,whichwouldinfluencethemagneticfield,onthebackofpigeons.Theyfoundthatthispreventedsome

pigeons5abilityfromflyinghome.However,manyofthesebirdsstillnavigatedeffectively.Thisindicatedthatthe

magneticfieldisnottheonlyfactorinvolvedinthehomingpigeon'sabilitytonavigate.

Sincethen,scientistshavefoundthatpigeonscansensesoundsthathumanscannothear,andthat“soundfields^^

mayalsohelpthemnavigate.Atheorythatbirdshaveahighlydevelopedsenseofsmellthattheyusetonavigateis

alsobeingtested.Atthistime,scientistsbelievethathomingpigeonsmostlikelyuseamixtureofsystemstofind

theirwayhome.

5.Whenarehomingpigeonsabletonavigatetoahomingspot?

A.Afteralong-distanceflight.B.Sincetheirbirth.

C.Whenthey'resixweeksold.D.Whenthey9rewell-trained.

6.HowdidthehomingpigeonhelppeopleinWorldWarI?

A.Bymisleadingtheenemy.B.Bysendingmessages.

C.Bydeliveringmedicine.D.ByactingasaGPS.

7.Whatisthefunctionofthebumpsonthehomingpigeon'sbeak?

A.Findingtheway.B.Keepingbalance.C.Noticingsmells.D.Sensingsounds.

8.Whatdothelasttwoparagraphsmainlytalkabout?

A.Practicalusesofthehomingpigeon.B.Trainingtechniquesforthehomingpigeon.

C.Thephysicalstructureofthehomingpigeon.D.Thenavigationsystemsofthehomingpigeon.

(2023・)匕京•高二统考学业考试)In2009inasmalltown,ToddBolcameupwithanideatosharehismother's

loveofreadingwithothers.Bol'smotherhadbeenateacherwhohadlovedreading.Hedecidedtobuildawooden

boxandfillitwithbooks.Bolplacedtheboxofbooksonapostinhisfrontyardwithasignthatread“FreeBooks”.

Soonhisneighboursnoticedthistinymodelofa“schoolhouse”.Theybegantakingthebooksandreplacingthem

withbooksoftheirown.Thetinylibraryallowedpeopletheopportunityto“checkout“booksdayornight.

Bol'sfriendsandneighbourswantedlittlelibrariesoftheirown.Bolbuiltseveralandgavethemaway.Oneof

hisfriends,Rick,believedthatBol'slittlelibrariescouldbenefitmorethanjustlocalfriendsandneighbours.With

theseideasinmind,BolandRickcameupwithaplantobuildover2,500LittleFreeLibrariesaroundtheworld.

Theybelievedthatbooksshouldbeavailabletoallpeople,nomatterwheretheyliveorwhattheirbackgroundis.To

helpachievetheirgoal,BolandRickcreatedawebsitethatprovidesinformationabouttheLittleFreeLibrariesand

howpeoplecanestablishlittlelibrariesoftheirown.

ThankstoBolandRick,theLittleFreeLibrariesareencouragingpeopletoreadmore.Theydidn?tjustprovide

books.Theyalsohelpedbuildfriendshipsandasenseofbelongingamongcommunitymembers.Asmoreandmore

peoplevisitedBol'slittlelibrary,theybegantalkingwithoneanother.Theysharedthoughts,ideas,andstories.They

gottoknowoneanother.Everyonelovedthelittlelibrary.Afterall,asBolsays,"It'samagicboxwithbooks.People

tellusallthetimethatthey'vemetmorepeopleinaweekthantheyhaveinalifetime.^^

Todaytherearemorethan25,000LittleFreeLibrariesaroundtheworld,andtheycanbefoundonalmostevery

continent.

9.FromwhomdidToddBolgettheideaofLittleFreeLibraries?

A.Hismother.B.Histeacher.C.Hisneighbours.D.Hisfriends.

