2024届高考英语二轮复习：阅读理解专题之说明文

2024高考英语二轮复习：阅读理解专题之说明文

Rio de Janeiro, a colourful urban area divided by forest-covered mountains and edged by golden coastlines, has long attracted international tourists with its samba-fuelled nights and spectacular landscapes. Now, the “Marvellous City”, as it’s known by Brazilians, is appealing to a new type of traveller with its Digital Nomad Visa, which was launched across the country last year. The local government has been pushing ahead with investments to make the city increasingly suitable for remote workers, including improving connectivity with citywide5G coverage.

Rio-born people cherish playing sports, being in nature and socialising after working hours and it's this work-life balance that makes Rio so appealing to digital nomads over other Brazilian cities. The beaches, forest hikes and numerous outdoor drinking spots are all on the doorstep of anyone who lives in the South Zone, making it easy to slip into a fun activity once the laptop has been closed for the day.

Getting residency in Brazil was once very complex and troublesome, but the Digital Nomad Visa has made the process easier. It enables visitors to keep their current employment in another country while allowing stays of one year, with the option of renewing for another 12 months. Applicants must provide proof of work and earn at least US $1,500 (£1,200) per month or have US$18.000 (£14,400) in savings.

Rio is a bit more expensive than Sao Paulo, but still, compared to Western prices, it’s just really good value. Inland neighbourhoods such as Flamengo, Botafogo and Catete are cheaper options that are still located near beaches, hikes and vibrant nightlife.

However Brazil’s reputation of crime can alarm some digital nomads considering making the move to Rio. Though most violent crimes occur in poor areas, travellers are required to avoid theft or being robbed.

English isn’t widely spoken throughout Rio. It’s worth learning some Portuguese basics before going to Rio or doing a Portuguese course upon arriving for longer-term residents.

1.What in Rio de Janeiro has always been appealing to travellers?

A.Modern city and cheap living.  B.Colorful night life and great landscapes

C.Green mountains and coastlines. D.New facilities and government policies.

2.Why do digital nomads choose to stay in Rio?

A.They can concentrate on work there. B.There is no work requirement there

C.They enjoy 5G coverage everywhere.D.There is colorful life besides work.

3.What might you infer about the Digital Nomad Visa holders?

A.They can speak English. B.They can speak French.

C.They can speak Portuguese. D.They can speak Spanish

4.Where might the passage be taken from?

A.A travel magazine. B.A text book

C.A movie review. D.A biography

Many people have participated into lots of virtual meetings these years. Some research shows this adjustment might not impact workplace productivity to any great degree. A new study, though, suggests otherwise.

In the study, 602 participants were randomly paired and asked to come up with creative uses for a product. They were also randomly selected to work together either in person or virtually. The pairs were then ranked by assessing their total number of ideas, as well as those concepts’ degree of novelty, and asked to submit their best idea. Among the groups, virtual pairs came up with significantly fewer ideas, suggesting that something about face-to-face interaction generates more creative ideas. The findings could stiffen employers' resolve to urge or require their employees to come back to the office.

“We ran this experiment based on feedback from companies that it was harder to innovate with remote workers,” said lead researcher Melanie“Unlike other forms of virtual communication, like phone calls or e-mail, videoconferencing copies the in-person experience quite well, so I was surprised when we found meaningful differences between in-person and video interaction for idea generation.”

When random objects were placed in both the virtual and physical rooms, the virtual pairs of participants spent more time looking directly at each other rather than letting their look wander about the room and taking in the entire scene. Eyeing one's whole environment and noticing the random objects were associated with increased idea generation. On platforms, the screen occupies our interactions. Our look wavers less. “Looking away might come across as rude,” said Brucks,“so we have to look at the screen because that is the defined context of the interaction, the same way we wouldn't walk to another room while talking to someone in person.”

Like most educators, Brucks has primarily taught virtually in the past three years, and she did notice some benefits of the approach as well. Her students were more likely to take turns speaking and her shyer students spoke up more often, rid of the anxiety that comes from addressing a large classroom. Brucks found that one solution to improving virtual idea generation might be to simply turn off the camera, for her students felt “freer” and more creative when asked to do so. And this may be sound advice for the workplace.

5.What does the underlined word “stiffen” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A.Shake. B.Revise. C.Challenge. D.Strengthen.

6.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Creative ideas may emerge from casual thoughts.

B.Participants should make eye contact in an online meeting.

C.The feedback from companies were surprising and valuable.

D.Videoconferencing can't compare with in-person communication.

7.How does the author mainly develop the text?

A.By giving example. B.By drawing conclusions.

C.By raising questions. D.By comparing situations.

8.What can we learn about Brucks’ students?

A.They relieved anxiety by speaking up.

B.They progressed in focusing attention.

C.They took advantage of virtual learning.

D.They displayed talent for public speaking.

The library of Pharaoh Ramesses I is said to have borne the inscription (碑文) “the house of healing for the soul”. Dylan Thomas, an English writer, reportedly liked to relax by reading Agatha Christie’s detective novels. As for the novelist Yiyun Li, it was War and Peace that helped her get through the toughest times; when she launched a virtual reading group of Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece in lockdown, 3,000 people signed up.

In recent years, a growing body of research has backed up the idea that books not only entertain, but also help us recover and grow. They offer companionship to the lonely, insight to the anxious, and release to those who feel trapped.

This feature has motivated Ann Cleeves to turn her attention to the old long-lasting bibliotherapy, she then co-sponsored such a program in northeast England, working with public health teams. Bibliotherapy is an approach employing books and other forms of literature to improve a patient’s mental health. A review of several studies found such programs have a long-term effect on people’s well-being.

But Cleeves has a broader idea in mind. Writing for The Guardian, she described how reading and writing fiction helped her understand her own response and allowed her to escape into a different world. The reading coaches will match their patients with appropriate poetry and novels as well as non-fiction based on patients’ condition, and will introduce them to librarians and other readers. After all, what is uplifting to one reader will seem twee (太花哨的) to another and what one finds unpleasant may be reassuring to the next.

For Cleeves, it is happy to see people seek self-discovery in the world of books. Some may respond to children’s classic The Secret Garden; others will recognize themselves in Toni Morrison’s novels. An ancient idea has found fresh resonance

9.What did Dylan Thomas and Yiyun Li have in common?

A.They turned to books for spiritual comfort.

B.They sought inspiration in foreign countries.

C.They had a great influence on the world literature.

D.They once launched a reading group during tough times.

10.What inspired Ann Cleeves to co-sponsor the program?

A.The support from public teams.

B.The healing power of books.

C.The popularity of the program among people.

D.The lack of such a program in northeast England.

11.What can be inferred about bibliotherapy?

A.It can greatly improve public health.

B.It can bring a boom in book markets.

C.It can bring in diverse forms of literature.

D.It can be used as a cure for depression.

12.How does a reading coach play his or her role?

A.By assisting readers in writing their own fiction.

B.By helping librarians sort out all kinds of books

C.By suiting specific books to patients.