2013高考英语阅读理解备考题库（含详解）（一）
来源：高中英语教学交流
发布时间：2013-03-11 17:42:00
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内容提要：2013高考英语阅读理解备考题库（含详解）（一）
When Steve Maxwell graduated from college, he had an engineering degree and a hightech job — but he couldn’t balance his checkbook. “I took one finance class in college but dropped it to go on a ski trip，” says the 45yearold father of three, who lives in Windsor, Colorado. “I actually had to go to my bank and ask them to teach me how to read my statement.”
One of the biggest obstacles to making money is not understanding it: Thousands of us avoid investing because we just don’t get it. But to make money, you must be financially literate. “It bothered me that I didn’t understand this stuff，” says Steve, “so I read books and magazines about money management and investing, and I asked every financial whiz (能手) I knew to explain things to me.”
He and his wife started applying the lessons: They made a point to live below their means. They never bought on impulse, always negotiated better deals (on their cars，cable bills, furniture) and stayed in their home long after they went for an expensive vacation. They also put 20 percent of their annual salary into investments.
Within ten years, they were millionaires, and people were coming to Steve for advice. “Someone would say, ‘I need to refinance my house — what should I do? ‘A lot of times，I wouldn’t know the answer, but I’d go to find it and learn something in the process，” he says.
In 2003, Steve quit his job to become part owner of a company that holds personal finance seminars (研讨会) for employees of corporations like WalMart. He also started going to real estate investment seminars, and it’s paid off: He now owns $ 30 million worth of investment properties, including apartment complexes, a shopping mall and a quarry.
“I was an engineer who never thought this life was possible, but all it truly takes is a little selfeducation，” says Steve. “You can do anything once you understand the basics.”
[语篇解读] 经过不断的学习，史蒂夫从不懂理财的工程师发展成为善于理财的百万富翁。
1. When Steve Maxwell graduated from college, he________.
A. couldn’t balance his work and life
B. made up his mind to become a millionaire
C. didn’t know how to manage his money
D. often went to banks to borrow money
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第一段的he couldn’t balance his checkbook和I actually had to go to my bank and ask them to teach me how to read my statement可知，Steve Maxwell 刚毕业后不懂得如何理财。
[答案] C
2. The underlined part “live below their means” (in Paragraph 3) probably means “________”．
A. take effective measures
B. live a miserable life
C. spend more money than they had
D. spend less money than they had
[解析] 词义猜测题。根据下文“他们从来不冲动地买东西，买东西时尽量获得低价，减少外出度假计划”等线索可以推断出，史蒂夫一家在尽量减少开支。
[答案] D
3. Since Steve Maxwell became a millionaire, he________.
A. has been unwilling to help others
B. hasn’t stopped learning from practice
C. has been willing to follow others’ advice
D. has stopped to invest in houses
[解析] 推理判断题。根据第四段的A lot of times，I wouldn’t know the answer，but I’d go find it and learn something in the process可以看出，史蒂夫总是在教别人理财的过程中学到一些东西。
[答案] B
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A selfmade engineer
B. How to balance your checkbook
C. Don’t avoid investing
D. Educate yourself to become a millionaire
[解析] 标题归纳题。史蒂夫从开始的根本不懂理财到最后成为百万富翁，靠的是不断的学习——向别人讨教，从书本上学习，D项点出了他成功的秘诀。文章最后一段的selfeducation是关键词。
[答案] D
5. It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A. selfeducation is very important to one’s life
B. everyone should learn how to invest in their life
C. Steve Maxwell was quite interested in finance classes in college
D. Steve became rich because he saved every penny he had earned
[解析] 细节推断题。根据文章的最后一段可知，自主学习对每一个人的人生有重大的影响，故可知选A。文中提到了Steve投资赚钱韵事情，但是无法推断出每个人都要学习如何投资；根据文章首段可知Steve为了滑雪旅行放弃了财经课，可判断C不对；D项与原文不符合。
[答案] A
Mankind is still evolving(进化), according to a recent study by a team of scientists led by a Yale University evolutionary biologist. But research suggests that the natural selection process is no longer driven by survival, perhaps because of differences in women’s fertility(能生育性)．
The team examined 2,238 women in Framingham, Massachusetts, the US and studied the medical histories of some 14,000 residents since 1948.
They found that strong，slightly fat women tend to have more children. And if this trend were to continue for the next 10 generations, by 2409 the average woman would be 2 cm shorter,1 kg heavier, and have a healthier heart.
That rate of evolution is pretty similar to what we see in plants and animals. Humans_don’_t_seem_to_be_any_exception,_the team said.
Other recent genetic research backs up that belief. One study by John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, found that some 1,800 human gene variations (变异) are common in recent generations because of evolution. Among the changes are mutations (突变) that allow people to digest milk or resist malaria(疟疾) and others that govern brain development.
Since the Industrial Revolution, modern humans have grown taller and stronger. It’ s easy to assume that evolution is making humans fitter. But according to anthropologist Peter McAllister, the contemporary male has evolved physically into “the sorriest example of male ever on the planet”. An average Neanderthal woman, McAllister notes, could have beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in an armwrestling (腕力) match. And early Australian Aborigines could easily defeat Usain Bolt in a 100m dash.
