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阅读理解专题卷13
There is a famous story about British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was writing a poem when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.
This was an age before telephones. Someone was delivering a message. When Coleridge got back to his poem, he had lost his inspiration. His poetic mood had been broken by the knock on his door. His unfinished poem, which could otherwise have been a masterpiece, would now never be more than a fragment (片段).
This story tells how unexpected communication can destroy an important thought，which brings us to the cellphone.
The most common complaint about cellphones is that people talk on them to the annoyance of people around them. But more damaging may be the cellphone’s disruption (中断) of our thoughts.
We have already entered a golden age of little white lies about our cellphones, and this is by and large a healthy, protective development. “I didn’t hear it ring” or “I didn’t realize my phone had shut off” are among the lies we tell to give ourselves space where we’re beyond reach.
The notion of being unreachable is not a new concept – we have “Do Not Disturb” signs on the doors of hotel rooms. So why must we feel guilty when it comes to cellphones? Why must we apologize if we decide to shut off the phone for a while?
The problem is that we come from a long-established tradition of difficulty with distance communication. Until the recent mass deployment (使用) of cellphones, it was easy to communicate with someone next to us or a few feet away, but difficult with someone across town, the country or the globe. We came to take it for granted.
But cellphones make long-distance communication common, and endanger our time by ourselves. Now time alone, or a conversation with someone next to us which cannot be interrupted by a phone, is something to be cherished. Even cellphone devotees, myself usually included, can’t help at times wanting to throw their phone away, or curse the day they were invented.
But we don’t and won’t, and there really is no need. All that’s required to take back our private time is a general social recognition that we have the right to it. In other words, we have to develop a healthy contempt (轻视) for the rings of our own phones. Given the ease of making and receiving cellphone calls, if we don’t talk to the caller right now, we surely will shortly later.
A cellphone call deserves no greater priority (优先考虑的事) than a random (随机的) word from the person next to us. Though the call on my cellphone may be the one–in–a–million from Steven Spielberg–who has finally read my novel and wants to make it his next movie. But most likely it is not, and I’m better off thinking about the idea I just had for a new story, or the slice of pizza I’ll eat for lunch.
1．What is the point of the anecdote（轶事，趣闻） about the poet Coleridge in the first three paragraphs?
A. To direct readers’ attention to the main topic.
B. To show how important inspiration is to a poet.
C. To emphasize the disadvantage of not having a cellphone.
D. To encourage readers to read the works of this poet.
2．What does the writer think about people telling “white lies” about their cellphones?
A. It is a way of signaling that you don’t like the caller.
B. It is natural to tell lies about small things.
C. It is basically a good way to protect one’s privacy.
D. We should feel guilty when we can’t tell the truth.
3．According to the author, what is the most annoying problem caused by cellphones?
A. People get annoyed by the cellphone rings that they fail to notice anything else.
B. People feel guilty when they are not able to answer their cellphones.
C. Cellphones interrupt people’s private time.
D. With cellphones it is no longer possible to be unreachable.
4．What does the last paragraph suggest?
A. A person who calls us from afar deserves more of our attention.
B.Steven Spielberg once called the author to talk about the author’s novel.
C. You should always finish your lunch before you answer a call on the cellphone.
D. Never let cellphones interfere too much with your life.
Agricultural experts met in Ethiopia last week to discuss ways to help sub-Saharan Africa become a major producer of wheat. The area traditionally produced little wheat, while North Africa was the grain basket.
Wheat production fell sharply in sub-Saharan countries during the 1980s. In the 1960s, attempts were made to grow wheat in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa and Zimbabwe. But those countries found it was less costly to import wheat from Europe and the United States. Another problem is that Africa's wheat farms were often far from population centers. There also were transportation issues. And some lowlands were not a good place to grow wheat.
Hans Joachim Braun ,one of the experts, says now is a good time to increase wheat production. In the last four years we have seen three major price hikes, where the wheat price and other staple process (主食加工）exploded. And that puts a big, big bill on countries which are depending on wheat imports, and Africa is the biggest wheat importer.
He also says demand for wheat in sub-Saharan Africa is growing faster than for any other crop. With higher income people would like to have more diversified(多样化）food. But that is possible not the most important one. The most important one is that there is a tremendous migration(移民）of in particular male labor to the cities. And wheat products are convenient food because you can easily buy it. It's easy to process and you also can store it for a few days, which is different from some of the maize and rice products.
There are three possible challenges for growing more wheat in Africa： climate change, disease and pests, like insects. Mr. Braun says rising temperatures should not have a major effect on wheat. In fact, he says, it could help wheat grow in areas with high rainfall totals. As for fighting disease and pests, experts suggest growing more resistant crops. In addition, railroads and roads would have to be improved so large amounts of wheat could be moved to large markets.
5．What does the word "hikes" in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A. big changes B. large increases C. long trips D. big bills
6．Wheat price exploding indicates_____.
A.sub-Saharan countries need to increase wheat production badly
B.sub-Saharan countries have to issue more money
C.sub-Saharan countries should grow more Corn
D.importing much wheat is urgent
7．Why is there a higher demand for wheat in sub-Saharan Africa？
A.Because the number of hungry people there is increasing.
B.Because higher income people have the diversified need of food.
C.Because male labor are crowding into the cities.
D.Because the wheat price is lower.
8．According to Mr. Braun the main challenges for growing more wheat in Africa are_____.
