题目内容
Water runs downhill from mountaintops to streams to rivers to oceans. But downhill isn’t the only way that water moves .A new study measures how water travels from country to country for human consumption. This flow isn’t the type we usually think about .These scientists looked at the water used to grow and make the products which get shipped from nation to nation as imports or exports. They call this a flow of“virtual water(虚拟水)”.
We typically think about water as the liquid that flows from a tap. However,92%of the water used by people goes into growing crops,according to water researcher Arjen Hoekstra. He recently studied the hidden travels of virtual water used in products made from things like crops and meats .These products are shipped around the world.
For example.consider a sugary soft drink. Hoekstra estimated that to produce one half-liter of the drink requires between 170 and 310litersofthewater—about 95%—is used to grow and process the ingredients(原料).Another 4%goes into the packaging and labeling. In Hoekstra’s calculation, when one country produces a half-liter of soda and sells it abroad,it exports as much virtual water as would fill a large refrigerator.
According to Hoekstra’s new report,dry countries like Israel and Kuwait,both in the Middle East, get the majority of their virtual water from other countries,through imported products. More surprisingly, some wetter countries,like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, also get the majority of their virtual water from other places. That means that most of the water used to grow or produce the products and food consumed in those countries came from other countries.
In the United States most of the virtual water used comes from American sources .In China even less of the water associated with its products
【小题1】What is the best title for the passage?
| A.Crops and Virtual Water | B.Import and Export of Water |
| C.Benefits of Virtual Water | D.Water’s worldwide travels |
| A.how water flows |
| B.what virtual water is |
| C.where virtual water exists |
| D.why water is imported and exported |
| A.how drinks are made | B.how virtual water is used |
| C.how virtual water is exported | D.how drinks are shipped |
| A.lsrael and America | B.America and the Netherlands |
| C.China and the United Kingdom | D.Kuwait and the Netherlands |
| A.science news report | B.book review |
| C.newspaper advertisement | D.science fiction story |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】B
【小题4】D
【小题5】A
解析试题分析:文章大意:文章主要讲解水是怎么在全世界范围旅行的。
【小题1】主旨大意题。根据全文可知,本文是一篇科普类阅读,主要介绍水是怎么在全世界范围旅行的。故D正确。
【小题2】推理判断题。根据文章第一段最后一句They call this a flow of“virtual water(虚拟水)可知此段讲解什么是虚拟水。故B正确。
【小题3】推理判断题。根据文章第三段,我们可以了解到作者给出实例来解释虚拟水是如何使用的。故B正确。
【小题4】细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段According to Hoekstra’s new report,dry countries like Israel and Kuwait,both in the Middle East, get the majority of their virtual water from other countries,through imported products. More surprisingly, some wetter countries,like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, also get the majority of their virtual water from other places.可以得出答案。故D正确。
【小题5】推理判断题。根据全文可知,本文是一篇科普类阅读。故可以推测出文章可能选自于科学新闻报道。故A正确。
考点:考查科普类短文阅读
Picture a library without books? Well, I can’t. Ever since I was little I would go to the library and take out numerous books. From picture books to beginning chapter books to YA books, books have always been a part of my life. Unlike many people today, I don't own a Kindle or a Nook or any type of e-reader. I prefer the old-fashioned book. There is something about holding a book and being able to turn the pages that I find comforting. In today's 21st century, books may become obsolete. For me that's something I find scary.
I am a fan of the old TV science-fiction series Twilight Zone. One episode(一段情节)is about a librarian who has become obsolete. Though this episode aired in 1961, the writer of the series, Rod Serling was exactly on point when it came to predicting the future.
In fact, in San Antonio, Texas the first-ever bookless library in the country opened. The library is full of iMacs, tablets and iPads which cost a huge $2. 3 million. The library offers around 10,000 e-books. So the question is, is this what the future will soon be? Mary Graham, vice president of South Carolina's Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce states, "This is the future…If you're going to be building new library facilities, this is what you need to be doing."
It is our generation that will be the guinea pigs(试验品)of increasing technology like this. Is this a good or bad thing? Well, digital libraries may help the environment by not using paper; however, I feel like something will always be lacking with a digital book. A digital library is just the beginning.
