江苏省沭阳中学2015届高考英语阅读理解专项训练4

江苏省沭阳中学阅读理解专项训练4AThe Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people whose achievements were many. They had farms, beautiful palaces, and cities with many buildings. The Mayan people knew a lot about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time, because they could use it to make their lives more comfortable and rewarding. Knowledge about tools and farming, for instance, made their work easier and more productive.In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of corn, beans, and other crops around it. To clear the land for farms, the Maya cut down trees with stone axes. They planted seeds by digging holes in the ground with pointed sticks. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced food for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were cloth makers, builders, or priests.The Maya believed in many gods, including rain gods, sun gods, and corn gods. The people built large temples to honor the Mayan gods. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult for them to construct these cities, because they had no horses to carry the heavy stone they used to build with. Workers had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.Although the cities that the Maya built were beautiful, and the people worked hard to build them, very few of the people lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities.The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler than the elaborate structures in the cities. They lived in small huts with no windows. The walls were made of poles covered with dried mud, and the roof was made of grass or leaves. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.Measuring time was important to the Maya, so they developed a system for measuring it accurately. Farmers needed to know when to plant and harvest their crops. Mayan priests made a system to keep track of time. They wrote numbers as dots (...) and bars (---). A dot was one and a bar was five.The Mayan priests studied the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets. They made a calendar from what they learned. The year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each with five days left over. The Mayan calendar was far more accurate than the European calendars of the time.Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from an infectious disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. Archaeologists are still trying to find the lost secrets of the Maya. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.41.According to the passage, what made the Mayan people’s life easier?A.Their knowledge about nature and the world.B.The arrival of the Spanish.C.The location of their villages and cities.D.The gods they believed in.42.Which of the following is not true about the Maya?A.Religion was an important part of the Mayan culture.B.The Maya led a simple and natural life.C.Most Mayans lived in the cities they built.D.Tools made the Mayan’s farming easi er and more productive.43.What numbers do“ . . ”and “–––” represent respectively?A. 2；3B. 10；3C. 2； 15D. 10；1544.The elaborate structures in the cities ________________.A.were complex and consisted of many partsB.didn’t have much decorationC.were small but very cozyD.were made of modern materials45.What is the main idea of this passage?A.The Mayan calendar was more accurate than the European calendar.B.The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people with many achievements.C.The mysteries of the Maya.D.How did the Mayan develop their agriculture?BBelow is a selection from a science website: /25020028 What is cloning?The term cloning describes a number of different processes that can be used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity(存在体). The copied material, which has the same genetic makeup as the original, is referred to as a clone. How are genes cloned?Researchers routinely use cloning techniques to make copies of genes that they wish to study. The procedure consists of inserting a gene from one organism, often referred to as "foreign DNA," into the genetic material of a carrier called a vector(带菌者). Examples of vectors include bacteria, yeast cells or viruses. After the gene is inserted, the vector is placed in laboratory conditions that prompt it to multiply, resulting in the gene being copied many times over.What animals have been cloned?Over the last 50 years, scientists have conducted cloning experiments in a wide range of animals using a variety of techniques. In 1979, researchers produced the first genetically identical mice by splitting mouse embryos in the test tube and then implanting the resulting embryos into the wombs of adult female mice. It was not until 1996, however, that researchers succeeded in cloning the first mammal from a mature cell taken from an adult animal. After 276 attempts, Scottish researchers finally produced Dolly, the lamb from the udder cell of a 6-year-old sheep. Besides, other mammals that have been cloned include: cat, deer, dog, horse, mule, ox, rabbit and rat.Have humans been cloned?Despite several highly publicized claims, human cloning still appears to be fiction. There currently is no solid scientific evidence that anyone has cloned human embryos. In 1998, scientists in South Korea claimed to have successfully cloned a human embryo, but said the experiment was interrupted very early when the clone was just a group of four cells.In 2004, a group led by Woo-Suk Hwang of Seoul National University in South Korea published a paper in the journal Science in which it claimed to have created a cloned human embryo in a test tube. However, an independent scientific committee later found no proof to support the claim and, in January 2006, Science announced that Hwang's paper had been retracted(撤销).Why is human cloning difficult?From a technical perspective, cloning