2020年高考英语阅读理解专项训练09 说明文练习

Languageshavebeencomingandgoingforthousandsofyears,butinrecenttimestherehasbeenlesscomingandalotmoregoing.Whentheworldwasstillpopulatedbyhunter-gatherers,small,tightlyknit(联系)groupsdevelopedtheirownpatternsofspeechindependentofeachother.Somelanguageexpertsbelievethat10,000yearsago,whentheworldhadjustfivetotenmillionpeople,theyspokeperhaps12,000languagesbetweenthem.Soonafterwards,manyofthosepeoplestartedsettlingdowntobecomefarmers,andtheirlanguagestoobecamemoresettledandfewerinnumber.Inrecentcenturies,trade,industrialisation.thedevelopmentofthenation-stateandthespreadofuniversalcompulsoryeducation.especiallyglobalisationandbettercommunicationsinthepastfewdecades,allhavecausedmanylanguagestodisappear,anddominantlanguagessuchasEnglish.SpanishandChineseareincreasinglytakingover.Atpresent,theworldhasabout6800languages.Thedistributionoftheselanguagesishugelyuneven.Thegeneralruleisthatmildzoneshaverelativelyfewlanguages.oftenspokenbymanypeople,whilehot,wetzoneshavelots,1,000.oftenspokenbysmallnumbers.Europehasonlyaround200languages；theAmericasaboutAfrica2,400；andAsiaandthePacificperhaps3,200,ofwhichPapuaNewGuineaaloneaccountsforwellover800.Themediannumber(中位数)ofspeakersisamere6,000,whichmeansthathalftheworld’slanguagesarespokenbyfewerpeoplethanthat.Alreadywellover400ofthetotalof6,800languagesareclosetoextinction(消亡),withonlyafewelderlyspeakersleft.Pick,atrandom,BusuuinCameroon(eightremainingspeakers),ChiapanecoinMexico(150).LipanApacheintheUnitedStates(twoorthree)orWadjiguinAustralia(one,withaquestion-mark)：noneoftheseseemstohavemuchchanceofsurvival.28.Whatcanweinferaboutlanguagesinhunter-gatherertimes?A.Theydevelopedveryfast.C.Theyhadsimilarpatters.B.Theywerelargeinnumber.D.Theywerecloselyconnected29.Whichofthefollowingbestexplains\"dominant\"underlinedinparagraph2？A.Complex.B.Advanced.C.Powerful.D.Modem.30.Howmanylanguagesarespokenbylessthan6,000peopleatpresent?A.About6,800C.About2,400B.About3,400D.About1,20031.Whatisthemainideaofthetext?A.Newlanguageswillbecreated.1B.People’slifestylesarereflectedinlanguagesC.HumandevelopmentresultsinfewerlanguagesD.Geographydetermineslanguageevolution.2

Asdataandidentitytheftbecomesmoreandmorecommon,themarketisgrowingforbiometric（生物测量）technologies—likefingerprintscans—tokeepothersoutofprivatee-spaces.Atpresent,thesetechnologiesarestillexpensive,though.ResearchersfromGeorgiaTechsaythattheyhavecomeupwithalow-costdevice（装置）thatgetsaroundthisproblem:asmartkeyboard.Thissmartkeyboardpreciselymeasuresthecadence（节奏）withwhichonetypesandthepressurefingersapplytoeachkey.Thekeyboardcouldofferastronglayerofsecuritybyanalyzingthingsliketheforceofauser'stypingandthetimebetweenkeypresses.Thesepatternsareuniquetoeachperson.Thus,thekeyboardcandeterminepeople'sidentities,andbyextension,whethertheyshouldbegivenaccesstothecomputerit'sconnectedto—regardlessofwhethersomeonegetsthepasswordright.Italsodoesn'trequireanewtypeoftechnologythatpeoplearen'talreadyfamiliarwith.Everybodyusesakeyboardandeverybodytypesdifferently.Inastudydescribingthetechnology,theresearchershad100volunteerstypetheword“touch”fourtimesusingthesmartkeyboard.Datacollectedfromthedevicecouldbeusedtorecognizedifferentparticipantsbasedonhowtheytyped,withverylowerrorrates.Theresearcherssaythatthekeyboardshouldbeprettystraightforwardtocommercializeandismostlymadeofinexpensive,plastic-likeparts.Theteamhopestomakeittomarketinthenearfuture.28.Whydotheresearchersdevelopthesmartkeyboard?A.Toreducepressureonkeys.C.Toreplacethepasswordsystem.B.ToimproveaccuracyintypingD.Tocutthecostofe-spaceprotection.29.Whatmakestheinventionofthesmartkeyboardpossible？A.Computersaremucheasiertooperate.B.Fingerprintscanningtechniquesdevelopfast.C.Typingpatternsvaryfrompersontoperson.D.Datasecuritymeasuresareguaranteed.30.Whatdotheresearchersexpectofthesmartkeyboard？A.It'llbeenvironment-friendly.C.It'llbemadeofplastics.B.It'llreachconsumerssoon.D.It'llhelpspeeduptyping.231.Whereisthistextmostlikelyfrom?A.Adiary.B.AguidebookC.Anovel.D.Amagazine.3

