閱讀理解專項訓練

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項A、B、C、D中，選出最佳選項，并填在答題卡上。

A

Tess was eight years old. Her little brother Andrew was very sick and their parents were completely out of money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother， “Only a miracle can save him now.”

Tess took her money and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store.

“And what do you want?\" the chemist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. \"I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages.”

“Well， I want to talk to you about my brother，” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really sick. He has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here， little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you，” the chemist said， softening a little.

“Listen， I can help you.” The chemist’s brother was a well dressed man. He asked， “What kind of a miracle does you brother need?”

“I don’t know，” Tess replied. “Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t pay for it， so I want to use my money.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago. “One dollar and eleven cents，” Tess answered. “And it’s all the money I have， but I can get some more if I need to.”

“Well， what a coincidence (巧合)，” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for little brother. Take me to where you live. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

That man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong， a surgeon in neurosurgery (神經外科). The operation was completed without charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Tess’s brother would recover because there was a miracle.

B. Tess’s brother would die because his family had no money to treat his illness.

C. Tess’s family would look for a miracle to treat Andrew’s illness.

D. Andrew should go to hospital for a miracle.

2. Why did the chemist get annoyed first?

A. Because he was a nervous man. B. Because Tess didn’t buy his medicine.

C. Because Tess had bothered him and his brother. D. Because Tess was poorly dressed.

3. What can we learn about Dr. Carlton Armstrong?

A. He was a stone-hearted man.

B. He only cared for money.

C. He never helped others unless given a lot of money.

D. He was a kind gentleman and ready to help others.

4. What can be the best title?

A. A dying boy and her sisterB. A miracle of $1.10

C. A kind doctor and his brotherD. A poor girl and a chemist

B

The Isle of Lewis is not actually an island; rather it is the northern two-thirds of the largest of the Western Isles， sharing a mountainous land border with Harris to its south. The capital of Lewis， and the only town in the Western Isles， is Stornoway. The design of the road network means that you can most easily explore Lewis via a series of out-and-back hiking from Stornoway.

First time visitors to Lewis often comment on the number of wasted vehicles(車輛) on view in the settlements on the island. These are more obvious in the north and south of Lewis， less so in the east and in Stornoway. After you’ve been there a few days you notice them less， and we suspect that residents simply don’t see them at all. But on one trip through Balallan， a two mile long settlement in southern Lewis， we counted over 30 wasted vehicles on view. Dealing with old vehicles has traditionally been a problem on Scottish islands， but Lewis does seem to suffer from this damage worse than elsewhere in the Western Isles.

Visitors to Lewis should be aware that Sunday observance (慣例) is strong here. Most transport links to Lewis and Harris， and within them， do not operate on a Sunday. Most shops， petrol stations， cafes， pubs， and visitor attractions are closed on Sundays. Sunday observance is part of the culture of Lewis and Harris， and part of what makes them unique. However， given the difficulty in accessing services of any kind on a Sunday， our advice would be to ensure you know exactly how your food， drink， transport and accommodation is going to be provided in advance.

5. What is the meaning of the underlined word in the first paragraph?

A. Island.B. Place.C. City.D. Town.

6. What can we learn from the last sentence in the first paragraph?

A. The roads in Lewis can help all drivers to visit its scenery.

B. The design of the roads in Lewis is so wonderful.

C. The scenery is so beautiful that you can enjoy yourselves while walking.

D. The roads are convenient for visitors to sightsee Lewis on foot from Stornoway.

7. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Lewis does not suffer from the damage as badly as elsewhere in the Western Isles.

B. Dealing with old vehicles has been a big problem in Lewis.

C. After visitors have been there a few days they notice the vehicles less.

D. There are many wasted vehicles in southern Lewis.

8. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Visitors can enjoy best services in Lewis on Sunday.

B. Visitors have to phone the boss to get them served on Sunday.

C. Visitors have to provide themselves everything they need to enjoy scenery in Lewis on

Sunday.

D. Visitors to Lewis should complain about the services to the government on Sunday.

C

The Apple iPhone’s impact was widely evident at the Consumer Electronics Show， as new touch-screen devices could be found everywhere.

