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专题 13 阅读理解之说明文
一、命题趋势
科普类说明文选材通常是各学科的前沿问题，如自然科学类、前沿科技发明类和医疗
卫生类；高科技领域的最新科研成果；人们比较关心的生态环境问题；涉及到太空生物心
理考古等领域话题。由于阅读理解题的设置采用渐进式，即由简到难的方式，因此这方面
说明文是试卷中阅读理解题中相对比较难的，通常后置。所以科普类说明文，它是阅读理
解重要内容，也是高考考查难点。科普类“阅读理解”题愈来愈受到命题者的青睐｡而科普
类文章往往具有跨学科､行文逻辑性强等特点,要求考生能从文章的整体逻辑以及重要细节
上全面把握｡
二、题型概述
高考对说明文的考查多为科普说明文，它是阅读理解重要内容，也是高考考查难点。
科普说明文着重揭示自然界潜在的奥秘、生物生存背景和产品工艺原理，多解释性、定义
性、说明性长句，甚至可能会出现多种从句叠现的现象，因此阅读科普说明文时同学们一
定要保持冷静，始终以平静的心态阅读原文，解答试题。同时应认真分析长句句子结构和
逻辑关系。试题核心考查点：① 注重学科渗透,行文逻辑性强,内容抽象｡ ② 有利于激发学
生的思维,对选拔优秀考生有一定的作用｡ ③ 能全面地考查学生的综合阅读能力和运用所学知识去分析､解决实际问题的能力｡
三、选项特点
1．正确选项的特点
(1)、是对原文中某一短语或句子的转换说法，一定要对照原文，做出正确理解。
(2)、说明文多出现标题判断题，考查考生对全文的理解，它常用设问方式，解题时应特别
注意，因此多以How do/does...defend themselves(itself)为标题。
(3)、科普说明文往往揭示自然奥秘、动植物生存特点及产品工艺原理，易出现一些学术性
较强的生词，因此常出现生词词义判断题，这种试题常以 What does the underlined word
mean？或What is the meaning of the underlined word？为设问方式考查对生词词义的判断。
解题时一定要认真阅读原文，分析原文对自然奥秘、动植物生存特点、产品工艺原理是如
何解释、如何定义的，在此基础上抽象概括出生词词义。
2．干扰选项的特点
(1)、断章取义，只是片面的理解很容易出现偏差。
(2)、出现生词会比较多，一定要理解上下句的句意。
审题口诀：
说明文章是“素描”，无情无议只介绍。
阐明事理遵顺序， 客观叙述不作造。
不管题干如何问， 原文材料是依靠。
相关语句提信息， 比对成功不动摇。
四、解题技法
科普类文章往往具有跨学科、行文逻辑性强等特点:要求考生能从文章的整体逻辑以
及重要细节上全面把握。科普说明文常设置下列题型：细节理解题、词义猜测题、推理判
断题以及主旨大意题等,其中以主旨大意和推理判断题居多。 从词汇角度来看,在科普类文
章中,词汇的意义具有单一性和准确性的特点。从语法和句子结构方面看,其结构较复杂,长
难句较多,语法分析较困难。文章中常用被动语态、定语从句等结构。科普说明文在结构上
常采用的写作方法有:①总分式。在说明事物或事理时,段落(层次)之间有一个总分关系,表现
为由总到分或由分到总;②承接式。各层之间按照事物的发展过程,或者按时间、因果、条
件等关系安排,前后相互承接;③递进式。后边在前边的基础上进一步说明,各层之间的关系
由浅入深。文章的命题除了遵循科普类文章的命题方式外,还经常考查文章的篇章结构和修
辞手法。
[方法1] 细节理解题说明文通常突出介绍事件的过程、步骤和方法，同时通过具体的事例、数字、定义或
图表等加以说明，所以该文体中的细节理解题常常和这些过程、步骤、方法、事例、数字
定义、图表等相关。考生解题时一定要准确地理解这些事实细节，进而做好相关的细节理
解题。
【典例剖析】
Solar panels that grow spinach (菠菜) by pulling in steam from the air could offer a low-cost
strategy to produce crops in the desert, a new study says. A new system, called WEC2P, consists
of solar panels coated with hydrogel (水凝胶) , researchers in Saudi Arabia report. The hydrogel-
lined solar panels are mounted (安装) on top of a large metal box that turns water vapor from the
air into liquid water for growing crops. Over two weeks of hot weather last summer, the
researchers were able to grow spinach with a crop survival rate of 95 percent.
According to the experts, the technology offers a “low-cost strategy” to improve food and
water security. It’s described as “low cost” as the hydrogels use material as cheap as $1 per
kilogram, although the combined cost of building and adopting such a system would be much
more. As well as powering the growth of crops, harvesting steam from the air can also provide
clean drinking water.
“Our goal is to create a system of clean energy, water, and food production, especially the
water-creation part in our design,” said Wang.
“Our design makes water out of air using clean energy that would’ve been wasted and is
suitable for scattered, small-scale farms in remote places like deserts and oceanic islands.”
Commercial solar panels can usually transform less than a quarter of absorbed sunlight into
electricity, while the remainder of the radiation is either lost as heat or heats up the panels, which
in turn reduces their efficiency.
One potential issue with the system is it relies on high levels of humidity (湿度) — when
there is a lot of steam in the surrounding air — and may not be quite as effective in very dry areas.
“The performance and furthermore the cost of the system will have to be further and significantly
improved before it can be made economically attractive,” said Wang.
【语篇解读】
这是一篇说明文。一项新的研究表明，通过从空气中吸收蒸汽来种植菠菜的太阳能电
池板可以为在沙漠中种植作物提供一种低成本的策略。据沙特阿拉伯的研究人员报道，一
种名为WEC2P的新系统由涂有水凝胶的太阳能电池板组成。文章对这种新系统进行了详
细介绍。
Why is the technology described as low cost?
A．Because it’s easy to collect steam from the air.
B．Because of the low cost of building the system.
C．Because of the extensive application of the system.
D．Because the material used in hydrogels is inexpensive.
【详情解析】
细节理解题。根据第二段第二句“It’s described as “low cost” as the hydrogels use
material as cheap as $1 per kilogram, although the combined cost of building and adopting such asystem would be much more.”(它被描述为“低成本”，因为水凝胶使用的材料便宜到每公斤
1美元，尽管建造和采用这样一个系统的综合成本要多得多)可知，这种技术被称为低成本
是因为用于水凝胶的材料很便宜。故选D。
【答案】D
[方法2] 主旨大意题
说明文中的主旨大意题通常会体现作者写作的目的、文章主题思想、段落大意及阅读
人群、文章出处等。这样，考生需要根据文章或段落的主题句、作者说明的主要内容等信
息确定和主旨大意相关的试题，从而做出正确的选择。
【典例剖析】
This summer we witnessed interview teams at the North Pole wearing short sleeve shirts due
to the warm weather. A study published on Aug 29 revealed more concerning issues in the
supposedly coldest area of the world. Zombie ice from a massive Greenland ice sheet was
confirmed to be melting, which would eventually raise global sea levels by at least 10 inches (27
centimeters) on its own, reported Associated Press (AP).
