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第 13 讲 阅读理解主旨大意题 （测）
时间 ：45分钟 满分：50分
姓名__________ 得分________
阅读理解(每题2分，共50分)
A
（2018·上海·高考真题）Bitcoin and other so-called cryptocurrencies （加密货币）have been all over the
news lately. Apparently, the idea of money that's not tied to a specific bank—or a specific country—is appealing to
many. But it's worth remembering that the banking system that we now all live with is just that： A modern
invention. Not so long ago, money was almost always created and used locally, and bartering was common. （In
fact, it still is common among many online local networks, like the Buy Nothing Project.）.
In the past, money's makeup varied from place to place, depending on what was considered valuable there. So
while some of the world's first coins were made from a naturally occurring hybrid of gold and silver called electrum
（银金矿），objects other than coins have served as currency, including beads, ivory, livestock, and cowrie shells.
In West Africa, bracelets of bronze or copper were used as cash, especially if the transaction was associated with
the slave trade there. Throughout the colonial period, tobacco was used to replace coins or paper bills in Virginia,
Maryland and North Carolina, even though it was used elsewhere in the colonies and extensively throughout
Europe and the U. K.
Today, on an island in the Pacific, a specific type of shell still serves as currency—and some people there are
even hoarding（贮存）it, just like Bitcoin moguls, convinced that one day, it will make them wealthy beyond
imagination. On Malaita, the most-populated island that's part of the Solomon Islands, shells are accepted at most
places in exchange for goods.
"How much tuna（金枪鱼）you can get for your shells depends on their color and shape," Mary Bruno, a
shop owner from the small town of Auki, on Malaita, told Vice. "One strip of darker shells might get you about two
cans of smaller tuna, but the red ones are worth more. For the red ones, one strip might get enough tuna to feed a
big family for a long time."
Just like a mint that creates coins, there's only one place on the island where the shells, which are polished
and strung together to form 3-foot-long ropes, are made. The strips of red, white, and black shells all come from
Langa Langa Lagoon, where artificial islands were long-ago built by locals to escape from the island-dwelling
cannibals. Once marooned（困住）out on their islands, locals needed a currency to use among themselves, and sothe shell currency was born.
Using shells for money was common throughout the Pacific islands as late as the early 1900s, but Malaita is
unique in that they are still used today. And just like cryptocurrencies, there are those who think the islanders are
smart to invest in this type of money, which is reported to have risen in value over the last three decades. It might
seem strange to hoard a bunch of processed, strung-together shells, but what is a pile of dollars? Just a specially
printed piece of paper and hemp that we've assigned value to—and probably less durable over time than those
shells.
1．According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A．Money was created and was widely used in the world.
B．Tobacco was used as coins or paper bills in American in the past.
C．The ingredients of world’s first coins may be the combination of gold and silver.
D．Using shells for money has been out of date in the world.
2．The word "mint" in paragraph 5 is closest in the meaning to .
A．a kind of money that can exchange
B．the leaves of a mint plant used fresh or candied
C．a place to produce and polish shells
D．a factory that produces currency
3．What's opinion of the author towards shells for money?
A．Reasonable. B．Imaginary.
C．Convenient. D．Inventive.
4．Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A．The History of Bitcoin
B．Shells Still Money
C．The Currency Is of Great Use
D．Some Shells
B
（2021·浙江·高考真题）Researchers say they have translated the meaning of gestures that wild chimpanzees
(黑猩猩) use to communicate. They say wild chimps communicate 19 specific messages to one another with a
"vocabulary" of 66 gestures. The scientists discovered this by following and filming groups of chimps in Uganda,
and examining more than 5,000 incidents of these meaningful exchanges.
Dr Catherine Hobaiter, who led the research, said that this was the only form of intentional communication tobe recorded in the animal kingdom. Only humans and chimps, she said, had a system of communication where they
deliberately sent a message to another group member.
"That's what's so amazing about chimp gestures," she said. "They're the only thing that looks like human
language in that respect. ”
Although previous research has shown that apes and monkeys can understand complex information from
another animal's call, the animals do not appear to use their voices intentionally to communicate messages. This
was a significant difference between calls and gestures, Dr Hobaiter said.
Chimps will check to see if they have the attention of the animal with which they wish to communicate. In one
case, a mother presents her foot to her crying baby, signaling:" Climb on me. " The youngster immediately jumps
on to its mothers back and they travel off together. "The big message from this study is that there is another species
(物种) out there. that is meaningful in its communication, so that's not unique to humans," said Dr Hobaiter.
