2010年高考英语练习：阅读理解之科普知识类(十九)

Passage 6
(福建省厦门外国语学校2009届高三最后一次模拟B篇)
Do you want to see the effects of global warming? Then head north. Recent studies indicate that the North Pole could be underwater during the summer in less than 10 years, instead of coated in thick sea ice. But seeing the Arctic terrain （地带）up close isn’t easy, unless you’re handy with a dogsled. Steger is going to take all of us there．
Steger, 64, is a great polar explorer. He was the first person to make a dogsled trip to the North Pole, and is also a devoted environmentalist who was early to ring the alarm bell on global warming.
Steger is about to lead a team of six young adventurers on a 1, 400-mile, 60-day-long dogsled trip across Ellesmere Island, in the Canadian Arctic. The sea ice in that region should still be frozen. “We want to take our audience to the front lines of global warming, ” says Steger. The team will be uploading videos, stories and photos to the website global warming as they march along, allowing armchair adventurers and kids in classrooms to follow their progress day to day.
Steger’s team will include some already-famous young explorers. Sam Branson, 22-year old, is an experienced Arctic traveler. Also on the journey will be 27-year-old Norwegian Sigrid Ekran. Last year Ekran become only the second woman in history to win Rookie （新秀）of the Year for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
What they will see may be surprising. Even Steger doesn’t know exactly what to expect. Climate change has already reshaped the geography of the Arctic. “Within a decade or less, it’s going to be impossible to reach the North Pole by dog team, without flotation （漂浮）, ”says Steger.
60．We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ．
A. climate change happens only in the far north
B. the effects of climate change are obvious in the Arctic terrain
C. climate change is going to be the biggest issue facing human race
D. climate change is the result of pollution
61．It can be inferred that the aim of the dogsled trip is to ．
A. encourage young people to explore the Arctic
B. present the Arctic terrain to geography classes
C. study the cause of climate change in polar region
D. raise awareness of the damage that climate change is causing in polar regions 62．Which of the following statements about Steger’s team is TRUE?
A. Sam Branson, a member, is skilled at travelling in the Arctic.
B. Steger, the leader is a great environmental expert.
C. Ekran, a member, is the second woman to have reached the North Pole.
D. All the members are experienced Arctic explorers.
63．Why does Steger NOT know what they will see during their trip?
A. Because it will be the first time for him to go that far north.
B. Because the sea ice in that region should still be frozen.
C. Because the geography there has changed due to warmer temperatures.
D. Because they will go there by boat instead of by sledge.
答案60.B 61.D 62.A 63.C
Passage 7
(天水市一中2006级2008-2009学年第二学期第四次考试题D篇)
The North and South poles are remote and freezing places that receive lots of animal visitors but few human tourists.
But even if you never plan to visit the polar bears in the north or penguins in the south, now is a perfect time to start thinking about them. That’s because 2007 marks the beginning of the International Polar Year (IPY), a two-year-old activity of science projects that aim to show how important the poles are to the health of our planet. During the IPY, which will last until March 2009, thousands of researchers from more than 60 countries will conduct more than 200 projects and expeditions(远征) to both the top and bottom of the world.
In recent years, the polar regions have begun to change severely as a result of global warming. Temperatures there are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth. As a result, the ice and snow in these regions are melting（融化）at record-setting rates. One result is that sea levels are rising around the world, putting animals and people at risk.
Only by studying the poles, say IPY researchers, can we find ways to protect them and ourselves.
Both the Arctic and the Antarctic are cold and remote, but the two regions have important differences. For one thing, the Arctic is an ice-covered ocean surrounded by land. The Antarctic, on the other hand, is a continent of ice-covered land surrounded by water.
Most polar studies have focused on the Arctic, and that is where scientists have observed the most remarkable changes in the ice. During a typical year, Arctic ice expands(扩大) in the winter and shrinks(缩小) in the summer. But recently, the amount of ice covering the ocean has been steadily dropping in both seasons.