Zombie ice is the kind of ice that is still attached to thicker areas of ice, but is no longer
getting fed by larger glaciers. Since glaciers are getting less snow to complement (补充) the
amount of ice melted, once the zombie ice is melted, it cannot be re-formed.
Scientists decided to look at the balance of the ice. In perfect balance, snow in the mountains
of Greenland flows down and thickens the sides of glaciers, balancing out what’s melting on the
edges, according to AP. But in the last few decades, there is less refill and more melting, creating
an imbalance.
Study co-author William Colgan at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland told
AP that 3.3 percent of Greenland’s total ice volume will melt eventually. “Starving would be a
good phrase” for what’s happening to the ice, Colgan added.
With a great number of natural resources buried under the earth, areas of melted ice revealed
treasures that attracted the world’s richest men. According to CNN, in early August, there was a
“treasure hunt” in Greenland. Billionaires, including Bill Gates and others, financially backed
KoBold Metals, a US-based mineral exploration company, to explore the rare metals under the
glaciers in Greenland. The company told CNN that since there were enough minerals to power
hundreds of millions of electric vehicles, the critical resource is capable of powering the green
energy transition.
【语篇解读】
这是一篇说明文。据报道，来自格陵兰岛巨大冰原的僵尸冰被证实正在融化，并介绍
了这一现象的形成原因及其影响。
The suitable saying that can be applied to this passage is ______.
A．Every coin has two sides B．Man can conquer nature
C．The early bird catches the worm D．One false move may lose the game【详情解析】
主旨大意题。根据文章开头部分“A study published on Aug 29 revealed more
concerning issues in the supposedly coldest area of the world. Zombie ice from a massive
Greenland ice sheet was confirmed to be melting, which would eventually raise global sea levels
by at least 10 inches (27 centimeters) on its own, reported Associated Press (AP).(8月29日发表
的一项研究揭示了在这个被认为是世界上最冷地区的更多令人担忧的问题。据美联社(AP)
报道，来自格陵兰岛巨大冰原的僵尸冰被证实正在融化，这最终将使全球海平面上升至少
10英寸(27厘米))”可知，僵尸冰融化对全球海洋是一个威胁；根据最后一段“With a great
number of natural resources buried under the earth, areas of melted ice revealed treasures that
attracted the world’s richest men. (由于地下埋藏着大量的自然资源，融化的冰所暴露的宝藏
吸引了世界上最富有的人)”可知，僵尸冰融化又可以使地下稀有矿藏可以被人类开采，获
得财富。由此可见，僵尸冰融化一方面是坏事，一方面是好事。A项谚语意思是任何事物
都有两面性，符合文章内容。故选A项。
【答案】A
[方法3] 标题判断题
科普说明文多出现标题判断题，考查考生对全文的理解，它常以What would be the
best title for this passage? What can be a suitable title for the text?等为设问方式，文章标题可以
是单词，短语，也可以是句子，它的特点是：短小精悍，多为一短语；涵盖性强，一般要
求能覆盖全文，其确定的范围要恰当，既不能太大，也不能太小；精确性强，不能随意改
变语言表意的程度及色彩。答案需要理解文章后归纳文章中心。
【典例剖析】
A computer programme can identify breast cancer from routine scans with greater accuracy
than human experts. Researchers said they hoped this could prove a breakthrough in the fight
against the global killer.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women all over the world, with more
than 2 million new diagnoses last year alone. Whether breast cancer is severe is closely related to
the time of diagnosis. Therefore, the regular examination is vital in detecting the earliest signs of
the disease in patients who show no obvious symptoms.
In Britain, women over 50 are advised to get a mammogram(乳房X光检查) every three
years, the results of which are interpreted by two independent experts in order to reduce errors in
diagnosis. But interpreting the scans leaves room for error, and a small percentage of all
mammograms either return a false positive—misdiagnosing a healthy patient as having cancer or
false negative—missing the disease as it spreads.
Now researchers at Google Health have trained an artificial intelligence model to detect
cancer in breast scans from thousands of women in Britain and the United States. The images had
already been reviewed by doctors in real life but unlike in a clinical setting, the machine had no
patient history to inform its diagnoses.The team found that their AI model could predict breast cancer from the scans with a similar
accuracy level to expert radiographers, who are trained to take X-rays. Further, the AI showed a
reduction in the percentage of cases where cancer was incorrectly identified—5.7 percent in the
US and 1.2 percent in Britain, respectively. It also reduced the percentage of missed diagnoses by
9.4 percent among US patients and by 2.7 percent in Britain.
“The earlier you identify a breast cancer, the better it is for the patient.” Dominic King, UK
leading scientist at Google Health, told AFP. “We think about this technology in a way that
supports and enables an expert, or a patient ultimately, to get the best outcome from whatever
diagnostics(诊断法) they’ve had.”
【语篇解读】
本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了科学家的一项新发明，研究人员训练一个新的人
工智能模型，该人工智能模型可以通过常规扫描识别乳腺癌，其准确性比人类专家高。
Which is the main idea of the text?
A．A cure for breast cancer has been confirmed.
B．A breakthrough in AI technology has been made.
C．Researchers trained an AI model to help detect breast cancer.
D．A computer program avoids errors in identifying breast cancer.
【详情解析】
主旨大意题。根据文章第一段“A computer programme can identify breast cancer from
routine scans with greater accuracy than human experts. Researchers said they hoped this could
prove a breakthrough in the fight against the global killer. (计算机程序可以通过常规扫描识别
乳腺癌，其准确性比人类专家还要高。研究人员表示，他们希望这能成为对抗这种全球杀
手的一项突破)”以及第四段“Now researchers at Google Health have trained an artificial
intelligence model to detect cancer in breast scans from thousands of women in Britain and the
United States. (现在谷歌Health的研究人员已经训练了一个人工智能模型，可以在英国和美
国的数千名女性的乳房扫描中检测癌症)”可知，文章主要介绍了一个新的能识别乳腺癌的
人工智能模型。故选C。
【答案】C
[方法4] 推理判断题
为了考查考生的逻辑推理判断能力，说明文中的推理判断题通常要求考生推断出事件
发展过程和步骤的重要环节以及作者使用举例和对比等写作手法的具体目的等。这时，考
生需要联系文章的主题思想对推理判断题加以突破。
【典例剖析】
The lift-off of any NASA space shuttle is always a huge event, but on July 23, 1999, it was
particularly emotional for a group of women whose nickname was the “Mercury 13”. On that day,
Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a space shuttle ever.
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream is a photo essay book that tells the
story of thirteen female pilots, known as the “Mercury 13”, who attempted to join NASA’sastronaut program in the 1960s, when there was an unspoken rule in America: you had to be a
man if you wanted to be an astronaut.
They participated in the Women in Space program, in which they not only completed the
tests but also surpassed the results of male astronauts. However, their ambition, courage, and
achievements were ignored by NASA and other government figures, involving Vice President
Lyndon B．Johnson, who was in favor of prohibiting women from being astronauts.
Of course, those 13 women never made it to space, but they continued to push for female
pilots to be admitted to the space program. Because of their courageous struggle, later generations
succeeded.
