?專題14 說(shuō)明文體類閱讀理解（原卷版）
所謂說(shuō)明文，就是指研究自然科學(xué)與技術(shù)的文章。說(shuō)明文是對(duì)事物或事理進(jìn)行客觀說(shuō)明的一種文體，它以說(shuō)明為主要表達(dá)方式，通過(guò)解說(shuō)事物或闡明事理，達(dá)到教人以知識(shí)的目的，在結(jié)構(gòu)上往往采用總分、遞進(jìn)等方式按一定的順序（如時(shí)間、空間、從現(xiàn)象到本質(zhì)）進(jìn)行說(shuō)明。說(shuō)明文的特點(diǎn)是客觀、簡(jiǎn)練、語(yǔ)言準(zhǔn)確、明了，文章很少表達(dá)作者的感情傾向。閱讀說(shuō)明文的重點(diǎn)在于讀懂它說(shuō)明的事物或事理，了解事物的性質(zhì)、構(gòu)造、成因、功能等，了解事理的含意、特點(diǎn)等。


一、解題策略
1. 考情分析
最近五年，說(shuō)明文的出現(xiàn)變化不大，一直很穩(wěn)定，選材通常是各學(xué)科的前沿問題；高科技領(lǐng)域的科研成果；人們比較關(guān)心的社會(huì)問題；人文方面的經(jīng)典。由于閱讀理解題的設(shè)置采用漸進(jìn)式，即由簡(jiǎn)到難的方式，因此說(shuō)明文是高考試卷中閱讀理解題中相對(duì)比較難的，通常后置。閱讀理解試題的中要考點(diǎn)之一是考查學(xué)生對(duì)詞匯和句式的掌握。說(shuō)明文的詞匯和句式的運(yùn)用較別的體裁的文章難度更大。詞匯運(yùn)用靈活，同一詞的不同詞性的用法交替出現(xiàn)，未列入考綱的生詞較多，通常達(dá)到了4-5%。不過(guò)考生可以通過(guò)說(shuō)明文的語(yǔ)言特點(diǎn)來(lái)幫助理解語(yǔ)篇，例如，同位語(yǔ)、下定義、解釋、舉例、同義詞、反義詞、上下義詞以及標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)（如破折號(hào)、冒號(hào)都有表示解釋和說(shuō)明）等。

2. 得分要點(diǎn)

高考閱讀理解中，說(shuō)明文為主要體裁之一。高考閱讀理解題的設(shè)問主要圍繞以下四方面：細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)題、主旨大意題、推理判斷題、猜測(cè)詞義題。其中，說(shuō)明文主要以細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)、主旨大意和猜測(cè)詞義三方面問題為主。
一、詞義猜測(cè)類題型
閱讀理解題中常要求學(xué)生猜測(cè)某些單詞或短語(yǔ)的意思。歷年英語(yǔ)高考題中均有此類題目，有的文章盡管沒有專門設(shè)題，但由于文章中常常出現(xiàn)生詞，因此，詞義的猜測(cè)還是貫穿在文章的閱讀理解之中。解這類題目一般是通過(guò)上下文去理解或根據(jù)構(gòu)詞法去猜測(cè)。判斷一個(gè)單詞的意思不但離不開句子，而且還需要把句子放在上下文中，根據(jù)上下文提供的線索加以猜測(cè)。運(yùn)用構(gòu)詞法,語(yǔ)境等推測(cè)關(guān)鍵詞義，可以根據(jù)以下幾種方法猜測(cè)：
（一）內(nèi)在邏輯關(guān)系
根據(jù)內(nèi)在邏輯關(guān)系推測(cè)詞義是指運(yùn)用語(yǔ)言知識(shí)分析和判斷相關(guān)信息之間存在的邏輯關(guān)系，然后根據(jù)邏輯關(guān)系推斷生詞詞義。

1.通過(guò)同義詞和反義詞的關(guān)系猜詞
通過(guò)同義詞猜詞，一是要看由and或or連接的同義詞詞組，如happy and gay，即使我們不認(rèn)識(shí)gay這個(gè)詞，也可以知道它是愉快的意思.這是高三冊(cè)第八單元閱讀第五段的句子：
The word ＂secure＂ in paragraph 5 line is closest in meaning to_________.
A.freefromanxiety B.anxious C.nervous D.happy
根據(jù)上下文和同義詞，可以選出答案A。
二是看在進(jìn)一步解釋的過(guò)程中使用的同義詞，如Man has known something about the planets Venus，Mars，and Jupiter with the help of spaceships. 此句中的Venus（金星）,Mars（火星）,Jupiter（木星）均為生詞，但只要知道planets就可猜出這幾個(gè)詞都屬于＂行星＂這一義域.通過(guò)反義詞猜詞，一是看表轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系的連詞或副詞，如but，while，however等；二是看與not搭配的或表示否定意義的詞語(yǔ)，如：He is so homely，not at all as handsome as his brother.根據(jù)not at all...handsome我們不難推測(cè)出homely的意思，即不英俊,不漂亮的意思。
2.根據(jù)因果關(guān)系猜測(cè)詞義
通過(guò)因果關(guān)系猜詞，首先是找出生詞與上下文之間的邏輯關(guān)系，然后才能猜詞。有時(shí)文章借助關(guān)聯(lián)詞（如because，as，since，for，so，thus，as a result，of course，therefore等等）表示前因后果。例如：
You shouldn’t have blamed him for that，for it wasn’t his fault.通過(guò)for引出的句子所表示的原因（那不是他的錯(cuò)），可猜出blame的詞義是＂責(zé)備＂。
3.通過(guò)定義或釋義關(guān)系來(lái)推測(cè)詞義
例如：But sometimes，no rain falls for a long，long time. Then there is a dry period，or drought.
從drought所在句子的上文我們得知很久不下雨，于是便有一段干旱的時(shí)期，即drought，由此可見drought意思為＂久旱＂，＂旱災(zāi)＂。而a dry period和drought是同義語(yǔ)。這種同義或釋義關(guān)系常由is，or，that is，in other words，be called或破折號(hào)等來(lái)表示。
4.通過(guò)句法功能來(lái)推測(cè)詞義
例如：Bananas，oranges，pineapples，coconuts and some other kind of fruit grow in warm areas.假如pineapples和coconuts是生詞，我們可以從這兩個(gè)詞在句中所處的位置來(lái)判斷它們大致的意思。從句中不難看出pineapples，coconuts和bananas，oranges是同類關(guān)系，同屬fruit類，因此它們是兩樣水果，準(zhǔn)確地說(shuō)，是菠蘿和椰子。
5.通過(guò)描述猜詞
描述即作者為幫助讀者更感性地了解某人或某物而對(duì)該人或該物作出的外在相貌或內(nèi)在特征的描寫。例如The penguin is a kind of sea bird living in the South Pole. It is fat and walks in a funny way. Although it cannot fly，it can swim in the icy water to catch the fish.從例句的描述中可以得知penguin是一種生活在南極的鳥類.后面更詳盡地描述了該鳥類的生活習(xí)性。