The consumer electronics industry came unbuttoned (無約束的) in Las Vegas this week. At the annual Consumer Electronics Show， which kicked off Jan. 7， companies from around the world unveiled many devices boasting touch-sensitive technology， rather than traditional push-button controls.

Motorola (MOT)， Sony (SNE)， and LG Electronics all showed off touch-screen phones this week. Microsoft (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates touted a touch-screen computer， the Surface， related to a flat panel TV for a tabletop. Even camera makers， such as Kodak (EK)， included touch-screen LCDs in their devices. Touch-screen tech has been in use for years， but the push to develop and weave it into consumer electronics gathered steam with the June introduction of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone. “The touch-screen industry is really getting hot，” says Jennifer Colegrove， a senior analyst at iSuppli. “Since the iPhone came out， there are a lot of companies that did not have a relationship with touch screens before that decided， ‘O.K.， I want to make a touch screen， too.’”

The touch-screen tech ecosystem now includes more than 100 companies specializing in everything from smudge-proof (防污的) screens to sensors able to detect fingers before they even contact the screen. Sales of leading touch-screen technologies， such as those used in mobile phones and navigation devices， are expected to rise to $4.4 billion in 2012， up from $2.4 billion in 2006， according to iSuppli estimates.

9. Why did the writer think that the Apple iPhone’s impact was clear?

A. Because the Apple iPhone was beautiful.

B. Because the Apple iPhone made the new touch-screen technology common.

C. Because the Apple iPhone was expensive.

D. Because the Apple iPhone didn’t show the new touch-screen technology.

10. What is the meaning of the underlined word “unveiled”/u> in the second paragraph?

A. inventedB. unlockedC. discovered D. showed

11. Sales of leading touch-screen technologies are expected to increase ______ in 2012 compared

with 2006?

A. $2 billion B. $2.4 billion C. $3.4 billion D. $4.4 billion

12. What can we learn from the passage?

A. The touch-screen technology will disappear.

B. The touch-screen technology will be replaced by traditional push-button controls.

C. The touch-screen technology will be as important as traditional push-button controls.

D. The touch-screen technology will be more and more used in mobile phones and navigation

devices.

D

13. You can give the potential employers a good impression if you .

A. write a face-to-face note B. show enthusiasm

C. prepare a long and free resume D. paint your own picture

14. What does the underlined words “you are on the hot seat” probably mean?

A. The seat is very hot.B. Everybody else is laughing at you.

C. Nobody else is helping you.D. You are in a difficult situation.

15. We can infer from the passage that

A. It is unnecessary to visit the website of the company you are interested in.

B. You have to be an expert on computer to get a job.

C. It is hard to find a job if you can not write well and communicate well.

D. A resume can be a several-page document if you have a lot to show to the company.

16. The passage mainly tells us about

A. tips for getting a job.B. the ability to get a good job.

C. how to get high grades.D. how to communicate with potential employers.

E

NO six men anywhere on a stage could present such a soul-touching， fun-filled performance as the King’s Singers do. And now， they’re coming to China.

The King’s Singers are six male singers from the United Kingdom. They have generated international fame for almost four decades by performing in the musical form—a cappella， which means singing without instrumental accompaniment.

The musical form has religious origin coming as it does from early Christian music (of many centuries ago).

The King’s Singers started in 1968 and originally consisted of six church music students at King’s College， Cambridge University. A total of 19 artists have joined the group since its founding， but the number of performers at any given time remains at six.

Now don’t be put off by the mention of church music. The most amazing characteristic of the King’s Singers is that they can do anything. They are not restricted only to classical music.

To quote from their official website: “from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance (文藝復興)， romantic to contemporary， folk and pop， their list of music covers everything.

In fact， my personal favorites of their work were the folk and jazz adaptations. Simon Garfunkel， the 1960’s American folk group， for example， get a wonderful treatment by the six Englishmen.

In their versions of some modern music， the King’s Singers often imitate the sounds of musical instruments with their mouths and noses. This funny effect is seen in the way they play around with the music， making up amusing lyrics (歌詞) and singing to classical or famous tunes.

