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CHAPTER 1 2012&2014 北京各城区 阅读理解训练

WRITING TYPES & CATEGORIES
文章类型与分类

PASSAGE 1 2014年海淀区高三英语期末考试阅读理解D篇

Does everyone want a challenging job? In spite of all the attention focused by the media, academicians, and social scientists on human potential and the needs of individuals, there is no evidence to support that the vast majority of workers want challenging jobs. Some individuals prefer highly complex and challenging jobs; others develop in simple, routine work.

The individual-difference variable(变量)that seems to gain the greatest support for explaining who prefers a challenging job and who doesn't is the strength of an individual's needs for personal growth and self-direction at work. Individuals with these higher-order growth needs are more responsive for challenging work. What percentage of ordinary workers actually desire higher-order need satisfactions and will respond positively to challenging jobs? No current data is available, but a study from the 1970s estimated the figure at about 15%. Even after adjusting for changing work attitudes and the growth in white-collar jobs, it seems unlikely that the number today exceeds 40%.

The strongest voice advocating challenging jobs has not been workers—it's been professors, social science researchers, and media people. Professors, researchers, and journalists undoubtedly made their career choices, to some degree, because they wanted jobs that gave them autonomy, recognition and challenge. That, of course, is their choice. But for them, to force their needs onto the workforce in general is presumptuous(冒失的).

Not every employee is looking for a challenging job. Many workers meet their higher-order need off the job. There are 168 hours in every individual's week. Work rarely consumes more than 30% of this time. That leaves considerable opportunities, even for individuals with strong growth needs, to find higher-order need satisfaction outside the workplace. So don't feel you have a responsibility to create challenging jobs for all your employees. For many people, work is something that will never excite or challenge them. And they don't expect to find their growth opportunities at work. Work is merely something they have to do to pay their bills. They can find challenges outside of work on the golf course, fishing, at their local pub, with their friends in social clubs, with their family, and the like.

67.What makes people choose challenging jobs?

A.Positive responses.

B.Work attitudes.

C.Higher-order growth needs.

D.Personal self-direction.

68.Who is the least likely to prefer a challenging job?

A.College professors.

B.Construction workers.

C.Social researchers.

D.Media journalists.

69.The passage is intended for ______.

A.job-hunters

B.researchers

C.graduates

D.employers

70.Which is the best title for the passage?

A.Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job

B.Complex Jobs Offer Growth Opportunities

C.Employers Should Create Challenging Jobs

D.Challenging Jobs Give a Sense of Recognition

PASSAGE 2 2014年东城区高三英语期末考试阅读理解D篇

Is the "Go to College" Message Overdone?

Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn't the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that "we may have overdone the message" on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.

"We've been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there's a lot of truth to that," Ms. Sawhill said. "On average it does pay off ... But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don't graduate, that is a very bad situation."

One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April's national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate for high-school graduates over 25 years old who hadn't attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor's degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16-24.The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists cautions that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.

Ms. Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one's major: Students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than ones who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.

She suggested two avenues for improving the situation: increasing vocational-technical(职业的)training programs and taking a page from Europe's focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning. "The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades," she said. "Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you're more likely to be highly subsidized(资助)."

She also is a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because "employers are desperate" for workers with these skills.

67.People usually think that ______.

A.the cost of technical schooling is a problem

B.one will not succeed without a college degree

C.technical skills are most important for landing a job

D.there is an increased competition in getting into a college

68.What does the underlined part "taking a page from" mean?

A.Hearing from.

B.Changing from.

C.Differing from.

D.Learning from.

69.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Public institutions charge more for education.

B.European universities are stricter with students.

C.Students with certain skills are in great demand.

D.Canadian students prefer to major in engineering.

70.Ms. Sawhill may probably agree that ______.

A.too much stress has been put on the value of college degrees

B.technical training is more important than college education

C.a college degree will ensure promising employment

D.it's easier for art students to find favorite jobs

PASSAGE 3 2014年朝阳区高三英语期末考试阅读理解D篇

Teaching is more than leadership. Some of the teacher's time and effort is directed toward instruction, some toward evaluation. But it is the teacher as a group leader who creates an effective organizational structure(结构)and good working environment so that instruction and evaluation activities can take place. A group that is totally disorganized, unclear about its goals, or constantly fighting among its members will not be a good learning group. The leadership pattern includes helping to form and maintain a positive learning environment so that instruction and evaluation activities can take place.

On the first day of class, the teacher faces a room filled with individuals(个体). Perhaps a few closely united groups and friendships already exist. But there is no sense of group unity, no set of rules for conduct in the group, no feeling of belonging. If teachers are successful leaders, they will help students develop a system of relationships that encourages working together.

Standards and rules must be set to keep order, make sure of justice and protect individual rights, but do not contradict school policy. What happens when one student hurts another's individual rights? Without clear regulations agreeable to the students and teachers, the classroom can become chaotic. Students may break rules they did not know existed. If standards are set without participation from the class, students may spend a great deal of creative energy in destroying the class environment or finding ways to break rules.

No matter how skillful the teacher is in uniting students and creating a positive atmosphere, the task is never complete. Regular maintenance is necessary. Conflicts arise. The needs of individual members change. A new kind of learning task requires a new organizational structure. Sometimes outside pressures such as holidays, upcoming tests or sport competitions, or family troubles cause stress in the classroom. One task for the teacher is to recreate a positive environment by helping students deal with conflict, change, and stress.

67.The underlined word "maintain" in Para.1 probably means ______.

A.conserve

B.build

C.recreate

D.evaluate

68.According to the author, the teacher should ______.

A.free students from outside pressures

B.set the standards and rules on his own

C.be responsible for a well-organized class

D.focus more on instruction and evaluation

69.From the passage we can learn that ______.

A.rules cannot be changed once they're formed

B.outside pressures may not cause tension among students

C.if the teacher well unites his students, he then will finish his task

D.if rules are not acceptable both to students and teachers, the classroom can be a mess

70.What is the author's main purpose of writing the passage?

A.To provide information for teaching.

B.To show the importance of teaching a class.

C.To study the teacher's behavior in the classroom.

D.To compare the teacher's behavior with the students' in class.

PASSAGE 4 2014年海淀区高三英语一模考试阅读理解C篇

Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.

People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that "addicted" was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes, and alcohol.

The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve your quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.

I see people trapped in a pathological(病态的)relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.

What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that "too much of a good thing is wonderful." But it's time to discover that it does not work for technology.

Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that "we can be swept away by our technologies." To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today's overused technology.

63.The underlined word "allure" in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A.advantage

B.attraction

C.adaptation

D.attempt

64.From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.

A.attract people to buy their products

B.provide the latest information

C.improve people's quality of life

D.deal with cultural diseases

65.It can be inferred from this passage that people ______.

A.consider too much technology wonderful

B.have realized the harm of high-tech devices

C.can regain freedom without high-tech devices

D.may enjoy life better without overused technology

66.What's the author's attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?

A.Neutral.

B.Skeptical.

C.Disapproving.

D.Sympathetic.

PASSAGE 5 2014年西城区高三英语一模考试阅读理解C篇

College students constantly hear the praises of education. We have all become used to believing that a college education is always a guarantee of an easier life. I was nine years old when my fourth-grade teacher presented me with a task, to write down all of the things I wanted in my life. I filled my paper with things like: own a big house and have servants; be rich and have a good job. The next day my teacher handed back my paper and in red ink she wrote: "GO TO COLLEGE." For a long time, I was convinced that once I obtained an education, BAM! Life would be easier.

However, education cannot promise all wishes, dreams, and desires. Society must reject the foolish idea that a college education's main purpose is to satisfy our desires and secure success. Like most challenging things, education is a gamble(赌博)in which results depend entirely on people's ability to look past their wants to see the realism and reason behind their wants.

For instance, my first year of college, I took a sociology class. In class, we were taught that Third World countries were poor. We learned that our quality of life would be almost impossible for an average person in those countries. I began to examine my own desire to be rich. To always go after money felt selfish when knowing others had none at all. Learning about other society's financial situations forced me to look beyond what I wanted.

Through the process of education, everything once desired is tested. Wanting something no longer is enough; it's more important to examine why we want it and whether we really want it. When my desire for money changed, everything changed. I stopped longing for money-driven careers and stopped valuing the people who had them. I began to examine the things I purchased and my reason for wanting them.

Education is a tool to be used to develop and advance our desires, so we can discover the things that are truly significant in life. Education is a source to expand our society to see beyond the superficial(表面的)appeals and the "quick fixes", leaving the belief of an effortless life behind in order to desire a meaningful one.

63.The author's fourth-grade teacher probably agreed that ______.

A.the author was an ambitious student

B.the author should set more realistic goals

C.a college student would lead an easier life

D.a college degree was the key to the author's dreams

64.Why does the author mention her sociology class?

A.To share her learning experiences with readers.