（二）外部相關(guān)因素
外部相關(guān)因素是指篇章（句子或段落）以外的其他知識(shí)，有時(shí)僅靠分析篇章內(nèi)在邏輯關(guān)系無(wú)法猜出詞義。這時(shí)，就需要運(yùn)用生活經(jīng)驗(yàn)和普通常識(shí)確定詞義。例如：The snakes lithered through the grass.根據(jù)有關(guān)蛇的生活習(xí)性的知識(shí)，我們可以推斷出slither詞義為＂爬行＂。

（三）構(gòu)詞法
在閱讀文章時(shí)，我們總會(huì)遇上一些新詞匯，有時(shí)很難根據(jù)上下文來(lái)推斷其詞意，而它們對(duì)文章的理解又有著舉足輕重的作用，此時(shí)，如掌握了一些常用的詞根,前綴,后綴,合成等構(gòu)詞法知識(shí)，這些問題便不難解決了。
1.根據(jù)前綴猜測(cè)詞義
例如：He fell into a ditch and lay there，semi-conscious，for a few minutes.根據(jù)詞根conscious（清醒的，有意識(shí)的），結(jié)合前綴semi（半，部分的，不完全的），我們便可猜出semiconscious詞義＂半清醒的，半昏迷的。＂I’m illiterate about such things.詞根lit-erate意為＂有文化修養(yǎng)的，通曉的＂，前綴il表示否定，因此illiterate指＂一竅不通，不知道的＂。
2.根據(jù)后綴猜測(cè)詞義
例如：Insecticide is applied where it is needed.后綴cide表示＂殺者，殺滅劑＂，結(jié)合大家熟悉的詞根insect（昆蟲），不難猜出insecticide意為＂殺蟲劑＂。Then the vapor may change into droplets.后綴let表示＂小的＂，詞根drop指＂滴，滴狀物＂。將兩個(gè)意思結(jié)合起來(lái)，便可推斷出droplet詞義＂小滴，微滴＂。
3.根據(jù)復(fù)合詞的各部分猜測(cè)詞義
例如：Growing economic problems were high-lighted by a slowdown in oil output. Hightlight或許是一個(gè)生詞，但是分析該詞結(jié)構(gòu)后，就能推測(cè)出其含義。它是由high（高的，強(qiáng)的）和light（光線）兩部分組成，合在一起便是＂以強(qiáng)光照射，使突出＂的意思。Bullfight is very popular in Spain. Bull（公牛）和fight（打，搏斗）結(jié)合在一起，指一種在西班牙頗為流行的體育運(yùn)動(dòng)—斗牛。
二、主旨大意類題型
主旨大意類題型主要測(cè)試學(xué)生對(duì)文章全面理解和概括的能力，提問的內(nèi)容可能是全文的大意，也可能是某段的段落大意，一般不易在文中直接找到答案。怎樣把握主旨大意題呢？通常有以下幾種方法：
（一）閱讀文章的標(biāo)題或副標(biāo)題
文章的標(biāo)題是一篇文章的題眼，通過(guò)閱讀標(biāo)題或副標(biāo)題可以迅速把握文章的主旨大意。
（二）尋找文章的主題句
分析篇章結(jié)構(gòu)，找出文章主題。在許多情況下，尤其在閱讀說(shuō)明文和議論文時(shí)，根據(jù)其篇章特點(diǎn)我們可以通過(guò)仔細(xì)閱讀短文的第一句或第二句,即文章的主題句來(lái)歸納出文章的主題.若短文由若干段組成，除仔細(xì)閱讀第一段的首句外，還須仔細(xì)閱讀每一段的第一句，即段落中心.通常文章的中心思想包含在文章的首句，有時(shí)也在文章的末句，其他句子都是用來(lái)說(shuō)明和闡述主題句。因此，在確定文章的中心思想時(shí)，要求學(xué)生重視閱讀文章的首句和末句。但也有一些文章，中心思想常常貫穿在全文中，因此要求學(xué)生綜觀全文，對(duì)段落的內(nèi)容要融會(huì)貫通，對(duì)文章透徹理解后歸納總結(jié)。主題句的特點(diǎn)是：1.相對(duì)于其他句子，它表達(dá)的意思比較概括；2.主題句一般結(jié)構(gòu)簡(jiǎn)單；3.段落中其他句子必定是用來(lái)解釋,支撐或發(fā)展主題句所表達(dá)的思想的。
總之，為提高閱讀理解能力，在閱讀時(shí)應(yīng)抓中心思想,作者意圖及關(guān)鍵詞語(yǔ)，運(yùn)用聯(lián)想,比較,歸納,推測(cè)等方法，得出最佳結(jié)論，選擇最佳答案，不能主觀臆測(cè)，把自己的觀點(diǎn)強(qiáng)加進(jìn)去，與文章的觀點(diǎn)混為一談。經(jīng)過(guò)長(zhǎng)時(shí)間有計(jì)劃,有目的的系統(tǒng)訓(xùn)練，使學(xué)生加快閱讀速度，提高閱讀的正確性，使兩者有機(jī)地統(tǒng)一起來(lái)，以提高學(xué)生閱讀英語(yǔ)和運(yùn)用英語(yǔ)進(jìn)行交際的能力，為繼續(xù)學(xué)習(xí)和運(yùn)用英語(yǔ)切實(shí)打好基礎(chǔ).閱讀是一種綜合性很強(qiáng)的語(yǔ)言實(shí)際活動(dòng)。我們只有進(jìn)行大量的課內(nèi)外閱讀，掌握一定的閱讀技巧，正確運(yùn)用閱讀方法，才能有效地提高閱讀理解能力。

3. 常用解題方法

1.定位對(duì)照法：先閱讀題干，然后根據(jù)問題的要求，按照題目順序依次有針對(duì)性地結(jié)合題干中的關(guān)鍵詞到文中定位，閱讀相關(guān)部分并快速尋找有效信息。再將原文和選項(xiàng)進(jìn)行比較。當(dāng)問題與原文材料相同的時(shí)候，對(duì)號(hào)入座；如果問題與原文不同．則可以同義替換、歸納事實(shí)等。?
2.選項(xiàng)分析法：根據(jù)題干中的關(guān)鍵詞，找準(zhǔn)相關(guān)句、段的內(nèi)容。再仔細(xì)對(duì)照，排除于文章內(nèi)容不一致的錯(cuò)誤信息，從而確定選項(xiàng)。
3.中心精確捕捉法：根據(jù)議論文特點(diǎn)對(duì)文章中心段或句進(jìn)行精準(zhǔn)分析。