Younger female readers will enjoy reading these stories about women who overcame
criticism, prejudice and injustice and dared to achieve more than the roles society wished them to
play. Not only are these women excellent role models for our girls, they are also a good reminder
of how hard women once fought for us, so we can enjoy the relative equality today. I would
recommend this book to any young woman, especially one in high school who is ready to take on
the world on her own, one who may be questioning where she will take her life and definitely one
who may be dreaming bigger than most people think is appropriate.
【语篇解读】
本文是一篇书评。文章主要介绍了一本书《Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared
to Dream》，介绍了这本书的主要内容以及意义。
What’s the purpose of the text?
A．To inform the public of an event. B．To explain a phenomenon.
C．To argue over a social issue. D．To recommend a book.
【详情解析】
推理判断题。根据文章最后一段“I would recommend this book to any young woman,
especially one in high school who is ready to take on the world on her own, one who may be
questioning where she will take her life and definitely one who may be dreaming bigger than most
people think is appropriate. (我会向所有的年轻女性推荐这本书，尤其是那些已经准备好独自
面对这个世界的高中生，一个可能在质疑自己将在哪里度过一生的人，以及一个可能有比
大多数人认为的更大梦想的人。)”可推断，这篇文章的主要目的是推荐这本书。故选D。
【答案】D
[方法5] 代词指代判断题
科技说明文在对自然奥秘、动植物生存侍点及产品工艺原理进行解释时，易出现动作
变换多、人称转变频的现象，因此常出现代词指代判断题，这些试题常以it；they；them
等表物的代词为命题题点，要求考生裉据上下文语语境逻辑推断其指代对象。解题时应认
真分析动作转换背景，区分动作不同执行者，从而准确判断代词的正确指代。
【典例剖析】
Just as a hungry brain craves (渴望) food, a lonely brain craves people. A new brain study
demonstrates this. After being left alone, it shows people's brains would be activated at the sightof other people. The action was in the same brain region that speeds up when a hungry person sees
food.
Livia Tomova, a neuroscientist, who studies how the brain produces mental activities, and
her colleagues began this study. They recruited (招募) 40 people. On one day, the participants had
to fast—not eat anything at all—for 10 hours. On another day, the same people were placed in a
room for 10 hours. They couldn't see anyone. No friends, no family and no social media. They
weren't even allowed to check their email. After both days, Tomova and her colleagues put the
people in a MRI machine. It shows activity in the brain by tracking how much blood is flowing to
each region.
At the end of each day, the participants showed high activity in a brain area called the
midbrain. The scientists were interested in two, small areas within it. Both areas produce
dopamine, a chemical that is important in craving and rewards. The two areas activated when
hungry participants saw pictures of tasty pizza or juicy hamburgers. After the volunteers had been
isolated, those brain areas became active when they saw social activities they missed. It might be
playing sports or chatting with friends.
The midbrain plays an important part in people's motivation to seek food or friends. In fact, it
responds to food and social signals even when people aren't hungry or lonely. But hunger and
loneliness increased the reactions and made people's responses specific to the thing they were
missing. And the more hunger or isolation the volunteers said they were experiencing, the stronger
the activity in this part of the brain. Tomova and her colleagues published their results November
23 in Nature Neuroscience.
【语篇解读】
本文是说明文，介绍了Tomova和她的同事通过研究，发现“饥饿的大脑渴望食物和
孤独的大脑渴望与人的交往”这一行为背后的大脑机制。
What does the underlined “it” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A．A midbrain area. B．A social activity. C．A volunteer. D．A hamburger.
【详情解析】
词句猜测题。根据第三自然段“After the volunteers had been isolated, those brain areas
became active when they saw social activities they missed. It might be playing sports or chatting
with friends. (在志愿者被隔离后，当他们看到自己错过的社交活动时，这些大脑区域就会
变得活跃。可能是做运动或和朋友聊天)”可知，代词It 指代的是前文中让大脑会变得活跃
的social activities之一。故选B项。
【答案】B
[方法6] 生词词义或句意猜测题
科普说明文往往揭示自然奥秘、动植物生存特点及产品工艺原理，易出现一些学术性
较强的生词，因此常出现生词词义判断题，这种试题常以 What does the underlined word
mean?或What is the meaning of the underlined word?为设问方式考查对生词词义的判断。词
义猜测题的设置通常和定义、概念、举例等有关，这有助于对词汇的理解，解题时考生要注意捕捉这些信息，正确理解相关词汇的意思。
【典例剖析】
In previous recessions (经济衰退), billionaires were hit along with the rest of us; it took
almost three years for Forbes’s 400 richest people to recover from losses caused in 2008’s Great
Recession. But in the coronavirus recession of 2020, most billionaires have gotten richer than ever
before.
Billionaires increased their new billions just as millions of other Americans ran into terrible
financial problems. More than 20 million people lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic. Food
banks across the country are preparing for another great increase in demand. Why are American
billionaires doing so well while so many other Americans suffer? People may find part of the
reasons from the following fact. Stocks (股票) are overwhelmingly owned by the wealthy, and
the stock market has recovered from its early-pandemic depths much more quickly than other
parts of the economy.
But some billionaires are also benefiting from economic and technological trends that were
accelerated by the pandemic. Among these are the owners and investors of retail giants like
Amazon, Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree and Dollar General, which have reported huge profits this
year while many of their smaller competitors were defeated completely as the coronavirus spread.
Then there are companies that have bet on the rapid digitization of everything Eric Yuan, the
chief executive of Zoom, became a billionaire in 2019. Now he is worth almost $20 billion. Dan
Gilbert, the chairman of Quicken Loans, was worth less than $7 billion in March, now he
commands more than $43 billion. But there is a great deal of stratification (层化) even among
billionaires—richer billionaires got even richer in 2020 than the poorer ones did. Jeff Bezos,
Amazon’s funder, was worth about $113 billion at the start of the pandemic. Now he is worth
$182 billion. Two years ago, Bezos was the only “centibillionaire” on earth—the trendy
neologism (a new word) for people whose wealth exceeds (超过) ￥100 billion.
【语篇解读】
这是一篇说明文。在新冠疫情期间，大多数亿万富翁比以往任何时候都更富有。文章
对这种现象进行了介绍和分析。
What is “part of the reasons” that is implied in Paragraph 2?
A．The American inequality. B．The recovery of stock market.
C．The effect of the pandemic. D．The food shortage across the country.
【详情解析】
词句猜测题。根据第二段最后一句“Stocks (股票) are overwhelmingly owned by the
wealthy, and the stock market has recovered from its early-pandemic depths much more quickly
than other parts of the economy.”（股票绝大多数由富人持有，股市从疫情早期的深度中复苏
的速度远远快于经济的其他领域。）可知，“part of the reasons”是指美国的不平等。故选
A。【答案】A
[方法7]篇章结构题
对文章组织结构的考查不外乎两个层次。一是按段落的组织方法理解文章的结构，一
是按写作方法(论证方法)理解文章的结构。为突出主题作者可能采用不同的写作手法来组
织文章，通过举例、比较、类比等手法来透彻阐明主题观点。对这类题型的考查主要体现
在以下几个方面：最常见的提问方式是：
The sentence in paragraph means _______.;
The example of in para.is used to illustrate/show______ .
Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
【典例剖析】
The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual speed-breakers on major highways
arid roads, in an attempt to check speeding and careless driving, and eventually make its deadly
roads a little safer. “We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid
unnecessary requirements of speed breakers,” India's transport minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted.
The visual illusions are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier
this month, India had ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are
considered to be a danger to safety for high-speed vehicles.
India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world. According to the World
Health Organisation, over 200,00 people are killed by road accidents due to poor application of
road safety laws. This is considerably higher than its official figures of 141,526 for 2014.
The use of visual illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of
Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorists. The technique has also
been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings.
In India, cities such as Ahmedabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra
crossings in the last one year. In Ahmedabad for instance, two artists, mother and daughter have
painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of this year. The artists say their motto is “to
increase the attention of drivers”, and that the concept has been successfully tested in zones where
accidents easily occur on a highway.”
However, critics argue that once drivers know that these speed breakers arc visual illusions,
they may ignore them. Others also point out that India's decision does not consider the safety of a
large number of walkers. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road
safety.
The author explains the experiment of 3D zebra crossings in India by ________.
A. giving examples B. analyzing causes
C. providing figures D. making comparisons
【语篇解读】
本文叙述了印度政府决定用3D图画作为主要路段的减速器，目的是使危险的路段变
得安全，但有人也对此种方法的有效性表示怀疑。【详情解析】
篇章结构题。根据第五段In Ahmedabad for instance, two artists, mother and daughter have
painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of this year....可知作者通过举例来解释印度3D
斑马线的实验。
【答案】A
精做高考真题
Passage 1、（2022·全国新高考II卷）
As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it
used to be. In most people the first signs show up in their 50s or early 60s. And among people who
don’t exercise, the changes can start even sooner.
“Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years
and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University
of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart. Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that
even if you haven’t been an enthusiastic exerciser, getting in shape now may help improve your
aging heart.
Levine and his research team selected volunteers aged between 45 and 64 who did not
exercise much but were otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly divided into two groups.
The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic (无氧) exercise—balance training and
weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under
the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw
remarkable improvements in heart health.
“We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,”
says Levine. “And the reason they got so much stronger and fitter was that their hearts could now
fill a lot better and pump (泵送) a lot more blood during exercise.” But the hearts of those who
participated in less intense exercise didn’t change, he says.
“The sweet spot in life to start exercising, if you haven’t already, is in late middle age when
the heart still has flexibility,” Levine says. “We put healthy 70-year-olds through a yearlong
exercise training program, and nothing happened to them at all.”
Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, says Levine’s
findings are a great start. But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups
of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.
1．What does Levine want to explain by mentioning the rubber band?
A．The right way of exercising. B．The causes of a heart attack.C．The difficulty of keeping fit. D．The aging process of the heart.
2．In which aspect were the two groups different in terms of research design?
A．Diet plan. B．Professional background.
C．Exercise type. D．Previous physical condition.
3．What does Levine’s research find?
A．Middle-aged hearts get younger with aerobic exercise.
B．High-intensity exercise is more suitable for the young.
C．It is never too late for people to start taking exercise.
D．The more exercise we do, the stronger our hearts get.
4．What does Dr. Nieca Goldberg suggest?
A．Making use of the findings. B．Interviewing the study participants.
C．Conducting further research. D．Clarifying the purpose of the study.
Passage 2、（2022·全国新高考I卷）
Like most of us, I try to be mindful of food that goes to waste. The arugula (芝麻菜)was to
make a nice green salad, rounding out a roast chicken dinner. But I ended up working late. Then
friends called with a dinner invitation. I stuck the chicken in the freezer. But as days passed, the
arugula went bad. Even worse, I had unthinkingly bought way too much; I could have made six
salads with what I threw out.
In a world where nearly 800 million people a year go hungry, “food waste goes against the
moral grain,” as Elizabeth Royte writes in this month’s cover story. It’s jaw-dropping how much
perfectly good food is thrown away — from “ugly” (but quite eatable) vegetables rejected by
grocers to large amounts of uneaten dishes thrown into restaurant garbage cans.
Producing food that no one eats wastes the water, fuel, and other resources used to grow it.
That makes food waste an environmental problem. In fact, Royte writes, “if food waste were a
country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world.”
If that’s hard to understand, let’s keep it as simple as the arugula at the back of my
refrigerator. Mike Curtin sees my arugula story all the time — but for him, it's more like 12 bones
of donated strawberries nearing their last days. Curtin is CEO of DC Central Kitchen in
Washington, D．C．, which recovers food and turns it into healthy meals. Last year it recovered
more than 807,500 pounds of food by taking donations and collecting blemished (有瑕疵的)
produce that otherwise would have rotted in fields. And the strawberries? Volunteers will wash,
cut, and freeze or dry them for use in meals down the road.
Such methods seem obvious, yet so often we just don’t think. “Everyone can play a part in
reducing waste, whether by not purchasing more food than necessary in your weekly shopping or
by asking restaurants to not include the side dish you won’t eat,” Curtin says.
5．What does the author want to show by telling the arugula story?
A．We pay little attention to food waste. B．We waste food unintentionally at times.C．We waste more vegetables than meat. D．We have good reasons for wasting food.
6．What is a consequence of food waste according to the test?
A．Moral decline. B．Environmental harm.
C．Energy shortage. D．Worldwide starvation.
7．What does Curtin’s company do?
A．It produces kitchen equipment. B．It turns rotten arugula into clean fuel.
C．It helps local farmers grow fruits. D．It makes meals out of unwanted food.
8．What does Curtin suggest people do?
A．Buy only what is needed. B．Reduce food consumption.
C．Go shopping once a week. D．Eat in restaurants less often.
Passage 3、（2022·全国新高考I卷）
Human speech contains more than 2,000 different sounds, from the common “m” and “a” to
the rare clicks of some southern African languages. But why are certain sounds more common
than others? A ground-breaking, five-year study shows that diet-related changes in human bite led
to new speech sounds that are now found in half the world’s languages.
More than 30 years ago, the scholar Charles Hockett noted that speech sounds called
labiodentals, such as “f” and “v”, were more common in the languages of societies that ate softer
foods. Now a team of researchers led by Damián Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland,
has found how and why this trend arose.
They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human adults were aligned
(对齐), making it hard to produce labiodentals, which are formed by touching the lower lip to the
upper teeth. Later, our jaws changed to an overbite structure (结构), making it easier to produce
such sounds.
The team showed that this change in bite was connected with the development of agriculture
in the Neolithic period. Food became easier to chew at this point. The jawbone didn’t have to do
as much work and so didn’t grow to be so large.
Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global change in the sound
of world languages after the Neolithic age, with the use of “f” and “v” increasing remarkably
during the last few thousand years. These sounds are still not found in the languages of many
hunter-gatherer people today.
This research overturns the popular view that all human speech sounds were present when
human beings evolved around 300,000 years ago. “The set of speech sounds we use has not
necessarily remained stable since the appearance of human beings, but rather the huge variety of
speech sounds that we find today is the product of a complex interplay of things like biological
change and cultural evolution,” said Steven Moran, a member of the research team.
9．Which aspect of the human speech sound does Damián Blasi’s research focus on?