B.To support her new understanding about education.

C.To express her sympathy for people in Third World.

D.To stress the importance of taking a sociology course.

65.With a college education, the author ______.

A.envied rich people

B.lost interest in career

C.desired more material things

D.stopped always seeking more wealth

66.What's the main idea of the passage?

A.College education promises an effortless life.

B.College education tests and guides our life desires.

C.College education offers solutions to social problems.

D.College education turns young people into gamblers.

PASSAGE 6 2014年西城区高三英语二模考试阅读理解D篇

Dear Mom, Clear My Calendar

September is around the corner, and some of us are already complaining about summer's end. But parents have a special reason to do so. The end of summer means the start of school. And these days, planning a young child's schedule is a big challenge. The challenge is no longer finding activities to fill a child's day; it is saying no to the hundreds of options available. Our mailbox is filled with brochures urging us to sign our kids up for classes from cooking to martial arts(武术).

Educators are themselves discouraged by the number of special classes that many children attend. In the name of "enrichment," three-year-olds not only go to preschool in the morning but study French or gymnastics after lunch. One teacher tells of a four-year-old asking for help in the toilet before hurrying off to tennis. Another teacher says that children sometimes hold on to her at pickup time. What happened to unstructured time?

A generous explanation is that we enjoy giving children opportunities we never had. The truth however is that many parents have doubts about how much time they spend away from their families. And one way to reduce this guilt is to believe that time spent in these classes is somehow more beneficial to children than the time we know we should be giving them ourselves.

David Elkind, an expert on children, suggests that the 1960s gave birth to the belief that earlier is better. Parents hope that early music lessons, for example will build a child's confidence. The truth, however, is that any time children are asked to do too much, too soon, they are at greater risk for feelings of failure.

A child's time does not have to be planned to be meaningful. Remember the lazy days of summer? Some children sleep late and play with the kids across the street until it's time to come home for dinner. However, with the majority of mothers working, fewer children enjoy that idle(空闲的)time now.

Come September, children across the country will finish a full day of kindergarten, only to attend an after-school program until 6 P.M., when a working mom or dad comes to take them home. That's too much for a five-year old. Finances, of course, do limit some parents. But let's be honest with ourselves—our own busy schedules, whatever they involve, are no excuse for burdening a young child's.

67.The author holds that it's a challenge to plan a schedule for a child mainly because ______.

A.a child's schedule is too complex

B.activities suitable for kids are limited

C.parents are stuck in numerous choices

D.children always say no to parents' advice

68.What the two teachers say in Paragraph 2 implies that ______.

A.children love to stay at school

B.they are popular with children

C.children dislike after-school classes

D.after-school classes are of poor quality

69.According to the author, what is the real reason for parents to send their children to after-school classes?

A.Parents want to make up for their own regrets.

B.After-school classes develop children's potential.

C.Parents have doubt about their own ability to guide children.

D.After-school classes give parents an excuse for being absent.

70.Which of the following will the author probably agree with?

A.For children's benefits, the earlier the better.

B.Children's spare time should be carefully designed.

C.Idle time for children is becoming a thing of the past.

D.Parents should be forgiven if they have a good reason.

PASSAGE 7 2012年西城区高三英语期末考试阅读理解C篇

Cell Phones Are the New Cigarettes

When you get in your car, you reach for it. When you're at work, you take a break to have a moment alone with it. When you get into a lift, you play with it.

Cigarettes? Cup of coffee? No, it's the third most addictive thing in modern life, the cell phone. And experts say it is becoming more difficult for many people to curb their longing to hug it more tightly than most of their personal relationships.

With its shiny surface, its smooth and satisfying touch, its air of complexity, the cell phone connects us to the world even as it disconnects us from people three feet away. In just the past couple of years, the cell phone has challenged individuals, employers, phone makers and counselors(顾问)in ways its inventors in the late 1940s never imagined.

The costs are becoming even more evident, and I don't mean just the monthly bill. Dr. Chris Knippers, a counselor at the Betty Ford Center in Southern California, reports that the overuse of cell phones has become a social problem not much different from other harmful addictions: a barrier to one-on-one personal contact, and an escape from reality.

Sounds extreme, but we've all witnessed the evidence: The person at a restaurant who talks on the phone through an entire meal, ignoring his kids around the table; the woman who talks on the phone in the car, ignoring her husband; the teen who texts messages all the way home from school, avoiding contact with kids all around him.

Is it just rude, or is it a kind of unhealthiness? And pardon me, but how is this improving the quality of life?

Jim Williams, an industrial sociologist based in Massachusetts, notes that cell-phone addiction is part of a set of symptoms in a widening gulf of personal separation. He points to a study by Duke University researchers that found one-quarter of Americans say they have no one to discuss their most important personal business with. Despite the growing use of phones, e-mail and instant messaging, in other words, Williams says studies show that we don't have as many friends as our parents. "Just as more information has led to less wisdom, more acquaintances via the Internet and cell phones have produced fewer friends," he says.

If the cell phone has truly had these effects, it's because it has become very widespread. Consider that in 1987, there were only 1 million cell phones in use. Today, something like 300 million Americans carry them. They far outnumber wired phones in the United States.

64.Which of the following best explains the title of the passage?

A.Cell phone users smoke less than they used to.

B.More people use cell phones than smoke cigarettes.

C.Cell phones have become as addictive as cigarettes.

D.Using cell phone is just as cool as smoking cigarettes.

65.The underlined word "curb" in Paragraph 2 means ______.

A.control

B.ignore

C.develop

D.rescue

66.The example of a woman talking on the phone in the car supports the idea that ______.

A.women use cell phones more often than men

B.talking on the phone while driving is dangerous

C.cell phones make one-on-one personal contact easy

D.cell phones do not necessarily bring people together

PASSAGE 8 2012年东城区高三英语二模考试阅读理解C篇

When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence.

People naturally have different levels of confidence. Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals. Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals.

One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace. We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise. This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities. After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?

Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success. If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors , will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do.

Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job. If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing. After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team.

Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve. Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence.

63.What is the passage mainly about?

A.The influence of confidence on one's life.

B.The importance of confidence to success.

C.The difference of people's confidence.

D.The judgment on one's confidence.

64.Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those ______.

A.who think their goals are hard to reach

B.who expect to give guidance to others

C.who want to ask the boss for a raise

D.who dream to be recognized experts

65.What does the underlined word "indispensable" in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A.important

B.attractive

C.outgoing

D.energetic

66.What message does the author want to convey in the last paragraph?

A.To overlook one's disadvantages.

B.To make full use of one's advantages.

C.To have great confidence in one's abilities.

D.To make objective evaluations of one's abilities.

PASSAGE 9 2012年海淀区高三英语一模考试阅读理解D篇

Why are people interested in eating raw foods or whole foods(天然健康食品)? One reason is that eating these types of food reduces the risk of acid(酸)accumulation in your body.

Raw and whole foods are usually digested more efficiently than cooked and refined foods. When we cook foods, we destroy the natural enzymes(酶)that are part of the food in its raw form. These enzymes were intended by nature to help us digest the food. When we consume food without these natural enzymes, our bodies either digest the food improperly or allow too many nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. In both instances, the result is obesity. When too many nutrients are absorbed at once, the body grows fat. Improperly digested food moves slowly through the digestive tract, where it becomes increasingly acidic. To protect its vital organs from this acidic waste, the body changes the acid into fat and stores it safely away from the organs.

Processed foods contain chemical elements, which might confuse the appetite mechanism that tells us when we've had enough to eat; as a result, people often overeat. Processed foods also upset the digestive cycle. The body will either identify these foods as allergens and then store them safely away from the organs as fat, or the remains of undigested food will become acidic and enter the bloodstream as acid waste, which will stick to the blood vessel walls and block the passage of vital oxygen and nutrients heading for the body's cells. The body's metabolism(新陈代谢)becomes inactive, and the result is weight gain and obesity.

The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion increasingly inefficient. When that happens, even healthy foods can become acidic and the food allergies will become more common.

To stop this vicious circle in its tracks, people need to consume food and supplements that will neutralize the acid already accumulated in body. Eating the right types of raw and whole foods can help. It's also important to restore your enzyme balance. You need to identify and avoid the foods that cause acid accumulation and consume the foods that increase enzyme production. If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself, you need to take an active approach.

67.It can be inferred from Para. 2 that ______.

A.foods with natural enzymes help people keep fit

B.we'd better be cautious about raw and whole foods

C.it is essential for people to protect their vital organs

D.giving up cooked and refined foods is a new lifestyle

68.Processed foods are unhealthy because they ______.

A.destroy body's cells

B.may lead to obesity

C.are difficult to digest

D.stop body's metabolism

69.What is the main purpose of this passage?

A.To warn people of the problem of obesity.

B.To advocate eating more raw and whole foods.

C.To inform people of the harm of processed foods.