53．Which of the following might be the best tile of the passage?
A．Earth’s Poles Interest Scientists B．The Animals of Earth’s Poles
C．Earth’s Poles in Danger D．The Discov eries of Earth’s Poles 54．The goal of the International Polar Year is __________.
A．to make it clear that the poles have much to do with a healthy earth
B．to provide practical theory to further develop this distant area
C．to call on as many scientists as possible to do research on the poles
D．to discover more mysteries unknown to man
55．What is the main factor that has caused the changes of the poles?
A．The increasing number of animals. B．The development of the poles.
C．The melting of the poles. D．The rising temperature.
56．What unusual phenomenon worries the scientists?
A．In summer the ice of the Arctic loses faster.
B．The ice covering the Arctic shrinks even in winter.
C．The ice of the Arctic increases less than in the past.
D．The changes in the Arctic are more serious.
答案53.D 54.A 55.D 56.B
Passage 8
(广东省湛师附中2009届高三最后一模C篇)
So far, scientists have named about 1.8 million living species （物种），and that’s just a small part of what probably exists on Earth．With so many plants，animals，fungi，and other organisms covering the planet，it can be tough to figure out what type of spider is crawling up your leg or what kind of bird just flew by．
A soon-to-be-launched Website might help．An international team of researchers has announced the creation of a Web — based Encyclopedia of Life （EOL）．The project aims to catalogue every species on Earth in a single，easy-to-use reference guide．
To get the encyclopedia started，the creators will use information from scientific databases that already exist．And eventually，in special sections of the site，nonscientists with specialized knowledge will join．Gardeners，for example，will be able to record the dates that their flowers first bloom each year．Bird-watchers will be able to input which birds they’ve seen and where．The technology for this kind of tool has only recently become available．
As the EOL develops, you might find it useful for school projects．The site will have special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods．To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate，scientists will review much of the information added to it．People who visit the site will be able to choose to skip pages that haven’t been reviewed．
Another convenient characteristic of the EOL is that you’11 be able to pick the level of detail you see to match your interests，age，and current knowledge. If you wanted to learn about polar
bears for a science class report，for example，you could use the “novice”setting to get basic information about the animals．On the “expert” setting，on the other hand．you could get much more detailed information about the history，literature，and exploration of polar bears．It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species．The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new tool will speed that process．Keep an eye on ．Pages will begin to go up sometime next year，and you might find them useful for your school reports．The EOL team might have the basics for all 1.8 million entries online as early as 2017．Someday，you might add your own notes.
51．What is implied in the last sentence of Paragraph 1 ?
A．No one can become an expert on spiders and birds．
B．So many spiders have crawled up your leg．
C．There are far more than 1.8 million living species．
D．Scientists have named a lot of living species．
52．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．You can find information of all living species online in 2017．
B．Nonscientists will be able to add their own notes to the website.
C．The kids preparing school reports can not have access to the informat’0 n’
D．You are not free to choose the amount of detailed information．
53．What does the underlined word “novice” probably mean in Paragraph 5 ?
A．Beginner．B．Specialist．C．Scientist．D．Pupil．54．Who are the intended readers of this passage?
A．Students．B．Researchers．
C．Bird watchers or Gardeners．D．People in general．
55．What is the best title for the passage?
A．Exploring Polar Bears．B．Visit Our Website Now．
C．How to Do School Projects．D．E-book of Life．
答案51.C 52.B 53.A 54.A 55.D
Passage 9
(哈师大附中2009年高三第四次模拟考试D篇)
Our spiritual intelligence quotient (精神智商)，or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live
fuller, happier lives.
Though we're all born with SQ, most of us don’t even realize that we have it. Fortunately, you don't have to sign up for classes to learn how to improve your SQ. Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding.