…

17. The article probably comes from _________.

A. a professional music magazine B. a transcript of an interview

C. an entertainment column of a newspaper D. a public service advertisement

18. How many singers is the King’s Singers made up of?

A. 6 B. 19 C. 25D. 13

19. The purpose of the writer’s mention of Simon Garfunkel is _________.

A. to compare the King’s Singers to Simon Garfunket

B. to introduce his favorite music group

C. to give an example of the King’s Singers’ successful adaptations

D. to show the King’s Singers call perform better than Simon Garfunkel

20. Which of the following information might follow the last paragraph?

A. The time and place of their first performance in China.

B. Their early experience in the UK.

C. Their unique performing style.

D. Their family background and religious belief.

F

It is often said that the language we use online is less formal than that we use in a letter or， on certain occasions， in direct speech. To some extent this is true， but it can also be a misleading and dangerous assumption.

The thing about online communication is that you have no idea what the person who is reading your message is feeling. For this reason it is always a good idea to be polite and cautious when writing e-mail or instant message to your friends.

Chinese can be a direct language， but in English people often talk around a subject rather than address it head on. So instead of saying “ Please meet me here ” or “ Do this for me now ”， English speakers usually go for indirect phrases like “ Would it be possible ”， “ If you have time ” or “ It would mean a lot to me if…”.

If you have a close relationship with someone， you can still run into trouble if you are acid. If you have asked someone to do something and they need a bit more time， you might joke with them: “What? You still haven’t done it yet? What’s wrong with you? ”. While this seems funny to you， teasing the other guy may not go down too well if your friend is not in the mood.

If you have foreign friends in different countries， the time difference can also be a factor. While you are waking up for class on Friday morning， they can be heading to a party on Friday night. You will be serious and they will， probably， be light-hearted. So don’t be annoyed if they seem distracted. Just try to message them while you are relaxing on Sunday night and they are getting up for work on Monday morning!

21. Why should we be polite and cautious when we communicate with others online?

A. Because the language we use online is usually more formal.

B. Because we don’t have a close friendship with the persons online.

C. Because we don’t know how the person we are talking to feels.

D. Because we may be talking with the person whose time is different from ours.

22. If you ask a close friend to do something and he needs a bit more time， __________.

A. play a joke on him

B. try to cheer him up

C. consider his feelings rather than tease him

D. ask him what is wrong with him

23. In the last paragraph the underlined word “distracted” means _____.

A. absent-mindedB. excitedC. worriedD. tired

24. According to the passage， which of the following statements is true?

A. English is more direct than Chinese.

B. We’d better communicate with friends in a polite and cautious way any time.

C. If we try to message a foreign friend， do it on Monday morning.

D. The language we use online can sometimes cause misunderstanding.

G

Solar energy for your home is coming. It can help you as a single home owner. It can help the whole country as well. Whether or not solar energy can save your money depends on many things. Where you live is one factor. The type of home you have is another. Things like insulation (絕緣材料) present energy costs， and the type of system you buy are added factors.

Using solar energy can help save our precious fuel. As you know， our supplies of oil and gas are very limited. There is just not enough on hand to meet all our future energy needs. And when Mother Nature says that’s all， the only way we can delay hearing those words is by starting to save energy now and by using other sources， like the sun.

We won’t have to worry about the sun’s running out of energy for another several billion years or so. Besides being endless source of energy， the use of the sun has other advantages as well. The sun doesn’t offer as many problems as other energy sources. For example， fossil fuel plants add to already high pollution levels. With solar energy， we will still need sources of energy， but we won’t need as much.

With these good points， why don’t we use more solar power? There are many reasons for this. The biggest reason is money. Until now， it was just not practical for a home owner to put in a solar unit. There were cheaper sources of energy. All that is changing now. Solar costs are starting to equal the costs of oil and electricity. Experts say that gas， oil and electricity prices will continue to rise. The demand for electricity is increasing rapidly. But new power plants will use more gas， oil or coal. Already in some places the supply of electricity is being rationed (限量配給). Solar energy is now starting to develop. It could soon grow to become a major part of our nation’s energy supply.

25. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. Solar Energy and Pollution. B. Solar Energy.

C. Energy and Pollution. D. Energy and Money.

26. According to the passage， solar energy has the following advantages EXCEPT that _____.

A. it can solve energy crisisB. it will never run out

C. it won’t lead to serious pollution problem D. it can bring in considerable amounts of money

27. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. many countries have already benefited from solar energy

B. solar energy has totally replaced the regular energy in some countries

C. solar energy has no bright future at all

D. the use of solar energy will help cut down on pollution problems

H

Honesty may well be the policy， but it often deserts us when no one is watching， psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze (注視) of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real， but photographed.

Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle， with tea， coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks， they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.

Dr. Bateson， a behavioral biologist and leader of the study， said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. The effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group， rather than act selfishly.

“If nobody is watching us it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we’re being watched we should behave better， so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us，” Dr. Bateson said.

“We thought we’d get a slight effect with eyes， but it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious (潛意識的) level， it seems people respond to eyes， and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved (進化) to respond to.”

The finding， which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past， could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior.

28. This passage is mainly about __________.

A. the policy of honestyB. an honesty box to collect money

C. evolution on honestyD. an experiment on honesty

29. The reason for doing the experiment secretly is that the researchers __________.

A. wanted to get a comparatively more exact result

B. had known they wanted to do something illegally

C. meant to get the co-operation of their colleagues

D. intended to sell the hot drinks at a higher price

30. People behave honestly under watchful gaze of eyes because __________.

A. they want to leave a good impression B. they fear to be laughed at by others

C. they’ve got the nature through evolution D. they take the photo for a real pair of eyes

31. The underlined phrase “sheds light on” in the last paragraph means _____.

A. causes somebody to become cheerful B. makes something easier to understand

C. comes upon something by accident D. brings something into the broad daylight

I

In March 2004， Joe Ryan got a collection notice from a billing agency for Littleton Adventist Hospital near Denver， Colorado. The hospital wanted payment for surgery totaling $ 41，188. Ryan had never set foot in that hospital. Obviously there was some mistake. “I thought it was a joke，” says Ryan.

But when he called the billing agency， nobody laughed. Someone named Joe Ryan， using Ryan’s Social Security number， had indeed been admitted for surgery. He figured clearing this up would take just a few phone calls.

Two years later， Ryan continues to suffer from the damage to his credit rating and still doesn’t know if his medical record has been cleared of wrong information.

Joe Ryan was the victim of a little-known but frightening type of consumer fraud that is on the rise: medical identity theft， which involves using your name to get drugs， expensive medical treatment and even cheating insurance payments.

As Ryan discovered， money isn’t the half of it. When someone steals your name to receive health care， his medical history becomes part of your record—and setting the record straight can be extremely difficult. That’s because， in part， the information is distributed among dozens of caregivers， from doctors to medicine stores to insurance companies and labs.

“I wanted to help straighten this out，” says Ryan， “so I went to the hospital， and they had a three-inch-thick record for me， but they wouldn’t let me see it. I showed them my ID， and they said that’s not Joe Ryan’s signature. Well， of course not! They had this other guy’s signature.”

Ryan had fallen into a victim’s Catch-22: If your record doesn’t appear to be yours， you may not have the right to see it， much less change it.

Ryan’s next step was a visit to the Police Department. But the cops concluded there was not much they could do; local law enforcement has little experience with medical ID theft， and cases can end up being considered a civil matter.

32. The billing agency sent Joe Ryan a notice to ________.

A. playing a joke on him for medical treatment

B. inform him of the payment for his surgery

C. clear up the wrong information in his medical record

D. correct the mistakes about payment for his surgery

33. Joe Ryan initially thought his problem was _________.

A. easy to settle B. difficult to settleC. impossible to solveD. unnecessary to solve

34. An even worse consequence of medical ID theft is ________.

A. some trouble in obtaining insurance payments

B. a big loss of money and damage to credit rating

C. the widely spread medical information of the victim

D. the difficulty in changing the wrong medical history

35. It can be known that the medical ID theft is ________.

A. a civil matterB. a medical caseC. a political issueD. a domestic event

36. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. A mistake Made by Littleton Adventist Hospital

B. Expensive Medical Treatment

C. Your Medical Records， Stolen!

D. Joe Ryan， Wanted by the Police

J

Kuss Middle School serves students in Fall River， Mass.， a former mill town that has struggled economically for decades. Students at Kuss have struggled， too， usually falling short of making the academic progress required under the No Child Left Behind law.