A．Its variety. B．Its distribution. C．Its quantity. D．Its development.10．Why was it difficult for ancient human adults to produce labiodentals?
A．They had fewer upper teeth than lower teeth.
B．They could not open and close their lips easily.
C．Their jaws were not conveniently structured.
D．Their lower front teeth were not large enough.
11．What is paragraph 5 mainly about?
A．Supporting evidence for the research results.
B．Potential application of the research findings.
C．A further explanation of the research methods.
D．A reasonable doubt about the research process.
12．What does Steven Moran say about the set of human speech sounds?
A．It is key to effective communication. B．It contributes much to cultural diversity.
C．It is a complex and dynamic system. D．It drives the evolution of human beings.
Passage 4、（2022·全国新高考I卷）
The elderly residents (居民) in care homes in London are being given hens to look after to
stop them feeling lonely.
The project was dreamed up by a local charity (慈善组织) to reduce loneliness and improve
elderly people’s wellbeing. It is also being used to help patients suffering dementia, a serious
illness of the mind. Staff in care homes have reported a reduction in the use of medicine where
hens are in use.
Among those taking part in the project is 80-year-old Ruth Xavier. She said: “I used to keep
hens when I was younger and had to prepare their breakfast each morning before I went to school.
”
“I like the project a lot. I am down there in my wheelchair in the morning letting the hens out
and down there again at night to see they’ve gone to bed.”
“It’s good to have a different focus. People have been bringing their children in to see the
hens and residents come and sit outside to watch them. I’m enjoying the creative activities, and it
feels great to have done something useful.”
There are now 700 elderly people looking after hens in 20 care homes in the North East, and
the charity has been given financial support to roll it out countrywide.
Wendy Wilson, extra care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the
project, said: “Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are
looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here.”
Lynn Lewis, director of Notting Hill Pathways, said: “We are happy to be taking part in the
project. It will really help connect our residents through a shared interest and creative activities.”
13．What is the purpose of the project?
A．To ensure harmony in care homes. B．To provide part-time jobs for the aged.C．To raise money for medical research. D．To promote the elderly people’s welfare.
14．How has the project affected Ruth Xavier?
A．She has learned new life skills. B．She has gained a sense of achievement.
C．She has recovered her memory. D．She has developed a strong personality.
15．What do the underlined words “embark on” mean in paragraph 7?
A．Improve. B．Oppose. C．Begin. D．Evaluate.
16．What can we learn about the project from the last two paragraphs?
A．It is well received. B．It needs to be more creative.
C．It is highly profitable. D．It takes ages to see the results.
Passage 5、（2022·全国·高考乙卷）
The Government’s sugar tax on soft drinks has brought in half as much money as Ministers
first predicted it would generate, the first official data on the policy has shown.
First announced in April, 2016, the tax which applies to soft drinks containing more than 5g
of sugar per 100ml, was introduced to help reduce childhood obesity (肥胖). It is believed that
today’s children and teenagers are consuming three times the recommended level of sugar, putting
them at a higher risk of the disease.
Initially the sugar tax was expected to make £520m a year for the Treasury. However, data of
the first six months showed it would make less than half this amount. At present it is expected to
generate £240m for the year ending in April 2019, which will go to school sports.
It comes after more than half of soft drinks sold in shops have had their sugar levels cut by
manufacturers (制造商) so they can avoid paying the tax. Drinks now contain 45 million fewer
kilos of sugar as a result of manufacturers’ efforts to avoid the charge, according to Treasury
figures. Since April drinks companies have been forced to pay between 18p and 24p for every litre
of sugary drink they produce or import, depending on the sugar content.
However, some high sugar brands, like Classic Coca Cola, have accepted the sugar tax and
are refusing to change for fear of upsetting consumers. Fruit juices, milk-based drinks and most
alcoholic drinks are free of the tax, as are small companies manufacturing fewer than 1m litres per
year.
Today’s figures, according to one government official, show the positive influence the sugar
tax is having by raising millions of pounds for sports facilities (设施) and healthier eating in
schools. Helping the next generation to have a healthy and active childhood is of great importance,
and the industry is playing its part.
17．Why was the sugar tax introduced?
A．To collect money for schools. B．To improve the quality of drinks.
C．To protect children’s health. D．To encourage research in education.
18．How did some drinks companies respond to the sugar tax?
A．They turned to overseas markets. B．They raised the prices of their products.C．They cut down on their production. D．They reduced their products’ sugar content.
19．From which of the following is the sugar tax collected?
A．Most alcoholic drinks. B．Milk-based drinks. C．Fruit juices. D．Classic Coke.
20．What can be inferred about the adoption of the sugar tax policy?
A．It is a short-sighted decision. B．It is a success story.
C．It benefits manufacturers. D．It upsets customers.
挑战名校考题
Passage 1、（2022·贵州·凯里一中高三第四次月考试题）
The whole world knows them: actors, singers, models, athletes and TV personalities. If I use
social media, I get too familiar.
I have nothing against the entertainment industry and celebrities. The problem is that by
idolizing the entertainment industry so much, we sometimes completely forget about the things
that are truly important and that are changing our world. You probably know who Leonardo
DiCaprio is—a very talented American actor and film producer. But then you probably don’t
know who Cori Bargmann is. Bargmann is a scientist who is uncovering the causes of
Alzheimer’s and autism, which have been unknown for years.
What I think is wrong is that DiCaprio’s net worth is $260 million dollars, while Bargmann’s
is less than $l million dollars. DiCaprio is definitely talented and has worked hard to give us good
films, but Bargmann is working for something that can save thousands of humans who are
suffering. And just because our society prefers to idolize the entertainment industry instead of
science, she gets paid much less than she deserves.
But if it would benefit the world to invest all of our time and attention toward scientists, why
don’t we make scientists our new “celebrities”?
First of all, we like being entertained. We love pretty faces and easy-to-digest information.
It’s easier to care about simple stuff rather than scientific, complicated things. Another reason is
that most scientists don’t like being in the spotlight. They’ re mostly reserved and like to have
privacy. They’ re busy people, which explains why they haven’t attracted the media the same way
that performers have. Also, people have free will and the right to be interested in whatever they
want to be.
However, studies have shown that young people are more interested in a scientific career as a
result of COVID-19. The pandemic has also made known some scientists who have suddenly
started appearing on TV and guiding us on how to get protected from this deadly virus. Maybe
that is the start of the development of a different point of view which will be in favor of science
for future generations.
1．Why does the author mention Leonardo DiCaprio and Cori Bargmann?
A．To introduce the topic. B．To give an example.
C．To offer a definition. D．To propose a solution.
2．Why are scientists not as well-known as actors?A．Scientists get paid much less than actors.
B．People are busy choosing what they like.
C．Scientists don’t feel like being paid attention to.
D．People prefer entertainment to complex science.
3．What does the word “that” underlined in the last paragraph refer to?
A．Studies make scientists known and accepted by the masses.
B．Young people want to change their jobs because of the pandemic.
C．People are attracted to science and scientists during a special time.
D．Most scientists gradually become willing to show up in public light.
4．What’s the author’s attitude toward entertainment stars?
A．Objective. B．Favorable.
C．Prejudiced. D．Indifferent.