Abuild-it-yourselfsolarstill（蒸馏器）isoneofthebestwaystoobtaindrinkingwaterinareaswheretheliquidisnotreadilyavailable．DevelopedbytwodoctorsintheU．S．DepartmentofAgriculture,it’sanexcellentwatercollector．Unfortunately,youmustcarrythenecessaryequipmentwithyou,sinceit’sallbutimpossibletofindnaturalsubstitutes．Theonlycomponentsrequired,though,area55sheetofclearorslightlymilkyplastic,sixfeetofplastictube,andacontainer—perhapsjustadrinkingcup—tocatchthewater．Thesepiecescanbefoldedintoaneatlittlepackandfastenedonyourbelt．Toconstructaworkingstill,useasharpstickorrocktodigaholefourfeetacrossandthreefeetdeep．Trytomaketheholeinadampareatoincreasethewatercatcher’sproductivity．Placeyourcupinthedeepestpartofthehole．Thenlaythetubeinplacesothatoneendrestsallthewayinthecupandtherestofthelinerunsup—andout—thesideofthehole．Next,covertheholewiththeplasticsheet,securingtheedgesoftheplasticwithdirtandweightingthesheet’scenterdownwitharock．Theplasticshouldnowformacone(圆锥体)with45-degree-angledsides．Thelowpointofthesheetmustbecentereddirectlyover,andnomorethanthreeinchesabove,thecup．Thesolarstillworksbycreatingagreenhouseundertheplastic．Groundwaterevaporates(蒸发)andcollectsonthesheetuntilsmalldropsofwaterform,rundownthematerialandfalloffintothecup．Whenthecontainerisfull,youcansucktherefreshmentoutthroughthetube,andwon’thavetobreakdownthestilleverytimeyouneedadrink．32．Whatdoweknowaboutthesolarstillequipmentfromthefirstparagraph?A．It’sdelicate．B．It’sexpensive．C．It’scomplex．D．It’sportable．33．Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“thewatercatcher”inparagraph2referto?A．Thetube．B．Thestill．C．Thehole．D．Thecup．34．What’sthelaststepofconstructingaworkingsolarstill?A．Digaholeofacertainsize．C．Weightthesheet’scenterdown．B．Putthecupinplace．D．Covertheholewiththeplasticsheet．．35．Whenasolarstillworks,dropsofwatercomeintothecupformA．theplastictubeC．theopenairB．outsidetheholeD．beneaththesheet34

TerrafugiaInc．saidMondaythatitsnewflyingcarhascompleteditsfirstflight，bringingthecompanyclosertoitsgoalofsellingtheflyingcarwithinthenextyear．Thevehicle-namedtheTransition–hastwoseats,fourwheelsandwingsthatfoldupsoitcanbedrivenlikeacar．TheTransition，whichflewat1，400feetforeightminuteslastmonth,canreacharound70milesperhourontheroadand115intheair．Itfliesusinga23-gallontankofgasandbums5gallonsperhourintheair．Ontheground,itgets35milespergallon．Around100peoplehavealreadyputdowna$10，000deposittogetaTransitionwhentheygoonsale,andthosenumberswilllikelyriseafterTerrafugiaintroducestheTransitiontothepubliclaterthisweekattheNewYorkAutoShow．Butdon’texpectittoshowupintoomanydriveways．It’sexpectedtocost$279，000．Anditwon’thelpifyou’restuckintraffic．Thecarneedsarunway．Inventorshavebeentryingtomakeflyingcarssincethe1930s，accordingtoRobertMann,anairlineindustryexpert．ButMannthinksTerrafugiahascomecloserthananyonetomakingtheflyingcarareality．Thegovernmenthasalreadypermittedthecompanytousespecialmaterialstomakeiteasierforthevehicletofly．TheTransitionisnowgoingthroughcrashteststomakesureitmeetsfederalsafetystandards．MannsaidTerrafugiawashelpedbytheFederalAviationAdministration’sdecisionfiveyearsagotocreateaseparatesetofstandardsforlightsportaircraft，whicharelowerthanthosepilotsoflargerplanesTerrafugiasaysanownerwouldneedtopassatestandcomplete20hoursofflyingtimetobeabletoflytheTransition，arequirementpilotswouldfindrelativelyeasytomeet．28．Whatisthefirstparagraphmainlyabout?A．ThebasicdataoftheTransition．C．Thepotentialmarketforflyingcars．B．Theadvantagesofflyingcars．C．ThedesignersoftheTransition．29．WhyistheTransitionunlikelytoshowupintoomanydriveways?A．Itcausestrafficjams．C．Itisveryexpensive．B．Itisdifficulttooperate．D．Itbumstoomuchfuel．30．Whatisthegovernment’sattitudetothedevelopmentoftheflyingcar?A．CautiousC．Ambiguous．31．Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?A．FlyingCaratAutoShowC．Pilots’DreamComingTrueB．TheTransition’sFistFlightD．FlyingCarClosertoRealityB．Favorable．D．Disapproving．45