D.To tell the differences between raw and processed foods.

70.What is likely to be talked about following the last paragraph?

A.Different causes of acid accumulation.

B.Correct ways to cook raw foods.

C.Suitable types of raw and whole foods.

D.Active approaches to avoid acid.

PASSAGE 10 2012年西城区高三英语二模考试阅读理解D篇

In the face of tragedy(悲剧), you must of course let yourself feel: Cry without holding back, shake with fear, yell out in anger, accept and follow your feelings. This is part of the wise approach to tragedy: The Upward Path—the feeling of emotions(情感), the acceptance of them, and the coupling of the emotional mind with wisdom. Along this path, you'll take the experience—no matter how sad or upsetting—as a learning event, just as all other points on your journey will prove to be. While tragic, you must recognize this is still a chance for all involved to grow. You should let both sadness and joy, fear and courage, dark and light fill your world, and learn to find your steady, calm center in the midst of the opposing forces. This is the Upward Path. Use the event as a chance to gain balance and discover wisdom—the wisdom of love and of letting go, of non-attachment and non-resistance, and using this experience to eventually help others in need of guidance.

Being able to relate to others who have also experienced tragedy and inspire in them hope—of recovery, and of moving forward—is perhaps the greatest gift you can receive from tragedy. Turn the negative into positive, the pain into connection. After you've taken appropriate time to be sad, to feel your own pain, you should make it your work, your goal, your purpose to connect with others who need help. Show them how you've experienced feelings, achieved balance, and gained wisdom that you would never have otherwise had the chance to learn.

FEEL, but do not FEED on tragedy. Rather, let it inspire you to go beyond the person who you were before. With demise comes renewal, so let this loss be also your rebirth. No matter how hopeless it seems, no matter how difficult this becomes, you have the power to transform yourself into someone greater than you ever knew you could be.

67.When following the Upward Path, the person facing tragedy should ______.

A.free his emotions

B.hold back all his feelings

C.fill his world with positive ideas

D.give in to tragedy and all opposing forces

68.According to the author, the greatest gift one gets from tragedy is being able to ______.

A.seek solutions from others

B.understand and help others

C.stay calm and resist change

D.forgive others and move on

69.The underlined word "demise" in the last paragraph probably means ______.

A.sorrow

B.problem

C.difficulty

D.death

70.The purpose of the passage is to ______.

A.analyze the causes of tragedy

B.tell people how to prevent tragedy

C.suggest a way of dealing with tragedy

D.encourage people to build friendship after tragedy

PASSAGE 11 2012年海淀区高三英语二模考试阅读理解D篇

Homeownership has let us down. For generations, Americans believed that owning a home was undoubtedly good. Our political leaders hammered home the point. Franklin Roosevelt held that a country of homeowners was "unconquerable." Homeownership could even save babies, save children, save families and save America. A house with a lawn and a fence wasn't just a nice place to live in or a risk-free investment; it was a way to transform a nation. No wonder leaders of all political types wanted to spend more than $100 billion a year on subsidies and tax breaks to encourage people to buy.

But the dark side of homeownership is now all too apparent: Indeed, easy lending stimulated by the cult of homeownership may have triggered the financial crisis. Housing remains a drag on the economy. Existing-home sales in April dropped 27% from the prior month, worsening fears of a double-dip. And all that is just the obvious tale of a housing bubble and what happened when it popped. The real story is deeper and darker still.

For the better part of a century, politics, industry and culture lined up to create a fetish of the idea of buying a house. Homeownership has done plenty of good over the decades; it has provided stability to tens of millions of families. Yet by idealizing the act of buying a home, we have ignored the downsides. In the bubble years, lending standards slipped dramatically, allowing many Americans to put far too much of their income into paying for their housing. And we ignored longer-term phenomena too. Homeownership contributed to the hollowing out of cities and kept renters out of the best neighborhoods. It fed America's overuse of energy and oil. It made it more difficult for those who had lost a job to find another. Perhaps worst of all, it helped us become casually self-deceiving: By telling ourselves that homeownership was a pathway to wealth and stable communities and better test scores, we avoided dealing with these frightening issues head-on.

Now, as the U. S. recovers from the biggest housing bust(破产)since the Great Depression, it is time to rethink how realistic our expectations of homeownership are—and how much money we want to spend chasing them. Many argue that homeownership should not be a goal pursued at all costs.

67.Political leaders wanted to spend money encouraging people to buy houses because ______.

A.owning a home was undoubtedly good

B.homeownership was unconquerable

C.houses could save families and America

D.homeownership could shape a country

68.The underlined sentence in Para. 2 means ______.

A.homeownership has quite a lot of bad effects

B.there might be another housing breakdown in the U. S.

C.the existing-home sales will keep decreasing in the U. S.

D.the result of homeownership is much worse than it appears

69.It can be inferred from Para. 3 that ______.

A.it is hard for Americans to get a home loan

B.it is the way to wealth to have one's own house

C.many Americans choose to live out of urban areas

D.homeownership has made many people out of work

70.What is the author's attitude towards homeownership?

A.Favorable.

B.Ambiguous.

C.Cautious.

D.Optimistic.

PASSAGE 12 2012年朝阳区高三英语期末考试阅读理解C篇

Retirement Age

Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. The "standard" retirement age varies from country to country, but it is generally between 50 and 70, according to the latest statistics, 2011.However, for a long time, people have got into an argument about whether the age of retirement should be increased or reduced in their own countries.

There are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. Many people think that older employees have a large amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire. Besides, older employees are often extremely faithful employees and are more willing to implement company policies than the young. A more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 or 65 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that effectively their useful life is over.

Allowing old people to work indefinitely(无限地), however, is not always a good policy. Some people took the strong view that age alone is no guarantee of ability. Many young employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area for most of their working lives. Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization. On the other hand, older people should be rewarded by society for their life's labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy leisure. They can have time to do whatever they like, that is, they can have their own plans or roles and achieve their retirement goals.

With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual's freedom—and right—to work. In my opinion, giving workers more choices over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual.

63.According to the passage, older people should go on with work because ______.

A.they will help the business not to fail quickly

B.they have grasped much practical experience

C.they need to have a sense of achievement

D.they want to learn more knowledge

64.The underlined word "implement" in Paragraph 2 probably means "______".

A.take over

B.work on

C.get rid of

D.carry out

65.The third paragraph is mainly to tell us that ______.

A.older people can't do their work well

B.young people usually have new ideas

C.it is better for older people to retire on time

D.older people would like to do something else

66.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

CP: Central Point P: Point SP: Sub-point(次要点)C: Conclusion

PASSAGE 13 2012年海淀区高三英语二模考试阅读理解C篇

On my first job as a sports editor for the Montpelier Leader Enterprise, I didn't get a lot of fan mail, so I was intrigued by a letter plopped on my desk one morning. The envelope bore the logo of the closest big-city paper, the Toledo Blade.

When I opened it, I read:

"Sweet piece of writing on the Tigers. Keep up the good work."

It was signed by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager(being paid the grand total of 15 cents a column inch), his words could not have been more exciting. I kept the letter in my desk drawer until it got rag-eared. Whenever I doubted I had the right stuff to be a writer, I would reread Don's note and walk on air again.

Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a habit of writing a quick, encouraging word to people in all walks of life. "When I make others feel good about themselves," he told me, "I feel good, too."

Why are upbeat note writers in such short supply? My guess is that many who shy away from the practice are too self-conscious. They are afraid they will be misunderstood, sound old-fashioned or flattering. Also, writing takes time and it is far easier to pick up the phone. The drawback with phone calls, of course, is that they do not last. A note attaches more importance to our well-wishing. It is a matter of record, and our words can be read more than once, appreciated and treasured.

What does it take to write notes that lift spirits and warm hearts? Perhaps just a desire and a willingness to express our appreciation. The most successful people write notes that are short on words and long on feeling, sincere, short, specific, and usually spontaneous in nature.

It's difficult to be spontaneous, however, when you have to hunt for letter writing materials; so, keep paper, envelopes and stamps close at hand, even when you travel. Fancy stationery is not necessary; it's the thought that counts.

So, who around you deserves a note of thanks or approval? A neighbor, your librarian, a relative, your mate, a teacher, or your doctor? You do not need to be poetic. If you need a reason, look for a milestone, the anniversary of a special event you shared, a birthday, or holiday, and do not hold back your praise. Such words as: "greatest," "smartest," "prettiest" make us all feel good. Even if your praises run a little ahead of reality, remember that expectations are often the parents of dreams fulfilled.

63.On seeing the letter on the desk, the author felt ______.

A.annoyed

B.curious

C.doubtful

D.shocked

64.According to the author, many people don't write upbeat notes mainly because they are ______.

A.afraid of being out of date

B.too shy to flatter others

C.prepared to make phone calls

D.too concerned about what others think

65.It can be learned from the last paragraph that ______.

