专题08 阅读理解之说明文10篇（北京专用）（第二期）-备战2025年高考英语名校模拟真题速递(北京专用)

备战2025年高考英语名校模拟真题速递(北京专用) 第二期 专题08 说明文10篇 基础语篇巩固练 （24-25高三上·北京石景山·期末）Experts frequently warn about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). Sadly, the rapid advancement of AI technology in recent years has not led to a common understanding of its risks, as it should have. Actually, beneath the surface of AI discussions lies conflict among divided groups, which may mislead lawmakers and the public and prevent competent regulatory measures. Understanding the motivations behind these differing views is crucial to addressing AI’s societal impact. The loudest perspective is a frightening vision from doomsayers (末日论者), who present AI as a threat to human existence, capable of wiping out life and controlling everything. This doomsaying is heightened by influential tech figures using tools like ChatGPT to shape the conversation. Some in this group focus on extreme disastrous risks and emphasize the distant future implications of our actions. While many doomsayers claim they are reasonable, their exaggerated concerns about hypothetical (假设的) existential risks amount to a misguided bet with humanity’s future. Technology historian David Brock calls such fears “wishful worries” — that is, problems that it would be nice to have, in contrast to the actual struggles of the present. While doomsayers focus on the distant future, reformers focus on immediate issues. They view AI reform as a matter of integrity, urging Big Tech to prioritize the public good over profit. These experts advocate for regulators to address current harms caused by AI, such as misinformation, monitoring, and algorithmic (算法的) unfairness. They propose initiatives like civil education for AI literacy and the design of human-centered systems to fight growing societal inequalities. Warriors, another group, describe AI through the language of national security and competitiveness. Their views benefit some tech giants and government agencies. Top AI firms seek costly regulations that they claim guard against crime and terrorism, which could secure their market dominance and limit startup competition. Governments, tightly connected to these firms, may prioritize defense applications over moral concerns, leading to regulatory blind spots. In conclusion, the differing viewpoints on AI underline the complexity of addressing its societal impact. To minimize potential harms and ensure that AI serves the public interest, it is crucial to strengthen legal frameworks that close existing gaps and hold corporations accountable. Expanding regulatory strategies can help restrict corporate overreach and foster transparency in AI development. Publicly directed projects can counterbalance corporate influence, ensuring that AI benefits society as a whole. By prioritizing accountability and collective welfare, we can shape a future where AI empowers everyone, not just a select few. 1．What is the consequence of diverse points of view on AI? A．Enhancing our ability to tackle AI issues. B．Advancing the standardization of AI guidelines. C．Delaying the creation of effective AI regulations. D．Breaking the integrity of current AI legal framework. 2．The author quotes David Brock’s words in order to ______. A．prove that AI has positive impacts B．confirm that doomsayers’ worries are justified C．suggest that the concerns over AI are overstated D．show that current struggles have serious outcomes 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．A publicly directed AI project will ultimately empower the select few. B．Reformers advocate human-centered AI systems to gain personal profits. C．Warriors pursue dominance in national security by improving AI morally. D．Lawmakers should toughen rules limiting corporate influence for public good. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．The Battle over AI: Power and Benefit B．Perspectives on AI: Individualism or Collectivism C．The Argument about AI: Reformers vs. Doomsayers D．Debates on the Future of AI: Innovation or Regulation 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．D 4．A 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了关于人工智能的不同观点，包括末日论者、改革者和战士等不同群体对人工智能的看法，最后强调，为了最小化潜在危害并确保人工智能服务于公共利益，需要加强法律框架，限制企业过度扩张，促进人工智能发展的透明度，并通过公共指导的项目平衡企业影响力。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段中“Actually, beneath the surface of AI discussions lies conflict among divided groups, which may mislead lawmakers and the public and prevent competent regulatory measures.(实际上，在人工智能讨论的表面之下，存在着不同群体之间的冲突，这可能会误导立法者和公众，并阻碍有效的监管措施)”可知，对于人工智能持不同观点会导致有效的监管措施被阻碍，即延迟制定有效的人工智能法规。故选C。 2．推理判断题。根据第二段中“While many doomsayers claim they are reasonable, their exaggerated concerns about hypothetical (假设的) existential risks amount to a misguided bet with humanity’s future. Technology historian David Brock calls such fears “wishful worries” — that is, problems that it would be nice to have, in contrast to the actual struggles of the present.(尽管许多末日论者声称他们是合理的，但他们对假想存在风险的夸大担忧相当于对人类未来的错误押注。科技历史学家David Brock称这种担忧为“一厢情愿的担忧”——也就是说，与目前的实际斗争相比，最好有这些问题)”可推知，前一句提到许多末日论者夸大了人工智能的风险，后一句是引用David Brock的话是为了证明前一句的观点。故选C。 3．推理判断题。根据最后一段中“To minimize potential harms and ensure that AI serves the public interest, it is crucial to strengthen legal frameworks that close existing gaps and hold corporations accountable. Expanding regulatory strategies can help restrict corporate overreach and foster transparency in AI development. Publicly directed projects can counterbalance corporate influence, ensuring that AI benefits society as a whole.(为了最大限度地减少潜在危害并确保人工智能服务于公众利益，加强法律框架以缩小现有差距并使企业承担责任至关重要。扩大监管战略有助于限制企业的过度扩张，提高人工智能发展的透明度。公共指导的项目可以抵消企业的影响，确保人工智能造福整个社会)”可推知，立法者应该加强规则，限制企业的影响力，以造福公众。故选D。 4．主旨大意题。根据全文内容，结合第一段中“Understanding the motivations behind these differing views is crucial to addressing AI’s societal impact.(理解这些不同观点背后的动机对于解决人工智能的社会影响至关重要)”和最后一段中“Publicly directed projects can counterbalance corporate influence, ensuring that AI benefits society as a whole. By prioritizing accountability and collective welfare, we can shape a future where AI empowers everyone, not just a select few.(公共指导的项目可以抵消企业的影响，确保人工智能造福整个社会。通过优先考虑问责制和集体福利，我们可以塑造一个人工智能赋予每个人权力的未来，而不仅仅是少数人)”可知，文章主要讲述了关于人工智能的不同观点，包括末日论者、改革者和战士等不同群体对人工智能的看法，最后强调，为了最小化潜在危害并确保人工智能服务于公共利益，需要加强法律框架，限制企业过度扩张，促进人工智能发展的透明度，并通过公共指导的项目平衡企业影响力。由此可知，A项“人工智能之战：权力与利益”适合作文章最佳标题。故选A。 （24-25高三上·北京西城·期末）In the early 1900s, an American chemist named Harvey W. Wiley led the famous “Poison Squad” experiment. His studies revealed the dangers of unregulated (未经监管的) food additives and raised public awareness about the importance of knowing what was in the food they consumed. However, it wasn’t until nearly 90 years later that companies in the U. S. began disclosing the ingredients inside the boxes, cans, and bags that lined grocery store shelves. Fast-forward to today, and it’s hard to imagine walking through a supermarket without seeing these labels. Yet, when we surf the Internet — another essential marketplace in our lives — we often absorb vast amounts of digital information without any understanding of its emotional or mental “nutritional value.” But what if every webpage came with a content label? A study we conducted, published today in Nature Human Behavior, revealed that individuals with poorer mental health tended to seek out more negative and frightening content online. This, in turn, worsened their symptoms, creating a destructive cycle. To break this cycle, we introduced content labels that provided users with emotional “nutrition information” about the websites they were about to visit. Would this webpage make you feel better or worse? Was it full of negativity, or was it likely to brighten your mood? When users were shown these labels on the search engine results page, they were far less likely to click on negative content. As a result, this led to improved mood after browsing (浏览). However, it’s important to note that you wouldn’t want people to make decisions solely based on the emotional tone of a website. Staying informed about the world — despite the potential for sadness or anxiety — is often essential. To address this, we developed a plugin that provides users with not only labels about a website’s emotional tone but also scores indicating the practicality, helpfulness, and ability of the information to enhance understanding. These scores, displayed on the search engine results page, are calculated using a machine learning algorithm (运算法则) trained on thousands of human assessments. Anne-Linda Camerini, a researcher specializing in digital media and mental health, pointed out that while much of the focus on mental health and technology has been on limiting screen time, the type of content we consume is just as critical. This shift could transform the conversation around mental health and technology. Instead of framing the Internet as inherently harmful, content labels offer a way to create a healthier digital experience. Just as nutrition labels empower people to make better food choices, content labels could enable users to make smarter, healthier decisions online. 1．What does the author intend to do by mentioning Harvey’s studies? A．Make a comparison. B．Illustrate a point. C．Suggest an alternative. D．Challenge an assumption. 2．According to the passage, how do content labels aim to create a healthier digital experience? A．By encouraging users to avoid the Internet altogether. B．By showing emotional tone and website usefulness. C．By training users to spend less time online. D．By restricting access to negative content. 3．What is the purpose of this passage? A．To stress the necessity of categorizing webpages. B．To suggest new solutions to mental health problems. C．To criticize social media sites for spreading negativity. D．To highlight the importance of regulating online content. 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．A 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了网站内容标签的作用以及重要性。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段“In the early 1900s, an American chemist named Harvey W. Wiley led the famous “Poison Squad” experiment. His studies revealed the dangers of unregulated (未经监管的) food additives and raised public awareness about the importance of knowing what was in the food they consumed. However, it wasn’t until nearly 90 years later that companies in the U. S. began disclosing the ingredients inside the boxes, cans, and bags that lined grocery store shelves.(20世纪初，一位名叫Harvey W. Wiley的美国化学家领导了著名的“毒药小队”实验。他的研究揭示了不受管制的食品添加剂的危险，并提高了公众对了解他们所食用的食品中含有什么的重要性的认识。然而，直到近90年后，美国的公司才开始披露杂货店货架上的盒子、罐子和袋子里的成分)”以及第二段“Fast-forward to today, and it’s hard to imagine walking through a supermarket without seeing these labels. Yet, when we surf the Internet — another essential marketplace in our lives — we often absorb vast amounts of digital information without any understanding of its emotional or mental “nutritional value.” But what if every webpage came with a content label?(快进到今天，很难想象在超市里看不到这些标签。然而，当我们上网时——我们生活中另一个重要的市场，我们经常吸收大量的数字信息，却不了解其情感或精神上的“营养价值”。但是如果每个网页都有一个内容标签呢？)”可知，作者提到哈维的研究是为了说明论点。故选B。 2．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“However, it’s important to note that you wouldn’t want people to make decisions solely based on the emotional tone of a website. Staying informed about the world — despite the potential for sadness or anxiety — is often essential. To address this, we developed a plugin that provides users with not only labels about a website’s emotional tone but also scores indicating the practicality, helpfulness, and ability of the information to enhance understanding.(然而，重要的是要注意，你不希望人们仅仅根据网站的情感基调来做决定。保持对世界的了解——尽管可能会感到悲伤或焦虑——通常是必不可少的。为了解决这个问题，我们开发了一个插件，它不仅可以为用户提供关于网站情感基调的标签，还可以为用户提供分数，表明信息的实用性、有用性和能力，以增强他们的理解)”可知，内容标签通过展示情感基调和网站有用性创造更健康的数字体验。故选B。 3．推理判断题。根据第二段“Yet, when we surf the Internet — another essential marketplace in our lives — we often absorb vast amounts of digital information without any understanding of its emotional or mental “nutritional value.” But what if every webpage came with a content label?(然而，当我们上网时——我们生活中另一个重要的市场，我们经常吸收大量的数字信息，却不了解其情感或精神上的“营养价值”。但是如果每个网页都有一个内容标签呢？)”结合文章主要说明了网站内容标签的作用以及重要性。可知，这篇文章的目的是强调网页分类的必要性。故选A。 （24-25高三上·北京石景山·期末）Physarum polycephalum, a single-celled slime mold (黏菌), lacks a brain and survives on rotting vegetables, but it may hold valuable insights for city planning, according to the researchers from University of Toronto. This greenish-yellow organism forms a complex network that can transfer nutrients efficiently, which researchers believe could model efficient networks for moving people and goods in urban settings. “Humans aren’t the only ones facing the challenge of designing efficient, tough networks,” says Raphael Kay, a master in engineering. “The slime mold has been shaped by hundreds of millions of years of evolution (进化), so in that sense, it is far more experienced at network design than we humans ever could be.” This idea isn’t new. In 2010, Japanese and U. K. researchers created a nutrient layout resembling the Tokyo subway nodes (节点), and the slime mold grew a network similar to the real system. This experiment sparked biologically inspired adaptive network design, leading to studies of rail and road networks using slime molds. Building on this, Kay and an architecture student Anthony developed a computer model that simulates (模拟) slime molds’ network-building process, aimed at architects, city planners, and other professionals. Their model allows users to specify factors like maximum cost or minimum travel time, generating networks that meet these criteria. To test it, they applied the model to Canada’s Wonderland amusement park and Toronto’s subway system. For Wonderland, their network offered 10% faster travel time at the same cost as the existing setup and was 80% more resilient at maintaining functionality if a part was blocked. For Toronto’ s subway, they found that a network with the same travel time as the real one was 40% less easily affected to disruption. While Kay and his team aren’t suggesting a complete redesign of current networks, their model offers insights for improvements. For instance, it could pinpoint the best places to add nodes or help in planning future layouts. The model can also autonomously generate network nodes based on data like population concentration, adapting to serve specific needs. Hatton, a collaborator, believes this tool could benefit diverse fields, not just those related to the movement of people or goods, but also fields like genetic engineering and energy networks, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary approaches. 1．What unique feature of the slime mold interests city planners? A．Its reliance on nutrients to survive. B．Its ability to form efficient networks. C．Its nature to grow in rotting vegetables. D．Its adaptive skill in a new environment. 2．Why does the author mention the experiment with Tokyo’s subway nodes? A．To highlight that the Tokyo subway system is efficient. B．To show that slime molds can recognize urban structures. C．To argue that Tokyo subway system needs to be improved. D．To suggest that slime molds can inspire unban network design. 3．What does the underlined word “resilient” probably mean in paragraph 5? A．Reliable. B．Relevant. C．Accurate. D．Advanced. 4．What can we learn from Kay and his team’s model? A．It can be applied beyond transportation. B．It can predict population growth patterns. C．It is limited to networks with simple layouts. D．It is recommended to redesign current networks. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．A 4．A 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了来自多伦多大学的研究人员如何从单细胞黏菌的网络结构中得到启发，用于城市规划和网络设计。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段“This greenish-yellow organism forms a complex network that can transfer nutrients efficiently, which researchers believe could model efficient networks for moving people and goods in urban settings.(这种绿黄色的生物形成了一个可以有效传输营养的复杂网络，研究人员认为可以为在城市环境中转移人员和货物提供高效的网络模型)”可知，黏菌形成高效网络的能力引起了城市规划者的兴趣。故选B。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段“This experiment sparked biologically inspired adaptive network design, leading to studies of rail and road networks using slime molds.(这一实验引发了生物启发的自适应网络设计，导致了对使用黏菌研究铁路和道路网络的研究) ”可知，提到东京的地铁节点实验是为了表明黏菌可以激发城市网络设计的灵感。故选D。 3．词句猜测题。根据第五段“For Wonderland, their network offered 10% faster travel time at the same cost as the existing setup and was 80% more resilient at maintaining functionality if a part was blocked.(对于Wonderland amusement park，他们的网络在成本不变的情况下提供了10%的更快旅行时间，并且如果一部分被阻塞，它在保持功能方面的resilient提高了80%。）可知，这里的“resilient”是指这个网络体系在受阻时保持功能的能力，即可靠的。故选A。 4．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Hatton, a collaborator, believes this tool could benefit diverse fields, not just those related to the movement of people or goods, but also fields like genetic engineering and energy networks, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary approaches.(合作者哈顿认为，这种工具可以使不同的领域受益，不仅仅是那些与人员或货物流动有关的领域，还包括基因工程和能源网络等领域，强调了跨学科方法的重要性) ”可知，Kay和他团队的模型不仅可以应用于交通领域。故选A。 （24-25高三上·北京昌平·期末）Creativity is a product of the human mind. But why are some people more creative than others? Having a unique brain has been proposed as one possibility. Take Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's musical creativity. It has been suggested that he had Tourette's syndrome, a brain condition linked to a range of symptoms, which could have played a role. Other proposals link creativity to intelligence or even to the use of certain drugs. In the Creative Brain: Myths and truths, scientist Anna Abraham examines these ideas and four more, describing them as myths (谬见) and each is discussed in a chapter. But rather than fully debunk them, Abraham's precondition is that they all contain a truth. She researches into how these beliefs developed and spread — and why they are so hard to desert. Her focus is on how misinformation is often related to conflicting results in the scientific evidence that is supposed to back them up. Take the common idea that the brain's right hemisphere (脑半球) is associated with creativity. Both behavioral and brain-based studies have explored this, but findings are hard to compare because the ways of measuring different aspects, such as the level of creativity, vary greatly. This means we can find evidence supporting both the right and left hemispheres being dominant in creative activities, as well as the joint involvement of the two. Such problems, says Abraham, originate in the fact that creativity typically involves many elements but the focus is often drawn to just one, the imagination needed to make something new. Other aspects — such as the drive to create, the hard work involved and the ability to produce something that sympathizes with an audience — are also crucial. Many explanations, she says, treat creativity too simplistically: for example, taking certain drugs can make someone more open, and thus better able to think creatively, but may not affect their motivation. Abraham provides a good summarization of the relationship between creativity and the brain, covering a lot of ground while doing so. She encourages readers to think more deeply about brain-based creativity theories, even if they seem backed up by evidence. How creativity originates in the brain is complex and probably can't be explained by a simple narrative. Perhaps we need a new approach. 1．What does the word “debunk” underlined in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A．Deny. B．Expose. C．Approve. D．Clarify. 2．What can we learn about creativity from the passage? A．It helps to sympathize with an audience. B．It is dominated by the brain's right hemisphere. C．It is a complex process involving many factors. D．It can be enhanced by hard work and motivation. 3．As for brain-based creativity theories, Abraham is __________. A．appreciative B．disapproving C．unconcerned D．objective 4．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To explore the myths and truths about creativity and the brain. B．To prove that creativity is greatly linked with a unique brain. C．To argue that creativity is mainly determined by intelligence. D．To encourage the use of drugs to partly enhance creativity. 【答案】1．A 2．C 3．D 4．A 【导语】这是一篇说明文，主要探讨关于创造力与大脑之间的关系的各种观点和误解，并分析了这些观点的形成原因。 1．词句猜测题。根据文章第三段“But rather than fully debunk them, Abraham’s precondition is that they all contain a truth.(而不是完全 debunk它们，亚伯拉罕假设它们都含有某种真理)”可知，假设它们都含有某种真理，所以亚伯拉罕没有完全地去否定这些观点。debunk意思为“揭穿，否认”。故选A。 2．细节理解题。根据文章第六段“Such problems, says Abraham, originate in the fact that creativity typically involves many elements but the focus is often drawn to just one, the imagination needed to make something new.(亚伯拉罕说，这样的问题源于创造力通常涉及许多元素，但重点常常集中在一个元素上，即创造新事物所需要的想象力)”及第六段“Other aspects — such as the drive to create, the hard work involved and the ability to produce something that sympathizes with an audience — are also crucial.(其他方面——如创造的动力、所需的努力以及创作出能引起观众共鸣的能力——也是至关重要的)”可知，创造力是一个涉及许多因素的复杂过程。故选C。 3．推理判断题。根据第六段“Many explanations, she says, treat creativity too simplistically(她说，许多解释过于简单地对待创造力)”和最后一段“She encourages readers to think more deeply about brain-based creativity theories, even if they seem backed up by evidence.(她鼓励读者更加深入地思考基于大脑的创造力理论，即使这些理论似乎有证据支持)”可知，Abraham对大脑与创造力之间关系的观点是客观的。故选D。 4．推理判断题。根据第一段“But why are some people more creative than others? (但为什么有些人比其他人更有创造力？)以及第二段“Having a unique brain has been proposed as one possibility(一个独特的大脑已被提出作为一种可能性)”和最后一段“She encourages readers to think more deeply about brain-based creativity theories…(她鼓励读者更加深入地思考基于大脑的创造力理论……)”可知，本文旨在探索关于创造力和大脑的神秘和真相。故选A。 （24-25高三上·北京昌平·期末）Charles Darwin found inspiration for his theory of evolution in birds’ beaks, turtles’ shells and language. “The survival or preservation of certain favored words in the struggle for existence is natural selection,” he wrote in The Descent of Man. Language gradually shifts over time. Much research examines how social and environmental factors influence language change but very little explores the forces of human cognitive (认知的) selection that fix certain words into the dictionary. For an extensive new study, published in a journal, scientists investigated just that. In an experiment much like a game of telephone, thousands of participants read English-language stories and rewrote them to be read by other participants who then rewrote them for others. Only certain words from the first stories survived in the final versions. Researchers analyzed the word types speakers consistently favored, theorizing that such preferences drive language change over time. The scientists also separately analyzed two large collections of English historical texts from the past two centuries, containing more than 40 billion words — again seeing only certain types survive. The results showed three features that give words an“evolutionary (进化的)advantage” by helping them stick in the brain. First, words typically acquired at an early age, such as “hand,” “uncle” or “today”, are stabler. Next, concrete words exist better than abstract ones: “dog” stays longer than “animal”, which persists longer than “organism”. Lastly, emotionally exciting words — whether negative or positive — tend to be permanent. Early language-evolution models assumed that language becomes increasingly complex over time. But a cognitive scientist Fritz Breithaupt says the new study supports a more recent theory that language ultimately gets more efficient and easier to understand. Still, as the study notes, “the English language is not baby talk.” Breithaupt explains, “Yes, we shift toward simple language, but then we also grab complex language that we need.” New words that address the complexity of modern life may somewhat balance out this shift. The proposed trend toward “simpler” language is debatable. A linguist John McWhorter questions implications regarding the overall efficiency of English — a language he says contains things like “unnecessarily complex” grammatical traces. Study lead author Ying Li notes that English had even more complicated grammar in the past. “John McWhorter would complain more if he traveled back800 years ago,” Li supposes. 1．What is Paragraph 3 mainly discussed about the research? A．Conclusion and significance. B．Background and purpose. C．Method and limitations. D．Process and findings. 2．According to Breithaupt, the English language tends to be ______. A．more concrete with difficulty B．more practical with efficiency C．more complicated with abstraction D．more understandable with vividness 3．What would be the best title for this passage? A．Who promotes the study of language evolution? B．How does language gradually shift over time? C．What makes a word survive or go extinct? D．Why are certain words favored by people? 【答案】1．