阅读理解 As the railroads and the highways shaped the American West in the past

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阅读理解     As the railroads and the highways shaped the American West in the past centuries, a new electrical
generating(发电)and transmission(输送) system for the 21st century will leave a lasting mark on the
West, for better or worse.Much of the real significance of railroads and highways is not in their direct
physical effect on the scenery, but in the ways that they affect the surrounding community.The same is
true of big solar plants and the power lines that will be laid down to move electricity around.
     The 19th century saw land grants (政府拨地) offered to railroad companies to build the transcontinental railroads, leaving public land in between privately owned land.In much of the West, some of the railroad sections were developed while others remained undeveloped, and in both cases the landownership has
presented unique challenges to land management.With the completion of the interstate highway system,
many of the small towns, which sprang up as railway stops and developed well, have lost their lifeblood
and died.
     Big solar plants and their power lines will also have effects far beyond their direct footprint in the
West.This is not an argument against building them.We need alternative energy badly, and to readily take
advantage of it we need to be able to move electricity around far more readily than we can now.
      So tradeoffs will have to be made.Some scenic spots will be sacrificed.Some species will be forced
to move, or will be carefully moved to special accommodations.Deals will be struck to reduce the
immediate effects.
     The lasting effects of these tradeoffs are another matter.The 21st century development of the American West as an ideal place for alternative energy is going to throw off a lot of power and money in the region.
There are chances for that power and money to do a lot of good.But it is just as likely that they will be
spent wastefully and will leave new problems behind, just like the railroads and the highways.
     The money set aside in negotiated tradeoffs and the institutions that control it will shape the West far
beyond the immediate footprint of power plants and transmission lines.So let"s remember the effects of
the railroads and the highways as we construct these new power plants in the West.

1. What was the problem caused by the construction of the railways?

A. Small towns along the railways became abandoned.
B. Some railroad stops remained underused.
C. Land in the West was hard to manage.
D. Land grants went into private hands.

2. What is the major concern in the development of alternative energy according to the last two
    paragraphs?

A. The transmission of power.
B. The use of money and power.
C. The conservation of solar energy.
D. The selection of an ideal place.

3. What is the author"s attitude towards building solar plants?

A. Cautious.
B. Approving.
C. Doubtful.
D. Disapproving.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. How the Railways Have Affected the West
B. How Solar Energy Could Reshape the West
C. How the Effects of Power Plants Can Be Reduced
D. How the Problems of the Highways Have Been Settled

答案

1-4：CBAB

举一反三

阅读理解    These fast food restaurants constantly remind us of the American fondness with hamburgers,chips
and pizza.But America"s reputation as the home of fast food is under threat from the British,according
to a research carried out by the BBC in 13 nations among 9,000 people.
    Despite fears over obesity,the study found the British are more obsessed with junk food than any
other nation.
    Almost half of British respondents(参与调查者)said they enjoyed fast food too much to give it up.
About 44 percent in the US claimed they would be unable to stop eating burgers,pizzas and chicken
wings,making the country second in the world"s junk food league. The third place went to the United
Arab Emirates,where 35 percent are junkfood lovers.
    The research also found that attitudes to food and weight vary wildly around the world. Those in the
UK and US believed lack of selfdiscipline was the main factor behind growing waistlines(腰围). They
can"t deny themselves that hamburger or extra piece of pizza,but "make themselves feel better by
washing it down with a diet coke",the study suggested.
    The French,on the other hand,seem to keep a watchful eye on their weight. They get on the scales
every day. Only 19 percent of the French surveyed admitted a fondness for fast food.
    Thierry Pailleux,of France,from the market research firm that conducted the poll,said the French
valued the combination of good food and company. Sharing classic food and time with loved ones is
key to the French sensibility. "French people take care of their image as a matter of course. Being thin
is part of our culture and a point of pride. We are known for it," said Pailleux."On top of this,there is
increasing awareness of the devastation(伤害)that obesity can cause to one"s health."

1. What"s the main idea of the passage?

A. A study of different attitudes towards fast food.
B. How popular fast food is in foreign countries.
C. Different countries" attitudes towards food and body weight.
D. A study of how popular fast food is in foreign countries.

2. The research shows that ________.

A. Americans are proud of the fast foods they eat
B. those British who love fast foods do not care about their body weight
C. the British would like to think that other foods they eat make up for eating occasional fast food
D. most Americans believe the enjoyment of food is more important than its possible effect on their
   waistlines

3. What"s the meaning of the underlined word "obsessed" in the second paragraph?

A. Crazy.
B. Obese.
C. Opposed.
D. Neutral.

4. Why are,according to Thierry Pailleux,the French less obsessed with fast food than the British
    and Americans?Because ________.