However, Douglas Ewbank, of the University of Pennsylvania, says that cultural factors tend to have a much greater impact than natural selection on future generations, so people tend to ignore evolution’ s effects.
And, despite evidence indicating evolution still works, Steve Jones, an evolutionary biologist at University College London, thinks that the impact of evolution on humans is not the most important. “What makes humans what we are is in our minds, in our society, and not in our evolution，” said Jones.
[语篇解读] 科学家们发现人类还在不断地进化，但是他们认为自然选择对人类进化的影响已经没那么大了。
1．What does the underlined sentence “Humans don’ t seem to be any exception” imply?
A. Plants and animals are evolving faster than humans.
B. Evolution doesn’t work in humans any longer.
C. The rate of evolution in plants and animals also applies to humans.
D. Humans are unique in their evolution.
[解析] 推理判断题。根据第四段内容可知，人类的进化速度和动植物的很相似，人类并不例外，由此可判断动植物的进化速度也适用于人类。
[答案] C
2．Why is the recent genetic research quoted in the fifth paragraph?
A. To support the belief that mankind is still evolving.
B. To show human gene variations are common in recent generations.
C. To prove modern humans have grown fitter.
D. To suggest that the natural selection process is no longer driven by survival.
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第五段中的Other recent genetic research backs up that belief可知最近的其他基因研究也支持“人类还在进化”这一观点，和文章开头的主题句照应。
[答案] A
3．According to the passage, we can infer that Arnold Schwarzenegger ________.
A. used to be a famous actor
B. is an American governor
C. is very weak
D. is very strong
[解析] 推理判断题。第六段中举施瓦辛格的例子是为了证明在人类越来越健壮的进化中，男性成为最令人遗憾的例子。由对施瓦辛格的了解和文段内容可判断阿诺德•施瓦辛格很强壮，力气很大。
[答案] D
4．According to Douglas Ewbank, which of the following factors plays a greater part in the future generations?
A. Culture. B. Evolution.
C. Natural selection. D. Genetic mutations.
[解析] 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段内容可知，在未来的后代中，起更大作用的是文化因素。
[答案] A
5．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Mankind is still evolving.
B. Women will get fatter.
C. The history of human evolution.
D. Future women tend to have more children.
[解析] 主旨大意题。本文第一句就是主题句，后面都是围绕着“人类还在不断地进化”这一观点进行论述的。
[答案] A
[长难句解读] 1.Among the changes are mutations(突变)that allow people to digest milk or resist malaria(疟疾) and others that govern brain development.
本句主语很长，为了句子结构的平衡进行了倒装。主句的主语是mutations and others，定语从句that allow people to digest milk or resist malaria修饰mutations，定语从句that govern brain development修饰others。
2．And, despite evidence indicating evolution still works, Steve Jones, an evolutionary biologist at University College London, thinks that the impact of evolution on humans is not the most important.
本句的主语是Steve Jones, an evolutionary biologist at University College London是Steve Jones的同位语，that引导一个宾语从句。despite evidence为介词短语作状语，后面的非谓语动词短语作evidence的后置定语。
THURSDAY, July 9 ( HealthDay News) — A new study that found that a lowercalorie diet slowed the aging process in monkeys could be the best proof yet that restricted diets might do the same for humans.
“The big question in aging research is, ‘Will caloric restriction in species closely related to humans slow aging？’” said Richard Weindruch, senior author of a paper appearing in the July 10 issue of Science.This is the first clear demonstration that, in a primate species, we’ re inducing a slowdown of the aging process — showing increased survival, resistance to disease, less brain atrophy and less muscle loss.
“This predicts humans would respond similarly，” added Weindruch, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin and an investigator at the Veterans Hospital in Madison. Another expert noted that, despite some highly publicized studies in certain species, the link between restricted eating and longer lifespan has been far from proven.
“The idea that dietary restriction extends lifespan in all species is not true. Many strains of rats and mice do not respond. In some strains, it’ s actually deleterious，” explained Felipe Sierra, director of the biology of aging program at the US National Institute on Aging (NIA), which supported the new study. “The fact that it doesn’t work in some mice but it does seem to work in monkeys is surprising and it gives us hope.”
But there’ s a larger question: how to change humans’ increasingly lax eating habits. “This_finding_doesn’t_give_me_hope_that_humans_are_going_to_go_into_dietary_restriction，” added Marianne Grant, a registered dietitian at Texas A&M Health Science Center Coastal Bend Health Education Center in Corpus Christi.
[语篇解读] 这是一篇新闻报道，研究人员通过对动物的研究证明低热量的饮食可能会延长人的寿命。
1．The underlined word “restricted” means“________”．
A. limited B. satisfied
C. reserved D. fascinated
[解析] 词义猜测题。根据第一段可知，低热量的饮食可以延长猴子的寿命，这一试验证明有节制的饮食可能同样会延长人的寿命。
[答案] A
2．Which of the following statements about Weindruch is true?
A. This experiment indicates restricted diets could extend humans’ lifespan.
B. Adequate sleep is another way to reduce the speed of aging process.
C. The experiment was a failure in some species such as mice.
D. The experiment which had been tested on humans got a great success.
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第三段第一句话可知答案为A。
[答案] A
3．According to Felipe Sierra’ s idea, we know that________.
