《2024年高考英语名校真题二轮零失误规范训练》（T8专用）
专题 03 阅读理解说明文最新真题模拟 16 篇（干货+模拟）
原卷版
技能专区：冲刺备考名师提醒，洞悉高考命题规律，提供高效提分干
货
一、阅读理解说明文细节理解题注意落实“定位原文”和“同义替换”技巧。
二、数据计算题注重“原文定位”和“细节理解”，弄清来龙去脉再计算。
三、重视说明文“倒三角形”结构，特别是首段和段首的独特引领作用。
四、标题概括题重视三性：概括性、简洁性和新颖性；同时联系首段和关键词。
五、说明文长难句较多增加了理解的难度，落实“括号法”，（从句）（非谓
语）
（介词短语）（名词短语）。
六、规范训练目标：做标记，留痕迹；零失误；限时 6 分钟/每篇。
模拟专区：做好题才有好成绩！练技能，补漏洞，提分数，强信心！
（2024·江苏宿迁·一模）Reunions offer a chance to reflect on how much has changed. One happened in
Hollywood when Here premiered (首映), bringing together the actors, director and writer behind Forrest Gump 40
years later for a new film. The stars were “de-aged” using new AI tools, making them more youthful in some scenes
and enabling the filmmakers to see the transformation in real time while shooting.
With the use of generative AI in film making come things worth watching. The first is how AI will be used to
tell new types of stories, as storytelling becomes more personalised and interactive. No one is quite sure how the
nature of storytelling will change, but it is sure to. David Thomson, a film historian, compares generative AI to the
advent of sound. When movies were no longer silent, it changed the way plot points were made and how deeply
viewers could connect with characters. Cristóbal Valenzuela, who runs a company providing AI-enhanced software,
says AI is like a “new kind of camera”, offering a fresh “opportunity to reimagine what stories are like”. Both areright.
Another big development to watch is how AI will be used as a time-saving tool. Generative AI will automate
and simplify complex tasks like film-editing and special effects. For a glimpse of the future, watch Everything
Everywhere All at Once, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2023. It featured a scene that used a
“rotoscoping” tool to edit out the green-screen background and make a talking rock more believable. It shortened
into hours what might have otherwise taken days of video-editing.
What is also noticeable is more dramatic conflicts between creators and those running AI platforms. This year is
likely to bring floods of lawsuits (诉讼) from authors, musicians and actors about how their works have been used to
train AI systems without permission or payment. Perhaps they can agree on some sort of licensing arrangement, in
which AI companies start paying copyright-holders.
It will probably be a few years before a full-length film is produced entirely by AI, but it is just a matter of time.
1．What can we learn about the film Here?
A．It relates a story about youth. B．The theme of the film is reunion.
C．AI tools are employed in the film. D．It is adapted from Forrest Gump.
2．What does David think of AI’s application in film making?
A．Transformative. B．Destructive. C．Representative. D．Irreplaceable.
3．Why does the author mention the film Everything Everywhere All at Once?
A．To show the high efficiency of AI tools. B．To demonstrate the influence of the film.
C．To analyse a novel way of video-editing. D．To praise the hard work behind the scenes.
4．What is the article mainly about?
A．Conflicts between man and machine. B．AI’s huge effects on film production.
C．Drawbacks of dependence on AI tools. D．Hot debate on the use of technology.
（2024·河北保定·一模）The 7,400 or so languages in use today speak to the fact that our species is born to
communicate. But while it is tempting to view language as merely a consequence of our extraordinary cognitive (认
知的) powers, Caleb Everett thinks there may be more going on.
In A Myriad of Tongues: How languages reveal differences in how we think, he argues that language itself may
shape our understanding of the world and our experience of time and space. To put it another way, the language we
speak may influence the way we think.
Such a provocative (挑衅的) idea might have been controversial (有争议的) a few decades ago, says Everett,
because language experts restricted themselves to analyzing languages of industrialized, higher-income countries.
But we now know they fall short of representing the variety of languages spoken today — and the more we learnabout understudied tongues, the more evidence we find for the complicated interplay between language and thinking.
Take Berinmo, a language of Papua New Guinea, as an example. Unlike English speakers, explains Everett,
Berinmo speakers struggle to remember whether an object they were shown earlier was blue or green-perhaps
because that language doesn’t distinguish between these colours. But it does make a formal distinction between
yellowish — greens and other greens, and Berinmo speakers typically find it easy to remember which of these
colours an object they saw earlier was painted, while English speakers struggle to do this.
Language also influences how we think about objects. Yucatec Maya, spoken in Mexico, encourages its
speakers to classify objects according to their material properties rather than their function. Where an English
speaker might group a plastic comb and a wooden comb together and exclude a wooden stick, a Yucatec Maya
speaker would usually group the wooden objects together. English-speaking people get the information they need by
sight alone.
