中考英语总复习二轮 【2021年中考时事阅读】第12期

UK physicist Isaac Newton once said, "Nature is pleased with simplicity and nature is no dummy (傻子)." Indeed, Mother Nature can provide almost everything human beings need if we follow her rules. But if we break the rules, she is likely to be cruel and lash out at us.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (新型冠状病毒肺炎, NCP) in China and some other countries at the beginning of this year is an example. According to Xinhua News Agency, the new coronavirus is similar to a virus found in a bat in 2017 and probably has an intermediate host (中间宿主). It’s believed that the vir us originated from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei province, where live wild animals were sold.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Dr Peter Daszak, president of the US-based health organization EcoHealth Alliance, said, "This outbreak is a lesson for us. On a global scale (规模), human population density (密度), wildlife diversity, and land use change are what drive new pandemics (流行病)."
In ancient times, people needed to rely on nature to survive so they held it in awe (敬畏). For example, the American Indians believed that humans are a part of nature and nature is a part of humans. Chinese ancients always pursued the harmony between
nature and human beings.
However, as human beings master more knowledge and make more advanced tools, people try to change and even conquer nature. They use more land to make buildings, genetically modify (改变) plants, capture some wild and rare animals to suit their own needs. In this process, humans gradually lose contact with nature and even throw it out of balance. For example, cutting a large number of forests means carbon dioxide must build up in the atmosphere and it contributes to global warming.
Alt hough we don’t know for sure what first caused the NCP outbreak, Brian Lamacraft at Medium said it’s time for people to "reflect on our relationship with our planet" and "reconnect with this world and everything that we’ve been given". ① After all, accordi ng to US poet Gary Snyder, "Nature is not the place to visit. It’s our home."
1：What does the phrase “lash out at” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A.Punish C. test
B.Control D. challenge
2：What lesson did Daszak think human beings should learn from the NCP outbreak?
A.Bats are one of the most dangerous wild animals.
B.It’s impossible to prevent new pandemics globally.
C.We should stop the wildlife trade around the world.
D.Humans should live peacefully with nature.
3：What is the main idea of Paragraph 5?
A.How human beings become their own masters.
B.How human activities cause global warming.
C.How human beings break the balance of nature.
D.How humans use technology to improve their lives.
4：What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?
A.To reflect on the NCP outbreak.
B.To explain what led to the NCP outbreak.
C.To describe experts’ predictions on new pandemics.
D.To compare ancient and modern attitudes toward nature.
参考答案：ADCA
Passage 2：The prime suspect
As the novel coronavirus (冠状病毒) spreads throughout China and the rest of the world, an important question has yet to be answered: where did the virus come from?
The latest study indicated that pangolins (穿山甲) may be an intermediate host of virus, according to Xinhua. However, bats are suspected to be the original cause.
“We don’t know the source yet, but there’s pretty strong evidence that this is a bat origin coronavirus,” said Peter Dazsak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, an environmental nonprofit (非营利机构), according to The New York Times.①“When you look at the genetic sequence (基因序列) of the virus, and you match it up with every known coronavirus, the closest ones are from bats,” Dazsak also told CNN.
So why are bats the source of so many deadly kinds of viruses and why don’t they suffer from any symptoms (症状)? Bats are mammals (哺乳动物) that have a long lifespan ( 寿命) and live with millions of other bats in caves, where they can potentially spread the virus far and wide. As the only flying mammal, their body temperature is high, similar to a fever. It’s this fact that may contribute to bats’ unique immune system (免疫系统) in protecting them from the ill effects of viruses.
It’s curious to note that the virus outbreak was traced to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, a place where no bats were sold. How could this be? “It seems likely that another animal host is acting as an intermediate host between bats and humans,” said Wu Guizhen, of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Live Science.
But are bats truly to blame for the virus or should we be blaming ourselves? It’s the fault (错误) of humans for decreasing the distance between us and virus-carrying bats. Bats are an important animal in our ecosystem (生态系统) when it comes to pollinating (授粉) many fruits such as mangoes, bananas and avocados. We need to allow them to continue pollination and keep them away from our markets and mouths. 1：What can we learn about the origin of COVID-19?
A.Bats have been discovered to be its original cause.
B.Pangolins are now considered the most likely source.
C.It’s identified by comparing sources of vario us viruses.
D.The virus was found to be genetically similar to those seen in bats.
