2020届高考英语复习热点题型专练：(4)阅读理解(四)

阅读理解（四）

A

Most buildings are built to stand up straight, but these look as if they might fall over!

The church tower of Suurhusen

Built in 1450, the 27­metre­high church tower lies in Suurhusen, Germany. It was built in wet land on foundations of oak tree trunks (树干). When the land was drained (排水) later, the wood broke down, causing one side of the tower to be a little lower than the other. In 1975, the tower became a real hazard and people were not allowed to enter until the foundations were made strong again. The lean (倾斜) of the tower is now about five degrees.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The work of building the tower began in 1173, and was finally completed in 1372. In fact, it began to lean after just a couple of floors were built. And this condition continued in the centuries after its completion. The tower was finally closed to the public in 1990 after people failed to stabilize (使稳固) its foundations. In 2001, it was reopened after engineers removed soil from underneath its raised side. Now it leans just an angle of 3.97 degrees.

Capital Gate of Abu Dhabi

Completed in 2011, the Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabi was designed to lean eighteen degrees. The building stands next to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and contains, among other things, a fine hotel with wonderful views of the harbour. Also known as the leaning tower of Abu Dhabi, the tower is one of the tallest buildings in the city.

Big Ben of London

The building leans 0.26 degrees to the northwest. This was mainly caused by the engineering projects (项目) that have been carried out in the ground below it since the late 1800s. The tower, which has been continuously open since it was completed in 1858, has nowhere near the lean of the Tower of Pisa and is still completely safe to enter.

语篇解读：本文是一篇应用文。文章主要介绍了四座闻名世界的斜塔。

1．The underlined word “hazard” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”．A．danger B．church

C．castle D．treasure

解析：选A 词义猜测题。由该词后的“people were not allowed to enter until the foundations were made strong again”可知，塔由于倾斜变得危险了，所以不允许人们进去了，故选A项。

2．What can we learn about the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

A．It didn't lean until ten years after its completion.

B．It took almost two hundred years to complete.

C．It was built on foundations of oak tree trunks.

D．It has been open since it was completed.

解析：选B 细节理解题。由第三段中的“The work of building the tower began in 1173, and was finally completed in 1372.”可知，建成比萨斜塔用了将近200年的时间，故选B项。

3．Which of the following towers leans the most according to the text?

A．The church tower of Suurhusen.

B．The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

C．Capital Gate of Abu Dhabi.

D．Big Ben of London.

解析：选 C 细节理解题。由第二段中的“five degrees”，第三段中的“3.97 degrees”，第四段中的“eighteen degrees”和最后一段中的“0.26 degrees”可知，C 项为正确答案。

B

My cellphone rang while I was working on my computer. I looked at the phone and s aw it was my 17­year­old son, Tom. I quickly picked it up. “Mom, I got a 71 on the test. I did it.” With those few words, I could feel my heart start to pound.

Living in New York State, students cannot graduate from high school unless they pass at least five exams: one in English, one in science, two in history and one in math. For most students, who work hard, attend class, and do their homework, it isn't that hard. But for Tom, who is dyslexic (朗读困难的), it is such a real challenge that some teachers have feared he would never be able to even attempt, never mind achieve.

We were honest with him about his trouble, letting him know that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Some people learn differently. If he was willing to work, we would help him find a way to do as much as he could in his academic career. All that was