We live through a language extinction event predicted to see the loss of about 30 per cent of today’s tongues by
2100. His book makes it clear this is more than just a tragedy (悲剧) for local communities. Given the insights that
languages offer into the human mind, their disappearance is a loss for us all.
5．Why is Everett’s book mentioned?
A．To set off a discussion.
B．To lead in the topic of the text.
C．To recommend a meaningful book.
D．To show the importance of languages.
6．What will we find if we learn more about understudied languages?
A．Proof of the complex relationship between language and thinking.
B．Different means of communication in different regions.
C．The variety of languages spoken in the world.
D．The reasons for language extinction.
7．What does Yucatec Maya speakers categorize items based on?
A．Their colours. B．Their function.
C．Their appearance. D．Their material characteristics.
8．What’s Everett’s attitude to the future loss of human languages?
A．Concerned. B．Doubtful. C．Uncaring. D．Shocked.
（2024·浙江宁波·二模）The rate of childhood obesity in the U. S. has tripled over the past 50 years. The
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) made waves this year by recommending that doctors put obese kids asyoung as two years old on intensive, family-oriented lifestyle and behavior plans. It also suggested prescribing
weight-loss drugs to children l2 and older and surgery to teens 13 and older. This advice reflects the organization’s
adoption of a more active position on childhood obesity.
Yet the lifestyle programs the AAP recommends are expensive, inaccessible to most children and hard to
maintain. Few weight-loss drugs have been approved for children. And surgery has potential risks and few long-term
safety data. Furthermore, it’s not clear whether interventions in youngsters help to improve health or merely add to
the psychological burden overweight kids face from the society.
Rather than paying close attention to numbers on a scale, the U. S. and countries with similar trends should
focus on an underlying truth: we need to invest in more and safer places for children to play where they can move
and run around, climb and jump, ride and skate.
Why is it so hard to get kids moving? Experts blame the problem on the privatization of sports — as public
investment in school-based athletics dwindles, expensive private leagues have grown, leaving many kids out. In
addition to fewer opportunities at school, researchers cite increased screen time and a lack of safe places for them to
play outside the home. New York City, for example, had 2,067 public playgrounds as of 2019 — a very small
amount for its large population. In Los Angeles in 2015, only 33 percent of youths lived within walking distance of a
park.
Kids everywhere need more places to play. Public funding to build and keep up these areas is crucial, but other
options such as shared-use agreements can make unused spaces available to the public. These opportunities aren’t
primarily about changing children’s waistlines — they’re how we keep childhood healthy and fun.
9．What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
A．Childhood obesity is well under control in recent years.
B．Weight-loss surgery are recommended to children 12 and older.
C．AAP plays a more active role in fighting against childhood obesity.
D．Expensive as it is, lifestyle programs are practical for most children.
10．The underlined word “dwindle” is closest in meaning to ______.
A．decline B．quit C．increase D．develop
11．In the author’s opinion, what measures should be taken to create more safe areas?
A．Prepare fitness equipment at home.
B．Live within walking distance of a park.
C．Promote investment in private athletics.
D．Open up playgrounds when school’s out.
12．What’s the main idea of the text?
A．Sports play an important role in children’s growth.B．More safe areas for outdoor fun are in urgent need.
C．Family-oriented lifestyles are crucial to children’s health.
D．Medical intervention is important to ease psychological burden.
（2024·浙江·二模）The maker of ChatGPT recently announced its next move into generative artificial
intelligence. San Francisco-based OpenAI’s new text-to-video generator, called Sora, is a tool that instantly makes
short videos based on written commands, called prompts.
Sora is not the first of its kind. Google, Meta and Runway ML are among the other companies to have
developed similar technology. But the high quality of videos displayed by OpenAI — some released after CEO Sam
Altman asked social media users to send in ideas for written prompts-surprised observers.
A photographer from New Hampshire posted one suggestion, or prompt, on X. The prompt gave details about a
kind of food to be cooked, gnocchi (意大利团子), as well as the setting — an old Italian country kitchen. The
prompt said: “An instructional cooking session for homemade gnocchi, hosted by a grandmother — a social media
influencer, set in a rustic (土气的) Tuscan country kitchen.” Altman answered a short time later with a realistic video
that showed what the prompt described.
The tool is not yet publicly available. OpenAI has given limited information about how it was built. The
company also has not stated what imagery and video sources were used to train Sora. At the same time, the video
results led to fears about the possible ethical and societal effects.
The New York Times and some writers have taken legal actions against OpenAI for its use of copyrighted
works of writing to train ChatGPT. And OpenAI pays a fee to The Associated Press, the source of this report, to
license its text news archive (档案) . OpenAI said in a blog post that it is communicating with artists, policymakers
and others before releasing the new tool to the public.
The company added that it is working with “red teamers” — people who try to find problems and give helpful
suggestions — to develop Sora. “We are working with red teamers-express in areas like misinformation, hateful
content, and bias — who will be adversarially testing the model,” the company said. “We’re also building tools to
help detect misleading content such as a detection classifier that can tell when a video was generated by Sora.”