A.praises often run ahead of reality

B.praises help in pursuing a dream

C.parents often write upbeat notes

D.parents expect children's success

66.What might be the best title for the passage?

A.The Power of a Positive Note

B.Notes Help to Fulfill Dreams

C.The Necessity of Writing Notes

D.Note or Phone, Your Own Choice

PASSAGE 14 2012年西城区高三英语一模考试阅读理解D篇

"Wanna buy a body?" That was the opening line of more than a few phone calls I got from self-employed photographers when I was a photo editor at U.S. News. Like many in the mainstream press, I wanted to separate the world of photographers into "them", who trade in pictures of bodies or run after famous people like Princess Diana, and "us", the serious newspeople. But after 16 years in that role, I came to wonder whether the two worlds were easily distinguishable.

Working in the reputable world of journalism, I told photographers to cover other people's difficult life situations. I justified marching into moments of sadness, under the appearance of the reader's right to know. I worked with professionals talking their way into situations or shooting from behind police lines. And I wasn't alone.

In any American town, after a car crash or some other horrible incident when ordinary people are hurt or killed, you rarely see photographers pushing past rescue workers to take photos of the blood and injuries. But you are likely to see local newspaper and television photographers on the scene—and fast ...

How can we justify doing this? Journalists are taught to separate doing the job from worrying about the consequences of publishing what they record. Repeatedly, they are reminded of a news-business saying: Leave your conscience in the office. A victim may lie bleeding, unconscious, or dead. Your job is to record the image(图像). You're a photographer, not an emergency medical worker. You put away your feelings and document the scene.

But catastrophic events often bring out the worst in photographers and photo editors. In the first minutes and hours after a disaster occurs, photo agencies buy pictures. They rush to obtain the rights to be the only one to own these shocking images and death is usually the subject. Often, an agency buys a picture from a local newspaper or an amateur photographer and puts it up for bid by major magazines. The most sought-after special pictures command tens of thousands of dollars through bidding contests.

I worked on all those stories and many like them. When they happen, you move quickly: buying, dealing, trying to beat the agencies to the pictures.

Now, many people believe journalists are the hypocrites(伪君子)who need to be brought down, and it's our pictures that most anger others. Readers may not believe, as we do, that there is a distinction between clear-minded "us" and mean-spirited "them". In too many cases, by our choices of images as well as how we get them, we prove our readers right.

67.When journalists are working, they are told to ______.

A.work with their conscience

B.respect the privacy of the victim

C.separate their work from feelings

D.ask police for permission to take photos

68.The 5th and 6th paragraphs mainly tell us that ______.

A.speed determines the success of a news story

B.photo agencies are greedier than serious newspeople

C.photographers have free access to photos of accidents

D.profit is the driving force behind the competition for photos

69.It can be learned from the last paragraph that serious newspeople ______.

A.obtain photos differently from news agencies

B.are no better than self-employed photographers

C.are more devoted to work than non-professionals

D.have a higher moral standard than self-employed photographers

70.The underlined word "them" in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A.photo editors

B.photo agencies

C.serious newspeople

D.self-employed photographers

PASSAGE 15 2012年朝阳区高三英语二模考试阅读理解D篇

It took me more than 10 years to realize that the world has no shortage of fashion(时尚)designers who have the ability to make trendy and elegant garments, but that it is badly in need of, simply, clothes designers. My own definitions would set fashion and clothing greatly apart. It is a fact that, in the shopping malls, there are plenty of beautiful garments whose unpredictability makes our life colorful and interesting. You are almost convinced: You can buy whatever you dare to think.

There is no doubt that fashion designers are usually with high qualifications. They study fashion trends, select colors, and make sure the final production of their designs is done properly. However, as experience grew with age, my attraction to arts became ever stronger. I have a strong desire for clothing to stand as does paint to the painter, as does stone to the sculptor, as a simple and particular language of an individual creation, which draws the audience from an appreciation of the surface to deeper thoughts with the world of the soul. I believe that the most meaningful creative motives should arise through caring for other people, the great care of humanity—a concern for human feeling and spirituality. This includes love, but it is bigger than love, and it is unconditional. I believe the greatest works of art can touch the deepest and strongest parts of human feelings and the world of the spirit, and only these works can be the memories of history, preserving the most valuable feelings that have ever existed, and inspiring a greater awareness of ourselves.

I am not satisfied if people only appreciate clothing if it merely satisfies their desire. I believe clothing could be a specific creative language for communicating ideas and thoughts, for inspiring you and shaping your behavior. Those clothes fashioned out of necessity possess a power that can continue to exist across the ages. This is what I have tried to achieve, the clothing to return to its original simplicity, the clothing to help people regain the natural sense. The true fashion today should not follow the trends. It should instead uncover the extraordinary in the ordinary, for I believe the pleasure you get from the clothing is not its price, but its spirit.

67.According to the writer, most fashion designers are ______.

A.lack of imagination

B.deep in thought

C.unproductive

D.trendy

68.By saying "This includes love" in Paragraph 2, the writer regards "love" as ______.

A.a very important part of the spiritual world

B.what can be achieved through the works of hand

C.one of the most meaningful creative motivations

D.a form of concern for human feeling and spirituality

69.The writer indicates that the primitive clothes are made as a result of ______.

A.respect for nature

B.spiritual value

C.necessity

D.simplicity

70.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.Humanity is fundamental in fashion design.

B.The growing fashion trends present human interest.

C.Designers must concern for the desire of consumers.

D.Fashion clothes have close relations with earth predictions.

PASSAGE 16 2012年东城区高三英语期末考试阅读理解C篇

Since the pre-historic times, man has had an urge to satisfy his needs. For food, shelter or a mate, he has always controlled the circumstances to the best of his advantages. Probably this might be the reason why we human are the most developed of all living beings on the earth, and probably also in the universe. As we climbed the steps of evolution, we somehow left behind common sense and logical thinking—we forgot that we have stopped thinking ahead of time.

If you are hungry, what do you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? Just like your stomach, even your mind is hungry. But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such absurd things. So it silently began to pay attention to your needs and never let itself grow. When mind looses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop.

Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through extensive reading. Now why reading and not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from the childhood. Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to get help from reading. You have innumerable number of books in this world which will answer all your "How to?" questions. Once you read a book, you just don't run your eyes through the lines, but even your mind decodes(解码)it and explains it to you. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. Now this seed is unknowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed if used many times can help you link and relate a lot of things, of which you would never have thought in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity. The larger number of books you read, your mind will open up like never before. Also this improves your speaking skills to a large extent and also makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary. Within no time you start speaking English or any language fluently with your friends or other people and you never seem to run out of the right words at the right time.

Actually, I had a problem in speaking English fluently, but as I read, I could improve significantly. I am still on the path of improvement. So, give food to your thoughts by reading.

63.Why are we humans the most developed of all living beings?

A.We have desires to climb the steps of evolution.

B.We have common sense and usually think logically.

C.We have controlled the circumstances to our own benefit.

D.We have seized the opportunities in the process of evolution.

64.What does the author intend to tell us in the second paragraph?

A.Man needs great creativity.

B.Creativity keeps on growing.

C.Our mind is developing gradually.

D.We occupy our mind with our needs.

65.Which of the following is the most important in creating new ideas?

A.Enlarging vocabulary.

B.Keeping reading books.

C.Making public speeches.

D.Acquiring knowledge on TV.

66.What can be concluded from the passage?

A.Man keeps improving himself.

B.Hunger of mind needs feeding.

C.Creativity helps the growth of our mind.

D.People can realize their dreams by reading books.

PASSAGE 17 2014年东城区高三英语一模考试阅读理解D篇

Running on Empty

For almost a century, scientists have assumed, tiredness—or exhaustion—in athletes originates in the muscles(肌肉). Precise explanations have varied, but all have been based on the "Limitations Theory". In other words, muscles tire because they hit a physical limit; they either run out of fuel or oxygen or they drown in harmful by-products(副产品).

In the past few years, however, Timothy Noakes from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, has examined this standard theory. Tiredness, he argues, is caused not by signals springing from overtaxed muscles, but is an emotional response which begins in the brain. The fundamental nature of his new theory is that the brain paces the muscles to keep them well back from the edge of exhaustion. When the brain decides it's time to quit, it creates unbearable muscle tiredness. This "Central Governor" theory remains controversial, but it does explain many puzzling aspects of athletic performance.

A recent discovery that Noakes calls the "lactic acid paradox" made him start researching this area seriously. Lactic acid is a by-product of exercise, and the increase of it is often mentioned as a cause of tiredness. But when research subjects exercise in certain conditions created artificially, they become tired even though lactic acid levels remain low.

