2014云南楚雄高考模拟试题阅读理解练习

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　　阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)

　　第一节(共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)

　　阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

　　A

　　The malls were filled with people seeking gifts for their loved ones. Some of the malls remained open around the clock, partly to satisfy our needs to buy gifts.

　　Behind the materialistic aspect of shopping for gifts lies the idea of caring, being attentive to the desires of special people in our lives. However, to use a well-worn play on words: it is our presence, not our presents, that truly counts. Many of us, unfortunately, can be so inattentive, even in the presence of our loved ones, that we might as well not be there at all.

　　Attention is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other. Companies around the globe spend billions every year on advertising to catch our attention for just a short moment at a time. Whole industries-media, entertainment, education-rely on the precious gift of our attention for their continued existence. A baby lacking attention for a long time is likely to be psychologically unhealthy.

　　In earlier times, both diet and attention could be left unregulated(没人管的)without major cause for concern. There were natural checks and balances: limited availability of food meant few got fat, for example. Similarly, in bygone times we might have spent a few hours communicating with the village storyteller, today，watching an entire TV series, while speaking to nobody, is common. In traditional societies, with smaller population, everyone would get a fair deal of attention. On many issues we might go to see Grandma or Grandpa; now we have Google and Wikipedia.

　　“She just wants attention.” people tend to think little of those doing things simply for attention. But the truth is that human beings need attention, and giving attention to each other is, to a large extent, what human civilization is based upon. This perhaps explains the runaway success(一举成功)of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. While we use such sites for “micro blogging”， “idea voicing” and “status updates” -the reality is that we are often doing no more or less than fulfilling our basic human drive for attention exchange. which we can now get and give attention is why many people appear overly attached to their smartphones. It is also a vicious(恶性)circle. As ever more people are busy exchanging attention online, there is increasingly less attention to be paid in the real world, which forces more people to seek their attention exchange online, or else risk attention-starvation.

　　The very nature of attention exchange is being rapidly transformed, and there is a danger that some of us will develop unhealthy practices. Just as eating red meat every day is a bad idea, so it is with too much attention exchange. The biological consequences of our technological advancement in food production are highly visible; heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The consequences of our transformed attention exchanges will be psychological and social, and so may take longer to identify, but they will be equally damaging.

　　Face-to-face attention is becoming rarer, and therefore more valuable. In a sense it is priceless. And it is a gift that can be given all-year-round.

　　36.In the first two paragraphs the author________.

　　A.offers advice to attention givers B.analyses the present problems

　　C.states the necessity of presents D.puts forward his point of view

　　37.Attention exchange was not a major concern in traditional societies because of________.

　　A.limited availability of food B.natural checks and balances

　　C.a much smaller population D.the guidance from old people

　　38.What can we infer from Paragraph 6～7?

　　A.More people will risk attention-starvation in future.

　　B.The nature of attention exchange is rarely changed.

　　C.Technological advancement contributes to all diseases.

　　D.Transformed attention exchanges do harm to society.

　　39.The writer’s purpose for writing the passage is to________.

　　A.advocate more focus on real life attention

　　B.analyze the necessity of attention giving

　　C.give practical tips on attention exchange

　　D.recommend some social networking sites

　　B

　　The movies just wouldn't be the same without the warm buttery taste of popcorn. Amazingly, this delicious treat started its life as a corn kernel (玉米粒) , not just from any corn. Popcorn is a type of sweet corn that was originally grown in Mexico and spread to China, India and elsewhere. It is the only kind of corn that will pop. Today, most of the world's popcorn is grown in the United States.

　　Every popcorn kernel contains a tiny drop of water，surrounded by soft starch (淀粉). When the popcorn is heated, the water turns into steam. This puts pressure on the surrounding hard kernel, forcing it to explode. The soft starch increases about 40 times in size as the corn kernel turns itself inside out.

　　In the 1500s popcorn was an important food source for the Aztec Indians of central and southern Mexico. But it wasn't only food. It was also used in ceremonies or on red dresses and in necklaces. By the time the Europeans arrived in America，popcorn had spread through most of the American Indians.

　　Some early American settlers ate popcorn with cream and sugar for breakfast.But it wasn't until the late 1800s that popcorn became popular. The demand for popcorn increased and farmers began farming popcorn. The first mobile popping machine was invented in 1885, and popcorn was sold by street sellers' much like hot dogs that are sold today.

　　During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the popcorn business still as people could still afford it. Then in the 1950s television arrived and popcorn consumption decreased. People stayed home and stopped going to the theatre. But the link between movies and popcorn had already existed. Soon people began making popcorn at home on the stove and, later，microwave popcorn was introduced.

　　Today the movies have regained popularity and popcorn has once again become the favorite.

　　40.Popcorn was first planted in________.

　　A.China B.America C.India D.Mexico

　　41.Why does the corn kernel pop when heated?