13．What makes Sora impressive?
A．Its extraordinary video quality. B．Its ethical and societal influence.
C．Its artificial intelligence history. D．Its written commands and prompts.
14．What can we infer from the text?
A．Some disagreements over Sora have arisen.
B．Sora is the first text-to-video generator in history.
C．OpenAI CEO Altman wrote a prompt as an example.D．All the details about how Sora was built have been shared.
15．What is the main idea of Paragraph 6?
A．The company’s current challenge.
B．The company’s advanced technology.
C．The company’s problems in management.
D．The company’s efforts for Sora’s improvement.
16．What is the author’s attitude towards Sora?
A．Neutral. B．Optimistic. C．Pessimistic. D．Cautious.
（2024·浙江温州·二模）Bonobos often form friendly relationships with other bonobo s in separate social
groups — the first time this has been seen in non-human primates (灵长类). This is in line with humans, but in
contrast to chimpanzees, another primate, which frequently kill chimps in other groups. The findings challenge the
idea that humans evolved (进化) from violent apes, says Surbeck at Harvard University. “This potential to form
cooperative links between different groups is not uniquely human and it might have occurred earlier than we
thought,” he says.
Many animals cooperate, but they seem to do so only with those within their social circle, or in-group. Hostile
(敌对的 ) interactions between groups are common among animals, including chimpanzees, so scientists have often
assumed that hostility towards other social groups in humans is natural, says Samuni, also at Harvard. However,
humans also often cooperate with people in different social circles, for example, by trading or teaching.
Bonobos are one of our closest living relatives. They are less studied than chimpanzees, but are known to be
more peaceful, says Surbeck. To learn more about interactions between groups, Surbeck and Samuni observed 31
adult bonobo s from two social groups in Congo over a two-year period. The pair documented 95 encounters
between the groups, which represented about 20% of their total observation time. Unlike chimpanzees observed in
previous studies, they showed cooperation with out-group members. In fact,10% of all mutual grooming (梳毛) and
6% of all food sharing occurred among members of different social groups.
While bonobo s that groomed others usually got an immediate benefit, food sharing rarely resulted in a gift in
return. This suggests that their actions were “not just motivated by selfish interests or immediate rewards”, Surbeck
and Samuni report.
Otten, a researcher from the Netherlands, finds the study “exciting”, especially as it “challenges the idea of
human exceptionalism” with regard to out-group cooperation. Otten says the bonobo s that were most cooperative
within their groups were the same ones that cooperated more with out-group members. This agrees with findings
from humans. “Scholars used to believe that in-group ‘love’ goes together with out-group ‘hate’, but recent researchsuggests that often in-group cooperators are also out-group cooperators,” he says.
17．What is the focus of the study on bonobos?
A．Their social behavior. B．Their survival skills.
C．Their evolutionary process. D．Their intelligence level.
18．What can be learnt about the bonobos?
A．They are humans’ closest relatives. B．They can be taught to cooperate.
C．They interact friendly beyond groups. D．They share food for immediate rewards.
19．How was the study conducted?
A．By comparing different primates. B．By observing bonobos’ interactions.
C．By listing group members’ motivations. D．By analysing statistics of previous studies.
20．How does Otten find the study?
A．Forward-looking. B．Groundbreaking.
C．Controversial. D．One-sided.
（2024·浙江绍兴·一模）Theophilus Tetteh is an African contemporary artist from Ghana. He buried himself
in the study of graphic design and painting at school while experimenting with different media themes.
Now we hear about African painters stepping into the spotlight, but it might be challenging for Ghanaian artists
to bring their careers to commercial success and critical recognition. The art market as such is not yet established in
Ghana. The country doesn’t even have a national gallery to preserve and promote Ghanaian art. It can be problematic
for young painters who cannot afford to move to Europe or the US to promote and market their art. Besides, many
young artists can even have trouble getting painting materials.
Things changed for Tetteh when he got featured in BE OPEN Art, an online gallery of contemporary art. It was
founded by philanthropist Elena Baturina with a desire to provide emerging artists worldwide with an opportunity to
show their works to the world of art professionals. The platform especially welcomes artists who don’t have
resources or promotional opportunities such as graduates and self-taught artists.
In December 2020, Tetteh was voted the Artist of the Month by the visitors of the BE OPEN Art. Later, he was
chosen as the gallery’s first-ever Artist of the Year. The award brought him favorable publicity, so he was noticed by
the art community, the media, collectors, etc. In 2021, he was interviewed frequently by the media and featured in a
famous magazine. All these things let the prices of the artist’s work inch upwards.
Tetteh thinks the world can be a better place if young artists are guided on their way without any form of
disregard, but with support of the senior. As his name has hit headlines of the arts world media, he hopes to help
promote emerging talents in his native country. “The art makes the man and the man makes the art,” he says.
