专题05 阅读理解之说明文15篇（上海专用）（高考典例+热点话题练习）-2026届上海高考英语总复习

专题05 阅读理解之说明文15篇 (上海专用) 【题型知识点细目表】 题号 难度 知识点 1 较难 航空航天,说明文 2 适中 科普知识 ,说明文 3 适中 说明文,天体和宇宙,科普知识 4 较难 说明文,信息技术 5 较难 文学家,人物传记,说明文 6 适中 服饰穿戴,说明文 7 较难 社会问题与社会现象,说明文,信息技术 8 适中 科普知识 ,说明文 9 较难 音乐与舞蹈,说明文,科普知识 10 较难 交通与运输 ,说明文,语意转化,句意猜测,逻辑推理,观点态度 11 适中 社会问题与社会现象,说明文,文章大意,语意转化,逻辑推理 12 适中 社会问题与社会现象,健康饮食 ,说明文,词义猜测,语意转化,目的意图 13 适中 环境保护,说明文,气候变化及影响,文章大意,词义猜测,逻辑推理 14 较难 友谊,说明文,动物,标题判断,语意转化,逻辑推理 15 较难 科普知识 ,说明文,短语猜测,语意转化,逻辑推理 【高考典例】 The universe expands with every passing second, stretching the space between galaxies like dough rising in an oven. But just how fast is this expansion happening? As telescopes like Hubble strive to answer this fundamental question, they encounter a perplexing gap between theoretical predictions and observed data. Hubble’s measurements indicate a faster rate of expansion in the modern universe compared to what was expected based on observations of the universe more than 13 billion years ago by the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. This inconsistency has been a subject of scientific inquiry for several years. However, it remains uncertain whether differences in measurement techniques or chance variations are responsible for this disparity. Recent data from the Hubble telescope have significantly reduced the possibility that this discrepancy is merely a statistical fluke, with the chances now estimated at only 1 in 100,000. This marks a substantial improvement from previous estimates, which placed the odds at 1 in 3,000 less than a year ago. These precise measurements from Hubble lend weight to the hypothesis that new physics may be necessary to reconcile the observed mismatch. Lead researcher Adam Riess, a Nobel laureate from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, describes the tension between the early and late universe as one of the most exciting developments in cosmology in decades. He emphasizes that the growing disparity cannot be dismissed as a random occurrence and suggests that it may signal the need for a deeper understanding of the cosmos. To determine distances in the universe, scientists rely on a “cosmic distance ladder” method. This involves accurately measuring distances to nearby galaxies and then using progressively distant galaxies as reference points. By observing stars like Cepheid variables, astronomers can calibrate this distance ladder. Riess and his team have been refining these measurements since 2005, aiming to improve our understanding of cosmic distances. In their latest study, astronomers used Hubble to observe 70 Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. By comparing these stars with their more distant counterparts in galaxies hosting supernovae, they refined their measurement of the Hubble constant, reducing its uncertainty from 2.2% to 1.9%. Despite this increased precision, their calculated Hubble constant remains at odds with the value predicted by observations of the early universe conducted by Planck. The Planck satellite, which maps the cosmic microwave background–a remnant of the universe’s early stages–provides crucial data for understanding the universe’s expansion. However, the discrepancy between these measurements and those from Hubble underscores the need for further investigation and the potential for new discoveries in cosmology. 1．Where do measurements of the early universe come from? A．The space between galaxies. B．Measurements from Hubble and other telescopes C．European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. D．The latest Hubble data. 2．Which of the following statements is in line with Adam Riess’ opinion? A．The expansion speed of the modern universe is faster than expected B．New physics may be needed to explain this mismatch. C．It is unlikely that this discrepancy occurred by chance. D．Hubble’s tension is the most exciting development in cosmology in decades. 3．What do scientists use to determine the distance of things in the universe? A．A cosmic distance ladder. B．Accurate measurements of distances. C．Milepost markers. D．The Hubble constant. 4．What did Riess’ team do? A．They used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe pulsating stars B．They improved the comparison between theoretical predictions and observed data. C．They raised the uncertainty of the Hubble constant to 2.2% D．They reduced the uncertainty in their Hubble constant value to 1.9. 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．A 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章讲述哈勃与普朗克数据揭示宇宙膨胀速率矛盾，或需新物理理论解释。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“Hubble’s measurements indicate a faster rate of expansion in the modern universe compared to what was expected based on observations of the universe more than 13 billion years ago by the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite.(哈勃望远镜的测量结果显示，现代宇宙的膨胀速度比欧洲航天局普朗克卫星130多亿年前对宇宙的观测结果要快。)”可知，早期宇宙的测量数据来自欧洲航天局的普朗克卫星。故选C。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段“Lead researcher Adam Riess, a Nobel laureate from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, describes the tension between the early and late universe as one of the most exciting developments in cosmology in decades. He emphasizes that the growing disparity cannot be dismissed as a random occurrence and suggests that it may signal the need for a deeper understanding of the cosmos.(首席研究员、来自太空望远镜科学研究所和约翰霍普金斯大学的诺贝尔奖获得者亚当·里斯（Adam Riess）将早期宇宙和晚期宇宙之间的张力描述为几十年来宇宙学中最令人兴奋的发展之一。他强调，这种日益扩大的差距不能被视为偶然事件而置之不理，他认为这可能表明需要对宇宙有更深入的了解。)”可知，Adam Riess认为这种日益扩大的差距不能被视为偶然事件。故选C。 3．细节理解题。根据第五段“To determine distances in the universe, scientists rely on a “cosmic distance ladder” method.(为了确定宇宙中的距离，科学家们依靠一种“宇宙距离阶梯”的方法。)”可知，科学家们使用宇宙距离阶梯来确定宇宙中物体的距离。故选A。 4．细节理解题。根据第六段“In their latest study, astronomers used Hubble to observe 70 Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. By comparing these stars with their more distant counterparts in galaxies hosting supernovae, they refined their measurement of the Hubble constant, reducing its uncertainty from 2.2% to 1.9%.(在他们的最新研究中，天文学家利用哈勃望远镜观测了大麦哲伦星云中的70颗造父变星。通过将这些恒星与宿主星系中更遥远的超新星进行比较，他们改进了对哈勃常数的测量，将其不确定性从2.2%降低到1.9%。)”可知，里斯的团队将哈勃常数的不确定性降低到了1.9%。故选D。 The Motivated Sequence (序列) of Public Speech The motivated sequence gets its name partly because it follows john Dewey’s problem solution model for thinking and partly because it makes attractive analyses of these problems and their solutions by tying them to human motives. That is, the motivated sequence is both problem-driven and motivation-centered. There are five basic steps in the motivated sequence 1.You must get people to attend to some problem, or to feel discomfort strongly enough to want to hear more. 2. You can create more specific wants or desires, a personal sense of need. 3. When wants or needs are created, you can attempt to satisfy them by showing what can be done to solve the problem or relieve the sense of discomfort. 4. Simply describing a course of action may not be enough, so in the fourth place you can visualize the world as it would look if the actions were carried out, and what it might be like if they were not. 5. With that, if you have done these four tasks well, accidence members should be ready to act — to put into practice the proposed solution to their problems. Five steps Audience response l.Attention Getting attention I want to listen. 2.Need Showing the need : Describing the solution Something needs to be done. 3.Satisfaction Satisfying the need : presenting the solution This is what to do to satisfy the need. 4.Visualization Visualizing the results _________ ? _________ 5. Action Requesting action or approval I will do this. The motivated sequence can be used to structure many different sorts of speeches. It could be used, for example, in a speech urging your classmates to join a blood donors’ association. Or, you could use it to sell a friend insurance. And you can also use it to talk about social problems, such as the environment and the economic crisis. 1．What do we know about the motivated sequence? A．It is the basic principle of problem-solution model. B．It has nothing to do with human motivation. C．It’s both problem-driven and motivation-centered. D．There are six basic steps in the motivated sequence. 2．What can the motivated sequence be used for? A．A speech urging your classmates to quit a blood donors’ association. B．A speech to get your friends to promote a blood donors’ association C．A speech to get your friends to sell insurance. D．A speech on the environmental and economic crisis. 3．Xiao Wang is trying to persuade his classmates to join a blood donors’ association. Help him draft a speech by putting the following five sentences in the right order based on the motivated sequence. (1 ) With the steady supply of blood, emergencies will be met with timely treatment (2)You can help by filling out the blood donors’ cards I am passing out. (3)Our area is short of blood of all types to meet emergency needs. (4) A man died last night in a traffic accident because he lost too much blood. (5)A blood donors’ association guarantees a predictable, steady supply of blood to the medical community. A．(4 ) (3) (5) (1) (2) B．(4 ) (2) (3) (1) (5) C．(4 ) (5) (3) (1) (2) D．(4 ) (2) (1) (5) (3) 【答案】1．C 2．D 3．A 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了“动机序列”（Motivated Sequence）的概念、步骤及其在公共演讲中的应用。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段“The motivated sequence is both problem-driven and motivation-centered.(动机序列既是问题驱动的，也是以动机为中心的)”可知，动机序列既是问题驱动的，也是以动机为中心的。选项C。 2．细节理解题。根据文章最后一段“The motivated sequence can be used to structure many different sorts of speeches, It could be used, for example, in a speech urging your classmates to join a blood donors’ association. Or, you could use it to sell a friend insurance. And you can also use it to talk about social problems, such as the environment and the economic crisis.(动机序列可以用来组织许多不同类型的演讲，例如，在演讲中可以使用它来敦促你的同学加入献血者协会。或者，你可以用它来卖给朋友保险。你也可以用它来谈论社会问题，比如环境和经济危机)”可知，动机序列可以用来关于环境和经济危机的演讲。故选D。 3．细节理解题。根据动机序列的五个步骤：1. Attention（吸引注意），2. Need（展示需求），3. Satisfaction（满足需求），4. Visualization（可视化结果），5. Action（请求行动）。小王说服他的同学加入献血者协会的演讲首先要让人们关注某个问题，吸引听众的注意力，想要听到更多。即第一步为(4) 昨晚一名男子因失血过多而死于交通事故。接下来要创造更具体的需求或欲望，即第二步为(3) 我们地区缺乏各种类型的血液以满足紧急需要。接着通过展示可以做些什么来解决问题或减轻不适感来满足它们，即第三步为(5)献血者协会保证向医学界提供可预测的、稳定的血液供应。然后描述如果行动被执行后会带来什么影响，即第四步为(1)有了稳定的血液供应，突发事件就能得到及时的处理。最后就是将解决问题的办法付诸实践，即第五步为(2)你可以帮忙填写我发的献血者登记卡。所以正确组织该演讲的顺序为(4)(3)(5)(1)(2)，故选A。故选A。 The universe expands with every passing second, stretching the space between galaxies like dough rising in an oven. But just how fast is this expansion happening? As telescopes like Hubble strive to answer this fundamental question, they encounter a perplexing gap between theoretical predictions and observed data. Hubble’s measurements indicate a faster rate of expansion in the modern universe compared to what was expected based on observations of the universe more than 13 billion years ago by the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. This inconsistency has been a subject of scientific inquiry for several years. However, it remains uncertain whether differences in measurement techniques or chance variations are responsible for this disparity. Recent data from the Hubble telescope have significantly reduced the possibility that this discrepancy is merely a statistical fluke, with the chances now estimated at only 1 in 100,000. This marks a substantial improvement from previous estimates, which placed the odds at 1 in 3,000 less than a year ago. These precise measurements from Hubble lend weight to the hypothesis that new physics may be necessary to reconcile the observed mismatch. Lead researcher Adam Riess, a Nobel laureate from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, describes the tension between the early and late universe as one of the most exciting developments in cosmology in decades. He emphasizes that the growing disparity cannot be dismissed as a random occurrence and suggests that it may signal the need for a deeper understanding of the cosmos. To determine distances in the universe, scientists rely on a “cosmic distance ladder” method. This involves accurately measuring distances to nearby galaxies and then using progressively distant galaxies as reference points. By observing stars like Cepheid variables, astronomers can calibrate this distance ladder. Riess and his team have been refining these measurements since 2005, aiming to improve our understanding of cosmic distances. In their latest study, astronomers used Hubble to observe 70 Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. By comparing these stars with their more distant counterparts in galaxies hosting supernovae, they refined their measurement of the Hubble constant, reducing its uncertainty from 2.2% to 1.9%. Despite this increased precision, their calculated Hubble constant remains at odds with the value predicted by observations of the early universe conducted by Planck. The Planck satellite, which maps the cosmic microwave background – a remnant of the universe’s early stages – provides crucial data for understanding the universe’s expansion. However, the discrepancy between these measurements and those from Hubble underscores the need for further investigation and the potential for new discoveries in cosmology. 1．Where do measurements of the early universe come from? A．The space between galaxies. B．Measurements from Hubble and other telescopes C．European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. D．The latest Hubble data. 2．Which of the following statements is in line with Adam Riess’ opinion? A．The expansion speed of the modern universe is faster than expected B．New physics may be needed to explain this mismatch. C．It is unlikely that this discrepancy occurred by chance. D．Hubble’s tension is the most exciting development in cosmology in decades. 3．What do scientists use to determine the distance of things in the universe? A．A cosmic distance ladder. B．Accurate measurements of distances. C．Milepost markers. D．The Hubble constant. 4．What did Riess’ team do? A．They used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe pulsating stars B．They improved the comparison between C．They raised the uncertainty of the Hubble constant to 2.2% D．They reduced the uncertainty in their Hubble constant value to 1.9. 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．A 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章探讨了宇宙膨胀的速度以及科学家在测量中遇到的矛盾。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段“Hubble’s measurements indicate a faster rate of expansion in the modern universe compared to what was expected based on observations of the universe more than 13 billion years ago by the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite.(哈勃望远镜的测量结果表明，现代宇宙的膨胀速度比根据欧洲航天局普朗克卫星对130多亿年前宇宙的观测结果所预测的更快)”可推知，早期宇宙的测量数据来自欧洲航天局的普朗克卫星。故选C项。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段“Lead researcher Adam Riess, a Nobel laureate from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, describes the tension between the early and late universe as one of the most exciting developments in cosmology in decades. He emphasizes that the growing disparity cannot be dismissed as a random occurrence and suggests that it may signal the need for a deeper understanding of the cosmos.(该研究的首席研究员、诺贝尔奖得主、来自太空望远镜科学研究所和约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的Adam Riess表示，早期宇宙和晚期宇宙之间的这种张力是几十年来宇宙学中最激动人心的进展之一。他强调，这种日益扩大的差异不能被当作随机事件而忽视，这可能意味着我们需要对宇宙有更深入的理解)”可推知，Adam Riess认为早期与晚期宇宙的膨胀差异“不能归因于随机事件”。故选C项。 3．细节理解题。根据第五段“To determine distances in the universe, scientists rely on a “cosmic distance ladder” method. This involves accurately measuring distances to nearby galaxies and then using progressively distant galaxies as reference points.(为了确定宇宙中的距离，科学家们依赖于一种“宇宙距离阶梯”的方法。这包括精确测量附近星系的距离，然后使用更远的星系作为参考点)”可知，科学家使用“宇宙距离阶梯”方法测量天体距离。故选A项。 4．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“In their latest study, astronomers used Hubble to observe 70 Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. By comparing these stars with their more distant counterparts in galaxies hosting supernovae, they refined their measurement of the Hubble constant, reducing its uncertainty from 2.2% to 1.9%. Despite this increased precision, their calculated Hubble constant remains at odds with the value predicted by observations of the early universe conducted by Planck.