【备战2014】2014高考英语阅读理解精品训练(1)及解析

2014高考英语阅读理解精品训练（1）及解析
真题及模拟
George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.
Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world－famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the well－known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz－influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty－nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.
61．Many of Gershwin's musical works were ________．
A．written about New Yorkers
B．composed for Paul Whiteman
C．played mainly in the countryside
D．performed in various ways
62．What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?
A．It attracted more people to theatres.
B．It proved jazz could be serious music.
C．It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra.
D．It caused a debate among jazz musicians.
63．What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
A．He created one of his best works.
B．He studied with Nadia Boulanger.
C．He argued with French critics.
D．He changed his music style.
64．What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A．Many of Gershwin's works were lost.
B．The death of Gershwin was widely reported.
C．A concert was held in memory of Gershwin.
D．Brain cancer research started after Gershwin's death.
65．Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
A．Talented and productive.
B．Serious and boring.
C．Popular and unhappy.
D．Friendly and honest.
【要点综述】这是一篇人物传记。

文章主要讲述了美国著名作曲家乔治·格什温的生平以及他在音乐方面的巨大贡献。

61．D考查细节理解。

从第二段的“Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way—from jazz to country.”可知，乔治·格什温的音乐作品是以各种形式演唱或演奏的。

故选D。

62．B考查推理判断。

根据第三段的“Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world－famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.”可知，这个音乐会充分证明爵士音乐流行的同时，也可以庄重、严肃。

63．A考查细节理解。

从第四段的第二句可知B项不正确；从第四段的“When it was first performed, critics were divided over the music.”可知，不是格什温与评论家争辩，故C项不正确；没有提到他音乐风格的改变，故D项不正确；从第四段的最后一句“It still remains one of his most famous works.”可知A项是正确的。

64．B考查推理判断。

从最后一段的“Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages.”可知，世界各地的报纸对格什温的去世进行了广泛的报道。

故选B。

65．A考查推理判断。

从全文看乔治·格什温创作了很多的音乐，其演奏的形式多样化，并得到观众
赞赏，这体现了他是一位很有才华，且多产的作曲家。

故选A。

[2013·北京卷]
Tail Spin
Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin, Grace, shows off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she's even swimming at all. She doesn't have a tail.
Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap.When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “Is she going to make it？” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it—but her tail didn't. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.
Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way—like a fish! She pushes herself forward through the water by moving her peduncle from side to side.
The movements put harmful pressure on Grace's backbone. So a company offered to create a man－made tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn't hurt her.
The first time Grace wore the artificial tail, she soon shook it off and let it sink to the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The new tail isn't necessary for her to feel comfortable，” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion(动作) and build muscles(肌肉)．”
Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focuses on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her man－made tail gives people so much courage.
60．When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her ________.
A. physical build
B. potential ability
C. chance of survival
D. adaptation to the surroundings
61．A man－made tail is created for Grace to ________．
A. let her recover faster
B. make her comfortable
C. adjust her way of swimming
D. help her perform better tricks
62．The story of Grace inspires people to ________．
A. stick to their dreams
B. treat animals friendly
C. treasure what they have
D. face difficulties bravely
【要点综述】这是一篇关于海豚的故事，讲述的是一只断尾的海豚。

它的尾巴在一次事故中丧失。

在训导员的训练下，它克服了困难，学会了使用假尾巴，像其他海豚一样在水中遨游。

它还成了一部电影中的明星，它的勇气感动了人们。

60．C 细节理解题。

根据文章第二段“fighting for her life”可知，它在为活下去而挣扎，所以选C。

61．C 细节理解题。

根据第三段末和第四段，可知它改变的游动方式给它带来了有害的压力，所以一家公司才给它装了条假尾巴。

故选C。

62．D 推理判断题。

本文的目的就是通过描写一个断了尾巴的海豚勇敢地活下去的故事，来鼓励人们勇敢地面对困难。

所以选D。

C8[2012·辽宁卷] B
Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions(使命)often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day's work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station(ISS)．ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email, Internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy. Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of
family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters. And as from early 2010, the Internet became available on the ISS, giving astronauts the chance to do some “web surfing(冲浪)” in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth. Both the shuttle and the ISS circle the planet several times each day, and every moment offers a new view of the Earth's vast land mass and oceans.
60．What does the word “mimic” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A．Find. B．Copy. C．Change. D．Lose.
61．Which of the following best describes the families of the astronauts on the ISS?
A．They are caring and thoughtful.
B．They are worried and upset.
C．They are impatient and annoyed.
D．They are excited and curious.
62．In the final paragraph, the author shows that astronauts ________.
A．get more pleasure in space than on the Earth
B．find living in space a bit boring and tiring
C．regard space life as common
D．love to see the Earth from space
63．The passage mainly discusses how astronauts ________.
A．work for longer missions in space
B．connect with people on the Earth
C．observe the Earth from space
D．spend their free time in space
【要点综述】本文是记叙文。