21．What can we learn about Ghanaian artists from paragraphs 1-2?A．They tend to combine designs with media themes.
B．They have established an art market to promote works.
C．They desire professional guidance on preserving national art.
D．They lack a supportive platform to realize commercial value of their works.
22．Why does Elena Baturina establish BE OPEN Art?
A．To promote ancient African art treasures.
B．To broaden the artistic vision of self-taught artists.
C．To provide chances for young artists to display artistic talents.
D．To sponsor a project for the contemporary emerging artists from Ghana.
23．What kind of person is Tetteh according to the last paragraph?
A．Socially responsible. B．Amazingly talented.
C．Commercially smart. D．Culturally conservative.
24．Which of the following best describes Tetteh’s change of fate?
A．All that glitters is not gold.
B．Opportunity favors the prepared.
C．The strong is not without tears.
D．A good name is easier lost than won.
（2024·福建莆田·二模）The year is 1763, and a 7-year-old Mozart is about to set off on a tour around Europe
that will jump-start the Mozart legend. Mozart had a trick up his sleeve. When the young Mozart heard a note
played-any note-he could immediately identify exactly which note it was. It was an ability now we know as “perfect
pitch”, and it seemed to be an example of the mysterious gifts that young geniuses had been born with. But is that
really so?
Over my years of studying experts in various fields, like Mozart, I have found that there’s no such thing as a
predefined ability. Actually, those people all develop their abilities through “deliberate practice”, a purposeful and
systematic type of practice that makes it possible for them to do things they otherwise could not. In them, potential is
an expandable vessel, shaped by the various things they do throughout their lives.
One of my testimonies came from Ray Allen, a ten-time All-Star in the NBA．Allen’s jump shot was not
noticeably better than his teammates’ back in high school; in fact, it was poor. But with hard work and dedication, he
transformed his jump shot into one so graceful and natural that people assumed he was born with it.
But it doesn’t mean “Just keep working at it, and you’ll get there”. Heartfelt desire and hard work alone will not
lead to improved performance. The right sort of practice carried out over a sufficient period of time will lead to
improvement. Nothing else. And this is true whether our goal is to become a concert pianist or just play the pianowell enough to amuse ourselves, to be the greatest three-point shooter or just build ourselves up. Deliberate practice
is the gold standard for anyone in any field who wishes to build new skills and abilities.
25．Why is Mozart’s perfect pitch mentioned in paragraph 1?
A．To introduce an inborn talent. B．To explain reasons for success,
C．To lead to reflection on gifts. D．To define a brilliant trick.
26．Which is the most important in making an expert according to the writer?
A．Affection. B．Experience. C．Training. D．Gifts.
27．What does the underlined word “testimonies” mean in paragraph 3?
A．Challenges. B．Proofs. C．Comments. D．Puzzles.
28．Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A．Secret of Great Talents B．Bom to Stand Out
C．A Surprising Discovery D．Start When Young
（2024·山东济南·一模）A new study reveals that pigeons (鸽子) can tackle some problems just like artificial
intelligence, enabling them to solve difficult tasks that might challenge humans. Previous research has theorized that
pigeons employ a problem-solving strategy, involving a trial-and- error approach, which is similar to the approach
used in AI models but differs from humans’ reliance on selective attention and rule use. To examine it, Brandon
Turner, a psychology professor at the Ohio State University, and his colleagues conducted the new study.
In the study, the pigeons were presented with various visual images, including lines of different widths and
angles, and different types of rings. The pigeons had to peck (啄) a button on the right or left to indicate the category
to which the image belonged. If they got it correct, they received food; if they were wrong, they received nothing.
Results showed that, through trial and error, the pigeons improved their accuracy in categorization tasks, increasing
their correct choices from about 55% to 95%.
Researchers believed pigeons used associative learning, which is linking two phenomena with each other. For
example, it is easy to understand the link. between “water” and “wet”. “Associative learning is frequently assumed to
be far too primitive to. explain complex visual categorization like what we saw the pigeons do,” Turner said. But
that’s exactly what the researchers found.
The researchers’ AI model tackled the same tasks using just the two simple mechanisms that pigeons were
assumed to use: associative learning and error correction. And, like the pigeons, the AI model learned to make the
right predictions to significantly increase the number of correct answers. For humans, the challenge when given tasks
like those given to pigeons is that they would try to come up with rules that could make the task easier. But in this
case, there were no rules, which upsets humans.What’s interesting, though, is that pigeons use this method of learning that is very similar to AI designed by
humans, Turner said. “We celebrate how smart we are that we designed artificial intelligence: at the same time, we
regard pigeons as not clever animals,” he said.
29．What is the purpose of the new study?
A．To test a theory. B．To evaluate a model.
C．To employ a strategy. D．To involve an approach.
30．What were the pigeons expected to do in the experiment?
A．Draw circles. B．Correct errors. C．Copy gestures. D．Identify images.