A. they value their image
B. they have better foods than other countries
C. they value selfdiscipline
D. they are afraid of having an unhealthy diet

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阅读理解。

     Movie magic can defy reality, but actors are inescapably human.They grow and change, and don"t
necessarily change for the better.
     Harry Potter actors, who are now saying their final goodbyes to their roles, have all become
fully-fledged(成熟的) grown-ups, worlds apart from the little kids who began the Hogwarts" adventures
in 2001.
     While many fans feel sad that the magical franchise is coming to an end, some feel even sadder to see
how much the actors have changed over the years.
     "Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry Potter) went from being a really cute kid to a thin, pale-looking
guy," said Filipino Internet User Lealuvy."I kind of wish he stayed a kid forever.""
     Radcliffe himself doesn"t seem to be bothered by his change of appearance.In an interview with GQ
magazine last week,
he teased himself: "If people find me sexy(性感的) or cool, it"s because they like short, little, nerdy guys.
And we do have our niche(合适的职业)."
     Meanwhile, actors growing up to be handsome have their headaches.
     Harry Melling, who played Potter"s cousin Dudley Dursley, told The Telegraph that he was almost
recast for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when producers discovered he" d lost a lot of weight
he had as a kid.He was too thin for the part.
     "They (the producers) did this double take, "Oh my God, we are going to have to do something", and
I felt guilty," said Meiling.
     Aside from changes in looks, the gradual personality change of child stars is another big concern of
audience and producers.
     Miley Cyrus began her career at 13 in Disney"s hit TV series Hannah Montana.
     When Cyrus decided to show her adult personality by releasing "sexy" photos, people began to get
uneasy about her.Reports said that furious Disney bosses were considering replacing Cyrus with a more
clean-cut teen star.
     Cyrus finally kept her role after public apologies.But some parents banned their children watching the
show.
     "My daughter has been banned from watching the show," supermodel Cindy Crawford told
Showbiz Spy."I really don"t think Miley Cyrus is much of a role model for my kid."

1.The underlined word "defy" in Paragraph 1 means "_____".

A.control
B.challenge
C.clarify
D.abandon

2.Which one is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Actors always grow and change for the better.
B.Some fans feel sad about the ending of the film series and the actors" changes.
C.Daniel Radcliffe can"t escape from being a kid.
D.Harry Melling was too thin to recast for the film.

3.Radcliffe doesn"t feel bothered by his change of appearance because _____.

A.people think him sexy or cool
B.people like short, little, nerdy guys
C.he thinks he grows up to be handsome
D.some people do think such a boy as him is sexy

4.What do audience and producers concern about?

A.The actors" changes in appearances and gradual personality.
B.The actors" weight.
C.Whether the producers did the double take.
D.Whether the actors are sexy or clean-cut.

5.We can infer that _____ from the story of Miley Cyrus.

A.Miley Cyrus decided to change her sexy adult personality later on
B.Disney bosses prefer pure teen stars to sexy adults in their movies
C.parents prevented their children from watching her show
D.Cindy Crawford is a supermodel, who has a daughter

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阅读理解

     Forget Britney Spears, who is the new pop princess that makes thousands of American teenage girls
scream with excitement at her concerts and rush to the store to buy her latest CD?
    The answer is Miley Cyrus. After starring in popular TV shows and hit movies, the 16yearold released
her fifth album, The Time of Our Lives, on August 28.Its lead single, Party in the U. S.A., is wildly
popular.
     Cyrus has built her success largely on a role she has played. On TV and the silver screen, Miley Cyrus
is Miley Stewart.She is popular at school during the day and at night, she is a famous pop singer named
Hannah Montana.
     Her soaring popularity goes to her head. So Stewart"s father takes her home from Los Angeles to
Tennessee, a southern US state, for a dose of reality(体验生活). The journey kicks_off an adventure
filled with fun, laughter and romance.
    While there, she has to cope with her city girl"s unfamiliarity with country life and gradually learn what
family is all about.
    "Hannah Montana, at heart, is every Disney princess show you"ve ever seen," writes Michael
O"Sullivan, a reporter with the Washington Post."Only with a limo(房车)instead of a
pumpkinturnedcoach(南瓜马车), a microphone stand instead of a magic wand(魔法棒)and a prince
who wears a cowboy hat."
     But the journey of looking for one"s inner self goes beyond the big screen. Actress Miley Cyrus has a
celebrity father, Billy Ray Cyrus, a famous country singer.The teenager doesn"t want people to think she
has taken a shortcut to success."It"s about how I find out who I am. I get to know that you need to be
able to take time to realize who you are," she said."I don"t want to be some celebrity"s daughter, just be
me."

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Miley Cyrus released five albums when she was sixteen years old.
B. The Time of Our Lives is her fifth album.
C. Party in the U. S.A. is very popular.
D. Thousands of American teenagers rush to the store to buy Miley"s latest CD.

2. Why did his father take her to the country?

A. Because she got dizzy with success.
B. Because she wanted to play in the movies.
C. Because she wanted to make adventure.
D. Because her father liked country life.

3. What"s the meaning of the underlined words "kicks off" in the fourth paragraph?

A. sets out
B. ends up with
C. goes through
D. suffers from

4. What do we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Miley wants to take a shortcut success.
B. Miley"s father is a famous country singer.
C. Miley wants to succeed by herself.
D. Teenagers like her father.