(在最新研究中，天文学家利用哈勃望远镜观测了大麦哲伦星云中的70颗造父变星。通过将这些恒星与宿主超新星的更遥远星系中的对应恒星进行比较，他们改进了对哈勃常数的测量，将其不确定性从2.2%降低到1.9%。尽管精度有所提高，但他们计算出的哈勃常数仍然与普朗克对早期宇宙观测预测的值不一致)”可知，Riess团队通过观测造父变星，将哈勃常数的误差从2.2%降至1.9%。故选D项。 【热点话题练习】 Visit any antiques store and you’ll encounter artifacts from the past: photographs, letters, brochures, the ephemera (短期藏品)of history. Yet these objects aren’t truly short-lived, because they’re still here, decades, even centuries later. Why? Because they’re tangible, that is, they can be clearly seen to exist. Have you thought about the life cycle of intangible formats, digital information, given that those who produce these artifacts seldom make preparations for their long-term preservation? For thousands of years we’ve known what we’ve known due to artifacts that have survived, often despite their original creators’ neglect. The thing itself is the medium that delivers the information. At the time of creation, no attempts were made at intentional preservation, yet analog (模拟的)materials have a chance of surviving and serving as the historical record that historians rely on. Libraries have, traditionally shouldered the responsibility of organization, preservation, and access to information. Thus, librarians digitize the tangible so that researchers all over the world can quickly search and access their Holdings. The result is an embarrassment of historical riches, which brings its own needle-and-haystack (大海捞针般的)problems. Librarians’ selfless devotion can act against us when users point to universality of access by holding up a cellphone and saying, “it’s all in here” as evidence that libraries are less vital for researchers today. Yet how was that universality of access made possible and, perhaps more importantly, how is it maintained? Who decides what is preserved? When it comes to born-digital information, the terrifying answer can be: if not librarians, then no one. Digital information requires a great deal more care than analog. Even when a digital object is preserved, it may only be the carrier that’s saved, not the information itself. As technology advances and a format becomes out of date, the object is useless. Have you ever stared helplessly at a ZIP disk, thinking: how do I get the files off this? Without constant migration of digital assets, a nightmare about the foreseeable future is what keeps historians up at night: a historical record that suddenly stops when digital replace analog. As a librarian whose day job revolves around special collections and digital assets, I share the night terrors of historians, and I’d be lying if I said a comprehensive preservation solution currently exists. Yet researchers can take some comfort in the fact that there are many librarians devoted to discovering, organizing, and preserving digital information for researchers current and future. Librarians are uniquely positioned to understand how end users seek and use information. Thus we play a vital role in identifying, preserving, and providing accessibility to digital artifacts so that, while future researchers may find the digital world a challenging place to do their business, they won’t find it an impossible one. 1．The author mentions the artifacts from the past in Paragraph 1 to ______. A．introduce the collection of antiques B．contrast them with everyday items C．bring up the issue of preservation D．comment on their historical value 2．According to the passage, which statement would the author most probably agree with? A．The universality of access provided by advanced technology reduces the need for librarians. B．The role of librarians is becoming more, not less, critical in the age of digital information. C．Analog materials, a nightmare for historians, should be entirely replaced by digital formats. D．Finding a comprehensive, long-term solution for digital preservation is a simple task to fulfill. 3．The “ZIP disk” is cited as an example to show ______. A．the hazard of retrieving files through unusual means B．the infeasibility of constantly migrating digital assets C．the possibility of losing information in outdated formats D．the inconvenience of storing information on analog devices 4．Which of the following statements best summarizes the text? A．Hard work should be done to preserve artifacts. B．Contributions of librarians should be recognized. C．Accessing databases is essential to researchers. D．Keeping digital historical records is a challenge. 【答案】1．C 2．B 3．C 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要围绕数字信息的长期保存问题展开，对比模拟材料与数字信息的保存差异，指出数字信息保存面临的挑战，并强调图书馆员在数字信息保存、整理及获取中的关键作用。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段“Yet these objects aren’t truly short-lived, because they’re still here, decades, even centuries later. Why? Because they’re tangible, that is, they can be clearly seen to exist. (然而这些物品并非真正短暂，因为它们几十年甚至几个世纪后依然存在。为什么？因为它们是有形的，也就是说，它们的存在清晰可见)”以及第二段开头“Have you thought about the life cycle of intangible formats, digital information, given that those who produce these artifacts seldom make preparations for their long-term preservation? (考虑到那些创造这些数字制品的人很少为其长期保存做准备，你是否想过无形形式的数字信息的生命周期？)”可知，作者提及过去的文物是为了引出数字信息这一无形形式的保存问题。故选C项。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段“When it comes to born-digital information, the terrifying answer can be: if not librarians, then no one. Digital information requires a great deal more care than analog. (当涉及到原生数字信息时，一个可怕的答案可能是：如果不是图书馆员，那就没有人了。数字信息比模拟信息需要更多的呵护。)”以及最后一段“Thus we play a vital role in identifying, preserving, and providing accessibility to digital artifacts so that, while future researchers may find the digital world a challenging place to do their business, they won’t find it an impossible one. (因此，我们在识别、保存和提供数字制品的可获取性方面发挥着至关重要的作用，这样一来，尽管未来的研究人员可能会发现数字世界是一个充满挑战的研究场所，但他们不会发现这是不可能的。)”可知，作者认为在数字信息时代，图书馆员的作用至关重要，而非更不重要。故选B项。 3．推理判断题。根据第四段“As technology advances and a format becomes out of date, the object is useless. Have you ever stared helplessly at a ZIP disk, thinking: how do I get the files off this? (随着技术的进步，当一种格式过时，该载体就变得无用了。你是否曾无助地盯着一张ZIP磁盘，心想：我怎样才能把文件从这里弄出来？)”可知，作者以ZIP磁盘为例，是为了说明过时的数字格式可能导致信息无法获取，即存在信息丢失的风险。故选C项。 4．主旨大意题。文章开篇引出保存话题，接着对比模拟材料与数字信息的保存差异，指出数字信息保存面临格式过时、信息易丢失等挑战，随后强调图书馆员在数字信息保存中的关键作用，最后说明图书馆员的努力能为未来研究者提供帮助。核心围绕数字历史记录的保存挑战及图书馆员的应对作用展开。D项“保存数字历史记录是一项挑战。”，能概括文章核心，且包含数字信息保存的核心问题。故选D项。 The Canonization of James Joyce When Richard Ellmann’s James Joyce hit the shelves in 1959, the sheer size of the book (842 pages, 100 longer than Ulysses) was as dazzling as the degree of detail. Joyce, who had been dead for 18 years, vividly inhabited its chapters, getting drunk, going blind, spending money, spiting enemies, cogitating, and, of course, creating a series of works that immediately made literary history. Moving briskly across the first half of the 20th century, Ellmann spun a tale about the formation of a writer whose name could be mentioned in the same breath as Homer’s without irony. Ellmann owed his triumph, in part, to being in the right place at the right time. By the early 1950s, he had spent a year at Trinity College Dublin researching his prizewinning essay on William Butler Yeats, received a Ph. D．from Yale, and become an ambitious 30-something professor at Northwestern University. Yeats’s widow (遗孀) was ready to provide introductions in Dublin; Stanislaus Joyce, his brother, had shared material from his diaries and unfinished memoir. Nelly Joyce, Stanislaus’s widow, unleashed holy-grail-grade manuscripts; so did Jolas. And Sylvia Beach, a fellow American and the fearless publisher of Ulysses, was still knocking around Paris willing to entertain questions. You also need charm, lots of it, to make a biography like James Joyce happen. Ellmann, a virtuosic chatter, could get people to do his bidding without ever seeming too pushy. A delivery of coal during the winter; some chocolates, cigarettes, cocoa, or tea in any season — accompanied by a carefully worded request, such offerings could go a long way when he needed to gain (or restrict) access to material. James Joyce was immediately recognized as a masterpiece — not just a comprehensive life-and-art account of Joyce, but a genre breakthrough. Developing a style that was at once detached and ornate, Ellmann works as a historical novelist, using facts as a springboard for a subtle psychological portrayal intertwined with layered critical interpretations. In his quest for a definitive biography of Joyce as a cosmopolitan artist, above the parochial fray, Ellmann downplayed Joyce’s interest in politics. In fact, before Joyce ever published a book, he wrote newspaper articles and delivered lectures in Italian about Irish nationalism and his disdain for British imperialism in his native country, work that shed helpful light on his fiction. “My political opinions,” he summed up in a letter to his brother, “are those of a Socialist artist.” His work is saturated with references to Irish history, politics, geography, and culture rich in allusions, both explicit and puzzle-like, to major figures and events. Still, to say that Ellmann is to Joyce what James Boswell is to Samuel Johnson is not too big a stretch. He didn’t arrive in time to befriend Joyce, but he got to the posthumous scene first; gathered fresh accounts; captured not just the context, but his subject’s character and his creative process. Not least, Ellmann emerged, as Boswell did, with a mold-breaking portrait that has retained an enduring power over the readers and scholars who have followed. 1．Which of the following contributed to Ellmann’s success in writing James Joyce? A．He obtained a letter of recommendation from a Yale professor for his research. B．Yeats’s widow facilitated his access to contacts within the Dublin community. C．Sylvia Beach furnished him with rare manuscripts of Joyce’s unpublished works. D．He drew on his own unfinished memoir to enrich the content of the biography. 2．The limitation of Ellmann’s James Joyce lies in _________. A．its overlooking Joyce’s anti-imperialist expressions and socialist stance. B．its failure to analyze the connection between Joyce’s works and Homer’s epics C．its laying insufficient emphasis on the influence of Yeats on Joyce’s writing. D．its lacking detailed descriptions of Joyce’s physical struggles and financial hardships. 3．What does the word “virtuosic” (Para. 3) most probably mean? A．Aggressive B．Skilled C．Awkward D．Modest 4．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To analyze Joyce’s literary achievements and political views. B．To introduce Ellmann’s biography of Joyce and its significance. C．To compare Joyce’s works with those of Homer and Yeats. D．To explain how to write a successful literary biography. 【答案】1．B 2．A 3．B 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。介绍了Richard Ellmann所著的《詹姆斯・乔伊斯》传记的成功因素、局限性，以及这部作品的文学意义。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“Yeats’s widow was ready to provide introductions in Dublin (叶芝的遗孀愿意在都柏林为他提供引荐)”可知，叶芝遗孀帮助Ellmann建立了都柏林的社交联系。故选B。 2．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“In his quest for a definitive biography of Joyce as a cosmopolitan artist, above the parochial fray, Ellmann downplayed Joyce’s interest in politics. In fact, before Joyce ever published a book, he wrote newspaper articles and delivered lectures in Italian about Irish nationalism and his disdain for British imperialism in his native country, work that shed helpful light on his fiction. “My political opinions,” he summed up in a letter to his brother, “are those of a Socialist artist.” (为了将乔伊斯写成一位超越狭隘纷争的世界主义艺术家，Ellmann淡化了乔伊斯对政治的兴趣。事实上，在乔伊斯出版任何作品之前，他就写过报纸文章，还用意大利语发表过关于爱尔兰民族主义、以及他对祖国境内英国帝国主义的蔑视的演讲，这些内容为理解他的小说提供了帮助。“我的政治观点，”他在给兄弟的信中总结道，“是一位社会主义艺术家的观点)”可知，Ellmann的传记忽视了乔伊斯的政治立场，即他的反帝国主义表达和社会主义立场。故选A。 3．词句猜测题。根据第三段“Ellmann, a virtuosic chatter, could get people to do his bidding without ever seeming too pushy. A delivery of coal during the winter; some chocolates, cigarettes, cocoa, or tea in any season — accompanied by a carefully worded request, such offerings could go a long way when he needed to gain (or restrict) access to material. (Ellmann是个____的交谈者，能让别人按他的意愿做事，却完全不会显得过于强硬。冬天送煤；一些巧克力、香烟、可可或任何季节的茶，再附上措辞谨慎的请求，当他需要获取或限制资料时，这些小礼物能帮上大忙)”可知，此处virtuosic表示“技艺高超的”，与“Skilled (熟练的)”意思相近。故选B。 4．推理判断题。第一段介绍了1959年Richard Ellmann所著《詹姆斯・乔伊斯》传记出版后的反响——篇幅宏大、细节丰富，生动还原了乔伊斯的生平，让其文学地位比肩荷马； 第二段说明了Ellmann创作该传记的“时机优势”——他具备学术背景，且乔伊斯的亲友及相关人士愿意为他提供资料； 第三段指出Ellmann的“个人魅力”是传记成功的因素之一——他擅长以巧妙方式说服他人配合，从而获取所需资料；第四段评价了《詹姆斯・乔伊斯》传记的文学价值——既是乔伊斯的生平与艺术全记录，也是传记体裁的突破，融合了历史小说式写法与心理、批评解读；第五段点明传记的局限性——Ellmann淡化了乔伊斯的政治立场，而乔伊斯实际有明确的反帝国主义与社会主义倾向； 第六段总结Ellmann传记的地位——将其比作“乔伊斯的 Boswell”，强调该传记捕捉了乔伊斯的特质，影响深远。 由此可知，文章围绕Ellmann所著的乔伊斯传记展开，阐述其创作与意义。故选B。 The origin of heels is most likely directly related to equestrian proficiency and, by extension, warfare. It all started with the stirrup, probably invented by Eurasian steppe people about the second century BC to provide greater control of the horse and increase its military value. Feet clad in traditional flat shoes easily slipped out of stirrups, potentially leading to fatal accidents. Fitting a heel to the back of a flat shoe kept the foot secure in the stirrup and conferred other advantages, adding some of the horse’s power to a sword-wielding (使用) man riding it. For these reasons, the heel is still very much in evidence today in the footwear of cowboys. Men in the Near East and Western Asia wore heeled footwear for centuries before it arrived in Europe in the late 16th or 17th century, coinciding with the rise of Persia as a trading partner. The Safavid Shah ‘Abbās I (ruled 1588-1629) commanded the world’s largest cavalry force, and the might of his military reinforced associations between heeled shoes and manliness in the minds of Western men. By the early 17th century, heels were commonly found on men’s footwear in Europe. However, fashion had by then eclipsed the importance of equestrian prowess (马术实力), and heels were also embraced by women and children, becoming a sign of wealth. Men’s heels reached their maximum height in the 1660s, then gradually declined in popularity. By the 1730s, most men had moved away from high heels and adopted more modest styles. Concerns emerged about the importance of identifying gender through clothing, and high heels came to be associated with characteristics attributed to women, such as impracticality, irrationality, and vanity. Since then, high heels have remained a symbol of feminine allure. Today, except for chunky block heels on the footwear worn by bikers and cowboys, men in high heels — often associated with flamboyance and gender fluidity — are typically seen as challenging societal norms. 1．According to the text, heels were most likely to be intended for ________. A．horse command B．troop control C．efficiency promotion D．power boost 2．“Stirrup” in the text refers to ________. A．A device horse riders rest their feet on B．Footwear to boost manly image in warfare C．A kind of sword training device D．part of fashion accessories by cowboys 3．Historically, which of the following is NOT a trait heels conveyed as part of men’s footwear? A．wealth B．manliness C．modesty D．vanity 4．Which could be a proper title for this passage? A．Unknown Functions of High Heels B．High Heels, Exclusive to Women? C．Were High Heels Invented for Use by Men? D．Walk Tall, Laugh Small! 【答案】1．A 2．A 3．C 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要说明了高跟鞋起源与马术、战争相关，最初为男士固定马镫而设计，后成为财富与男子气概象征，最终逐渐演变为女性魅力的标志。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“Fitting a heel to the back of a flat shoe kept the foot secure in the stirrup and conferred other advantages, adding some of the horse’s power to a sword-wielding man riding it. For these reasons, the heel is still very much in evidence today in the footwear of cowboys.(在平底鞋的后部安装鞋跟，能使脚部稳固地固定在马镫中，并带来其他诸多好处，能让骑在马上的持剑者借助马匹的力量发挥出更强的战斗力。基于这些原因，如今在牛仔的鞋类设计中，鞋跟依然随处可见)”可知，高跟鞋最有可能是为控制马匹而设计。故选A。 2．推理判断题。根据第一段“It all started with the stirrup, probably invented by Eurasian steppe people about the second century BC to provide greater control of the horse and increase its military value.