4. 兩種解題步驟
方式一：
1.讀開頭段，把握中心（中心明確）；
2.解“主旨題”以及“主旨相關(guān)題”；
3.解“細(xì)節(jié)題”（先定段，后定句）。

方式二
1.讀開頭段，把握中心（中心不明確）；
2.解“細(xì)節(jié)題”（先定段，后定句）；
3.解“主旨題”以及“主旨相關(guān)題”。

【注意事項(xiàng)】
1.不必通讀全文，不必千方百計(jì)理解文章所有語(yǔ)句；
2.必須首先讀好開頭與結(jié)尾段，快速準(zhǔn)確找出文章中心主旨；
3.注意并充分利用文章中所給出的中文提示詞。


二、高考真題

一、2021年高考真題
1.【2021新高考1卷 C篇】
When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans have taken care of these precious natural resourses wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to?decimate?a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl（水禽）were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat（棲息地）.
In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory（遷徙的）waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. "Ding" Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, lowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System—a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
1.What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?
A.Loss of wetlands. B.Popularity of water sports.
C.Pollution of rivers. D.Arrival of other wild animals.

2.What does the underlined word "decimate" mean in the first paragraph?
A.Acquire. B.Export. C.Destroy. D.Distribute.

3.What is a direct result of the Act passed in 1934?
A.The stamp price has gone down.
B.The migratory birds have flown away.
C.The hunters have stopped hunting.
D.The government has collected money.

4.Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A.The Federal Duck Stamp Story
B.The National Wildlife Refuge System
C.The Benefits of Saving Waterfowl
D.The History of Migratory Bird Hunting



2.【2021全國(guó)甲卷 B篇】
Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding（繁育） programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf （犀牛幼崽）. When the tiny creature arrived on January 31. she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity（圈養(yǎng)）.
Paul Beer, head of rhino section at Port Lympne, said: "Obviously we're all absolutely delighted to welcome another calf to our black rhino family. She's healthy, strong and already eager to play and explore. Her mother, Solio, is a first-time mum and she is doing a fantastic job. It's still a little too cold for them to go out into the open, but as soon as the weather warms up, I have no doubt that the little one will be out and about exploring and playing every day."
The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild. The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global black rhino population has dropped as low as 5500, giving the rhinos a "critically endangered" status.
1.Which of the following best describes the breeding programme?
A.Costly. B.Controversial. C.Ambitious. D.Successful.

2.What does Paul Beer say about the new-born rhino?
A.She loves staying with her mother.
B.She dislikes outdoor activities.
C.She is in good condition.
D.She is sensitive to heat.

3.What similar experience do Solio and Kisima have?
A.They had their first born in January.
B.They enjoyed exploring new places.
C.They lived with their grandmothers.
D.They were brought to the reserve young.

4.What can be inferred about Port Lympne Reserve?
A.The rhino section will be open to the public.
B.It aims to control the number of the animals.
C.It will continue to work with the World Wildlife Fund.
D.Some of its rhinos may be sent to the protected wild areas.


3.【2021全國(guó)甲卷 D篇】
Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
Let's state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It's said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender（性別）are "really, really smart." Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief: Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are "really, really smart." Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn't take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
Here's the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we're all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors（因素） like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance（毅力）, and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world."
1.What does the author think of victors' standards for joining the genius club?
A.They're unfair. B.They're conservative.
C.They're objective. D.They're strict.

2.What can we infer about girls from the study in Science?
A.They think themselves smart.
B.They look up to great thinkers.
C.They see gender differences earlier than boys.
D.They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs.

3.Why are more geniuses known to the public?
A.Improved global communication.
B.Less discrimination against women.
C.Acceptance of victors' concepts.
D.Changes in people's social positions.

4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Geniuses Think Alike
B.Genius Takes Many Forms
C.Genius and Intelligence
D.Genius and Luck

4.【2021全國(guó)乙卷 B篇】
When almost everyone has a mobile phone, why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline（座機(jī)）?
These days you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesn't own a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere, anytime.
Still, 55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter (29%) rely only on their smartphones, according to a survey（調(diào)查）. Of those Australians who still have a landline, a third?concede?that it's not really necessary and they're keeping it as a security blanket—19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.
More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone. Age is naturally a factor（因素）—only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers who've perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. Age isn't the only factor;?I'd say it's also to do with the makeup of your household.
Generation Xers with young families, like my wife and I, can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said, to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents, to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone (using Caller ID would take the fun out of it).
How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries?
1.What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones?
A.Their target users.
B.Their wide popularity.
C.Their major functions.
D.Their complex design.

2.What does the underlined word?"concede"?in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Admit. B.Argue. C.Remember. D.Remark.

3.What can we say about Baby Boomers?
A.They like smartphone games.
B.They enjoy guessing callers' identity.
C.They keep using landline phones.
D.They are attached to their family.

4.What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph?
A.It remains a family necessity.
B.It will fall out of use some day.
C.It may increase daily expenses.
D.It is as important as the gas light.


5.【2021全國(guó)乙卷 C篇】
You've heard that plastic is polluting the ocean—between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes enter ocean ecosystems every year. But does one plastic straw or cup really make a difference? Artist Benjamin Von Wong wants you to know that it does. He builds massive sculptures out of plastic garbage, forcing viewers to re-examine their relationship to single-use plastic products.
At the beginning of the year, the artist built a piece called? "Strawpocalypse, " a pair of 10-foot-tall plastic waves, frozen mid-crash. Made of 168, 000 plastic straws collected from several volunteer beach cleanups, the sculpture made its first appearance at the Estella Place shopping center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Just 9% of global plastic waste is recycled. Plastic straws are by no means the biggest source（來(lái)源）of plastic pollution, but they've recently come under fire because most people don't need them to drink with and, because of their small size and weight, they cannot be recycled. Every straw that's part of Von Wong's artwork likely came from a drink that someone used for only a few minutes. Once the drink is gone, the straw will take centuries to disappear.
In a piece from 2018, Von Wong wanted to illustrate（說(shuō)明） a specific statistic: Every 60 seconds, a truckload's worth of plastic enters the ocean. For this work, titled?"Truckload of Plastic, "?Von Wong and a group of volunteers collected more than 10, 000 pieces of plastic, which were then tied together to look like they'd been dumped（傾倒） from a truck all at once.
Von Wong hopes that his work will also help pressure big companies to reduce their plastic footprint.
1.What are Von Wong's artworks intended for?
A.Beautifying the city he lives in.
B.Introducing eco-friendly products.
C.Drawing public attention to plastic waste.
D.Reducing garbage on the beach.