D 2．B 3．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要探讨了语言进化的机制，尤其是某些词汇在大脑中的“进化优势”，同时也探讨了语言变化中简单化与复杂化的平衡问题。 1．主旨大意题。根据第三段中的“In an experiment much like a game of telephone, thousands of participants read English-language stories and rewrote them to be read by other participants who then rewrote them for others. Only certain words from the first stories survived in the final versions. Researchers analyzed the word types speakers consistently favored, theorizing that such preferences drive language change over time. The scientists also separately analyzed two large collections of English historical texts from the past two centuries, containing more than 40 billion words— again seeing only certain types survive.(在一个很像电话游戏的实验中，数千名参与者阅读英语故事，然后重写给其他参与者阅读，然后其他参与者再重写给其他人看。在最后的版本中，最初的故事中只有某些词留存了下来。研究人员分析了说话者一直喜欢的词汇类型，并提出了这样的偏好会导致语言随着时间的推移而变化的理论。科学家们还分别分析了过去两个世纪的两大英语历史文本集，其中包含400多亿个单词，再次发现只有某些类型的单词幸存下来)”可知，本段详细描述了研究的具体过程（实验设计）和发现（偏好“幸存”词的特性），即“实验过程与研究发现”，故选D。 2．推理判断题 。根据第五段“But a cognitive scientist Fritz Breithaupt says the new study supports a more recent theory that language ultimately gets more efficient and easier to understand.(但认知科学家Fritz Breithaupt表示，这项新研究支持一种较新的理论，即语言最终变得更加高效、更容易理解)”可知，Breithaupt认为英语语言倾向于变得更实际和高效。 故选B。 3．主旨大意题。整篇文章的中心围绕语言进化的驱动因素，重点分析了“哪些单词会保留下来，哪些会消失”，尤其在研究中得出的几个单词具有“进化优势”的特性：早期习得的词、具体词以及带有情绪激动性（正面或负面）的词。文章反复强调的是单词如何在变化中“生存”与“灭绝”。结合选项，C选项“What makes a word survive or go extinct?”（是什么让一个单词存活或消亡？）最能概括文章主题。 故选C。 （24-25高三上·北京东城·期末）In 1993, a ship sailed into the Pacific Ocean carrying nearly 1,000 pounds of iron, then dumped it all into the waves. The next morning, the water turned a little greenish due to newly emerged phytoplankton (浮游生物). The microorganisms, which need iron to grow, draw CO₂ out of the air. Fertilizing the ocean with iron is a form of geoengineering, a set of technologies fascinating for their potential to meaningfully impact Earth’s systems, and controversial for the same reason. As the planet heats, geoengineering is employed to manipulate (控制) it in novel ways, whether researchers mist the skies with sea salt to increase how much sunlight clouds reflect or invent machines to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Engineering home-grown plankton sounds like a less dramatic approach. But the field is so new that scientists don’t yet know whether geoengineering with microorganisms would really be a gentler form of climate intervention. Microbes, after all, play enormously consequential roles in the world around us and within us. For the best chance of keeping Earth liveable, scientists need to understand exactly how the microscopic creatures might be useful, and perhaps even preferable to the more sci-fi approaches to cooling off the world. One favored approach centers on methane, a greenhouse gas accounting for 30% of the rise in global temperature. Mary Lidstrom, a professor, is working on genetically modifying bacteria that naturally consume methane, so that the microbes pull even more gas from the air. The bacteria would live inside facilities known as bioreactors. They could be positioned near known methane sources — landfills and wetlands — to minimize the amount of methane that makes it into the air. Scaling up any kind of climate engineering is tricky. Significantly slowing warming caused by methane would require about 300,000 bioreactors to be active for 20 years. And the downstream effects are difficult to predict, let alone contain. For example, the iron put into the Pacific Ocean could have consequences for other regions of the world’s seas. Also, there’s nearly as much uncertainty about intended effects. Scientists don’t know for sure how effective these concepts will prove to be. The 1993 ship expeditions, for example, didn’t stick around very long; the journeys were expensive, and scientists couldn’t remain at sea to determine what exactly was happening in the depths. Carbon stolen out of the atmosphere should remain buried for at least a century for maximum impact Yet it’s entirely possible that if the phytoplankton doesn’t sink to deep enough waters, it just gets eaten by the organisms in the surface ocean, and that CO₂ just returns to the atmosphere. The hotter the planet gets, the more attractive geoengineering will likely seem. Short of large-scale behavioral changes globally, we do seem to be committing ourselves to an engineered solution on our current routes. We might have to decide, sooner than we think, which levers we need to pull, large or small. 1．What can we learn about geoengineering? A．Ocean iron-fertilization is on the horizon. B．Sunlight-reflection method is cost-effective. C．Methane-eating bacteria are being improved. D．Gas-sucking machine is a theoretical concept. 2．What can we infer from Paragraph 4 about the geoengineering approaches? A．Their impact on the ecosystem is overlooked. B．Their implications are hard to anticipate. C．They call for decades of preparation. D．They are monitored continuously. 3．The iron-fertilization experiment may achieve its intended effects if __________. A．the target microbes survive B．carbon is stored separately C．the phytoplankton grows faster D．more deep-sea organisms are tested 4．What might be the best title for the passage? A．How Will Geoengineering Better Earth’s Systems? B．How to Cool the World Without Blocking the Sun? C．How to Steal Carbon with Sci-fi Approaches? D．How Can the Engineered Solution Deliver? 【答案】1．C 2．B 3．B 4．A 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了地球工程(geoengineering)这一技术，包括其向海洋施铁以促进浮游生物生长吸收二氧化碳、改造细菌消耗甲烷等方法，同时也探讨了其潜在的不确定性和风险。 1．细节理解题。根据第三段中“One favored approach centers on methane, a greenhouse gas accounting for 30% of the rise in global temperature. Mary Lidstrom, a professor, is working on genetically modifying bacteria that naturally consume methane, so that the microbes pull even more gas from the air. (一种受欢迎的方法是以甲烷为中心，甲烷是一种温室气体，占全球温度上升的30%。教授Mary Lidstrom正在研究如何基因改造自然消耗甲烷的细菌，以便这些微生物从空气中吸收更多的气体)”可知，关于地球工程，有科学家正在研究如何基因改造消耗甲烷的细菌，即改进食用甲烷的细菌。故选C项。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段“Significantly slowing warming caused by methane would require about 300,000 bioreactors to be active for 20 years. And the downstream effects are difficult to predict, let alone contain. For example, the iron put into the Pacific Ocean could have consequences for other regions of the world’s seas.(要想显著减缓甲烷引起的气候变暖，需要大约30万个生物反应器在20年内保持活跃。下游的影响很难预测，更不用说控制了。例如，进入太平洋的铁可能会对世界海洋的其他地区产生影响)”可推知，地球工程方法可能带来其它后果，其影响很难预测。故选B项。 3．推理判断题。根据第五段中“Carbon stolen out of the atmosphere should remain buried for at least a century for maximum impact Yet it’s entirely possible that if the phytoplankton doesn’t sink to deep enough waters, it just gets eaten by the organisms in the surface ocean, and that CO₂ just returns to the atmosphere. (从大气中窃取的碳应该被埋藏至少一个世纪才能产生最大影响。然而，如果浮游植物没有下沉到足够深的水域，它很可能会被表层海洋中的生物吃掉，而二氧化碳则会重新回到大气中)”可推知，如果碳被单独储存起来，即不被表层海洋中的生物吃掉而回到大气中，那么向海洋施铁以促进浮游生物生长的实验就可能达到其预期效果。故选B项。 4．主旨大意题。通读全文，结合第一段中“Fertilizing the ocean with iron is a form of geoengineering, a set of technologies fascinating for their potential to meaningfully impact Earth’s systems, and controversial for the same reason. (向海洋施铁是一种地球工程，这是一套因其有可能对地球系统产生有意义的影响而令人着迷的技术，也因此而引发争议)”可知，文章主要介绍了地球工程这一技术，包括向海洋施铁以促进浮游生物生长吸收二氧化碳、改造细菌消耗甲烷等方法，同时也探讨了其潜在的不确定性和风险。故A选项“How Will Geoengineering Better Earth’s Systems?(地球工程将如何改善地球系统？)”是文章内容的概括，最适合作文章标题。故选A项。 （24-25高三上·北京顺义·期末）One day in the fall of 2023, a young Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross was lying listless in southeastern Brazil’s Santos Basin. Beach monitors found the young bird in the sand, weak and dying. The cause of the albatross’s disaster was evident: it was caught in a weather balloon, which, sadly, is just one instance of a bigger environmental headache. Globally, hundreds of thousands of weather balloons are launched into the sky every year, and the majority are never recovered. Instead, their waste—a mix of latex, cotton and plastics — remains in marine (海洋的) ecosystems for years. And because only a small percentage of dead animals wash ashore, the impact is likely worse than the numbers suggest. The root of this mounting trouble lies in the very nature of how weather balloons operate. Weather balloons are used to get high-altitude (高空) data like air temperature and pressure. Once a balloon has travelled up about 21 miles and its volume has grown 100-fold, it explodes, shooting pieces in all directions. Australian researchers at the Tangaroa Blue Foundation first flagged the problem of weather-balloon garbage a decade ago. Over 21 months, they collected 2,460 pieces of weather-balloon litter around the Great Barrier Reef. The researchers estimated that up to 70 percent of Australia’ s weather balloons end up in the ocean. One study notes that while some of the materials used in weather balloons are considered biodegradable, much of it is not breaking down quickly. Some companies have produced special materials now made from plant-based fiber designed to weaken much faster than previous cotton versions. But the new models are 20 to 30 percent more expensive. Despite the higher cost, weather bureaus (局) have started to reduce the impact by trying out more sustainable balloons and switching from white to blue balloons, which marine animals may be less likely to mistake for food. Some agencies also announced they would be testing drones (无人机) to collect weather data, which are recoverable. Weather agencies aren’t trialing these new devices only because they’ re more sustainable; they also want better data. For now, though, balloons still fly much higher than drones, so they remain an important data-collecting tool. Lower-impact versions would at least be a small improvement for the ocean’s animals. 1．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about? A．The functions of weather balloons. B．The problems of using weather balloons. C．The composition of weather balloon waste. D．The difficulty of weather balloon recycling. 2．What can we learn about weather balloons? A．Weather balloon waste can hardly break down. B．New versions of weather balloons are being tried. C．Weather balloons cause the death of most sea animals. D．Drones are better in collecting data than weather balloons. 3．What does the author think of the changes mentioned in the passage? A．Valuable but risky. B．Exciting and hopeful. C．Necessary and reliable. D．Promising but incomplete. 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．D 【导语】本文是说明文。文章主要介绍了气象气球对海洋生态系统造成的影响，包括气象气球的使用、废弃物问题、现有解决方案以及未来可能的替代方案。 1．主旨大意题。根据第二段“Globally, hundreds of thousands of weather balloons are launched into the sky every year, and the majority are never recovered. Instead, their waste — a mix of latex, cotton and plastics — remains in marine (海洋的) ecosystems for years. And because only a small percentage of dead animals wash ashore, the impact is likely worse than the numbers suggest.(在全球范围内，每年有数十万个气象气球被发射到天空中，其中大多数都没有被回收。相反，它们的废物——乳胶、棉花和塑料的混合物——会在海洋生态系统中留存多年。由于只有一小部分死亡动物被冲上岸，因此影响可能比数字所显示的更严重)”可知，本段主要讲述使用气象气球导致的问题。故选B项。 2．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“Some companies have produced special materials now made from plant-based fiber designed to weaken much faster than previous cotton versions. But the new models are 20 to 30 percent more expensive. Despite the higher cost, weather bureaus (局) have started to reduce the impact by trying out more sustainable balloons and switching from white to blue balloons, which marine animals may be less likely to mistake for food.(一些公司已经生产出由植物纤维制成的特殊材料，这种材料比以前的棉质材料更容易变弱。但是新型号要贵20%到30%。尽管成本更高，但气象部门已经开始尝试使用更可持续的气球，并将白色气球换成蓝色气球，以减少海洋动物误以为食物的可能性)”可知，新版本的气象气球正在试验中。故选B项。 3．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Weather agencies aren’t trialing these new devices only because they’ re more sustainable; they also want better data. For now, though, balloons still fly much higher than drones, so they remain an important data-collecting tool. Lower-impact versions would at least be a small improvement for the ocean’s animals.(气象机构试用这些新设备并不仅仅是因为它们更可持续；他们也想要更好的数据。但就目前而言，气球仍然比无人机飞得高得多，因此它们仍然是重要的数据收集工具。对海洋动物来说，低影响的版本至少是一个小小的改善)”可推知，作者认为目前的改变是有希望的但还不完善。故选D项。 （24-25高三上·北京丰台·期末）On May 4, 2017, 395 migratory (迁徙的) birds died after crashing into a tall building in Galveston, Texas. Their migration routes are full of danger — including bright city lights. Every year, millions of birds are thought to be killed in building collisions in the US. The scene of the mass collision in Galveston was a skyscraper which has four corner spotlights and glowing green LED lights around the top. The influence of artificial lights in urban spaces is a well-known phenomenon among birds, but is still not fully understood. Birds tend to migrate by night, and use the stars to navigate. During nocturnal (夜间的) migration, they are often seen gathering around or crashing into lit-up windows or gathering around beams of projected light. The artificial glow of cities appears to attract them for stopovers. One explanation is that they may generally fly towards light sources, but also, that the artificial light confuses, traps and disorients them. Every tragedy is an opportunity to educate. The accident prompted bird conservation organisations to take action and jointly develop a science-based response. Several campaigns encouraged building owners and developers to switch off non-essential lighting to help travelling birds. Soon the first Lights Out for Birds programme was formed, which has now expanded into the statewide. Meanwhile, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed a way to forecast bird migration during specific times and locations, using radar. The resulting BirdCast migration forecast maps are freely accessible. Their live migration map allows anyone to check how many birds are migrating now, and where, as well as how many are predicted to pass in the near future. For one night in October, they recorded a “billion bird night”, with that number or more birds passing in a single night. Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist said that early data collection suggests that Light Out is effective, even with the limited data and uncontrollable factors. Moreover, Farnsworth points out protecting species that move presents special challenges for researchers and conservationists. Migrating birds can travel thousands of kilometres, crossing and stopping in many different habitats, traversing borders, and flying through cities — which are continuing to grow around the world. There is no single solution to helping migrating birds. Instead, spreading awareness, empathy and efficient enforcement are all crucial in keeping birds safe and avoiding collisions. “We need to keep our connection to nature through our eyes, ears, nose, whatever to experience the core of all this research and observation.” 1．According to the passage, why do the migrating birds hit the buildings? A．Their routes are blocked by tall buildings. B．They attempt to avoid potential dangers. C．They are affected by the artificial lights. D．Their migration patterns have changed. 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Light Out is thought to be helpful despite data limitations. B．BirdCast needs further improvement in tracking accuracy. C．Light Out can guide migrating birds away from artificial lights. D．BirdCast can predict the number and species of migrating birds. 3．As for helping migrating birds,which would the author agree with? A．It is worthwhile to improve Light Out. B．It is necessary to make effective regulations. C．It is crucial to work out a one-button solution. D．It is essential to integrate multiple aspects’ effort. 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．D 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了城市中的人工灯光对鸟类迁徙的影响，介绍了科学家和保护组织开展一些项目，通过管理灯光来减少鸟类的碰撞。 1．细节理解题。根据文章第二段中“Birds tend to migrate by night, and use the stars to navigate. During nocturnal (夜间的) migration, they are often seen gathering around or crashing into lit-up windows or gathering around beams of projected light.(鸟类倾向于在夜间迁徙，并通过星星导航。在夜间迁徙时，它们经常会聚集在或撞击到明亮的窗户或聚集在投射光束周围)”可知，迁徙的鸟类受到人工灯光的影响而撞上了建筑物。故选C。 2．推理判断题。根据文章第四段中“Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist said that early data collection suggests that Light Out is effective, even with the limited data and uncontrollable factors.(迁徙生态学家Andrew Farnsworth表示，早期的数据收集表明，‘熄灯’计划是有效的，尽管数据有限且有不可控因素)”可知，尽管数据有限，“熄灯”计划被认为是有帮助的。故选A。 3．推理判断题。根据文章最后一段“There is no single solution to helping migrating birds. Instead, spreading awareness, empathy and efficient enforcement are all crucial in keeping birds safe and avoiding collisions.(帮助迁徙鸟类没有单一的解决方案。相反，传播意识、同情心和有效的执行力在保护鸟类安全和避免碰撞方面都至关重要)”可知，作者认为整合多方面的努力是必需的。故选D。 （24-25高三上·北京朝阳·期末）Pure mathematics fascinates me, precisely because it is so inaccessible. I envision it as a remote, chilly, dangerous place, like Antarctica’s Sentinel Range. The hard y souls who surmount its peaks seem superhuman. Perhaps because I romanticize mathematicians, I’m troubled by the thought that machines might replace them. I stated this possibility in The Death of Proof, published in the October 1993 Scientific American. In response to the growing complexity of mathematics, I reported, mathematicians were becoming increasingly reliant on computers. I asked, “Will the great mathematicians of the next century be made of silicon (硅)?” Mathematicians are still annoyed about that article, even as the trends I described have continued. Anthony Bordg at Cambridge University worries that his field could face a “replication crisis” (复制危机) like that troubling scientific research. Mathematicians, Bordg notes, sometimes accept a proof not because they have checked it, step by step, but because they trust the proof’s methods and author. Given the “increasing difficulty in checking the correctness of mathematical arguments”, old-fashioned peer review may no longer be sufficient. Outstanding mathematicians have published “proofs” so novel and elaborate that even specialists in the relevant mathematics can’t validate them. Bordg suggests computerized “proof assistants ” will help confirm proofs. Researchers have already invented an “interactive theorem prover (交互式定理证明程序)” that can check proofs and even propose improvements. Some mathematicians welcome the digitization of mathematics for accuracy. Others are conflicted. Michael Harris sees mathematics as “a free, creative activity” pursued for its own sake, for the pure joy of discovery and insight. He worries such tools will encourage a “limited vision” of mathematics as an economic product rather than “a way of being human”. After all, many funders of mathematical research, including technology giants, value mathematics primarily for its applications. We value science for applications, too. Sentimental science writing, including mine, implies that science’s purpose is insight into nature. In the modern era, however, science’s primary goal is power. Science helps us control nature for various ends: to enrich and entertain, to boost economy, and to defeat enemies. Modern physics, to most of us, is incomprehensible, but who cares when physics gives us smartphones and hydrogen bombs? Physicists often adopt a utilitarian (实用主义的) mindset, exemplified by the slogan “Shut up and calculate!” That is what professors supposedly tell students stuck in quantum mechanics. Stephen Hawking and Martin Rees have predicted artificial intelligence will play an increasing role in physics. Wouldn’t it be funny if a quantum AI finds the long-sought unified theory of physics, but not even brilliant theorist Edward Witten understands it? Given the powerful forces behind automatization, if machines can replace mathematicians, they probably will, just as they are replacing drivers, bank tellers, travel agents, cashiers and other workers. Mathematicians’ wishes, such as their desire to pursue truth purely for its own sake, might be unlikely. The charm of math can hardly be preserved in face of the powerful forces behind automatization. 1．“Replication crisis” is mentioned to _________. A．reduce a particular concern B．justify the use of digital assistants C．question the role of authority in math D．highlight the potential threat of machines 2．Advocates of utilitarianism in science would probably agree that _________. A．insight into nature is a priority B．automatization is a major trend C．quantum AI remains a fantasy D．power is an approach to digitization 3．What can be learned from this passage? A．Utilitarian mindset pushes physics forward. B．Quantum mechanics unifies theories of physics. C．The humanity of mathematics is hard to maintain. D．Leading mathematicians’ proofs are beyond understanding. 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要论述了数学家们越来越依赖计算机，研究领域可能会出现危机，对此不同的人表达了各自不同的看法。 1．推理判断题。根据第三段“Anthony Bordg at Cambridge University worries that his field could face a “replication crisis” (复制危机) like that troubling scientific research. Mathematicians, Bordg notes, sometimes accept a proof not because they have checked it, step by step, but because they trust the proof’s methods and author. Given the “increasing difficulty in checking the correctness of mathematical arguments”, old-fashioned peer review may no longer be sufficient. Outstanding mathematicians have published “proofs” so novel and elaborate that even specialists in the relevant mathematics can’t validate them. Bordg suggests computerized “proof assistants ” will help confirm proofs. Researchers have already invented an “interactive theorem prover (交互式定理证明程序)” that can check proofs and even propose improvements.(剑桥大学的Anthony Bordg担心，他的研究领域可能会面临像困扰科学研究那样的“复制危机”。博格指出，数学家有时接受一个证明，并不是因为他们已经一步一步地检验了它，而是因为他们信任这个证明的方法和作者。考虑到“检验数学论证正确性的难度越来越大”，老式的同行评议可能不再足够。杰出的数学家发表的“证明”是如此新颖和详尽，以至于连相关数学领域的专家都无法证实它们。Bordg建议计算机化的“证明助手”将帮助确认证据。研究人员已经发明了一种“交互式定理证明程序”，可以检查证明，甚至提出改进建议)”可知，提到“复制危机”是为了证明使用数字助理的合理性。故选B。 2．推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“Physicists often adopt a utilitarian (实用主义的) mindset, exemplified by the slogan “Shut up and calculate!” That is what professors supposedly tell students stuck in quantum mechanics. Stephen Hawking and Martin Rees have predicted artificial intelligence will play an increasing role in physics. (物理学家常常抱着实用主义的心态，他们的口号就是“闭嘴，计算！”这应该是教授们对被量子力学困住的学生们说的话。斯蒂芬·霍金和马丁·里斯预测，人工智能将在物理学中发挥越来越大的作用)”可知，像斯蒂芬·霍金和马丁·里斯的科学实用主义的倡导者预测人工智能将在物理学中发挥越来越大的作用，他们可能会同意自动化是一个主要趋势。故选B。 3．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Given the powerful forces behind automatization, if machines can replace mathematicians, they probably will, just as they are replacing drivers, bank tellers, travel agents, cashiers and other workers. Mathematicians’ wishes, such as their desire to pursue truth purely for its own sake, might be unlikely. The charm of math can hardly be preserved in face of the powerful forces behind automatization.(考虑到自动化背后的强大力量，如果机器能够取代数学家，它们很可能会取代数学家，就像它们正在取代司机、银行柜员、旅行社、收银员和其他工人一样。数学家们的愿望，比如纯粹为了追求真理而追求真理的愿望，可能不太可能实现。面对自动化背后的强大力量，数学的魅力很难保持)”可知，机器可能会取代数学家，数学家们纯粹为了追求真理而追求真理的愿望可能不太可能实现，数学的人性化很难维持。故选C。 （24-25高三上·北京·阶段练习）Albert Einstein’s 1915 masterpiece “The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity” is the first and still the best introduction to the subject, and I recommend it as such to students. But it probably wouldn’t be publishable in a scientific journal today. Why not? After all, it would pass with flying colours the tests of correctness and significance. And while popular belief holds that the paper was incomprehensible to its first readers, in fact many papers in theoretical physics are much more difficult. As the physicist Richard Feynman wrote, “There was a time when the newspapers said that only 12 men understood the theory of relativity. I do believe there might have been a time when only one man did, because he was the only guy who caught on, before he wrote his paper. But after people read the paper, a lot understood the theory of relativity in some way or other, certainly more than 12.” No, the problem is its style. It starts with a leisurely philosophical discussion of space and time and then continues with an exposition of known mathematics. Those two sections, which would be considered extraneous today, take up half the paper. Worse, there are zero citations of previous scientists’ work, nor are there any graphics. Those features might make a paper not even get past the first editors. A similar process of professionalization has transformed other parts of the scientific landscape. Requests for research time at major observatories or national laboratories are more rigidly structured. And anything involving work with human subjects, or putting instruments in space, involves piles of paperwork. We see it also in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Nobel Prize of high school science competitions. In the early decades of its 78-year history, the winning projects were usually the sort of clever but naive, amateurish efforts one might expect of talented beginners working on their own. Today, polished work coming out of internships (实习) at established laboratories is the norm. These professionalizing tendencies are a natural consequence of the explosive growth of modern science. Standardization and system make it easier to manage the rapid flow of papers, applications and people. But there are serious downsides. A lot of unproductive effort goes into jumping through bureaucratic hoops (繁文缛节), and outsiders face entry barriers at every turn. Of course, Einstein would have found his way to meeting modern standards and publishing his results. Its scientific core wouldn’t have changed, but the paper might not be the same taste to read. 1．