(这一切始于马镫，这种装置大概是在公元前2世纪由欧亚草原上的民族发明的，其目的是为了更好地控制马匹并提升其军事价值)”可知，文中的“Stirrup”指的是马骑手用来放置双脚的装置。故选A。 3．细节理解题。根据第三段“The Safavid Shah ‘Abbās I (ruled 1588-1629) commanded the world’s largest cavalry force, and the might of his military reinforced associations between heeled shoes and manliness in the minds of Western men. (萨法维王朝的阿巴斯一世（于1588年至1629年在位）麾下拥有世界上规模最大的骑兵部队，而他军队的强大实力使得高跟鞋与男子气概在西方人的心目中建立了紧密的联系)”；倒数第二段“However, fashion had by then eclipsed the importance of equestrian prowess (马术实力), and heels were also embraced by women and children, becoming a sign of wealth.(然而，当时时尚已经超越了马术技能的重要性，鞋跟也受到了女性和儿童的欢迎，成为了财富的象征)”以及“Concerns emerged about the importance of identifying gender through clothing, and high heels came to be associated with characteristics attributed to women, such as impracticality, irrationality, and vanity.(人们开始对通过服装来确定性别这一做法的重要性产生了质疑，而高跟鞋则逐渐与被认为属于女性的特质（如不实用、缺乏理性以及爱虚荣）联系在了一起)”可知，谦逊并非是高跟鞋作为男性鞋类所具有的特征。故选C。 4．主旨大意题。根据第一段“It all started with the stirrup, probably invented by Eurasian steppe people about the second century BC to provide greater control of the horse and increase its military value.(这一切始于马镫，这种装置大概是在公元前2世纪由欧亚草原上的民族发明的，其目的是为了更好地控制马匹并提升其军事价值)”结合文章主要说明了高跟鞋起源与马术、战争相关，最初为男士固定马镫而设计，后成为财富与男子气概象征，最终逐渐演变为女性魅力的标志。可知，C选项“高跟鞋是为男性使用而发明的吗？”最符合文章标题。故选C。 They’re still kids, and although there’s a lot that the experts don’t yet know about them, one thing they do agree on is that what kids use and expect from their world has changed rapidly. And it’s all because of technology. To the psychologists, sociologists, and generational and media experts who study them, their digital gear sets this new group apart, even from their tech-savvy Millennial elders. They want to be constantly connected and available in a way even their older siblings don’t quite get. These differences may appear slight, but they signal an all-encompassing sensibility that some say marks the dawning of a new generation. The contrast between Millennials and this younger group was so evident to psychologist Larry Rosen of California State University that he has declared the birth of a new generation in a new book, Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn, out next month. Rosen says the tech-dominated life experience of those born since the early 1990s is so different from the Millennials he wrote about in his 2007 book, Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation, that they warrant the distinction of a new generation, which he has dubbed the “iGeneration”. “The technology is the easiest way to see it, but it’s also a mindset, and the mindset goes with the little ‘I’, which I’m talking to stand for ‘individualized’,” Rosen says. “Everything is defined and individualized to ‘me’. My music choices are defined to ‘me’. What I watch on TV any instant is defined to ‘me’.” He says the iGeneration includes today’s teens and middle-schoolers, but it’s too soon to tell about elementary-school ages and younger. Rosen says the iGeneration believes anything is possible. “If they can think of it, somebody probably has or will invent it,” he says. “They expect innovation.” They have high expectations that whatever they want or can use “will be able to be tailored to their own needs and wishes and desires.” Rosen says portability is key. They are inseparable from their wireless devices, which allow them to text as well as talk, so they can be constantly connected — even in class, where cellphones are supposedly banned. Many researchers are trying to determine whether technology somehow causes the brains of young people to be wired differently. “They should be distracted and should perform more poorly than they do,” Rosen says. “But findings show teens survive distractions much better than we would predict by their age and their brain development.” Because these kids are more immersed and at younger ages, Rosen says, the educational system has to change significantly. “The growth curve on the use of technology with children is exponential (指数的), and we run the risk of being out of step with this generation as far as how they learn and how they think,” Rosen says. “We have to give them options because they want their world individualized.” 1．Compared with their Millennial elders, the iGeneration kids ________. A．communicate with others by high-tech methods continually B．prefer to live a virtual life than a real one C．are equipped with more modem digital techniques D．know more on technology than their elders 2．Which of the following is true about the iGeneration according to Rosen? A．This generation is crazy about inventing and creating new things. B．Everything must be adapted to the peculiar need of the generation. C．This generation catches up with the development of technology. D．High-tech such as wireless devices goes with the generation. 3．Rosen’s findings suggest that technology ________. A．has an obvious effect on the function of iGeneration’s brain development B．has greatly affected the iGeneration’s behaviors and academic performance C．has no significantly negative effect on iGeneration’s mental and intellectual development D．has caused distraction problems on iGeneration which affect their daily performance. 4．According to the passage, education has to _________. A．adapt its system to the need of the new generation B．use more technologies to cater for the iGeneration C．risk its system to certain extent for the iGeneration D．be conducted online for iGeneration’s individualized need 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．C 4．A 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了专家指出技术使当下青少年形成新群体 “i一代”，他们追求持续互联与个性化，受技术影响大，这也倒逼教育体系做出相应变革。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段中“To the psychologists, sociologists, and generational and media experts who study them, their digital gear sets this new group apart, even from their tech-savvy Millennial elders. They want to be constantly connected and available in a way even their older siblings don’t quite get.( 对于研究他们的心理学家、社会学家、代际和媒体专家来说，他们的数字设备使这个新群体与精通技术的千禧一代长辈区别开来。他们想要随时保持联系，以一种连他们的哥哥姐姐都不太理解的方式。)”以及第七段中“They are inseparable from their wireless devices, which allow them to text as well as talk, so they can be constantly connected — even in class, where cellphones are supposedly banned.( 他们离不开无线设备，无线设备既能让他们发短信，也能让他们说话，所以他们可以一直保持联系——即使是在课堂上，据说手机是被禁止的。)”可知，与他们的千禧一代长辈相比，“i一代”的孩子不断地用高科技方法与他人交流。故选A项。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段中Rosen的表述“The technology is the easiest way to see it, but it’s also a mindset, and the mindset goes with the little ‘I’, which I’m talking to stand for ‘individualized’(科技是最容易看到这一点的方式，但它也是一种思维模式，这种思维模式与小写的‘我’相伴，我说的‘我’代表‘个性化’)”以及第七段中的“Rosen says portability is key. They are inseparable from their wireless devices(罗森说便携性是关键。他们与无线设备形影不离)”可知，无线设备等高科技与这一代人相伴相生。故选D项。 3．细节理解题。根据第八段中““They should be distracted and should perform more poorly than they do,” Rosen says. “But findings show teens survive distractions much better than we would predict by their age and their brain development.”(罗森说：“他们应该分心，应该表现得比现在更糟糕。”“但研究结果表明，青少年比我们根据他们的年龄和大脑发育所预测的更能承受干扰。”)”可知，罗森的发现表明技术对一代人的心理和智力发展没有显著的负面影响。故选C项。 4．推理判断题。根据第九段“Because these kids are more immersed and at younger ages, Rosen says, the educational system has to change significantly.( 罗森说，因为这些孩子更容易沉浸其中，而且年龄更小，所以教育系统必须做出重大改变。)”以及最后一段““We have to give them options because they want their world individualized.”(“我们必须给他们选择，因为他们希望自己的世界个性化。”)”可推知，根据文章，教育必须使其系统适应新一代的需要。故选A项。 Daydreaming, or mind-wandering, is generally seen by teachers as an undesirable activity. And yet, on average, we daydream nearly 47% of our waking hours. If our brain spends nearly half of our awake time doing it, there is probably a good reason why. Research shows that there are three types of daydreaming. The first is “guilty dysphoric” daydreaming, when we either keep thinking about a negative past experience or imagine the worst possible outcomes for the future. Then there is “poor attentional control,” where a person struggles to focus on a particular thought or task. These two kinds of daydreaming don’t have identifiable benefits. But the third type, “positive constructive daydreaming (PCD),” where we cast our mind forward and imagine future possibilities in a creative, positive way, can be quite beneficial. Helpful for planning and creativity, PCD is the bridge that links our internal observations with the forecasting required for future exploration. Inner reflection, not external drivers, is believed to empower humanity to direct their own lives and lead themselves. Inner reflection arises from consciousness, which is considered inseparable from thinking and represents an integral awareness of the working of our own mind. Open observation of our internal consciousness paved the way for curious exploration of our external world. The part of our brain most often associated with daydreaming is called the “default mode network” (DMN). The term “default mode” refers to the part of our brain associated with our resting state and is responsible for our ability to reflect on our own consciousness and internal narrative. The DMN is a system active during reflective activities like daydreaming, and quiet when focused mental effort is required. The DMN also connects many brain regions, impacting a host of other activity patterns. But more interesting and somewhat mysterious, the DMN is responsible for much of our abstract conceptual thought — the reflective, self-aware kind that separates us from animals — and it recalls and constructs social contexts to help us make meaning of our life. While the DMN can become disturbed during mental decline, PCD can actually thicken the cerebral cortex, or what’s known as our brain’s gray matter, the thinning of which is associated with the mental decline of aging. Though this link isn’t fully understood yet, we know that a well-functioning DMN — where we cast our mind’s eye forward in time or reflect on our past experience (as in PCD) — plays a central role in our healthy mental functioning, in areas like memory strengthening, planning, and self-control. Despite the benefits, we are conditioning daydreaming out of our kids — and in turn, out of our adult lives as well. Most schools place such a strong emphasis on an assumption of high attentional demand that they’ve failed to balance the potential benefit of PCD’s “constructive internal reflection”. Rather than criticizing daydreaming, we should protect it, cultivate it, and honor it. People who daydream are more reflective, have a deeper sense of sympathy, and show more moral decision-making. And ultimately, children who are more reflective, sympathetic, and moral grow up to be the adults who build a more just society. 1．Why is daydreaming generally seen as an undesirable activity by teachers? A．Because children spend too much time daydreaming. B．Because just one type of daydreaming brings benefits. C．Because schools like kids with good attentional control. D．Because few children are capable of engaging in PCD． 2．Which of the following is a benefit of daydreaming? A．Showing inner reflection on our mindset and creativity. B．Promoting curiosity about exploring the external world. C．Providing direct empowerment for future possibilities. D．Encouraging reflection and sympathy at a social level. 3．What are the characteristics of DMN? ①Active during daydreaming and reflection. ②Examining mental health with abstract thought. ③Connecting brain regions and aiding thinking. ④Countering age-related changes in the brain. ⑤Supporting self-awareness and imagination. ⑥Systematically analyzing relevant social contexts. ⑦Taking a back seat when attention is needed. A．①③⑤⑦ B．①②④⑤ C．①③④⑥ D．①②⑥⑦ 4．Which can be the best title of the passage? A．Daydreaming: Teachers’ Poison, Kids’ Meat B．Why Daydreaming is So Good for You C．Develop Daydreaming Constructively D．Build a Just Society with Daydreaming 【答案】1．C 2．B 3．A 4．B 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了白日梦的益处及其对大脑和心理健康的重要性。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段中“The first is “guilty dysphoric” daydreaming, when we either keep thinking about a negative past experience or imagine the worst possible outcomes for the future. Then there is “poor attentional control,” where a person struggles to focus on a particular thought or task. These two kinds of daydreaming don’t have identifiable benefits.(第一种是“愧疚抑郁型”白日梦，表现为我们反复回想过去的负面经历，或是设想未来可能发生的最坏结果。第二种是“注意力控制薄弱型” 白日梦，指人们难以将注意力集中在某个特定的想法或任务上。这两种白日梦没有明显可辨识的益处)”、第六段中“Most schools place such a strong emphasis on an assumption of high attentional demand that they’ve failed to balance the potential benefit of PCD’s “constructive internal reflection”.(大多数学校过分强调高度专注的预设要求，却未能兼顾积极建构型白日梦所具备的“建设性内在反思”的潜在价值)”可知，老师认为白日梦是不好的活动，是因为学校喜欢注意力控制好的孩子，而注意力控制差的白日梦没有明显的好处。故选C。 2．细节理解题。根据第三段中“Inner reflection, not external drivers, is believed to empower humanity to direct their own lives and lead themselves. Inner reflection arises from consciousness, which is considered inseparable from thinking and represents an integral awareness of the working of our own mind. Open observation of our internal consciousness paved the way for curious exploration of our external world.(人们认为，是内在反思而非外部驱动力，赋予了人类指引自己生活、自我领导的能力。内在反思源于意识，意识与思考密不可分，代表了对自身思维运作的完整觉察。对内心意识的开放观察，为好奇地探索外部世界铺平了道路)”可知，白日梦的好处是促进对探索外部世界的好奇心。故选B。 3．细节理解题。根据第四段中“The DMN is a system active during reflective activities like daydreaming, and quiet when focused mental effort is required.(默认模式网络是一个在反思活动（如白日梦）中活跃的系统，在需要集中精神努力时则保持安静)”可知，①“在白日梦和反思期间活跃”和⑦“在需要注意力时退居次要地位”是默认模式网络的特点；根据第四段中“The DMN also connects many brain regions, impacting a host of other  activity patterns.(默认模式网络还连接许多大脑区域，影响许多其他活动模式)”可知，③“连接大脑区域并帮助思考”是默认模式网络的特点；根据第四段中“But more interesting and somewhat mysterious, the DMN is responsible for much of our abstract conceptual thought — the reflective, self-aware kind  that separates us from animals — and it recalls and constructs social  contexts to help us make meaning of our life.(但更有趣、也有点神秘的是，默认模式网络负责我们大部分的抽象概念思维——这种反思性的、自我意识的思维将我们与动物区分开来——它回忆并构建社会背景，帮助我们理解生活的意义)”可知，⑤“支持自我意识和想象力”是默认模式网络的特点。故选A。 4．主旨大意题。通读全文，尤其是根据第一段中“Daydreaming, or mind-wandering, is generally seen by teachers as an undesirable activity. And yet, on average, we daydream nearly 47% of  our waking hours. If our brain spends nearly half of our awake time doing it, there is probably a good reason why.(白日梦，或者说走神，通常被老师视为一种不受欢迎的活动。然而，平均而言，我们在清醒的时候有近47%的时间在做白日梦。如果我们的大脑在清醒的时候有近一半的时间在做这件事，那可能有一个很好的理由)”可知，文章主要讲述了白日梦的益处及其对大脑和心理健康的重要性，可知，B选项“Why Daydreaming is So Good for You(为什么白日梦对你有好处)”最符合文章标题。故选B。 There exists a certain human experience that goes beyond cultures and generations— the sudden shake that runs down your spine (脊柱) when a violin reaches its highest note, or when singers’ harmony resolves perfectly. These musical chills, electrifying feelings triggered by emotionally powerful music, sometimes accompanied by visible goosebumps, represent one of the most fascinating blends between art and neurology. Recent advances in brain imaging have transformed our understanding of this phenomenon, revealing it to be a complex neurological event involving multiple brain regions. The process begins with pattern recognition in the auditory cortex (听觉皮层) , which constantly predicts where a musical phrase will lead. When a composer breaks these expectations on purpose—through an unexpected key change, or a delay in resolution— it creates what neuroscientists call “prediction error.” This surprise element triggers the nucleus accumbens (伏隔核) , the brain’s pleasure center associated with reward processing. Within milliseconds, the area releases dopamine, the same neurotransmitter involved in the pleasures of eating chocolate or falling in love. Studies show this neural activity pattern is nearly identical to that seen during other peak emotional experiences. Individual differences in musical chills provide important clues. Only about half the population reports frequent musical chills, and brain scans reveal why. These individuals possess stronger white matter connections between the auditory cortex and two key regions: one processing bodily awareness and the other involved in emotional evaluation. This enhanced neural connection creates the ability to experience more delicate emotional responses to music. The evolutionary origins of this response may come before humanity itself. Charles Darwin first noted that music shares characteristics with animal distress calls and mating songs. The physiological markers of musical chills— including goosebumps and changes in heart rate— mirror ancient fear and excitement responses. Some theorists suggest music developed as an early language that promoted social unity, with chill responses reinforcing group bonding through shared emotional peaks. Modern medicine has begun using this knowledge. Neurologists now use musical chill tests to assess lack of emotional response in depression patients, as reduced chill response connects with an inability to feel pleasure. Music therapists working with Alzheimer’s patients have documented cases where chill-arousing songs temporarily restore access to lost memories, likely through activation of the region relatively spared in early dementia (痴呆症) . The next time you feel that familiar shake during a favorite song, recognize it for what it truly is. In those chilling notes lies evidence of our incredible neural complexity, our ancient evolutionary past, and our enduring capacity for amazing experience. 