2010高考阅读理解分类集训

高中语阅读理解专项训练（九类）高中英语阅读理解专项训练-地理类-故事类-科技类一(1)Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”—the land of fire. Death Valley’s present n ame dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared宣布a National Monument(纪念碑) and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined毁坏the special beauty of this place.Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures(沙雕) stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.1. _______ is the lowest place in the desert.A. TomeshaB. Death ValleyC. NevadaD. Badwater2. The name of the valley comes from _______.A. an Indian nameB. the death of the minersC. the local peopleD. a National Movement3. From the passage we can learn that _______.A. no one had ever known the desert before the minersB. it’s still not easy to travel across the desertC. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desertD. people have changed the natural sight of the desert4. Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.A. the frequent windB. the colors of the sandC. dream-like sightsD. the sand sculptures5. From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.A. appreciatesB. is fearful ofC. dislikesD. is tired of Valley['væli] n. 山谷，溪谷，流域 alkali['ælkəlai] n. 碱dates back to可追溯到，始于(某时期) miner n. 矿工 ['skʌlptʃə]turn out证明是settlement . 安置，解决，协议，结算，住宅区(2)The Erie伊利湖Canal[kə'næl]运河 was the first important national waterway 航路built in the US. It crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie Troy to Albany on the Hudson River. It joined 连接the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal served as a route over which industrial goods could flow into the west, and materials could pour into the east. The Erie Canal helped New York develop into the nation’s largest city.The building of the canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York. It cost $ 7 143 789, but it soon gained its price many times over. Between 1825, when the canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges(过运河费) were stopped, the state collected $121 461 891.For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a canal which could join the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The man who planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton. Those who were against the canal laughingly called it “Clinton’s Ditch(沟)”. Clinton talked and wrote about the canal and drew up plans for it. He and Governor Morris went to Washington in 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful.Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4, 1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N.Y. The first part of the canal was completed in 1820. As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast. The length of the canal is 363 miles.1. We can see that the Erie Canal ________.A. joined the Great Lakes togetherB. crossed New York from north to southC. played an important part in developing New York CityD. was the first waterway built in the US2. It can be inferred that ________ into the Atlantic Ocean.A. the Great Lakes flowB. the Hudson River flowsC. Lake Erie flowsD. the Erie Canal flows3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?A. The Erie Canal brought profits of over $114, 000, 000.B. It’s 363 miles from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.C. The West was more advanced than the East when the canal was built.D. Many other states helped New York built the canal.4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?A. Clinton broke ground for the canal at both ends.B. Clinton started building the canal before he became governor.C. All parts of the canal were completed at the same time.D. Construction of the canal took eight years.二 (1)Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. Mr. Johnson took the only escape route—through the boot(行李箱).Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠) at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot.I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up.”His hands and arms cut and bruised(擦伤), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch.1. What is the best title for this newspaper article?A. The Story of Mr. Johnson, A Sweet SalesmanB. Car Boot Can Serve As The Best Escape RouteC. Driver Escapes Through Car BootD. The Driver Survived A Terrible Car Accident2. Which of the following objects is the most important to Mr. Johnson?A. The hammer.B. The coin.C. The screw.D. The horn.3. Which statement is true according to the passage?A. Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down.B. Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam.C. Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road.D. Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat.4. “Finally it gave” (Paragraph 5) means that _______.A. Luckily the door was torn away in the endB. At last the wrench went brokenC. The lock came open after all his effortsD. The chance was lost at the last minute5. It may be inferred from the passage that _______.A. the ditch was along a quiet country roadB. the accident happened on a clear warm dayC. the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditchD. Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended(2)The most frightening words in the English language are, “Our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, “I’m sorry, I can’t sell you a ticket. Our computer is down.”“If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket.”“I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so.”I looked down on the computer and every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the black screen. Then I asked her, “What do all you people do?”“We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly with u s or not.”“So when it goes down, you go down with it.”“That’s good, sir.”“How long will the computer be down?” I wanted to know.“I have no idea. Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There’s no way we can find out without asking the computer, and since it’s down it won’t answer us.”After the girl told me they had no backup(备用) computer, I said. “Let’s forget the computer. What about your planes? They’re still flying, aren’t they?”“I couldn’t tell without asking the computer.”“Maybe I could just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he’s flying to Washington, ” I suggested.“I wouldn’t know what gate to send you to. Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn’t take you if you didn’t have a ticket.”“Is there any other airline flying to Washington within the next few hours?”