宇航员的生活往往是与众不同的，但是在国际空间站的工作人员的生活可以跟在地球上的生活很相似。

他们可以与家人或者朋友联系，也可以做一些日常的活动。

60. B词义猜测题。

联系They work five days on and two days off我们知道，他们的生活与地球上是一样的，因此答案为B。

61. A推理判断题。

从第二段我们知道，在飞行前，这些航天员的家人以及朋友为他们准备了照片、书籍等供他们消遣的东西，因此他们是很体贴和想法周全的。

D有一定干扰性，文章没有讲述家人或者朋友对于这些宇航员工作的兴奋与好奇，因此可以排除。

62. D推理判断题。

从最后一段我们知道，这些宇航员喜欢从窗口看外面的世界，并且地球在不同时间提供了不同的画面。

63. D主旨大意题。

全文讲述了国际空间站的宇航员是如何度过工作之余的闲暇时间的。

B、C有一定的干扰性。

文章提到过宇航员与地面上的家人和朋友的联系，也提到了他们透过窗子看地球上的景观，
但是这些都是细节，而不是主题。

*******************************************************结束
C8[2012·江苏卷]
Medical drugs sometimes cause more damage than they cure. One solution to this problem is to put the drugs inside a capsule, protecting them from the body—and the body from them—until they can be released at just the right spot. There are lots of ways to trigger (引发) this release，including changing temperature, acidity, and so on. But triggers can come with their own risks—burns, for example. Now, researchers in California have designed what could be a harmless trigger to date: shining near-infrared light (NIR, 近红外线) on the drug in the capsule.
The idea of using light to liberate the drug in the capsule isn't new. Researchers around the globe have developed polymers (聚合物) and other materials that begin to break down when they absorb either ultraviolet (UV, 紫外线) or visible light. But tissues also readily absorb UV and visible light, which means the drug release can be triggered only near the skin, where the light can reach the capsule. NIR light largely passes through tissues, so researchers have tried to use it as a trigger. But few compounds (化合物) absorb NIR well and go through chemical changes.
That changed last year when Adah Almutairi, a chemist at the University of California, San Diego, reported that she and her colleagues had designed a polymer that breaks down when it absorbs NIR light. Their polymer used a commercially available NIR-absorbing group called o-nitrobenzyl (ONB). When they catch the light, ONB groups fall off the polymer, leading to its breakdown. But ONB is only a so-so NIR absorber, and it could be poisonous to cells when it separates from the polymer.
So Almutairi and her colleagues reported creating a new material for capsules that's even better. This one consists of a long chain of compounds called cresol groups linked in a polymer. Cresol contains reactive (易反应的) components that make it highly unstable in its polymeric form, a feature Almutairi and her colleagues use to their advantage. After polymerizing the cresols, they cap each reactive component with a light-absorbing compound called Bhc. When the Bhcs absorb NIR light, the reactive groups are exposed and break the long polymer into two short chains. Shining additional light continues this breakdown, potentially releasing any drugs in the capsule. What's more, Almutairi says, Bhc is 10 times better at absorbing NIR than is ONB and is not poisonous to cells.
63. According to the passage, which of the following could be the best trigger?
A. Temperature change.
B. NIR light.
C. Acidity change.
D. UV light.
64. Why is ONB unsatisfactory?
A. It breaks down when it absorbs NIR light.
B. It falls off the polymer and triggers drug release.
C. It has not come onto the market up till now.
D. It is not effective enough and could be poisonous.
65. Which word can be used to complete the following process of changes?
Bhcs absorb NIR.⇨Polymer breaks down.⇨Drug is released.
A. protected
B. formed
C. exposed
D. combined
【要点综述】这是一篇科技文。

怎样使用胶囊？如何让吃药更加安全、疗效更好？文章对此做了介绍。

63. B信息理解题。

根据第一段最后一句“Now, researchers in California have designed what could be a harmless trigger to date: shining near-infrared light (NIR，近红外线) on the drug in the capsule.”可知答案。

64. D推理判断题。

根据第三段最后两句“…ONB groups fall off the polymer, leading to its breakdown.”和“…and it could be poisonous to cells…”可知答案。

65. C信息理解题。

根据最后一段第五句“When the Bhcs absorb NIR light, the reactive groups are exposed and break the long polymer into two short chains.”可知此处用exposed，即C项正确。