2.Why does the author discuss plastic straws in paragraph 3?
A.To show the difficulty of their recycling.
B.To explain why they are useful.
C.To voice his views on modern art.
D.To find a substitute for them.

3.What effect would?"Truckload of Plastic"?have on viewers?
A.Calming. B.Disturbing.
C.Refreshing. D.Challenging.

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Artists'?Opinions on Plastic Safety
B.Media Interest in Contemporary Art
C.Responsibility Demanded of Big Companies
D.Ocean Plastics Transformed into Sculptures


6.【2021全國(guó)乙卷 D篇】
During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction（干擾）in his open office, he said, "That's why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street—so I can focus." His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout（布局）. But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works.
The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking. They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background, from total silence to 50 decibels（分貝）, 70 decibels, and 85 decibels. The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant; however, the participants in the 70 decibels group—those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop—significantly outperformed the other groups. Since the effects were small, this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.
But since the results at 70 decibels were significant, the study also suggests that the right level of background noise—not too loud and not total silence—may actually improve one's creative thinking ability. The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander, without making it impossible to focus. This kind of "distracted focus" appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.
So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that, in our offices, we can't stop ourselves from getting drawn into others' conversations while we're trying to focus. Indeed, the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process, and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.
1.Why does the interviewer prefer a coworking space?
A.It helps him concentrate.
B.It blocks out background noise.
C.It has a pleasant atmosphere.
D.It encourages face-to-face interactions.

2.Which level of background noise may promote creative thinking ability?
A.Total silence. B.50 decibels.
C.70 decibels. D.85 decibels.

3.What makes an open office unwelcome to many people?
A.Personal privacy unprotected.
B.Limited working space.
C.Restrictions on group discussion.
D.Constant interruptions.

4.What can we infer about the author from the text?
A.He's a news reporter.
B.He's an office manager.
C.He's a professional designer.
D.He's a published writer.

7.【2021.6 浙江卷 C篇】
If you ever get the impression that your dog can?"tell" whether you look content or annoyed, you may be onto something. Dogs may indeed be able to distinguish between happy and angry human faces, according to a new study.
Researchers trained a group of 11 dogs to distinguish between images（圖像） of the same person making either a happy or an angry face. During the training stage, each dog was shown only the upper half or the lower half of the person's face. The researchers then tested the dogs' ability to distinguish between human facial expressions by showing them the other half of the person's face or images totally different from the ones used in training. The researchers found that the dogs were able to pick the angry or happy face by touching a picture of it with their noses more often than one would expect by random chance.
The study showed the animals had figured out how to apply what they learned about human faces during training to new faces in the testing stage. "We can rule out that the dogs simply distinguish hetween the pictures bused on a simple cue, such as the sight of teeth, " said study anthor Corsin Muller.? "Instead, our results suggest that the surcessful dogs realized that a smiling mouth means the same thing as smiling eyes, and the same rule applies to an angry mouth having the same meaning as angry eyes."
"With our study, we think we can now confidently conclude that at least some dogs can distinguish human facial expressions," Muller told?Live Science.
At this point, it is not clear why dogs seem to be equipped with the ability to recognize different facial expressions in humans."To us, the most likely explanation appears to be that the basis lies in their living with humans, which gives them a lot of exposure to human facial expressions, ”?and this exposure has provided them with many chances to learn to distinguish between them, Muller said.
1.The new study focused on whether dogs can???????????.
A.distinguish shapes
B.make sense of human faces
C.feel happy or angry
D.communicate with each other

2.What can we learn about the study from paragraph 2?
A.Researchers tested the dogs in random order.
B.Diverse methods were adopted during training.
C.Pictures used in the two stages were different.
D.The dogs were photographed before the test.

3.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.A suggestion for future studies.
B.A possible reason for the study findings.
C.A major limitation of the study.
D.An explanation of the research method.