A. the restricted diets experiment really had no distinct effect on rats and mice
B. humans are finding new ways to slowdown the aging process of all the species
C. the experiment is unnecessary to be carried on because of the response of the mice
D. the experiment confirmed that restricted diets extend lifespan in all species
[解析] 细节理解题。从第四段的第二句“Many strains of rats and mice do not respond.”可知答案。
[答案] A
4．It can be inferred from the underlined sentence that ________.
A. the result of the experiment shows that humans are not pigging out nowadays
B. nowadays humans are turning unhealthy diets into lowercalorie diets
C. how to change humans’ careless eating habits is a long way to go
D. the experiment changed humans’ increasingly careless eating habits
[解析] 细节理解题。由画线句子可知人们目前并没有进入到控制饮食的状态中，也就是说要改变人们漫不经心的饮食习惯还有很长的路要走。
[答案] C
5．The author most likely wrote this text to________.
A. compare the two experiments on rats and monkeys
B. illustrate the data from the research
C. call on people to pay attention to their daily diets
D. introduce a lively debate to amuse the reader
[解析] 写作目的题。作者的目的是通过介绍试验”低热量的饮食可能会延长人的寿命”，呼吁人们注意控制饮食。
[答案] C
[长难句解读] Another expert noted that, despite some highly publicized studies in certain species, the link between restricted eating and longer lifespan has been far from proven.
本句的主句为Another expert noted that，其中that引导的是一个宾语从句。从句用despite表示让步关系，后面的far from proven意为”远没有得到证明”。
The treadle pump is based on a design developed in the 1970s by Norwegian engineer Gunnar Barnes. It can be made locally.
The treadle pump is easy to build from bamboo or other wood and two metal cylinders (圆筒) with pistons (活塞). The pistons go up and down as a person stands on lever devices — treadles — and uses a natural walking motion.
How many hours a day the pump needs to be operated depends on the season and how much water is needed for crops. It could be two hours a day. It could be seven hours a day.
Small children sometimes stand with their parents on the treadles. Everyone in the family can take turns operating the pump.
The Acumen Fund is a nonprofit group that invests in business projects to fight poverty. It studied the effects of treadle pumps in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh has three treadle pump manufacturers and more than seventythree thousand pumps.
Acumen reported that families using them ate more vegetables, because they were able to grow more to eat and to sell. Many of these families also drank more milk, because they bought a cow with their added earnings. Men with treadle pumps often no longer have to leave the farm to seek extra work in cities.
The pump can also improve education. Farmers often use their extra earnings to buy books for their children or to pay for schooling.
A farmer in Zambia said he hoped to have enough money in three years to buy a dieselpowered pump (柴油泵). Then he could grow more crops over a larger area.
But the world economic crisis has had an effect on some farmers. IDE executive director Zenia Tata says some who were able to buy diesel pumps now do not have enough money to buy fuel. So they are using their treadle pumps again.
[语篇解读] 脚踏泵因其简单、易行、实用之特点，正在世界的广大贫困地区被推广，以帮助农民脱贫致富，且已取得了显著的效果。
1．The treadle pump ________.
A. is invented by an American engineer
B. is mainly made of metal
C. consists of two cylinders with pistons
D. consists of two cylinders with an engine
[解析] 事实细节题。根据第二段第一句可知答案为C。
[答案] C
2．What does the author want to tell us about the treadle pump in the second paragraph?
A. Its history.
B. Its working principle.
C. Its structure.
D. Its usage and effects.
[解析] 作者意图题。A和D显然不对，C有一定干扰性，但其不能概括第二句，介绍工作原理时，一般要同时介绍其结构，故选B。
[答案] B
3．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. it is easy to learn how to operate the treadle pump
B. it is difficult to build a treadle pump
C. the treadle pump is used more in winter than in summer
D. operating the treadle pump can keep fit
[解析] 推理判断题。B和C与文中内容相悖，可排除。易错选D，但文中没有依据，无法推知。根据第四段，小孩也可帮忙，家庭中每个人都可参与，可推知A为答案。
[答案] A
4．Each treadle pump manufacturer in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has produced on average about ________.
A. 18, 000 pumps B. 24, 000 pumps
C. 37, 000 pumps D. 73, 000 pumps
[解析] 数据推算题。根据第五段第三句可知，该州共三家生产商，共有七万三千多架脚踏泵，平均每家生产两万四千架左右，故选B。
[答案] B
5．Why does the farmer in Zambia hope to buy a dieselpowered pump?
A. Because he wants to grow crops on a larger scale.
B. Because he hates to leave the farm to seek fortune in cities.
C. Because a dieselpowered pump is cheaper than before.
D. Because oil is much cheaper than before.
[解析] 事实细节题。根据倒数第二段第二句可知答案。
[答案] A
[长难句解读] IDE executive director Zenia Tata says some who were able to buy diesel pumps now do not have enough money to buy fuel.