With all of this new technology, people seem to be more absorbed in their own world. One of my biggest complaints is when I am with my friends and they can't seem to get off their smart phone and talk to me. To make plans with a friend and then have them stuck on their phone the whole time is extremely rude. Not only is it disrespectful, but it reflects the direction of where human interactions are heading. Though social media is great, it also is addicting and has negative effects.
Often when I go on Facebook it just makes me feel worse about myself. I'll see many of my 800 Facebook friends showing off their newest accomplishment or acceptance to college. Additionally, our society is becoming increasingly lazy. For instance, instead of doing mental math, people use their phone to solve 89 + 74. It is simple tasks like these that are allowing people to lack important educational and social skills.
It is up to us to find a balance between technology and human values and interactions. With new technology being created every day, we need to learn how to use it alongside our great minds. After all, inventions are supposed to benefit society not harm it. In the day of technology, who knows what's next?
【小题1】The underlined word "obsolete" (Paragraph l)is closest in meaning to .
| A.outdated | B.complex | C.expensive | D.meaningless |
| A.The episode still enjoys great popularity nowadays. |
| B.Rod Serling liked making predictions about the future. |
| C.The situation of books today is similar to what Rod Serling predicted in the episode. |
| D.The episode airing in 1961 was the most entertaining of the TV science-fiction series. |
| A.It is the first-ever library in America. |
| B.It is of no practical use although it costs so much. |
| C.It holds an exhibition of much electronic equipment. |
| D.People can read e-books there with the help of the new facilities. |
| A.Great as social media is, it does have some negative effects. |
| B.With the increasing use of social media, something will actually be lost. |
| C.Through social media, people can develop educational and social skills around. |
| D.As a result of social media, people may communicate less with the people around. |
| A.Optimistic | B.Skeptical | C.Supportive | D.Objective |
Swiss International Air lines(SWISS)will introduce daily non-stop flights between Beijing and Zurich.
The new service to the financial center of Switzerland is expected to start on Dec.12,2012,which marks an expansion of services for the Chinese market.In May 2008,SWISS already started direct flights to Shanghai.
The first flight to Europe has a special price of 2,680 yuan,which does not include taxes and fuel surcharges.
“I am delighted the airlines of Switzerland can contribute to growing economic ties between the two countries with new daily flights scheduled,”says SWISS CEO Harry Hohmeister.
“We are witnessing a growing demand for tourist travel in both directions.”
Apart from Shanghai and Hong Kong,Beijing will be the third Chinese destination for SWISS.
The new route marks a return to Beijing for SWISS:the airlines previously flew to the Chinese capital as late as June 2003.
SWISS will initially operate its new daily non-stop Beijing-Zurich flights with an Airbus A340-300(219 seats)and Airbu: A330-300(236 seats)air-crafts.
The modem SWISS business class offers the most suitable comforts since the seats can be adjusted into a two-meter-long bed.
Seating firmness and softness can be adjusted thanks to air cushions.
With the introduction of the new SWISS service from Beijing,the Lufthansa Group Airlines may attract more Chinese customers when traveling to Europe.
SWISS.Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines already connect five Chinese cities with Europe and beyond.
This airlines group is the leading European airlines network in the Chinese market.
In the summer of 2011,the Lufthansa Group operated 78 weekly flights from China including Hong Kong to Europe.
SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group as well as a member of the Star Alliance,the world's biggest airlines grouping.
【小题1】According to the passage,from Dec.12,2012, .
| A.it will only take us a day to fly from Beijing to Zurich |
| B.we can fly directly from Beijing to Zurich |
| C.the first flight from Beijing to Europe will only cost you 2,680 yuan |
| D.the direct flight to Shanghai started by SWISS will be canceled |
| A.SWISS wants to offer good service to Chinese people. |
| B.SWISS wants to contribute to growing economic ties between the two countries |
| C.There is a growing demand for tourist travel in both directions. |
| D.SWISS wants to create more opportunity for people to work. |
| A.The Airbus can carry more passengers than other planes. |
| B.The seats in it can be adjusted into comfortable beds. |
| C.It offers all kinds of services for passengers to choose from. |
| D.It has two kinds of air cushions on its seats. |
| A.SWISS is the customer of the Lufthansa Group Airlines |
| B.Austrian Airlines is a part of SWISS. |
| C.SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group. |
| D.SWISS belongs to Austrian Airlines. |
| A.SWISS already started direct flights to Shanghai. |
| B.SWISS adds direct flights from Beijing to Europe. |
| C.Beijing will be the third Chinese destination for SWISS. |
| D.SWISS is the world's biggest airlines grouping. |
People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. Who decides what you buy in the supermarket? Do you decide? Does the supermarket decide?