10.BolandRickcreatedawebsitemainlyto.

A.makemoremoneyB.establishonlinelibraries

C.replacepaperbookswithe-booksD.provideinformationandguidance

11.WhathavetheLittleFreeLibrariesbroughttothecommunity?

A.Newbuildings.B.Morevisitors.

C.Friendlyrelationships.D.Greenenvironment.

12.Whatcanwelearnfromthestory?

A.Wellbegun,halfdone.B.Don'tjudgeabookbyitscover.

C.Afriendinneedisafriendindeed.D.Littlepeoplecanmakeabigdifference.

（2023U匕京•高二统考学业考试）Alotofusspendmostofourworkingdaysittingatthecomputerwithout

movingatall.So,howdoestheworldkeepfit?Lefshavealookatsomeofthelatestexercisesfromaroundthe

world.

Towerrunningisasportyoucandointhetallbuildingsofalmostanybigcity.Allyouneedtodoisstartatthe

bottomofanofficetowerandrunupallthestairsuntilyougettothetop.Now,towerrunninghasbecomepopular

withimportantracestakingplaceinsomeoftheworld'stallesttowers,HketheChinaWorldTradeCentreinBeijing.

PiloxingstartedintheUSA.Thesportisamixbetweenboxing,pilates（普拉提）anddance.Piloxingusesthe

powerandspeedofboxing,whilebuildingyourmusclesandstrengthwithpilates.Allofthishappenstonon-stop

loudmusic,andyoulearnsomegreatdancemovestoo.

Paddleboardingontheoceanmightlookeasy,butitisatoughsport.Youneedtobestrongtokeepyourbalance.

ThesportwasadaptedfromsurfingandithaditsrootsinPolynesiawherepeopleusedpaddlingforbothworkand

play-fromtransporttocatchingwaves.

Trapezemayremindyouofthecircusact-peoplefly,danceandmovefromsidetosidethroughtheair.Jules

Leotarddevelopedtheartoftrapezeinthemid-nineteenthcenturyinFrance.Toperformtrapeze,peoplemustdevelop

upper-bodystrengthtoturnandfly.

Areyouready?Evenashortamountofexerciseeverydaycanhelpustofeelhappierandmorerelaxed.

13.Whichexercisemustbedoneintallbuildings?

A.Towerrunning.B.Piloxing.C.Paddleboarding.D.Trapeze.

14.Wheredoespaddleboardingcomefrom?

A.China.B.TheUSA.C.Polynesia.D.France.

15.Todotrapezewell,peoplemusthave」

A.strongupper-bodystrengthB.powerandspeedofboxing

C・betterrunningabilityD.goodswimmingskills

16.Whatdoesthispassagecallonpeopletodo?

A.Loseweight.B.Getmoving.C.Keepworking.D.Travelaround.

（2022•北京•高三统考学业考试）HarvestCelebrations

Peoplearoundtheworldpick,orharvestfoodthatgrows.Thentheyhaveaholiday.Let'sreadaboutsome

harvestcelebrations!

Chanthaburi,atowninThailand,isfamousforits

thepeopleofMendoza,Argentina,harvesttheirgrapes.

tastyfruit.Peoplecelebratethefruitatharvesttime

Thentheycelebrateforamonth!Thereareparades（游

inMay.TheFruitFairbeginswithaparadeoffloats

行），shows,andfireworks.TheyalwayschooseaHarvest

（游彳亍彩车）madefromthousandsoffruitsand

Queen,too.

vegetables.

FishingFestivalbeganin1934inNigeria,acountryin

Africa.It*safour-dayfestivalheldattheendofFebruary

tocelebratetheendofallfarmingactivities.OnthelastfamousMentonLemonFestivalstartsinFebruary.

daythere*safishingcontest.PeoplehaveonehourtocatchTherearebigparadeswithfloatsdecoratedwith

thelargestfish.Butit'snotthateasy.Theycanonlyuselemonsandoranges.Morethan200,000peoplefrom

traditionalfishingtools.ButmanyuseonlytheirhandstoaroundtheworldcometoMentonforthisfestival.

catchthefish.