Nor has the oxygen content of their blood fallen too low for them to keep going. Obviously, something else was making them tire before they hit either of these physiological limits. Noakes conducted an experiment with seven cyclists. It has long been known that during exercise, the body never uses 100% of the available muscle fibres(纤维). The amount used varies, but in some tasks such as this cycling test the body calls on about 30%. His team found that as tiredness set in, the electrical activity in cyclist's legs declined—even when they were making a great effort to cycle as fast as they could.

To Noakes, this was strong evidence that the old theory was wrong. "The cyclists may have felt completely exhausted," he says, "but their bodies actually had considerable reserves that they could theoretically tap by using a greater amount of the resting fibres."

This, he believes, is the proof that the brain is regulating the pace of the workout to hold the cyclists well back from the point of extreme tiredness.

67.Which of the following is supported by the "Limitation Theory"?

A.Tiredness is caused by signals from brain.

B.Athletes feel tired when they use up all their energy.

C.The body uses 100% of the muscle fibres in exercise.

D.Athletes become tired though lactic acid levels remain low.

68.Noakes has found out that ______.

A.muscle fibres control athletes' movements

B.lactic acid levels remain high in cycling test

C.mental processes control the symptoms of tiredness

D.different exercises use different amount of muscle fibres

69.It is likely that both theories accept that ______.

A.lactic acid is produced in muscles during exercise

B.the oxygen content in blood may rise after sports

C.tiredness is a harmful by-product of exercise

D.the energy in human bodies can be balanced

70.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A.The description of a new test.

B.The explanation of the theory.

C.The puzzling evidence of a study.

D.The whole process of the research.

PASSAGE 18 2014年朝阳区高三英语一模考试阅读理解C篇

Losing weight comes with a lot of health benefits—including making your brain sharper.

Yes, it turns out that overweight may damage cognitive functions such as memory and attention. There have been few studies of overweight and cognitive functioning, possibly because it is generally believed that it is not a primary risk cause for poor cognitive performance. Losing weight, therefore, may help improve these mental functions, according to a new research led by John Gunstad, assistant professor of psychology at Kent State University.

Growing evidence suggests that being fat is linked to cognitive deficits(缺陷). So Gunstad and his team guessed that losing weight might improve mental function. For their study, they measured memory and attention in a group of 150 overweight participants, some of whom had some kind of operation for weight loss and some did not. All of the volunteers completed mental skills tests to assess their abilities of memory and attention at the beginning of the study, and again 12 weeks later. To begin with, about 24% of the patients showed damaged learning and 23% showed signs of poor memory when tested. At the end of the study, those who had lost weight after operation improved their scores into the average or above average range for cognitive functions. Scores for the volunteers who didn't lose weight dropped even further.

The study helped Gunstad to find out whether losing weight had any effect on mental function. Now that he's seen the positive effect that weight loss can have on memory and attention, he says he will next study those who choose to lose weight by the traditional way—eating healthier and getting more active. He expects that losing weight in this way will have a similarly positive effect on the brain. "If we can improve the condition with operations, then we can probably produce the same change with behavioral weight loss as well," he says.

63.There is less research on overweight and cognitive functions because researchers ______.

A.believe overweight only affects our body

B.have focused on ways to sharpen people's mind

C.do not consider overweight a main cause for low cognitive ability

D.are clear about the relation between weight and mental functions

64.The result of Gunstad's study shows that ______.

A.losing weight has little effect on people's memory

B.losing weight can improve people's mental functions

C.overweight people are likely to have psychology problems

D.overweight people's abilities of concentration differ greatly

65.What is Gunstad planning to prove next in his research?

A.Slim people are smarter than overweight people.

B.Healthy diet is better than exercises in losing weight.

C.Traditional ways of losing weight are better than operation.

D.Overweight people will get smarter by taking more exercise.

66.Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A.Body Weight and Health

B.Losing Weight by Operation

C.Ways to Improve Mental Functions

D.Losing Weight to Sharpen Your Mind

PASSAGE 19 2014年朝阳区高三英语二模考试阅读理解C篇

How Much Exercise Do I Need?

When it comes to exercise, less is not more—but it's certainly better than none. Physical inactivity accounts for as many as 23 percent of all deaths from major chronic(慢性的)diseases, yet almost one of every three Americans is sedentary(spending a lot of time sitting down). According to the Centers for Disease Control, 29.4 percent of those surveyed(调查)report they have no free-time physical activity at all. City people tend to be more active than country folks, with 27.4 percent saying they are sedentary, compared with 36.6 percent of those in rural areas.

Light activity can improve physical and mental well-being. While light activity is good, moderate(not very large or very small)activity is even better, and health experts encourage everyone to have at least 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity. But you don't have to head to a gym. As recent studies have confirmed, "lifestyle" activities, such as walking, house cleaning and gardening, are as effective as a structured exercise program in improving heart function, lowering blood pressure and keeping or losing weight.

In one study, overweight, sedentary middle-aged men and women who learned behavioral skills to make them more physically active, such as walking around airports or train stations while waiting for a departure, reduced their body fat percentage and improved their blood pressure and heart function as much as individuals participating in structured programs at a fitness center. In another study, fat women ranging in age from 21 to 60 who adopted a more active lifestyle lost as much weight as women in a low-impact aerobics(有氧健身)program—and regained fewer pounds in the following year.

Recognizing the value of different levels and types of activity, the American College of Sports Medicine has changed its recommendations on quantity and quality of exercise to include flexibility as well as aerobic and muscle exercise and to acknowledge that multiple short periods of exercise during the day are nearly as beneficial as one long session.

63.By saying that almost one third of Americans are sedentary, the author means ______.

A.they take proper exercise to be healthy

B.they know nothing about light activity

C.they are very fond of physical activity

D.they take little free-time physical activity

64.We can learn from the passage that ______.

A.light activity is especially good for the middle-aged people

B.people like light activity because it won't make them feel tired

C.people only need to do light activity three times a week to keep fit

D.light activity promotes people's well-being physically and mentally

65.What do health experts suggest about moderate activity?

A.No less than half an hour's moderate activity daily can do us good.

B.Moderate activity is no better than light activity to people.

C."Lifestyle" activities don't belong to moderate activity.

D.People may go to the gym to take moderate activity.

66.According to the passage, which of the following belongs to a structured exercise program?

A.Doing gymnastics at a gym.

B.Taking outdoor activities.

C.Walking.

D. Gardening.

PASSAGE 20 2014年朝阳区高三英语二模考试阅读理解D篇

Is Positive Thinking Powerful?

The $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like "I never do anything right" into positive ones like "I can succeed". But was the positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking?

Researchers in Canada just published a study in Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply stress how unhappy they are. The study's authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by using older research showing that when people get feedback(反馈)which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your friend who is not very clever that he has the potential of an Einstein, you're just underlining his faults. In the 1990s, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton conducted an experiment. The participants were asked to write essays opposing financial support for the disabled, expressing little sympathy for them. When these participants were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.

In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students' self-respect. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, "I am lovable." Those with low self-respect didn't feel better after the forced self-approval. In fact, their feelings turned significantly worse than those of members of the control group, who weren't urged to think positive thoughts.

The study provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy(心理治疗)that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation(静思)techniques, on the contrary, can teach people to realize their shortcomings from a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.

67.What is the finding of the Canadian researchers?

A.There can be no simple solutions to psychological problems.

B.Encouraging positive thinking may do harm to people.

C.The power of positive thinking is limited.

D.Unhappy people cannot think positively.

68.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A.you are pointing out the mistakes he has made

B.you are not taking his mistakes seriously enough

C.you are stressing the fact that he is not intelligent

D.you are not trying to make him feel better about his faults

69.What do we learn from the experiment of Wood, Lee and Perunovic?

A.Self-approval can bring a positive change to one's feelings.

B.People with low self-respect seldom write down their true feelings.

C.It is important for people to continually improve their self-respect.

D.Forcing people to think positive thoughts may lower their self-respect.

70.It can be learned from the last paragraph that ______.

A.people can avoid making mistakes through meditation

B.different people tend to have different ways of thinking

C.meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy

D.the effects of positive thinking differ from person to person

PASSAGE 21 2012年朝阳区高三英语二模考试阅读理解C篇

Why Texting Harms Your IQ

The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana(大麻). That is the statement of researchers who have found that tapping away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to 10 points off the user's IQ. This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the four-point drop in IQ associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have described the phenomenon of improved stupidity as "infomania". The research conducted by Hewlett Packard, the technology company, has concluded that it is mainly a problem for adult workers, especially men.

It is concluded that too much use of modern technology can damage a person's mind. It can cause a constant distraction of "always on" technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the task in hand. The report also added that, in a long term, the brain will be considerably shaped by what we do to it and by the experience of daily life. At a microcellular level, the complex networks of nerve cells that make up parts of the brain actually change in response to certain experiences.