该句为双重复合句。主句主语为IDE executive director Zenia Tata，谓语为says，后面为省略了that的宾语从句。该宾语从句的主干部分为some do not have enoueh money to buy fuel，who were able to buy diesel pumps为定语从句，修饰主语some。
It was near dusk, and Kim Cooper and her husband, Steve, were trucking through northern Kentucky transportation auto parts from Louisville to Detroit for a goods company. “Steve, wake up！” she shouted. “There’s a truck on fire！”
Inside the burning truck, Ronnie Sanders, 38, was fighting for his life. He’d been running a heavy load of tractors and forklifts from Georgia to Indianapolis when a van in front of him stopped suddenly in traffic on the icy road. As Ronnie bore down, he could see children in the backseat. The truck’s bulk would probably protect him from the worst of the impact, but the force of 23 tons would likely crush(压碎) everyone inside the van.
“I figured instead of killing other people, I’d just put the truck in the ditch. ”At the bottom, rocks cut a fuel tank, which caught fire. A tree branch destroyed the windshield and knocked Ronnie unconscious. He came to life a couple of minutes later to find the cabin flames and his legs on fire.
Steve dashed to Ronnie, who was hanging headfirst from the passenger door. Ronnie had used his pocketknife to cut himself free from the driver’sside seat belt only to get his boot trapped in another one. Steve climbed into the burning cab to free him.
He tried three times to pull Ronnie out before finally freeing him. But Ronnie’s legs were still burning, so Steve laid him on the ground, ripped off his own shirt, and beat the flames with it. He’d managed to drag him about 20 yards when one of the truck’s 150gallon fuel tanks exploded.
Both Steve and Ronnie paid a price for risking their lives for strangers. Ronnie spent two months in the hospital and received skin grafts on both of his legs. Steve suffered smoke breathing and minor burns, and shrapnel from the fuel tank explosion broke a tooth.
In February, the Coopers received a Hero of the Highway award from the Open Road Foundation for rescuing an injured driver. Steve insists Ronnie is the real hero: “If he hadn’t gone into the ditch, he would have hit that van. It was his decision to drive off the road.”
“I feel pretty good about it，” says Ronnie. “A lot of people could have been hurt.”
解读：本文为记叙文，主要讲述了the Coopers途中遇到Ronnie开的大卡车着火了；Ronnie为了不造成更大的伤害，不顾自身的安危，将卡车开进水沟里，而Steve则竭尽全力救助Ronnie。
1. According to the passage, Ronnie’s putting the truck in the ditch contributes to________.
A. his concern for his own safety
B. his poor driving skill
C. the icy road
D. his concern for others’ lives
[解析] 细节推断题。由文章的第三段第一句话“I figured instead of killing other people，I’d just put the truck in the ditch.”可推断出。
[答案] D
2. What probably made Ronnie come to life after driving the truck in the ditch?
A. The noise from the highway.
B. The call from the Coopers.
C. The pain from the burning legs.
D. The heat of the fire.
[解析] 细节推断题。根据文章的第三段最后一句话He came to life a couple of minutes later to find the cab in flames and his legs on fire.利用排除法。
[答案] C
3. How did Steve put out the flames in Ronnie’s legs?
A. He beat the flames with Ronnie’s shirt.
B. He beat the flames with his own shirt.
C. He put out the fire with a tank of water.
D. He put out the fire with a bag of sand.
[解析] 细节理解题。根据文章第五段第二句话，Steve撕下自己的衬衫，用它来扑灭(Ronnie双腿上的)火焰。
[答案] B
4. What does the underlined word “shrapnel” in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. A branch of a tree.
B. A small piece of metal.
C. A wave of the explosion.
D. The heat of the explosion.
[解析] 词义猜测题。根据下文shrapnel from the fuel tank explosion broke a tooth可知是“油箱爆炸产生的金属片打碎了一颗牙”。
[答案] B
5. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Heroes: The Coopers
B. Heroes: Roadside Flames
C. Accidents on the Icy Road
D. Accidents in the Ditch
[解析] 确定文章标题。综观全文，A，C，D三项不够全面；而B项即表明事故，也表明了事故中竭力营救他人的英雄。
[答案] B
Astronauts aboard the space station Celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine and sweat and water that condenses from exhaled air. They said “cheers” ，clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground who were sipping their own version of recycled drinking water.
The recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will save NASA money because it won’ t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttle or cargo rockets.Besides, it’ s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.
The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttle Endeavour, but it couldn’ t be used until samples were tested back on Earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The threeman crew stood, holding their drinks and congratulated engineers in two NASA centers that worked on the system.
“This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction，” Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. “The taste is worth trying.”
NASA deputy space shuttle manager LeRoy Cain called it “a huge milestone”．
The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the vapor is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. The water vapor is mixed with water from air condensation, and then it goes through filters. When six crew members are aboard it can make about six gallons from urine in about six hours.
“Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on Earth with a lot longer time between urine and the tap”said Marybeth Edeen, the space station’s national lab manager.
The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami, Edeen said.
“We are happy to have this water work through the system — we’ re happy to have it work through our systems，”Barratt said.
[语篇解读] 本文讲的是国际空间站宇航员试饮尿液循环水。
1．According to the text, the recycling system is important because________.
A. it makes traveling to the moon for the common person possible
B. with it NASA won’ t need to ship any water up to the space station
C. it can help to meet the need for more water after the crew are expanded
D. it protects the environment in space by reducing the amount of waste
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“it’s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six”可知C项正确。
[答案] C
2．What is the RIGHT time order of the following events?
a. The samples of the recycled water were tested on Earth.
b. Astronauts celebrated the space first of making water from urine.
c. The recycling system was brought up to the space station.
d. The technology for the system was used to quickly purify water.
