高中英语黄金阅读理解试题(高二版).doc

高中英语黄金阅读(高二版)
Golden Reading for Senior Middle School Students
一、人物类

(1)
puter programmer David Jones earned ￡35, 000 a year designing new puter games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card. Instead, he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.
He works for a small firm in Liverpool, where most young people of his age are finding jobs. David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Though he has high payment, he cannot drive a car, or get credit cards(信用卡).
David got his job four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels(普通成绩) and working for a time in a puter shop. “I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs, ” he said.
“I suppose ￡35, 000 sounds a lot but I hope it will e to more than that this year.” He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother ￡20 a week as he lives with his parents. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately, puting was not part of our studies at school, ” he said. “But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway. I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”
1. Why is David so different from other young people of his age?
A. He earns an extremely high payment B. He has got a job
C. He lives at home with his parents D. He does not go out much
2. David’s greatest problem is that _______.
A. he can’t be treated as an adult by the bank B. he doesn’t make as many games as he wishes
C. he doesn’t know what to buy with the money D. he is too young to drive a car
3. He was employed by the pany because _______.
A. he had worked in a puter shop B. he had written some puter programs
C. he is clever and works hard at his lessons D. he had learnt to use puters at school
4. He left school after taking six O-levels because _______.
A. he was afraid of getting too old to start puting B. he did not enjoy school
C. he wanted to work with puters D. he wanted to earn a lot of money
5. Why does David think he might retire early?
A. He thinks puter games might not always sell so well B. He wants to stop working when he is a millionaire
C. One has to be young to write puter programs D. He thinks his firm might close down
(2)
If Catlin was the painter of the American Indians and Bierstadt the painter of the Rocky Mountains, the artist of the Western cowboys and settlers was Remington. Born in New York, the son of a wealthy publisher, Remington was a boxer and a football player at Yale University — the last man would expect to bee the artist of the Old West. But as a boy he loved horses and fed on the journals of some famous writers.
At the age of nineteen, he left college to look for adventures. He traveled from Montana to Texas as a prospector(勘探者). Remington had always been interested in journalism. Now he began to write about and to paint and draw what he saw. The subject of the “Winning of the West” attracted the East. Magazines and newspapers were filled with account of prospectors’ adventures, and of battles with cattle thieves and other outlaws — all the tales that were then news and have bee legends since. There were also stories by many other writers. Often these were presented by drawings and paintings from Remington’s hand, but it was as a successful journalist that Remington was a great artist.
1. In his pictures, Remington often painted _______.
       A. the prospectors’ stories  B. mountains and rivers C. horse races           D. American Indians
2. From the text, we can learn that Remington based his art on the _______.
       A. stories he had read in the newspaper        B. things he had seen and experienced
       C. ideas he had learned at Yale University        D. paintings he had copied from early settlers
3. During his youth, Remington _______.
A. showed his gift as an artist B. was influenced by his father
       C. enjoyed sports and reading D. learned journalism at Yale University
4. The paragraphs before this passage most probably discussed _______.
A. cowboys in American art history    B. works of Catlin and Bierstadt
C. the problem of “Winning the West”   D. magazines about the west
(3)
American magician David Blaine left the glass box in which he had lived for 44 days without food on October 19. Hundreds of people came to watch the end of his starvation experiment, which had bee one of London’s main tourist attractions.
Looking thinner and darker, 30 year-old Blaine was taken out of his box over the River Thames(泰晤士河) and immediately sent to hospital. He was then slowly reintroduced to food, a process(过程) doctors said could be life threatening. He had been drinking only water since September 5.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Blaine first became known as a street magician in the early 1990s. He soon found himself doing magic tricks in bars for the likes of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his super model friends.
Over the last decade Blaine has bee famous with a bination of breathtaking magic and clever tricks aimed at getting a lot of attention.
In 1999, he was buried in a coffin (棺材) for one week and, in 2000, he spent 62 hours in a giant block of ice. Last year he stood on the top of a 25-meter pillar(柱子) in the center of New York for 35 hours before jumping into a pile of boxes.
“I think a lot of people are unable to accept that they’re able to do what they can do,” he said. “They don’t realize we can survive. The human being is an amazing creation.”
But he seemed to have suffered from spending so long in the glass box. He said that at times he was unable to see, had serious back pains and lost his sense of taste.
1. It is ________ for David Blaine to eat food after such a long starvation.
A. pleasant B. delicious C. dangerous D. important
2. Having spent such a long time in the glass box, he suffered the following EXCEPT that ________.
A. he had bee blind B. he had serious back pains
C. he lost his sense of taste D. he was in weak health
3. Which of the following can best describe David Blaine?
A. Brave. B. Adventurous. C. Mad. D. Crazy.
4. Which of the following is NOT true of David Blaine?
A. Blaine was immediately sent to hospital after he was taken out of his box because he was in dangerous condition.
B. Blaine was born and brought up in England.
C. In Blaine’s opinion, people can create a wonder.
D. Blaine didn’t have any food for 44 days.
(4)
Film stars may e and go, but Paul Newman’s career(事业) is long-lasting. Newman has worked in films for 40 years. His most recent one opened in December.
The film is called “Nobody’s Fool”. Newman plays a 60-year-old construction worker named Sully. To some people, Sully seems to be a loser. But he has a lot of charm(魅力). His life changes when his son es to town. Late in life, Sully learns to grow up.