According to Richard Feynman, Einstein’s 1915 paper ______. A．was a classic in theoretical physics B．turned out to be comprehensible C．needed further improvement D．attracted few professionals 2．What does the underlined word “extraneous” in Paragraph 4 mean? A．Unrealistic. B．Irrelevant. C．Unattractive. D．Imprecise. 3．According to the author, what is affected as modern science develops? A．The application of research findings. B．The principle of scientific research. C．The selection of young talents. D．The evaluation of laboratories. 4．Which would be the best title for this passage? A．What makes Einstein great? B．Will science be professionalized? C．Could Einstein get published today? D．How will modern science make advances? 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．C 4．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要围绕爱因斯坦的相对论论文《广义相对论的基础》展开，讨论了该论文在当代可能无法被科学期刊发表的原因，进而引出科学界专业化趋势的话题。 1．推理判断题。根据文章第三段“As the physicist Richard Feynman wrote, “There was a time when the newspapers said that only 12 men understood the theory of relativity. I do believe there might have been a time when only one man did, because he was the only guy who caught on, before he wrote his paper. But after people read the paper, a lot understood the theory of relativity in some way or other, certainly more than 12.”(正如物理学家理查德・费曼所写的那样：“曾经有段时间，报纸上说只有 12 个人理解相对论。我确实相信可能曾有那么一个阶段，只有一个人懂，因为在他撰写论文之前，只有他一人领悟了。但在人们读过这篇论文之后，很多人都或多或少地理解了相对论，肯定不止 12 个人。”)”可知，在人们阅读了爱因斯坦的论文之后，很多人都在某种程度上理解了相对论，肯定不止 12 个人能理解。这表明爱因斯坦 1915 年的论文结果是可以被理解的。故选B。 2．词句猜测题。根据划线单词上文以及所在句“No, the problem is its style. It starts with a leisurely philosophical discussion of space and time and then continues with an exposition of known mathematics. Those two sections, which would be considered extraneous today, take up half the paper.(不，问题在于它的风格。文章开篇先是对时空进行了一番从容的哲学探讨，接着又对已知的数学知识进行了阐述。如今看来，这两部分会被认为是 “extraneous”，并且它们占据了论文一半篇幅。)”可推测，文中提到爱因斯坦论文的前两部分，先是对时空进行哲学探讨，接着阐述已知数学知识。而从现代科学论文发表的角度来看，这样的内容被视作是多余、不重要的，与论文核心关联性不大的。划线单词的意思和“多余、不重要的”相似。选项B“Irrelevant（不相关的；无关紧要的）”符合这两部分内容在如今看来对于论文主体来说是多余、关联性不强的意思，与原文要表达的逻辑相符。故选B。 3．推理判断题。根据文章第六段“We see it also in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Nobel Prize of high school science competitions. In the early decades of its 78-year history, the winning projects were usually the sort of clever but naive, amateurish efforts one might expect of talented beginners working on their own. Today, polished work coming out of internships(实习) at established laboratories is the norm.(我们在 “再生元科学人才搜索”（高中科学竞赛的诺贝尔奖）中也能看到这种情况。在这项有着 78 年历史的赛事的最初几十年里，获奖项目通常是那种有创意但略显幼稚、带有业余性质的成果，是人们可能预想中那些有天赋的初学者独立开展研究所能取得的成果。而如今，在知名实验室实习后完成的成熟作品才是常态。)”可推测，这个高中科学竞赛中，早期获奖项目是有创意但幼稚、业余的初学者作品，而如今是在知名实验室实习后的成熟作品。这表明在现代科学发展过程中，对于年轻人才的选拔标准发生了变化。故选C。 4．主旨大意题。根据文章第一段“Albert Einstein’s 1915 masterpiece “The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity” is the first and still the best introduction to the subject, and I recommend it as such to students. But it probably wouldn’t be publishable in a scientific journal today.(阿尔伯特・爱因斯坦 1915 年的杰作《广义相对论的基础》是该领域的首部且至今仍是最佳的入门读物，我也因此向学生们推荐它。但在今天，它可能不会在科学期刊上发表了。)”以及全文内容可知，文章开篇以爱因斯坦 1915 年的论文《广义相对论的基础》为例，指出这篇在当时是杰作的论文在如今可能无法发表，随后从论文风格、科学领域的专业化进程等方面进行阐述，包括论文要求的变化、科学竞赛选拔人才标准的改变等，都是围绕爱因斯坦的论文在现代是否能发表这个核心话题展开，并讨论了现代科学发展导致的变化对论文发表等情况的影响。选项C“Could Einstein get published today?（爱因斯坦的论文在今天能发表吗？）”能够准确概括文章主旨，从爱因斯坦的论文入手，讨论现代科学的变化对论文发表的影响，是最合适的标题。故选C。 重难语篇拔高练 （24-25高三上·北京朝阳·期末）According to an idea called the “inflationary (暴胀的) multiverse”, the universe has been constantly expanding, which would have created a countless number of other universes. Collectively, these cosmic islands form what scientists call a “multiverse”. However, other universes may lie beyond our scientific reach, physically and philosophically. Consequently, the methodologies by which physicists might validate (验证) the multiverse and whether such validation is even possible remain unresolved inquiries. In science, hypotheses (假说) are used to propose explanations, but from hypotheses to theories, validation of predictions is essential to see whether initial assumptions are supported or disproved. Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli says, “It is hard to write theories that survive the proof of reality. Few survive thanks to a basic idea: Do not trust your fancies. Keep only the ideas that can be tested.” Rovelli adds, “Today many physicists are wasting time trying to guess and jumping to conclusions. This approach has never worked previously, and it is not working now.” The multiverse might be one of those wild guesses. Now, physicists are debating whether that problem moves the multiverse from physics to metaphysics, from the world of science to that of philosophy. Philosopher Richard Dawid believes scientists could support the multiverse hypotheses without actually finding physical support. “If we have a theory that seems to work, and have come up with nothing that works better, chances are our idea is right,” he says. Not everyone is so cheerful, though. Sabine Hossenfelder, another theoretical physicist, thinks “Without making contact with observation, a theory isn’t part of the natural sciences, and not physics.” Some supporters of the multiverse claim they have found physical evidence. Andrei Linde insists “Our universe seems fine-tuned (精调的) to be favourable to life, with a four-dimensional space in which we can live. It is certain that in an eternally inflating multiverse, one of the universes should turn out like ours. Each universe can have different physical laws and fundamentals. Given limitless changes, a universe on which humans can be born will be born. The multiverse actually explains why we’re here. And our existence, therefore, helps explain why the multiverse is plausible.” Just as Einstein’s theory of general relativity could only be confirmed recently with a billion-dollar instrument called LIGO, scientists may eventually discover more direct evidence of the multiverse. So far, all of science has relied on testability, but those tests take time, and most theoreticians want to wait it out. They are not ready to shelve an idea like the multiverse — which could actually be the answer to life, the universe and everything — until and unless they can prove to themselves it doesn’t exist. And that day may never come. 1．What can we learn from the passage? A．The multiverse is recognized as a theory. B．The multiverse starts debates on human existence. C．Rovelli criticizes physicists for their baseless fancies. D．Dawid emphasizes the necessity of physical evidence. 2．What does the underlined word “plausible” in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A．Credible. B．Complex. C．Essential. D．Fascinating. 3．As for the existence of multiverse, the author is _________. A．negative B．neutral C．certain D．positive 4．Which would be the best title for this passage? A．Mysteries of Multiverse: Fine-Tuned for Life B．Can Physicists Ever Prove the Multiverse Is Real? C．The Inflationary Multiverse: Proven Beyond Doubt D．Have Physicists Lost Their Minds in the Multiverse? 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．D 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要解释了什么是多元宇宙，以及物理学家对于这一概念的不同看法和论证。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli says, “It is hard to write theories that survive the proof of reality. Few survive thanks to a basic idea: Do not trust your fancies. Keep only the ideas that can be tested.” Rovelli adds, “Today many physicists are wasting time trying to guess and jumping to conclusions. This approach has never worked previously, and it is not working now.” The multiverse might be one of those wild guesses.(理论物理学家Carlo Rovelli说：“很难写出经得起现实证明的理论。很少有理论能幸存下来，这要归功于一个基本的理念：不要相信你的幻想。只保留那些可以被测试的想法。”Rovelli补充道：“今天，许多物理学家都在浪费时间去猜测和草率下结论。这种方法以前从未奏效，现在也行不通。”多元宇宙可能是这些大胆的猜测之一)”可知，罗维利批评物理学家毫无根据的幻想（包括多元宇宙），认为真正的理论需要现实上经得起被测试。故选C。 2．词句猜测题。根据划线词上文“It is certain that in an eternally inflating multiverse, one of the universes should turn out like ours. Each universe can have different physical laws and fundamentals. Given limitless changes, a universe on which humans can be born will be born. The multiverse actually explains why we’re here.(可以肯定的是，在一个永远膨胀的多元宇宙中，其中一个宇宙应该和我们的宇宙一样。每个宇宙都有不同的物理定律和基本原理。鉴于无限的变化，一个人类可以诞生的宇宙将会诞生。多元宇宙实际上解释了我们为什么在这里)”以及“And our existence, therefore, helps explain why the multiverse is(因此，我们的存在有助于解释为什么多元宇宙……)”可知，上文therefore表示因果关系，说明多元宇宙实际上解释了我们为什么在这里，而我们的存在有助于解释多元宇宙的概念是可信的。故划线词意思是“可信的”。故选A。 3．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Just as Einstein’s theory of general relativity could only be confirmed recently with a billion-dollar instrument called LIGO, scientists may eventually discover more direct evidence of the multiverse.(正如爱因斯坦的广义相对论直到最近才被价值数十亿美元的LIGO仪器证实一样，科学家们最终可能会发现多元宇宙的更直接证据)”和“They are not ready to shelve an idea like the multiverse — which could actually be the answer to life, the universe and everything — until and unless they can prove to themselves it doesn’t exist. And that day may never come.(他们还没有准备好搁置像多元宇宙这样的想法——它实际上可能是生命、宇宙和一切的答案——除非他们能证明它不存在。这一天可能永远不会到来)”可知，对于多元宇宙的存在，作者是肯定的态度。故选D。 4．主旨大意题。根据第一段“According to an idea called the “inflationary (暴胀的) multiverse”, the universe has been constantly expanding, which would have created a countless number of other universes. Collectively, these cosmic islands form what scientists call a “multiverse”. However, other universes may lie beyond our scientific reach, physically and philosophically. Consequently, the methodologies by which physicists might validate (验证) the multiverse and whether such validation is even possible remain unresolved inquiries.(根据一种被称为“暴胀多元宇宙”的观点，宇宙一直在不断膨胀，这将创造出无数的其他宇宙。总的来说，这些宇宙岛屿形成了科学家所谓的“多元宇宙”。然而，其他宇宙可能在物理和哲学上都超出了我们的科学范围。因此，物理学家可能用来验证多重宇宙的方法，以及这种验证是否可能，仍然是未解决的问题)”结合文章主要解释了什么是多元宇宙，以及物理学家对于这一概念的不同看法和论证。可知，B选项“物理学家能证明多元宇宙是真实的吗？”最符合文章标题。故选B。 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$ 备战2025年高考英语名校模拟真题速递(北京专用) 第二期 专题08 说明文10篇 基础语篇巩固练 （24-25高三上·北京石景山·期末）Experts frequently warn about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). Sadly, the rapid advancement of AI technology in recent years has not led to a common understanding of its risks, as it should have. Actually, beneath the surface of AI discussions lies conflict among divided groups, which may mislead lawmakers and the public and prevent competent regulatory measures. Understanding the motivations behind these differing views is crucial to addressing AI’s societal impact. The loudest perspective is a frightening vision from doomsayers (末日论者), who present AI as a threat to human existence, capable of wiping out life and controlling everything. This doomsaying is heightened by influential tech figures using tools like ChatGPT to shape the conversation. Some in this group focus on extreme disastrous risks and emphasize the distant future implications of our actions. While many doomsayers claim they are reasonable, their exaggerated concerns about hypothetical (假设的) existential risks amount to a misguided bet with humanity’s future. Technology historian David Brock calls such fears “wishful worries” — that is, problems that it would be nice to have, in contrast to the actual struggles of the present. While doomsayers focus on the distant future, reformers focus on immediate issues. They view AI reform as a matter of integrity, urging Big Tech to prioritize the public good over profit. These experts advocate for regulators to address current harms caused by AI, such as misinformation, monitoring, and algorithmic (算法的) unfairness. They propose initiatives like civil education for AI literacy and the design of human-centered systems to fight growing societal inequalities. Warriors, another group, describe AI through the language of national security and competitiveness. Their views benefit some tech giants and government agencies. Top AI firms seek costly regulations that they claim guard against crime and terrorism, which could secure their market dominance and limit startup competition. Governments, tightly connected to these firms, may prioritize defense applications over moral concerns, leading to regulatory blind spots. In conclusion, the differing viewpoints on AI underline the complexity of addressing its societal impact. To minimize potential harms and ensure that AI serves the public interest, it is crucial to strengthen legal frameworks that close existing gaps and hold corporations accountable. Expanding regulatory strategies can help restrict corporate overreach and foster transparency in AI development. Publicly directed projects can counterbalance corporate influence, ensuring that AI benefits society as a whole. By prioritizing accountability and collective welfare, we can shape a future where AI empowers everyone, not just a select few. 1．