二、2020年高考真題
1. 【2020·全國(guó)卷I，C】
Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running, research shows, while most likely contributing to fewer injuries. It does, however, have its own problem.
Race walkers are conditioned athletes. The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometer race walk, which is about five miles longer than the marathon. But the sport’s rules require that a race walker’s knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact (接觸) with the ground at all times. It’s this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity, however, says Jaclyn Norberg, an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.
Like running, race walking is physically demanding, she says, According to most calculations, race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories(卡路里) per hour, which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking, although fewer than running, which would probably burn about 1,000 or more calories per hour.
However, race walking does not pound the body as much as running does, Dr. Norberg says. According to her research, runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step, while race walkers, who do not leave the ground, create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step.
As a result, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers. But the sport’s strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips, so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport. In fact, anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique, she says. It takes some practice.
1. Why are race walkers conditioned athletes?
A. They must run long distances.
B. They are qualified for the marathon.
C. They have to follow special rules.
D. They are good at swinging their legs.
2. What advantage does race walking have over running?
A. It’s more popular at the Olympics.
B. It’s less challenging physically.
C. It’s more effective in body building.
D. It’s less likely to cause knee injuries.
3. What is Dr. Norberg’s suggestion for someone trying race walking?
A. Getting experts’ opinions.
B. Having a medical checkup.
C. Hiring an experienced coach.
D. Doing regular exercises.
4. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to race walking?
A. Skeptical. B. Objective.
C. Tolerant. D. Conservative.
2. 【2020·全國(guó)卷I，D】
The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another，employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.
The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)have taken it a step further changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse，even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they’re short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. ＂We’re thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day,＂explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.
One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow(發(fā)光)in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano’s team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light，about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by，is just a start. The technology, Strano said, could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into self-powered street lamps.
In the future，the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plant’s lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off＂switch＂where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.
Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source(電源)-such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway-a lot of energy is lost during transmission(傳輸).Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. A new study of different plants.
B. A big fall in crime rates.
C. Employees from various workplaces.
D. Benefits from green plants.
2. What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineer?
A. To detect plants’ lack of water
B. To change compositions of plants
C. To make the life of plants longer.
D. To test chemicals in plants.
3. What can we expect of the glowing plants in the future?
A. They will speed up energy production.
B. They may transmit electricity to the home.
C. They might help reduce energy consumption.
D. They could take the place of power plants.
4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Can we grow more glowing plants?
B. How do we live with glowing plants?
C. Could glowing plants replace lamps?
D. How are glowing plants made pollution-free?
3. 【2020·全國(guó)卷II，B】
Some parents will buy any high-tech toy if they think it will help their child, but researchers said puzzles help children with math-related skills.
Psychologist Susan Levine, an expert on mathematics development in young children the University of Chicago, found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills. Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition(認(rèn)知) after controlling for differences in parents’ income, education and the amount of parent talk, Levine said.
The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child-parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age.
“The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not, on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate(旋轉(zhuǎn))and translate shapes,” Levine said in a statement.
The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would, and about half of children in the study played with puzzles at one time. Higher-income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently, and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills. However, boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls, and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than parents of girls.
The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science.
1. In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play?
A. Building confidence. B. Developing spatial skills.
C. Learning self-control. D. Gaining high-tech knowledge.
2. What did Levine take into consideration when designing her experiment？
A. Parents’ age. B. Children’s imagination.
C. Parents’ education. D. Child-parent relationship.
3. How do boy differ from girls in puzzle play?
A. They play with puzzles more often.
B. They tend to talk less during the game.
C. They prefer to use more spatial language.
D. They are likely to play with tougher puzzles.
4. What is the text mainly about?
A. A mathematical method. B. A scientific study.
C. A woman psychologist D. A teaching program.
4. 【2020·全國(guó)卷II，C】
When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list, fur probably didn’t cross your mind. But some ecologists and fashion (時(shí)裝)enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria(海貍鼠).
Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have(showcased)nutria fur made into clothes in different styles. “It sounds crazy to talk about guilt-free fur-unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year”, says Cree McCree, project director of Righteous Fur.
Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters $5 a tail. Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month.
Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild. “The ecosystem down there can’t handle this non-native species(物種).It’s destroying the environment. It’s them or us.” says Michael Massimi, an expert in this field.
The fur trade kept nutria check for decades，but when the market for nutria collapsed in the late 1980s，the cat-sized animals multiplied like crazy.
Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana. He says it’s not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green, but he has no doubt about it. Hunters bring in more than 300,000 nutria tails a year, so part of Mouton’s job these days is trying to promote fur.
Then there’s Righteous Fur and its unusual fashion. Model Paige Morgan says，”To give people a guilt-free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them-1 think that’s going to be a massive thing, at least here in New York.” Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable. She trying to come up with a lable to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco-friendly.
28. What is the purpose of the fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn?
A. To promote guilt-free fur.
B. To expand the fashion market.
C. To introduce a new brand.
D. To celebrate a winter holiday.
29. Why are scientists concerned about nutria?
A. Nutria damage the ecosystem seriously.
B. Nutria are an endangered species.
C. Nutria hurt local cat-sized animals.
D. Nutria are illegally hunted.
30. What does the underlined word “collapsed” in paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. Boomed. B. Became mature. C. Remained stable. D. Crashed.
31. What can we infer abouf wearing fur in New York according to Morgan?
A. It’s formal. B. It’s risky. C. It’s harmful. D. It’s traditional.
5. 【2020·全國(guó)卷III，D】
We are the products of evolution, and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago. As scientists look deeper into our genes(基因), they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years. People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes. Cattle -raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation (突變) that helps them digest milk as adults.
On Thursday in an article published in Cell, a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation — not to air or to food, but to the ocean. A group of sea-dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers. The Bajau, as these people are known, number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. They have traditionally lived on houseboats; in recent times, they’ve also built houses on stilts (支柱) in coastal waters. “They are simply a stranger to the land,” said Redney C. Jubilado, a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau.
Dr. Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines. They made a living as divers, spearfishing or harvesting shellfish. “We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders,” Dr. Jubilado said. “I could see them actually walking under the sea.”
In2015, Melissa Ilardo, then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen, heard about the Bajau. She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them. “it seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population,” said Dr. Ilardo. She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive.
32. What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1?
A. Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers. B. New knowledge of human evolution.
C. Recent findings of human origin. D. Significance of food selection.
33. Where do the Bajau build their houses?
A. In valleys. B. Near rivers. C. On the beach. D. Off the coast.
34. Why was the young Jubilado astonished at the Bajau?
A. They could walk on stilts all day. B. They had a superb way of fishing.
C. They could stay long underwater. D. They lived on both land and water.
35. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea B. Highlanders’ Survival Skills
C. Basic Methods of Genetic Research D. The World’s Best Divers
5. 【2020·山東卷，D】
According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.
To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.
Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.
For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.
The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?
12. What is the recent study mainly about?
A. Food safety. B. Movie viewership.
C. Consumer demand. D. Eating behavior.
13. What does the underlined word “beanpoles” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Big eaters. B. Overweight persons.
C. Picky eaters. D. Tall thin persons.
14. Why did the researchers hire the actor?
A. To see how she would affect the participants.
B. To test if the participants could recognize her.
C. To find out what she would do in the two tests.
D. To study why she could keep her weight down.
15. On what basis do we “adjust the influence” according to the last paragraph?
A. How hungry we are. B. How slim we want to be.
C. How we perceive others. D. How we feel about the food.


三、模擬演練

一、
An Israeli law banning too skinny models went into effect with the start of 2013. The law, approved last March in Israel, requires models to prove they have maintained a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5 for three months before a fashion show. That means a woman who is 68 inches tall can weigh no less than 119 pounds.
“This law is another step in the war against eating disorders,” said physician Adatto. “Underweight models,” he explained, “can no longer serve as role models for innocent young people who copy their false image of being skinny.”
But some critics in this country say it is misguided, focusing on weight instead of health. They also say the Israeli ban is bound to fail because of the strong power of the fashion industry. “I think it’s an approach that isn’t going to work.” said eating disorder expert Susan Ice, who worked with an organization which creates a healthy working environment for models.
But Adatto told the reporter that he began to concern the issue after meeting an ambitious model who looked like she needed to be hospitalized. He said. “I realized that only legislation(立法) can change the situation. There was no time to waste; so many girls were dieting to death.”
However, the efforts to regulate models’ weight in Spain and Italy have not resulted in significant changes in part because of difficulties in determining reliable methods of measuring weight and health.
Still, folks including Ice say there’s no denying that images from Hollywood and the fashion industry can be difficult for young women to deal with. “Certainly I don't believe the modeling industry has caused the rise in eating disorders, but it makes it harder,” she says. “It’s a difficult recovery environment, worshiping thinness as the beauty ideal.”
4．One benefit the new Israeli law may bring is ______.
A．to change the working conditions of models
B．to lower the chance of skinny models’ death
C．to provide guidance for women worshiping thinness
D．to prevent models from suffering from eating disorders
5．In the opinion of the critics, the law won’t succeed because _______.
A．it misleads young women to form a bad eating habit
B．the fashion industry is much too influential
C．it doesn’t create a healthy working environment for models
D．it doesn’t provide a proper approach that can work well
6．What caused Adatto to think that a law was needed to change the situation?
A．Being interviewed by a reporter.
B．Establishing his fashion model agent.
C．Meeting an ambitious but too skinny model.
D．Seeing a model die from eating disorders.
7．According to the passage, the new Israeli law banning skinny models is _____ .
A．practical B．controversial
C．a(chǎn)cceptable D．reasonable