A. a，d，c，b B. a，c，b，d
C. d，a，c，b D. d，c，a，b
[解析] 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段的“The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami”可知d发生最早。根据第三段的“ The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November... couldn’ t be used until samples were tested back on Earth”可知c发生在a的前面，因此D项正确。
[答案] D
3．From Para. 6 we can know________.
A. the theory behind the recycling system
B. the effect of the recycling system
C. the process of the recycling system
D. an opinion on the recycling system
[解析] 段落概括题。该段主要讲述的是使用尿液循环系统将尿制成水的过程。
[答案] C
4．What did Edeen say about recycled urine and the recycling system?
A. The taste of recycled urine is not as good as common water.
B. The recycling system has made a science fiction story come true.
C. The idea of drinking recycled urine makes astronauts feel unpleasant.
D. It takes a longer time on Earth to make water from urine than in space.
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第七段中的“with a lot onger time between urine and the tap”可知D项正确。
[答案] D
5．What is the best title for the passage?
A. The research of NASA has made great progress
B. New technology is used in the space station
C. Drink up: space station recycles urine to water
D. Good news: water recycled from urine tastes good
[解析] 标题概括题。本文报道了国际空间站的宇航员试饮尿液循环水，“Drink up”生动反映饮用时的情景，“space station recycles urine to watert”点明了制造技术。故C项最佳。
[答案] C
[长难句解读] Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine and sweat and water that condenses from exhaled air.
主句是：Astronauts celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water.aboard the space station和that had been recycled from their urine and sweat and water充当定语分别修饰名词Astronauts和water。
LONDON (Reuters) — Quiet please — Britain’ s Queen Elizabeth is preparing to have her swans counted.
Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating back to the 12th century which involves a census of the swan population on the River Thames, will be conducted by the Queen’ s official Swan Marker from July 20 24.
“With the assistance of the Queen’ s Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans and young cygnets (小天鹅) are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease，” Buckingham Palace said in announcing the count.
The process involves the Swan Marker, David Barber, rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets.
It may seem eccentric, but it is very important to the Queen, According to custom, Britain’ s sovereign owns all unmarked, mute swans in open water, but the Queen now exercises the right only on stretches of the Thames and its nearby tributaries.
In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were soughtafter for banquets and feasts.
This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden are particularly keen to discover how much damage is being caused to swans and cygnets by attacks from dogs and from discarded fishing tackle (渔具)．
It is also an important year because Queen Elizabeth has decided to join her team of Swan Uppers for part of the census. She will follow them up the river and visit a local school project on the whole subject of swans, cygnets and the Thames.
“Education and conservation are essential to the role of Swan Upping and the involvement of school children is always a rewarding experience，” Buckingham Palace said.
[语篇解读] 泰晤士河上每年都要举行一个重要的活动：数天鹅。英国皇室的这一传统已经延续了好几个世纪。
1. In medieval times，________.
A. swans were better protected than now
B. a lot of swans were killed by dogs
C. swans were a delicious dish on royal banquets
D. common people could catch the swans
[解析] 细节理解题。从文章倒数第四段可知，在中世纪天鹅被捉住，然后成为皇家宴会上的美味。
[答案] C
2．We can infer from the passage that the process of counting the swans ________.
A. remains almost unchanged in the past years
B. involves a lot of royal members
C. sometimes lasts longer than before
D. is always guarded by special soldiers
[解析] 推理判断题。从文章第四段对数天鹅过程的描述以及参与清点的官员的穿着打扮可知，其过程几乎没有变化，因为这是一项传统活动。
[答案] A
3．This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden mainly want to find out________.
A. the exact number of swans and cygnets
B. how a local school project is going on
C. how much damage the swans and cygnets suffer
D. how education and conservation are carried out along the Thames
[解析] 细节理解题。从文章倒数第三段内容可知答案为C。
[答案] C
4．Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
A. Britain’ s Queen is concerned about swans.
B. Britain’ s Queen orders a count of swans.
C. An old tradition in Buckingham Palace.
D. Queen Elizabeth will count swans herself.
[解析] 主旨大意题。文章第一段是本文的主题段，英国女王下令清点泰晤士河上的天鹅的数量。
[答案] B
5．The underlined word “tributaries” can be best replaced by ________.
A. districts B. banks
C. trees D. branches
[解析] 词义理解题。根据语境和常识可知，此处是指在泰晤士河及其支流上生活的天鹅。故答案为D。
[答案] D
[长难句解读] In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were soughtafter for banquets and feasts.在中世纪，负责清点天鹅的人不仅沿河清点天鹅的数量，还会尽可能多地捕捉一些，因为天鹅当时是宴会桌上的美餐。
本句是一个并列句，not only...but(also)．..引导并列句，后面的as引导原因状语从句。
Happiness is contagious,_researchers reported on Thursday.
People with the most social connections — spouses, friends, neighbors and relatives — were also the happiest, the data showed. “Each additional happy person makes you happier，” Christakis said.
