2014屆高考英語二輪復(fù)習(xí)閱讀理解創(chuàng)優(yōu)專練1Passage 1Which gender is the most talkative? No matter what you answer, you are partially right.A recent Gallup Poll showed that both men and women believe that women possess the gift of talking and some even believe women are biologically built for conversation, but all of that is challenged in a research published in the November issue of Personality and Social Psychology Review.In a recent research by Campbell Leaper and Melanie Ayres, they collected all of the available evidence from decades of scientific study and systematically combined the findings into an overall picture of the differences between men and women regarding talkativeness.They found a small but reliable tendency（趨勢） for men to be more talkative than women in certain cases, such as when they were conversing with their wives or with strangers. Women talked more to their children and to their college classmates.The type of speech was also explored in the research. The researchers discovered that, with strangers, women were generally more talkative when it came to using speech to ensure her connection to the listener, while mens speech focused more on an attempt to influence the listener. With close friends and family, however, there was very little difference between genders in the amount of speech. 60.This passage mainly talks about a research conducted by _ .A. Gallup Poll B. Personality and Social Psychology ReviewC. Campbell Leaper and Melanie Ayres D. the author61.Which of the following statements describes the main idea of the passage?A. Women are born more talkative than men.B. Men are born more talkative than women.C. Women and men are talkative in different cases.D. Women are no more talkative than men.62.The underlined word gender means _.A. people B. nationality C. culture D. sex63.Talking with strangers, _.A. women are more talkative than with people they knowB. men are more talkative than with their wivesC. women prefer to listen more rather than speak moreD. men speak a lot to have their opinions accepted參考答案 60.C 61.C 62.D 63.D Passage 2A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression as young adultsThe researchers used a national long-term survey of adolescent（青少年的）health to investigate （調(diào)查）the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000.As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty-one.The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio, etc. But the study did find that every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression. Young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.The study didnt explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression. Last December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to he socially active, to read, attend religious services and to vote.72. The best title for this passage should be_.A. Teens, Television and DepressionB. Men Develop Depression Easier than WomenC. Media Use is Harmful to AdolescentsD. Take Great care of Teenagers depression73. The result of the research seems to prove_.A. teenagers are more likely to develop depression than adultsB. other media uses do no harm to adolescentsC. TV probably causes teenagers to grow up with depressionD. those who watch no TV will not develop depression74. We can learn from the survey that of all the media useA. computer games are teenagers favoriteB. most teenagers prefer to listen to the radioC. teenagers enjoy watching TV very muchD. newspaper is not included in the survey75. We can conclude that a teenager should _A. play more video games instead of watching TVB. be active in taking part in outdoor activitiesC. be more active in watching educational TV programmersD. attend religious services and care for politics答案 72.A 73.C 74.C 75.B Passage 3Any country has good reasons to want its citizens to be as healthy as possible. This led tothe instruction of health service in many countries. Britain has developed into a country in which all citizens can get most of the health treatment free. The money for this is partly from the people who are willing to offer. But there are different opinions about the Health Service. The number of patients treated every year and the cost of treatment are much greater than expected. This means that the people who work for the Health Service- doctors, nurses and other hospital workers have much more work to do, and as a result they have little time for preventive treatment.However, the tough problem is that as many people are able to receive treatment more expensive than they can pay, sometimes people go and visit their doctors when they dont really need to. As there are many patients, doctors cannot spend time long enough with each patient. So some people prefer to pay for their own treatment so that their doctors can examine them more carefully. In fact, some rich people feel that they should pay more free money, which would be given to other citizens.55. Britain is described as an example to show that_.A. it is a very rich country in EuropeB. it is a country with the Health ServiceC. everyone in the UK enjoys free medical careD. people have to play part of the medicine fee56. What is the problem in the Health Service?A. Doctors and nurses are not working hard.B. People can get more preventive treatment.C. There are not enough well-trained doctors.D. Money is not enough to employ more medical workers.57. Why do many people go and see the doctors even when they really dont need to?A. To get necessary protective treatment.B. To take back some expensive medicine.C. To receive treatment free of charge.D. To keep himself even more healthy.58. What can we infer from the last paragraph?A. There is much to improve the Health Service.B. People should not go to the doctors unless necessary.C. The Health Service is quite successful so far.D. The rich should be allowed to pay for the treatment.參考答案 55.B 56.D 57.A 58.B Passage4Violin prodigies（神童）， I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the worlds greatest violinists, the reason for this phenomenon. “ Its very clear, “ he told me. “ They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parents dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field and is able to nurture（培育） talent. Nowadays the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “ In Japan, a most competitive society with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, “ children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well.” The Koreans and Chinese, as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.Thats a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.59. Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because_.A. it would allow them access to a better life in the WestB. Jewish children are born with excellent musical talentC. they wanted their children to enter into the professional fieldsD. it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country60. Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that_.A. enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellenceB. treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full developmentC. encourage people to compete with each otherD. promise talented children high positions61. Japan is described in the passage as a country that attaches importance to_.A. all-rounded development B. the learning of Western musicC. strict training of children D. variety in academic studies62. Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?A. A natural gift. B. Extensive knowledge of music.C. Very early training. D. A prejudice-free society.參考答案 59.A 60.B 61.C 62.A Passage 5People who drink alcohol earn more at their jobs than non-drinkers, according to a US study that highlighted “social capital（社交資本）”gained from drinking. The study concluded that drinkers earn 10-14 percent more than teetotalers, and that men who drink socially bring home an additional seven percent in pay.“Social drinking builds social capital,”said Edward String ham, an economics professor,“Social drinkers are outgoing, building relationships, and keeping in contacts, which results in bigger paychecks.”The researchers said the most likely explanation is that drinkers have a wider range of social contacts that help provide better job and business opportunities.“Drinkers may be able to socialize more with clients and co-workers, giving drinkers an advantage in important relationships. Drinking may also provide individuals with opportunities to learn people, business, and social skills. ”They also said these conclusions provide arguments against policies aimed at controlling alcohol use in university and public places.“Not only do anti-alcohol policies reduce drinkers fun, but they may also decrease earnings,”the study said, “One of the consequences of alcohol restrictions is that they push drinking into private behavior. By preventing people from drinking in public, anti-alcohol policies ignores one of the most important aspects of drinking: increased social capital.”The researchers found some