　　A. Because it is covered with soft starch.

　　B. Because the pressure inside is too big.

　　C. Because the starch becomes bigger in size.

　　D. Because there is water inside the kernel.

　　42.We can know from the passage that________.

　　A. popcorn began to be farmed in the late 1800s

　　B. popcorn was only a kind of food in the 1500s

　　C. hot dogs used to be sold by street sellers

　　D. people stop eating popcorn while watching movies now

　　43.The underlined word “thrived” in the fifth paragraph probably means“________”.

　　A. started to disappear B. was seriously affected

　　C. suffered a lot D. developed very well

　　C

　　Do lobsters, crabs (蟹) or other crustaceans (甲壳纲动物) feel pain? We certainly act as if they don't. Most chefs cook lobsters and crabs alive, usually by dumping them in boiling water, along with melted butter. That's the appeal of crustaceans- there's no fresher food. We may feel a bit of guilt, or maybe just discomfort, when we hear the creatures rattling(发出咔嗒咔嗒的声音) around the inside of the pot as the water boils. open a claw and dig out the delicious meat. We wouldn't dream of doing the same thing to a live chicken or pig which is dead well before the cooking process begins, but those crustaceans are different. They don't even feel pain. Right?

　　Actually, they just might. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.Robert W. Elwood and Barry Magee of Queen's University in Belfast examined the reaction of common shore crabs to small electrical shocks.

　　Ninety crabs were placed in a brightly lit area and were given the choice of moving to one of two dark shelters. (Shore crabs like to hide in dark, tight spaces. ) Once they'd made their choice, the crabs in one of the shelters were exposed to an electric shock. After a rest period, the crabs were returned to the lit tank. Most of the crabs went back into the dark shelters, and then the same crabs were given another electric shock. When they were placed back into the lit tank for the third time, the majority of the shocked crabs instead went to the other dark shelter, avoiding the one where they had repeatedly been shocked.

　　As Elwood put it, the crabs' choice indicated they wanted to escape the shocks: having experienced two rounds of shocks, the crabs learned to avoid the shelter where they received the shock. They were willing to give up their hideaway in order to avoid the source of their probable pain.

　　44.According to the author, people cook the crab alive due to the belief that________.

　　A. it is not guilty to treat a crab cruelly

　　B. it is too hard to kill a crab

　　C. a crab doesn't feel pain as a chicken or a pig does

　　D. the crab is a kind of popular and healthy seafood

　　45.The underlined word “dissolves” in Paragraph I probably means“________”.

　　A. becomes weaker B. strengthens gradually

　　C. comes into being D. remains unchanged

　　46.In the experiment, the shore crabs________.

　　A. were placed into two dark shelters B. were given electric shocks in the lit tank

　　C. were able to choose which shelter to go to D. were put into the lit tank twice

　　47.What does Robert W. Elwood and Barry Magee's new study prove?

　　A. It is hard to tell whether a voiceless shore crab is feeling pain or not.

　　B. Shore crabs react to electric shocks and seemingly feel pain.

　　C. Shore crabs prefer a dark, tight shelter as their habitat.

　　D. Bright light causes discomfort to crustaceans

　　D

　　Best Learning English, established in 2010, now has 30 training centers and more than 10,000 students across China. “We plan to expand to 100 training centers by 2015 ，”said its CEO Wang Ning.

　　Riverdeep International Education Inc, Best Learning English's major competitor, has also enjoyed rapid growth, expanding to more than 140 training centers since 2007.

　　The fast expansion of high-end children's English education is a result of a more global outlook among China's new generation of parents.

　　“Young Chinese parents care about whether their children have an international outlook，”said Zhang Yuanmeng, director of China Research Center for Children's Industry. “The market for high-end English education companies is huge, as Chinese parents believe their children have to deal with competitors all over the world when they grow up，”she said. And this is a sector which is proving attractive to investors.Best Learning English attracted 100 million yuan in its first round of financing in October.

　　However, these companies still need to overcome a number of problems if they want to ensure their further growth.

　　“Human resource management is the primary problem for growing English education companies，” said Zhang. “The business requires high-quality teachers, not only with language skills, but also teaching skills and an understanding of Western culture. The lack of teachers in big cities is more obvious, since the market is larger there，”she added. “But the good news is that Chinese education companies are recruiting (招募) more teachers from English-speaking countries who are looking for work due to the economic crisis in the West.”

　　48.Why is high-end children's English education expanded fast in China?

　　A. High-end English education companies have no competitors.

　　B. Children want to deal with competitors all over the world.

　　C. China's new generation of parents have a more global outlook.

　　D. More teachers from English-speaking countries come to China.

　　49.What's the main difficulty for growing English education companies?

　　A. The severe competition among competitors.

　　B. The economic crisis in the West.

　　C. The shortage of fund.

　　D. The lack of high-quality teachers.

　　50.What's Zhang Yuanmeng's attitude to the further growth of English education companies?

　　A. Worried. B. Optimistic. C. Negative. D. Unconcerned.