2024山西省長治市高考英語（二輪）閱讀理解精練（2）

　　閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。

　　Recently there was a major discovery in the scientific research—the mapping of all DNA in a human gene（基因）is complete. Couple of years ago, this seems an impossible task for scientist to accomplish. All this progress in science leads us to believe that the day, when the human being will be cloned, is not far away. Human cloning has always been a topic of argument，in terms of morality or religion.

　　Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial, among many cases, it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic limitation to a child could make use of cloning. If the clone was free of genetic limitations. Then the other clone would be as well. The latter could foe inserted in the woman and allowed to ripen to term. Moreover，cloning would enable women, who can’t get pregnant, to have children of their own.

　　Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned, so it would be a source of perfect transfer organs. This, surely would be greatly beneficial to millions of unfortunate people around the world that are expected to lose their lives due to failure of single(or more) organ(s）.It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unlawful and would rob people of the right to reproduce and limit the freedom of scientists.

　　Arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly practical side. Primarily, I believe that cloning would step in the normal “cycle”of life. There would be a large number of same genes., which reduce the chances of improvement，and, in turn, development-the fundamental reason how living things naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment. Life processes failing to do so might result in untimely disappearance. Furthermore, cloning would make the uniqueness that each one of us possesses disappea. Thus, leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes and, chances are, that those individuals would be regarded as “objects” rather than people in the society.

　　Scientists haven’t 100 percent. guaranteed that the first cloned will be normal. Thus this could result in introduction of additional limitations in the human “gene-pool”.

　　Regarding such arguable topics in “black or white” approach seems very innocent to me personally. We should rather try to look at all “shades: of it. I believe that cloning is only legal if its purpose is for cloning organs, not humans. Then we could regard this as for “saving life” instead of “creating life”. I believe cloning humans is morally and socially unacceptable.

　　9. Which of the following is true according to the passage？

　　A. Genetic limitation will be beneficial for some women

　　B. A large number of genes will prevent us from developing

　　C. Prohibition of cloning might limit the freedom of scientists

　　D. First cloned humans might be normal according to scientists

　　10. What’s the author’s opinion on cloning?

　　A. Cloning should be entirely banned

　　B. Cloning should be used in creating life

　　C. Cloning will take away the right to reproduce

　　D. Cloning is acceptable if it is used for cloning organs

　　11. Where can you read this article?

　　A. In a story book. B. In a magazine.

　　C. In a science fiction D. In a brochure

　　12. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage

　　【參考答案】9—12、CDBA

　　閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。

　　“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity,” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’s probably worth listening to.

　　Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’re a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump(樹樁) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.

　　A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’s not about going to a temple to burn some incense(香) hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’s practical advice you can follow each day.

　　Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups; those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper,” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.

　　It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “l(fā)ucky”, in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.

　　I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman’s studies I think not.

　　As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.

　　Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.

　　13. Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’s point?

　　A. Make the best of a bad job.

　　B. Rome was not built in a day.

　　C. All is not gold that glitters.

　　D. A good heart conquers ill fortune.

　　14. What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?

　　A. She became famous through her family background.

　　B. She is a British talk show host.

　　C. She became successful by her own effort.

　　D. She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks in her life.

　　15. The writer quoted the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show __________.

　　A. man can conquer nature

　　B. luck is in your own hand

　　C. bad luck can turn into good

　　D. you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you

　　【參考答案】13—15、ACD

　　閱讀理解。

　　The drug store was closing for the night and Alfred Higgins was about to go home when his new boss approached him.

　　“Empty your pockets please, Alfred,” Sam Carr demanded in a firm voice.

　　Alfred pretended to be shocked but he knew he’d been caught. From his coat he withdrew a make-up kit, a lipstick and two tubes of toothpaste.

　　“I’m disappointed in you, Alfred!” said the little gray-haired man.

　　“Sorry, sir. Please forgive me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done such a thing,” Alfred lied, hoping to gain the old man’s sympathy.

　　Mr Carr’s brow furrowed as he reached for the phone, “Do you take me for a fool? Let’s see what the police have to say. But first I’ll call your mother and let her know her son is heading to jail.”

　　“Do whatever you want,” Alfred shot back, trying to sound big. But deep down he felt like a child. He imagined his mother rushing in, eyes burning with anger, maybe in tears. Yet he wanted her to come quickly before Mr. Carr called the police.

　　Mr. Carr was surprised when Mrs Higgins finally arrived. She was very calm, quiet and friendly.

　　“Is Alfred in trouble?” she asked.

　　“He’s been stealing from the store,” the old man coolly replied.

　　Mrs. Higgins put out her hand and touched Mr. Carr’s arm with great gentleness as if she knew just how he felt. She spoke as if she did not want to cause him any more trouble. “What do you want to do, Mr. Carr?”

