高考英語閱讀理解專項(xiàng)訓(xùn)練-科技類

　　(1)

　　With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物種). That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.

　　Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.

　　It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.

　　This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.

　　The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.

　　“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.

　　“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”

　　1. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.

　　A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas

　　B. save endangered animals from dying out

　　C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study

　　D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another

　　2. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.

　　A. available panda eggs   B. host animals

　　C. qualified researchers   D. enough money

　　3. The best title for the passage may be _______.

　　A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning

　　B. The First Cloned Panda in the World

　　C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas

　　D. China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever

　　4. From the passage we know that _______.

　　A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog

　　B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit

　　C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches

　　D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century

　　【答案解析】

　　本文講述中國正在竭力克隆瀕臨絕種的熊貓，這和Texas A & M University 的Noah's Ark(諾亞方舟)工程極為相似，都是想拯救瀕臨滅絕的動物。

　　1. B。語義理解題。從第2段內(nèi)容可知，“諾亞方舟”工程的目標(biāo)是把瀕臨滅絕的動物的蛋(卵)、胚胎、精液和DNA儲存在液體氮中，如果某一種動物瀕臨滅絕時(shí)，將來可以重現(xiàn)這一動物。

　　2. A。細(xì)節(jié)題。從第6段第1句話 The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available (capable of being used ) panda eggs could be a major problem  可以做出正確判斷。

　　3. C。主旨題。從文章內(nèi)容來看，無論是中國還是世界克隆熊貓還沒有成功，所以排除A、B項(xiàng)；D項(xiàng)內(nèi)容明顯與文章內(nèi)容不符，故排除。所以“探索克隆熊貓的可能性”應(yīng)該是這篇文章的標(biāo)題。

　　4. D。判斷題。此題B項(xiàng)的干擾性較強(qiáng)，但由于它沒有說明是Chinese scientists，所以應(yīng)排除。A、C項(xiàng)明顯與原文不符。根據(jù)文章第3段第1句可知答案非D莫屬。

　　(2)

　　Want a glance of the future of health care? Take a look at the way the various networks of people about patient care are being connected to one another, and how this new connectivity is being exploited to deliver medicine to the patient —no matter where he or she may be.

　　Online doctors offering advice based on normal symptoms(癥狀) are the most obvious example. Increasingly, however, remote diagnosis(遠(yuǎn)程診斷) will be based on real physiological data(生理數(shù)據(jù)) from the actual patient. A group from the University of Kentucky has shown that by using personal data assistance plus a mobile phone, it is perfectly practical to send a patient’s important signs over the telephone. With this kind of equipment, the cry asking whether there was a doctor in the house could well be a thing of the past.

　　Other medical technology groups are working on applying telemedicine to rural(countryside) care. And at least one team wants to use telemedicine as a tool for disaster need—especially after earthquakes. On the whole, the trend is towards providing global access to medical data and experts’ opinions.

　　But there is one problem. Bandwidth(寬帶) is the limiting factor for sending complex(復(fù)雜的) medical pictures around the world — CT photos being one of the biggest bandwidth users. Communication satellites may be able to deal with the short-term needs during disasters such as earthquakes or wars. But medicine is looking towards both the second-generation Internet and third-generation mobile phones for the future of remote medical service.

　　Doctors have met to discuss computer-based tools for medical diagnosis, training and telemedicine. With the falling price of broadband communications, the new technologies should start a new time when telemedicine and the sharing of medical information, experts’ opinions and diagnosis are common.

　　1. The writer chiefly talks about _______.

　　A. the use of telemedicine  B. the on-lined doctors

　　C. medical care and treatment  D. communication improvement

　　2. The basis of remote diagnosis will be _______.

　　A. personal data assistance

　　B. some words of a patient

　　C. real physiological information

　　D. medical pictures from the Internet

　　3. Which of the following statements is true according to the text？

　　A. Patients don’t need doctors in hospitals any more.

　　B. It is impossible to send a patient’s signs over the telephone.

　　C. Many teams use telemedicine dealing with disasters now.

　　D. Broadband communications will become cheaper in the future.

　　4. The “problem” in the fourth paragraph refers to the fact that _______.

　　A. bandwidth isn’t big enough to send complex medical pictures

　　B. the second-generation of Internet has not become popular yet

　　C. communication satellites can only deal with short-term needs

　　D. there is not enough equipment for spreading the medical care

　　【答案解析】

　　本文主要講述人們將來可以通過網(wǎng)上看病，醫(yī)生可以根據(jù)病人的生理數(shù)據(jù)做出遠(yuǎn)程診斷。隨著第二代因特網(wǎng)和第三代移動手機(jī)為將來的遠(yuǎn)程醫(yī)療服務(wù)，尤其是寬帶網(wǎng)交流價(jià)格的下降，遠(yuǎn)程醫(yī)療和醫(yī)藥信息、專家意見和診斷共享將成為家常便飯。

