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英语专项深度练习——阅读理解(三)
Climate， more than any other single factor， __1__the distribution of life on Earth.
Climatic boundaries establish the limits within which organisms can survive. Plants， even
more than animals， must be__2__ adapted to climate in order to survive. They cannot move
about or take shelter but must be equipped to __3__ whatever weather conditions are likely
to occur. In the harsh conditions of the far north of the earth， for example， low growing
mosses， lichens， and a few flowering plants all hold to the ground for shelter from icy
winds.
Animals， despite their __4__to move about and find shelter， are just as much influenced by
climate as plants are. Creatures such as the camel and the penguin are so highly specialized
that they have an __5__ limited distribution. Others， such as bears， are flexible enough
to adapt to a __6__range of climates.。 Ocean-dwelling organisms are just as sensitive to
climatic changes—in this case temperature and salinity—as land animals. Reef corals can
survive only in clear warm seawater. Certain foraminaters are so sensitive to changes in
their__7 __that their presence can be taken as an __8__ of sea temperature. Human beings are
among the __9 __ specialized of all animals and can live almost anywhere. Their clothes and
their homes __10__as a sort of “miniature climate” that can be taken with them everywhere.
A. least B. determines c. ability D. urgently
E. broad F. behave G. worst H. index
I. endure J. extremely K. entertain L. well
M. neighborhood N. act O. environment
答案：I. B 2. L 3. I 4. C 5. J 6. E 7. O 8. H
As the only freshman on his school‘s varsity（代表队） wrestling team， Tod was anxious to
fit in with his older teammates. One night after a match， he was offered a whisky bottle on
the ride home. Tod felt he had to accept， or he would seem like a sissy. He took a
swallow， and every time the bottle was passed back to him， he took another swallow. After
seven swallows， he passed out. His terrified teammates carried him into his home， and his
mother then rushed to the hospital. After his stomach was pumped， Tod learned that his
blood alcohol level had been so high that he was lucky not to be in a coma or dead.
Although alcohol sometimes causes rapid poisoning， frequently leads to long-term
addiction， and always threatens self-control， our society encourages drinking. Many
parents， by their example， give children the impression that alcohol is an essential
ingredient of social gatherings. Peer pressure turns bachelor parties， fraternity
initiations （同仁联谊会入会） ， and spring-semester beach vacations into competitions in
“getting trashed. ” In soap operas， charming characters pour Scotch whiskey from crystal
bottle as readily as most people turn on the faucet for tap water. In films and rockvideos， trend-setters party in nightclubs and bars. And who can recall a televised baseball
or basketball game without a beer commercial？ By the age of 21， the average American has
been drinking on TV about 75， 000 times. Alcohol ads appear with pounding frequency—in
magazines， on billboards， in college newspapers—contributing to a harmful myth about
drinking.
Part of the myth is that liquor signals professional success. In a men’s magazine， one
full-page ad for Scotch whiskey shows two men seated in an elegant restaurant. Both are in
their thirties， perfectly groomed， and wearing expensive grey suits. The windows‘are
draped （悬挂） with velvet （天鹅绒） 》 the table with spotless white linen. Each place-
setting consists of a long-stemmed water goblet， silver utensils and thick silver plates.
On each plate is half-empty cocktail glass. The two men are grinning and shaking hands， as
if they’ve just concluded a business deal. The caption reads， “The taste of success. ”
Contrary to what the liquor company would have us believe， drinking is more closely related
to lack of success than to achievement. Among students， the heaviest drinkers have the
lowest grades. In the work force， alcoholics are frequently late or absent， tend to
perform poorly， and often get fired. Although， alcohol abuse occurs in all economic
classes， it remains most severe among the poor.
Another part of the alcohol myth is that drinking makes you more attractive to the opposite
sex. “Hot， hot， hot，” one commercial‘s soundtrack（电影配乐） begins， as the camera
scans a crowd of college-age beachgoers. Next it follows the curve of a woman’s leg up to
her bare hip and lingers there. She is young， beautiful， wearing a bikini. A young guy，
carrying an ice chest （箱子）， positions himself near to where she sits. He is tan，
muscular. She doesn‘t show much interest—until he opens the chest and takes out a beer.
Now she smiles over at him. He raises his eyebrows and， invitingly， holds up another can.
She joins him. This beer， the song concludes， “attracts like no other. ”
Beer doesn’t make anyone sexier. Like all alcohol， it lowers the levels of male hormones
in men and of female hormones in women—even when taken in small amounts. In substantial
amounts， alcohol can cause infertility（不生育） in women and impotence （阳萎|） in men.
Some alcoholic men develop enlarged breasts， from their increased female hormones.