　　The woman’s calm and gentle manner disarmed the once-angry store-owner. “I was going to get a cop. But I don’t want to be cruel. Tell your son not to come back here again, and I’ll let it go.” Then he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins’s hand.

　　Mrs. Higgins thanked the old man for his kindness, then mother and son left. They walked along the street in silence. When they arrived home his mother simply said, “Go to bed, you fool.”

　　In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. He felt no shame, only pride in his mother’s actions. “She was smooth!” he thought. He went to the kitchen to tell her how great she was, but was shocked by what he saw.

　　His mother’s face looked frightened, broken. Not the cool, bright face he saw earlier. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. There were tears in her eyes.

　　This picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth ending. He saw all the troubles he brought her and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever really seen his mother.

　　6．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　　A．Alfred tried to sound big to hide his fear.

　　B．It was the first time Alfred had stolen anything.

　　C．Mr. Carr set a trap to catch Alfred stealing.

　　D．Mr. Carr had planned to forgive Alfred from the beginning.

　　7．What does the underlined word “disarmed” probably mean?

　　A．a(chǎn)nnoyed

　　B．convinced

　　C．got over

　　D．made less angry

　　8．Wha impressed Alfred most about his mother at the drugstore was ______．

　　A．how angry she was

　　B．ho effectively she handled Mr．Carr

　　C．that she didn't cry

　　D．tha she was able to save him

　　9．What was the mother's attitude toward Alfred?

　　A．She was very strict with him．

　　B．She was supportive of him．

　　C．She felt disappointed with him．

　　D．She was afraid of him．

　　．From the last paragraph, we know that Alfred ______．

　　A．was no longer a youth

　　B．fel proud of his mother

　　C．felt guilty an regretful for his deed

　　D．wanted his mother to be happy—10、ADBCC

　　Most Americans get what money they have from their work; that is, they earn an income from wages or salaries. The richest Americans, however, get most of their money from what they own — their stocks, bonds, real estate, and other forms of property, or wealth. Although there are few accurate statistics to go by, wealth in American society appears to be concentrated in very few hands. More than 20 percent of everything that can be privately owned is held by less than one percent of the adult population and more than 75 percent of all wealth is owned by 20 percent of American adults. The plain fact is that most Americans have no wealth at all aside from their homes, automobiles, and a small amount of savings.

　　Income in the United States is not as highly concentrated as wealth. In 1917 the richest 10 percent of American families received 26.1 percent of all income, while the poorest 10 percent received 17 percent, mainly from Social Security and other government payments. The most striking aspect of income distribution is that it has not changed significantly since the end of World War II. Although economic growth has roughly doubled real disposable (可自由使用的) family income (the money left after taxes and adjusted for inflation) over the last generation, the size of the shares given to the rich and the poor is about the same. By any measure economic inequality is great in the United States.

　　The reality behind these statistics is that a large number of Americans are poor. In 1918, 14 percent of the population was living below the federal government’s poverty line, which at that time was an annual income of $ 9 287 for a nonfarm family of two adults and two children. In other words, about one out of seven Americans over 31 million people was officially considered unable to buy the basic necessities of food, clothes, and shelter. The suggested poverty line in 1981 would have been an income of about $11, 200 for a family of four. By this relative definition, about 20 percent of the population or more than 45 million Americans are poor.

　　11．What does the majority of the Americans have in terms of wealth?

　　A．Their income and savings.

　　B．Their house, cars and small amounts of savings.

　　C．Everything they own in their homes.

　　D．Actually, they have no wealth at all.

　　12．What is the percentage of wealth that is in the hands of most Americans?

　　A．Less than 25%.

　　B．More than 25%.

　　C．More than 75%.

　　D．Less than 20%.

　　13．Why is economic inequality still great in the US in spite of the economic growth?

　　A．Because the economic growth has widened the gap of the family income between the rich and the poor.

　　B．Because income in the US is still concentrated in the hands of the richest 10% of American families.

　　C．Because the proportion of income received by the rich and the poor remains almost the same as in 1917.

　　D．Because some Americans made great fortunes during the Second World War.

　　14．What can we learn from comparison of the two poverty lines in the last paragraph?

　　A. The poverty line of 1918 is more favorable to the poor than that of 1981.

　　B. The 1981 line didn’t leave much to the poor.

　　C. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1918 line.

　　D. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1981 line.

　　15．From the last two sentences we can see that 1981 government’s poverty line _______.

　　A．was of no good for the poor

　　B．was officially approved

　　C．was not helpful to the poor

　　D．was not put into operation then

　　【參考答案】11—15、BACDD