Too much use of modern technology can be damaging not only to a person's mind, but to their social relationship. 1,100 adults were interviewed during the research. More than 62 percent of them admitted that they were addicted to checking their e-mails and text messages so often that they scrutinized work-related ones even when at home or on holiday. Half said that they always responded immediately to an email and will even interrupt a meeting to do so. It is concluded that infomania is increasing stress and anxiety and affecting one's characteristics. Nine out of ten thought that colleagues who answered e-mails or messages during a face-to-face meeting were extremely rude.

The effects on IQ were studied by Dr Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at University of London. "This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," he said. "We have found that infomania will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness and changing their social life. Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working."

63.We can learn from the passage that "infomania" ______.

A.has a positive influence on one's IQ

B.results in the change of part of the brain

C.lies in the problem of lack of concentration

D.is caused by too much use of modern technology

64.The research mentioned in the passage is most probably about ______.

A.the important function of advanced technology

B.the damage to one's brain done by unhealthy habits

C.the relevance between IQ and use of modern technology

D.the relationship between intelligence and working effectiveness

65.The underlined word "scrutinized" probably means "______".

A.examined carefully

B.copied patiently

C.corrected quickly

D.admitted freely

66.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

CP: Central Point P: Point SP: Sub-point(次要点)C: Conclusion

PASSAGE 22 2014年东城区高三英语二模考试阅读理解D篇

Interactive Home-security Systems

Tarik Celebi, who lives in San Francisco suburb, takes his home-security system with him to work, to dinner, just about anywhere. By his cell phone, he "arms" his home-security alarm from his car before he leaves for work. During his workday, he gets e-mail alerts every time his front door opens, even though he's miles away. If the door opens at an unusual time—say midday when no one should be coming or going—he can order a 30-second video clip(片段)from the camera that watches the door. If it's just his mother-in-law getting a package delivery, no worries.

Celebi is one of the first users of the latest interactive home-security systems. In addition to sounding alarms when the house is broken into and notifying homeowners or police, as traditional systems do, the interactive systems give users new ways to remotely control their systems and their home environment. Different from traditional home-security alarms, which homeowners typically have to press buttons on a keypad to turn on before they leave their homes, the interactive systems enable consumers to arm and disarm systems from smartphones, iPads and PCs, no matter where they are.

Most traditional systems are set up to sound an alarm if doors or windows are opened. The interactive systems give homeowners more options. For example, users can elect when they want to be notified. They might want an e-mail or a text every time a door is opened, or only during the hours of 3 to 4 p.m., when kids come home from school. Like Celebi, they can add cameras and get video clips when doors open. That could be helpful in making sure kids aren't bringing friends home when they're not supposed to.

Nationwide, about 20% of homes have traditional home-security systems. About half stop using them because they tire of the trouble. Being able to arm systems even while dashing to the subway or while at work will increase their usage of the new interactive systems. Although the new functions add costs to home security, the interactive systems are believed to push home-security systems' usage rates closer to 30%, which would be a big movement for an industry that's been largely stuck at 20% for the past decade. "We all know it's going to get bigger, though we don't know how long it's going to take," Eric Taylor, an officer from San Francisco Security Department says.

67.What may Celebi first do if his front door opens at a wrong time when he is away?

A.Inform the police.

B.Call his mother-in-law.

C.Arm the security alarm.

D.Observe through video.

68.The interactive systems enable the user to ______.

A.improve his home environment remotely

B.lock his house's door while he is miles away

C.operate the home-security systems at any place

D.sound the alarm and inform the police at the same time

69.What's the advantage of the interactive systems over the traditional ones?

A.They are cheaper.

B.They are easier to set up.

C.They can give quicker reaction.

D.They have more ways to inform the users.

70.What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A.The importance of security industry.

B.The functions of the interactive alarms.

C.The popularity of home-security systems.

D.The market potential of the interactive systems.

PASSAGE 23 2012年西城区高三英语期末考试阅读理解D篇

Traffic Management

Traffic lights are key tools for regulating traffic flow. They are not, however, perfect. Drivers exchange the traffic jams that would happen at unmanaged crossings for a pattern of stop-go movement that can still be annoying, and which burns more fuel than a smooth passage would.

Creating such a smooth passage means adjusting a vehicle's speed so that it always arrives at the lights when they are green. That is theoretically possible, but practically hard. Roadside signs wired to traffic lights can help get the message across a couple hundred metres from a crossing, but such signs are expensive, and are not widespread. Margaret Martonosi and Emmanouil Koukoumidis at Princeton University, and Li-Shiuan Peh at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, however, have an idea that could make the process cheaper and more effective. Instead of a hardwired network of signs, they propose to use mobile-phone applications.

For a driver to benefit, he must load the team's software, named SignalGuru, into his phone and then put it on a special thing attached to the inside of his car's windscreen, with the camera lens(镜头)pointing forward. SignalGuru is designed to detect traffic lights and track their status as red, yellow or green. It broadcasts this information to other phones in the area that are fitted with the same software, and—if there are enough of them—the phones thus each know the status of most of the lights around town. Using this information, SignalGuru is able to calculate the traffic-light schedule for the area and suggest the speed at which a driver should travel in order to avoid red lights.

Tests in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where five drivers were asked to follow the same route for three hours, and in Singapore, where eight drivers were asked to follow one of two routes for 30 minutes, revealed that SignalGuru was capable of predicting traffic-light activity with an accuracy of 98.2% and 96.3% respectively, in the two cities. This was particularly impressive because in Cambridge the lights shifted, roughly half-way through the test, from their unbusy schedule to their afternoon-traffic schedule, while in Singapore lights are adaptive, using detectors fixed under the road to determine how much traffic is present and thus when a signal should change. In neither case was SignalGuru fooled.

Fuel consumption fell, too—by about 20%. SignalGuru thus reduces both annoyance and fuel use, and makes going back and forth to work a slightly less horrible experience.

67.Roadside signs wired to traffic lights are not the best way to create a smooth passage because ______.

A.they are expensive and easily break

B.they are too costly and not widely used

C.they are complex and confusing to drivers

D.they are theoretically possible but practically useless

68.SignalGuru is an application used on ______.

A.a camera

B.a computer

C.a mobile phone

D.a GPS system in one's car

69.With the information it collects and processes, SignalGuru is able to ______.

A.help drivers avoid traffic accidents

B.allow drivers to adjust their speed

C.change the traffic lights in advance

D.send information to all cell phones

70.The tests in Cambridge and Singapore were impressive because SignalGuru ______.

A.proved to be unreliable

B.operated at a high speed

C.functioned rather stably

D.understood drivers' schedules

PASSAGE 24 2012年朝阳区高三英语一模考试阅读理解C篇

High Speed Book Scanner

Simply turning pages of a book quickly may not seem like the best way to scan it. A Japanese research group at Tokyo University has created new software that allows hundreds of pages to be scanned within minutes. Scanning text is normally a boring process with each page having to be inserted into a scanner, but the team led by Professor Masatoshi Ishikawa uses a high speed camera that takes 500 pictures a second to scan pages as they are turned by workers.

Normal scanners can only scan the information that is actually before them on the page. This high speed book scanner uses a camera that captures pages at 1000fps as they are turned. A system built in allows it to automatically correct any changes to the text due to the page bending as well as light differences due to shadows. "It takes a shot of the shape, then it calculates the shape and uses those calculations to film the scanning," Ishikawa said, explaining the system used to reconstruct the original page.

The current system is able to scan an average 250-page book in a little over 60 seconds using basic computer hardware. While it now requires extra time to process the scanned images(影像), the researchers hope to eventually make the technology both faster and much smaller. "In the more distant future, once it becomes possible to put all of this processing on one chip(芯片)and then put that in an iPad or iPod, one could scan just using that chip. At that point, it becomes possible to scan something quickly to save for later reading," Ishikawa said.

Being able to scan books with an iPhone may be further off, but Ishikawa says that a commercial version of the large-scale computer based scanning system could be available in two or three years. While the technology has the potential to take paper books into the digital age, it remains to be how publishers will react to people scanning their books while just turning pages quickly.

63.According to the passage, the advantage of the new scanning software is that ______.

A.there is no need to scan every page

B.it can work much more effectively

C.no manpower is needed in operating the scanner

D.it can make the scanning process more interesting

64.According to Ishikawa, the scanner works by ______.

A.changing the shape of the images

B.reducing the size of the images

C.reconstructing the original page

D.scanning several pages at the same time

65.What is Ishikawa's attitude towards the development of the new scanning system?

A.Optimistic.

B.Uncertain.

C.Disapproving.

D.Cautious.

66.What does the underlined sentence mean?

A.People will get any book they like more easily.

B.Publishers will refuse to comment on the new software.

C.Publishers will probably not welcome the new software.

D.People won't need to buy books any more with an iPhone.

PASSAGE 25 2014年东城区高三英语期末考试阅读理解C篇

The extraordinary Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital city, is said to be the only one in the world to use the same cooling and heating principles as the termite mound(白蚁堆).