　　1. A。主旨題。第2段和第3段的內(nèi)容，可知最佳答案為A。

　　2. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。從第2段第2句話中的…remote diagnosis(遠(yuǎn)程診斷) will be based on real physiological data(生理數(shù)據(jù)) from the actual patient 可以做出正確判斷。

　　3. D。判斷題。網(wǎng)上可以看病并不就是說病人去醫(yī)院不需要醫(yī)生，排除A項(xiàng)；通過電話發(fā)送病人的信息是可行的，排除B項(xiàng)；現(xiàn)在至少有一個(gè)醫(yī)療隊(duì)想用遠(yuǎn)程醫(yī)療來治療疾病，C項(xiàng)也不對；根據(jù)文章最后一句話With the falling price of broadband communications, the new technologies should start a new time when telemedicine and the sharing of medical information, experts’ opinions and diagnosis are common 可以肯定答案是D。

　　4. A。推斷題。根據(jù)第4段第2句話 Bandwidth(寬帶) is the limiting factor for sending complex(復(fù)雜) medical pictures around the world — CT photos being one of the biggest bandwidth users可知答案為A。

　　(3)

　　Scientists are uncovering the secrets of two port cities lost under the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, a researcher said yesterday.

　　Herakleion and Menouthis were rich and proud cities until something reduced them to rubble (碎石) and buried them in the mud beneath 30 feet of sea water, French underwater explorer Franck Goddio said at the American Geophysical Union conference.

　　“This is a mystery that is ongoing,” said Goddio, a founder of the European Institute of Marine Archeology, a Paris-based underwater research organization backed by the wealthy Hilti Foundation of Liechtenstein(列支敦士登基金會).

　　The destruction of the twin port cities has haunted Goddio ever since he happened upon the site about 15 miles from Alexandria while exploring sunken ships from Napoleon’s fleet.

　　Goddio and his group of expert divers, marine archeologists(海洋考古學(xué)家) and others, are using high powered vacuums, satellite navigation systems and sophisticated sonar(聲納) to excavate(挖掘) the sunken cities from underneath a carpet of silt about one meter (three feet) high.

　　Walls of shops, remains of streets and gold artifacts have been found and recovered.

　　Some experts believe that the port cities were destroyed by a series of massive earthquakes, much like the quakes scientists believe felled Troy(特洛伊城), Jericho and other ancient cities. The uniform direction of the collapsed columns and walls suggest an earthquake, Goddio said, but no fault lines have been found nearby.

　　Other researchers believe a massive wave, caused by either an offshore earthquake or a distant underwater landslide, could explain the catastrophe. Still others think rising seas and a shift in the Nile River outlet doomed the cities.

　　“The argument, as you can see, continues,” Goddio said.

　　1. The reason why the two port cities disappeared under the waters of Mediterranean Sea is that ______.

　　A. the two port cities were destroyed by huge earthquakes

　　B. the disappearance of the two port cities was caused by underwater landslide

　　C. rising seas and a shift in the Nile River outlet doomed the cities

　　D. the story didn’t tell us at all

　　2. From the story we can draw a conclusion that _______.

　　A. the two port cities were famous for their wealth and the mystery

　　B. the two cities belonged to France

　　C. some mysterious creatures from other planets destroyed the two cities

　　D. the American Geophysical Union conference was once held in one of the two cities

　　3. This article is probably from _______.

　　A. a scientific magazine

　　B. a report to the government

　　C. a school text book

　　D. a scientific report in a newspaper

　　【答案解析】

　　本文報(bào)道了人們對法國地中海中的兩座城市沉如海底的各種推測。

　　1. D。推斷題。文章只對城市下沉的原因作了一些推測但未作出結(jié)論。由此可推知此題答案為D。

　　2. B。推斷題。根據(jù)文章中所提到的與之相關(guān)的名稱，如：French underwater explorer Franck Goddio, a Paris-based underwater research organization, Napoleon’s fleet可推知此題答案為B。

　　3. D。推斷題。文章討論地中海中的兩座城市下沉的原因，顯然與地質(zhì)科學(xué)有關(guān)，故選D。注意不宜選A，一個(gè)顯然的因素是第1段中出現(xiàn)的yesterday。

　　(4)

　　Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(癡呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷爾蒙) , U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.