31．What do pigeons and AI have in common according to the study?
A．They are of equal intelligence.
B．They are good at making rules.
C．They respond rapidly to orders from humans.
D．They employ simple ways to get things done.
32．What can be a suitable title for the text?
A．Pigeons’ trial-and-error method is revealed
B．Pigeons outperform humans in tough tasks
C．“Not smart” pigeons may be as smart as AI
D．AI models after pigeons’ learning approach
（2024·山东潍坊·一模）Hiring processes can be thought of as a battle between integrity and dishonesty. You
might imagine this is a simple fight between truth-seeking firms and self-promoting candidates, and to a certain
extent it is. But companies themselves are prone (有倾向的) to bend reality out of shape in ways that are self-
defeating.
Start with the obvious wrongdoers: job applicants. When it comes to writing the resume (简历), they tend to
massage (美化) reality into the most appealing shape possible. Everyone beyond a certain level of experience is a
transformational leader personally responsible for generating millions income; the world economy would be about
15 times bigger than it actually is if all such claims were true. The average British spends four and a half hours a day
watching TV and online videos. But each average job candidate is an enthusiast for public welfare, using their spare
time only for worthy purposes, like volunteering in soup kitchens.
But the tendency to stretch the truth infects companies as well as applicants. The typical firm will write a job
description that invariably describes the work environment as fast-paced and innovative, and then lays out a set of
improbable requirements for the “ideal candidate”, someone who almost by definition does not exist. Sometimes, the
requirements include an ability to go back and change the course of history.Too few firms offer an accurate account of what a position actually involves in their job previews, which are
supposed to give prospective employees a genuine sense of the negatives and positives of the job, as well as a clear
idea of the company’s corporate culture. One effective strategy is to lay out in text or video, what a typical day in the
role would look like.
Such honesty can be its own reward. Research has long suggested that realistic job previews lead to lower
turnover and higher employee satisfaction. A paper in 2011 by David Eamest of Towson University and his co-
authors concluded that favourable perceptions of the organisation’s honesty are the best explanation for why. So a
process designed to uncover the truth about job applicants would run a lot more smoothly if firms were also honest
about themselves.
33．Why are “leader” and “enthusiast” mentioned in paragraph 2?
A．To present a rule. B．To clarify a fact.
C．To make a comparison. D．To explain a phenomenon.
34．What does the underlined word “stretch” in paragraph 3 mean?
A．Overstate. B．Overturn. C．Overlook. D．Overestimate.
35．What are job previews expected to be like in paragraph 4?
A．They show a position as it is. B．They are made either in text or video.
C．They are favorable for bigger firms. D．They mainly contain negatives of a job.
36．What does the text mainly talk about?
A．Pains and gains of employees. B．How to get the lying out of hiring.
C．How to be more appealing in hiring. D．A wrestle between applicants and companies.
（2024·山东潍坊·一模）People have come to understand the enormous impacts-beneficial as well as harmful-
plastics have on human lives and the environment. As polymer (聚合物) scientists committed to inventing
sustainable solutions for real-world problems, we set out to tackle the issue of plastic waste by rethinking the way
polymers are designed so we could make plastics with recyclability built right in.
Everyday items including milk jug, grocery bags, and takeout containers are made from a class of polymers
called polyolefins. These plastics are really durable (耐用的) because the chemical bonds in those polymers are
extremely stable. In a world set up for disposable (一次性的) items, durability is no longer a design feature but
rather a design drawback. Imagine if half the plastics used today were recyclable through twice as many processes as
they are now. Also conventional recycling requires careful sorting of all the collected materials, which can be
challenging with so many different plastics. For example, separating paper from metal doesn’t require complex
technology, but sorting a container from a milk jug of a different polyolefin is difficult to do without the occasionalmistake.
In a study published in Science in October 2023, we described a series of polymers with only two building
blocks-one soft polymer and one hard polymer-that behave like polyolefins but could be chemically recycled.
Connecting two different polymers multiple times until they form a single, long molecule (分子) creates what’s
called a multiblock polymer. By changing how much of each polymer type goes into the multiblock polymer, our
team produced a wide range of materials with properties that covered all polyolefin types.
Using the same strategy but by adding hydrogen, we could disconnect the polymers back into their building
blocks and easily separate them to use again. When we made new polymers out of these recycled plastics, they
performed just as well as the original materials even after several rounds of chemical recycling. So we were able to
create materials with similar properties of the plastics the world relies on. We believe this work is a step toward more
sustainable plastics.
37．What is paragraph 2 mainly about concerning plastics?
A．Their multiple uses. B．Their chemical properties.
C．Their recycling challenges. D．Their classification criteria.
38．A key factor of producing diverse multiblock polymers is ______.
A．mixing building blocks with long molecules
B．integrating chemicals into the two polymers
C．combining two different multiblock polymers
D．adjusting the percentage of the two polymers
39．Which is a feature of multiblock polymers?