The alcohol myth also creates the illusion that beer and athletics are a perfect
combination. One billboard features three high-action images： a baseball player running at
top speed， a surfer riding a wave， and a basketball player leaping to make a dunk shot. A
particular light beer， the billboard promises， “won‘t slow you down. ”
“Slow you down” is exactly what alcohol does. Drinking plays a role in over six million
injuries each year—not counting automobile accidents. Even in small amounts， alcohol dulls
the brain， reducing muscle coordination and slowing reaction time. It also interferes with
the ability to focus the eyes and adjust to a sudden change in brightness—such as the flash
of a car’s headlights. Drinking and driving， responsible for over half of all automobile
deaths， is the leading cause of death among teenagers. Continued alcohol abuse canphysically alter the brain， permanently damaging learning and memory. Long-term drinking is
related to malnutrition， weakening of the bones， and ulcers. It increases the risk of
liver failure， heart disease， and stomach cancer.
Finally， according to the myth fostered by the media in our culture， alcohol generates a
warm glow of happiness that unifies the family. In one popular film， the only food visible
at a wedding reception is an untouched wedding cake， but beer， whiskey， and vodka flow
freely. Most of the guests are drunk. After shouting into the microphone to get everyone‘s
attention， the band leader asks the bride and groom to come forward. They are presented
with two wine-filled silver drinking cups. “If you can drink your cups without spilling any
wine，” the band leader tells them， “you will have good luck for the rest of your lives.
” The couple drain their cups without taking a breath， and the crowd cheers.
A marriage， however， is unlikely to be “lucky” if alcohol plays a major role in it.
Nearly two-thirds of domestic violence involves drinking. Alcohol abuse by parents is
strongly tied to child neglect and juvenile delinquency. Drinking during pregnancy can lead
to miscarriage and is a major cause of such birth defects as deformed limbs and mental
retardation. Those who depend on alcohol are far from happy： over a fourth of the patients
in state and county mental institutions have alcohol problems; more than half of all violent
crimes are alcohol-related; the rate of suicide among alcoholics is fifteen times higher
than among the general population.
Alcohol， some would have us believe， is part of being successful， sexy， healthy， and
happy. But those who have suffered from it—directly or indirectly—know otherwise. For
alcohol’s victims， “Here‘s to your health” rings with a terrible irony when it is
accompanied by the clink of liquor glasses.
1. The author provides lots of evidence to refute the harmful myth about drinking.
2. We can conclude from the passage that the media and the culture of American society
promote false beliefs about alcohol.
3. Paragraph four tells us that alcoholics will never succeed if they don’t quit drinking.
4. Instead of making people more attractive， alcohol makes man womanlike.
5. Drinking is one of the main causes of death among teenagers.
6. The sentence “。 . 。 our society encourages drinking. ” is simply based on the fact
that there are so many ads for alcohol in magazines and on TV.
7. Something must be done to restrain alcohol abuse before it is too late.
8. Over six million injuries each year are related to______.9. The life of those who are addicted to drinking is______.
10. Besides a major cause of birth defects， drinking during pregnancy can lead to______.
答案：I. Y 2. Y 3. N 4. N 5. Y 6. N 7. NG 8. drinking 9. far from happy 10. miscarriage
More attention was paid to the quality of production in France at the time of Rene Coty.
Charles Deschanel was then the financial minister. He stressed that workmanship and quality
were more important than quantity for industrial production. It would be necessary to
produce quality goods for the international markets to compete with those produced in other
countries. The French economy needed a larger share of international market to balance its
import and export trade.
French industrial and agricultural production was still inadequate to meet the immediate
needs of the people， let alone long-ranged developments. Essential imports had stretched
the national credit to the breaking point. Rents were tightly controlled， but the extreme
inflation affected general population most severely through the cost of food. Food costs
took as much as 80 percent of the worker‘s income. Wages， it is true， had risen.
Extensive family allowances and benefits were paid by the state， and there was fulltime and
overtime employment. Taken together， these factors enabled the working class to exist but
allowed them no sense of security. In this discouraging situation， workmen were willing to
work overseas for higher wages.
The government was unwilling to let workers leave the country. It was feared that migration
of workers would reduce the labor force. The lack of qualified workers might hinder the
improvement in the quality of industrial products produced. Qualified workers employed
abroad would only increase the quantity of quality goods produced in foreign countries. Also
the quantity of quality goods produced in France would not be able to increase as part of
its ualified labor force moved to other countries.