　　Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老癡呆癥). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.

　　“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(懷孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保護(hù)神經(jīng)的) effects,” Kinsley said.

　　“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”

　　Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.

　　“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.

　　“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改變) to the brain.”

　　1. How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?

　　A. Some researchers have told them.

　　B. Many women say so.

　　C. They know it by experimenting on rats.

　　D. They know it through their own experience.

　　2. What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?

　　A. Baby rats.  B. Animals. C. Old rats.  D. Grown-up rats.

　　3. What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?

　　A. Estrogen.        B. The hormones of pregnancy.

　　C. More exercise.       D. Taking care of children.

　　4. “It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?

　　A. The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans.

　　B. The experiments on the rats are very important for animals.

　　C. The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans.

　　D. The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals.

　　5. Which title is the best for this passage?

　　A. Do You Want to Be Smarter?

　　B. Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

　　C. Mysterious Hormones

　　D. An Important Study

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了一個(gè)觀點(diǎn)：母性特點(diǎn)能使婦女變得更加聰明靈敏。

　　1. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)Tests on rats show… 可知科學(xué)家是通過做老鼠實(shí)驗(yàn)得出這個(gè)結(jié)論的。

　　2. A。詞義猜測題。后面的對比who have no babies，實(shí)際上提供了一個(gè)相反的情況，所以我們可以推測those who raise two or more litters of pups中的litters of pups指的是“剛出生不久的小老鼠”。

　　3. B。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第 3 段中的 …the hormones of pregnancy(懷孕) are protecting the brain可得出答案。

　　4. C。句意理解題�？茖W(xué)家通過用老鼠做實(shí)驗(yàn)來說明人的問題。因?yàn)槿撕屠鲜蠖紝儆诓溉閯游�，很多生理機(jī)能都相同。

　　5. B。主旨題。短文第 1 句 Motherhood may make women smarter 是主題句，據(jù)此我們可以得出答案。

　　(5)

　　To get cash out in the 21st century, you won’t need a bank card, a PIN(個(gè)人識別編號) or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye, declares National Cash Registers, a multinational company that makes automated teller machines, or ATMs. NCR has shown its first example machine that is believed to be the future of banking. Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally through a loudspeaker to look straight ahead while an infrared camera turns to your head, then your eye, and finally takes an infrared photograph of your iris(虹膜). For identification(識別) purposes, an iris picture is better than a fingerprint, with around 256 noticeable characteristics compared with 40 for fingerprints. This means that the chances of someone else being recognized in your place is about 1 in 1020. Once you’ve been identified, Stella greets you by name and says: “Would you like cash or a statement?” An infrared port allows the machine to send a bank statement straight to your pocket computer.

　　1. What does this passage mainly talk about?

　　A. A new medical instrument

　　B. A new type of talking machine.

　　C. A new type of cash machine.

　　D. National Cash Register

　　2. What is this new machine called?

　　A. Stella    B. ATM    C. PIN    D. NCR

　　3. When you want to get cash out in the 21st century, you will _______.

　　A. need a bank card     B. have to put in your PIN

　　C. move your finger    D. just look directly at the teller machine

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了自動取款機(jī)的新型的識別儲戶方法。

　　1. C。主旨題。閱讀全文可知本文介紹的是新型取款機(jī)的設(shè)計(jì)原理及工作方式，故選 C。

　　2. A。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù) Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally… 及 Once you’ve been identified, Stella greets you by name and says… 可知答案為 A。

　　3. D。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù) To get cash out in the 21st century, you won’t need a bank card, a PIN or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye,…可知僅僅徑直看著取款機(jī)就可以了，故選答案 D。

　　(6)

　　Weather changes when the temperature and the amount of water in the atmosphere change. We can see and feel water coming from the atmosphere when we have rain. But the water must somehow get back to the atmosphere. Meteorologists call this the water cycle.