A.climate change and disease
B.resistant crops and climate change
C.rising temperatures and disease and pests
D.disease and pests and inconvenient transportation
A 16-year-old boy finds himself on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after escaping a shipwreck(海难). Even worse, he is left with a huge tiger for company. But he manages to survive after 227 days of fighting against all the hardships of the sea.
Pi, the lead character in Oscar-winning Ang Lee’s new movie Life of Pi, went through an inspiring journey of growth and self-discovery. So did 19-year-old Suraj Sharma, the Indian actor who plays him.
But it was a lucky chance that opened up the opportunity for the new star. Sharma was a regular student who lived with his mathematician parents in Delhi, India. As the director traveled to Mumbai to find his Pi, the teenager went along with his younger brother, who had acted in a couple of movies, to audition(试镜). But little did Sharma know that he would end up winning the role from 3, 000 hopefuls.
Lee said he saw Pi in Sharma: “Not only does he have a compelling and wise look. He has this rare talent.” The director said that in the final round, Sharma gave one of the “most compelling readings we had. In the end, he was in tears.” Understandably, Sharma didn’t want to let Lee down. “He (Lee) had given me this opportunity. I had to give it my best,” Sharma told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Sharma swam for four or five hours a day until he was completely comfortable with the water. He also worked on his body because he had to first gain weight and then quickly lose weight as the story developed. He even had rats run all over him to prepare for his role. Lee was impressed by the teenager, especially his endurance and patience in staying in a water tank for many hours each day. Sharma was only 16 when Lee signed him. After three years of shooting, Sharma said he had matured with Pi’s journey.
9．What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. To introduce the topic of the passage.
B. To appeal to readers to watch a movie.
C. To attract readers to continue reading.
D. To suggest the theme of this passage.
10．We can know from the passage that ________.
A. Sharma wanted to become a mathematician
B. Sharma had acted in a couple of movies
C. Sharma was sure to win in the audition
D. Many teenagers wanted to act the role Pi
11．What does the phrase “to let somebody down” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. To make somebody disappointed.
B. To seat somebody down.
C. To reject somebody’s requirement.
D. To take down somebody’s information.
12．Which of the following words can be used to describe Sharma?
A. Confident and passionate.
B. Talented and diligent.
C. Strong and courageous.
D. Endurable and easily-excited.
13．The passage is intended to introduce ________.
A. the thrilling escape from a shipwreck
B. how an Oscar-winning movie attracts audience
C. a young actor became matured when acting in a movie
D. the difficulty in winning a role in a movie
There is a common belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever considered spelling unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, quite different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority (优先) it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is how to encourage a child to express himself freely in writing without holding him back with spelling.
If spelling becomes the only point of his teacher's interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to "play safe". He will write only words within his spelling range. That's why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: "This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling mistakes." It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupils' technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad thing for the teacher who had omitted (略过)to read the composition, which contained some beautiful expressions of the child's deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the mistakes, but if his priority had centered on the child's ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more hope to seek improvement.
14．Teachers differ in their opinions about _______ .
A. the difficulties in teaching spelling
B. the necessity of teaching spelling
C. the importance of the basic writing skills
D. the role of spelling in general language development
15．The expression "play safe" probably means ______.
A. to write carefully
B. to avoid using words one is not sure of
C. to use dictionaries frequently
D. to do as teachers say
16．Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that______.
A. students will be able to express their ideas more freely.
B. teachers will have less trouble in correcting mistakes.
C. students will have more trust in writing.
D. students will learn to spell words correctly.
17．The main idea of the passage is _______.
A. the importance of developing writing skills
B. the importance of spelling
C. the correct way of marking composition
D. the relationship between spelling and the content of a composition
Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in an Arkansas town on New Year’s Eve after massive injuries, tests by Arkansas officials concluded on Monday. Some 5,000 birds mysteriously fell from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas after dark on New Year’s Eve. “The birds suffered from acute physical injuries leading to internal hemorrhage（大量出血） and death. There was no sign of infectious disease,” the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement. The birds were otherwise healthy, it said.
One theory is that birds were frightened by New Year's fireworks and flew into buildings or other objects. “Loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky,” the statement said, adding that blackbirds have poor night vision and seldom fly at night.
Another theory was that severe weather such as lightning accounted for the loud noises but this was discounted because the violent weather had already left the area. “We’re leaning more toward a stress event," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens.
The commission also is trying to determine what caused the deaths of up to 100,000 fish over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near a dam in Ozark, 125 miles west of Beebe. The fish were discovered on December 30. Stephens said the commission expected results on the fish tests in probably a month. Since almost all the fish were one species -- bottom-feeding drum, Stephens said, the test was very important. Stephens also said: “The events do not appear related.” Both that section of the river and the air at the site of the bird deaths were tested for toxins(毒素). Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital.
18．What is NOT the probable reason why the dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky?
A. Internal hemorrhage B. Fireworks
C. Lightning weather D. Murder
19．In the third paragraph, the underlined word discounted probably mean________.
A. not to reduce cost B. not to believe
C. to make up a part D. to explain mystery
20．According to Stephens, we can infer the probable cause of the dead fish is _________.[来
A. cold weather B. poor management
C. disease D. lack of food
21．The passage is mainly developed by __________.
A. analyzing causes B. making comparisons
C. examining differences D. following the time order
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