“I’ve played a lot of characters and the character I play in 'Nobody’s Fool’ is closer to me than any other role I’ve done,” says Newman.
Newman turned 70 years old on January 26, 1998. “Nobody’s Fool” is his 52nd film. He has won two Oscars in his career.
Newman has found success in other aspects(方面) of life. He has been married for 36 years. He took up car racing at the age of 47 and won prizes.
Twelve years ago, he started a food pany called Newman’s Own. He gives away all his money helping the poor.
1. The underlined sentence implies _______.
A. many film stars leave the screen after they’ve bee successful
B. It is not easy for a film star to lose his or her charm
C. not all film stars can remain famous for a long time
D. film stars are successful not only on the screen
2. Newman likes the character of Sully because _______.
A. he finds a lot in the character that is new to him B. he likes playing an ordinary person
C. he has never played such a wonderful role D. he sees more of himself in Sully
3. Newman was born in the _______.
A. 1920s B. 1930s C. 1940s D. 1950s
4. The writer wrote this passage mainly to _______.
A. prove that a person can be successful in many ways B. show us a most recent film by Paul Newman
C. introduce a famous film star, Paul Newman D. tell us about Sully, a movie character in a recent film
(5)
It was early morning. Peter Corbett helped Mark Wellman out of his wheelchair and onto the ground. They stood before El Capitan, a huge mass of rock almost three-quarters of a mile high in California’s beautiful Yosemite Valley. It had been Mark’s dream to climb El Capitan for as long as he could remember. But how could a person without the use of his legs hope to try to climb it?
Mark knew he couldn’t finish the climb alone, but his friend Peter, an expert rock climber, would be there to lend a helping hand. He and Mark thought that it would take seven days to reach the top.
Peter climbed about 100 feet up and hammered a piton(岩钉) into the rock. Fastening one end of a 165-foot rope to the piton, he let one end of the rope fall down. Mark caught the rope and fastened it to his belt with a special instrument. This instrument would allow Mark to move upward, but would prevent him from falling even as much as a single inch. He next reached above his head and fastened a T-shaped bar to the rope, using the same kind of instrument.
Mark took a deep breath, pushed the T-bar up almost as far as his arms could reach, and began the first of the 7, 000 pull-ups needed to reach the top. High above, Peter let out a cheer. “You’re on your way.”
Seven years before, at the age of twenty-one, Mark had fallen while mountain climbing, injuring his backbone. The fall cost him the use of his legs, but he never lost his love of adventure or his joyful spirit.
For the first four days the two men progressed steadily upward without incident. But on the fifth day an unbearably hot wind began to blow, and as time went by, it became stronger and stronger, causing Mark to sway(摇摆) violently on his rope. But Mark kept on determinedly pushing up the T-bar and pulling himself up. In spite of that, he had to admit that he felt a lot better when the wind finally died down and his body touched solid rock again.
It took them one day more than they had expected, but on July 26 at 1:45 in the afternoon, the crowd of people waiting on the top went wild with joy as the two heads appeared. Mark Wellman had shown that if you set your heart and mind on a goal, no wall is too high, no dream impossible.
1. What had Mark Wellman long desired to do?
A. To finish one of the most difficult rock climbs in the world. B. To be the first to climb El Capitan.
C. To climb the highest mountain in California. D. To help his friend Peter climb El Capitan.
2. How did Mark climb the mountain?
A. He fastened the rope to his wheelchair. B. He hammered in pitons so that he had something to hold on to.
C. He held on to the T-bar and Peter pulled him up. D. He pulled himself up using a T-bar and special equipment.
3. How did Mark lose the use of his legs?
A. He lost his footing and fell from the side of a mountain. B. He fell during his first attempt on El Capitan.
C. His legs were broken by falling rocks. D. While working out in the gym, he injured his backbone.
4. What was the worst problem Mark had during the climb?
A. He struck against the rock and hurt his arms. B. A strong wind blew him away from the rock.
C. He kept falling several inches. D. While swaying in space, he became terrified.
4. How did Mark react to difficulties during the climb?
A. He admitted that he was frightened. B. He often worried about his friend’s condition.
C. He was able to remain clam and determined. D. He was joking to cheer himself up.
(6)
It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true ? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day. They never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a fortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason ? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.
1. The main idea of this passage is that _______.
A. large numbers of people do not need sleep B. a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep
C. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive D. people can live longer by trying not to sleep
2. The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting to _______.
A. cure him of his sleeplessness　　 B. find that his sleeplessness was not really true
C. find a way to free people from the need of sleeping D. find out why some old people didn’t need any asleep
3. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin _______.
A. was too old to need any sleep B. often slept in a chair
C. needed no sleep at all D. needed some kind of sleep
4. One reason that might explain Herpin’s sleeplessness was _______.
A. that he hadn’t got a bed　　　　 B. that he had gradually got tired of the sleeping habit
C. his mother’s injury before he was born　D. his magnificent physical condition

Key1【答案解析】本文讲述了少年电脑程序员 David 的苦恼和愿望。
1. A。细节题。根据 puter programmer David Jones earned ￡35, 000 a year 可推知此题答案为A。
2. A。推断题。根据David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Though he has high payment, he cannot drive a car, or get credit cards(信用卡) 可知，他最大的苦恼是他没有被当成大人看待。
3. B。细节题。根据 I had already written some programs 可得出此答案。
4. C。细节题。根据I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school 可推出此答案。
5. A。细节题。根据You never know when the market might disappear 可得出答案。
Key2【答案与解析】Remington 不仅是一位成功的新闻记者，他还是一位伟大的画家。在他的画中体现的是他亲身经历的和亲眼看到的一切。
1. A。语义理解题。从第2段最后一句话Often these were presented by drawings and paintings from Remington’s hand可以看出Remington 所画的内容是什么。
2. B。判断题。根据第2段第4句话Now he began to write about and to paint and draw what he saw. 可以推知。
3. C。语义理解题。根据…as a boy he loved horses and fed on the jo