Dr Susanne Shultz, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Manchester, said the study was
praiseworthy in seeking to enrich our knowledge of the evolution of human language. But, she added, the results
were "a little disappointing".
"The vagueness of the gesture meanings suggests either that the chimps have little to communicate, or we are
still missing a lot of the information contained in their gestures and actions," she said. "Moreover, the meanings
seem to not go beyond what other animal convey with non-verbal communication. So, it seems the gulf remains. "
5．What do chimps and humans have in common according to Dr Hobaiter?
A．Memorizing specific words. B．Understanding complex information.
C．Using voices to communicate. D．Communicating messages on purpose.
6．What did Dr Shultz think of the study?
A．It was well designed but poorly conducted.
B．It was a good try but the findings were limited.
C．It was inspiring but the evidence was unreliable.
D．It was a failure but the methods deserved praise.
7．What does the underlined word "gulf" in the last paragraph mean?
A．Difference. B．Conflict. C．Balance. D．Connection.
8．Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A．Chimpanzee behaviour study achieved a breakthrough
B．Chimpanzees developed specific communication skills
C．Chimpanzees: the smartest species in the animal kingdomD．Chimpanzee language: communication gestures translated
C
（2017·全国·高考真题）Cloud computing will be in use by about 80 percent of about 600 companies. The
trend suggests that data management and storage are moving to cloud computing sellers on a large scale.
Touting(兜售)cloud computing as a way to get rid of the costs of buying and maintain in on-site information-
technology equipment, sellers offer it in the form of Software AsA．Service(SAAS), a delivery model in which
software applications are delivered to customers over a web-based network. SAAS can serve the needs of entire
companies through huge, web-based platforms. As cloud computing rapidly bccomes the delivery channel for
software developers of all shapes and sizes to get their products to market, offering applications in a cloud is now
the rule not the exception. A．relatively small number of sellers are able to offer SAAS to big companies that want
company-wide cloud computing, and only the sellers need apply. Although market-share data are hard to come by,
the list of company’s large enough to offer cloud-computing on this scale is short: Microsoft, Amazon, Google,
Salesforce, Rackspace and not many others.
The concentration of data and virtual (虚拟)computing in the hands of relatively few sellers raises an
important risk for their customers if the Internet-based systems of any one seller are hacked, the result could be
security problems across entire industries in which their customers do
Can this small group of cloud-computing sellers effectively respond to the needs of their customers to quickly
fix such a problem and, most importantly, cut off the damage to these companies' own customers? Don't think such
things can't happen. If hackers can penetrate the Department of Defense, the risk that they will penetrate Microsoft
or google cannot be ruled out Compromise of just one of these sellers---even one with a modest market share---
possibly could shut down, at least temporarily, a sizable part of the U. S. economy.
9．What can cloud computing do？
A．Reduce the cost of computers.
B．Provide software service.
C．Market various products.
D．Help companies design websites.
10．What do we know about cloud computing？
A．It works under SAAS.
B．It covers a large part of market-share.
C．Most companies can provide it.
D．Most sellers apply for it.11．Why is the Department of Defense mentioned in the last paragraph？
A．To warn people of the hackers' power.
B．To show relationship between it and microsoft.
C．To give an example of the country's loss.
D．To present the real picture of the U.S.economy.
12．What might be the best title for the text？
A．The Unthinkable risks of the cloud.
B．Cloud Computing and Smart Sellers.
C．SAAS and changing Companies.
D．The Cloud Computing Age.
D
（2012·辽宁·高考真题）If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28
birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will
give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own
national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that
foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities.
More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools
teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history
and
philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese
wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time,
are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United
States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their
Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and
Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.13．The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.
A．provide some key facts about Confucius
B．attract the readers' interest in the subject
C．show great respect for the ancient thinker
D．prove the popularity of modem birthday celebrations
14．We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students___________.
A．have a great interest in studying Chinese
B．take an active part in Chinese competitions
C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams
D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese
15．What is the best title for the passage?
A．Forgotten Wisdom in America
B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C．Chinese Culture for Westerners
D．Old Thinker with a Big Future
16．The passage is likely to appear in__________.