“Imagine that I am connected to you and you are connected to others and others are connected to still others. It is this fabric of humanity, like an American patch quilt.”
Each person sits on a differentcolored patch. “Imagine that these patches are happy and unhappy patches. Your happiness depends on what is going on in the patch around you，” Christakis said.
“It is not just happy people connecting with happy people, which they do. Above and beyond, there is this contagious process going on.”
And happiness is more contagious than unhappiness, they discovered.
“If a social contact is happy, it increases the likelihood that you are happy by 15 percent，” Fowler said. “A friend of a friend, or the friend of a spouse or a sibling (兄弟姐妹), if they are happy, increases your chances by 10 percent，” he added.
A happy thirddegree friend — the friend of a friend of a friend — increases a person’s chances of being happy by 6 percent.
“But every extra unhappy friend increases the likelihood that you’ll be unhappy by 7 percent，” Fowler said.
The finding is interesting and it is useful, too, Fowler said.
“Among other benefits, happiness has been shown to have an important effect on reduced mortality (死亡率), pain reduction, and improved cardiac (心脏的) function. So better understanding of how happiness spreads can help us learn how to promote a healthier society，” he said.
The study also fits in with other data suggested in 1984 that having $ 5,000 extra increased a person’s chances of becoming happier by about 2 percent.
“A happy friend is worth about $ 20,000，” Christakis said.
[语篇解读] 美国科学家的一项最新研究成果表明，快乐感可以互相传递。这项研究成果为我们构建更为健康、和谐的社会提供了依据和方法。
1．According to the research, your happiness ________.
A. has nothing to do with your workmates or schoolmates
B. has something to do with anyone who has a close relationship with you
C. depends on those who are in favour of you or are against you
D. has little to do with what social connections you have
[解析] 推理判断题。根据第二段、第三段内容可知，快乐感会不断传递和扩散，你的配偶、朋友、邻居、亲戚等的快乐指数会直接影响你的快乐程度，故选B。
[答案] B
2．The underlined word “contagious” in the first paragraph means ________.
A. infectious B. beautiful
C. effective D. prior
[解析] 词义猜测题。第一句是全文的主题句。由文章第二、三、四段可知，快乐感可以在人们之间传播，故contagious的意思是“有感染力的，有传染性的”。
[答案] A
3．It can be inferred that________.
A. happiness spreads as fast and widely as unhappiness
B. unhappiness spreads faster and more widely than happiness
C. happiness spreads faster and more widely than unhappiness
D. the spread of unhappiness has not been studied by researchers
[解析] 推理判断题。根据第六段“And happiness is more contagious than unhappiness，they discovered.”一句可推知选C。
[答案] C
4．Which of the following will increase your chances of becoming happier most?
A. Being in a party with a happy atmosphere.
B. A happy experience of your brother or your parents.
C. A happy trip to a foreign country of your friends.
D. Happiness of your friend’ s friend.
[解析] 事实细节题。根据第七、第八段讲述的别人的快乐感对你的影响几率可知，排在最前的是“If a social contact is happy”，故选A。
[答案] A
5．What does Christakis mean by saying “A happy friend is worth about $ 20,000” ?
A. A happy friend can help you bring in a wealth of $ 20,000.
B. A happy friend is a wealth which is worth about $ 20,000.
C. A happy friend increases your chances of being happy by 2%.
D. A happy friend increases your chances of being happy by 8 %.
[解析] 句意理解题。结合上一段中的“that having $5,000 extra increased a person’s chances of becoming happier by about 2 percent”可知，一个快乐的朋友带给你的快乐相当于大约$20,000带给你的快乐，也就是$5,000的四倍，即一个快乐的朋友给你带来快乐的几率为8%，故选D。
[答案] D
[长难句解读] The study also fits in with other data suggested in 1984 that having $ 5,000 extra increased a person’s chances of becoming happier by about 2 percent.
该句为主从复合句，主句为The study also fits in with other data，suggested in 1984为过去分词作定语修饰data，后面that引导的是同位语从句，说明data的内容。该从句的主语为having $5,000 extra，a person’s chances为宾语，of becoming happier为定语修饰chances，by about 2 percent为程度状语。
Bill Fulton doesn’ t remember losing his wallet, but its return helped him remember the past. The leather stayed smooth and the cowboy design unblemished (完美无缺的). And when he looked inside, the contents brought back memories from 1946, when he apparently dropped the wallet behind the balcony bleachers (露天看台) in the Baker Middle School gym.
Fulton’ s Social Security Card and bicycle license, bearing the address where he lived during his teenage years, were positioned in their respective compartments, apparently untouched since the year after World War Il ended.
Worker Nathan Osborne found the wallet — along with old homework, lost library books and a 1964 talent show program — while removing the bleachers for renovations on June 17. It was brought to Fulton’ s door the following day by Melanie Trindle, the Baker Middle School secretary.
Middle School Principal Mindi Vaughan said the brown pine bleachers were connected to the gym balcony’ s brick wall and had remained in the same place since the school, known as the Helen M. Stack Building, opened in 1936.
Fulton, 78, said he probably lost the wallet while cheering for the Baker High basketball team with a group of friends. Fulton said the bicycle ID was needed because he delivered medicine for Rodamar Drug.He was surprised, however, that his bicycle ID wasn’t inside. He said he always kept it there.