二、
Corporate culture is the values and beliefs a company develops over time.The role of corporate culture isto improve a company’s mission and strategies,with long-term hopes of improvements in a company’s profit.Mostly corporate culture comes from a company’s top management.
One role of corporate culture is to influence employee behavior, honesty, and compliance（服從）. A company does not have to necessarily create a direct influence for these actions.A direct influence may be a setof written regulations or other policies,and while these may be in place,the corporate culture is usually moreof an indirect influence.
While many companies try to create corporate culture through the use of written policies,its role isharder to define.The human factor has an influence on how corporate culture is expressed.The way uppermanagement acts and reacts to various situations defines how lower-level employees will act,and this aspectmay be more important than any written policy.
A company’s corporate culture can also extend beyond the walls of the business. Consumers who believe a company to be honest and forthright（直率）may be more loyal in their buying behavior. Employees in a company’s customer service department can also exhibit positive corporate culture to outside individuals.Inthis case,the culture creates a link between the company’s employees and its customers.How customers reactmay be a direct result from the company’s corporate culture.
Product quality can also be influenced by a company’s corporate culture.Companies that focus only onprofits may decide to avoid high-quality materials in products,but try to suggest that the products are ofhigher quality than they really are.This negative culture can then result in lower brand loyalty withconsumers.
12．What do we know about corporate culture from this passage?
A．It is a set of rules and regulations.
B．It is the way the employees act.
C．It is the values and beliefs of a company.
D．It is the long term hope of a company.
13．Which of the following is more efficient in creating corporate culture?
A．Making a set of rules and regulations.
B．Setting an example for the employees.
C．Learning the corporate culture regularly.
D．Encouraging the employees to work harder.
14．What can we infer from the fourth paragraph?
A．The customer is always right.
B．Corporate culture has different functions.
C．Without corporate culture,a company will die.
D．Positive corporate culture can promote sales.
15．Which word can describe the companies mentioned in the last paragraph?
A．Creative. B．Efficient.
C．Dishonest. D．Disloyal.


三、
A sheet of transparent new material at a University of Maryland lab looks like it might be plastic. But it’s actually wood—and it could eventually be used to make energy-efficient windows or even see-through buildings.
"Compared to glass, wood has lower heat conductivity, and it's lighter, stronger, and more environmentally friendly," says Liangbing Hu, a materials science professor at the University of Maryland and one of the authors of a new study of the material.
The idea is to employ the material in buildings. With a window made from transparent wood instead of glass, for example, a building would take less energy to heat and cool. Because of the structure of the wood, the windows could also reduce glare from the sun while allowing in natural light.
Researchers have experimented with transparent wood in the past, but the new method is more sustainable.
Other methods usually put the wood in a chemical compound Nacl to remove lignin, part of the wood that gives it structure. But this can weaken the wood, and it produces waste that is hard to recycle. Hu and his team made slight changes to the process so it doesn't fully remove the lignin. By brushing hydrogen peroxide(過(guò)氧化物) over the wood and leaving it under a UV light, they removed only the parts of the lignin that give it color. The result is transparent wood that can be coated in epoxy(環(huán)氧樹脂).
It’s just one of a number of ways scientists and engineers are rethinking how we can use this renewable resource in construction. Skyscrapers made entirely out of wood are gaining popularity in cities around the world. And scientists recently discovered a technique to grow wood in a lab, opening up the possibility of using wood without having to cut down a forest.
The transparent wood is 50% stronger than previous transparent wood and could even be used to build load-bearing walls in a building. It could also potentially be used in other ways, such as layers used in solar cells. A new company called InventWood is working to commercialize the technology.
8．Why would people like to choose transparent wood in their buildings in preference to glass?
A．It can conduct heat more quickly.
B．It is lighter and more delicate.
C．It can let light in with less heat.
D．It has higher energy consumption.
9．Compared with the experiment in the past, what is the difference of the new method?
A．The new method is less environmentally friendly.
B．The new method can make the wood weaker.
C．Researchers brushed Nacl over the wood.
D．Researchers only took away the lignin related to color.
10．Which of the following statements may the author agree with ?
A．This see-through wood can replace glass windows.
B．This see-through wood is in mass production.
C．This transparent wood has been grown in labs.
D．This transparent wood is only popular in cities.
11．What does the last paragraph mainly focus on?
A．The advantages of transparent wood.
B．The prospect of transparent wood.
C．The production of transparent wood.
D．The companies of transparent wood.


四、
A year of lockdown has brought about some questionable fashion trends. In US suburbs, bathrobes and slippers are now socially-acceptable clothing for a trip to the grocery store.
Ugly shoes are also having moment. Crocs the maker of plastic clogs(木屐) now with market worth of $5. 3 billion, had a record 2020. The distinctive shoes, with their punch(打孔機(jī)) hole design, have long been popular with hospital staff. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they have become a sought-after item for those looking for something easy to wear and clean.
The company sold more than 69 million pairs of shoes in 2020 and pulled in nearly $1. 4 billion, a 13% jump from 2019. The share price, up 650 percent from its pandemic low, has set repeated new highs this year.
Birkenstock is another brand riding high on the shift to a more casual lifestyle. The German group recently sold itself to a LVMH-backed group in a 4 billion deal.
The two brands' popularity shows no sign of fading. Poshmark, the second-hand clothing app, said Crocs and Birkenstock remained top trending brands on its site in March. Sales are up sharply for both compared with the year-ago period. Cooperation with celebrities (Justin Bieber for Crocs, women's brand Proenza Schouler for Birkenstock) should help maintain the trend.
The same cannot be said for dress shoes, which were already falling out of fashion. Office closures and fewer special occasions such as weddings and graduations have accelerated the trend. Sales for the category plummeted last year, according to market researchers The NPD Group. These accounted for only 8% of total fashion footwear dollar sales in 2020, compared with 17% in 2017.
People will soon reach again for going-out clothes, more formal than pyjamas. But the market for dress shoes will never recover entirely. The ugly shoe movement is here to stay.
12．What does the underlined word "plummeted" in paragraph 5 probably mean?
A．Increased sharply. B．Increased slightly.
C．Decreased sharply. D．Decreased slightly.
13．What's the author's opinion about the prospect of ugly shoes?
A．Uncertain B．Pessimistic. C．Cautious. D．Confident.
14．What can be the best title of this passage?
A．Crocs give dress shoes a kicking. B．Casual clothes are making a comeback.
C．Punch hole design becomes a trend. D．Dress shoes are falling out of fashion.
15．What’s the purpose of this text?
A．To recommend new shoes. B．To present a new tendency.
C．To change people’s lifestyle. D．To question a fashion trend