　　There are many stages in the water cycle. Rain falls when water vapour in clouds condenses(凝結(jié)). Drops of water form and fall to the ground. The water soaks into the ground and feeds streams and rivers. A lot of rain falls into the sea. The heat of the sun evaporates some of the water in the ground and in the rivers, lakes, and the sea. It changes the liquid water into water vapour. The vapour rises onto the air. Water vapour is normally invisible. On a very damp or humid day, however, you can sometimes see water vapour rising from a puddle(水坑) or pond in a mist(薄霧) above the water. Water vapour also gets into the air from living things. Trees and other plants take in water through their roots and give off water vapour from their leaves. People and land animals drink water and breathe out water vapour. In all these ways the water returns to the air. There it gathers to form clouds and condenses to form rain. The rain falls to earth, and the cycle starts again. It continues even if snow or hail(冰雹) fall instead because both eventually melt to form water. The amount of water vapour in the air depends on the temperature. The air is more moist(潮濕) in the tropics(熱帶) than in the cold polar regions.

　　1. What is the main idea of the passage?

　　A. Water cycle.   B. Water vapour.

　　C. How rain forms.        D. Water, vapour, rain.

　　2. How many ways of the water returning to the air are discussed in the text?

　　A. Two.       B. Three.   C. Four.    D. Five.

　　3. Whether water vapour can be seen or not depends on _______.

　　A. how much water is evaporated B. how good your eyes are

　　C. in which way water is evaporated     D. climate or weather

　　4. From the passage we get to know _______.

　　A. there is more water vapour in the air in the tropics than in cold polar regions

　　B. there is more water vapour in the air in cold polar region than in the tropics

　　C. it gets more rain in the tropics than in cold polar regions because there is less vapour

　　D. the amount of water vapour in the air depends on how often it rains

　　【答案解析】

　　本文闡述了水循環(huán)的全過程。

　　1. A。主旨題。文章第1段，特別是最后一句Meteorologists call this the water cycle. 已點(diǎn)明主題。

　　2. B。判斷題。讀完第2段，不難發(fā)現(xiàn)水返回空中的方式有3種：第1種是太陽蒸發(fā)地面上的水使之變成水蒸氣返回空中；第2種是樹和植物釋放出的水蒸氣；第3種是人和動物呼出的水蒸氣。

　　3. D。語義理解題。從第2段第9句話On a very damp or humid day, however, you can sometimes see water vapour rising from a puddle(水坑) or pond in a mist(薄霧) above the water. 可以找到為什么。

　　4. A。判斷題。根據(jù)最后一句話The air is more moist(潮濕) in the tropics(熱帶) than in the cold polar regions 可知答案。

　　(7)

　　Technology is the application(應(yīng)用) of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span via(通過) medical technology.

　　Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer is definitely yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and development, and the latest statistics(統(tǒng)計(jì)) show that the United States is continuing to pump billions of dollars annually(每年) into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce resources(少的資源) we may well find technological substitutes(代用品)for many of them through our research programs.

　　Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production(land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills, on techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.

　　1. What is the best title for the passage?

　　A. The definition of technology  B. Modern technology

　　C. The application of technology  D. The development of technology

　　2. Which is the main idea of the passage?

　　A. Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living.

　　B. The three major factors of production (land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology.

　　C. Technology is the response to our needs.

　　D. The United States is making great efforts to advance its technology.

　　3. According to the passage, people can live a long life with the help of _______.

　　A. higher quality of life    B. medical technology

　　C. modern farming machinery  D. technological substitute

　　【答案解析】

　　“科學(xué)技術(shù)是生產(chǎn)力”是這篇文章的主題。

　　1. B。主旨題。文章的主要筆墨是用在科學(xué)技術(shù)的作用上，所以答案應(yīng)選B。

　　2. A。主旨題。文章最后一句Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living 就是主題句。

　　3. B。判斷題。從文章第2段第2句話…the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely 可以肯定答案選B。

　　(8)

　　Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.

　　Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, after their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.

　　“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ” the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.

　　They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.

　　The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(脛骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(橈骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.

　　Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (鈣) which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.

　　The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.