What is the consequence of diverse points of view on AI? A．Enhancing our ability to tackle AI issues. B．Advancing the standardization of AI guidelines. C．Delaying the creation of effective AI regulations. D．Breaking the integrity of current AI legal framework. 2．The author quotes David Brock’s words in order to ______. A．prove that AI has positive impacts B．confirm that doomsayers’ worries are justified C．suggest that the concerns over AI are overstated D．show that current struggles have serious outcomes 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．A publicly directed AI project will ultimately empower the select few. B．Reformers advocate human-centered AI systems to gain personal profits. C．Warriors pursue dominance in national security by improving AI morally. D．Lawmakers should toughen rules limiting corporate influence for public good. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．The Battle over AI: Power and Benefit B．Perspectives on AI: Individualism or Collectivism C．The Argument about AI: Reformers vs. Doomsayers D．Debates on the Future of AI: Innovation or Regulation （24-25高三上·北京西城·期末）In the early 1900s, an American chemist named Harvey W. Wiley led the famous “Poison Squad” experiment. His studies revealed the dangers of unregulated (未经监管的) food additives and raised public awareness about the importance of knowing what was in the food they consumed. However, it wasn’t until nearly 90 years later that companies in the U. S. began disclosing the ingredients inside the boxes, cans, and bags that lined grocery store shelves. Fast-forward to today, and it’s hard to imagine walking through a supermarket without seeing these labels. Yet, when we surf the Internet — another essential marketplace in our lives — we often absorb vast amounts of digital information without any understanding of its emotional or mental “nutritional value.” But what if every webpage came with a content label? A study we conducted, published today in Nature Human Behavior, revealed that individuals with poorer mental health tended to seek out more negative and frightening content online. This, in turn, worsened their symptoms, creating a destructive cycle. To break this cycle, we introduced content labels that provided users with emotional “nutrition information” about the websites they were about to visit. Would this webpage make you feel better or worse? Was it full of negativity, or was it likely to brighten your mood? When users were shown these labels on the search engine results page, they were far less likely to click on negative content. As a result, this led to improved mood after browsing (浏览). However, it’s important to note that you wouldn’t want people to make decisions solely based on the emotional tone of a website. Staying informed about the world — despite the potential for sadness or anxiety — is often essential. To address this, we developed a plugin that provides users with not only labels about a website’s emotional tone but also scores indicating the practicality, helpfulness, and ability of the information to enhance understanding. These scores, displayed on the search engine results page, are calculated using a machine learning algorithm (运算法则) trained on thousands of human assessments. Anne-Linda Camerini, a researcher specializing in digital media and mental health, pointed out that while much of the focus on mental health and technology has been on limiting screen time, the type of content we consume is just as critical. This shift could transform the conversation around mental health and technology. Instead of framing the Internet as inherently harmful, content labels offer a way to create a healthier digital experience. Just as nutrition labels empower people to make better food choices, content labels could enable users to make smarter, healthier decisions online. 1．What does the author intend to do by mentioning Harvey’s studies? A．Make a comparison. B．Illustrate a point. C．Suggest an alternative. D．Challenge an assumption. 2．According to the passage, how do content labels aim to create a healthier digital experience? A．By encouraging users to avoid the Internet altogether. B．By showing emotional tone and website usefulness. C．By training users to spend less time online. D．By restricting access to negative content. 3．What is the purpose of this passage? A．To stress the necessity of categorizing webpages. B．To suggest new solutions to mental health problems. C．To criticize social media sites for spreading negativity. D．To highlight the importance of regulating online content. （24-25高三上·北京石景山·期末）Physarum polycephalum, a single-celled slime mold (黏菌), lacks a brain and survives on rotting vegetables, but it may hold valuable insights for city planning, according to the researchers from University of Toronto. This greenish-yellow organism forms a complex network that can transfer nutrients efficiently, which researchers believe could model efficient networks for moving people and goods in urban settings. “Humans aren’t the only ones facing the challenge of designing efficient, tough networks,” says Raphael Kay, a master in engineering. “The slime mold has been shaped by hundreds of millions of years of evolution (进化), so in that sense, it is far more experienced at network design than we humans ever could be.” This idea isn’t new. In 2010, Japanese and U. K. researchers created a nutrient layout resembling the Tokyo subway nodes (节点), and the slime mold grew a network similar to the real system. This experiment sparked biologically inspired adaptive network design, leading to studies of rail and road networks using slime molds. Building on this, Kay and an architecture student Anthony developed a computer model that simulates (模拟) slime molds’ network-building process, aimed at architects, city planners, and other professionals. Their model allows users to specify factors like maximum cost or minimum travel time, generating networks that meet these criteria. To test it, they applied the model to Canada’s Wonderland amusement park and Toronto’s subway system. For Wonderland, their network offered 10% faster travel time at the same cost as the existing setup and was 80% more resilient at maintaining functionality if a part was blocked. For Toronto’ s subway, they found that a network with the same travel time as the real one was 40% less easily affected to disruption. While Kay and his team aren’t suggesting a complete redesign of current networks, their model offers insights for improvements. For instance, it could pinpoint the best places to add nodes or help in planning future layouts. The model can also autonomously generate network nodes based on data like population concentration, adapting to serve specific needs. Hatton, a collaborator, believes this tool could benefit diverse fields, not just those related to the movement of people or goods, but also fields like genetic engineering and energy networks, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary approaches. 1．What unique feature of the slime mold interests city planners? A．Its reliance on nutrients to survive. B．Its ability to form efficient networks. C．Its nature to grow in rotting vegetables. D．Its adaptive skill in a new environment. 2．Why does the author mention the experiment with Tokyo’s subway nodes? A．To highlight that the Tokyo subway system is efficient. B．To show that slime molds can recognize urban structures. C．To argue that Tokyo subway system needs to be improved. D．To suggest that slime molds can inspire unban network design. 3．What does the underlined word “resilient” probably mean in paragraph 5? A．Reliable. B．Relevant. C．Accurate. D．Advanced. 4．What can we learn from Kay and his team’s model? A．It can be applied beyond transportation. B．It can predict population growth patterns. C．It is limited to networks with simple layouts. D．It is recommended to redesign current networks. （24-25高三上·北京昌平·期末）Creativity is a product of the human mind. But why are some people more creative than others? Having a unique brain has been proposed as one possibility. Take Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's musical creativity. It has been suggested that he had Tourette's syndrome, a brain condition linked to a range of symptoms, which could have played a role. Other proposals link creativity to intelligence or even to the use of certain drugs. In the Creative Brain: Myths and truths, scientist Anna Abraham examines these ideas and four more, describing them as myths (谬见) and each is discussed in a chapter. But rather than fully debunk them, Abraham's precondition is that they all contain a truth. She researches into how these beliefs developed and spread — and why they are so hard to desert. Her focus is on how misinformation is often related to conflicting results in the scientific evidence that is supposed to back them up. Take the common idea that the brain's right hemisphere (脑半球) is associated with creativity. Both behavioral and brain-based studies have explored this, but findings are hard to compare because the ways of measuring different aspects, such as the level of creativity, vary greatly. This means we can find evidence supporting both the right and left hemispheres being dominant in creative activities, as well as the joint involvement of the two. Such problems, says Abraham, originate in the fact that creativity typically involves many elements but the focus is often drawn to just one, the imagination needed to make something new. Other aspects — such as the drive to create, the hard work involved and the ability to produce something that sympathizes with an audience — are also crucial. Many explanations, she says, treat creativity too simplistically: for example, taking certain drugs can make someone more open, and thus better able to think creatively, but may not affect their motivation. Abraham provides a good summarization of the relationship between creativity and the brain, covering a lot of ground while doing so. She encourages readers to think more deeply about brain-based creativity theories, even if they seem backed up by evidence. How creativity originates in the brain is complex and probably can't be explained by a simple narrative. Perhaps we need a new approach. 1．What does the word “debunk” underlined in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A．Deny. B．Expose. C．Approve. D．Clarify. 2．What can we learn about creativity from the passage? A．It helps to sympathize with an audience. B．It is dominated by the brain's right hemisphere. C．It is a complex process involving many factors. D．It can be enhanced by hard work and motivation. 3．As for brain-based creativity theories, Abraham is __________. A．appreciative B．disapproving C．unconcerned D．objective 4．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To explore the myths and truths about creativity and the brain. B．To prove that creativity is greatly linked with a unique brain. C．To argue that creativity is mainly determined by intelligence. D．