五、
Could looking through trees be the view to a greener future? Trees replacing the clear glass in your windows is not a work of science fiction. It's happening now.
Forest Products Laboratory researcher Junyong Zhu together with colleagues from the University of Maryland and University of Colorado has developed a transparent wood material that may be the window of tomorrow. Researchers found that transparent wood has the potential to outperform glass currently used in construction in nearly every way.
While glass is the most common material used in window construction, it comes with quite a few bad consequences. Heat easily transfers through glass and amounts to higher energy bills when it escapes during cold weather and pours in when it's warm. Glass production used for construction also comes with a heavy carbon footprint. Manufacturing emissions alone are approximately 25,000 metric tons per year, without considering the heavy footprint of transporting the glass.
The innovation was developed using wood from the balsa tree, which is native to South and Central America. The team treated balsa wood to an oxidizing bath, where the wood is kept in a bleach solution at room temperature to remove the light-absorbing substance from the structure. The wood is then penetrated（注入）with a synthetic polymer called polyvinyl alcohol（PVA）, creating a product that is virtually transparent. So the transparent wood is created, which is far more durable and lighter than glass.
Switching to transparent wood could prove to be cost efficient as well. It is approximately five times more thermally efficient than glass. cutting energy costs. It is made from a sustainable, renewable resource with low carbon emissions.
With all of these potential benefits for consumers, manufacturing and the environment, the case for transparent wood couldn't be clearer.
8．What is the main problem with glass used in window construction?
A．It is inefficient in letting heat out.
B．It does not reflect light and heat.
C．It cause a high ecological cost
D．It is inconvenient to transport.
9．What does the underlined part "a bleach solution" refer to?
A．A liquid to make objects white.
B．A process to solve problems.
C．A container to store liquids.
D．A way to make colors fade.
10．What does paragraph 4 focus on?
A．How to make things transparent
B．How to produce the new material.
C．The benefits of the wood material.
D．The great importance of innovation.
11．What is the author's attitude towards transparent wood?
A．Skeptical. B．Ambiguous.
C．Conservative. D．Appreciative.

六、
Visual language is a form of communication that uses visual elements (元素) as opposed to formal written language to convey meaning or an idea. Graphicacy, the ability to communicate visually, is considered as important as literacy and numeracy, the abilities to read and count. Some people are visual thinkers, using that part of the brain that is emotional and creative to process and give meaning to information. Visual communication can find expression in paintings, drawings, symbols, or simply lines and shapes arranged for a specific effect.
Art is an example of visual language. A painting or sculpture can convey ideas or arouse specific kinds of emotional responses. It may also express ideas about historical events, abstract concepts, or simply be about the way certain shapes or forms “work” together or create a certain effect on the mind. Some researchers believe that different parts of the brain respond in unique ways to colors and shapes.
Pictograms (象形文字) and ideograms (表意文字) are types of visual language. Pictograms are pictures that are similar to what they represent. They are still used today to communicate information. Many people around the world are familiar with the pictograms indicating such things as airports, public facilities, and non-smoking areas indicated by a cigarette in a circle with a line across it. Ideograms are pictures that represent ideas and can often be understood without the aid of written language. Some scholars track modern alphabets to pictures. Letters are actually ancient pictures, and words are a series of pictures. Modern alphabet letters are not only phonetic (語(yǔ)音的) symbols but are based on ancient religious images and symbols.
Musivisual communication is also a part of visual language. The term refers to music created specifically to improve the visual experience of film. It corresponds to the images being seen on the screen, and the music arouses a sense of terror, fear, or other emotions. Most movie goers understand the language of musical clues showing that something dramatic or important is about to happen.
12．What is Visual language according to the text?
A．An idea conveyed by artists.
B．An ability to read and count.
C．A system used to arouse emotions.
D．A way of processing and expressing information.
13．What may be the origin of the modern alphabet letters?
A．Public facilities. B．Imaginary lines.
C．Living conditions. D．Religious images.
14．What can we learn about the music of a film from the last paragraph?
A．A visual thinker can make it better.
B．It can help the audience predict the plot.
C．It often changes without the audience’s notice.
D．It makes the film more emotional and complex.
15．What can be the best title for the text?
A．What Is Visual Language?
B．What Is the Origin of Language?
C．How can We Learn Visual Language?
D．How does Visual Language Affect Life?

七、
TerraCycle is a company that has recycled and upcycled (升級(jí)改造) just about any garbage it can get its hands on. It upcycles things like pens and markers into dust bins and picnic tables and cigarette ends into railroad ties.
Now, TerraCycle wants to help families waste even less with a new book Make Garbage Great: The TerraCycle Family Guide to a Zero-Waste Lifestyle. The book is part wake-up call, part history lesson, part how-to, and part DIY arts and crafts instruction.
In an effort to help people do what they can to curb their contribution to the tons of waste created every day, Make Garbage Great gives the history of various materials, discusses why those various materials are a problem, and gives tips and DIY projects to recycle or upcycle each material.
There is a chapter each on plastics, metals, paper, glass, wood, rubber and organics. Each chapter is filled with tons of tips and ideas for reducing the amount of waste you create and for responsibly handling the waste you end up creating in your home. If you’re a conscious consumer, some of the information you may already know, but there are also tips in this book that will help you recycle more than you thought you were able to. It has information on where you can take old sneakers, pillows, and all that electronic waste that seems to pile up quicker and quicker each year.
Whether the book inspires you to get a little clever at dealing with your waste or simply inspires you to think before you buy or before you throw, anyone who is concerned about the amount of waste our culture creates will find some ideas here. Even the physical book itself is a bit of an inspiration. It’s printed on tree-free paper and is a reminder that there is usually a sustainable (可持續(xù)的) alternative to many of the products that we waste.
8．What is the book intended to do?
A．To advertise for the company.
B．To help families make money.
C．To instruct people to learn arts.
D．To help families reduce waste.
9．What can we know about the book?
A．It is intended for housewives.
B．It is environmentally friendly.
C．It is well received all over the world.
D．It is not different from other paper books.
10．What does the author’s attitude towards the book?
A．Positive. B．Negative.
C．Doubtful. D．Objective.
11．What could be the best title for the text?
A．Live A More Healthy Life?
B．Want A Zero-waste Lifestyle?
C．TerraCycle — A Responsible Company
D．Make Garbage Great — A Key to Success