A．They are made from sustainable materials.
B．They can be recycled by adding hydrogen.
C．Their reliability outperforms traditional plastics.
D．Their properties change with rounds of recycling.
40．Which of the following might be the best title?
A．Designing for Recycling B．Classifying Plastic Waste
C．Replace Plastics with Polymers D．Technology Creates the Future
（2024·湖北·二模）A new study involving nearly 50,000 people from four continents offers new insights into
identifying the quantity of daily walking steps that will best improve adults’ health and longevity(长寿), and whether
the ideal number of steps differs across people of different ages. The study represents an effort to develop an
evidence-based public health message about the benefits of physical activity. The often-repeated 10,000-step-a-day
saying grew out of a decades-old marketing activity for a Japanese pedometer(计步器), with no science to back itup.
Led by physical activity professor Amanda Paluch, an international group of scientists conducted an experiment
among adults aged 18 and older. They grouped the nearly 50,000 participants into four comparative groups according
to average steps per day. The lowest step group averaged 3,500 steps; the second, 5,800; the third, 7,800; and the
fourth, 10,900 steps per day. Among the three higher active groups, there was a 40—53% lower risk of death,
compared to the lowest step group.
More specifically, for adults 60 and older, the risk of early death leveled off at about 6,000—8,000 steps per
day, meaning that more steps than that provided no additional benefit for longevity, while for adults younger than 60,
about 8, 000—10,000 steps per day.
“So, what we saw was this continuing reduction in risk as the number of steps increases, until it levels off.
Interestingly, the study found no definitive association with walking speed.” Paluch says.
The new study supports and expands findings from another study led by Paluch before, which found that
walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced middle-aged people’s risk of early death. “There’s a lot of evidence
suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those who are doing very little activity.”
Paluch says. “More steps per day are better for your health.”
41．Why did the scientists carry out the new study?
A．To know about people’s health condition.
B．To explain the pedometer’s working principles.
C．To determine the best physical activity for people.
D．To provide a scientific guideline on daily walking.
42．What does the underlined words “leveled off” in paragraph 3 mean?
A．Turned higher. B．Became stable. C．Fell sharply. D．Changed rapidly.
43．What does the experiment find?
A．The old should walk as much as possible.
B．Young people usually walk more than the old.
C．The most beneficial steps differ by age groups.
D．Walking pace is the key to avoiding early death.
44．What does Paluch advise people doing little activity to do?
A．To walk more steps. B．To control walking speed.
C．To limit walking distance. D．To track the number of steps.
（2024·湖南衡阳·二模）“What beautiful music!”I shout loudly as my 9-year-old son practices playing the
violin. He’s used to this praise; I give rewards like that most days. But every once in a while, I skip it, and when I do,I can see the disappointment on his face when he’s finished.
Am I a bad mom? Conventional wisdom says that consistency is key to parenting since it enables your child to
predict how you’ll react, leading to good behavior. And it’s true that children need some level of predictability in
their lives, particularly when it comes to discipline.
But research suggests that inconsistent gifts and praise can have a greater effect on motivation. While we all
like to live in a predictable world, we often respond more strongly to unpredictable rewards.
In one experiment, my colleagues and I told participants they’d be paid if they could drink about one-and-a-half
quarts of water in two minutes or less. In one condition, we offered people a $2 fixed reward. In another, there was
an uncertain reward of either $2 or $1. The certain reward was a better deal, yet many more people successfully met
the challenge when assigned an uncertain reward. Resolving the uncertainty—whether they would win $1 or $2—
was significantly more motivating than winning $2 for sure.
Here is one of the reasons why uncertainty is motivating. What scientists call “intermittent ( 间歇性)
reinforcement” —rewarding behavior on some but not all occasions—makes it more arduous to know when rewards
will show up. If you very often, but don’t always, praise your child for completing their chores, they’ll keep up the
good behavior in the hope of receiving praise the next time.
So don’t assume that if kids are always praised for finishing their homework, they’ll be more likely to do it. Do
praise young people for a job well done, just not every time. And pick rewards out of a hat when they complete
chores—the surprise prize might keep everyone motivated to get things done.
45．Why does the author mention her kid’s story in the first paragraph?
A．To display the conclusion of her research.
B．To show that her kid is very smart.
C．To explain that she is a good mom.
D．To lead in the topic.
46．Why did more participants choose an uncertain reward in the experiment?
A．It was more inspiring. B．It was more demanding.
C．It was fair to all participants. D．It was easy to get more rewards.
47．What does the underlined word “arduous” in paragraph 5 mean?
A．Convenient. B．Popular. C．Flexible. D．Difficult.
48．What is the best title for the text?
A．Why Consistency Is Critical to Parenting
B．Why Resolving Uncertainty Is Rewarding
C．How Inconsistent Praise Affects Motivation
D．How Parents’ Behaviors Affect Their Children（2024·湖南·一模）On December 16, 2023, the first section of Maya Train officially opened, which runs
between Campeche and Cancún, carrying up to 231 passengers across 290 miles and stopping at 14 train stations.