Architect Mick Pearce used precisely the same strategy when designing the Eastgate Building, which has no air-conditioning and almost no heating. The building—the country's largest commercial and shopping complex—uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building of its size. The Eastgate's owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning plant didn't have to be imported.

The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium(天井)open to the air. Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents(通风口). As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exists through forty-eight brick chimneys.

During summer's cool nights, big fans blow air through the building seven times an hour to cool the empty floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, to circulate the air which has been in contact with the cool floors. For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.

This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little dampness and rapid temperature swings—days as warm as 31℃ commonly drop to 14℃ at night. "You couldn't do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters," Pearce said.

The engineering firm of Arup & Partners monitors daily temperatures. It is found that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23℃ and 25℃, with the exception of the annual hot period just before the summer rains in October and three days in November, when a doorkeeper accidentally switched off the fans at night. And the air is fresh—far more so than in air-conditioned buildings, where up to 30% of the air is recycled.

63.Why was Eastgate cheaper to be built than a conventional building?

A.It was designed in a smaller size.

B.No air conditioners were fixed in.

C.Its heating system was less advanced.

D.It used rather different building materials.

64.What does "it" refer to in Paragraph 3?

A.Fresh air from outside.

B.Heat in the building.

C.Hollow space.

D.Baseboard vent.

65.Why would a building like Eastgate NOT work efficiently in New York?

A.New York has less clear skies as Harare.

B.Its dampness affects the circulation of air.

C.New York covers a larger area than Harare.

D.Its temperature changes seasonally rather than daily.

66.The data in the last paragraph suggests Eastgate's temperature control system ______.

A.allows a wide range of temperatures

B.functions well for most of the year

C.can recycle up to 30% of the air

D.works better in hot seasons

PASSAGE 26 2014年海淀区高三英语一模考试阅读理解D篇

Did you see American figure skater, Jeremy Abbott, crash to the ice during the short program at the Sochi Olympics, rolling into the wall, clutching his side in pain. Ten seconds later, he got up and continued his skate—despite the pain, embarrassment and fear. All I could think was: this kid's got courage. In business we have a word for it—resilience, the ability to gain strengths and confidence from overcoming unpleasant events.

However, opposite examples appeared in Sochi Olympics as well. For them, failure is someone else's fault, because they do not accept personal responsibility. Therefore, they have to pay a high price for this attitude. After years of studying failure, I have learned one thing: modesty and open-mindedness in the face of mistakes is the single best thing you can do to improve results. Everyone fails, but not everyone recovers from failure. The key is to learn from it rather than get beaten by it.

The good news is that each of us has the potential to live a resilient life on and off the job. It may be difficult, but that just makes it all the more powerful and important. If you believe the above paragraph to be true, then you're probably more resilient than you think you are. It takes confidence to be resilient but that too much confidence is a killer is so true of leadership. For example, Ron Johnson, the ill-fated CEO of JC Penny, was so stubborn that he completely missed all sorts of signals from employees and customers and instead listened to all those who agreed with him, which failed his strategy. Bouncing back from failure requires that you recognize something has gone wrong, and you were the one who made it happen.

The challenge of resilience is not just about our work. When parents help their kids deal with every challenging situation, they are doing an unhelpful action to their children. Parents want to protect their kids from failure, but doing so takes away the opportunity from them to practice not just a life skill but an essential work skill. When self-esteem becomes more important than results, we are accidently training young people to become less adaptable, not more.

Resilience is not just about getting up off the floor, but also being ready for whatever comes next, even when you don't know what it is. Failures and setbacks are no longer unusual events, but regular features of a dynamic, competitive and highly demanding work environment. Getting up to finish your skate is no longer optional.

67.The example of Jeremy Abbott shows that one should ______.

A.recover from failure

B.stick to his own viewpoint

C.challenge difficulties

D.take others' opinions to heart

68.According to the author, what can best build up resilience?

A.Being positive and powerful.

B.Being competitive and helpful.

C.Being modest and open-minded.

D.Being confident and responsible.

69.Which of the following examples shows us resilience?

A.A teacher offers students timely help and care.

B.A determined athlete practices skating hard every day.

C.A confident leader persuades his staff to follow his plan.

D.A student has got a low grade but continues to work hard.

70.Which might be the best title for the passage?

A.An Example of Resilience: Ron Johnson

B.Resilience: A Lesson from Sochi

C.Optional Challenges of Resilience

D.Resilience in Family Education

PASSAGE 27 2014年西城区高三英语一模考试阅读理解D篇

The word proactivity is fairly common in management literature, but you won't find in the dictionary. It means that as a human being you take responsibility for your own life.

Look at the word responsibility: ability to choose your response, response-ability. Effective people are proactive because they take responsibility. Their behavior is a product of their own decisions, based on values, rather than being a product of their own conditions, based on feelings. For instance, you are planning a picnic with your family. You're excited. You have all the preparations. You've decided where to go, and then it becomes stormy, killing your plan. Proactive people carry weather within them. They realize what their purpose really was, and they creatively have a picnic elsewhere even if it's in their own basement with some special games, and make the best of that situation. The opposite of being proactive is to be reactive. Reactive people would say, "What's the use?" "We can't do anything." "Oh this is so upsetting after all of our preparations and arrangements." They try to persuade the people around them and usually the picnic will be cancelled.

Being proactive is really just being true to your human nature. Your basic nature is to act, and not to be acted upon. That's true, despite widely accepted theories of determinism used to explain human nature. Determinism says that you don't really choose anything and that what you call choices are nothing more than automatic responses to outside conditions.

The language of reactive people is like: "I can't." "Don't have time." "I have to." "I must." The whole spirit of that language is the transfer of responsibility. They think things are determined by their environment, or by their conditions, or by their conditioning or their genetic(基因的)makeup. Psychologically, people who believe they are determined will produce the evidence to support the belief, and they increasingly feel victimized and out of control. They're not in charge of their life at all.

On the contrary, a proactive person exercises free will, the freedom to choose the response that best applies to his values. In that way, he gains control over the circumstances, rather than being controlled by them.

67.According to the passage, a proactive person's behavior can result from ______.

A.the environmen t

B.an inner belief

C.the genetic makeup

D.a temporary feeling

68.When a picnic plan is threatened by a sudden storm, reactive people will probably ______.

A.have the picnic as planned

B.make the best of the picnic

C.complain and give up the picnic

D.find somewhere else for the picnic

69.What does "carry weather within them" in the second paragraph probably mean?

A.Manage to improve the weather.

B.Give in to the weather passively.

C.Stress the influence of the weather.

D.Find a solution to the weather problems.

70.It can be concluded from the passage that determinists ______.

A.accept things passively

B.are in charge of themselves

C.are similar to proactive people

D.respond to outside conditions actively

PASSAGE 28 2014年朝阳区高三英语一模考试阅读理解D篇

Seeing in Stereo

Have you wondered why you have two eyes and why they are set close together on the front of your face? The reasons are simple and important to the way you see the rest of your world.

Your eyes are like two small cameras. A camera catches an image(影像)of an object and records it on film. Similarly, when you look at something, each eye takes in what it sees and sends this image to the back of the eyeball. Because your eyes are set close together, they view the world from about the same height but from slightly different angles. Working as a team, the eyes send the images to your brain, which puts them into a single, centered image.

Seeing in stereo means seeing with two eyes working together, which is called stereoscopic sight. This allows you to view the world in three dimensions, or 3-D. Seeing depth helps you to judge the distance between you and the objects you see and to adjust to the changing angle at which you see something as you move closer to or farther away from it. If images are coming from only one eye, however, only two of these dimensions—height and width—can be perceived. A world seen with one eye is thus two-dimensional, as in a photograph.

Now consider why your two eyes are on the front of your face. Think of other animals with this same arrangement. They are all animals that hunt, like lions and wolves. Their eyes face directly in front of them. This provides a field of sight about 180 degrees wide, which is called binocular sight. On the other hand, animals that are hunted have eyes on the sides of the head, which provides nearly 360-degree field of sight. In order to stay alive, they need to see things coming from the sides and from behind. However, without stereoscopic sight, they have difficulty determining how far a danger is.

With sight both stereoscopic and binocular, humans share with animal hunters the ability to see from side to side and to accurately determine the distance. If you think it would be great to have another type of sight, perhaps with hundreds of tiny eyes like many insects do, think again! Each tiny insect eye sees only a tiny part. Besides, what if you needed glasses? Be glad for the eyesight that you have.

67.According to the passage, an eye is like a camera because both ______.

A.can record images

B.can imagine objects

C.provide centered images

D.work at the same height

68.Stereoscopic sight is a result of having ______.

A.a three-hundred-sixty-degree field of sight

B.hundreds of eyes, all seeing parts of an image

C.two eyes close to one another that work together

D.one eye on either side of the head, each seeing a different image

69.The underlined word "perceived" in Paragraph 3 means ______.