八、
Children grow taller in rural households where their mothers are supported to grow their own food, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The research, which looked at households in some developing countries, showed growing their own food helped mothers to prevent their children from being stunted, wasting away and underweight. Their children’s food was more varied, meaning these children had access to different classes of food nutrients.
The team from UEA analyzed studies that introduced women to home farming in some African and Asian countries. The home farming included growing brightly colored vitamin A-rich fruit and vegetables, and sometimes also included chicken farming. The health of these women’s children was assessed over the next year or more, and they did better than children of other women. No studies, however, reported on children’s eye health. The researchers concluded that high-quality trials are needed to assess the impact of home food production on nutritional blindness in children, which is caused by an insufficient intake of vitamin A．Around 250 million pre-school children are deficient in vitamin A, according to the World Health Organization. Vitamin A deficiency is the main global cause of childhood blindness, which also increases the risk of dying from other childhood diseases and vitamin A plays a significant role in normal immune function. It remains one of the most widespread micronutrient deficiencies globally.
Mrs Chizoba Bassey led the team conducting the systematic review. She said, “Well-evidenced interventions such as vitamin A supplementation programs should be adopted and expanded to children at greatest risk to prevent nutritional blindness.”
Currently there is not enough evidence of the effects of home gardening on xerophthalmia, night blindness or the death rate in children, but the evidence from the research shows that if women take up home gardening, the risk of being stunted, wasting away and underweight in their children will be reduced. Home farming may help to achieve sustainability in controlling vitamin A deficiency and can assist vitamin A supplementation programs where they are available.
12．What does the new study focus on?
A．Fruit and vegetables suitable for family gardening.
B．The development of farming in Africa and Asia.
C．Rural children’s health problems.
D．Benefits of home farming.
13．What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
A．The importance of nutrients. B．Causes of childhood blindness.
C．Health risks of lack of vitamin A． D．Ways to improve kids’ immune function.
14．Which of the following may Mrs Bassey agree with?
A．Nutritional blindness is preventable.
B．Most of pre-school kids suffer from a nutrient deficiency.
C．Home food production has proved good for children’s eyes.
D．Vegetables grown by housewives have higher nutritional value.
15．What does the author want to express in the last paragraph?
A．The urgency of doing further research.
B．The necessity of encouraging home farming.
C．The difficulty in controlling vitamin A deficiency.
D．The relationship between home gardening and xerophthalmia.

九、
We’ve known for years that plants can see, hear, smell and communicate with chemicals. Now, reported New Scientist, they have been recorded making sounds when stressed.
In a yet-to-be-published study, Itzhak Khait and his team at Tel Aviv University, in Israel, found that tomato and tobacco (煙草) plants can make ultrasonic (超聲的) noises. The plants “cry out” due to lack of water, or when their stems (莖) are cut. It’s just too high-pitched (音調(diào)高的) for humans to hear.
Microphones placed 10 centimeters away from the plants picked up sounds in the ultrasonic range of 20 to 100 kilohertz (千赫茲). Human hearing usually ranges from 20 hertz to 20 kilohertz. “These findings can change the way we think about the plant kingdom,” they wrote.
On average, “thirsty” tomato plants made 35 sounds an hour, while tobacco plants made 11. When plant stems were cut, tomato plants made an average of 25 sounds in the following hour, and tobacco plants 15. Unstressed plants produced fewer than one sound per hour, on average.
Perhaps most interestingly, different types of stress led to different sounds. The researchers trained a machine-learning model to separate the plants’ sounds from those of the wind, rain and other noises of the greenhouse. In most cases, it correctly identified (辨識(shí)) whether the stress was caused by dryness or a cut, based on a sound’s intensity(強(qiáng)度) and frequency. Water-hungry tobacco appears to make louder sounds than cut tobacco, for example. Although Khait and his colleagues only looked at tomato and tobacco plants, they think other plants also make sounds when stressed.
If farmers could hear these sounds, said the team, they could give water to the plants that need it most. As climate change causes more droughts (旱災(zāi)), they said this would be important information for farmers. “The sounds that drought-stressed plants make could be used in precision agriculture (精準(zhǔn)農(nóng)業(yè)),” said Anne Visscher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the UK.
Khait’s report also suggests that insects and mammals (哺乳動(dòng)物) can hear the sounds up to 5 meters away and respond. For example, a moth (蛾子) may decide not to lay eggs on a water-stressed plant. Edward Farmer, at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, is doubtful. He said that the idea of moths listening to plants is “a little too speculative”.
If plants are screaming for fear of their survival, maybe we should be glad we can’t hear them.
4．What did Khait and his team find from their research?
A．Plants made low-pitched sounds when in danger.
B．Plants made ultrasonic noises to communicate with each other.
C．Plants picked up a wider range of sounds when stressed.
D．Plants were able to produce sounds in response to stresses.
5．How did tomato and tobacco plants react to different stresses according to the text?
A．A plant reacted to different stresses with the same sound.
B．Cut tomato plants produced more sounds per hour than water-hungry ones.
C．Cut tobacco plants seemed to make weaker sounds than drought-stressed ones.
D．Tobacco plants might make louder sounds than tomato plants when short of water.
6．What’s the main idea of Paragraph 6?
A．Challenges faced by farmers in the future.
B．The potential applications of the research.
C．Farmers’ contributions to the research.
D．What the future agriculture will be like.
7．The underlined word “speculative” in the second-to-last paragraph has the closest meaning to “______”.
A．practical B．unsupported
C．surprising D．complicated


十、
As we close out the final days of this year, treat yourself to a deliciously distracting new book — a book that you can dip into and out of throughout the holidays. Read up, rest up, and enjoy yourself.
Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and beyond
A must-have guide for yoga-loving mamas, Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond offers helpful relaxation techniques and breathing exercises that are tailored to each pregnant (懷孕的) woman. The book also lays out valuable techniques for labor and staying in touch with your body as it continuously changes.
Mindfulness Activities for Kids
We could all use a little more peace in our lives. Uniquely suited for children and parents to do together, the 40 mindfulness exercises recommended here — from pausing to fully enjoy a tasty sandwich to taking chalk walk together — will not only teach children calm and gratitude, but also bring grown-ups and their littles closer together.
Before She Disappeared
Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic who devotes her time to solving cold cases, especially those involving people of color. A new investigation brings her to Boston, searching for a Haitian teenager who disappeared months ago. But as Frankie starts asking questions, someone else will stop at nothing to keep the answers hidden.
Oak Flat
Lauren Redniss' Oak Flat tells the story of the land near the San Carlos Apache Reservation through an Apache family fighting to protect the land, which the U. S. government and two world-power mining enterprises are attempting to seize and destroy for its copper resources. Visually striking and deeply reported, Oak Flat tells a larger story of endless westward expansion and native resistance.
1．Which book can help to improve family relations?
A．Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond. B．Mindfulness Activities for Kids.
C．Before She Disappeared. D．Oak Flat.
2．What do we know about the book Oak Flat?
A．It centers on an Apache family's struggle.
B．It's a brief account of mining enterprises.
C．It sings high praise of the US government.
D．It supports westward expansion and native resistance.
3．Who are the target readers of the four books?
A．Women. B．Teenagers. C．Grown-ups. D．Pupils.

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