“I wouldn’t know, ” she said, pointing at the dark screen. “Only ‘IT’ knows. ‘It’ can’t tell me.”By this time there were quite a few people standing in lines. The word soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down. Some people went white, some people started to cry and still others kicked their luggage.1. The best title for the article is _______.A. When the Computer Is DownB. The Most Frightening WordsC. The Computer of the AirportD. Asking the Computer2. What could the girl in the ticket office do for the passengers without asking the computer?A. She could sell a ticket.B. She could write out a ticket.C. She could answer the passengers’ questions.D. She could do nothing.3. Why do you think they had not a backup computer?A. Because it was easy downB. Because it was very expensive.C. Because it was not advanced enough.D. Because it was not as big as the main computer.4. The last paragraph suggests that _______.A. a modern computer won’t be down.B. computers can take the place of humansC. sometimes a computer may bring suffering to peopleD. there will be great changes in computers(3)We spent a day in the country, picking wild flowers. With the car full of flowers we were going home. On our way back my wife noticed a cupboard (柜厨) outside a furniture shop. It was tall and narrow. “Buy it, ” my wife said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof rack. I’ve always wanted one like that.”What could I do? Ten minutes later I was ￡20 poorer; and the cupboard was tied on the roof rack. It was six feet long and eighteen inches square, quite heavy too.In the gathering darkness I drove slowly. Other drivers seemed unusually polite that evening. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.After a time my wife said, “There’s a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake, I wonder?” In fact a police car did overtake. The two off icers inside looked at us seriously as they passed. But then, with great kindness, they led us through the rush-hour traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me.“Right, sir, ” he said. “Do you need any more help?”I was a bit puzzled. “Thanks, officer, ” I said. “You have been very kind.I live just on the road.”He was staring at our car, first at the flowers, then at the cupboard. “Well, well, ” he said, laughing. “It’s a cupboard you’ve got there! We thoug ht it was something else.”My wife began to laugh. The truth hit me like a stone between the eyes. I smiled at the officer. “Yes, it’s a cupboard, but thanks again.” I drove home as fast as I could.1. In fact the husband _______ the cupboard.A. would like very much to buyB. badly wantedC. was glad to have boughtD. would rather not buy2. Other drivers thought they were _______.A. carrying a cupboard to the churchB. sending flowers to the churchC. carrying nothing but a piece of furnitureD. going to attend a funeral(葬礼) at the church3. The police will be more polite to those who are _______.A. driving in gathering darknessB. in great sorrow (悲痛)C. driving with wild glowers in the carD. carrying furniture4. What did the husband think of this matter?A. It was very strange.B. He felt ashamed of it.C. He took great pride in it.D. He was puzzled at it.(4)My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behindan ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field —except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.1. The writer’s first job was _______.A. to stand down the fairway at a golf courseB. to watch over the sugar-cane plantationC. to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fieldsD. to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them2. The word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.A. difficultB. boringC. interestingD. unusual3. The writer learned that_______ from his first job.A. he should work for those who he liked mostB. he should work longer than what he was expectedC. he should never fail to say hello to his ownerD. he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for4. _______ gave the writer serf-esteem.A. Having a family of eight peopleB. Owning his own golf courseC. Bringing money back home to help the familyD. Helping his father with the work on the plantation5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?A. He wanted to be a successful golfer.B. He wanted to run a golf course near his house.C. He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation.D. He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick.(5)At the time, I would go out in the evening with my parents. But this time I had borrowed a bicycle from a friend of mine. I didn’t know why, but once I was on my own bicycle, a kind of free feeling flooded through me. The faster I rode, the faster I wanted to go! Far ahead, I rode as if my life depended on it, head down, hands grasping the handbars. I meant to get to Jinghai Bar as fast as I could...Oh! My hands! Don’t come any closer... Don’t touch me! That poor doctor just couldn’t get my gloves off. Each time he took a step towards me, I broke into painful shouting. Much later, I discovered that I had crashed(碰撞) heavily with another bicycle, and I hadn’t spoken one word of sense for at least three h ours! After some time, my mother arrived at the hospital, her face as white as a sheet, and gave me a hug(拥抱), only then did the doctor begin to stitch(缝合) my head wound, not only did he merrily cut off a long lock of my hair, but used no anaesthetic(麻药) either! Later. I seemed to hear faraway voices saying that my right hand was broken. I almost burst into tears. How would I ever play the piano again?1. On her way to Jinghai, the writer felt _______.A. nervousB. comfortableC. light-heartedD. upset2. Why did the writer ride a bicycle to Jinghai Bar that evening?A. Because she wanted to attend a party on time.B. Because she wanted to meet her friend who was waiting for her there.C. Because she just wanted, to join some of her friends and drink some wine.D. We are not quite sure about what she was really going there for.3. What did the writer think of the doctor?A. Friendly.B. Cruel.C. Hardworking.D. Kind.4. One thing is sure, that is, before she was wounded she _______.A. often went to Jinghai Bar with her friendsB. liked playing the pianoC. didn’t like any doctors at allD. would burst into tears when she was in trouble(6)Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists.Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper. The Beldon Post:FIRE AT SEABREEZELate last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors：“Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” Th is was Beldon’s first hotel fire for five years.The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRELast night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel.Now what do you think of the rest of the “news” ?1. Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?A. Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer.B. A fire broke out night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer.C. It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers.D. Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter.2. Which of the following are probably facts?a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.b. A cigarette started the fire.c. An old lamp started the fire.d. The fire broke out at night.e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.A. b and cB. a and dC. c and eD. a and c3. The Canfield Times used the headline like this in order to make its readers think _______.A. hotels in Beldon often catch fireB. hotels in Beldon don’t often catch fireC. this was the second fire at the Seabreeze HotelD. Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe4. The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Beldon Post by saying that _______.A. the bedroom lamps were very old at the Seabreeze HotelB. the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took placeC. the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other thingsD. such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years(7)Jack used to curse(咒骂) the front yard as if it were a living thing. He was the man who lived with my grandmother for thirty years. He was not my grandfather, but an Italian who came down the road one day, selling fruit in Florida.Jack stopped at my grandmother’s house to sell her some oranges just a stone’s throw from downtown Miami, and he was delivering her whiskey a week later. He stayed for thirty years. Jack hated the front yard because he thought it was against him.There had been a beautiful lawn(草坪) there when Jack came along, but he let it wander off into nothing. He refused to water it or take care of it in any way.Now the ground was so hard that it gave his car flat tires(轮胎) in the summer. The yard was always finding a nail to put in one of his tires or the car as always sinking out of sight in the winter when the rains came on. The lawn had belonged to my grandfather, who lived out the end of his life in an insane hospital. It had been his pride and joy and was said to be the place where his powers came.1. It can be inferred that the real reason Jack had problems with the yard was that _______.A. he didn’t like the lawn.B. the auth or’s grandfather was against Jack working on the lawnC. the lawn was full of living thingsD. he himself did not take care of the lawn2. We can learn from the passage that when the lawn belonged to the author’s grandfather, it had been _______.A. beautifulB. worn outC. wastedD. full of nails3. What do we know about Jack and the author’s grandfather?A. They both hated the front lawn.B. Jack was jealous of the author’s grandfather.C. They sold fruit in Florida.D. They came from Italy and lived together.(8)When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again. “No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it wi ll be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.” “So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?”Johnson smiled again. “Would I be showing it to you if I had?”“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could.” Johnson said gently. “Besides,” he added, “I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. C heaper than any vegetable oil, in fact.”“Perhaps,” said the manager. “Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson, Shall we discuss it?”“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way,” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”“The other way,” continued Johnson, “is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”1. The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ________.A. cheaper than the new oilB. more quicklyC. more expensiveD. as good as the new oil2. Johnson’s new oil would be ________.A. more expensive than fish oil, but betterB. less expensive, and betterC. less expensive, but not goodD. more expensive, and not so good3. Johnson expressed his regret that the manager ________.A. could not stop the new oil being madeB. would never know how to make itC. had spent a lot of money on ID. didn’t know enough about it4. Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ________.A. to produce it himselfB. to prevent it being producedC. to be paid not to produce itD. the manager to produce it(9)A lot of us lose life’s tough battles by starting a frontal(正面的) attack—when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about being late on the job. Although there was a good reasonfor Sam’s a being late—serious illness at home—he decided that thisby-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室); everyone was hard at work. Sam’s supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. “How do you do!” he said. “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m applying for a job. Which, I understand, became av ailable just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job—with the only tool that could win, a laugh.Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected(忽略), means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no”, criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For so me jobs, it’s the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians(喜剧演员) on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance(忍受力) than people in any other forum.1. Why was Sam late for his job?A. Because he was ill.B. Because he got up late.C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.D. He was busy applying for a new job.2. The main idea of this passage is ________.A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humorB. humor is important in our livesC. early bird gets the wormD. humor can solve racial discriminations3. The phrase “clamped off” in Paragraph 3 means ________.A. tried to hold backB. tried to setC. chargedD. gave out4. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?A. Many lose life’s battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor.B. It wasn’t the first time that Sam came late for his work.C. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.D. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.(10)In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue(烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity(一致性), for the brothers had developed a strict routine(程序) for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks’ sticking to their rout ine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise(特许经营) other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate(复制) the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches(拱门).Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In1976, McDonald’s had over $ l billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.1. This passage mainly talks about _______.A. the development of fast food servicesB. how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar businessC. the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonaldD. Ray Kroc’s business talent2. Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except _______.A. a drive-inB. a theaterC. a cinemaD. a barbecue restaurant3. We may infer from this passage that _______.A. Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc.。