专题训练（三）
A
Along the river banks of Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird
that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has
the stomach of a cow and has claw (爪)on its wings when young. They
build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature( 特
征)for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with
brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small,
with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its
nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature,
though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and
another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with
the beak(喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like
primitive birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to
fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly
about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy
season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven
birds for producing purposes.
（ ）1. What is the text mainly about?
A. Hoatzins in dry and rainy season.
B. The relatives and enemies of hoatzins
C. Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon.
D. The appearance and living habits of hoatzins
（ ） 2. Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that
______.
A. they look like young cuckoos
B. they have claws on the wings
C. they eat a lot like a cow
D. they live on river banks
（ ）3. What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
A. They had claws to help them climb.
B. They could fly long distances
C. They had four wings like hoatzins
D. They had a head with long feathers on the top
（ ）4. Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the
rainy season comes?
A. To find more food.
B. To protect themselves better
C. To keep themselves warm
D. To produce their young.
B
The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about.
But one more has just been added – a communications blackout caused
by solar storms.
After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the
signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for
the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.
Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar
explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the
Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications
satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from
London .
“The Sun’s activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympic
could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the
functions of communications satellites, ” said Professor Richard
Harrison ,head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in
Oxfordshire.
At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass
ejections(日冕物质抛射)occur in the Sun’s atmosphere, throwing out
great quantities of electrically-charged matter.” A coronal mass ejection
can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million
kilometers per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly
amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb
communications, ” Professor Harrison added. The risk is greatest during a
solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for
monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory(SDO),
which will take images of the Sun that 10 time clearer than the most
advanced televisions available.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high –tech
cameras that will capture images of the solar flares( 太 阳 耀 斑 )and
explosions as they occur.
Professor Harrison Hold away, the lab’s director said that the SDO
should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big
enough to affect satellite communications on Earth “If we have advance
warning, we’ll be able to reduce the damage. What you don’t want is
things switching off for a week with no idea of what’s caused the
problem, ” he said.
（ ）1. The phrase” communications blackout” in paragraph 1 most
probably refers to _____ during the 2012 Olympics.
A. the extinguishing of the Olympic torch
B. the collapse of broadcasting systems
C. the transportation breakdown in London
D. the destruction of weather satellites
（ ）2. What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the
passage？
A. The most fatal matter from the corona falls onto Earth.
B. The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle.
C. It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach
Earth.
D. The number of sunspots declines after coronal mass
ejections.
（ ）3. According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to
_____.
A. take images of the solar system
B. provide early warning of thunderstorms
C. keep track of solar activities
D. improve the communications on Earth
（ ）4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Solar Storm: An Invisible Killer
B. Solar Storm: Earth Environment in Danger
C. Solar Storm: Threatening the Human Race
D. Solar Storm: Human Activities to Be Troubled
C
In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a
wooden stand (木架) with a small notepad(记事本)and a hole for a
pencil.
I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I
am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest
memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later ,the current
paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the
same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is
definitely the original one.
“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad
and pencil after all these years.” I say to her, working back into the
living –room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil.
Can’t you afford a pen?”
My mother replies a little sharply.” It works perfectly well. I’ve
always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to
note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these day.”
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered
in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth
moving silently. My mother smiles and says,” One day I was cooking
and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand
was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just
picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned
out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I
was working on. ”
This story –which happened before I was born-reminds me how
extraordinary my mother was, and is also a gifted mathematician. I feel
embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to
work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen
and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest
one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those
symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil
of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible(看不到的)exhibits at every
meal.
（ ）1. Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and
pencil in the kitchen?
A. To leave messages.
B. To list her everyday tasks.
C. To note down maths problems
D. To write down a flash of inspiration
（ ）2. What is the author’s original opinion about the wooden
stand?
A. It has great value for the family.
B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.
C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.
D. It should be passed on to the next generation.
（ ）3. The author feels embarrassed for____.
A. blaming her mother wrongly
B. giving her mother a lot of trouble
C. not making good use of time as her mother did
D. not making any breakthrough in her field
（ ）4. What can be inferred from he last paragraph?
A. The mother is successful in her career
B. The family members likes traveling.
C. The author had little time to play when young
D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared
（ ）5. In the author’s mind, her mother is ____.
A. strange in behavior.
B. keen on her research.
C. fond of collecting old things.
D. careless about her appearance
D
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment
recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling in the home is
very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means
we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the
results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it
would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home
in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999
and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the
UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice
with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment.
The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary
waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which
go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process
itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first
place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets
encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of
them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue,
encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We
have learned to associate packaging with quality. This is especially true
of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which
often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning
to realize just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need
to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a
mountain to climb.
( )1. What does the underlined phrase” over- consumption” refer
to?
A. Using too much packaging
B. Recycling too many wasters
C. Marking more products than necessary
D. Having more material than is needed
( )2. The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show_____.
A. the tendency of cutting household waste
B. the increase of packaging recycling
C. the rapid growth of supermarkets
D. the fact of packaging overuse
( )3. According to the next ,recycling_____.
A. helps control the greenhouse effect
B. means burning packaging for energy
C. is the solution to gas shortage
D. leads to a waste of land
( )4. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A. Unpackaged products are of bad quality.
B. Supermarkets care more about packaging.
C. It is improper to judge quality by packaging
D. Other products are better packaged than food.
( )5. What can we learn from the last paragraph ?