A.set

B.taken

C.seen

D.understood

70.The author implies that "seeing in stereo" ______.

A.is similar to the way cameras work

B.is an ability humans are fortunate to have

C.would be better for a wider field of sight

D.helps people to have better sight than animals

PASSAGE 29 2012年东城区高三英语一模考试阅读理解B篇

When expanded families—children, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—lived in the same town and sometimes in the same house, a relative of the working parents took care of the children. But beginning with the Industrial Revolution, people moved away from farms and small towns to find better job chances in larger cities. Gradually nuclear families are often seen in the society, but there also appears the immediate family, with either the mother or the father living with the children because of divorce. Another variation is the mixed family, the result of a marriage between a previously married man and woman who combine the children from their former marriages into a new family.

Since 1950s and 1960s, a trend that has appeared is the sharing of child-care responsibilities between husband and wife. More and more women are working outside the home. Around 70 percent of women with children under 18 have other jobs besides that of mother and homemaker. Most are employed in traditional fields for females, such as sales, education, and service. Some are engineers, politicians, doctors, lawyers, and scientists. And at the end of twentieth century, even a few have begun to occupy vital positions in business, government, and banking, breaking through the so-called glass ceiling.

Money matters influence women to work. Some are employed full time, some part time, and some seek creative solutions such as flex-time work schedules and job sharing. Many are single mothers, in single-parent family, raising children by themselves. But in most cases, one income in the household is simply not enough, so both parents must work to support the family. The men are no longer the only breadwinners.

So who watches the children while the parents work? Answers to this question are varied. Some parents put children in day-care centers. Some parents put children in informal day-care centers in private homes. Companies and hospitals are realizing that providing day care at the workplace makes for happier and more productive employees. Some wealthy families can have a nanny, a woman who comes to care for the children in their own home. Many of these child-care workers are from other areas, e.g. South America and Eastern Europe.

From the last decade, the accessibility of technology—computers, faxes, teleconferencing—has made it easier for at-home workers to be constantly in touch. Will this new flexibility in the work force bring a positive change for taking care of children? Only time will tell.

59.What is an immediate family according to the passage?

A.An expanded family.

B.A mixed family.

C.A nuclear family.

D.A single-parent family.

60.What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A.Women can get to the top positions easily.

B.Educated women are employed in many fields.

C.Women have more and more chances to work outside.

D.More and more women have children at very young age.

61.Employers make their employees more productive by ______.

A.putting their children in private centers

B.offering office equipments to workers

C.providing day care at the workplace

D.allowing them to work at home

62.Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?

A.Who Takes Care of Children?

B.Why do Women Work Outside?

C.What Benefits Single Parents?

D.How do People Support Families?

PASSAGE 30 2012年海淀区高三英语二模考试阅读理解B篇

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language. The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be our understanding of love. Therefore, the poet's job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.

Let's analyze this remarkably simple metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is impressive in its beauty, its petals(花瓣)are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It's possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose's appearance seems to border on perfection, each petal seemingly equal in form. Isn't this the way one's love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one's senses and seem perfect.

However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns. The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky. So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! "Be careful," the metaphor warns, "Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering." This is the poet's understanding of love—an admonition(劝诫). What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.

59.According to the passage, a metaphor is a ______.

A.description of two similar objects in a poetic way

B.literary device specially employed in poetry writing

C.contrast between two different things to create a vivid image

D.comparison between two different objects with similar features

60.As is meant by the author, thorns of a rose ______.

A.add a new element to the image of love

B.protect the rose from harm

C.symbolize reduced love

D.cause acute suffering

61.It can be inferred from the passage that a metaphor is ______.

A.difficult to understand

B.rich in meaning

C.simple to use

D.perfect in form

62.The main idea of this passage is that ______.

A.love is a rose in metaphor

B.a rose is a good image in poetry

C.a metaphor is a great poetic device

D.a poet should be careful to use a metaphor

PASSAGE 31 2012年海淀区高三英语期末考试阅读理解C篇

Personality types are linked with structural differences in the brain, which could explain why one child grows up to be impulsive(冲动的)and outgoing while another becomes diligent and introspective.

Structural differences between the brains of 85 people have been measured and linked with the four main categories of personality types, which were classified as "novelty seeking", characterized by impulsive actions; "harm avoidance", marked by pessimism and shyness; "reward dependence", with an addictive personality; and "persistence", who are people tending to be diligent, hard-working and perfectionists.

The researchers said the brain differences are structural and can be measured in the size of specific regions of the brain that appear to be linked with each of the four personality types. For instance, people defined as novelty-seeking personalities had a structurally bigger area in the brain while people with harm-avoidance personalities had significantly smaller volumes of tissue in brain regions.

The fact that characteristics are reflected in specific structural differences is useful to know, for instance, when it comes to understanding a child's behavior and choosing the right approach so that somebody who is, for example, particularly timid, might be helped through education and development.

There is no point shouting at a child who is very shy and telling them off, because it does not come naturally to them to put themselves forward. But actually knowing there is a biological basis for this helps educators or parents to use the right approach to help a child to compensate.

People who have a reward-dependence personality could, for example, be helped at an early age because they are at risk of turning to drink, drugs or food if they do not get the family support and encouragement they need.

"This study shows that personality characteristics are something you are born with, but their full expression can be adjusted during development with the right approach," said Professor Venneri, who carried out the study with colleagues from the University of Parma in Italy and Washington University in St Louis.

If you know it's not something you do but something you are, you can change the environment to reduce the risk. Knowing that someone has such a predisposition(体质)could help them adopt preventive strategies and avoid situations where they might seek rewards which could be potentially harmful.

63.Which type of person may turn out to be drug-abusers?

A."Novelty seeking".

B."Reward dependence".

C."Harm avoidance".

D."Persistence".

64.Which of the following is true about shy people?

A.They are often shouted at and scolded.

B.They can naturally put themselves forward.

C.They structurally have a smaller brain region.

D.They are too timid to be educated and helped.

65.What's the main idea of the passage?

A.People have chances to change their personality types.

B.Scientists have identified four different personality types.

C.Structural differences in the brain have effects on education.

D.Personality types are related to structural differences in the brain.

66.The author writes the passage to ______.

A.present a fact

B.argue a claim

C.support a research

D.introduce an approach

PASSAGE 32 2012年海淀区高三英语期末考试阅读理解D篇

It's time for forgetting to get some respect, says Ben Storm, author of a new article on memory in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. "We need to rethink how we're talking about forgetting and realize that under some conditions it actually does play an important role in the function of memory," says Storm, who is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"Memory is difficult. Thinking is difficult," Storm says. Memories and associations accumulate rapidly. "These things could completely overrun our life and make it impossible to learn and retrieve new things if they were left alone, and could just overpower the rest of memory," he says.

But, fortunately, that isn't what happens. "We're able to get around these strong competing inappropriate memories to remember the ones we want to recall." Storm and other psychological scientists are trying to understand how our minds select the right things to recall—if someone's talking about beaches near Omaha, Nebraska, for example, you will naturally suppress(压制)any knowledge you've collected about Omaha Beach in Normandy.

In one kind of experiment, participants are given a list of words that have some sort of relation to each other. They might be asked to memorize a list of birds, for example. In the next part of the test, they have to do a task that requires remembering half the birds. "That's going to make you forget the other half of the birds in that list," Storm says. "That might seem bad—it's forgetting. But what the research shows is that this forgetting is actually a good thing."

"People who are good at forgetting information they don't need are also good at problem solving and at remembering something when they're being distracted by other information. This shows that forgetting plays an important role in problem solving and memory," Storm says.

There are plenty of times when forgetting makes sense in daily life. "Say you get a new cell phone and you have to get a new phone number, do you really want to remember your old phone number every time someone asks what your number is?" Storm asks. "Or where you parked your car this morning—it's important information today, but you'd better forget it when it comes time to go get your car for tomorrow afternoon's commute. We need to be able to update our memory so we can remember and think about the things that are currently relevant."

67.With the accumulation of memories and associations, ______.

A.it is impossible for us to get back the lost memory

B.we might fail to memorize more information

C.our daily life and overloaded memory could be out of control

D.inappropriate memories challenge our memory ability

68.The underlined phrase "get around" in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.

A.recall

B.strengthen

C.lose

D.avoid

69.It can be learnt from the passage that ______.

A.forgetting makes great sense to most people

B.the more you forget, the more you memorize

C.forgetting plays a part in developing memory

D.forgetful people are good at solving problems

70.Which is the best title for the passage?

A.Forgetting Is Part of Remembering

B.Why Should People Forget

C.How Forgetting Improves Remembering

D.Remembering Relies on Forgetting 6zNk0aYAyVfs+N7Ir/SIiyT+Sl0B+/YctzBlOPwwtukn6re1vngrvzQpUePUXYT3

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