　　1. French scientists did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.

　　A. they only cared for the Russian astronauts

　　B. they were not interested in their own astronauts

　　C. the Russian government invited them to do their research

　　D. the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time

　　2. Scientists have found that _______.

　　A. the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts

　　B. the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies

　　C. astronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss

　　D. astronauts should take some calcium before space travel

　　3. What cause the BMD loss to astronauts, according to this passage?

　　A. The food they eat in space.   B. The drinks they take in space.

　　C. The temperature in space.   D. The gravity in space.

　　4. In the third paragraph, the word “striking” means ______.

　　A. unusual  B. simple   C. weak   D. slow

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了法國對太空宇航員長期在太空飛行，會使骨里的密度減少而對骨不利的研究。

　　1. D。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第4段的定語從句who had spent one to six months in space可推知此題答案為D。

　　2. B。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第5段第1句The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(脛骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone可推知此題答案為B。

　　3. D。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第6段Without gravity…所引起的結(jié)果，可推知此題答案為D。

　　4. A。詞義猜測題。上文提到對十五人進(jìn)行研究表明在整個(gè)航行過程中骨損在繼續(xù)，下文再說especially striking，可知是“特別明顯”的事，因此選A。

　　(9)

　　Some spiders hunt on the ground, others build webs to trap their food, but the grass water spider catches its prey by running along the surface of the water.

　　This special water spider lives on the grassy banks of streams where mosquitoes, damsel flies and other insects come to feed and breed.

　　Although it is one of the largest spiders in New Zealand, it has an unusual ability. It doesn’t disturb the water as it waits for its meal, and there is barely a ripple(波紋) when it skims(掠過) across the surface at lightning speed to catch its prey.

　　Grass water spiders deal swiftly with larger insects like damsel flies by pulling their heads under the water and holding them there until they drown.

　　After a meal, the grass water spider spends up to half an hour grooming(修飾) itself. It wipes its eight eyes, brushes its antennae(觸角), and takes special care to clean the hairs on its body.

　　It is the hairs that trap tiny bubbles(泡沫) of air so that the spider can run down a blade(葉片) of grass and stay underwater for up to an hour when it is frightened. The hairs also keep the spider dry, even underwater.

　　It is only when the female spider is caring for the young that she does not hunt on the water. After mating, she produces a large egg sac(囊), which she carries around for five weeks. Once the eggs start to hatch, she attaches the sac to some blades of grass or a thistle. She then tears the sac open and releases the tiny spiders into the nursery web.

　　1. How does the grass water spider kill its prey?

　　A. in a web B. by drowning C. by poisoning  D. with its antennae

　　2. the writer describes the special spider as “special” because _______.

　　A. it walks on water   B. it has eight eyes

　　C. of its hairy appearance  D. of the way it produces its young

　　3. The passage tells us that the spider ______.

　　A. feeds grass and thistles to its young.

　　B. lives on blades of grass under the water

　　C. lives in the grass on the banks of streams

　　D. eats a meal once every five weeks

　　4. The purpose of the passage is to _______.

　　A. convince readers that spiders are dangerous

　　B. indicate that the grass water spider is endangered

　　C. list all of the spiders that can be found in New Zealand

　　D. describe the characteristics of the grass water spider

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了一種水蜘蛛的生活情況。

　　1. B。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第4段描述by pulling their heads under the water and holding them there until they drown.可推知此題答案為B。

　　2. A。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第1段后面的并列分句by running along the surface of the water.可推知此題答案為A。

　　3. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第2段第1句This special water spider lives on the grassy banks of streams可推知此題答案為C。

　　4. D。主旨題。主文主要介紹了這種水蜘蛛的生活情況，由此可知作者的目的是要讀者了解水蜘蛛的特征，所以選D。

　　(10)

　　Perhaps the most famous theory, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed. In other words, we learn our looks—we are not born with them. A baby has generally informed face features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around-family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some areas of the United States look so much alike, new Englanders or Southerners have certain common face features that cannot be explained by genetics(遺傳學(xué)). The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set. For many, this can be well into grown-ups. A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country area where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Georgia. People in Atlanta, Georgia. People in largely populated areas also smile and greet each other in public less than people in small towns do.

　　1. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance _______.