2：Why don’t bats suffer from the coronavirus?
A.Their low body temperature protects them.
B.Bats have a unique immune system.
C.Bats are the only flying mammal to live in groups.
D.Living in caves helps bats fight against viruses.
3：What can be inferred from Paragraph 5?
A.The Wuhan Huanan seafood market was blamed for selling bats.
B.The coronavirus was directly transmitted from bats to humans.
C.The intermediate host spreading the virus remains unknown.
D.Bats are not responsible for the outbreak of the coronavirus.
4：What is the main point the author makes in the last paragraph?
A.Virus-carrying bats should be killed.
B.Humans should stay away from bats.
C.Bats benefit but also harm our ecosystem.
D.Bats could spread viruses during pollination.
参考答案：DBCB
Passage 3：Why should we go to college
Why do I want to go to college? No one has ever asked me 1 _ a question. But many times I have asked myself. I have 2 （come）up with a whole variety of reasons.the 3 （many）important reason is that I want to be a better man.
Many things make human beings different 4 or better than or even superior to animals.
One of the most important things is 5 （educate）. If I fail to receive higher education, my education don’t 6 （完成）. As I want to be a fully 7 （develop）man, I must get a well-rounded education, which good colleges and
universities are supposed to 8 （提供）. I know one can get educated in many ways, but colleges and universities are 9 （在..之中）the best places to teach me how to educate myself. Only when I am well-educated, will I be a better human being and be_a_10 to fit into society.
参考答案：such；come；most；from；education；finish；
developed；provide；Among；able
Passage 4：From bats to our bodies
The novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP, 新型冠状病毒肺炎) outbreak in China was caused by a new coronavirus that we have never seen before. It was first found in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, where a variety of ( 各种) wild animals were on sale. People who sold and bought animals illegally (非法) were the first to be infected (感染).
Scientists have found that the virus likely came from bats and was then spread to humans from pangolins (穿山甲). According to Live Science, bats can carry and spread more than 60 viruses that can infect humans. They include the world’s deadliest ( 最致命的) viruses, such as Ebola and SARS. Other wild animals like snakes and hedgehogs (刺猬) are also hosts of many viruses.
There have been calls for people to stop eating wild animals. However, the danger is not just in eating them, but also in touching them. People can get infected if they come into contact (接触) with the body fluids (体液) of wild animals. People who hunt, kill, sell or eat these animals run the risk (风险) of becoming infected.
Keeping wild animals as pets or selling parts of their bodies as animal products (商品) also create risks for humans. It is highly possible to come into contact with the body fluids of wild animals in this way.
“Trade and consumption (消费) of wild animals of all kinds should be banned (禁止),” Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist (流行病学家) at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told China Dail y. “Otherwise people will suffer.”
Why are bats the source of so many viruses?
Bats tend to live in dark and wet places, where there are all kinds of viruses.
Bats always live in groups. Therefore, the viruses can have larger “playgrounds” to evolve (进化) and become more powerful variants (变体).
Bats are mammals (哺乳动物), just like humans. Our similar genes (基因) make it easier for us to become infected with the same viruses.
When bats fly, their body temperature can reach as high as 40 C. This high temperature can kill weak viruses, but stronger ones will survive (存活) and continue to evolve.
Bats have special immune (免疫的) systems that allow them to live with viruses without getting sick.
Since they can fly, bats can spread viruses farther and more easily than other animals.
Although wild animals carry many diseases, it doesn’t mean that we should regard them as evil. Each species has a role in the ecosystem (生态系统) and all of them are important for keeping a good ecological balance. The lesson we should learn from virus outbreaks is to respect and protect animals and to live in harmony with them, instead of hunting, killing, or eating them.
1：According to scientists, humans might get infected with COVID-19 from .
A.pangolins C.hedgehogs
B.s nakes D.bamboo rats 2：
According to the story, what lesson should humans learn?
A.Research more about wild animals.
B.Exercise regularly to stay healthy.
C.Stop keeping animals as pets.
D.Don’t buy or eat wild animals.
3：Why can bats host many viruses without getting sick?
A.Because these viruses are not deadly.
B.Because they have special immune systems.
C.Because bats can keep the viruses in balance.
D.Because they can spread the viruses to other animals.
参考答案：ADB
Passage 5：Economy not in danger
It has been nearly four months since the first case of novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒) was found in Wuhan. As most people stay at home and many industries delay (推迟) their work, some people worry that this might affect China’s economy (经济).