17.WhichofthefollowingiscelebratedinMay?

A.TheHarvestFestivalinMendoza.B.TheHarvestFestivalinChanthaburi.

C.TheArgunguFishingFestival.D.TheMentonLemonFestival.

18.TheArgunguFishingFestivalstartedin.

A.ArgentinaB.ThailandC.NigeriaD.France

19.WhatcanbeseenintheMentonLemonFestival?

A.Thebigparades.B.TheFruitFair.

C.Afishingcontest.D.AHarvestQueen.

20.Inwhichsectionofanewspapermayreadersfindthispassage?

A.Sport.B.Business.C.Science.D.Culture.

（2022・北京•高三统考学业考试）ThePrintingPress

Whatdoyouthinkisthemostimportantinventioninthelast1,000years?ItisthelightbulbortheInternet?

Manypeoplesaythatitistheprintingpress,amachinethatallowsustoprintcopiesorbooksanddocuments.But

whyistheprintingpresssoimportant?

Beforetheprintingpress,bookswerecopiedbyhand.AncientRomanbookpublishersometimessoldasmany

as5,000copiesofabookthathadbeencopiedbyslaves.Butcopyingabooktooksomuchtimeandwassoexpensive

thatoftenonlyafewcopiesofeachbookweremade.Asaresult,usuallyonlyasmallpercentageofthepopulation

learnedtoreadandownedbooks.

In1450,agoldsmithnamedJohannesGutenberginGermanyinventedthemodernprintingpress.Theimpact

ofhismachineissometimescomparedtotheinventionoftheInternet.AlthoughancientChinesepeopleinvented

paperin105ADandusedwoodblockprintingbefore200AD,Gutenberg'sprintingpresswaseasytousewith

languagesthathadalphabeticscripts.After1450,thousandsofcopiesofapopularbookornewspapercouldbemade

quicklyandcheaply.Booksandnewspaperswithideasandimagesfromallovertheworldwentintothemarketfor

thewidepublic.

Knowledgeispower.Readinghasbroughtaboutamazingchangesinscience,technologyandpolitics.Wehave

learnedhowtocreatewealthandeventraveltofar-awayworlds.Thecomputer,cellphone,andInternethavegrown,

becausebillionsofpowerfulreaderswerecreatedbytheprintingpress.

From1450on,moreandmorepeoplehavebecomereaders.Thesebillionsofreadersarepowerful,andthey

helptheworldtomakeprogressatafastspeed.

21.Whatisaprintingpress?

A.AbookB.Amachine.C.Amaterial.D.Anewspaper.

22.NotmanypeoplereadinancientRomebecausetheyhad.

A.fewbookstoreadB.littletimetoreadC.nomoneyforbooksD.nointerestinbooks

23.ThemodernprintingpressissometimescomparedtotheInternetduetoits.

A.lowcostB.commonuseC.greatinfluenceD.rapiddevelopment

24.Whatismainlydiscussedabouttheprintingpressinthelasttwoparagraphs?

A.Theprogress.B.Thefuture.C.Thecontribution.D.Thefunction.

（2022・北京•高三统考学业考试）WhyDoMockingbirdsCopy?

MockingbirdsliveinNorthandSouthAmerica.Theyaregoodcopycats.Theyimitateotherbirds.Buttheycan

alsoimitateotheranimals.Theycanevenmakesoundslikeapianoorcaralarm.Mockingbirdslearntosingmany

songs.Somelearnmorethan200differentsongs.Theycanoftentrickpeople!Butmockingbirdscan'ttrickother

birds.Iftheycan'ttrickotherbirds,whydotheycopysounds?Theydoittoattractandavoidotherbirds!