　　A. has little to do with culture

　　B. has much to do with culture

　　C. is ever changing

　　D. is different from place to place

　　2. According to the passage, the final mouth shape is formed _______.

　　A. before birth      B. as soon as one’s teeth are newly set

　　C. sometime after new teeth are set D. around 15 years old

　　3. Ray Birdwhistell can tell what area of the United States a person is from by _______.

　　A. how much he or she laughs  B. how he or she raises his or her eyebrows

　　C. what he or she likes best   D. the way he or she talks

　　4. This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ________.

　　A. physics B. chemistry  C. biology  D. none of the above

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了人的面目不是生來注定，而是后天習(xí)得的理論。

　　1. B。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第2句physical appearance is often culturally programmed可推知此題答案為B。

　　2. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章中間的句子the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set可推知此題答案為 C。

　　3. A。推斷題。根據(jù)文章末尾部分對各個(gè)地方人笑的多少的歸納可推知此題答案為A。

　　4. D。推斷題。根據(jù)文章的內(nèi)容與選項(xiàng)的比較，發(fā)現(xiàn)選項(xiàng)A、B、C與文章內(nèi)容毫無關(guān)系，從而可推知此題答案為D。

　　(11)

　　Suppose we built a robot to explore the planet Mars. We provide the robot with seeing detectors(探測器) to keep it away from danger. It is powered entirely by the sun. Should we program the robot to be equally active at all times? No, the robot would be using up energy at a time when it was not receiving any. So we would probably program it to stop its activity at night and to wake up at dawn the next morning.

　　According to evolutionary(進(jìn)化的) theory of sleep, evolution equipped us with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking for the same reason. The theory does not deny that sleep provides some important restorative functions. It merely says that evolution has programmed us to perform those functions at a time when activity would be inefficient and possibly dangerous. However, sleep protects us only from the sort of trouble we might walk into; it does not protect us from trouble that comes looking for us. So we sleep well when we are in a familiar, safe place, but we sleep lightly, if at all, when we fear that bears will nose into the tent.

　　The evolutionary theory explain the differences in sleep among creatures. Why do cats, for instance, sleep so much, while horses sleep so little? Surely cats do not need five times as much repair and restoration as horses do. But cats can afford to have long periods of inactivity because they spend little time eating and are unlikely to be attacked while they sleep. Horses must spend almost all their waking hours eating, because what they eat is very low in energy value. Moreover, they cannot afford to sleep too long or too deeply, because their survival depends on their ability to run away from attackers.

　　1. The author uses the example of the robot in space exploration to tell us _______.

　　A. the differences between robots and men

　　B. the reason why men need to sleep

　　C. about the need for robots to save power

　　D. about the danger of men working at night

　　2. Evolution has programmed man to sleep at night chiefly to help him ______.

　　A. keep up a regular pattern of life

　　B. prevent trouble that comes looking for him

　　C. avoid danger and inefficient labor

　　D. restore his bodily functions

　　3. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

　　A. Evolution has equipped all creatures with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking.

　　B. The study of sleep is an important art of the evolutionary theory.

　　C. Sleeping patterns must be taken into consideration in the designing of robots.

　　D. The sleeping pattern of a living creature is determined by the food it eats.

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了有關(guān)睡覺進(jìn)化論方面的知識。

　　1. B。推斷題。根據(jù)文章第2段第1句evolution equipped us with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking for the same reason可推知此題答案為B。

　　2. C。推斷題。根據(jù)文章第2段第3句when activity would be inefficient and possibly dangerous可推知此題答案為C。

　　3. A。推斷題。根據(jù)文章第2段第1句和第3段第1句可推知此題答案為 A。

　　(12)

　　Believe it or not, optical illusion(錯(cuò)覺) can cut highway crashes.

　　Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. But stripes, called chevrons(人字形), painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.

　　Now the American Automobile Association Foundation(基金會) for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.

　　Excessive (too great) speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards (danger) are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.

　　Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.

　　Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.

　　1. The passage mainly discusses ________.

　　A. a new way of highway speed control

　　B. a new pattern for painting highways

　　C. a new way of training drivers

　　D. a new type of optical illusion

　　2. On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ________.

　　A. they should avoid speed-related hazards

　　B. they are driving in the wrong lane

　　C. they should slow down their speed

　　D. they are coming near to the speed limit

　　3. The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ________.

　　A. can keep drivers awake B. can cut road accidents in half

　　C. will look more attractive D. will have a longer effect on drivers

　　4. The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________.

　　A. try out the Japanese method in certain areas

　　B. change the road signs across the country

　　C. replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons

　　D. repeat the Japanese road patterns

　　5. What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads?

　　A. They are suitable only on broad roads.

　　B. They are falling out of use in the United States.

　　C. They are ignored in a long period of time.

　　D. They cannot be used successfully to traffic circles.

　　【答案解析】

　　為了控制車速，減少交通事故，美國決定在公路上畫人字形標(biāo)志。

　　1. A。主旨題。通讀全文，我們可以知道，在高速公路上畫各種線是為了讓司機(jī)覺得車速過快，從而達(dá)到控制車速的目的。

　　2. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。由But stripes, called chevrons (人字形), painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.可知C項(xiàng)正確。