Built as an ambitious effort to promote tourism and boost Mexico’s economy, the rail system connects the major
cities and tourist regions of the Yucatán Peninsula-from Cancún’s beaches to Tulum’s archaeological (考古的)
wonders. Once the project is completed, the entire rail system will link tourist destinations across five states.
However, environmentalists and archaeologists argue that the train route will cause great damage to the environment
and ancient Mayan sites.
The Maya Train passes through six UNESCO World Heritage sites, and thousands of archaeological sites. One
particular area of concern is the Calakmul biosphere reserve, which is home to many endangered species, such as
jaguars and over 500 other animal species. The train lines, more than 60 meters wide, could act as artificial barriers
that may limit the movement of these animals within the reserve, making it difficult for them to move around and
access food and water sources.
Opponents also express safety concerns. Certain sections of the rail system will be built right on top of the
aquifer’s (地下水层的) most fragile points of contact with the surface. “It’s like wanting to build over eggshells,
says Guillermo Christy, a water treatment consultant.” Putting trains weighing thousands of tons on top could cause
the underground caves to crash down. To construct the train infrastructure (基础设施) also requires driving long
piles deep into the ground, which poses a big threat to this fragile ecosystem and leads to water shortages.
In the ongoing debate of Maya Train, it is crucial to consider the delicate balance between economic
development and environmental preservation. While Maya Train may provide economic benefits, we must not
overlook the potential environmental and cultural losses, as well as the safety risks it may bring. Achieving harmony
between progress and conservation may be a significant challenge for the project, but we must take into account the
long-term consequences of our actions.
49．What do we know about the Maya Train project?
A．It consumes lots of labor in Mexico.
B．It was completed on December 16, 2023.
C．It has concerned some professionals.
D．It blocks the development of local tourism.
50．What is the effect of the train lines on the animals in the reserve?
A．They disturb their sleeping patterns. B．They restrict their activities.
C．They pollute their water sources. D．They engage their enemies to the area.
51．Why does the author mention “eggshells” in paragraph 4?A．To show the difficulty of constructing the rail lines.
B．To prove the urgency of protecting the fragile ecosystem.
C．To explain the reasons for water shortages along the railway.
D．To stress the potential harm of Maya Train to the aquifer system.
52．Which statement would the author probably agree with?
A．Preserving cultural sites requires strong financial support.
B．It is time to speed up the construction process of Maya Train.
C．Economic development should not come at the expense of the environment.
D．We should prize the economic benefits of the project in the long run.
（2024·广东广州·一模）There’s a classic short story in which a young man travels years ahead and meets his
future self. Narratives like this have always been related to science fiction. But what if you could meet your future
self?
I’m a psychologist and professor. My research over the past 15 years isn’t far from this theme. I’ve largely
focused on how people think about and relate to their future selves, and explored the reasons why we have such a
hard time making long-term decisions. In my research, I’ve learnt that we often imagine our future selves like
strangers, which can impede us in making long-term choices. One way to bridge the emotional gap is to think of
future selves in more concrete and vivid ways, like writing letters to and from one’s future self, which can strengthen
the connection between current and future selves.
Admittedly, having people engage in an imagined conversation is a far cry from actually meeting one’s future
self. But it’s believed that far richer interactions may happen in the near future through artificial intelligence (AI). It
wouldn’t be predicting exactly what choices you’d make. It’d be more about showing your potential, based on the
lives of people similar to you: not just one possible life for you, but rather, the most possible life path for you. Such
interactions could offer valuable insights into our potential future selves.
So, to return to my original question: if you could time-travel to meet your future self, what aspects of your life
would you want to know more about? I realized, through thorough reflections, that the most powerful questions
would be ones that helped me make better choices today —questions exploring personal growth, regrets and
unfulfilled actions.
Actually, you don’t need to wait for time travel or advanced AI for answers that you can act on. Through my
research, I’ve learnt that simply taking a bit of time to picture this meeting can help you make better choices now. All
you need is a little imagination, and the willingness to put yourself in the shoes of a person you currently treat as a
stranger.53．Why is it difficult for people to make long-term decisions according to the author?
A．Technology for time travel is not available.
B．Strangers cannot help with decision-making.
C．Writing letters to one’s future self is impractical.
D．People find it hard to connect with their distant selves.
54．What does the underlined phrase “a far cry from” mean in paragraph 3?
A．contradictory to B．very different from
C．not as convenient as D．less popular than
55．Which question would the author most likely ask his future self?
A．Why hasn’t my hard work ever paid off?
B．What can AI do to help people become better persons?
C．If given the chance, what would you have done differently?
D．How can I succeed without going through all the difficulties in life?
56．Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A．Time travel: What if you met your future self?
B．My research: How do people view their future selves?