Passage 2、（2022·贵州·贵阳一中高三适应性月考卷）
Most of us want to be in peak physical condition, get in shape and be healthy. While some
gym bunnies are more obsessed with looking ripped, for many of us nutrition and watching what
you eat is a vital way to stay healthy. But when it comes to food, what is calorie counting, and
what are the positives and negatives of it?
A law in the UK came into force in April 2022 that requires large businesses such as
restaurants, takeaways, and cafes to display the calorie information of non-pre-packed food and
soft drinks on their menus. It’s a strategy aimed to tackle obesity and give people a more informed
choice of what goes down their gullets(食道). According to the NHS (National Health Service),
generally, the recommended daily intake of calories for male adults is 2,500 per day, while female
adults should consume 2,000 to maintain their weight levels. For those of us who wish to drop a
few pounds, experts advise us to consume fewer calories than the recommended daily number, eat
a balanced diet, and increase our levels of physical activity.
However, there are some skeptics when it comes to calorie counting. 200 calories of fresh
fruit and 200 calories of junk food, for example cookies, have the same caloric value. However,
there is a question of the health benefits of what you’re consuming, regardless of calories. While
fresh fruit like apples contains things like vitamin C, junk food could contain an unhealthy level of
sugar and fats. Likewise, fruit may fill you up and leave you not desiring more food for longer
than a biscuit with equal calories - meaning, overall, you eat less. Simply counting calories, while
useful for weight loss, doesn’t take into account your intake of good fats, carbohydrates, and
proteins - things that your body needs. So, if you’re trying to stick to a low-carb diet, just looking
at numbers of calories on a menu won’t be that useful. So, always be mindful that what you’re
eating is part of a healthy balanced diet.
5．What phenomenon is deseribed in the first paragraph?
A．Addiction to working out in the gym. B．Inappropriate ways to stay healthy.C．Presence of attention to staying healthy. D．Impatience of calorie counting.
6．What is important for losing weight according to the experts?
A．Knowing the calories of various food.
B．Taking in fewer calories than the recommended daily number.
C．Trying different sports to increase the levels of physical activity.
D．Eating as few calories as one can.
7．It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that________.
A．counting calories doesn’t take what your body needs into account
B．the same caloric value doesn’t mean the same health benefits
C．counting calories is merely useful for weight loss
D．how much one eats is equally important to what one eats
8．The passage is mainly about________
A．how to do calorie counting B．whether calorie counts or not
C．how calorie counting works D．whether we should count calorie
Passage 3、（辽宁省六校2022-2023学年度高三期中联考试题）
Years of research show that when a native English speaker enters a conversation among
nonnative speakers, understanding goes down.Communication specialist Heather Hansen tells us
that's because the native speaker doesn't know how to do what nonnative speakers do naturally:
speak in ways that are understandable to everyone, using simple words and expressions.They
unconsciously use unnecessarily confusing vocabulary, which makes language less
understandable.
Ting Gong grew up in Shanghai and moved to the U.S.in her 20s. She ran up against this
problem of confusing vocabulary at the doctor's one day. "The receptionist(接待员)gave me a
form and asked me to write down my complaints,”she said.“I told her that I did not have any
complaint，and she looked impatient and then she asked me to write down anything that I could
think of.”
“I only realized that‘complaints' here refers to symptoms I have after I spoke to my husband
when I got home. At the doctor's I actually wrote down 'the receptionist was not friendly' as one of
my complaints."
So what can we do to improve communication between native and nonnative English
speakers?
Hansen says the responsibility shouldn't be on nonnative speakers but rather on native
English speakers. Take a page out of nonnative speakers' book, says Hansen, by changing your
English to be more inclusive.That means no more confusing expressions. Small changes like this
might allow native speakers to join in conversations with nonnative speakers.
Joseph Issam Harb, who was raised in the United States and Abu Dhabi United Arab
Emirates, said,"I am still learning about English from nonnative speakers."In emails, I've discovered an expression commonly used by some nonnative speakers 'please
do the needful,' "Harb said."For years I have been interested in this expression and its use in
formal work environment emails." Discovering it and wondering about the origins of the
expression, which means "please do what needs to be done,"has been an enjoyable thing for Harb.
9．What makes communication between native and nonnative speakers less smooth according to
Hansen?
A．The speed of native speakers' talk. B．Nonnative speakers' bad pronunciation.
C．The difference between speakers' cultures. D．Native speakers' use of confusing
expressions.
10．Why did Gong reply that she did not have any complaint?
A．She had difficulty expressing herself in English.
B．She wanted to get treatment as soon as possible.
C．She failed to understand what the receptionist had meant.
D．She feared that the receptionist would become impatient.
11．What does Hansen suggest native English speakers do?
A．Read books by nonnative English writers.
B．Join in more nonnative speakers' conversations.
C．Make no comment about nonnative speakers' English.
D．Use expressions understandable to nonnative speakers.
12．What did Harb say about nonnative English?
A．It is very interesting. B．It should be corrected.
C．It sounds strange and funny. D．It can be used in informal situations.
Passage 4、（2022-2023学年度甘肃·西北师大附中高三期中测试）
If someone created a flying machine capable of tracking you down by listening for your
voice, you might be terrified. But what if you were trapped in ruins after a natural disaster and first
responders couldn’t locate you? Maybe then a human-seeking drone(无人机) wouldn’t be such a
terrible idea. That concept is the focus for engineers at Germany’s Fraunhofer FKIE Institute,
who’ve built a drone to find people by detecting(探测) human screams.
“The human-seeking drone would be ideal for post-disaster situations, such as earthquakes,
hurricanes and wildfires,” said Macarena Varela, one of the lead engineers. “They could hover
over an area that rescue crews have difficulty getting to and locate exactly where people may be
trapped.”
Locating people by sound presents its share of challenges. An auditory(听觉的) system
would need to distinguish human cries from sounds that often happen in nature, such as animal
calls and wind. It might also need to recognize patterns associated with kicking, clapping or other
ways people try to get the attention of rescue teams.Engineers took those situations into account when building out their concept drone. They
recorded themselves screaming, tapping and creating other noises that might be a sign of people in
trouble. Then, they analyzed each sound frequency to find common signatures and used those to
train artificial intelligence software. They also worked to remove the noise created by the drone
and other environmental sounds.
Once the software part was complete, the team placed tiny digital microphones under the
drone and used signal processing techniques that enabled them to track where human noises are
coming from. The microphones also enhanced the volume and clarity of the speech. So far, they
have conducted successful open field experiments, finding that the drone can estimate a victim’s
location within a few seconds of picking up sound.
Next, they would like to add a higher frequency microphone to a drone to acquire more audio
sound signals. The idea is to pick up noises from hundreds of meters away, Varela said. In the real
world, victim’s location data might one day be sent wirelessly to emergency crews carrying a
tablet.
13．What is the advantage of the human-seeking drone?
A．Its high speed of flying. B．Its long working hours.
C．Its quick response to screams. D．Its easy access to disaster scene.
14．What can the auditory system do?
A．Recognize human cries. B．Pick up sounds from far away.
C．Send victim’s location data to a tablet. D．Improve the quality of human screams.
15．What does the underlined word “signatures” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A．Effects. B．Features. C．Symbols. D．Situations.