　　3. D。推斷題。由最后兩段對比可知，人字形線比直線、平等線對控制車速有更長久的影響。

　　4. A。細(xì)節(jié)題。 根據(jù)paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country，可知他們在精心挑選的幾條路上試驗(yàn)日本的模式。

　　5. C。推斷題。根據(jù) However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars 可知。

　　(13)

　　The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病) that flesh receives.

　　The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses(病毒) 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 explorers 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(戰(zhàn)壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.?

　　In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp(奧斯維辛集中營), naked and starving, 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 hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty 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 in his nose.?

　　If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains—taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.?

　　No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片) such as aspirin, but all they do is to relieve the symptoms(癥狀).?

　　1. The writer offered _______ examples to support his argument.?

　　A. 4      B. 5      C. 6       D. 3

　　2. Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage??

　　A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.?

　　B. Colds are not caused by cold.?

　　C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.?

　　D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already had one.

　　3. Arctic explorers may catch colds when ________.

　　A. they are working in the isolated Arctic regions?

　　B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather?

　　C. they are free from work in the isolated Arctic regions?

　　D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world

　　4. The passage mainly discusses ________.

　　A. the experiments on the common cold

　　B. the fallacy about the common cold?

　　C. the reason and the way people catch colds

　　D. the continued spread of common colds

　　【答案解析】

　　本文為議論文。闡述了“感冒不是由寒冷引起的”觀點(diǎn)。

　　1. B。細(xì)節(jié)題。作者舉了5個(gè)例子來說明自己的觀點(diǎn)：Eskimos; explorers in isolated Arctic regions; soldiers during the First World War; prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp; volunteers in Experiments.

　　2. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。選項(xiàng)A、B、D均與原文相符(見第二段)，而選項(xiàng)C顯然與文中的You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. 不相符，故選C。

　　3. D。細(xì)節(jié)題 從 …explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside  中可以知道，這些探險(xiǎn)者是因?yàn)榕c外界接觸而感冒的。

　　4. B。主旨題。第二段的第一、二句The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not.是本文的主題句。全文主要闡述了“感冒不是由寒冷引起的”這一觀點(diǎn)。

　　(14)

　　Zinc(鋅) is one of about 20 elements necessary for good health. It is present in the body in a very small amount but makes it possible for important chemical actions to be carried out in cells. Scientists are just beginning to discover how zinc and other elements work.

　　Researchers first studied zinc as a way to speed recovery. Dr. Waltor Powys formerly with the United States Air Force noted that the laboratory animals recovered faster when some matters were added to their food. One of these matters was zinc. Dr. Powys later tested the zinc treatment on an American airman recovering from medical operations. The airman who received zinc sulphate(硫酸鹽) recovered in half of the usual time. Other doctors studied persons who had a number of strange disorders. The doctors learned that all of these problems were caused by lack of zinc in the body. They treated these disorders successfully by giving the patients zinc sulphate.

　　The amount of zinc in the body can be found by examining blood and hair. A lack of this important element is not uncommon among people in both industrial and developing countries. Zinc is found in most high protein(蛋白質(zhì)) foods such as meat, milk, fish and eggs. It is also found in whole grains. But many people do not eat enough of these food. Food markets should add these elements so that more people could get needed amount of these necessary matters.