26. The purpose of the passage is to_______.
A. explain the French government’s emphasis on quality products
B. discuss Charles Deschanel‘s contribution to the French industrial development
C. compare the quality of French goods with that of foreign goods
D. show French workmen’s enthusiasm to seek well-paid jobs in foreign countries
27. It can be inferred from the passage that at the time of Rene Coty 。
A. France was still at the first stage of industrial development
B. French workers were better paid than the workers in any other European countriesC. the unemployment rate in France was comparatively higher than that in other European
countries
D. French workers were able to live better with the increase in their wages
28. It is implied in the passage that at that time_______.
A. France had a very large share of international market
B. the import and export trade in France was making a successful advance
C. demand and supply in France was barely balanced
D. France was experiencing economic depression
29. Which of the following is the best indicator of the extreme inflation in France？
A. Eighty percent increase in the prices of consumer goods.
B. High cost of food.
C. High rents for houses.
D. Lack of agricultural products.
30. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage？
A. Rents in France were tightly controlled.
B. France was flooding the international market with inferior products.
C. French workers were prohibited from going abroad to find jobs.
D. The migration of French workers would hinder the improvement of quality in industrial
production.
答案：26. A 27. A 28. D 29. B 30. B
As a company executive（总经理） who spent ten years in federal service， I am often asked
what I regard as the biggest difference between working for the government and working for a
private company. My invariable response is to say that I look back on my time in government
as one of the most exciting and challenging experiences of my life. Furthermore， I never
worked as hard as when I was a public servant.
When I worked for the government， I worked with some of the finest， most competent and
most committed people I have ever met. I was impressed by the overall quality of our careercivil servants then， and I still am. But one of my greatest concerns now is that I will not
be able to hold this same high opinion in the future.
Career public servants are leaving government in alarming numbers， and qualified
replacements are becoming harder and harder to find. Good people who leave career government
service are striving for highly paid positions in private enterprises.
We depend on government to keep this country safe in an uncertain world， to secure justice
and domestic order and to solve a host of pressing problems. We need the best possible
people performing and overseeing these vital tasks. A high-quality， professional federal
service has been a source of national pride for more than a century. But what we have built
up during a hundred years can be lost in less time than we imagine. We can‘t afford to let
this happen. We must act now if this country is to be assured of the quality public service
it deserves.
21. Career public servants are leaving government in alarming numbers. One of the
reasons may be that______.
A. they received lower pay B. they deserved no fame and glory
C. they performed poorly D. they worked harder than anyone else
22. According to the author， _______， so I will not be able to hold this same high opinion
toward the public servants in the future.
A. I never worked as hard as when I was a public servant
B. I have become a company executive
C. there will not be so many competent and qualified servants in the government as we had
before
D. my time in government was not the most exciting experience in my life
23. We depend on government to keep this country safe in an uncertain world， therefore，
A. we should make greater contributions to the country
B. the best possible people are urgently needed to do important tasks
C. we should show deep concern about the nation’s future
D. we should become public servants24. If we neglect the serious problem and make no efforts， we will lose_______.
A. national pride B. high-quality professional federal service
C. good people D. private enterprise
25. Which of the following is NOT TRUE？
A. Those who work for companies are highly paid.
B. More and more public servants have left the government.
C. Career public servants are qualified.
D. Many people of high qualities want to work in the government.
答案：21. A 22. C 23. B 24. B 25. D
Scientists at Sussex University appear to be on the way to ___1___ how the mosquito，
carrier of diseases such as malaria and yellow fever， homes in on its target. The problem
is that they have found that the best way to avoid being bitten is： stop breathing， stop
sweating， and keep down the temperature of your immediate surroundings. __2__ the first
suggestion is impossible and the others very difficult.
Scientists have found that there are three ___3___ stages in a mosquito‘s assault. Stage
one is at fifty feet away， when the insect first smells a man or a animal to ___4___ 。
Stage two is thought to come into operation about twenty-five feet from the target， when
the insect becomes guided by the carbon dioxide breathed out by the intended victim. Stage
three is when the mosquito is only a matter of inches from its ___5___ the warmth and
moisture given off by the victim is the final clue.
The researchers then * ___6___ how repellents interfere with its three-stage attack. They
found repellents act more subtly than by just giving off a nasty smell. A Canadian
researcher says that repellents appear to ___7___ mosquitoes first when it is following the
carbon dioxide and second during the final approach， where the warmth and moisture are the
insect’s ___8___.
Air pervaded by one of the many chemical repellents stops the mosquito reacting to the
victim‘s carbon dioxide， and the repellent seems to affect the tiny hairs with which the
insect senses moisture in the air. The sensors are blocked so that the ___9___ does not know
whether it is flying through a moist current， or the sensors are made to send the ___10 ___
signals.
A. examined B. animal C. wrong D. insect E. bite F. Unfortunately G. inventing H. distinct
I. prey J. guide K. checked L. definiteM. Unnecessarily N. confuse O. discovering
答案：1. O 2. F 3. H 4. E 5. I 6. A 7. N 8. J 9. D 10. C
