(通用版)2017届高三英语二轮复习第二板块题型三阅读理解词义猜测题专练(一)

阅读理解词义猜测题专练(一)

(题干加黑的为词义猜测题)

A

(2016·湖南省十三校高三联考) As a star computer scientist, Cristina Fonseca had lots of job offers, but she turned them all down. She decided to start her own business Talkdesk. She lives in Portugal but does business all over the globe by using software.

The global economy works well for such people.

But the world of work has been less kind to other young folks. Florence Moreau, a young architect in Paris, had the double misfortune to leave university in 2009, when the world economy was on its knees; and to be French. “I really need a full­time, permanent job，” she says. Under France's 3,800­page labour code, workers on permanent contracts receive generous benefits and are extremely hard to get rid of. So French firms have all but stopped hiring permanent staff: Four­fifths of new employees are on short­term contracts. Ms Moreau has had eight jobs, none lasting for longer than 16 months. With a small child at home, she has to keep looking for the next one. “It's tiring，” she sighs.

Joblessness matters. The longer people are out of work, the more their skills and their self­confidence atrophy,_the less appealing they look to potential employers and the more likely they are to give up.

Trade unions often favour a minimum wage. This can help those who already have jobs, but if it is set too high it can crowd out those with the fewest skills and the least experience, who tend to be young.

A labour system where companies can hire and fire easily is urgently needed.

Making it easier for young people to start their own business is essential, too. They may be full of energy and open to new ideas.

Also, there is a huge mismatch everywhere between the skills that many young people can offer and the ones that employers need. Ms Fonseca says she cannot find the right talent for Talkdesk. As economies grow more complex, demand for practical skills will keep rising. The world's schools are not even close to meeting it.

1．What can we learn about Cristina Fonseca?

A．She does business only in Portugal.

B．When seeking a job, she was refused many times by employers.

C．Her company is not related to information technology.

D．She can't find the talents she wants.

2．What does the underlined word “atrophy” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Increase. B．Shrink.

C．Overcome. D．Survive.

3．Why can't Moreau find a permanent job?

A．Employers don't want to give workers good welfare.

B．She didn't finish university studies.

C．The world economy is booming.

D．The French government hasn't taken any measures for unemployment.

4．Which measure is actually useless for unemployment?

A．Making labour rules more flexible.

B．Training students to gain skills.

C．Raising the minimum wage.

D．Encouraging young people to start companies.

B

(2016·河南省豫东、豫北十所名校阶段性测试五)

I believe in taking action to solve problems around me. Passively accepting the status quo (现状) is something that doesn't even cross my mind.

My mother wrote poetry, books, and letters to the editor to try to change the world — some were published; others remained manuscripts that she worked and reworked with comments from authors she respected. She did not sit still.

When, at ninety­three, illness left her only a short time to live, she told me that she had submitted her recent book of poetry to a publisher but hadn't received a response from them. So I called the publisher, only to learn that the company had stopped operating for lack of money. As my mother's health was slipping quickly, there wasn't time to find a different publisher. After a few weeks of feeling helpless, I began to look for another solution.

Luckily, I found a printer, who was touched by my mother's story and quickly moved into action with me. We worked together to complete the book just a few days before I left to see my mother for the last time. I handed it to her gift­wrapped.