humans and other primates（灵长类动物） is more difficult than in other mammals. One reason is that two proteins essential to cell division are located very close to the chromosomes（染色体） in primate eggs. Consequently, removal of the egg's nucleus to make room for the donor nucleus also removes the proteins, interfering with cell division. In other mammals, such as cats, rabbits and mice, the two proteins are spread throughout the egg. So, removal of the egg's nucleus does not result in loss of proteins. In addition, some dyes and the ultraviolet light used to remove the egg's nucleus can damage the primate cell and prevent it from growing.What are some of the ethical issues related to cloning?Cloning would present the potential of creating a human that is genetically identical to another person who has previously existed or who still exists. This may conflict with long-standing religious and societal values about human dignity, possibly violating principles of individual freedom, identity and autonomy（自主权）. However, some argue that cloning could help sterile(生育困难的) couples fulfill their dream of parenthood. Others see human cloning as a way to avoid passing on a hurtful gene that runs in the family without having to undergo embryo screening or embryo selection.46. Which of the following animals hasn’t been cloned?A. Cat.B. Donkey.C. Sheep.D. Ox.47. Why did Science retract Hwang’s paper?A. Hwang copied others’ finds in his paper.B. There was no proof to support Hwang’s claim.C. Science found out mistakes in the paper.D. Hwang wanted to update the paper by adding new things.48. Which of the following statements about cloning is true?A. The cloning procedure consists of inserting a vector into the genetic material.B. Dolly was successfully cloned after a few attempts.C. Removal of the egg’s nucleus can contribute to the failure of human cloning.D. There is no possibility that sterile couples can give birth to their babies.49. What is the main purpose of the selection?A. To challenge new findings in the paper.B. To report the latest discoveries of cloning.C. To provide information about cloning.D. To claim new possibilities of cloning.CWhile residents of wealthy nations tend to have greater life satisfaction, new research showsthat those living in poorer nations report having greater meaning in life.These findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological science, suggest that meaning in life may be higher in poorer nations as a result of greater religiosity (笃信宗教). As countries become richer, religion becomes less central to people’s lives and they lose a sense of meaning in life.“Thus far, the wealth of nations has been almost always associated with longevity, health, happiness or life satisfaction,” explain s psychological scientist Shigehiro Oishi of the University of Virginia. “Given that meaning in life is an important aspect of overall well-being, we wanted to look more carefully at differential patterns, correlates (相关物), and predictors for meaning in li fe.”Oishi and colleague Ed Diener of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign investigated life satisfaction, meaning, and well-being by examining data from the 2007 Gallup World Poll, a large-scale survey of over 140,000 participants from 132 countries. In addition to answering a basic life satisfaction question, participants were asked: “Do you feel your life has an important purpose or meaning?” and “Is religion an important part of your daily life?”The data revealed some unexpected trends:“Amon g Americans, those who are high in life satisfaction are also high in meaning in life,” says Oishi. “But when we looked at the societal level of analysis, we found a completely different pattern of the association between meaning in life and life satisfact ion.”When looking across many countries, Oishi and Diener found that people in wealthier nations were more educated, had fewer children, and expressed more individualistic attitudes compared to those in poorer countries –all factors that were associated with higher life satisfaction but a significantly lower sense of meaning in life.”The data suggest that religiosity may play an important role: Residents of wealthier nations, where religiosity is lower, reported less meaning in life and had higher suicide rates than poorer countries.According to the researchers, religion may provide meaning to life to the extent that it helps people to overcome personal difficulty and cope with the struggles of working to survive in poor economic conditions:“Religion gi ves a system that connects daily experiences with the coherent whole (连贯的整体) and a general structure to one’s life … and plays a critical role in constructing meaning out of extreme hardship,” the researchers write.Oishi and Diener hope to reproduce these findings using more comprehensive measures of meaning and religiosity, and are interested in following countries overtime to track whether economic prosperity gives rise to less religiosity and less meaning in life.50. The wealth of nations has always been related to all the following except __________.A. longevityB. healthC. happinessD. a life of purpose51. Which of the following questions couldn’t the participants have answered?A. Does your life have a purpose or meaning?B. Do you have relatives living abroad?C. Are you satisfied with your everyday life?D. Is religion involved in your daily life?52. Which of the following statements is true?A. Those who have higher life satisfaction usually have lower sense of meaning in life.B. People in wealthier nations were more educated, have fewer children and expressless individualistic attitudes compared to those in poorer countries.C. Religion may provide meaning to life in that people can get strong supportfrom it in face of hardship.D. Wealthy people are more likely to commit suicide than poor people.53. What