Then， last year， the school experimented with extending the school day. Teachers got paid at a higher hourly rate.

Students weren’t thrilled at first with leaving school at 4:15 p.m. instead of at 2:20 p.m. But the added hours gave them more time for physical education and let them select special interest classes. By the end of the year， student scores had risen by enough to enable Kuss to make the progress required under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The only surprise is that more districts haven’t lengthened school schedules set decades ago to accommodate (適應) a farm economy rather the information economy of today.

New research suggests the time is ready for a change:

Matched against 39 other developed countries， the United States is near the bottom in the rankings of average weekly instructional time in school. Measured over 12 years， students in the top-scoring countries spend the equivalent of a full extra year in school.

US students perform poorly on math and science tests compared to their international peers， according to a US Education Department comparison released earlier this month. In math， American 15-year-old scored near the bottom among the study’s 30 developed countries.

Most countries that boost (增加) the number of minutes spent on math instruction find pay offs in improved math scores， according to a study released this month by the Brookings Institution. Small in creases in the school day are more effective than a longer school year， the report concluded.

The most encouraging news about the benefits of extending the school day comes from Massachusetts， where an experiment with 10 schools， including Kuss， appears to be working. Those 10 schools lengthened their instructional days by 25% and boosted their state scores in math， English and science at all grades.

Perhaps the concept won’t work everywhere. Certainly， it won’t instantly be popular. But it’s obvious that a problem exists or that adding class time seems to help.

37. What is the main idea of the above passage?

A. Experiments with extended school hours produce academic gains.

B. Kuss Middle School sets a good example for US education.

C. Academic progress has achieved under the No Child Left Behind law.

D. Information age calls for more instructional lime at all schools.

38. A longer school day is suggested for the following reasons except that _________.

A. students from many developed countries spend more time at school

B. American students do a bad job at science subjects

C. teachers are paid at a higher rate with time added

D. a longer school day works better than a longer school year

39. Which statement is true of Kuss Middle School?

A. Kuss Middle School lies in where a farm economy is changing to an information one.

B. Kuss Middle school has joined the federal “No Child Left Behind” program

C. Neither teachers nor students are happy with the longer school day.

D. Adding class time functions at Kuss Middle School.

40. The writer has expressed a ________ attitude towards adding school time.

A. positive B. negative C. changeableD. indifferent

答案及解析：

1. B。推理分析題。分析第一段，由于父母缺錢，無法給Andrew治病，嘆息只有奇跡能治

療他的病，可知，Andrew顯然只有等死了。

2. C。細節理解題。分析第三段，藥劑師和兄弟多年不見，攀談甚歡，卻被Tess打擾，當然

心情會很煩了。

3. D。推理分析題。分析全文，從Dr. Carlton Armstrong的行為可知，他是一個樂善好施的

腦外科醫生，為了一個素不相識的女孩的弟弟，伸出援助之手。

4. B。主旨大意題。分析全文可知，女孩僅有的1.1美元感動了腦外科醫生，拯救了她的弟

弟，創造了奇跡。

5. A。詞義判斷題。分析第一段第一句可知，該詞的意思是“島嶼”。

6. D。句意理解題。分析該句可知，Lewis島上道路設計方便游客往返徒步旅行。

7. A。細節理解題。分析第二段可知，Lewis島的廢棄車輛比其他地區嚴重，A項錯誤。

8. C。推理判斷題。分析最后一段可知，Lewis島上游客不得不在星期日準備食物，飲料，

交通工具等，因為按照當地的慣例，星期日所有行業都不營業。

9. B。根據第一段“as new touch-screen devices could be found everywhere”可知，蘋果公司

的iPhone觸屏技術得以普及。

10. D。分析該句可知，該單詞意思是“公布，揭開”，D項符合。

11. A。分析最后一段最后一句“are expected to rise to $4.4 billion in 2012， up from $2.4 billion

in 2006， according to iSuppli estimates.”可知。

12. D。分析全文尤其是最后一段可知，觸屏技術會廣泛用于手機和導航設備。

13. B。根據第7點建議中的a smile during an interview shows enthusiasm(熱情) for the position

and the company可以看出B為最佳答案。

14. D。此句意為“當你處于困境時你很難微笑”。

15. C。由第2點建議可以推斷?！?br>