1．What triggers the “prediction error” in Paragraph 2? A．The release of dopamine from the same neurotransmitter area. B．A composer’s intentional breaking of listeners’ musical expectations. C．The similarity between musical chills and other emotional experiences. D．The auditory cortex’s failure to recognize the familiar musical patterns. 2．What can we know about the evolutionary fact of musical chills? A．They were developed to distinguish between fear and excitement responses. B．They played a role in promoting social connection among early human groups. C．Their origin lay in the same biological mechanism as animal mating behaviors. D．Their physical indicators like goosebumps fade away in the process of evolution. 3．From the case of Alzheimer’s patients, we can infer that _________. A．chill-arousing music is the more effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease B．all dementia patients can fully recover lost memories through musical chills C．emotional distress in depression is caused by weakened musical chill responses D．modern medicine has begun to apply the effect of musical chills to curing diseases 4．What does the author imply in the last paragraph? A．Only music with specific notes can trigger the neural activity of chills. B．The experience of musical chills reflects multiple aspects of human nature. C．Musical chills are the most direct way to study the human brain’s complexity. D．The ability to feel musical chills is unique to humans compared with other species. 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．D 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了音乐寒颤是艺术与神经学的交汇现象，由作曲家打破听众音乐预期触发，其个体差异、演化起源已被揭示，且该研究成果已应用于现代医学领域。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段中“When a composer breaks these expectations on purpose—through an unexpected key change, or a delay in resolution— it creates what neuroscientists call “prediction error.”(当作曲家故意打破这些预期时——比如采用出人意料的转调或延迟和声解决时——就会产生神经科学家所说的“预测错误”。)”可知，作曲家故意打破听众的音乐期望触发了“预测错误”。故选B项。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段中“Some theorists suggest music developed as an early language that promoted social unity, with chill responses reinforcing group bonding through shared emotional peaks.( 一些理论家认为，音乐是一种促进社会团结的早期语言，通过共同的情感高峰，寒颤反应加强了群体联系。)”可知，关于音乐寒颤的进化事实，我们能知道它们在促进早期人类群体之间的社会联系方面发挥了作用。故选B项。 3．推理判断题。根据第五段“Modern medicine has begun using this knowledge. Neurologists now use musical chill tests to assess lack of emotional response in depression patients, as reduced chill response connects with an inability to feel pleasure. Music therapists working with Alzheimer’s patients have documented cases where chill-arousing songs temporarily restore access to lost memories, likely through activation of the region relatively spared in early dementia (痴呆症) .( 现代医学已经开始运用这一知识。神经学家现在使用音乐寒颤测试来评估抑郁症患者缺乏情绪反应，因为寒颤反应的减少与无法感受到快乐有关。与阿尔茨海默病患者一起工作的音乐治疗师已经记录了一些案例，这些案例表明，能令人起鸡皮疙瘩的歌曲可以暂时恢复对失去的记忆的访问，可能是通过激活早期痴呆症相对不受影响的区域。)”可知，从老年痴呆症患者的案例中，我们可以推断现代医学已经开始利用音乐寒颤的效果来治疗疾病。故选D项。 4．推理判断题。根据最后一段“The next time you feel that familiar shake during a favorite song, recognize it for what it truly is. In those chilling notes lies evidence of our incredible neural complexity, our ancient evolutionary past, and our enduring capacity for amazing experience.( 下次当你在听最喜欢的歌曲时感到那种熟悉的颤抖时，认清它的真正含义。那些令人起鸡皮疙瘩的音符证明了我们令人难以置信的神经复杂性，我们古老的进化历史，以及我们对惊人体验的持久能力。)”可推知，作者在最后一段暗示了音乐寒颤的经历反映了人性的多个方面。故选B项。 On 27 September 1825, Robert Stephenson and Co’s Locomotion No.1 arrived in Stockton, England. As the first rail vehicle to carry passengers, it was greeted with a seven-gun salute and an astonished crowd. “It was found to be quite impossible to contain the enthusiasm of the crowd,” reported a journalist. This weekend the celebrations are likely to be slightly less wild, as the 200th anniversary of the pioneering Stockton and Darlington railway line(S&DR) is marked. But they will undoubtedly be heartfelt. A replica (复制品) of the pioneering engine is to recreate the original journey, with viewing tickets sold out along the route and a big screen following its progress in the town centre. A set of stamps in memory of the event is being issued, which feels appropriately old school. The businessmen who invested in the S&DR back in the 19th century were motivated by the functional benefits of transporting coal more efficiently. But their project eventually unlocked far wider human possibilities, transforming the sense of distance and changing the way the nation lived. Trains carried Victorian working-class families to the seaside and back, and reunited lovers on windswept platforms. Crowded 20th-century passenger trains ran regularly between satellite towns and cities. A railway station became part of the identity of a place, as well as a point of departure from it. These days the railways are journeying with difficulty towards a new era. The short-sighted railway cuts of the 1960s, and the needless, failed privatization (私有化) of the 1990s, were avoidable political errors whose legacy is still felt today. Extremely high-ticket prices and long-term mismanagement in the north, where the story began, harm the contemporary network. As the government gradually takes more train operators back under public ownership, a much-needed strategic reset is required. The rail industry should become a key force of green sustainable growth. Sadly, plans for high-speed rail in northern England are to be delayed again. This does not inspire confidence. For train lovers though, this weekend is about the past not the future. Locomotion No. 1 launched a journey that meant far more than travelling from A to B．From E Nesbit’s description of a rural childhood to WH Auden’s poem, the trip has left a lasting mark on our literature. Carnforth in Lancashire still celebrates its station’s role in the cinema classic Brief Encounter, where a tragic romance is brought to a close by a guard’s whistle, and the rhythmic sound of wheels beginning to move on track. 1．According to the passage, Locomotion No.1 referred to _________ A．a project founded by businessmen in the Victorian era B．a replica built to celebrate the railway’s 200th anniversary C．a machine dedicated to carrying coal out more efficiently D．a vehicle marking the beginning of passenger transport by rail 2．It can be inferred from the passage that the rail development_________ A．holds cultural significance beyond being a means of transportation B．has undergone a successful transition to meet modern-day demands C．is focusing on the construction and expansion of high-speed rail networks D．has suffered a decline due to the rise of more sustainable transport modes 3．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 most probably means _________ A．decisions intended for reforms have led to long-lasting damage B．increases in ticket price were meant for a potential service upgrade C．railway cuts in the 1960s once thought short-sighted prove necessary D．political errors in the past have ended the railway network for good 4．What’s the author’s attitude towards the changes in the railway over the past two centuries? A．disappointed but optimistic B．hateful and critical C．respectful yet regretful D．confident and admiring 【答案】1．D 2．A 3．A 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。本文纪念斯托克顿 - 达灵顿铁路线通车200周年，讲述其开创铁路客运的意义、社会文化影响，同时惋惜其发展中的失误与现状困境。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段“On 27 September 1825, Robert Stephenson and Co’s Locomotion No.1 arrived in Stockton, England. As the first rail vehicle to carry passengers, it was greeted with a seven-gun salute and an astonished crowd. “It was found to be quite impossible to contain the enthusiasm of the crowd,” reported a journalist.( 1825年9月27日，罗伯特·斯蒂芬森公司的“1号机车”抵达英格兰的斯托克顿。作为第一辆载客的铁路车辆，它受到了七响礼炮和一片惊讶人群的热烈欢迎。一位记者报道说：“人们发现，要抑制住人群的狂热情绪几乎是不可能的。”)”可知，1号机车指的是标志着铁路客运时代开端的交通工具。故选D。 2．推理判断题。根据最后一段“For train lovers though, this weekend is about the past, not the future. Locomotion No. 1 launched a journey that meant far more than travelling from A to B. From E Nesbit’s description of a rural childhood to WH Auden’s poem, the trip has left a lasting mark on our literature. Carnforth in Lancashire still celebrates its station’s role in the cinema classic Brief Encounter, where a tragic romance is brought to a close by a guard’s whistle, and the rhythmic sound of wheels beginning to move on track.(但对于火车爱好者来说，这个周末的意义在于回顾过去，而非展望未来。编号为 1的列车开启了一段远不止从 A 地到 B 地的旅程。从埃·内斯比特对乡村童年的描述到惠特·奥登的诗歌，这次旅行在我们的文学作品中留下了深远的影响。在兰开夏郡的坎福德，人们仍然铭记着该车站在经典电影《短暂的邂逅》中所扮演的重要角色，在这部影片中，一段悲惨的爱情因一名警卫的哨声以及轮子开始在铁轨上转动时发出的有节奏的声音而告终)”可知，铁路不仅是交通方式，还深刻影响了文学和影视，由此可推断铁路具有超越运输功能的文化意义。故选A。 3．句意猜测题。根据第四段“These days the railways are journeying with difficulty towards a new era. The short-sighted railway cuts of the 1960s, and the needless, failed privatization of the 1990s, were avoidable political errors whose legacy is still felt today. Extremely high-ticket prices and long-term mismanagement in the north, where the story began, harm the contemporary network.(如今，铁路行业正艰难地迈向一个崭新的时代。20世纪60年代那些目光短浅的铁路建设消减，以及20世纪90年代不必要的、失败的私有化举措，都是可以避免的错误决策，其遗留影响至今仍可见。在故事起源的北方地区，高昂的票价和长期的管理不善损害了当前的铁路网络)”可知，20世纪60年代短视的铁路线路削减，以及90年代毫无必要且失败的私有化，都是本可避免的政治错误，其负面影响至今仍能被感受到。故划线句意思是“原本旨在进行改革的决策却造成了长期的损害”。故选A。 4．推理判断题。根据第一段“On 27 September 1825, Robert Stephenson and Co’s Locomotion No. 1 arrived in Stockton, England. As the first rail vehicle to carry passengers, it was greeted with a seven-gun salute and an astonished crowd. “It was found to be quite impossible to contain the enthusiasm of the crowd,” reported a journalist.( 1825年9月27日，罗伯特·斯蒂芬森公司的“1号机车”抵达英格兰的斯托克顿。作为第一辆载客的铁路车辆，它受到了七响礼炮和一片惊讶人群的热烈欢迎。一位记者报道说：“人们发现，要抑制住人群的狂热情绪几乎是不可能的。”)”以及第四段“These days the railways are journeying with difficulty towards a new era. The short-sighted railway cuts of the 1960s, and the needless, failed privatization of the 1990s, were avoidable political errors whose legacy is still felt today. Extremely high-ticket prices and long-term mismanagement in the north, where the story began, harm the contemporary network.(如今，铁路行业正艰难地迈向一个崭新的时代。20世纪60年代那些目光短浅的铁路建设决策，以及20世纪90年代不必要的、失败的私有化举措，都是可以避免的错误决策，其遗留影响至今仍可见。在故事起源的北方地区，高昂的票价和长期的管理不善损害了当前的铁路网络)”文中肯定了 Stockton and Darlington 铁路线的开创性意义，以及铁路对人们生活、文化领域的深远影响；同时惋惜铁路发展中出现的政治失误（线路削减、私有化失败）、票价高昂、管理不善和高铁计划推迟等问题。可知，作者对于过去两百年间铁路的变化表示尊重但又略带遗憾。故选C。 Lots of names have been proposed for the world’s youngest generation, born roughly since 2010. Some are predictable, such as “iPad kids” and “Generation AI”. Others are puzzling, as with “Polars”, which nods both to growing polarisation and shrinking ice caps. One name has caught on in the English-speaking West: “Generation Alpha”. It symbolises a fresh chapter, says Mark McCrindle, the Australian demographer (人口学家) behind it. He consulted people for ideas nearly 20 years ago; many suggested the name “Gen A”. But rather than go back to the start of the Latin alphabet (字母表), he shifted to the Greek one. “Alpha” has recently become a trendy term. Reports and surveys have been published about these youngsters, describing their preferences and predicting their future. Analysts suggest that Alphas will become the most innovative generation. Such insights make for good headlines. But social scientists say it is too soon to identify the distinctive characteristics of a group that includes toddlers (学步儿童). Predicting how they will grow up “has no more value than guesswork”, says Bobby Duffy, a professor at King’s College London: Many judgments made now will be proved wrong in the future. Research is largely driven by commercial interests. Alpha is projected to be the world’s largest generation, with more than 2 billion members. By 2029, nearly $5.5 trillion will be spent on Alphas a year, predicts McCrindle’s research firm. That presents an opportunity for businesses, and for the marketing firms that advise “how to prepare for Gen Alpha”. Restrictions on marketing to youngsters prevent many insights. Governments regulate advertisements aimed at minors and stop their personal data from being collected without parental permission. Some surveys about Gen Alpha are filled out by parents, who interpret their children’s habits. Many conclusions do not apply to the youngest members. There are disagreements about who exactly counts as Alpha. McCrindle thinks the group should include those born between 2010 and 2024. Yet other firms say Gen Z only stopped being born in 2012. Because there is no official classification, one person’s Z is another’s Alpha. But no one can deny that Alphas are in their formative years, when attitudes and values continue to change as they grow up and come of age. It will be at least five years before Alphas are old enough for real differences to be seen between them and others, believes Duffy. Until then, the generation will keep experts and parents on their toes. 1．In paragraph 3, both social scientists and Bobby Duffy believe that ________. A．Alphas are certain to be highly creative B．current reports accurately describe Alphas C．a precise description of Alphas cannot yet be made D．the name “Generation Alpha” itself reflects positive expectations 2．What can be inferred from the current research on Alphas mentioned in paragraphs 4 and 5? A．Its objectivity may be affected by commercial motivation. B．It is mainly conducted for academic exploration. C．The sample size used in the research process is limited. D．Legal restrictions make the findings more reliable. 3．According to paragraph 6, what does the author imply about Generation Alpha? A．Their values are largely shaped by outside social forces. B．Adults can take a relaxed attitude when dealing with them. C．Disagreements over labels don’t affect how the group is understood. D．Noticeable and distinct qualities won’t emerge until the generation matures. 4．What is the passage mainly about? A．The media’s excitement about naming the youngest generation. B．Why Generation Alpha is expected to reshape future markets and culture. C．The challenges and uncertainties in defining and researching Generation Alpha. D．How parents and marketing agencies influence children’s early development. 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．D 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。介绍了“阿尔法一代”(2010年后出生的一代)的命名背景、研究面临的挑战及相关争议等。 1．细节理解题。根据第三段“But social scientists say it is too soon to identify the distinctive characteristics of a group that includes toddlers (学步儿童). Predicting how they will grow up “has no more value than guesswork”, says Bobby Duffy, a professor at King’s College London: Many judgments made now will be proved wrong in the future. (但社会科学家表示，现在就确定这个包含学步儿童在内的群体的独特特征还为时过早。伦敦大学国王学院教授Bobby Duffy表示，预测他们将如何成长“和猜测没什么区别”：现在做出的许多判断在未来将被证明是错误的。)”可知，社会科学家和Bobby Duffy都认为目前无法精准描述阿尔法一代的特征。故选C项。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段“Research is largely driven by commercial interests. (研究在很大程度上是由商业利益驱动的。)”