Malesareloudsingers,andtheysingmanysongs.Theyalwayssingwhentheywanttomeetfemales.Amale

birdcansingmostofthedayandnight.Thesingingattractsfemales.Butitalsokeepsawayothermales.Thelonger

amockingbirdlives,themoresongsitknows.Toshowthischaracteristic,themalemockingbirdsingsallthesongs

itknows.Afemalemockingbirdisattractedtoamalewhohaslivedalongtime.

Mockingbirdsusuallysingshortsongs.Theysingeachsoundseveraltimes.Thentheymovetothenextsound.

Femalemockingbirdssingsoftlyandlessoftenthanmales.Theyusuallysingattheirnestsinthewintertokeepaway

otherbirds.Whenanotherbirdcomesnear,themockingbirdmakesaloudnoisetofrightenit.It*samazingthatthe

mockingbirdcancopysomanysongsofotherbirds.Somesongsarenoteasytolearn.Themockingbirdmustlisten

welltoimitatethesounds.Butamockingbirdalsohasgoodeyesandagoodmemory.Whenapersoncomesnearits

nest,themockingbirdremembersthatperson.Itknowsthatperson'sfaceaftermanyyears!

25.Mockingbirdsarespecialbecausetheycan.

A.createsongsB.copysoundsC.rememberotherbirdsD.understandhuman*swords

26.Amalemockingbirdattractsthefemalebyits_.

A.sizeB.eyesightC.memoryD.voice

27.Femalemockingbirdssingattheirnestsinthewinterto.

A.scareotherbirdsB.practisethesongsC.warnhumanbeingsD.attractmalebirds

28.Whatisthepurposeofthispassage?

A.Torecommendacourseonbirdlife.B.Tocallonpeopletoprotectbirds.

C.Togiveadviceonfeedingbirds.D.Tointroduceaninterestingbird.

（2022U匕京•高三统考学业考试）Visitamedium-orlarge-sizedcompanythesedays,andyou'relikelytofind

thestaffmemberssharingalarge,openspace.Insteadofhavingpersonalofficeswithdoorsandwalls,mostworkers

sitincubicles（隔间）thatarehalfopen.Wheneverworkerstalkonthephone,othermembersofstaffnearbycan't

simplyshuttheirdoors.Infact,sometimestheycan'thelpbutoverheareverythingthafssaid.Attimes,thebestway

tofocusinthistypeofofficeistoreachforone'sheadphonesandlistentomusic.

Theopenofficeideaisnotnew;itwascreatedbyateamofconsultantsfromHamburg,Germany,inthe1950s.

Calledtheofficelandscape（景观）plan,theideawascreatedwithagoodattempt-toimprovecommunicationand

theexchangeofideas.Thedesignalsoencouragedmanagersandtheirteamstoworkneareachother,makingiteasier

formanagerstoguideprojects.Now,theopenofficeideaisoftenusedasanexcuseforcompaniestosavemoneyon

buildingcosts,payingnoattentiontotheeffectonworkingperformance.

Manystart-upshaveagreatinterestintheopenofficeidea.TakeChartbeatforexample.Thecompany's50-plus

staffmembersgettochoosetheirdeskandchairstyles,andeveryonesharesanopenspacewiththeCEOsittingin

themiddle.Theofficespacehasbothsingleworkstationsandinformalmeetingareaswhereworkerscanrelax

themselvesonsofas.Whilethisdesignmaybeperfectforworkersinstart-ups,itmaynotbeconvenientforworkers

whohaveagreatneedofpersonalspace.

In2011MatthewDavis,anorganizationalpsychologist（心理学家）,reviewedoverahundredstudiesregarding

officeenvironments.Hefoundthat,tostaffinopenoffices,itwashardertostayfocusedandmorelikelytosuffer

higherstresslevelsthanthoseworkingintraditionaloffices.What*sworse,astudyinDenmarkfoundthatworkers

inopenofficestookmoresickdaysthanthoseworkingintraditionaloffices.