A．a personal biography B．a history paper
C．a cultural newspaper D．a philosophy textbook
E
（2020·全国·高考真题）When “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was first shown to the public last month, a
group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard. But they weren’t there to throw red paint on
fur-coat-wearing film stars. Instead, one activist, dressed in a full-body monkey suit, had arrived with a sign
praising the filmmakers: “Thanks for not using real apes (猿)!”
The creative team behind “Apes” used motion-capture (动作捕捉) technology to create digitalized animals,
spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor’s performance and later processes it with
computer graphics to create a final image (图像). In this case, one of a realistic-looking ape.
Yet “Apes” is more exception than the rule. In fact, Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately. One
nonprofit organization, which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment, is keeping tabs on more
than 2,000 productions this year. Already, a number of films, including “Water for Elephants,” “The Hangover Part
Ⅱ” and “Zookeeper,” have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven’t been treated
properly.In some cases, it’s not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried; it’s
the off-set training and living conditions that are raising concerns. And there are questions about the films made
outside the States, which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States.
17．Why did the animal activists gather on Hollywood Boulevard?
A．To see famous film stars.
B．To oppose wearing fur coats.
C．To raise money for animal protection.
D．To express thanks to some filmmakers.
18．What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
A．The cost of making “Apes.”
B．The creation of digitalized apes.
C．The publicity about “Apes.”
D．The performance of real apes.
19．What does the underlined phrase “keeping tabs on” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．Listing completely.
B．Directing professionally.
C．Promoting successfully.
D．Watching carefully.
F
（2020·全国·高考真题）We are the products of evolution, and not just evolution that occurred billions of
years ago. As scientists look deeper into our genes (基因), they are finding examples of human evolution in just the
past few thousand years. People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes. Cattle -raising
people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation (突变) that helps them digest milk as adults.
On Thursday in an article published in Cell, a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation - not to
air or to food, but to the ocean. A group of sea-dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers.
The Bajau, as these people are known, number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Malaysia and the
Philippines. They have traditionally lived on houseboats; in recent times, they’ve also built houses on stilts (支柱)
in coastal waters. “They are simply a stranger to the land,” said Redney C．Jubilado, a University of Hawaii
researcher who studies the Bajau.
Dr. Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines. They made a living as
divers, spearfishing or harvesting shellfish. “We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer thanus local islanders,” Dr. Jubilado said. “I could see them actually walking under the sea.”
In2015, Melissa Ilardo, then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen, heard about the
Bajau. She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the
task easier for them. “it seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population,” said Dr. Ilardo.
She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive.
20．What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1?
A．Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers. B．New knowledge of human evolution.
C．Recent findings of human origin. D．Significance of food selection.
21．Why was the young Jubilado astonished at the Bajau?
A．They could walk on stilts all day. B．They had a superb way of fishing.
C．They could stay long underwater. D．They lived on both land and water.
22．What can be a suitable title for the text?
A．Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea B．Highlanders’ Survival Skills
C．Basic Methods of Genetic Research D．The World’s Best Divers
G
（2020·北京·高考真题）For the past five years, Paula Smith, a historian of science, has devoted herself to
re-creating long-forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book, she came across a 16th-century
French manuscript（手稿）consisting of nearly 1,000 sets of instructions, covering subjects from tool making to
finding the best sand.
The author's intention remains as mysterious（神秘）as his name; he may have been simply taking notes for
his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author
described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it," she says.
Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand, doing things the old-fashioned way isn't just about playing
around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen（工匠）who lived centuries ago can reveal
how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, and what went on in the workshops that produced
them. It can even help solve present-day problems: In 2015, scientists discovered that a 10th-century English
medicine for eve problems could kill a drug-resistant virus.
The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how on object was made in
order to preserve it. What's more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before
time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These
sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeingworks of art as they originally appeared-something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back
together: She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights
experimentation, teamwork, and problem solving.
Back when science—then called “the new philosophy”—took shape, academics looked to craftsmen for help
in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering（修补）,
as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork, Smith says, we can marry the best of
our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
23．How did Smith, feel after reading the French manuscript?
A．Confused about the technical terms.
B．Impressed with its detailed instructions.
C．Discouraged by its complex structure.
D．Shocked for her own lack of hand skills.
24．According to Smith, the reconstruction work is done mainly to _____________.
A．restore old workshops B．understand the craftsmen
C．improve visual effects D．inspire the philosophers
25．Which would be the best title for this passage?
A．Craftsmen Set the Trends for Artists
B．Craftsmanship Leads to New Theories
C．Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists
D．Craftsmen Reshape the Future of Science