C．Emotional gap: Why can’t we talk with our future selves?
D．Artificial intelligence: Is it possible to meet your future self?
（2024·广东梅州·一模）Jackdaws (寒鸦) are the smallest member of the crow family. They often live in a
crowd. Indeed, when cold weather comes, they gather in the hundreds (and sometimes thousands) every evening so
that they can sleep in the same place. If you’ve ever heard jackdaws during their evening gatherings and morning
departures, you’ll know they are not quiet birds. Despite being fairly low-volume during the day, they are really loud
on either side of their night-time get-togethers. Why might this be?
A team of the Cornish Jackdaw Project set out to determine why jackdaws are so noisy before they depart from
their sleeping spot. The team’s theory was that the morning calls might be a jackdaw version of “voting”. The
researchers suspected that each individual’s call might count as an “I’m in!”. When a certain amount of “I’m in!”s
are called —and so a certain volume of noise is reached -the group might then depart as a unit.
To test this idea, the researchers artificially increased the level of calls during the jackdaws’ natural morning
calls. Their expectation was that, if jackdaws really are “voting with their voice” to decide when to depart the
sleeping site, artificially adding calls would make them leave earlier than they naturally would have done.
Subsequent experiments confirmed their expectation. The team therefore showed that jackdaws use their calls as a
sort of voting system.You might wonder why this happens. The researchers suggest that individual jackdaws benefit from the voting
system because they are less at risk of being killed and they can get more access to social information — such as
where to find food.
So the loud calls of jackdaws in the morning are therefore not the pure chaos it sounds like. If you are ever
being driven mad by the sound in the morning, you can find comfort in the fact that the louder they get, the sooner
they will leave you in peace.
57．What aspect of jackdaws confused scientists?
A．Their strong team spirit. B．Their preference for noisy habitats.
C．Their collective sleeping habit. D．Their unusual calling behavior.
58．What happened to the jackdaws when artificial calls were added?
A．They stopped calling together. B．They left their sleeping spot earlier.
C．They became noisier and more active. D．They changed their sleeping location.
59．What does the voting system mean to individual jackdaws?
A．A signal of seeking food. B．A strategy for better survival.
C．A way to attract potential partners. D．A method of displaying social skills.
60．What can be the best title for the text?
A．Jackdaws are Noise Makers.
B．Jackdaws Have a Complex Voting System.
C．Jackdaws ‘Vote’ to Make a Group Decision.
D．Jackdaws ‘Vote’ to Choose Their Group Leaders.
（2024·广东江门·一模）Demographic changes, such as aging populations and declining birth rates, pose
challenges as well as offer opportunities for industries and countries. To overcome the challenges and seize the
opportunities, especially to achieve long-term economic sustainability, economies need to enhance policies
promoting innovations.
Now many countries in East Asia are facing the aging population and declining working-age population
problem. Compared with other advanced countries, Japan encountered the population aging problem at a slightly
earlier stage, starting in the mid-1990s. As Japan’s percentage of elderly population to the total population increased,
it impacted the country’s economy, leading to a contraction in domestic demand and decline in both production and
consumption, and restricting the growth of economy.
Some innovative companies have actively increased outward FDI (Foreign Direct Investment), providing cost
advantages from inexpensive overseas labor to maintain their cost competitiveness. However, the global economy is
facing the challenge of declining trade owing to the protectionism practiced by certain countries. Consequently, thechances of boosting growth through outward FDI may be limited.
Developing artificial intelligence is another solution to the negative impacts of the demographic changes. AI
and robotics will play a crucial role in stimulating productivity and innovation by making payment for the decline in
the working-age population, and the following increase in productivity will in turn raise the demand for labor by
creating new employment opportunities.
AI, robotics and other advanced technologies give rise to new tasks within their fields and across other sectors.
Therefore, it is necessary to employ cooperation policies to support corporations that promote innovations by
increasing investment in research and development, facilitating the growth of new companies, and building a perfect
system to protect intellectual properties. Since AI and robotics may replace certain jobs, it is essential to address the
potential challenges they may create in the labor market and work out strategies to ensure a balanced and
comprehensive transition.
61．What do we know about demographic changes from the first two paragraphs?
A．There is no need to worry since the changes offer opportunities.
B．The changes won’t affect the long-term economic sustainability.
C．Japan is the only advanced country facing the changes at present.
D．Things should be done to overcome the challenges posed by the changes.
62．What does the underlined word “contraction” mean in the second paragraph?
A．Push. B．Decrease. C．Pause. D．Change.
63．What is the writer’s attitude to FDI?
A．Favorable. B．Intolerant. C．Objective. D．Indifferent.
64．What does the writer advise to tackle the new tasks posed by advanced technologies?
A．Withdrawing investment in research and development.
B．Adopting policies that encourage innovation of corporations.
C．Establishing new companies to protect intellectual properties.
D．Creating potential labor market for more possible employments.