Readingcanbeasocialactivity.Thinkofthepeoplewhobelongtobookgroups.Theychoosebookstoreadandthenmeettodiscussthem.Now,thewebsiteBookCrossing.comturnsthepageonthetraditionalideaofabookgroup.Membersgoonthesiteandregisterthebookstheyownandwouldliketoshare.BookCrossingprovidesanidentificationnumbertostickinsidethebook.Thenthepersonleavesitinapublicplace,hopingthatthebookwillhaveanadventure,travelingfarandwidewitheachnewreaderwhofindsit.BrucePederson,themanagingdirectorofBookCrossing,says,“Thetwothingsthatchangeyourlifearethepeopleyoumeetandbooksyouread.BookCrossingcombinesboth.”Membersleavebooksonparkbenchesandbuses,intrainstationsandcoffeeshops.Whoeverfindstheirbookwillgotothesiteandrecordwheretheyfoundit.Peoplewhofindabookcanalsoleaveajournalentrydescribingwhattheythoughtofit.E-mailsarethensenttotheBookCrossingtokeepthemupdatedaboutwheretheirbookshavebeenfound.BrucePedersonsaystheideaisforpeoplenottobeselfishbykeepingabooktogatherdustonashelfathome.BookCrossingispartofatrendamongpeoplewhowanttogetbacktothe“real”andnotthevirtual(虚拟).Thesitenowhasmorethanonemillionmembersinmorethanonehundredthirty-fivecountries.29.Whydoestheauthormentionbookgroupsinthefirstparagraph?A.Toexplainwhattheyare.B.TointroduceBookCrossing.C.Tostresstheimportanceofreading.D.Toencouragereaderstosharetheirideas.30.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“it”inParagraph2referto?A.Thebook.C.Apublicplace.B.Anadventure.D.Theidentificationnumber.31.WhatwillaBookCrosserdowithabookafterreadingit?A.Meetotherreaderstodiscussit.C.Passitontoanotherreader.32.Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?A.OnlineReading:AVirtualTourC.ABookGroupBringsTraditionBackB.ElectronicBooks:AnewTrendD.AWebsiteLinksPeoplethroughBooksB.Keepitsafeinhisbookcase.D.Mailitbacktoitsowner.6

5Ifyouareafruitgrower—orwouldliketobecomeone—takeadvantageofAppleDaytoseewhat’saround.It’scalledAppleDaybutinpracticeit’smorelikeAppleMonth.ThedayitselfisonOctober21,butsinceithascaughton,eventsnowspreadoutovermostofOctoberaroundBritain.Visitinganappleeventisagoodchancetosee,andoftentaste,awidevarietyofapples.TopeoplewhoareusedtothelimitedchoiceofapplessuchasGoldenDeliciousandRoyalGalainsupermarkets,itcanbequiteaneyeopenertoseetherangeofclassicalapplesstillinexistence,suchasDeciowhichwasgrownbytheRomans.Althoughitdoesn’ttasteofanythingspecial,it’sstillworthatry,asistheknobbly(多疙瘩的)Cat’sHeadwhichismoreofacuriositythananythingelse.Therearealsovarietiesdevelopedtosuitspecificlocalconditions.OneoftheverybestvarietiesforeatingqualityisOrleansReinette,butyou’llneedawarm,shelteredplacewithperfectsoiltogrowit,soit’sapipedreamformostappleloverswhofallforit.Attheevents,youcanmeetexpertgrowersanddiscusswhichoneswillbestsuityourconditions,andbecausethesearefamilyaffairs,childrenarewellcateredforwithapple-themedfunandgames.AppleDaysarebeingheldatallsortsofplaceswithaninterestinfruit,includingstatelygardensandcommercialorchards(果园).Ifyouwanttohavearealorchardexperience,tryvisitingtheNationalFruitCollectionatBrogdale,nearFavershaminKent.28.Whatcanpeopledoattheappleevents?A.Attendexperts’lectures.C.Plantfruittreesinanorchard.29.WhatcanwelearnaboutDecio?A.Itisanewvariety.C.Itisrarelyseennow.B.Ithasastrangelook.D.Ithasaspecialtaste.B.Visitfruit-lovingfamilies.D.Tastemanykindsofapples.30.Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“apipedream”inParagraph3mean?A.Apracticalidea.C.Abrilliantplan.31.Whatistheauthor’spurposeinwritingthetext?A.Toshowhowtogrowapples.C.Tohelppeopleselectapples.B.Tointroduceanapplefestival.D.Topromoteappleresearch.B.Avainhope.D.Aselfishdesire.6参考答案1.BCBC2.DCBD3.DBCD4.ACBD5.BACD6.DCBB7