To encourage the use of drugs to partly enhance creativity. （24-25高三上·北京昌平·期末）Charles Darwin found inspiration for his theory of evolution in birds’ beaks, turtles’ shells and language. “The survival or preservation of certain favored words in the struggle for existence is natural selection,” he wrote in The Descent of Man. Language gradually shifts over time. Much research examines how social and environmental factors influence language change but very little explores the forces of human cognitive (认知的) selection that fix certain words into the dictionary. For an extensive new study, published in a journal, scientists investigated just that. In an experiment much like a game of telephone, thousands of participants read English-language stories and rewrote them to be read by other participants who then rewrote them for others. Only certain words from the first stories survived in the final versions. Researchers analyzed the word types speakers consistently favored, theorizing that such preferences drive language change over time. The scientists also separately analyzed two large collections of English historical texts from the past two centuries, containing more than 40 billion words — again seeing only certain types survive. The results showed three features that give words an“evolutionary (进化的)advantage” by helping them stick in the brain. First, words typically acquired at an early age, such as “hand,” “uncle” or “today”, are stabler. Next, concrete words exist better than abstract ones: “dog” stays longer than “animal”, which persists longer than “organism”. Lastly, emotionally exciting words — whether negative or positive — tend to be permanent. Early language-evolution models assumed that language becomes increasingly complex over time. But a cognitive scientist Fritz Breithaupt says the new study supports a more recent theory that language ultimately gets more efficient and easier to understand. Still, as the study notes, “the English language is not baby talk.” Breithaupt explains, “Yes, we shift toward simple language, but then we also grab complex language that we need.” New words that address the complexity of modern life may somewhat balance out this shift. The proposed trend toward “simpler” language is debatable. A linguist John McWhorter questions implications regarding the overall efficiency of English — a language he says contains things like “unnecessarily complex” grammatical traces. Study lead author Ying Li notes that English had even more complicated grammar in the past. “John McWhorter would complain more if he traveled back800 years ago,” Li supposes. 1．What is Paragraph 3 mainly discussed about the research? A．Conclusion and significance. B．Background and purpose. C．Method and limitations. D．Process and findings. 2．According to Breithaupt, the English language tends to be ______. A．more concrete with difficulty B．more practical with efficiency C．more complicated with abstraction D．more understandable with vividness 3．What would be the best title for this passage? A．Who promotes the study of language evolution? B．How does language gradually shift over time? C．What makes a word survive or go extinct? D．Why are certain words favored by people? （24-25高三上·北京东城·期末）In 1993, a ship sailed into the Pacific Ocean carrying nearly 1,000 pounds of iron, then dumped it all into the waves. The next morning, the water turned a little greenish due to newly emerged phytoplankton (浮游生物). The microorganisms, which need iron to grow, draw CO₂ out of the air. Fertilizing the ocean with iron is a form of geoengineering, a set of technologies fascinating for their potential to meaningfully impact Earth’s systems, and controversial for the same reason. As the planet heats, geoengineering is employed to manipulate (控制) it in novel ways, whether researchers mist the skies with sea salt to increase how much sunlight clouds reflect or invent machines to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Engineering home-grown plankton sounds like a less dramatic approach. But the field is so new that scientists don’t yet know whether geoengineering with microorganisms would really be a gentler form of climate intervention. Microbes, after all, play enormously consequential roles in the world around us and within us. For the best chance of keeping Earth liveable, scientists need to understand exactly how the microscopic creatures might be useful, and perhaps even preferable to the more sci-fi approaches to cooling off the world. One favored approach centers on methane, a greenhouse gas accounting for 30% of the rise in global temperature. Mary Lidstrom, a professor, is working on genetically modifying bacteria that naturally consume methane, so that the microbes pull even more gas from the air. The bacteria would live inside facilities known as bioreactors. They could be positioned near known methane sources — landfills and wetlands — to minimize the amount of methane that makes it into the air. Scaling up any kind of climate engineering is tricky. Significantly slowing warming caused by methane would require about 300,000 bioreactors to be active for 20 years. And the downstream effects are difficult to predict, let alone contain. For example, the iron put into the Pacific Ocean could have consequences for other regions of the world’s seas. Also, there’s nearly as much uncertainty about intended effects. Scientists don’t know for sure how effective these concepts will prove to be. The 1993 ship expeditions, for example, didn’t stick around very long; the journeys were expensive, and scientists couldn’t remain at sea to determine what exactly was happening in the depths. Carbon stolen out of the atmosphere should remain buried for at least a century for maximum impact Yet it’s entirely possible that if the phytoplankton doesn’t sink to deep enough waters, it just gets eaten by the organisms in the surface ocean, and that CO₂ just returns to the atmosphere. The hotter the planet gets, the more attractive geoengineering will likely seem. Short of large-scale behavioral changes globally, we do seem to be committing ourselves to an engineered solution on our current routes. We might have to decide, sooner than we think, which levers we need to pull, large or small. 1．What can we learn about geoengineering? A．Ocean iron-fertilization is on the horizon. B．Sunlight-reflection method is cost-effective. C．Methane-eating bacteria are being improved. D．Gas-sucking machine is a theoretical concept. 2．What can we infer from Paragraph 4 about the geoengineering approaches? A．Their impact on the ecosystem is overlooked. B．Their implications are hard to anticipate. C．They call for decades of preparation. D．They are monitored continuously. 3．The iron-fertilization experiment may achieve its intended effects if __________. A．the target microbes survive B．carbon is stored separately C．the phytoplankton grows faster D．more deep-sea organisms are tested 4．What might be the best title for the passage? A．How Will Geoengineering Better Earth’s Systems? B．How to Cool the World Without Blocking the Sun? C．How to Steal Carbon with Sci-fi Approaches? D．How Can the Engineered Solution Deliver? （24-25高三上·北京顺义·期末）One day in the fall of 2023, a young Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross was lying listless in southeastern Brazil’s Santos Basin. Beach monitors found the young bird in the sand, weak and dying. The cause of the albatross’s disaster was evident: it was caught in a weather balloon, which, sadly, is just one instance of a bigger environmental headache. Globally, hundreds of thousands of weather balloons are launched into the sky every year, and the majority are never recovered. Instead, their waste—a mix of latex, cotton and plastics — remains in marine (海洋的) ecosystems for years. And because only a small percentage of dead animals wash ashore, the impact is likely worse than the numbers suggest. The root of this mounting trouble lies in the very nature of how weather balloons operate. Weather balloons are used to get high-altitude (高空) data like air temperature and pressure. Once a balloon has travelled up about 21 miles and its volume has grown 100-fold, it explodes, shooting pieces in all directions. Australian researchers at the Tangaroa Blue Foundation first flagged the problem of weather-balloon garbage a decade ago. Over 21 months, they collected 2,460 pieces of weather-balloon litter around the Great Barrier Reef. The researchers estimated that up to 70 percent of Australia’ s weather balloons end up in the ocean. One study notes that while some of the materials used in weather balloons are considered biodegradable, much of it is not breaking down quickly. Some companies have produced special materials now made from plant-based fiber designed to weaken much faster than previous cotton versions. But the new models are 20 to 30 percent more expensive. Despite the higher cost, weather bureaus (局) have started to reduce the impact by trying out more sustainable balloons and switching from white to blue balloons, which marine animals may be less likely to mistake for food. Some agencies also announced they would be testing drones (无人机) to collect weather data, which are recoverable. Weather agencies aren’t trialing these new devices only because they’ re more sustainable; they also want better data. For now, though, balloons still fly much higher than drones, so they remain an important data-collecting tool. Lower-impact versions would at least be a small improvement for the ocean’s animals. 1．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about? A．The functions of weather balloons. B．The problems of using weather balloons. C．The composition of weather balloon waste. D．The difficulty of weather balloon recycling. 2．What can we learn about weather balloons? A．Weather balloon waste can hardly break down. B．New versions of weather balloons are being tried. C．Weather balloons cause the death of most sea animals. D．Drones are better in collecting data than weather balloons. 3．What does the author think of the changes mentioned in the passage? A．Valuable but risky. B．Exciting and hopeful. C．Necessary and reliable. D．Promising but incomplete. （24-25高三上·北京丰台·期末）On May 4, 2017, 395 migratory (迁徙的) birds died after crashing into a tall building in Galveston, Texas. Their migration routes are full of danger — including bright city lights. Every year, millions of birds are thought to be killed in building collisions in the US. The scene of the mass collision in Galveston was a skyscraper which has four corner spotlights and glowing green LED lights around the top. The influence of artificial lights in urban spaces is a well-known phenomenon among birds, but is still not fully understood. Birds tend to migrate by night, and use the stars to navigate. During nocturnal (夜间的) migration, they are often seen gathering around or crashing into lit-up windows or gathering around beams of projected light. The artificial glow of cities appears to attract them for stopovers. One explanation is that they may generally fly towards light sources, but also, that the artificial light confuses, traps and disorients them. Every tragedy is an opportunity to educate. The accident prompted bird conservation organisations to take action and jointly develop a science-based response. Several campaigns encouraged building owners and developers to switch off non-essential lighting to help travelling birds. Soon the first Lights Out for Birds programme was formed, which has now expanded into the statewide. Meanwhile, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed a way to forecast bird migration during specific times and locations, using radar. The resulting BirdCast migration forecast maps are freely accessible. Their live migration map allows anyone to check how many birds are migrating now, and where, as well as how many are predicted to pass in the near future. For one night in October, they recorded a “billion bird night”, with that number or more birds passing in a single night. Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist said that early data collection suggests that Light Out is effective, even with the limited data and uncontrollable factors. Moreover, Farnsworth points out protecting species that move presents special challenges for researchers and conservationists. Migrating birds can travel thousands of kilometres, crossing and stopping in many different habitats, traversing borders, and flying through cities — which are continuing to grow around the world. There is no single solution to helping migrating birds. Instead, spreading awareness, empathy and efficient enforcement are all crucial in keeping birds safe and avoiding collisions. “We need to keep our connection to nature through our eyes, ears, nose, whatever to experience the core of all this research and observation.” 1．According to the passage, why do the migrating birds hit the buildings? A．Their routes are blocked by tall buildings. B．They attempt to avoid potential dangers. C．They are affected by the artificial lights. D．Their migration patterns have changed. 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Light Out is thought to be helpful despite data limitations. B．BirdCast needs further improvement in tracking accuracy. C．Light Out can guide migrating birds away from artificial lights. D．BirdCast can predict the number and species of migrating birds. 3．As for helping migrating birds,which would the author agree with? A．It is worthwhile to improve Light Out. B．It is necessary to make effective regulations. C．It is crucial to work out a one-button solution. D．It is essential to integrate multiple aspects’ effort. （24-25高三上·北京朝阳·期末）Pure mathematics fascinates me, precisely because it is so inaccessible. I envision it as a remote, chilly, dangerous place, like Antarctica’s Sentinel Range. The hard y souls who surmount its peaks seem superhuman. Perhaps because I romanticize mathematicians, I’m troubled by the thought that machines might replace them. I stated this possibility in The Death of Proof, published in the October 1993 Scientific American. In response to the growing complexity of mathematics, I reported, mathematicians were becoming increasingly reliant on computers. I asked, “Will the great mathematicians of the next century be made of silicon (硅)?” Mathematicians are still annoyed about that article, even as the trends I described have continued. Anthony Bordg at Cambridge University worries that his field could face a “replication crisis” (复制危机) like that troubling scientific research. Mathematicians, Bordg notes, sometimes accept a proof not because they have checked it, step by step, but because they trust the proof’s methods and author. Given the “increasing difficulty in checking the correctness of mathematical arguments”, old-fashioned peer review may no longer be sufficient. Outstanding mathematicians have published “proofs” so novel and elaborate that even specialists in the relevant mathematics can’t validate them. Bordg suggests computerized “proof assistants ” will help confirm proofs. Researchers have already invented an “interactive theorem prover (交互式定理证明程序)” that can check proofs and even propose improvements. Some mathematicians welcome the digitization of mathematics for accuracy. Others are conflicted. Michael Harris sees mathematics as “a free, creative activity” pursued for its own sake, for the pure joy of discovery and insight. He worries such tools will encourage a “limited vision” of mathematics as an economic product rather than “a way of being human”. After all, many funders of mathematical research, including technology giants, value mathematics primarily for its applications. We value science for applications, too. Sentimental science writing, including mine, implies that science’s purpose is insight into nature. In the modern era, however, science’s primary goal is power. Science helps us control nature for various ends: to enrich and entertain, to boost economy, and to defeat enemies. Modern physics, to most of us, is incomprehensible, but who cares when physics gives us smartphones and hydrogen bombs? Physicists often adopt a utilitarian (实用主义的) mindset, exemplified by the slogan “Shut up and calculate!” That is what professors supposedly tell students stuck in quantum mechanics. Stephen Hawking and Martin Rees have predicted artificial intelligence will play an increasing role in physics. Wouldn’t it be funny if a quantum AI finds the long-sought unified theory of physics, but not even brilliant theorist Edward Witten understands it? Given the powerful forces behind automatization, if machines can replace mathematicians, they probably will, just as they are replacing drivers, bank tellers, travel agents, cashiers and other workers. Mathematicians’ wishes, such as their desire to pursue truth purely for its own sake, might be unlikely. The charm of math can hardly be preserved in face of the powerful forces behind automatization. 1．“Replication crisis” is mentioned to _________. A．reduce a particular concern B．justify the use of digital assistants C．question the role of authority in math D．highlight the potential threat of machines 2．Advocates of utilitarianism in science would probably agree that _________. A．insight into nature is a priority B．automatization is a major trend C．quantum AI remains a fantasy D．power is an approach to digitization 3．What can be learned from this passage? A．Utilitarian mindset pushes physics forward. B．Quantum mechanics unifies theories of physics. C．The humanity of mathematics is hard to maintain. D．Leading mathematicians’ proofs are beyond understanding. （24-25高三上·北京·阶段练习）Albert Einstein’s 1915 masterpiece “The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity” is the first and still the best introduction to the subject, and I recommend it as such to students. But it probably wouldn’t be publishable in a scientific journal today. Why not? After all, it would pass with flying colours the tests of correctness and significance. And while popular belief holds that the paper was incomprehensible to its first readers, in fact many papers in theoretical physics are much more difficult. As the physicist Richard Feynman wrote, “There was a time when the newspapers said that only 12 men understood the theory of relativity. I do believe there might have been a time when only one man did, because he was the only guy who caught on, before he wrote his paper. But after people read the paper, a lot understood the theory of relativity in some way or other, certainly more than 12.” No, the problem is its style. It starts with a leisurely philosophical discussion of space and time and then continues with an exposition of known mathematics. Those two sections, which would be considered extraneous today, take up half the paper. Worse, there are zero citations of previous scientists’ work, nor are there any graphics. Those features might make a paper not even get past the first editors. A similar process of professionalization has transformed other parts of the scientific landscape. Requests for research time at major observatories or national laboratories are more rigidly structured. And anything involving work with human subjects, or putting instruments in space, involves piles of paperwork. We see it also in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Nobel Prize of high school science competitions. In the early decades of its 78-year history, the winning projects were usually the sort of clever but naive, amateurish efforts one might expect of talented beginners working on their own. Today, polished work coming out of internships (实习) at established laboratories is the norm. These professionalizing tendencies are a natural consequence of the explosive growth of modern science. Standardization and system make it easier to manage the rapid flow of papers, applications and people. But there are serious downsides. A lot of unproductive effort goes into jumping through bureaucratic hoops (繁文缛节), and outsiders face entry barriers at every turn. Of course, Einstein would have found his way to meeting modern standards and publishing his results. Its scientific core wouldn’t have changed, but the paper might not be the same taste to read. 1．According to Richard Feynman, Einstein’s 1915 paper ______. A．was a classic in theoretical physics B．turned out to be comprehensible C．needed further improvement D．attracted few professionals 2．What does the underlined word “extraneous” in Paragraph 4 mean? A．Unrealistic. B．Irrelevant. C．Unattractive. D．Imprecise. 3．According to the author, what is affected as modern science develops? A．The application of research findings. B．The principle of scientific research. C．The selection of young talents. D．The evaluation of laboratories. 4．Which would be the best title for this passage? A．What makes Einstein great? B．Will science be professionalized? C．Could Einstein get published today? D．How will modern science make advances? 重难语篇拔高练 （24-25高三上·北京朝阳·期末）According to an idea called the “inflationary (暴胀的) multiverse”, the universe has been constantly expanding, which would have created a countless number of other universes. Collectively, these cosmic islands form what scientists call a “multiverse”. However, other universes may lie beyond our scientific reach, physically and philosophically. Consequently, the methodologies by which physicists might validate (验证) the multiverse and whether such validation is even possible remain unresolved inquiries. In science, hypotheses (假说) are used to propose explanations, but from hypotheses to theories, validation of predictions is essential to see whether initial assumptions are supported or disproved. Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli says, “It is hard to write theories that survive the proof of reality. Few survive thanks to a basic idea: Do not trust your fancies. Keep only the ideas that can be tested.” Rovelli adds, “Today many physicists are wasting time trying to guess and jumping to conclusions. This approach has never worked previously, and it is not working now.” The multiverse might be one of those wild guesses. Now, physicists are debating whether that problem moves the multiverse from physics to metaphysics, from the world of science to that of philosophy. Philosopher Richard Dawid believes scientists could support the multiverse hypotheses without actually finding physical support. “If we have a theory that seems to work, and have come up with nothing that works better, chances are our idea is right,” he says. Not everyone is so cheerful, though. Sabine Hossenfelder, another theoretical physicist, thinks “Without making contact with observation, a theory isn’t part of the natural sciences, and not physics.” Some supporters of the multiverse claim they have found physical evidence. Andrei Linde insists “Our universe seems fine-tuned (精调的) to be favourable to life, with a four-dimensional space in which we can live. It is certain that in an eternally inflating multiverse, one of the universes should turn out like ours. Each universe can have different physical laws and fundamentals. Given limitless changes, a universe on which humans can be born will be born. The multiverse actually explains why we’re here. And our existence, therefore, helps explain why the multiverse is plausible.” Just as Einstein’s theory of general relativity could only be confirmed recently with a billion-dollar instrument called LIGO, scientists may eventually discover more direct evidence of the multiverse. So far, all of science has relied on testability, but those tests take time, and most theoreticians want to wait it out. They are not ready to shelve an idea like the multiverse — which could actually be the answer to life, the universe and everything — until and unless they can prove to themselves it doesn’t exist. And that day may never come. 1．What can we learn from the passage? A．The multiverse is recognized as a theory. B．The multiverse starts debates on human existence. C．Rovelli criticizes physicists for their baseless fancies. D．Dawid emphasizes the necessity of physical evidence. 2．What does the underlined word “plausible” in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A．Credible. B．Complex. C．Essential. D．Fascinating. 3．As for the existence of multiverse, the author is _________. A．negative B．neutral C．certain D．positive 4．Which would be the best title for this passage? A．Mysteries of Multiverse: Fine-Tuned for Life B．Can Physicists Ever Prove the Multiverse Is Real? C．The Inflationary Multiverse: Proven Beyond Doubt D．Have Physicists Lost Their Minds in the Multiverse? 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$