高考英語測試題

第三部分：閱讀理解（共20小題，每題2分，滿分40分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
A
Exercise may hold the key to youth, according to a study
published recently which showed people who keep fit are up
to nine years biologically younger than those who do not.
The findings are the first to show in humans how keeping
fit affects the ageing process.
The study of 2,401 twins found that a sedentary (慣于
久坐的) lifestyle raises the risk of a range of problems from
heart disease to cancer and appears to play a key role in the ageing process.
It all appears to boil down to the length of structures called telomeres－which protect the DNA on the chromosomes(染色體), the researchers from King's College London wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Many studies have shown telomeres get shorter over time, suggesting the cells are ageing or dying. The study, which extracted a DNA sample from their volunteers, found people who exercised more each week had longer telomeres.
Exercise lowers the risk of a range of problems such as heart disease, diabetes(糖尿病) and cancer, the researchers said.
“It is not just walking around the block. It is really working up a sweat,” said Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist(流行病學(xué)家) who led the study, in a telephone interview.
The study found people who exercised vigorously 3 hours each week had longer telomeres and they were 9 years biologically younger than people who did under 15 minutes.
Spector’s team, who also adjusted for body weight, smoking, economic status and physical activity at work, also said moderate exercise for 1-1/2 hours each week provided a four-year advantage.
The reason why exercise has this effect is not clear but we believe physical activity somehow defends against the natural process.
56．Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
  A．Lifestyle affects people’s health B．Physical activity prevents diseases
 C．Exercise keeps you younger D．Sitting long suffers from cancer
57．According to the study, people sitting long         .
 A．a(chǎn)re tending to be more healthy B．a(chǎn)re more likely to live longer
 C．a(chǎn)re inclined to be taken ill D．a(chǎn)re getting old more slowly
58．The underlined phrase “boil down to” most probably means        .
 A．lie in B．lead to C．a(chǎn)im at D．show up
59．Which of the following statements are NOT true?
  A．Telomeres get shorter as time goes on.
 B．Slight walking prevents people getting ill.
 C．Exercise energetically reduces the chance of diseases.
 D．Body weight, smoking and economic statusaffect people’s health.
60．It can be inferred from the passage that          .
 A．people’s health is decided by their body weight and economic status
 B．scientists have known why exercise affects the ageing process
 C．the more violently one exercises, the healthier one gets
 D．the longer telomeres one has, the more slowly one gets old
B
Teachers have long said that success is its own reward.
But these days, some students are finding that good grades
can bring them cash and luxury gifts.
In at least a dozen states this school year, students who
bring home top marks can expect more than just thankfulness.
The most ambitious experiment began in September, when
seven states — Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky,
Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington－won spots in an Mobil-funded program that, in most cases, pays students $100 for each passing grade on advanced placement (AP) college-prep exams.
It’s an effort to get low－income and minority students interested in the courses, says Tommie Sue Anthony, president of the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science. “We still have students who are not sure of the value, who are not willing to take the courses,” she says. “Probably the motivation will make a difference with those students.”
Gregg Fleisher of the National Math and Science Initiative, which runs the seven-state program, says the effort is modeled on a program adopted by Dallas in the 1995-96 school year that saw AP course-taking jump obviously. That program is now statewide.
While many educators would be against offering kids cash for good grades, Fleisher and others say the idea is simple: “It’s an encouragement to get them to basically make the right decision and choose a more strict class,” he says. “This teaches them that if they work at something very hard and have a lot of support, they can do something they didn't think they could do.”
An analysis of the Texas program last month by Cornell economist C. Kirabo Jackson found that it linked to a 30% rise in the number of students with high SAT and ACT scores and an 8% rise in college-going students.
(Notes: 1.SAT: 美國學(xué)術(shù)能力評估考試；2. ACT: 美國大學(xué)入學(xué)考試。)
61．What does the passage mainly talk about?
 A．Success is its own reward. B．Success makes a difference.
 C．Good grades deserves gratitude. D．A new motivation for students.
62．What’s the purpose of the experiment?
 A．To get relatively poor students interested in their studies.
 B．To help poor students to keep on with education.
 C．To offer poor students luxury gifts on their birthdays.
 D．To make an effort to raise the value of money.
63．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
  A．Students who top at college – prep exams get $ 100.
 B．The program was probably first adopted by Dallas.
 C．The program has been going on half a dozen states this year.
 D．The program didn’t have any effect on student’s achievements.
64．What is the writer’s attitude toward offering kids cash for good grades?
 A．Favorable. B．Worried. C．Opposed. D．Confident. 
65．According to the passage, the program         .
 A．makes everything possible B．encourages students to study harder
 C．helps students choose right classes D．teaches students to spend money
C
Teenagers at one German school are learning how to
achieve happiness alongside other traditional subjects such as
math and languages.
The class sit in a circle with their eyes shut and they count
from one to ten: someone starts, the next voice comes from the
far right, a third from the other side.
The aim of the game is to listen for an opportunity to shout out the number without clashing (沖突) with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try, most of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in, but by the fifth time round, they develop a rhythm (節(jié)奏). The message: give other people space but also confidently claim your own. This is a requirement for social well – being.
The Willy Hellpach School in Heidelberg is the first in the nation to develop a happiness course. It is intended for students preparing for university entrance exams.
“The course isn’t there to make you happy,” Ernst Fritz-Schubert, the school principal, warned pupils, “but rather to help you discover the ways to become happy.”
   Cooking a meal together is one of the class exercises. Improving body language under the guidance of two professional actresses is another.
   The course is taught for three periods a week. Despite the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter.
   “In the first period, we had to each say something positive about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people,” said Fanny, 17.
   Research by the school shows it is not the first to start happiness classes: they also exist at some US universities, but are mainly based on positive thinking, using findings from studies of depression.
   “That would be too one-sided for us. We want to show how delicious food or exercise can help, too,” the principal said.
66．What’s the purpose of this passage?
 A．To introduce the happiness course. 
 B．To describe all the traditional courses.
 C．To arouse the readers’ interest in happiness.
 D．To help students struggle against being sad.
67．The game intended fro the students in the 2nd paragraph mainly to        .
 A．give other people opportunity
 B．practice how to speak in front of people
 C．confidently speak out one’s opinions
 D．equip them with required social skills
68．According to the passage, the happiness course is           .
 A．created by the Willy Hellpach School
 B．to make all the students happy all the time
 C．required to be taken by the first year students.
 D．to help students discover the way to happiness
69．It can be inferred from the passage that         .
 A．the students’ self – respect can also improve happiness
 B．the students just took the course as a laughing matter
 C．the students can certainly become happy after the course
 D．the students waste time learning something without value
70．What would be the best title of this passage?
 A．Basic things for happiness B．Having a try to be happy
 C．Learning how to be happy D．Laughing a lot at school
D
You are enrolled in a full – time school called “l(fā)ife”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time. What we and our ancestors have overlooked, however, is that there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual.
Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else’s. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.
As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don’t have to face, while other spend years struggling with challenges that you don’t need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn; whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.
The challenge here, therefore, is to align (與……保持一致) yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be face with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others’. But, remember, don’t compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth.
    Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equality – the assumption that all things are equal and justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult life path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out of the complaining phase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feelings of bitterness and anger.