Eventhoughopenofficeplanspresenthiddenproblemsintermsofworkerhealthandpersonalneeds,businesses

probablywon'treturntotraditionaloffices.Modemofficeworkerstendtoneedbothtimestofocusandtimesto

worktogetherwithothers.Sodesigningofficesthataccountforbothneedsmaybethebestwayforward.

29.Whatismainlydiscussedabouttheopenofficeinparagraph1?

A.Thebenefit.B.Theproblem.C.Thehistory.D.Themanagement.

30.Whatwastheoriginalpurposeoftheofficelandscapeplan?

A.Tosavespace.B.Toreducecost.

C.Toimproveworkingconditions.D.Toencouragecommunication.

31.AccordingtoMatthewDavis,staffinopenofficesare.

A.lessstressedB.moreenergeticC.lessconcentratedD.morehardworking

32.Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“accountfbr“inthelastparagraphprobablymean?

A.Include.B.Record.C.Beapartof.D.Beacauseof.

（2021・北京•高中统考学业考试）

SmartLearners>CourseFindacourseQ

WelcometoSmartLearners

SmartLearnersprovidestheworld'sbestonlinecourses.Thesecourseswillhelpyoudevelopyourlearning

skills.Findoutwhatyouareinterestedinandclicktosignup.

Writingforyourcourse+SigninHowtobeatimemanager+Signin

■■BKni

Thiscoursewillensureyourimprovementinwriting.Thiscourseisdesignedtohelpyouschedulestudy

Youwilllearntodevelopaclearstructureandwritewithactivitiesinyourdailylife.Youwilllearntomakea

properlanguageandgrammar.Attheendofthecourse,balancebetweenstudytimeandpersonaltime.You

youwillproducegreatwrittenworks.willcreateaneffectivestudyplanasaproduct.

OOType:Cost:OOType:售、Cost:

qJFree

OOOnlineanytimeFreeOOOnlineanytime

f!qTime:

f]Time:==z

oDot:r:；4UizJ6hoursOODNOrequirementll4hours

Abetterreader|+SigninWhichpositionforI~+Signin

ThiscoursehelpswithstrategiesforreadingandThisonlinejob-huntingguidetoolisdesignedto

summarizinginformation.Youwillreadprofessionalsupportpeopletobuildself-awareness.A20-minute

material,takenotesandsumupmainideas.Whileonlinequestionnaire（问卷）willhelpyouknow

writingyourtextsummaries,youareonthewaytobeamoreaboutyourself.Youwillknowwhatyoucould

betterreader.dointhefuturebyexploringhundredsofjobs.

OOType:（^\Cost:OOType:

OOOnlineanytimeFreeOOOnlineanytime_________

p1|Time:f*Time:

:=:oDONorequirement

oDo2ll4hours30mins回2hours

33.Howlongwillittaketocompletethewritingcourse?

A.2hours.B.4hours.C.4.5hours.D.6hours.

34.Ifyouattend"Howtobeatimemanager”,youwillproduce.

A.astudyplanB.writtenworksC.textsummariesD.aquestionnaire

35.Whichcoursecanhelpyouunderstandyourselfbetter?

A.Writingforyourcourse.B.Howtobeatimemanager.

C.Abetterreader.D.Whichpositionforme.

36.Whereisthepassageprobablyfrom?

A.Asciencereport.B.Awebsite.

C.Astorybook.D.Amenu.

（2021・北京•高中统考学业考试）RedwoodGiants

Fromaseedthatissmallerthanapea（豌豆）growsthetallestoftrees.Thecoastredwoodisthelargestgiant

amongNorthAmerica'strees.

Redwoodsaremostspecialfortworeasons.Thefirstistheirsize.Imaginestandingnexttoatreethatisthe

heightofa30-storybuilding.Thesecondistheirage.Redwoodscommonlymakeitto600yearsorso.Ithasbeen

foundthatsometreesaremorethan2000yearsold.