But rather than focus on what was inside the wallet, Fulton said the recovery has led him to reflect on his life — one that took him to the Korean War and Berlin before the return to Baker City. He worked at Ellingson Lumber Company for 30 years, from March 1964 to April 1994.
Since his retirement, Fulton has enjoyed spending time with his 11yearold black dog, Smokey. The two often hike the nearby mountains.
Trindle’ s knock on the door, wallet in hand, induced a slight ripple in his life, prompting him to consider the times he hadn’t thought about in many years. “Where did all the times go？” Fulton said with a deep sigh. “It’ s hard to believe that the times have gone so fast.”
[语篇解读] 本文是记叙文。一个丢失了几十年的钱包居然被找到，而且还给了失主。钱包勾起了失主对过去岁月的回忆。
1．When the wallet was found, it________.
A. was still in good condition
B. was a little damaged
C. had just lost color
D. was just repaired
[解析] 细节理解题。从文章第一段第二句可知，钱包的皮还很光滑，上面的图案也保持完好，因此A项正确。
[答案] A
2．The wallet was important to Fulton because ________.
A. he could get his bicycle ID back
B. it called up his memories of the past
C. it could help him to find his student ID
D. it made him think of his school days
[解析] 推理判断题。综合全文尤其是第一段和最后一段的信息可知，钱包勾起了Fulton对往昔岁月的回忆。
[答案] B
3．Fulton lost the wallet when________.
A. he was doing his homework on the balcony bleachers
B. he was doing some exercise in the Baker Middle School gym
C. he was removing the bleachers for renovations on June 17
D. he was watching a basketball match with his friends
[解析] 细节理解题。从文章第五段可知，Fulton和朋友们在一起看篮球赛，在为一支篮球队助威时他丢失了钱包。
[答案] D
4．After he retired, Fulton________.
A. lived a peaceful and pleasant life
B. often regretted losing his wallet
C. lived a hard life by raising dogs in the mountains
D. quite missed his past life
[解析] 推理判断题。分析文章倒数第二段可知，Fulton退休以后经常牵着狗到山里散步，可见生活非常惬意。
[答案] A
5．Which of the following best describes Fulton’ s feeling when the wallet was returned?
A. Thankful. B. Overjoyed.
C. Surprised. D. Doubtful.
[解析] 推理判断题。文章虽然没有明确说明Fulton接到钱包时的反应，但丢了那么多年的钱包失而复得，他应该感到吃惊。
[答案] C
[长难句解读] And when he looked inside，the contents brought back memories from 1946，when he apparently dropped the wallet behind the balcony bleachers(露天看台)in the Baker Middle School gym.语意：当他看钱包里面时，里面的东西把他的记忆带回到了1946年，当时他显然是把钱包丢在了贝克中学体育场的露天看台上。
本句是一个复合句。第一个when引导时间状语从句，第二个when引导非限制性定语从句，修饰1946。
2012高考英语精选备考题库系列（含详解）
阅读理解（十）
备战2012高考，精选阅读200篇，适合高三上学期使用，希望对大家有帮助。（2011-8）
Pop stars today enjoy what once only belonged to the royalty (皇室). Wherever they go, people turn out in their thousands to greet them. The crowds go wild trying to catch a brief glimpse of their smiling, colorfully dressed idols. The stars are transported in their chauffeur driven RollsRoyces, private helicopters or executive aeroplanes. They are surrounded by a permanent entourage(随从) of managers, press agents and bodyguards. Photographs of them appear regularly in the press and all their comings and goings are reported，for, like royalty, pop stars are news. If they enjoy many of the privileges of royalty, they certainly share many of the inconveniences as well. It is dangerous for them to make unscheduled appearances in public.They must be constantly shielded from the adoring crowds who idolize them. They are no longer private individuals, but public property. The financial rewards they receive for this sacrifice cannot be calculated, for their rates of pay are great.
And why not? Society has always rewarded its top entertainers lavishly. The great days of Hollywood have become legendary: famous stars enjoyed fame, wealth and adulation (奉承) on an alltime scale. By today’ s standards, the excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite so spectacular. A single gramophone record nowadays may earn much more in royalties than the films of the past ever did. The competition for the title “Top of the Pops” is fierce, but the rewards are truly huge.
It is only right that the stars should be paid in this way. Don’t the top men in industry earn enormous salaries for the service they perform to their companies and their countries? Pop stars earn vast sums in foreign currency — often more than large industrial companies — and the taxman can only be grateful for their massive annual contributions to the exchequer(国库). So who would begrudge them their rewards?
It’ s all very well for people in boring jobs to complain about the successes and rewards of others. People who make envious remarks should remember that the most famous stars represent only the tip of the iceberg. For every famous star, there are hundreds of others struggling to earn a living. A man working in a steady job and looking forward to a pension at the end of it has no right to expect very high rewards. He has chosen security and peace of mind, so there will always be a limit to what he can earn. But a man who attempts to become a star is taking enormous risks. He knows at the outset that only a handful of competitors ever get to the very top. He knows that years of concentrated effort may be rewarded with complete failure.But he knows, too, that the rewards for success are very high indeed: they are the payback for the huge risks involved and once he makes it, he will certainly earn them. That’ s the essence of private enterprise.