can be inferred from the passage?A. The poorer a country is, the more religious its people are.B. Economic prosperity gives rise to less religiosity and less meaning in life.C. If you want to find meaning in life, you must practice a religion.D. Meaning in life doesn’t have much to do with the amount of wealth onepossesses.54. The main purpose of the passage is to explain the possible reason why __________.A. greater life satisfaction leads to lower sense of meaningB. residents of poorer nations enjoy greater meaning in lifeC. residents of poorer nations are so religiousD. residents of wealthy nations have greater life satisfactionDJames swept the paintbrush across his canvas(油画布). “Yes,” he thought. “It’s almost finished.” James had been busily working for the past week to replicate the photograph that hung on the wall behind Mr. Edgar’s desk of a Spanish courtyard. Mr. Edgar had spoken to James’s class frequently about the en joyment he felt while in his twenties spending hours in that courtyard painting the people of Barcelona.Mr. Edgar interrupted the silence with an announcement: “The deadline to enter for the Art Competition is tomorrow, so line up your canvases over here.”Rushing into action, the class began rapidly moving canvases across the room. James, however, even didn’t lift his paintbrush. “I haven’t finished; I need more time,” he begged. “That’s what Michelangelo said,” Mr. Edgar joked. “Never enough time—it’s the artist’s constant problem. However, deadlines are deadlines.” “This painting must be perfect, whether it’s a masterpiece or not,”said James.Certainly he wanted to win “Best in Show” again, but it was essential that the painting carried James’s me ssage of gratitude to his art teacher because he had given James confidence and inspired him to perfect his talent.After the art class, James passed the science lab and saw Mrs. Damon. She greeted James and inquired. “Are you ready for our field trip?” James didn’t respond, which caused Mrs. Damon to ask, “James, is something bothering you?”James answered, “The art competition deadline is today. Everybody thinks my painting is great, but I know that it’s incomplete. I need more time to perfect my work.”“Time can create dilemmas, James. Figuring out where to find time is the trick.” Mrs. Damon pointed toward the quotation from Albert Einstein hanging on the wall: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” The bell rang, and the room was suddenly crowded with students impatiently ready for the field trip.Throughout the bus ride, James thought about his dilemma. “Should I settle for a painting good enough to win or create a painting great enough for Mr. E dgar? What’s more important? Pleasing myself or pleasing Mr. Edgar?”When the students stepped off the bus, James’s eyes widened in surprise. Next to the monument stood a tall thin cactus(仙人掌). On the top was a lone white flower.“It lives about twenty years before blooming,” Mrs. Damon explained. “You are witnessing the only flower it will ever have.” She paused. “What do you think Einstein would have said about that?”When no one respon ded readily, Mrs. Damon answered her own question. “Einstein might have said that time is well spent if you use it for something that matters. So the twenty years the cactus needed to produce the flower was a meaningful use of time—for the cactus.”Just then, a tiny bird stopped on the cactus for a few seconds before flying off. “What do you think matters for a bird?” Mrs. Damon questioned.Suddenly, the answer to his problem seemed clear: “It depends on what matters most to you.” James answered the question aloud. “What matters for the bird isn’t the same as what matters for the cactus. I mean, the bird is tiny compared to the giant cactus. Additionally, the bird’s entire life is only a moment in the lifespan of the cactus. While the bird has to move quickly from place to place to grow, the cactus must sit and wait.” Mrs. Damon replied. “Very good observation.”During the ride back to school, Mrs. Damon asked, “So, James, what did you learn today?” James smiled broadly at Mrs. Damon. “Learn? Let me see. W as Einstein the one who said, ‘Better late than never’?” Mrs. Damon smiled back. “No, but I suppose you’ve decided what matters the most for you.”55. Which of the following is closest to the meaning of the underlined word “replicate”?A. createB. copyC. improveD. imagine56. At first, James was going to enter the contest because ____________A. he wanted to win the competition again.B. many of his teachers expected him to win.C. the contest was a requirement of his art class.D. many of his classmates were entering for the contest.57. It can be inferred from the story that Mrs. Damon wants to encourage her studentsto _________________.A. think on their ownB. attend more class tripsC. conduct scientific experimentsD. study a famous scientist.58. Which dilemma did both Michelangelo and James share?A. Both wondered whether the product was worth all of the effort.B. Both pursued unrealistic goals that were completely unreachable.C. Both struggled to produce the best product with limited time.D. Both suspected the importance of making an independent decision.59. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?A. Getting involved in school activities is important.B. Learning about artistic techniques is essential.C. Determining the importance of something differs according to each individual.D. Completing school projects on time is important for personal success.60. What might be the most reasonable ending according to the story?A. James decided to withdraw his painting from the contest.B. James would finally win the contest with his perfect painting.C. James would still suffer from the dilemma for a long time.D. James would wait for his teachers to give him more time.41-45: ACC AB 46-50: BBCCD 51-55: BCDBB 56-60: AACCA。