及“That presents an opportunity for businesses, and for the marketing firms that advise “how to prepare for Gen Alpha”. (这为企业提供了机会，也为那些建议“如何为阿尔法时代做准备”的营销公司提供了机会。)”可知，关于阿尔法一代的研究主要受商业利益驱动，其客观性可能会受商业动机影响。故选A项。 3．推理判断题。根据最后一段“But no one can deny that Alphas are in their formative years, when attitudes and values continue to change as they grow up and come of age. It will be at least five years before Alphas are old enough for real differences to be seen between them and others, believes Duffy.  (但没人能否认，阿尔法一代正处于成长形成期，随着他们的长大成年，态度和价值观会不断改变。Duffy认为，阿尔法至少还需要五年的时间才能长到足以看出它们和其他群体之间的真正差异。)”可知，作者暗示阿尔法一代的显著独特特质要等他们成年后才会显现。故选D项。 4．主旨大意题。第1段介绍了针对2010年后出生的新一代，人们提出了多种命名；第2段说明“阿尔法一代”这一名称在英语国家流行，由人口学家 Mark McCrindle提出，象征“新的篇章”；第3段指出“阿尔法一代”相关报道虽多，但社会科学家认为目前无法精准定义其特征，Bobby Duffy称这类预测“和猜测没什么区别”；第4-5段说明对阿尔法一代的研究受商业利益驱动，且存在法律限制、样本偏差等问题，研究结论的客观性存疑；第6段提到“阿尔法一代”的群体划分存在争议，且其特质要等成长后才会显现。由此可知，文章核心围绕“定义和研究阿尔法一代过程中面临的挑战与不确定性”展开。故选C项。 In some Western parts, children of healthy weight have long become the exception. Now even in poor countries, childhood obesity (肥胖) is spreading faster than ever before. The problem is not new: the percentage of overweight children around the world went up in the 1980s, as junk food became a dietary staple. But the trend today is alarming. A report by UNICEF found that the number of school-aged children who are obese is, for the first time, higher than those who do not get enough food to stay healthy. In Niue and the Cook Islands, nearly 40% of 5 — 19-year-olds are obese — the highest rates in the world. The south Pacific also has some of the worst adult obesity rates, fueled by shifting diets and a culture that prizes size. America ranks in the top 20 countries for childhood obesity, with a rate of 20%. In Europe, Hungary leads with 15%. Poor countries are particularly ill-equipped to tackle this issue. Health systems there were built to fight hunger not obesity. Many babies are born underweight because of poor diets when their mothers are expecting them. That alters their metabolism (新陈代谢) and makes rapid weight gain and other long-term health problems more likely in adulthood. In South America and parts of Africa and the Middle East, the share of overweight children is already higher than in western Europe and is nearing the 45% seen in North America. The reason is simple: cheap, heavily processed foods are dominating children’s diets worldwide, crowding out fresh fruits, vegetables and proteins. A UNICEF survey of 20 low- and middle-income countries found that more than half of babies aged 6 — 23 months in 13 countries had consumed sweet drinks or sugary foods the previous day. Even in Britain many ready-to-eat baby foods marketed as healthy are far from it. In countries with lax regulation, the meals are worse. A study of hundreds of baby foods sold in seven South-East Asian countries found that half were ultra-processed. A third contained additives that are not permitted under the Codex Alimentarius, the UN’s food-standards code. But changing diets is hard. Ultra-processed foods are about 50% cheaper than fresh or minimally processed foods, according to the UN’s report on food systems. A global survey of school meals in 2024 found that 25% of schools served processed meats, 21% served sweets, 19% served deep-fried food and 14% provided sugar-sweetened drinks. Stronger rules that restrict the advertising and sales of unhealthy foods could help. So could financial aid to make good food cheaper. What children eat early shapes their tastes for life. Adult diets are habits fixed in childhood. Once formed, those tastes are hard to shift. 1．The author cites the specific obesity rates of Niue and the Cook Islands, America, and Hungary in Paragraph 2 primarily ________. A．to argue that European policies are the most effective B．to show the problem is global, affecting diverse regions C．to rank the economic development levels of these places D．to suggest the issue is most severe in Pacific Island nations 2．Which of the following is a major concern regarding childhood obesity in poor countries according to the passage? A．Parents are not aware of the risks of obesity at all. B．Children refuse to eat any fresh fruits or vegetables. C．There is a complete lack of regulations on food advertising. D．Health systems are not designed to deal with such problems. 3．The underlined word “lax” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________. A．strict B．effective C．loose D．detailed 4．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To criticize the food industry for promoting unhealthy foods. B．To recommend specific lifestyle programs for obese children. C．To analyze the global trend and challenges of childhood obesity. D．To compare obesity rates between developed and poor countries. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．C 4．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章揭示了儿童肥胖的全球化趋势，指出贫困国家因卫生系统缺陷和加工食品泛滥而面临严峻挑战，并呼吁加强监管与健康饮食推广。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段“In Niue and the Cook Islands, nearly 40% of 5 — 19-year-olds are obese — the highest rates in the world. The south Pacific also has some of the worst adult obesity rates, fueled by shifting diets and a culture that prizes size. America ranks in the top 20 countries for childhood obesity, with a rate of 20%. In Europe, Hungary leads with 15%. (在纽埃和库克群岛，近40%的5至19岁青少年肥胖，这是世界上肥胖率最高的国家。南太平洋地区的成年人肥胖率也是最高的，这是由于饮食习惯的改变和崇尚体型的文化造成的。美国儿童肥胖率为20%，排在前20位。在欧洲，匈牙利以15%领先。)”可知，作者列举了纽埃和库克群岛、美国和匈牙利惊人的儿童肥胖率数据，以表明肥胖问题是全球性的，影响不同地区。故选B项。 2．细节理解题。根据第三段中“Poor countries are particularly ill-equipped to tackle this issue. Health systems there were built to fight hunger not obesity. (贫穷国家在解决这一问题上的能力尤其不足。那里的卫生系统是为了对抗饥饿而不是肥胖而建立的。)”可知，贫穷国家的主要问题是卫生系统并非针对肥胖问题设计。故选D项。 3．词句猜测题。根据画线词的下文“A study of hundreds of baby foods sold in seven South-East Asian countries found that half were ultra-processed. A third contained additives that are not permitted under the Codex Alimentarius, the UN’s food-standards code. (一项对七个东南亚国家销售的数百种婴儿食品的研究发现，其中一半是超加工食品。三分之一含有联合国食品标准法典不允许的添加剂。)”可知，这些国家的婴儿食品有一半是不健康的，且三分之一含违规的添加剂，这表明食品监管不够严格，画线词所在句意思是“在监管宽松的国家，膳食更糟糕”，画线词意思与loose“宽松的”接近。故选C项。 4．推理判断题。通读全文，尤其是第一段中“In some Western parts, children of healthy weight have long become the exception. Now even in poor countries, childhood obesity (肥胖) is spreading faster than ever before. (在西方一些地区，保持健康体重的孩子早已成为例外。现在，即使在贫穷国家，儿童肥胖的蔓延速度也比以往任何时候都要快。)”可知，文章首段指出全球儿童肥胖趋势，后文从加工食品、贫穷国家困境等分析原因，最后提出应对的方法。由此推知，文章旨在分析儿童肥胖的全球趋势与挑战。故选C项。 Over the past few years, areas in East Asia, North America and northern Europe have been colder than normal during some periods of winter. This has left many debating whether Earth is experiencing global warming or not, but scientists have shown that Earth’s warming trends are responsible. When people in the Northern Hemisphere hear North Pole or Arctic region, they automatically think of the hemisphere’s northernmost area, the home of extremely cold weather during late fall and winter. During this time, very little, if any, sunlight reaches the Arctic’s stratosphere, one layer of Earth’s atmosphere that exists six to 20 kilometers above Earth’s surface. To balance the temperature difference with that of the warm equatorial region, an area of low pressure called the polar vortex forms and flows in a complete circle around the pole. This occurs inside the stratosphere about 10 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. While this belt of strong winds is usually stable and able to keep the cold air contained, it can be destroyed by loss of sea ice, due to global warming. This results in surface temperatures changing, changes which make them less stable. If this happens, the polar vortex may shift, slipping off the North Pole and moving south, or it can separate into two or three rings that form in multiple places far south of the pole. This stretching or distortion of the polar vortex also makes influences on the path of the polar jet stream, which is responsible for Earth’s weather. This jet stream, along with three other primary jet streams in different parts of the world, is located in the troposphere, the atmospheric layer just below the stratosphere. The polar jet stream’s air currents blow from 177 kilometers an hour to over 400 kilometers an hour and from west to east between 50 degrees and 60 degrees latitude — think from France to Norway. The differences in cold polar air and warm mid-latitude air form the polar jet stream, and its movement prolongs periods of cold or warm weather in different regions. Large temperature differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes cause the polar jet stream to be strong and move straight, keeping the cold in the north. Because the Arctic is warming at a fast pace, the temperature difference between it and mid-latitudes is decreasing, making the polar jet stream slower and weaker. That, in turn, makes the stream more likely to bend north and south. When it bends far enough, the barrier between Arctic and mid-latitude air can dive down to Mexico, taking Arctic temperatures along for the ride. Although heat and cold are considered opposites, in the case of climate, the former can cause the latter. 1．The word “prolong” (para 5) is closest in meaning to ________. A．extend B．regulate C．control D．shorten 2．What is suggested in the passage? A．Heat and cold are opposite but they can change each other. B．The air layers above the earth are responsible for climate change. C．The extreme cold in some areas originated from other areas’ heat. D．The Warming Earth is actually caused by the Colder Winters. 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．The streams in the Northern Hemisphere have to move to the South. B．It is certain that the Earth will become warmer and warmer. C．The temperature difference between day and night will decrease. D．The colder areas might gradually become larger and larger in the future. 4．What is the main focus of the passage? A．The Relationship between Warming Earth and Colder Winters B．The Strange Phenomenon of Warming Earth with Colder Winters C．The Temperature Differences between the Arctic and Mid-latitude Areas D．The Potential Reasons for Earth Becoming Warmer and Warmer 【答案】1．A 2．C 3．D 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了全球变暖致使北极海冰消融、极涡变形，进而影响极地急流，引发北半球部分地区冬季异常寒冷，揭示了气候变暖与局部寒冬的关联。 1．词句猜测题。根据划线词上文“The differences in cold polar air and warm mid-latitude air form the polar jet stream, and its movement(冷的极地空气和暖的中纬度空气之间的差异形成了极地急流，其移动……)”以及后文“periods of cold or warm weather in different regions(不同地区寒冷或温暖的天气持续时间)”可知，极地急流的移动会延长不同地区寒冷或温暖天气的持续时间。故划线词意思是“延长”。故选A。 2．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Although heat and cold are considered opposites, in the case of climate, the former can cause the latter.(尽管热与冷被视为相反的两种状态，但在气候方面，前者却能够导致后者出现)”可知，某些地区的极度寒冷是由其他地区过热所导致的。故选C。 3．推理判断题。根据第六段“Large temperature differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes cause the polar jet stream to be strong and move straight, keeping the cold in the north. Because the Arctic is warming at a fast pace, the temperature difference between it and mid-latitudes is decreasing, making the polar jet stream slower and weaker. That, in turn, makes the stream more likely to bend north and south. When it bends far enough, the barrier between Arctic and mid-latitude air can dive down to Mexico, taking Arctic temperatures along for the ride.(北极与中纬度地区的巨大温差，会让极地急流强劲且呈直线运动，从而将冷空气封锁在北方。由于北极变暖速度加快，它与中纬度地区的温差正在缩小，这使得极地急流变得更缓、更弱。而这一变化反过来又会让急流更容易向南北方向弯曲。当急流弯曲幅度足够大时，分隔北极气团与中纬度气团的屏障就会向南延伸至墨西哥一带，同时裹挟着北极的冷空气一路南下)”可知，随着北极变暖趋势持续，急流弯曲的频率和幅度可能增加，南下的冷空气会影响更多区域，因此未来寒冷区域的范围可能逐渐扩大。故选D。 4．主旨大意题。根据第一段“Over the past few years, areas in East Asia, North America and northern Europe have been colder than normal during some periods of winter. This has left many debating whether Earth is experiencing global warming or not, but scientists have shown that Earth’s warming trends are responsible.(在过去几年里，东亚、北美洲和北欧的一些地区在冬季的某些时段气温比往年要低。这使得许多人争论地球是否正在经历全球变暖，但科学家们已经表明，地球的变暖趋势才是原因所在)”可知，文章主要说明了全球变暖致使北极海冰消融、极涡变形，进而影响极地急流，引发北半球部分地区冬季异常寒冷，揭示了气候变暖与局部寒冬的关联。由此可知，这篇文章的主要关注点是地球变得越来越热的潜在原因。故选B。 When you were a kid, you most likely had more friends than you do now. As you grew up, your friendship circle most likely grew smaller. You now have just a few really important friendships. One idea suggests that we become more selective about our friends because we become increasingly aware of our own mortality (生命的有限). In other words, we have future-oriented cognition (认知). However, a recent study suggests that our friendships may not actually be tied to thinking about the future. In this study, a team of researchers analyzed 78,000 hours of observations of 21 male chimpanzees (黑猩猩) made between 1995 and 2016. A unique feature of this study is the value that exists in the long-term collection of data. Like humans, as these chimpanzees grew older, they increased the number of mutual friendships and decreased the number of one-sided friendships. In these mutual friendships, aged chimpanzees were more likely to groom (理毛) each other, and they engaged in grooming for longer, which suggests these friendships were of high value to the chimpanzees. These results question some aspects of the socioemotional selectivity theory. While humans have a sense of mortality, it is widely believed that chimpanzees do not. Because we are so closely related to chimpanzees, these findings in the wild chimps might also apply to people. But if future-orientated cognition isn’t the source of this shift in social behavior seen in both humans and chimpanzees, what is? Now, the researchers are using the same data set to investigate whether changes in emotional reactivity explain the recent findings from the male chimpanzees. Joan Silk, a professor not involved in the study, explained that it could be emotional reactivity, but that’s just a possible explanation, distinct from a complete explanation of how something works. Does emotional reactivity also explain human shifts in friendship selection? These are questions that deserve further study. Anyway, the new study gives valuable insight into how natural selection shapes social relationship strategies as we age, and it is also stimulating because it makes one reconsider the nature of how humans think and behave. Answering questions like this is difficult because humans live such a long time, but what’s important about this study is that it provides long-term data on known individuals that live a long time. By studying our evolutionary cousins, we can learn more about our own behavior. 1．What social change occurs in both humans and chimpanzees as they age? A．They avoid all forms of social grooming. B．Their friendship circles expand significantly. C．They prioritize quantity over quality in friendships. D．They focus on fewer but deeper mutual relationships. 2．The chimpanzee study challenges the socioemotional selectivity theory because _________. A．young chimpanzees exhibited stronger future-oriented cognition B．human friendships were proven unrelated to emotional reactivity C．chimpanzees were found to have a human-like understanding of death D．the social shift occurs in chimpanzees despite their lack of mortality awareness 3．What did Joan Silk imply about the chimpanzee study? A．Its approach is innovative. B．Its findings remain incomplete. C．Its explanation is reasonable. D．Its conclusions are unbelievable. 4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A．Aging and Friendship: A New Insight from Chimpanzees B．Future-Oriented Cognition: The Key to Friendships C．The Emotional Reactivity of Male Chimpanzees D．How Mortality Shapes Human Friendship 【答案】1．D 2．D 3．B 4．A 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，通过一项对黑猩猩的长期观察研究，探讨了人类和黑猩猩在衰老过程中社交关系的变化，并对原有的“社会情感选择理论”提出了质疑。 1．细节理解题。根据第1段中“As you grew up, your friendship circle most likely grew smaller. You now have just a few really important friendships.(随着你的成长，你的朋友圈很可能会变小。你现在只有几个真正重要的朋友了)”及第4段中“Like humans, as these chimpanzees grew older, they increased the number of mutual friendships and decreased the number of one-sided friendships.(和人类一样，随着年龄的增长，这些黑猩猩的双向友谊数量有所增加，而单向友谊的数量则有所减少)”可知，人类和黑猩猩变老后都会更关注数量更少但更深厚的双向关系。故选D。 2．细节理解题。