16．Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A．AI Enables Drones to Give Better Performance.
B．Human-seeking Drones Replace Rescue Crews.
C．Rescuers Use Drones to Locate Disaster Survivors.
D．Engineers Teach Drones to Hunt Human Screams.
Passage 5、（广东省深圳市龙岗区2022-2023学年度高三期中质量检测）
Professional courses, such as Masters in International Business or MIB, have been taken by
many students in the last two decades. They are choosing new-age non-conventional courses that
guarantee a better future. MIB is a specialized course that teaches the international business. There
are valid reasons for so much popularity of MIB course.
The course content and teaching methods of MIB are quite different from a normal MBA or
Master of Business Administration. It has been designed with the sole objective of developing
professionals with an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the international trade. The course
offers various advantages over the conventional MBA degree course.The massive increase in the international business and foreign trade gives excellent job
prospects to the new generation. Acquiring a degree of MIB offers outstanding growth of job
opportunities. Those who want to pursue in the field of marketing also have a good future after
completing the degree from a MIB college with a good reputation. Big multinational organizations
look for talented people who can handle the job of International Marketing Manage, and people
with MIB degrees are preferred. The job needs an in-depth understanding of the overseas markets,
because it is the strategic post from the perspective of company’s international business growth.
Since business finance and economics are covered at length in the curriculum of MIB,
students have great job offers in the field of finance as well. Typically, organizations offer the
position of international finance controllers to those who complete MIB with the specialization of
finance. The specialization covers aspects of international taxes, accounts, budgeting and so on.
People in this field are well-paid, and growth prospects are unlimited. After completing degree
course from a reputed MIB college, there is a good scope in the banking and finance sector as
well. International banks appoint people who have an excellent grasp over the international
banking policies, currency exchange, and international policies. Thus, MIB is the golden key to
success with brilliant job opportunities in national and multinational sectors.
17．How is the second paragraph mainly developed?
A．By analyzing causes. B．By listing figures.
C．By proving definition. D．By making comparisons.
18．Why do more and more people intend to acquire a degree of MIB?
A．It is a compulsory course in the colleges.
B．It helps them get good jobs in some organizations.
C．It offers them opportunities to do small businesses.
D．It offers them conventional economic knowledge.
19．What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．MIB holders are more promising in all careers than others.
B．People get higher salary in business field than in finance field.
C．The international finance controller is a high-quality job.
D．International banks only accept employees from MIB colleges.
20．What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this article?
A．To explain why the MIB course is getting popular.
B．To analyze the disadvantages of the MIB course.
C．To sell professional MIB course worldwide.
D．To predict the development trend of the MIB course.
Passage 6、（辽宁省县级重点高中联合体2022-2023学年度高三期中考试）
Composer George Lam has always liked writing music inspired by places.“There are all these places in Chinatown that are both hidden and meaningful” he says
stepping out of the way of passers-by while leading a tour of the neighborhood. “To uncover some
of those hidden things in a city walk that you might not ordinarily notice—l wondered. is there a
piece in that?”
It turns out that there’s not just a piece but a whole app Lam interviewed five Chinese
Americans from around the country; asking them about their experiences in Chinatown: plus
questions about their ancestors. their families and their memories. He then set the answers to
music the instruments drawing attention to each person’s distinct pattern of speech.
Lam created the app Family Association. He calls the piece—the free app—Family
Association, after the important folk groups that line the streets of the neighborhood Chinese
family associations have been a bridge between new immigrants and more established ones since
the late 1800s. In Chinatowns across the country they’re a place to find resources or an apartment,
talk business or polities, maybe get a COVID shot. But they’re also a place to socialize with
people who share similar experiences.
Five of the neighborhood’s associations are anchors (锚点) for the app. Visitors use the
build-in map to see locations of the associations. As they walk closer to one of the family
association buildings, the focus is on one of the five oral history participants, telling their stories.
These stories aren’t about the family associations instead they’re about the Chinese-American
experience and how they’ve felt supported by Chinatown.
But Lam thinks of the app itself as a kind of virtual family association. connecting these
Chinese-American voices with each other, even if they’ve never met. And he hopes to connect
with visitors too—at the end of the soundwalk, users are given a chance to record their own
memories.
21．How did Lam deal with the interviewees’ answers?
A．By setting them apart B．By organizing them in order.
C．By adding music to them D．By spreading them nationwide
22．What can we know from paragraph 4?
A．Chinatown plays a vital role in Chinese-Americans.
B．Lam named his app after the street of the neighbourhood.
C．All Chinese Americans lived in Chinatowns when firstly reaching America.
D．Chinese family associations have been a bridge of immigrants since 1800.
23．What are the participants’ stories about?
A．When they came to Chinatowns. B．Why they chose to stay in Chinatowns.
C．How they’ve felt supported from China. D．What they experienced as Chinese
Americans
24．What is Lam’s expectation?
A．To promote his new app B．To associate with visitorsC．To record his own memories D．To connect with Chinese Americans
Passage 7、（湖北省武汉市部分重点高中2022-2023高三第一次联考试卷）
Solar panels that grow spinach (菠菜) by pulling in steam from the air could offer a low-cost
strategy to produce crops in the desert, a new study says. A new system, called WEC2P, consists
of solar panels coated with hydrogel (水凝胶) , researchers in Saudi Arabia report. The hydrogel-
lined solar panels are mounted (安装) on top of a large metal box that turns water vapor from the
air into liquid water for growing crops. Over two weeks of hot weather last summer, the
researchers were able to grow spinach with a crop survival rate of 95 percent.
According to the experts, the technology offers a “low-cost strategy” to improve food and
water security. It’s described as “low cost” as the hydrogels use material as cheap as $1 per
kilogram, although the combined cost of building and adopting such a system would be much
more. As well as powering the growth of crops, harvesting steam from the air can also provide
clean drinking water.
“Our goal is to create a system of clean energy, water, and food production, especially the
water-creation part in our design,” said Wang.
“Our design makes water out of air using clean energy that would’ve been wasted and is
suitable for scattered, small-scale farms in remote places like deserts and oceanic islands.”
Commercial solar panels can usually transform less than a quarter of absorbed sunlight into
electricity, while the remainder of the radiation is either lost as heat or heats up the panels, which
in turn reduces their efficiency.
One potential issue with the system is it relies on high levels of humidity (湿度) — when
there is a lot of steam in the surrounding air — and may not be quite as effective in very dry areas.
“The performance and furthermore the cost of the system will have to be further and significantly
improved before it can be made economically attractive,” said Wang.
25．Which best describes the researchers’ spinach planting last summer?
A．Costly. B．Demanding. C．Profitable. D．Unattractive.
26．Why is the technology described as low cost?
A．Because it’s easy to collect steam from the air.
B．Because of the low cost of building the system.
C．Because of the extensive application of the system.
D．Because the material used in hydrogels is inexpensive.
27．What can we learn about the technology in Paragraph 4?
A．It makes up for the weaknesses of commercial solar panels.
B．It will be widely used on large farms in remote desert areas.
C．Most of the sunlight absorbed is transformed into electricity.
D．Absorbed sunlight reduces the efficiency of the solar panels.