A. Fighting wastefulness is difficult.
B. Needless material is mostly recycled.
C. People like collecting recyclable waste.
D. The author is proud of their consumer
E
There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what
time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand
along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they
rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes
and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite
relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the
first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train
journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I
looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat
down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in
Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore ,so I was tired
of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past .As we went
beyond the city ,I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and
miles of green .Then the first village came into sight ,Immediately I came
alive; I decided to wave hack.
From then on my journey became interesting .I threw my
magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian
life .Then everything came alive. The mountain seemed to speak to me.
Even the trees were smiling. I started at everything as if I was looking at
it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt
hungry .I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00pm. Soon
the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around
me .They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile ,I
threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug(拥抱).I had never
done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face
warmed up with a huge smile .We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.
( )1. The author expected the train trip to be ________.
A. adventurous B. pleasant
C. exciting D. dull
( )2. What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?
A. The friendly country people
B. The mountains along the way
C. The crowds of people in the streets
D. The simple lunch served on the train.
( )3. Which of the following words can best take the place of the
word “relish” in the second paragraph?
A. choose B. enjoy
C. prepare for D. carry on
( )4. Where was the writer going?
A. Johore Baru B. The Causeway
C. Butterworth D. Singapore
( )5. What can we learn from the story?
A. Comfort in traveling by train.
B. Pleasure of living in the country
C. Reading gives people delight.
D. Smiles brighten people up.
F
Thousands of people living in the Chinese capital will celebrate the
start of the Chinese New Year by heading for the ski resorts(滑雪场).
Never mind that Beijing’s dry weather seldom produces now. It is cold
enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the
hills north to the capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking
middle class has formed the basis for this New craze(热潮).
Since Beijing’s first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has
enjoyed an astonishing increase. There are now more than a dozen resorts.
Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their
winter collections. Mr. Wei, a manager of a newly –opened ski resort in
Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to
head for the ski resorts of Europe. In recent years ski resorts offering
natural snow have opened in China. But many in faraway areas of the
country and can’t really match the equipment and services of some ski
resorts in Europe.
Beijing’s skiing craze is partly a result of the recent increase in
private(私有的)cars. This has led to the growth of a leisure industry in
the capital’s suburbs(郊区). Which until the late-1990s were unreachable
to ordinary people. According to Mr. Wei, about 40% of the visitor to his
resort some in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses
or government offices.
The problem is making money. Starting ski resort requires quite a
lot of money: hiring land from the local government, preparing the hills,
buying snow machines, making sure there are enough water and
electricity to run them, and buying ski equipment for hiring out to
customers. The ski resort where Mr.Wei works cost nearly $4m to set up.
And, as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea,
many others rush in an price wars break out .Beijing now offers some of
the cheapest ski training classes in the world, though with most people
rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.
( )1. What does this text mainly talk about?
A. Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars
B. Skiing as a new way of enjoying one’s spare time
C. Things to be considered when starting a ski resort
D. A sudden increase of ski training classes on Beijing
( )2. Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Europe?
A. To visit more ski areas
B. To ski on natural snow
C. For a large collection of ski suits
D. For better services and equipment
( )3. The underlined words“leisure industry” in Paragraph 3 refer
to ______.
A. transport to ski resorts
B. production of family cars
C. business of providing spare time enjoyments
D. part-time work for people living in the students
( )4. What is the main problem in running a ski resort?
A. Difficulty in hiring land
B. Lack of business experience
C. Price wars among ski resorts
D. Shortage of water and electricity
G
Open Letter to an Editor
I had an interesting conversation with a reporter recently—one who
works for you .In fact, he's one of your best reporters. He wants to
leave.
Your reporter gave me a copy of his resume(简历）and photocopies
of six stories that he wrote for you .The headlines showed you played
them proudly. With great enthusiasm, he talked about how he finds issues
(问题）,approaches them ,and writes about them ,which tells me he is one
of your best. I'm sure you would hate to lose him .Surprisingly, your
reporter is not unhappy. In fact, he told me he really likes his job. He has
a great assignment(分工）,and said you run a great paper. It would be easy
for you to keep him, he said. He knows that the paper values him. He
appreciates the responsibility you've given him, takes ownership of his
profession, and enjoys his freedom.
So why is he looking for a way out?
He talked to me because he wants his editors to demand so much
more of him .He wants to be pushed, challenged, coached to new heights.
The reporter believes that good stories spring from good
questions ,but his editors usually ask how long the story will be, when it
will be in, where it can play, and what the budget is.
He longs for conversations with an editor who will help him turn his
god ideas into great ones .He wants someone to get excited about what
he's doing and to help him turn his story idea upside down and inside
out ,exploring the best ways to report it. He wants to be more valuable for
your paper. That's what you want for him, too, isn't it?
So your reporter has set me thinking.
Our best hope in keeping our best reporters, copy editors,
photographers, artists—everyone —is to work harder to make sure they
get the get the help they are demanding to reach their potential. If we
can't do it, they'll find someone who can.
( ) 1.What does the writer think of the reporter?
A. Optimistic. B. Imaginative
C. Ambitious D. Proud
( )2. What does the reporter want most from his editor in their
talks?
A. Finding the news value of his stories
B. To ski on natural snow
C. For a large collection of ski suits
D. For better services and equipment
( )3. Who probably wrote the letter ?
A. An editor. B. An artist
C. A reporter D. A reader
( )4. The letter aims to remind editors that they should_____
A. keep their best reporters at all costs
B. give more freedom to their reporters
C. be aware of their reporters’ professional development
D. appreciate their reporters’ working styles and attitudes
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