When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles (走道) between the shelves. You push a shopping cart and put your food in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk along the aisles. This may be an attempt to please you, so you will enjoy shopping. Some supermarkets want to increase their profits by playing soft and slow music, because the slow music makes you walk slowly and you have more time to buy things.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are usually put near the entrance. When you arrive at the supermarket, you think about the kinds of fruit and vegetables you need first. Once you’ve got that out of the way, you can relax and do the rest of the shopping without any hurry. Besides, if you see fresh goods first, it gives you a “feel good” impression of freshness, so you can not help spending your money.
Maybe you go to the meat department then. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk past all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very attractive. It all says “Buy me quickly!” to the customers. The fresh fruit and vegetables say “Buy me quickly!” as you walk by. The expensive meat says “Buy me quickly!” The supermarket tells you what to buy.
【小题1】Some supermarkets play soft, slow music because it ______.
| A.makes customers walk slowly and buy more |
| B.can help customers get the things they want |
| C.can make customers relaxed and happy |
| D.can tell customers exactly where to go |
| A.where customers come from |
| B.which customers like slow music |
| C.where fresh meat should be put |
| D.which customers like cheap meat |
| A.pay no attention to it | B.possibly buy some |
| C.look for some cheap meat | D.feel uncomfortable |
| A.you know where to get things |
| B.it brings you good luck |
| C.it makes you spend less money |
| D.you’ll get a fresh impression |
| A.the customers will buy more | B.it looks very expensive |
| C.the customers come often | D.it seems cheap and fine |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
Shakespeare's Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare's World
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and where he grew up. The property(房产)remained in the ownership of
Shakespeare’s family until 1806.The House has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the word ,for over 250 years.
Enter though the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare’s World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.
Stand in the rooms-where Shakespeare grew up.
Discover examples of furniture and needle work from Shakespeare’s period.
Enjoy the traditional(传统的)English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet’s works.
pThe Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map; nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes’ walk).
The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible(可进入的)to wheelchair user.
The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).
| ADMISSION: Adult £4.90 Child £2.20 Family £12.0 (2 adults +up to 3 children) |
| OPENING TIMES: 20 Mar to 19 Oct Mon to Sat: 9:00am to 5:00pm Sun:9:30am to 5:00pm 20 Oct to 19Mar Mon to Sat:9:30am to 4:00pm Sun:10:00am to 4:00pm |
| OPENING TIMES: 20 Mar to 19 Oct Mon to Sat: 9:00am to 5:00pm Sun:9:30am to 5:00pm 20 Oct to 19Mar Mon to Sat:9:30am to 4:00pm Sun:10:00am to 4:00pm |
【小题1】. How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?
| A.$9.80 | B.$12.00 | C.$14.20 | D.$16.40 |
| A.Behind the exhibition hall. |
| B.Opposite the Visitors’ Centre. |
| C.At Windsor street. |
| D.Near the Coffee House. |
A. the House B the garden C. the Visitor’s Centre D. the exhibition hall
Plants may not have eyes and ears,but they can recognize their siblings (兄弟姐妹),and researchers at the University of Delaware have discovered how.The ID system lies in the roots and the chemical signals they secrete (分泌).
Canadian researchers published that sea rocket,a common seashore plant,can recognize its siblings.Susan Dudley observed that when siblings are grown next to each other in the soil,they “play nice” and don’t send out more roots to compete.However,the moment one of the plants is thrown in with strangers,it begins competing with them by rapidly growing more roots to take up the water and mineral nutrients in the soil.