Tofindacoastredwood,youhavetogotoOregonorCalifornia.Acoastlineabout450mileslongandupto

35mileswideishometotheredwoods.Coastredwoodsdonotgrowanywhereelseintheworld,

becausethecoastofthePacificOceanprovidesaspecialenvironmentfortheredwoods.Cool,

moist（湿润的）aircomesofftheoceanandkeepsthetreesmoistallyearround,whichis

importantbecausealmostallofthearea'srainfallsbetweenOctoberandMay.Duringthedry

summermonths,thetreesdependonmoisturefromthethickfogthatoftenhangsoverthecoast.

Redwoodshavetheirownprotectionsystems.Mostofredwoods9branchesandleavesare

highuponthetree.Thiskeepsthemsafefromforestfires.Also,thebark（树皮）ofaredwoodis

asmuchas12inchesthick.Thethickcoveringprotectsthelowerpartofthetreefromfire

damage.Besides,redwoodsaresafefrominsectdamagebecausethewoodcontainsabitter­

tasting（苦味的）chemicalcalledtannin.

Ifyouevergetachance,visitaredwoodforest,andimaginewhomightcampthereaaredwood

thousandyearsago.Lookupwardandjustimaginehowhighthetreesmightgrowifweprotectthem.

37.Whatareredwoodsmostspecialfor?

A.Theirsizeandage.B.Theirseeds.

C.Theirbranchesandleaves.D.Theirroots.

38.WhatmakesthePacificOceancoastlinetheonlyhomeforredwoods?

A.Thecleanenvironment.B.Theheavyrain.

C.Theall-yearmoistair.D.Thedrysummer.

39.Whatprotectsredwoodsfrominsects?

A.Thebitter-tastingchemical.B.Thethickfog.

C.Thetoughbark.D.Theforestfire.

40.Whatisthepurposeofthepassage?

A.Todescribeacoastline.B.Tointroduceaspecialtree.

C.Todiscussfiredamage.D.Toshareacampingexperience.

（2021.北京.高中统考学业考试）

Chocolate-there'snothingquitelikeit,isthere?Chocolateissimplydelicious.Whatischocolate?Where

doesitcomefrom?

Thehistoryofchocolategoesbacktothediscoveryofcacaobeans（可可豆）.About4000yearsago,the

Americansmadecacaobeansintoadrinkandtheytookitasagiftfromnature.

In1519,theSpanishexplorerHernandoCortexvisitedMexicoinAmerica.Hesawpeopledrankcacaomixed

withspices（香料）.CortextooksomecacaohomeasagifttotheSpanishKingCharles.Sincethen,peopleinSpain

begantodrinkcacao.However,thenaturaltasteofcacaowastoobitterformostpeople.Tosweetenit,Spanish

addedsugarandhoneytoit.Asasweetdrink,itbecamepopularinEurope.Bythe17thcentury,richpeoplein

Europebegandrinkingcacaodrinkasafashion.

In1828,aDutchchemist,ConradJ.vanHoutenstartedusinganewprocesstoremovethefatfromcacaobeans.

Hemadeamachinethatpressedthefatfromthebeans.Theresultingpowder（粉末）mixedbetterwithwaterthan

cacaodid.PeoplecalledvanHouten'scacaopowder"Dutchchocolate”-itisthebeginningofmodernchocolate.

Afterthat,chocolatemakersstartedtryingnewrecipes（酉己方）withDutchchocolate.Firstitwasmixedwith

sugar.Thenbutterwasaddedtothesweetenedchocolatetomakechocolatebars.In1849,anEnglishchocolate

makersuccessfullymadethefirstchocolatebar.Inthe19thcentury,theSwissstartedmakingmilkchocolateby

mixingpowderedmilk.Milkchocolatehasnotchangedmuchsincethisprocesswasinve