As China Daily reported, the epidemic ( 疫情) has directly harmed some of China’s main industries. F or example, the tourism industry has been affected, as some foreign countries have set restrictions ( 限制) on people traveling from China and many airlines have canceled flights to and from China. Also, since many Chinese factories, such as those that make car parts, have delayed their work, companies that rely on their products have been affected as well.
“Despite the temporary (临时的) influence on the Chinese economy, the outbreak won’t affect the economy’s mid- to long-term fundamentals (基础),” said Tang Jianwei, chief researcher at the Financial Research Center of the Bank of Communications.
China is making efforts to step up production and resume ( 恢复) work. As of Feb 10, 94.6 percent of food-producing and processing (加工) companies in China had resumed work, according to Cong Liang, secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Moreover, the digital (数字的) economy is becoming more active. As people are unable to go outdoors, they are turning to digital entertainment by watching films and TV shows online. Some office workers are working at home by using teleconferencing software (电话会议软件). Platforms like Tencent and Ali Health are providing online medical consultation services to allow people to get medical help without leaving home.
These technologies are helping people go on with their daily lives and keep them safe. They are also lifting the digital economy to a new high, China Daily reported.
“We are confident that China’s economy remains resilient (适应力强的),” IMF
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in an online post.
1：What is the author’s purpose of writing Paragraph 2?
2：According to Tang Jianwei, will the outbreak affect the economy in the long run? 3：What percentage of food-producing and processing companies in China had started working again by Feb 10?
4：During the outbreak,what can you turn to for online medical help？
5. How does Kristalina Georgieva feel about China’s economy?
参考答案：
1.To show that some industries have been affected by the epidemic.
2.No, it won’t.
3.9
4.6 percent of them.
4.Platforms like Tencent and Ali Health.
5.Confident.
Passage 6：Time to try new things
Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, many families have been told to stay safe inside their homes. This may have been nice at first, but now you are probably bored. We’ve got some suggestions for you to beat the blues.
One important thing, of course, is to keep active. While it can be tempting (诱人的) to sit down all day, make sure you get up to get your blood flowing. Stretching (拉伸), sit-ups or push-ups are all easy exercises to do at home. Make sure to keep up a daily exercise routine. You can even find live-streaming (直播的) workout classes online so you aren’t alone.
Now is also the perfect time to learn a new skill. Coding ( 编程), drawing, playing a new instrument –the options are endless. You can browse ( 浏览) the thousands of how-to videos online to learn just about anything. Who needs to take extra classes when you can just watch videos and learn for free?
If you don’t trust food delivery during this time, you’ll need to cook your own food. Don’t place the responsibility for making food on your family alone –it’s a great time to practice preparing a meal for your parents. You can try your hand at
folding the perfect dumplings, prepare a variety of meat and vegetables for homemade hot pot, or make use of your oven and bake yourself a pizza or some cookies.
Though the virus outbreak is a serious matter, it’s important to maintain a sense of humor and stay positive. Internet users have been flooding online with memes about the virus. For example, the lack of surgical masks has also produced some interesting innovations (创新) with ways to cover your mouth and nose: fruit, plastic containers and bags have all been used as mask replacements (替代物). Some young people even airbrush (修图) masks on WeChat avatars (头像). Seeing pictures of these unique masks is sure to make you laugh.
It’s true that staying at home will breed boredom sometimes, but it’s also an opportunity to try new things. You now have more time to do all the things you were too busy to get started before.
What are you waiting for? Get to it!
Topic: How to beat 1. ________ during home
2. ________ Activities you can do
Keep active Keep up a daily exercise
3.________ and do exercises like str etching, sit-ups or push-ups, or taking live-streaming
4.________ classes online.
Learn a new 5. ________ Learn through online
6. ________ videos about coding, dra wing, playing a new instrument, etc.
Cook your own food 7. ________ cooking such as making dumplings, hot pot, pizza, or cookies.
Maintain a sense of humor and stay 8. ________ 9. ________ more, for example, by looking at funny online memes
Conclusion:
You can take the quarantine period as an opportunity to try something
10. ________ or do things that you didn’t have time to do.
参考答案：1. boredom 2. Tips/Suggestions/Advice 3. routine 4. workout 5. skill 6. how-to7. Practice/Try 8. positive 9. Laugh 10. new。