根据第5段中“These results question some aspects of the socioemotional selectivity theory. While humans have a sense of mortality, it is widely believed that chimpanzees do not.(这些结果对社会情绪选择理论的某些方面提出了质疑。人类有生命有限的意识，但人们普遍认为黑猩猩没有这种意识)”可知，黑猩猩没有生命有限的认知却仍出现社交关系的转变，这一点挑战了该理论。故选D。 3．推理判断题。根据第6段中Joan Silk的解释“Joan Silk, a professor not involved in the study, explained that it could be emotional reactivity, but that’s just a possible explanation, distinct from a complete explanation of how something works.(乔安·西尔克（Joan Silk）是一位未参与此项研究的教授，她解释说这可能是情绪反应性，但这只是一个可能的解释，并非对事物运作方式的完整说明)”可知，Joan Silk认为研究提出的解释（情绪反应性）只是一种可能性，并不完整，暗示这项研究的发现并不完备。故选B。 4．主旨大意题。根据全文内容，尤其是文章开篇“As you grew up, your friendship circle most likely grew smaller. You now have just a few really important friendships.(随着你的成长，你的朋友圈很可能会变小。你现在只有几个真正重要的朋友了)”提出人类随年龄增长朋友变少的现象，并引出一个理论解释“One idea suggests that we become more selective about our friends because we become increasingly aware of our own mortality.(有一种观点认为，我们对朋友的选择越来越挑剔，因为我们越来越意识到自己终有一死)”。接着第3、4段重点介绍了一项对黑猩猩的长期研究，该研究发现了黑猩猩也有类似的社交变化，并在第5段对原有理论提出了质疑“These results question some aspects of the socioemotional selectivity theory. While humans have a sense of mortality, it is widely believed that chimpanzees do not.(这些结果对社会情绪选择理论的某些方面提出了质疑。人类有生命有限的意识，但人们普遍认为黑猩猩没有这种意识)”，最后在文章末尾“By studying our evolutionary cousins, we can learn more about our own behavior.(通过研究我们的进化表亲，我们可以更多地了解我们自己的行为)”指出这项研究为了解人类行为提供了新视角。 由此可知，文章围绕衰老与友谊展开，且借助黑猩猩的研究给出了新视角。A选项“衰老与友谊：来自黑猩猩的新见解”为最佳标题。故选A。   When a fire at a supplier’s factory forced a temporary shutdown at the plant of a large European manufacturer of consumer goods, Tim Schweisfurth and his colleagues at the Technical University of Munich found a surprising upside: The idleness (闲散) led to an outpouring of ideas for improvements. The conclusion: Unexpected Interruptions Can Boost Creativity. We discovered this when we looked at the online system the company used to collect plant workers’ ideas and suggestions. People could enter submissions whenever they were on-site. Some proposed small changes, like replacing worn tools; others, major ones, such as a new paint-ordering system that saved the firm €280, 000 a year. The 8,500 employees in the part of the plant that shut down were sent home for four days. In the three weeks after they returned to work, they produced 58%more ideas than uninterrupted employees did. In addition, their ideas were higher quality: Managers rated the accepted submissions and determined that those from sidelined employees were roughly three percentage points better than those from other workers. We also studied an unexpected interruption at the plant that didn’t lead to idle time:  a flood that required employees to clean up the damage. That incident lowered creative performance because workers had to switch their attention to the new task. A similar thing happens when your focus immediately shifts after a social media app beeps to signal a new post. There are many good reasons to take a vacation, but our research doesn’t suggest it will improve your creativity at work, because it wouldn’t be an unexpected interruption. When we looked at a third kind of interruption at the plant — extended weekends — we found no increase in employee suggestions after people returned to work. We think the reason has to do with so-called attention residue — the sweet spot for creativity. It’s when our minds continue to think over something that’s important to us even after we’ve moved on to another activity. Think of all the times you’ve had a breakthrough moment in the shower or while pushing a cart around the grocery store. Those insights all resulted from your brain’s behind-the-scenes perseveration. When we do something that allows us to totally disengage, such as taking a long weekend or a vacation, we don’t experience the same attention residue, so we don’t have the same kinds of breakthroughs. 1．What did the study find about employees who experienced a 4-day shutdown? A．Their creativity decreased significantly. B．They submitted mostly minor tool suggestions. C．Most of their ideas were approved by managers. D．They produced more and better ideas after returning. 2．What conclusion can be drawn concerning unexpected interruptions based on the_________. A．Idle time has a negative impact on the generation of creative ideas. B．Creativity depends upon how much attention remains on the original task. C．Creativity is determined by how focused an individual person is. D．Employees are motivated to be more creative in the face of a challenge. 3．The underlined words “attention residue” in the last paragraph means_________. A．persistent mental engagement B．fundamental spiritual basis C．temporary psychological refreshment D．habitual task-switching routine 4．Which of the following situations is most likely to boost creativity? A．An extended weekend at home. B．A five-day planned trip to a scenic spot. C．A short, unexpected break from work. D．An unexpected work-related assignment. 【答案】1．D 2．B 3．A 4．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了慕尼黑工业大学的一项研究发现，即意外的中断，如工厂的临时停工，可以提升员工的创造力，而计划内的休息或中断，如长周末或假期，则不会对创造力产生同样的积极影响。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段中“The 8,500 employees in the part of the plant that shut down were sent home for four days. In the three weeks after they returned to work, they produced 58%more ideas than uninterrupted employees did. In addition, their ideas were higher quality: Managers rated the accepted submissions and determined that those from sidelined employees were roughly three percentage points better than those from other workers.(工厂停工部分的8500名员工被送回家四天。在他们重返工作岗位后的三周内，他们提出的想法比未受中断的员工多58%。此外，他们的想法质量更高：经理们对被采纳的建议进行了评分，并确定，那些来自被搁置的员工的建议比其他员工的建议大约高出3个百分点)”可知，经历四天停工的员工在返回工作岗位后提出了更多且质量更高的想法。故选D项。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段中“That incident lowered creative performance because workers had to switch their attention to the new task.(这一事件降低了创造性表现，因为工人们不得不把注意力转移到新的任务上)”和最后一段中“We think the reason has to do with so-called attention residue — the sweet spot for creativity. It’s when our minds continue to think over something that’s important to us even after we’ve moved on to another activity.(我们认为原因与所谓的注意力残留有关——这是创造力的最佳点。即使我们已经转移到另一项活动，我们的大脑仍会继续思考对我们重要的事情)”可推知，意外中断后创造力是否提升取决于对原任务的注意力残留多少，即注意力是否仍部分集中在原任务上。故选B项。 3．词句猜测题。根据划线短语后文“It’s when our minds continue to think over something that’s important to us even after we’ve moved on to another activity. Think of all the times you’ve had a breakthrough moment in the shower or while pushing a cart around the grocery store. Those insights all resulted from your brain’s behind-the-scenes perseveration.(即使我们已经转移到另一项活动，我们的大脑仍会继续思考对我们重要的事情。想想你在洗澡或推着购物车逛杂货店时，所有有过突破的时刻。这些见解都源于你大脑幕后的持续思考)”可知，后文解释了“attention residue”的具体表现，即大脑在切换任务后仍持续思考原问题，由此可推知，划线短语“attention residue”意为“持续的精神投入”。故选A项。 4．推理判断题。根据第一段中“The conclusion: Unexpected Interruptions Can Boost Creativity.(结论：意外的中断可以提高创造力)”和最后一段中“When we looked at a third kind of interruption at the plant — extended weekends — we found no increase in employee suggestions after people returned to work. We think the reason has to do with so-called attention residue — the sweet spot for creativity.(当我们观察工厂里的第三种中断——长周末——时，我们发现人们重返工作岗位后，员工的建议并没有增加。我们认为原因与所谓的注意力残留有关——这是创造力的最佳点)”可知，意外的中断可以提升创造力，而计划内的休息(如长周末或假期)则不会产生同样的效果，因为后者不会留下“注意力残留”，由此可推知，一个短暂而意外的休息最有可能激发创造力。故选C项。 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 专题05 阅读理解之说明文15篇 (上海专用) 【题型知识点细目表】 题号 难度 知识点 1 较难 航空航天,说明文 2 适中 科普知识 ,说明文 3 适中 说明文,天体和宇宙,科普知识 4 较难 说明文,信息技术 5 较难 文学家,人物传记,说明文 6 适中 服饰穿戴,说明文 7 较难 社会问题与社会现象,说明文,信息技术 8 适中 科普知识 ,说明文 9 较难 音乐与舞蹈,说明文,科普知识 10 较难 交通与运输 ,说明文,语意转化,句意猜测,逻辑推理,观点态度 11 适中 社会问题与社会现象,说明文,文章大意,语意转化,逻辑推理 12 适中 社会问题与社会现象,健康饮食 ,说明文,词义猜测,语意转化,目的意图 13 适中 环境保护,说明文,气候变化及影响,文章大意,词义猜测,逻辑推理 14 较难 友谊,说明文,动物,标题判断,语意转化,逻辑推理 15 较难 科普知识 ,说明文,短语猜测,语意转化,逻辑推理 【高考典例】 The universe expands with every passing second, stretching the space between galaxies like dough rising in an oven. But just how fast is this expansion happening? As telescopes like Hubble strive to answer this fundamental question, they encounter a perplexing gap between theoretical predictions and observed data. Hubble’s measurements indicate a faster rate of expansion in the modern universe compared to what was expected based on observations of the universe more than 13 billion years ago by the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. This inconsistency has been a subject of scientific inquiry for several years. However, it remains uncertain whether differences in measurement techniques or chance variations are responsible for this disparity. Recent data from the Hubble telescope have significantly reduced the possibility that this discrepancy is merely a statistical fluke, with the chances now estimated at only 1 in 100,000. This marks a substantial improvement from previous estimates, which placed the odds at 1 in 3,000 less than a year ago. These precise measurements from Hubble lend weight to the hypothesis that new physics may be necessary to reconcile the observed mismatch. Lead researcher Adam Riess, a Nobel laureate from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, describes the tension between the early and late universe as one of the most exciting developments in cosmology in decades. He emphasizes that the growing disparity cannot be dismissed as a random occurrence and suggests that it may signal the need for a deeper understanding of the cosmos. To determine distances in the universe, scientists rely on a “cosmic distance ladder” method. This involves accurately measuring distances to nearby galaxies and then using progressively distant galaxies as reference points. By observing stars like Cepheid variables, astronomers can calibrate this distance ladder. Riess and his team have been refining these measurements since 2005, aiming to improve our understanding of cosmic distances. In their latest study, astronomers used Hubble to observe 70 Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. By comparing these stars with their more distant counterparts in galaxies hosting supernovae, they refined their measurement of the Hubble constant, reducing its uncertainty from 2.2% to 1.9%. Despite this increased precision, their calculated Hubble constant remains at odds with the value predicted by observations of the early universe conducted by Planck. The Planck satellite, which maps the cosmic microwave background–a remnant of the universe’s early stages–provides crucial data for understanding the universe’s expansion. However, the discrepancy between these measurements and those from Hubble underscores the need for further investigation and the potential for new discoveries in cosmology. 1．Where do measurements of the early universe come from? A．The space between galaxies. B．Measurements from Hubble and other telescopes C．European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. D．The latest Hubble data. 2．Which of the following statements is in line with Adam Riess’ opinion? A．The expansion speed of the modern universe is faster than expected B．New physics may be needed to explain this mismatch. C．It is unlikely that this discrepancy occurred by chance. D．Hubble’s tension is the most exciting development in cosmology in decades. 3．What do scientists use to determine the distance of things in the universe? A．A cosmic distance ladder. B．Accurate measurements of distances. C．Milepost markers. D．The Hubble constant. 4．What did Riess’ team do? A．They used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe pulsating stars B．They improved the comparison between theoretical predictions and observed data. C．They raised the uncertainty of the Hubble constant to 2.2% D．They reduced the uncertainty in their Hubble constant value to 1.9. The Motivated Sequence (序列) of Public Speech The motivated sequence gets its name partly because it follows john Dewey’s problem solution model for thinking and partly because it makes attractive analyses of these problems and their solutions by tying them to human motives. That is, the motivated sequence is both problem-driven and motivation-centered. There are five basic steps in the motivated sequence 1.You must get people to attend to some problem, or to feel discomfort strongly enough to want to hear more. 2. You can create more specific wants or desires, a personal sense of need. 3. When wants or needs are created, you can attempt to satisfy them by showing what can be done to solve the problem or relieve the sense of discomfort. 4. Simply describing a course of action may not be enough, so in the fourth place you can visualize the world as it would look if the actions were carried out, and what it might be like if they were not. 5. With that, if you have done these four tasks well, accidence members should be ready to act — to put into practice the proposed solution to their problems. Five steps Audience response l.Attention Getting attention I want to listen. 2.Need Showing the need : Describing the solution Something needs to be done. 3.Satisfaction Satisfying the need : presenting the solution This is what to do to satisfy the need. 4.Visualization Visualizing the results _________ ? _________ 5. Action Requesting action or approval I will do this. The motivated sequence can be used to structure many different sorts of speeches. It could be used, for example, in a speech urging your classmates to join a blood donors’ association. Or, you could use it to sell a friend insurance. And you can also use it to talk about social problems, such as the environment and the economic crisis. 1．What do we know about the motivated sequence? A．It is the basic principle of problem-solution model. B．It has nothing to do with human motivation. C．It’s both problem-driven and motivation-centered. D．There are six basic steps in the motivated sequence. 2．What can the motivated sequence be used for? A．A speech urging your classmates to quit a blood donors’ association. B．A speech to get your friends to promote a blood donors’ association C．A speech to get your friends to sell insurance. D．A speech on the environmental and economic crisis. 3．Xiao Wang is trying to persuade his classmates to join a blood donors’ association. Help him draft a speech by putting the following five sentences in the right order based on the motivated sequence. (1 ) With the steady supply of blood, emergencies will be met with timely treatment (2)You can help by filling out the blood donors’ cards I am passing out. (3)Our area is short of blood of all types to meet emergency needs. (4) A man died last night in a traffic accident because he lost too much blood. (5)A blood donors’ association guarantees a predictable, steady supply of blood to the medical community. A．(4 ) (3) (5) (1) (2) B．(4 ) (2) (3) (1) (5) C．(4 ) (5) (3) (1) (2) D．