　　1. Which of the following statements is true?

　　A. Scientists found how zinc works a long time ago.

　　B. People need a large amount of zinc to be healthy.

　　C. Zinc allows important chemical actions to take place in cells.

　　D. Zinc must be used in the course of medical operation.

　　2. One of the results from the study of zinc is that _______.

　　A. there’s only a little zinc in the human body

　　B. food rich in protein contains more zinc

　　C. some physical problems are caused by lack of zinc

　　D. any patient who receives zinc sulphate gets well immediately

　　3. The best title for the passage may be _______.

　　A. A New Discovery      B. Zinc and Health

　　C. How Zinc Works      D. Add Zinc to Your Food

　　【答案解析】

　　本文是說明文，講述了鋅對人體的保健作用。

　　1. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù) …but makes it possible for important chemical actions to he carried out in cells.可推知此題答案為C。

　　2. C。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)The doctors learned that all of these problems were caused by lack of zinc in the body. 可推知此題答案為C。

　　3. B。主旨題。根據(jù)第一句(主題句) Zinc(鋅)is one of about 20 elements necessary for good health.可推知。

　　(17)

　　According to a famous optical(光學(xué)) expert, Alexander, who recently visited Shanghai, the developed countries in Europe and America have made rules that children must wear resinous(樹脂) glasses instead of the traditional glasses made of glass. This is because the glass glasses are more likely to do harm to children’s eyesight.

　　Alexander pointed out: wearing the right glasses as soon as possible is still the best way to cure and put right children’s eyesight problems.

　　In America and Japan the resinous glasses have taken up 80 percent of the glasses market. And some European countries and America have made it a law that children, teenagers and drivers must wear resinous glasses. Now, about 10 million children in China have different eyesight problems and they need timely treatment.

　　But still, too many parents are buying the traditional glass glasses for their children. This is mainly because many parents know little or nothing about the good points of the resinous glasses. Besides, the price for the new glasses is a little higher than the traditional ones.

　　1. This news article mainly wants to tell us _______.

　　A. Alexander visited China and introduced a new type of glasses

　　B. we should wear resinous glasses instead of glass glasses

　　C. resinous glasses are popular in Europe and America

　　D. glasses can be made of other materials instead of glass

　　2. According to Alexander, the “timely treatment” to eyesight problems is _______.

　　A. to stop wearing glass glasses any more

　　B. to buy a pair of glasses and wear them right away

　　C. to wear suitable resinous glasses at the right time

　　D. to buy glasses made in Europe, Japan or America if possible

　　3. It can be inferred from this news text that _______.

　　A. resinous glasses are not on sale in China yet

　　B. resinous glasses are not acceptable in China

　　C. glass glasses have disappeared on western market because there is a law against them

　　D. glass glasses are the first choice in China not only because of their price

　　【答案解析】

　　本文指出：傳統(tǒng)的玻璃眼鏡可能對眼睛產(chǎn)生很大的危害，目前世界上很多國家都在使用樹脂眼鏡，并建議中國小孩也使用樹脂眼鏡。

　　1. B。主旨題。根據(jù)文章第 1 段第 1 句 …children must wear resinous(樹脂) glasses instead of the traditional glasses made of glass 可推知此題答案為 B。

　　2. C。推斷題。根據(jù)文章第 2 段 …wearing the right glasses as soon as possible is still the best way to cure and put right children’s eyesight problems 可推知此題答案為 C。

　　3. D。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第 4 段第 2 句 This is mainly because many parents know little or nothing about the good points of the resinous glasses 可推知此題答案為 D。

　　(18)

　　With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物種). That’s similar to what Texas A＆M University researchers have been undertaking(負(fù)責(zé)) for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.

　　Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen(氮). If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A＆M’S College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.

　　It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds and reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.

　　Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.

　　The entire procedure(過程) could take from three to five years to complete.

　　“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy(having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A＆M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.

　　“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”

　　1. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to_______.

　　A. make effort to clone the endangered pandas

　　B. save endangered animals from dying out

　　C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study

　　D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another

　　2. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.

　　A. available panda eggs     B. host animals

　　C. qualified researchers     D. enough money

　　3. The best title for the passage may be _______.

　　A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning

　　B. The First Cloned Panda in the World

　　C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas

　　D. China — the Native Place of Pandas Forever

　　4. From the passage we know that _______.

　　A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a cat

　　B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a tiger

　　C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches

　　D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in about a century

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了科學(xué)家們正在運(yùn)用克隆技術(shù)拯救如中國的大熊貓這種即將絕種的動物。

　　1.B。推斷題。根據(jù)文章第1段中所說save the endangered species及第2句的That’s similar to what Texas A ＆ M University可推知此題答案為B。

　　2.A。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第4段中Kraemer所說的話可推知此題答案為A。

　　3.C。主旨題。根據(jù)文章第1段及全文內(nèi)容可歸納出此題答案為C。

　　4.D。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第3段第1句可推知此題答案為D。