Sit Quietly. The process of developing spiritual intelligence begins with solitude (独处) and silence. To tune in to your spirit, you have to turn down the volume (强度) in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all. Start small by creating islands for silence in your day. In the car, instead of listening to the music, use the time to think. At work, shut the door to your office between meetings, take a few breaths and let them out very, very slowly. Enjoy the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed.
Step Outside. For many people, nature sets their spirit free. Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset. If you are walking with the dog, take the time to admire flower in bloom; follow the light of a bird and watch clouds float overhead.
Ask Questions of Yourself. Ask open-ended questions, such as "What am I feeling? What are my choices? Where am I heading?"
But don't expect an answer to arrive through some supernatural form of e-mail. "Rarely do I get an immediate answer to my question," says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California. “But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem in a perspective(角度) I never consider ed before.”
Trust Your Spirit. While most of us rely on gut(本能的) feeling to realize danger, spiritual intelligence pushes us, not away from, but towards some action that will lead to a greater good.
68. The passage is mainly about .
A. what your SQ is and in what way it can benefit our life
B. what your SQ is and in what way it can be improved
C. the relationship between your SQ and your life
D. advantages and disadvantages of SQ
69. The underlined phrase "tune in to your spirit" in the third paragraph probably means to _____.
A. get your spirit relaxed
B. keep up your spirit
C. keep seated quietly
D. change your spirit
70. The author mentions the example of Reverend Joan Carter to show that .
A. there are no immediate answers to your questions
B. e-mails can't keep working out a problem
C. the more questions you ask, the better answers you'll get
D. changing your way of thinking might help you solve a problem
71. From the passage, we can know that the most important thing to improve your SQ is .
A. a peaceful mind
B. deep thought
C. spare time and hobbies
D. good spirits
答案68.B 69.A 70.D 71.A
Passage 10
(湖北省黄冈中学2009届高三五月适应性考试（B卷）A篇)
Girls really prefer pink and boys prefer blue, recent research shows.
The reasons could have its origins in the hunt for food on the African savannah(稀树草原) thousands of years ago. Evolution may have developed women’s preference for pink, perhaps
because it helped to find ripe fruit and healthy men with reddish faces, while both men and women have a natural desire for blue, according to scientists at Newcastle University.
“ Everyone in today’s western culture, from parents to toy manufactures, seems to assume that little girls like pink.” Said Prof. Anya Hulbert, who wanted to find out whether the reason was cultural or to do with biology.
A love of salmon, fuchsia and coral does seem to be rooted into females, rather than picked up from their mothers.
The participants in the study were Chinese and British. The Chinese students showed a marked preference for red, “ Culture may contribute to this natural female preference,” said Pro. Hulbert.
In her experience, 208 young adult men and women were asked to select, as rapidly as possible, their preferred color. Hulbert and her colleague Dr. Yazhu Ling marked the results and found that while men preferred blue, women tended to choose pink.
Hulbert said she could only prefer about the preference for blue: “ Here again, I would favor evolutionary arguments. Going back to our savannah days, we would have a natural preference for
a clear blue sky, because it signaled good weather. Clear blue also signals a good water source.”
51. The passage mentions “ the African savannah” to show that_____.
A. the ancient Africa was a a beautiful place
B. human beings lived in Africa at first
C. women and men have different color preference
D. color preference has its historical origins
52. It can be inferred that the underlined word “ fuchsia”_____.
A. is probably a kind of toy
B. is probably pink in color
C. can be only found in Africa
D. hardly causes men’s interest
53. By saying “ the Chinese students for red.” In Para. 5, the writer means_____.
A. red is the Chinese students’ favorite color
B. the Chinese prefer red more than the British
C. culture influences people’s color preferences
D. the study was carried out by two nations
54. What can we know from the last paragraph?
A. Hulbert thinks evolution explains why people prefer blue.
B. Hulbert has a strong desire for “savannah days”.
C. Blue is a natural signal of many good things
D. While boys like blue, girls like pink.
答案51.D 52.B 53.C 54.A。