(4 ) (2) (1) (5) (3) The universe expands with every passing second, stretching the space between galaxies like dough rising in an oven. But just how fast is this expansion happening? As telescopes like Hubble strive to answer this fundamental question, they encounter a perplexing gap between theoretical predictions and observed data. Hubble’s measurements indicate a faster rate of expansion in the modern universe compared to what was expected based on observations of the universe more than 13 billion years ago by the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. This inconsistency has been a subject of scientific inquiry for several years. However, it remains uncertain whether differences in measurement techniques or chance variations are responsible for this disparity. Recent data from the Hubble telescope have significantly reduced the possibility that this discrepancy is merely a statistical fluke, with the chances now estimated at only 1 in 100,000. This marks a substantial improvement from previous estimates, which placed the odds at 1 in 3,000 less than a year ago. These precise measurements from Hubble lend weight to the hypothesis that new physics may be necessary to reconcile the observed mismatch. Lead researcher Adam Riess, a Nobel laureate from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, describes the tension between the early and late universe as one of the most exciting developments in cosmology in decades. He emphasizes that the growing disparity cannot be dismissed as a random occurrence and suggests that it may signal the need for a deeper understanding of the cosmos. To determine distances in the universe, scientists rely on a “cosmic distance ladder” method. This involves accurately measuring distances to nearby galaxies and then using progressively distant galaxies as reference points. By observing stars like Cepheid variables, astronomers can calibrate this distance ladder. Riess and his team have been refining these measurements since 2005, aiming to improve our understanding of cosmic distances. In their latest study, astronomers used Hubble to observe 70 Cepheid variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. By comparing these stars with their more distant counterparts in galaxies hosting supernovae, they refined their measurement of the Hubble constant, reducing its uncertainty from 2.2% to 1.9%. Despite this increased precision, their calculated Hubble constant remains at odds with the value predicted by observations of the early universe conducted by Planck. The Planck satellite, which maps the cosmic microwave background – a remnant of the universe’s early stages – provides crucial data for understanding the universe’s expansion. However, the discrepancy between these measurements and those from Hubble underscores the need for further investigation and the potential for new discoveries in cosmology. 1．Where do measurements of the early universe come from? A．The space between galaxies. B．Measurements from Hubble and other telescopes C．European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. D．The latest Hubble data. 2．Which of the following statements is in line with Adam Riess’ opinion? A．The expansion speed of the modern universe is faster than expected B．New physics may be needed to explain this mismatch. C．It is unlikely that this discrepancy occurred by chance. D．Hubble’s tension is the most exciting development in cosmology in decades. 3．What do scientists use to determine the distance of things in the universe? A．A cosmic distance ladder. B．Accurate measurements of distances. C．Milepost markers. D．The Hubble constant. 4．What did Riess’ team do? A．They used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe pulsating stars B．They improved the comparison between C．They raised the uncertainty of the Hubble constant to 2.2% D．They reduced the uncertainty in their Hubble constant value to 1.9. 【热点话题练习】 Visit any antiques store and you’ll encounter artifacts from the past: photographs, letters, brochures, the ephemera (短期藏品)of history. Yet these objects aren’t truly short-lived, because they’re still here, decades, even centuries later. Why? Because they’re tangible, that is, they can be clearly seen to exist. Have you thought about the life cycle of intangible formats, digital information, given that those who produce these artifacts seldom make preparations for their long-term preservation? For thousands of years we’ve known what we’ve known due to artifacts that have survived, often despite their original creators’ neglect. The thing itself is the medium that delivers the information. At the time of creation, no attempts were made at intentional preservation, yet analog (模拟的)materials have a chance of surviving and serving as the historical record that historians rely on. Libraries have, traditionally shouldered the responsibility of organization, preservation, and access to information. Thus, librarians digitize the tangible so that researchers all over the world can quickly search and access their Holdings. The result is an embarrassment of historical riches, which brings its own needle-and-haystack (大海捞针般的)problems. Librarians’ selfless devotion can act against us when users point to universality of access by holding up a cellphone and saying, “it’s all in here” as evidence that libraries are less vital for researchers today. Yet how was that universality of access made possible and, perhaps more importantly, how is it maintained? Who decides what is preserved? When it comes to born-digital information, the terrifying answer can be: if not librarians, then no one. Digital information requires a great deal more care than analog. Even when a digital object is preserved, it may only be the carrier that’s saved, not the information itself. As technology advances and a format becomes out of date, the object is useless. Have you ever stared helplessly at a ZIP disk, thinking: how do I get the files off this? Without constant migration of digital assets, a nightmare about the foreseeable future is what keeps historians up at night: a historical record that suddenly stops when digital replace analog. As a librarian whose day job revolves around special collections and digital assets, I share the night terrors of historians, and I’d be lying if I said a comprehensive preservation solution currently exists. Yet researchers can take some comfort in the fact that there are many librarians devoted to discovering, organizing, and preserving digital information for researchers current and future. Librarians are uniquely positioned to understand how end users seek and use information. Thus we play a vital role in identifying, preserving, and providing accessibility to digital artifacts so that, while future researchers may find the digital world a challenging place to do their business, they won’t find it an impossible one. 1．The author mentions the artifacts from the past in Paragraph 1 to ______. A．introduce the collection of antiques B．contrast them with everyday items C．bring up the issue of preservation D．comment on their historical value 2．According to the passage, which statement would the author most probably agree with? A．The universality of access provided by advanced technology reduces the need for librarians. B．The role of librarians is becoming more, not less, critical in the age of digital information. C．Analog materials, a nightmare for historians, should be entirely replaced by digital formats. D．Finding a comprehensive, long-term solution for digital preservation is a simple task to fulfill. 3．The “ZIP disk” is cited as an example to show ______. A．the hazard of retrieving files through unusual means B．the infeasibility of constantly migrating digital assets C．the possibility of losing information in outdated formats D．the inconvenience of storing information on analog devices 4．Which of the following statements best summarizes the text? A．Hard work should be done to preserve artifacts. B．Contributions of librarians should be recognized. C．Accessing databases is essential to researchers. D．Keeping digital historical records is a challenge. The Canonization of James Joyce When Richard Ellmann’s James Joyce hit the shelves in 1959, the sheer size of the book (842 pages, 100 longer than Ulysses) was as dazzling as the degree of detail. Joyce, who had been dead for 18 years, vividly inhabited its chapters, getting drunk, going blind, spending money, spiting enemies, cogitating, and, of course, creating a series of works that immediately made literary history. Moving briskly across the first half of the 20th century, Ellmann spun a tale about the formation of a writer whose name could be mentioned in the same breath as Homer’s without irony. Ellmann owed his triumph, in part, to being in the right place at the right time. By the early 1950s, he had spent a year at Trinity College Dublin researching his prizewinning essay on William Butler Yeats, received a Ph. D．from Yale, and become an ambitious 30-something professor at Northwestern University. Yeats’s widow (遗孀) was ready to provide introductions in Dublin; Stanislaus Joyce, his brother, had shared material from his diaries and unfinished memoir. Nelly Joyce, Stanislaus’s widow, unleashed holy-grail-grade manuscripts; so did Jolas. And Sylvia Beach, a fellow American and the fearless publisher of Ulysses, was still knocking around Paris willing to entertain questions. You also need charm, lots of it, to make a biography like James Joyce happen. Ellmann, a virtuosic chatter, could get people to do his bidding without ever seeming too pushy. A delivery of coal during the winter; some chocolates, cigarettes, cocoa, or tea in any season — accompanied by a carefully worded request, such offerings could go a long way when he needed to gain (or restrict) access to material. James Joyce was immediately recognized as a masterpiece — not just a comprehensive life-and-art account of Joyce, but a genre breakthrough. Developing a style that was at once detached and ornate, Ellmann works as a historical novelist, using facts as a springboard for a subtle psychological portrayal intertwined with layered critical interpretations. In his quest for a definitive biography of Joyce as a cosmopolitan artist, above the parochial fray, Ellmann downplayed Joyce’s interest in politics. In fact, before Joyce ever published a book, he wrote newspaper articles and delivered lectures in Italian about Irish nationalism and his disdain for British imperialism in his native country, work that shed helpful light on his fiction. “My political opinions,” he summed up in a letter to his brother, “are those of a Socialist artist.” His work is saturated with references to Irish history, politics, geography, and culture rich in allusions, both explicit and puzzle-like, to major figures and events. Still, to say that Ellmann is to Joyce what James Boswell is to Samuel Johnson is not too big a stretch. He didn’t arrive in time to befriend Joyce, but he got to the posthumous scene first; gathered fresh accounts; captured not just the context, but his subject’s character and his creative process. Not least, Ellmann emerged, as Boswell did, with a mold-breaking portrait that has retained an enduring power over the readers and scholars who have followed. 1．Which of the following contributed to Ellmann’s success in writing James Joyce? A．He obtained a letter of recommendation from a Yale professor for his research. B．Yeats’s widow facilitated his access to contacts within the Dublin community. C．Sylvia Beach furnished him with rare manuscripts of Joyce’s unpublished works. D．He drew on his own unfinished memoir to enrich the content of the biography. 2．The limitation of Ellmann’s James Joyce lies in _________. A．its overlooking Joyce’s anti-imperialist expressions and socialist stance. B．its failure to analyze the connection between Joyce’s works and Homer’s epics C．its laying insufficient emphasis on the influence of Yeats on Joyce’s writing. D．its lacking detailed descriptions of Joyce’s physical struggles and financial hardships. 3．What does the word “virtuosic” (Para. 3) most probably mean? A．Aggressive B．Skilled C．Awkward D．Modest 4．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To analyze Joyce’s literary achievements and political views. B．To introduce Ellmann’s biography of Joyce and its significance. C．To compare Joyce’s works with those of Homer and Yeats. D．To explain how to write a successful literary biography. The origin of heels is most likely directly related to equestrian proficiency and, by extension, warfare. It all started with the stirrup, probably invented by Eurasian steppe people about the second century BC to provide greater control of the horse and increase its military value. Feet clad in traditional flat shoes easily slipped out of stirrups, potentially leading to fatal accidents. Fitting a heel to the back of a flat shoe kept the foot secure in the stirrup and conferred other advantages, adding some of the horse’s power to a sword-wielding (使用) man riding it. For these reasons, the heel is still very much in evidence today in the footwear of cowboys. Men in the Near East and Western Asia wore heeled footwear for centuries before it arrived in Europe in the late 16th or 17th century, coinciding with the rise of Persia as a trading partner. The Safavid Shah ‘Abbās I (ruled 1588-1629) commanded the world’s largest cavalry force, and the might of his military reinforced associations between heeled shoes and manliness in the minds of Western men. By the early 17th century, heels were commonly found on men’s footwear in Europe. However, fashion had by then eclipsed the importance of equestrian prowess (马术实力), and heels were also embraced by women and children, becoming a sign of wealth. Men’s heels reached their maximum height in the 1660s, then gradually declined in popularity. By the 1730s, most men had moved away from high heels and adopted more modest styles. Concerns emerged about the importance of identifying gender through clothing, and high heels came to be associated with characteristics attributed to women, such as impracticality, irrationality, and vanity. Since then, high heels have remained a symbol of feminine allure. Today, except for chunky block heels on the footwear worn by bikers and cowboys, men in high heels — often associated with flamboyance and gender fluidity — are typically seen as challenging societal norms. 1．According to the text, heels were most likely to be intended for ________. A．horse command B．troop control C．efficiency promotion D．power boost 2．“Stirrup” in the text refers to ________. A．A device horse riders rest their feet on B．Footwear to boost manly image in warfare C．A kind of sword training device D．part of fashion accessories by cowboys 3．Historically, which of the following is NOT a trait heels conveyed as part of men’s footwear? A．wealth B．manliness C．modesty D．vanity 4．Which could be a proper title for this passage? A．Unknown Functions of High Heels B．High Heels, Exclusive to Women? C．Were High Heels Invented for Use by Men? D．Walk Tall, Laugh Small! They’re still kids, and although there’s a lot that the experts don’t yet know about them, one thing they do agree on is that what kids use and expect from their world has changed rapidly. And it’s all because of technology. To the psychologists, sociologists, and generational and media experts who study them, their digital gear sets this new group apart, even from their tech-savvy Millennial elders. They want to be constantly connected and available in a way even their older siblings don’t quite get. These differences may appear slight, but they signal an all-encompassing sensibility that some say marks the dawning of a new generation. The contrast between Millennials and this younger group was so evident to psychologist Larry Rosen of California State University that he has declared the birth of a new generation in a new book, Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn, out next month. Rosen says the tech-dominated life experience of those born since the early 1990s is so different from the Millennials he wrote about in his 2007 book, Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation, that they warrant the distinction of a new generation, which he has dubbed the “iGeneration”. “The technology is the easiest way to see it, but it’s also a mindset, and the mindset goes with the little ‘I’, which I’m talking to stand for ‘individualized’,” Rosen says. “Everything is defined and individualized to ‘me’. My music choices are defined to ‘me’. What I watch on TV any instant is defined to ‘me’.” He says the iGeneration includes today’s teens and middle-schoolers, but it’s too soon to tell about elementary-school ages and younger. Rosen says the iGeneration believes anything is possible. “If they can think of it, somebody probably has or will invent it,” he says. “They expect innovation.” They have high expectations that whatever they want or can use “will be able to be tailored to their own needs and wishes and desires.” Rosen says portability is key. They are inseparable from their wireless devices, which allow them to text as well as talk, so they can be constantly connected — even in class, where cellphones are supposedly banned. Many researchers are trying to determine whether technology somehow causes the brains of young people to be wired differently. “They should be distracted and should perform more poorly than they do,” Rosen says. “But findings show teens survive distractions much better than we would predict by their age and their brain development.” Because these kids are more immersed and at younger ages, Rosen says, the educational system has to change significantly. “The growth curve on the use of technology with children is exponential (指数的), and we run the risk of being out of step with this generation as far as how they learn and how they think,” Rosen says. “We have to give them options because they want their world individualized.” 