After reading Dudley’s study,Bais decided to find the method behind the sibling recognition.Working in his laboratory,Bais and his doctoral student Meredith Biedrzycki set up a study with wild populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.In a series of experiments,young seedlings were exposed to liquid media containing the root secretions from siblings,from strangers,or only their own secretions.The length of the longest lateral (侧面的) root was measured.The exposure of plants to the root secretions of strangers induced (引诱) greater lateral root formation than exposure of plants to sibling secretions.Strangers planted next to each other are often shorter,because so much of their energy is directed at root growth.Because siblings aren’t competing against each other,their roots are often much shallower (浅的).
Biedrzycki did the painstaking laboratory research,observing more than 3,000 plants involved in the study every day for seven continuous days and documenting the root patterns.“Arabidopsis roots are nearly translucent (半透明的) when they are young and were also twisted when I removed them from plates,”Biedrzycki notes.“This manuscript (手稿) is very important for my research since the focus of my thesis project is understanding the biochemical ways behind root secretions.”
The research also may have implications for the home gardener.“Often we’ll put plants in the ground next to each other and when they don’t do well,we blame the local garden center where we bought them or we attribute their failure to a germ,”Bais says.“But maybe there’s more to it than that.”
【小题1】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A.A Great Biology Researcher |
| B.Plants Recognize Their Siblings |
| C.Plants’ Roots and Secretions |
| D.A Research on Plants |
| A.Sea rocket. |
| B.Plants’ sensing system. |
| C.Biedrzycki’s thesis project. |
| D.Dudley’s study. |
| A.Important. | B.Adventurous. |
| C.Careful. | D.Hardworking. |
| A.The local garden center should be blamed when plants can’t grow well. |
| B.The local garden center often sells low quality seeds to customers. |
| C.Plants in the home garden can’t grow well because of the germ and seeds. |
| D.Competing against strangers,plants in the home garden can’t grow well. |
Cyclist Jia Yanmei and a fellow enthusiast covered more than 2,200 kilometers from Beijing to their individual hometowns in Sichuan to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families, Xu Lin reports.
While others rushed home on high-speed trains or airplanes for the annual Spring Festival, Jia Yanmei spent 16-plus days cycling more than 2,200 kilometers from Beijing to her hometown, Nanchong, Sichuan Province.
Thanks to social media, cycling fans from different cities were able to follow her progress, and some even offered food and accommodation if she happened to be nearby.
“It’s not that I failed to buy my train ticket home. I just want to bring the spirit of cycling to everyone — to do whatever you want to do bravely. As long as you are on the road, you will enjoy yourself, ” says Jia, 26, an English teacher at an educational institution in Beijing.
She started her adventure at 8:30 am on Jan 12, with Wang Yujiang, 47, who works in architecture in Beijing. A cycling friend introduced them because Wang also wanted to cycle to his hometown, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province.
Jia says Wang treated her like his daughter and took care of her on their way. After Wang arrived in Guangyuan, she cycled two days on her own to reach her home.
“I must say that I admire her. She’s not like others. No matter how tired she is, she can soon recover after meals,” says Wang, who is cycling back from his hometown to Beijing now.
“ I’ve improved myself a lot after the cycling. No matter what difficulties I will meet with in the future, I will
have confidence to face them, ” Jia says.
When she posted her plan online on Christmas Eve, many cycling fans supported her, lent her equipment and gave her gifts. She updated her social networks, such as Sina Weibo and WeChat, with news of her cycling adventures, as well as a cycling-related applications that recorded her route.
Four days after her departure, one of her friends learned about the trip in a newspaper and told Jia’s parents. Her mom was so worried about Jia’s safety that she cried and called Jia several times.
【小题1】According to the passage, Jia Yanmei and Wang Yujiang have much in common EXCEPT_______.
| A.They shared the same departure time. |
| B.They work in the same city. |
| C.They had the same arrival time. |
| D. They enjoy the same adventurous spirit. |
| A.Wang Yujiang invited her to keep company |
| B.Wang Yujiang offered to look after her all the way |
| C.She couldn’t book a train ticket or air ticket in time |
| D.She wanted to do what she liked to do bravely |
| A.where she was warmly welcomed |
| B.what happened to her on the way |
| C.how cycling fans supported her adventure |
| D.why social media paid attention to her action |
| A.The Long Way Home. | B.A Cycling Companion. |
| C.Benefits from Cycling. | D.The Power of the Media. |