湖北省2012高考英語二輪復(fù)習專題訓練：閱讀理解（54）

1、湖北省2012高考英語二輪復(fù)習專題訓練：閱讀理解（54）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。 AAnne Whitney, a sophomore at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when she began college.” I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test. Yet I would go in to take the test, o

2、nly to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the tests did not show what I knew to the teacher." Another student in microbiology had similar experiences. He said, “My first chemist

3、ry test was very difficult. Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, and I was so nervous that I was shaking. My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was hard to hold my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the answers. Yet I couldn't even write them down!”These two young s

4、tudents were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student can't write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Although poor grades are often a resul

5、t of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety causes the low grades. Recently, test anxiety had been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students.Special university counseling courses try to help students. In these courses, counselors try to help students

6、 by teaching them how to manage test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tension. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. Students are tr

7、ained to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work at ease . Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.An expert at the University of California explains. “With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt

8、after taking our program. Most of them experience better control during their tests. Almost all have some improvement. With some, the improvement is very great.”1. According to the writer, poor grades are mainly the result of _. A. test anxiety B. lazinessC. lack of sleep D. inability to form good s

9、tudy habits2. To deal with this problem, students are supposed to _. A. take a short course on anxiety B. read about anxietyC. be able to manage or understand their anxietyD. take tests to prove they are not experiencing anxiety3. An expert at the University of California said _. A. all students cou

10、ld overcome the anxiety after taking a special test programB. almost all students felt less stress after taking the counseling courseC. students found it difficult to improve even though they had taken a special test D. students found it easy to relax as soon as they took the counseling courseBIn th

11、e future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didnt consider how people would

12、 want to use the technology. Or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Lets look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.Robot HelpersWheres the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And hes probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and

13、other Manufacturing environments.Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most peoples home.So why hasnt happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and Clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too w

14、eird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.Telephones of tomorrow?In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasnt caught on yet.Why? The technology worked fine, but it ov

15、erlooked something obvious: peoples desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower? Probably not it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesnt always mean people will want to use it.And finally, how a

16、bout that crazy prediction of the flying car? Its not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news or perhaps the sky outside your window to see what the future will bring.4. The whole passage is mainly abo

17、ut _.A. predictions that have come trueB. predictions that havent come trueC. why predictions dont come true easilyD. what technology will bring about5. Which of the following is probably not the authors belief?A. Predictions neednt consider peoples practical use of technology.B. The future isnt alw

18、ays easy to guess.C. Not all past predictions have come true.D. Many of the high-tech things our parents thought wed be using by now simply never appeared.6. The underlined word “weird” probably means _.A. wonderfulB. stupidC. practicalD. strange7. What does the author think of the flying car?A. It

19、is too difficult to imagine.B. It is too crazy an idea.C. It is likely to be made.D. It is often reported in the news.CEducating girls quite possibly brings in a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing worldWomen education may be an unusual field for economists，bu

20、t increasing women's contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issueAnd economists provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived (被剝奪) of education. Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they

21、do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family：girls grow up only to marry into somebody else's family and bear childrenGirls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school the prophecy (預(yù)言) becomes self-fu

22、lfilling, trapping women in a bad circle of neglect An educated mother，on the other hand，has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choicesShe is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children，ensuring that

23、 her daughters are given a fair chanceThe education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls，as well as of boys, will be educated and healthyThe bad circle is thus transformed into a good one Few will question that educating women has great social benefits, b

24、ut it has enormous economic advantages as wellMost obviously，there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workersWages rise by 10 to 20 percent for each additional year of schoolingSuch big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments，but they are just the

25、beginningEducating women also has a significant influence on health practices，including family planning.8. By saying “the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling” in the second paragraph，the author means that . A. girls will turn out to be less valuable than boys B. girls will be capable of realizing their

26、 own dreams C. girls will eventually find their goals in life beyond reach D. girls will be increasingly discontented with their life at home9. The author believes that a bad circle can turn into good circle when . A. women care more about education B. girls can gain equal access to education C. a f

27、amily has fewer but healthier children D. parents can afford their daughters' education10. What does the author say about womens education? A. It deserves greater attention than other social issues. B. It is now highly valued in many developing countries C. It will bring in greater returns than

28、other known investments D. It has aroused the interest of a growing number of economists.11. The passage mainly discusses . A. unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries B. the potential earning power of well-educated women C. the major contributions of educated women to society D.

29、the economic and social benefits of educating womenDIn this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite all these, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She

30、 wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live

31、 up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesnt win the contest again? Thats the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.A revelation (啟示) came last week when I asked her, “Dont you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I

32、 just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自發(fā)地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endi

33、ngs for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.Staying back and giving kids space to grow is no

34、t as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughters experience.While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with

35、more steps, putting myself far enough a way to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.12. What do we learn from the first paragraph? A. Many children find lots of fun in mind

36、less activities.B. Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time.C. Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.D. Rebecca is different from any other child of her age. 13. What did the author say about her own writing experience? A. She did not quite live up to her repu

37、tation as a writer.B. Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.C. She was constantly under pressure of writing more.D. Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.14. Why did Rebecca want to enter this years writing contest? A. She believed she possessed real talent for wri

38、ting.B. She was sure of winning with her mothers help. C. She wanted to share her stories with readers.D. She had won a prize in the previous contest.15. The author took great pains to refine her daughters stories because _. A. she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

39、B. she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much C. she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writerD. she was afraid Rebeccas imagination might run wild while writing16. Whats the authors advice for parents? A. A writing career, though attractive, is not

40、for every child to pursue.B. Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.C. Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. D. Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.ERail passengers are being forced to pay thousands of pounds more in fares

41、 as a result of poor advice from the national telephone helpline and individual stations, a consumer organization reveals today. Research by Which? found that in some cases passengers are being charged almost double the cheapest price because of errors made by staff .Which? asked 25 questions of bot

42、h station staff and the National Rail Enquiries (NRES) helpline. Only half of the 50 questions were answered correctly. If customers had followed all the advice given ,they would have been 1,263.60 worse off .Bad advice was given for the cheapest fare for a single journey between London and Grantham

43、. For a ticket bought on the day of travel, both NRES and a Kings Cross station clerk quoted GNERs 44.50 fare, ignoring a Hull Trains service which leaves 10 minutes earlier and costs just 20.Some of the most costly misinformation was given for journeys where season tickets should have been recommen

44、ded. Passengers making a return journey between Swindon and Penzance twice in a week could buy a ticket from one company for 70 which would cover all the travel. But both NRES and station staff quoted 67 for each journey, making 134. However, the NRES website proved to be a much more reliable source of information .Which ? also checked “the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket” claims by five companies and found this was not always the case. On some services, prices went up and down a