28．How may Wang’s team improve the performance of the system later?A．By staying away from very dry areas. B．By reducing dependence on humidity.
C．By increasing research costs. D．By increasing the level of humidity in the air.
Passage 8、（湖北省高中名校联盟2022-2023高三期中联考试题）
Amazon’s Alexa will be able to revive the voices of deceased relatives, allowing users to feel
as if they are speaking to lost ones beyond the grave.
In a video shown on stage, Amazon demonstrated how, instead of Alexa’s signature voice
reading a story toa young boy, it was his grandmother’s voice.
Rohit Prasad, an Amazon senior vice president, said the updated system will be able to
collect enough voice data from less than a minute of audio to make personalization like this
possible, rather than having someone spend hours in a recording studio like how it’s done in the
past.
The concept starts from Amazon looking at new ways to add more “human features” to
artificial intelligence, especially “in these times of the ongoing pandemic, when so many of us
have lost someone we love,” Prasad said. “While AI can’t rid that pain of loss, it can definitely
make their memories last. “
Amazon has long used AI recreations of people’s voices to voice Alexa. But they have also
increasingly improved over the past few years, particularly with the use of AI and deepfake
technology.
However, Amazon’s attempt at personalized Alexa voices may struggle most with the weird
valley effect-recreating a voice that is so similar to a loved one’s but isn’t quite right, which leads
to rejection by real humans. “For some, they will view this as creepy or outright terrible, but for
others it could be viewed in a more profound way, perhaps for the first time and in a way that isn’t
a strict recording from the past.” said Michael Inouye of ABI Research. He believes, however, the
varying reactions to announcements like this speak to how society will have to adjust to the
promise of innovations and their eventual reality in the years ahead.
The technology is also likely to lead to fears that it could be used to impersonate living
people, which could be used to bypass security systems. In 2019, a manager at a British energy
company lost almost￡200, 000 after criminals used AI to fake his boss’s voice, directing him to
transfer the company’s funds to a foreign bank account.
29．What is the feature of the updated system of Amazon’s Alexa?
A．It will use AI recreations of people’s voices.
B．It will be highly efficient in collecting voice data.
C．It will free the grandmother from reading a story.
D．It will make a breakthrough in deepfake technology.
30．Why does Amazon update Alexa’s voice?
A．To make it more human-like.
B．To cure people’s pain of loss.
C．To remind people of lost good memories.D．To demonstrate Amazon’s powerful technology.
31．What does the underlined word “impersonate” in the last paragraph mean?
A．Interact with. B．Prove to be. C．Have command of. D．Pretend to be.
32．What’s the author’s attitude towards Alexa’s personalized voices?
A．Critical. B．Objective. C．Supportive. D．Skeptical.
Passage 9、（2023届四川省遂宁市高三上学期零诊考试英语试卷）
Eight months after China put a 10-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River, a group of about
10 Yangtze finless porpoises (江豚) were seen in the river of Wuhan, Hubei Province. Their
appearance was said to be a result of less interference (干涉) from human activities or an increase
food availability.
“Rising water levels during the flood season and the fishing ban may both contribute to this
rare animal’s appearance. Without interference from human activities, the finless porpoises might
be more active,” said Zhang Xianfeng, an aquatic (水生的) wildlife researcher.
The finless porpoise is widely believed to be an important health indicator of the Yangtze
River. Over the past 40 years, its population has declined dramatically due to many factors, such
as climate change and habitat loss. In 2013, it was classified as “critically endangered” by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, the population has shown some
stability in recent years thanks to joint protection from government organs, research institutes and
other social organizations.
Zhang believes it’s a good thing that the public has become more aware of the urgency of
saving the finless porpoise and protecting the ecosystem of the Yangtze River. However, the
appearance of the finless porpoises cannot necessarily be seen as a sign that the population is
increasing. Its total population, around 1,000, is very limited, which makes the chances for them to
have babies very slim in such a long river as the Yangtze River.
To preserve biodiversity along the Yangtze River, China imposed a 10-year fishing ban in
332 conservation areas, protecting not only the finless porpoise but also more than 4,300 kinds of
aquatic life living in the Yangtze River. The fishing ban, which is crucial to ecological restoration
of the whole river, will significantly expand the finless porpoise’s food supply and remove the
threat from fishing tools. However, the effect will be known only after three to five years.
33．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A．The effect of the 10-year fishing ban. B．The living conditions of finless porpoises.
C．The necessity of limiting human activities. D．The reasons for finless porpoises’
appearance.
34．What has directly affected the birth rate of finless porpoise?
A．The limited population. B．The human interference.
C．The lack of public awareness. D．The length of the Yangtze River.
35．What do we know about the 10-year fishing ban?A．It was put into effect in Hubei Province.
B．It aims to protect a variety of aquatic life.
C．It increased the number of finless porpoises soon.
D．It forbids human activities along the Yangtze River.
36．What is the purpose of the text?
A．To show the effect of a 10-year fishing ban.
B．To introduce the features of finless porpoises.
C．To record the appearance of finless porpoises.
D．To advocate the protection of the Yangtze River.
Passage 10、（河北省沧州市部分学校2022-2023毕业班10月份联考英语试卷）
One of the most important factors of successful job hunting is the job interview. There are
thousands of people entering new careers and searching for job placement. In order to give
yourself an edge over others applying for the job you want, it is important to create a solid
impression during the job interview.
Because what you say during an interview is so important, there are two rules to remember.
One is to present yourself in a favorable way and stress your areas of competence. However, don’t
overstate; tell the truth. Second, listen carefully and get involved in what the interviewer is saying.
Notice the interviewer’s interests and relate your comments to them.
If you are not certain what the job will require of you, ask questions to see whether you do
feel qualified. Do more listening than talking. Don’t be afraid to ask for a second interview if you
need time to gather information that will be more useful in the second interview. Most
interviewers will appreciate your questions and your ability to listen and respond.
Each of us has sensitive areas, which could refer to your lack of an academic degree, a long
period of unemployment, or lack of work experience if you are entering a new field. Answer
sensitive questions briefly and positively. If you believe that this area presents a real obstacle to a
job offer, you could be communicating this doubt to the interviewer. Many times, however, an
interviewer will override these sensitive areas if you have a confident, positive attitude.
The job interview is an important part of the job search because the attitude and impression
you project can make the interviewer feel “with you” or “against you”. Remember that you have
the power to create a favorable impression. Interviewers have the intelligence to recognize
genuine enthusiasm and interest.
37．According to paragraph 1, what is an advantage when applying for a job?
A．Having some relevant experience. B．Showing strong interest in the job.
C．Leaving interviewers a sound impression. D．Making full preparations for the job
interview.
38．What is an unfavorable response when you are not sure about the job requirement?
A．Listen to the interviewers attentively. B．Ask the interviewers related questions.C．Ask for another interview when necessary. D．Stress your areas of competence
repeatedly.
39．What does the underlined word “override” mean in paragraph 4?
A．Outweigh. B．Ignore. C．Overcome. D．Emphasize.
40．What does the text mainly tell us?
A．Listening matters more than talking.
B．Favorable impression does make a difference.
C．How do you conduct an interview for a job.
D．Showing genuine enthusiasm and interest for the job is important.
