山西省太原双语中学高考英语-专题阅读理解强化训练集(四十八).doc

山西省太原双语中学2012届高考英语专题精选阅读理解强化训练集（四十八）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A
A simple flower made headlines in the British press last week. How could that be?
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his ministers were attending a reception hosted by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. They insisted on wearing poppies(罂粟花) in their buttonholes.
What’s wrong with that?
According to the Global Times, Chinese officials apparently had asked the UK delegation （代表团）not to wear poppies. The British said that poppies meant a great deal to them on that day and they would wear them all the same.
So what’s the significance of the poppy? It’s a flower which has different cultural and symbolic meanings for British and Chinese people.
From the Chinese point of view, the poppy is a symbol of China’s humiliation at the hands of European powers in the Opium Wars鸦片战争） of the 19th century. Britain forced China to open the borders to trade – including in the opium – which was made from poppies grown in India.
Yet from the British viewpoint the poppy is a reminder of the killing during World War I. Red poppies grew on the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium where many thousands of British soldiers died or were buried. Since then, Poppy Day (November 11) has become a time in the UK to wear poppies and remember the sacrifices of British soldiers and civilians in times of war.
So you can see that the poppy sets off strong feelings in the hearts of Chinese and British people for different reasons. And it makes sense for us to try to understand each other’s standpoint.
Of course cultural differences can also be interesting and funny. And what one nation thinks is an acceptable gift may be viewed differently by their guests from overseas. US President Barack Obama gave a gift of an iPod to Britain’s Queen – a dull person with no interest in music. Obama also presented Gordon Brown with a fine selection of American movies. But they were in US format and impossible to play on British DVD players.
Many countries have diplomats stationed overseas. Diplomats provide information and advice to their governments back home. However, sometimes it would seem that even diplomats can overlook the cultural significance of a small flower.
1. British Prime Minister David Cameron probably attended a reception in Beijing on __________.
A. October 1 B. November 11 C. December 31 D. January 11
2. The poppy reminds the Chinese of __________.
A. the shame caused by European countries in the 19th century
B. the British soldiers who were killed and buried during World War I
C. the Chinese soldiers killed during World War II
D. the suffering caused by Britain during World War I
3. The diplomatic problem in Beijing is mainly caused by __________.
A. the translation mistake B. the language difference
C. the cultural difference D. the different lifestyle
4. We can infer that __________.
A. Britain’s Queen is not interested in art
B. Gordon Brown was fond of American movies US President Barack Obama sent him
C. US President Barack Obama received a gift for music
D. Britain’s Queen may not like the iPod US President Obama presented her
5. What is the main idea of the 9th paragraph?
A. Cultural differences can also be interesting and funny
B. Cultural differences can cause a big problem
C. US President Barack Obama likes to present gifts to other leaders
D. US leaders and British leaders get along well with each other
B
Many parents have learned the hard way that what sounds like open communication is often the very thing that closes a youngster’s ears and mouth. One common mistake is the Lecture, the long monologue that often starts with “When I was your age….” Eighteen-year-old Kelly calls lectures “long, one-side discussions in which I don’t say much.”
Kids reflexively（条件反射地） shut down in the face of a lecture. Their eyes glaze over（呆
滞）, and they don’t register any incoming information. Listen to 13-year-old Sarah describe her least favorite times with her mom and dad. “First, they scream. Then comes the ‘We’re so disappointed’ speech. Then the ‘I never did that to my parents’ lecture begins. After that, even if they realize how ridiculous they sound, they never take it back.”
Lines like “When you have children of your own, you’ll understand” have been seriously said by parents since time immemorial. But many of our expert parents, like Bobby, a registered nurse and mother of three, feel that by falling back on clichés（陈词滥调） to justify our actions, we weaken our position.
Since kids are creatures of here and now, the far-off future has no relevance to them. Therefore, good communicators like Bobby suggest, “Give specific reasons for your actions in present language: ‘I’m not letting you go to the party because I don’t think there will be enough adult supervisions（监护）.’”
Betty, who lives in Missiouri, uses an indirect approach. “I find that warnings are accepted more readily if I discuss a news article on a subject I am concerned about. My husband and I talk about it while our children absorb the information. Then they never think I’m preaching(布道).”
This really helped when Betty’s kids began driving. Instead of constantly repeating “Don’t drink; don’t speed,” she would talk about articles in the paper and express sympathy for the victims of a car crash. Betty made no special effort to draw her kids into the conversation. She depended on a teenager’s strong desire to put in his opinions---especially if he thinks he isn’t being asked for them.
6. The purpose of the passage is to _________.
A. compare two ways of parents` communicating with their kids
B. give parents advice on how to communicate with their kids
C. explain why kids won’t listen to their parents.
D. introduce kids` reaction to the communication between them and their parents
7. Which of the following statements is NOT right?
A. Kids won’t listen to their parents because they think what their parents say is boring.
B. Many kids think they have no right to express their own opinions.
C. Some kids think their parents should apologize when they are wrong.
D. Kids don’t like any discussion at all.
8. What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?
A. 独白                     B. 对话                     C. 插话                         D. 讨论
9. Which of the following topic may appeal to kids?
A. Parents` own experience             
B. Kids possible life in the future
C. Something related to kids’ present life  
D. What parents have done to their own parents.
10. In order to make kids follow their advice, parents should______.
A. tell their kids to listen carefully        B. set out their warnings directly
C. list out as many examples as possible   D. arouse kids’ desire to express themselves.
C
The iPhone, the iPad, each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(一时的风尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” – and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer – which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet –adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear – popular in the US and UK – that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper was launched last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes (前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are targeted at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.