题型：湖北省同步题难度：| 查看答案

阅读理解

    Jackie Heinricher"s love affair with bamboo started in her backyard. "As a child, I remember playing
among the golden bamboo my dad had planted, and when there was a slight wind, the bamboos sounded
really musical."
     A fisheries biologist, Heinricher, 47, planned to work in the salmon industry in Seattle, where she lived with her husband, Guy Thornburgh, but she found it too competitive. Then her garden gave her the idea
for a business: She"d planted 20 bamboo forests on their sevenacre farm.
     Heinricher started BooShoot Gardens in 1998. She realized early on what is just now beginning to be
known to the rest of the world. It can be used to make fishing poles, skateboards, buildings, furniture,
floors, and even clothing. An added bonus: Bamboo absorbs four times as much carbon dioxide as a
group of hardwood trees and releases 35 percent more oxygen.
     First she had to find a way to massproduce the plants-a tough task, since bamboo flowers create seed only once every 50 to 100 years. And dividing a bamboo plant frequently kills it.
     Heinricher appealed to Randy Burr, a tissue culture expert, to help her."People kept telling us we"d
never figure it out," says Heinricher."Others had worked on it for 27 years! I believed in what we were
doing, though, so I just kept going."
     She was right to feel a sense of urgency. Bamboo forests are being rapidly used up, and a United
Nations report showed that even though bamboo is highly renewable,_as many as half of the world"s
species are threatened with dying out.Heinricher knew that bamboo could make a significant impact on
carbon emissions(排放)and world economies, but only if huge numbers could be produced. And that"s
just what she and Burr figured out after nine years of experiments-a way to grow millions of plants. By
placing cuttings in test tubes with salts, vitamins, plant hormones, and seaweed gel, they got the plants to
grow and then raised them in soil in greenhouses.
     Not long after it, Burr"s lab hit financial difficulties. Heinricher had no experience running a tissue
culture operation, but she wasn"t prepared to quit. So she bought the lab.
     Today Heinricher heads up a profitable multimilliondollar company, working on species from all over
the world and selling them to wholesalers(批发商). "If you want to farm bamboo, it"s hard to do without
the young plants, and that"s what we have," she says proudly.

1. What was the main problem with planting bamboo widely?

A. They didn"t have enough young bamboo.
B. They were short of money and experience.
C. They didn"t have a big enough farm to do it.
D. They were not understood by other people.

2. What does Heinricher think of bamboo?

A. Fragile and affordable.
B. Productive and flexible.
C. Useful and earthfriendly.
D. Strong and profitable.

3. The underlined word "renewable" in Paragraph 6 probably means "________".

A. able to be replaced naturally
B. able to be raised difficultly
C. able to be shaped easily
D. able to be recycled conveniently

4. What do you learn from the passage?

A. Heinricher"s love for bamboo led to her experiments in the lab.
B. Heinricher"s determination helped her to succeed in her work.
C. Heinricher struggled to prevent bamboo from disappearing.
D. Heinricher finally succeeded in realizing her childhood dream.

题型：湖北省同步题难度：| 查看答案

阅读理解     A new research has uncovered that culture is a determining factor when interpreting facial emotions
(情感). The study reveals that in cultures where emotional control is the standard, such as Japan, focus
is placed on the eyes to interpret emotions. Whereas in cultures where emotion is openly expressed,
such as the   United States, the focus is on the mouth to interpret emotion.
     "These findings go against the popular theory that the facial expressions of basic emotions can be
universally recognized,  " said University of Alberta researcher Dr Takahiko Masuda. "A person"s culture
plays a very strong role in determining how they will read emotions and needs to be considered when
interpreting facial expressions."
     These cultural differences are even noticeable in computer emotions(情感符号), which are used to
convey a writer"s emotions over email and text message. The Japanese emotions for happiness and
sadness vary in terms of how the eyes are drawn, while American emotions vary with the direction of the
mouth. In the United States the emotions:)and:－)show a happy face,  whereas the emotions:(or:－(show
a sad face.However, Japanese tend to use the symbol(??)to indicate a happy face, and(; _；)to indicate
a sad face.
     "We think it is quite interesting and appropriate that a culture tends to mask its emotions. The
Japanese would focus on a person"s eyes when determining emotions,  as eyes tend to be quite subtle
(微妙的),  " said Masuda."In the United States, where open emotion is quite common, it makes sense
to focus on the mouth, which is the most expressive feature on a person"s face."

1. The text mainly tells us that ________.

A. cultural differences are expressed in emotions
B. culture is the key to interpreting facial emotions
C. different emotions are preferred in different cultures
D. people from different cultures express emotions differently

2. Which emotion is used by Americans to show a happy face?

A. (; _; )
B. :－)
C. :－(
D. :(

3. If a Japanese wants to detect whether a smile is true or false, he will probably ________.

A. read the whole face
B. focus on the mouth
C. look into the eyes
D. judge by the voice

4. People used to believe that ________.

A. some facial expressions of emotions were too complex to be recognized
B. people in the world interpreted basic emotions in different ways
C. people could only recognize the facial expressions of basic emotions
D. people all over the world understood basic emotions in the same way

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