[语篇解读] 明星的生活总是令人羡慕不已。他们的生活中有光鲜的一面：不菲的收入，以豪华汽车和私人飞机代步，一言一行都成为人们关注的焦点……然而，我们也应看到，他们活得很累，他们为成功所付出的艰辛和代价是一般人难以想象的。
1．The author develops the passage mainly by ________.
A. comparing different ideas
B. giving explanations
C. inferring
D. listing typical examples
[解析] 篇章结构题。本文主要通过解释向读者阐明道理。
[答案] B
2．The underlined word “begrudge” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.
A. be jealous of B. be satisfied with
C. be anxious about D. be crazy about
[解析] 词义猜测题。结合上下文的语境判断本句意为：谁会对他们所得到的感到妒忌、不满呢？接下来作者讲了一般人从事枯燥但稳定的工作，所以这里意思是：从事稳定工作的人会妒忌这些明星。
[答案] A
3．According to the passage, which of the following can match the view of the author?
A. He who laughs last laughs best.
B. If you venture nothing, you will gain nothing.
C. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.
D. Success belongs to the persevering.
[解析] 推理判断题。根据最后一段可知，想成为明星就要冒更大的风险，然而一旦成功，回报也是丰厚的，那些选择了稳定工作的人是没有权利期待高额回报的。“If you venture nothing，you will gain nothing.”意为：不入虎穴，焉得虎子，即要成功就要冒险。
[答案] B
4．The author holds a(n) ________attitude towards the high income of pop stars.
A. critical B. approval
C. optimistic D. indifferent
[解析] 推理判断题。根据全文可知，作者认为明星们理应得到高收入，因为他们为此付出了高昂的代价。
[答案] B
5．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. People are blind in idolizing stars.
B. There is fierce competition in becoming pop stars.
C. The government taxes pop stars very little.
D. Pop stars’ life is more luxurious than that of royalty.
[解析] 细节判断题。根据文章最后一段的“He knows at the outset that only a handful of competitors ever get to the very top.”以及第二段的最后一句可知答案。
[答案] B
Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard, some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out. 90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting.But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it. One study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10 15 minutes a day, and then other teachers who basically teach it for 60 to 70 minutes a day — which really for handwriting is pretty much.
Many adults remember learning that way — by copying letters over and over again. Today’ s thinking is that short periods of practice are better. Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself.Instead, they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. After all, that is why we write.
Handwriting involves two skills. One is legibility,_which means forming the letters so they can be read. The other is fluency — writing without having to think about it. Fluency continues to develop up until high school.
But not everyone masters these skills. Teachers commonly report that about onefourth of their kids have poor handwriting. Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs.
But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt says word processing is rarely done in elementary school, especially in the early years. American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive, which connects the letters. But guess what we learned from a spokeswoman for the College Board, which administers the SAT college admission test. More than 75 percent of students choose to print their essay on the test rather than write in cursive.
[语篇解读] 文章介绍了在键盘普及的年代美国的书法教学情况。
1．We can learn ________ from Paragraph 1.
A. teaching handwriting is a basic requirement in teaching job
B. most teachers prefer to teach handwriting
C. teachers spend little time in teaching handwriting
D. a keyboard has taken the place of the handwriting entirely
[解析] 推理判断题。根据第一段中“90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting”可知书法教学是基本的教学要求，A项为正确推论。根据“One study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting”可知，很多老师不愿意教书法课，B项错误；根据第一段末句可知C项错误；根据全段判断，只是说键盘普及使一些人认为书法渐渐过时了，D项错误。
[答案] A
2．Which of the following is WRONG for traditional handwriting in the USA?
A. The students are taught by practicing a long period.
B. The letters are repeated many times.
C. Handwriting includes two skills.
D. To write in cursive is taught first.
[解析] 细节认定题。根据第二段可知，传统的书法教学重复很多遍并且持续时间长，因此A、B两项内容正确。根据第三段第一句可知C项内容正确；根据最后一段第二句可知D项内容错误。
[答案] D
3．The underlined word “legibility” in Paragraph 3 means ________.
A. easy to read B. complex
C. unexpected D. unreadable
[解析] 推测词义题。根据下文“which means forming the letters so they can be read”可推测画线词的意思是“清楚，易读”。
[答案] A
4．The best title for the passage is ________.
A. How to improve handwriting in school
B. Right or wrong: the death of handwriting
C. Handwriting involves two skills
D. Handwriting lessons are on the way out
[解析] 标题归纳题。作者对美国书法教学的现状作了叙述，没有自己的主观评论，故选择B。A项没有涉及，C项只是其中一部分内容，D项只是一部分人的观点。
[答案] B
5．The author’ s attitude towards whether still to learn handwriting in school is________.
A. negative B. objective
C. critical D. optimistic
[解析] 态度判断题。根据全文的叙述，作者只是将美国书法教学的现状和不同人的观点呈现出来，并没有发表自己的见解，因此作者持客观的态度。
[答案] B
[长难句解读] One study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting.今年公布的一项研究发现，大约每四个教师中就有三个说他们不准备教书法了。published this year为过去分词短语作后置定语，found后面为宾语从句，其中又含有一个宾语从句they are not prepared to teach handwriting。