But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (轻便) .”adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason
Along with “Google” and “blog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably disappeared.
11. People use iPlayer to __________.
A. listen to music B. make a call
C. watch TV programs online D. read newspapers
12. We can infer that the Independent’s “i” is aimed at __________.
A. young readers B. old readers
C. fashionable women D. engineers
13. The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.
A. popular B. uncertain C. definite D. unique
14. Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are __________.
A. portable B. environmentally friendly
C. advanced D. recyclable
15. The writer suggests that __________.
A. “i” products are often of high quality
B. iTeddy is alive bear
C. the letter “b” replaces letter “i” to name the products
D. the popularity of “i” products may not last long
D
We keep reading that TV is bad for you. If this is true, how come the current generation of TV-addicted kids is much smarter than we are? In my home, the only people who can work the remote control are the children.
Perhaps TV does educate you. For example, you learn a useful medical fact: A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence before he dies. “The killer was…” (dies)
But I guess the biggest things we learn from TV can be regarded as “Life Skills”. Bad things only happen on dark and stormy nights. Emotional breakdowns cause people to wander in the heavy rain without umbrellas. And contrary to what scientists say, the crack(霹雳) of lightning and the accompanying flash happen at exactly the same time, wherever you are.
I’ve even acquired useful geographical facts from science-fiction shows: Aliens speak English no matter which planet they come from.
Making use of what we learn from TV can improve our security. Consider these truths. If you are ever attacked by 20 bad guys, don’t worry about being outnumbered. The criminals will hang back and take turns to approach you in ones and twos just so you can conveniently defeat them all. Bad guys who are completely covered in black clothes always remove their black masks to reveal that they are in fact, aha, women.
TV also teaches us important information about escaping from danger. Watch and learn. (1) If anyone is running after you down a passage, you will find that boxes have been conveniently placed near all the walls you need to jump over. (2) If you are tall and handsome, you can run from any number of armed criminals, and every shot will miss you.
Be warned, however. If your name card says “henchman” (帮凶) and you are part of a group of plain-looking people trying to catch a handsome individual, a single shot will kill you. But don’t be anxious: TV also delivers useful information for bad guys. All cars are inflammable (易燃的) and have amazing shock absorbers that enable them to fly into the air and land without damage — except police cars.
TV even teaches us about TV. Whenever anyone turns on a TV, it shows a news flash about someone they know. They then turn the box off immediately after that news item.
16. By saying “A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence
before he dies” (Paragraph 2), the writer shows his_______
A. humor B. sympathy
C. deep concern D. medical knowledge
17. We can learn from Paragraph 3 that in the real world_______.
A. bad things cause people to break down in the rain
B. bad things never happen on dark and stormy nights
C. people with emotional problems like to walk in the rain without umbrellas
D. the crack of lightning and the accompanying flash don’t happen at the same time
18. On TV what usually happens when a person turns it on?
A. The news shown is always about someone the person knows.
B. The person always turns off the TV when it’s time for news.
C. The program shown is always about the importance of TV.
D. TV always shows news about famous people.
19. What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. Life skills can be learned from TV.
B. TV plays an important role in society.
C. Watching TV makes people more creative.
D. What happens in TV is very different from reality.
20. The writer of this passage takes a(n) _______ attitude towards TV plays.
A. positive B. casual C. negative D. indifferent

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