1．Compared with their Millennial elders, the iGeneration kids ________. A．communicate with others by high-tech methods continually B．prefer to live a virtual life than a real one C．are equipped with more modem digital techniques D．know more on technology than their elders 2．Which of the following is true about the iGeneration according to Rosen? A．This generation is crazy about inventing and creating new things. B．Everything must be adapted to the peculiar need of the generation. C．This generation catches up with the development of technology. D．High-tech such as wireless devices goes with the generation. 3．Rosen’s findings suggest that technology ________. A．has an obvious effect on the function of iGeneration’s brain development B．has greatly affected the iGeneration’s behaviors and academic performance C．has no significantly negative effect on iGeneration’s mental and intellectual development D．has caused distraction problems on iGeneration which affect their daily performance. 4．According to the passage, education has to _________. A．adapt its system to the need of the new generation B．use more technologies to cater for the iGeneration C．risk its system to certain extent for the iGeneration D．be conducted online for iGeneration’s individualized need Daydreaming, or mind-wandering, is generally seen by teachers as an undesirable activity. And yet, on average, we daydream nearly 47% of our waking hours. If our brain spends nearly half of our awake time doing it, there is probably a good reason why. Research shows that there are three types of daydreaming. The first is “guilty dysphoric” daydreaming, when we either keep thinking about a negative past experience or imagine the worst possible outcomes for the future. Then there is “poor attentional control,” where a person struggles to focus on a particular thought or task. These two kinds of daydreaming don’t have identifiable benefits. But the third type, “positive constructive daydreaming (PCD),” where we cast our mind forward and imagine future possibilities in a creative, positive way, can be quite beneficial. Helpful for planning and creativity, PCD is the bridge that links our internal observations with the forecasting required for future exploration. Inner reflection, not external drivers, is believed to empower humanity to direct their own lives and lead themselves. Inner reflection arises from consciousness, which is considered inseparable from thinking and represents an integral awareness of the working of our own mind. Open observation of our internal consciousness paved the way for curious exploration of our external world. The part of our brain most often associated with daydreaming is called the “default mode network” (DMN). The term “default mode” refers to the part of our brain associated with our resting state and is responsible for our ability to reflect on our own consciousness and internal narrative. The DMN is a system active during reflective activities like daydreaming, and quiet when focused mental effort is required. The DMN also connects many brain regions, impacting a host of other activity patterns. But more interesting and somewhat mysterious, the DMN is responsible for much of our abstract conceptual thought — the reflective, self-aware kind that separates us from animals — and it recalls and constructs social contexts to help us make meaning of our life. While the DMN can become disturbed during mental decline, PCD can actually thicken the cerebral cortex, or what’s known as our brain’s gray matter, the thinning of which is associated with the mental decline of aging. Though this link isn’t fully understood yet, we know that a well-functioning DMN — where we cast our mind’s eye forward in time or reflect on our past experience (as in PCD) — plays a central role in our healthy mental functioning, in areas like memory strengthening, planning, and self-control. Despite the benefits, we are conditioning daydreaming out of our kids — and in turn, out of our adult lives as well. Most schools place such a strong emphasis on an assumption of high attentional demand that they’ve failed to balance the potential benefit of PCD’s “constructive internal reflection”. Rather than criticizing daydreaming, we should protect it, cultivate it, and honor it. People who daydream are more reflective, have a deeper sense of sympathy, and show more moral decision-making. And ultimately, children who are more reflective, sympathetic, and moral grow up to be the adults who build a more just society. 1．Why is daydreaming generally seen as an undesirable activity by teachers? A．Because children spend too much time daydreaming. B．Because just one type of daydreaming brings benefits. C．Because schools like kids with good attentional control. D．Because few children are capable of engaging in PCD． 2．Which of the following is a benefit of daydreaming? A．Showing inner reflection on our mindset and creativity. B．Promoting curiosity about exploring the external world. C．Providing direct empowerment for future possibilities. D．Encouraging reflection and sympathy at a social level. 3．What are the characteristics of DMN? ①Active during daydreaming and reflection. ②Examining mental health with abstract thought. ③Connecting brain regions and aiding thinking. ④Countering age-related changes in the brain. ⑤Supporting self-awareness and imagination. ⑥Systematically analyzing relevant social contexts. ⑦Taking a back seat when attention is needed. A．①③⑤⑦ B．①②④⑤ C．①③④⑥ D．①②⑥⑦ 4．Which can be the best title of the passage? A．Daydreaming: Teachers’ Poison, Kids’ Meat B．Why Daydreaming is So Good for You C．Develop Daydreaming Constructively D．Build a Just Society with Daydreaming There exists a certain human experience that goes beyond cultures and generations— the sudden shake that runs down your spine (脊柱) when a violin reaches its highest note, or when singers’ harmony resolves perfectly. These musical chills, electrifying feelings triggered by emotionally powerful music, sometimes accompanied by visible goosebumps, represent one of the most fascinating blends between art and neurology. Recent advances in brain imaging have transformed our understanding of this phenomenon, revealing it to be a complex neurological event involving multiple brain regions. The process begins with pattern recognition in the auditory cortex (听觉皮层) , which constantly predicts where a musical phrase will lead. When a composer breaks these expectations on purpose—through an unexpected key change, or a delay in resolution— it creates what neuroscientists call “prediction error.” This surprise element triggers the nucleus accumbens (伏隔核) , the brain’s pleasure center associated with reward processing. Within milliseconds, the area releases dopamine, the same neurotransmitter involved in the pleasures of eating chocolate or falling in love. Studies show this neural activity pattern is nearly identical to that seen during other peak emotional experiences. Individual differences in musical chills provide important clues. Only about half the population reports frequent musical chills, and brain scans reveal why. These individuals possess stronger white matter connections between the auditory cortex and two key regions: one processing bodily awareness and the other involved in emotional evaluation. This enhanced neural connection creates the ability to experience more delicate emotional responses to music. The evolutionary origins of this response may come before humanity itself. Charles Darwin first noted that music shares characteristics with animal distress calls and mating songs. The physiological markers of musical chills— including goosebumps and changes in heart rate— mirror ancient fear and excitement responses. Some theorists suggest music developed as an early language that promoted social unity, with chill responses reinforcing group bonding through shared emotional peaks. Modern medicine has begun using this knowledge. Neurologists now use musical chill tests to assess lack of emotional response in depression patients, as reduced chill response connects with an inability to feel pleasure. Music therapists working with Alzheimer’s patients have documented cases where chill-arousing songs temporarily restore access to lost memories, likely through activation of the region relatively spared in early dementia (痴呆症) . The next time you feel that familiar shake during a favorite song, recognize it for what it truly is. In those chilling notes lies evidence of our incredible neural complexity, our ancient evolutionary past, and our enduring capacity for amazing experience. 1．What triggers the “prediction error” in Paragraph 2? A．The release of dopamine from the same neurotransmitter area. B．A composer’s intentional breaking of listeners’ musical expectations. C．The similarity between musical chills and other emotional experiences. D．The auditory cortex’s failure to recognize the familiar musical patterns. 2．What can we know about the evolutionary fact of musical chills? A．They were developed to distinguish between fear and excitement responses. B．They played a role in promoting social connection among early human groups. C．Their origin lay in the same biological mechanism as animal mating behaviors. D．Their physical indicators like goosebumps fade away in the process of evolution. 3．From the case of Alzheimer’s patients, we can infer that _________. A．chill-arousing music is the more effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease B．all dementia patients can fully recover lost memories through musical chills C．emotional distress in depression is caused by weakened musical chill responses D．modern medicine has begun to apply the effect of musical chills to curing diseases 4．What does the author imply in the last paragraph? A．Only music with specific notes can trigger the neural activity of chills. B．The experience of musical chills reflects multiple aspects of human nature. C．Musical chills are the most direct way to study the human brain’s complexity. D．The ability to feel musical chills is unique to humans compared with other species. On 27 September 1825, Robert Stephenson and Co’s Locomotion No.1 arrived in Stockton, England. As the first rail vehicle to carry passengers, it was greeted with a seven-gun salute and an astonished crowd. “It was found to be quite impossible to contain the enthusiasm of the crowd,” reported a journalist. This weekend the celebrations are likely to be slightly less wild, as the 200th anniversary of the pioneering Stockton and Darlington railway line(S&DR) is marked. But they will undoubtedly be heartfelt. A replica (复制品) of the pioneering engine is to recreate the original journey, with viewing tickets sold out along the route and a big screen following its progress in the town centre. A set of stamps in memory of the event is being issued, which feels appropriately old school. The businessmen who invested in the S&DR back in the 19th century were motivated by the functional benefits of transporting coal more efficiently. But their project eventually unlocked far wider human possibilities, transforming the sense of distance and changing the way the nation lived. Trains carried Victorian working-class families to the seaside and back, and reunited lovers on windswept platforms. Crowded 20th-century passenger trains ran regularly between satellite towns and cities. A railway station became part of the identity of a place, as well as a point of departure from it. These days the railways are journeying with difficulty towards a new era. The short-sighted railway cuts of the 1960s, and the needless, failed privatization (私有化) of the 1990s, were avoidable political errors whose legacy is still felt today. Extremely high-ticket prices and long-term mismanagement in the north, where the story began, harm the contemporary network. As the government gradually takes more train operators back under public ownership, a much-needed strategic reset is required. The rail industry should become a key force of green sustainable growth. Sadly, plans for high-speed rail in northern England are to be delayed again. This does not inspire confidence. For train lovers though, this weekend is about the past not the future. Locomotion No. 1 launched a journey that meant far more than travelling from A to B．From E Nesbit’s description of a rural childhood to WH Auden’s poem, the trip has left a lasting mark on our literature. Carnforth in Lancashire still celebrates its station’s role in the cinema classic Brief Encounter, where a tragic romance is brought to a close by a guard’s whistle, and the rhythmic sound of wheels beginning to move on track. 1．According to the passage, Locomotion No.1 referred to _________ A．a project founded by businessmen in the Victorian era B．a replica built to celebrate the railway’s 200th anniversary C．a machine dedicated to carrying coal out more efficiently D．a vehicle marking the beginning of passenger transport by rail 2．It can be inferred from the passage that the rail development_________ A．holds cultural significance beyond being a means of transportation B．has undergone a successful transition to meet modern-day demands C．is focusing on the construction and expansion of high-speed rail networks D．has suffered a decline due to the rise of more sustainable transport modes 3．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 most probably means _________ A．decisions intended for reforms have led to long-lasting damage B．increases in ticket price were meant for a potential service upgrade C．railway cuts in the 1960s once thought short-sighted prove necessary D．political errors in the past have ended the railway network for good 4．What’s the author’s attitude towards the changes in the railway over the past two centuries? A．disappointed but optimistic B．hateful and critical C．respectful yet regretful D．confident and admiring Lots of names have been proposed for the world’s youngest generation, born roughly since 2010. Some are predictable, such as “iPad kids” and “Generation AI”. Others are puzzling, as with “Polars”, which nods both to growing polarisation and shrinking ice caps. One name has caught on in the English-speaking West: “Generation Alpha”. It symbolises a fresh chapter, says Mark McCrindle, the Australian demographer (人口学家) behind it. He consulted people for ideas nearly 20 years ago; many suggested the name “Gen A”. But rather than go back to the start of the Latin alphabet (字母表), he shifted to the Greek one. “Alpha” has recently become a trendy term. Reports and surveys have been published about these youngsters, describing their preferences and predicting their future. Analysts suggest that Alphas will become the most innovative generation. Such insights make for good headlines. But social scientists say it is too soon to identify the distinctive characteristics of a group that includes toddlers (学步儿童). Predicting how they will grow up “has no more value than guesswork”, says Bobby Duffy, a professor at King’s College London: Many judgments made now will be proved wrong in the future. Research is largely driven by commercial interests. Alpha is projected to be the world’s largest generation, with more than 2 billion members. By 2029, nearly $5.5 trillion will be spent on Alphas a year, predicts McCrindle’s research firm. That presents an opportunity for businesses, and for the marketing firms that advise “how to prepare for Gen Alpha”. Restrictions on marketing to youngsters prevent many insights. Governments regulate advertisements aimed at minors and stop their personal data from being collected without parental permission. Some surveys about Gen Alpha are filled out by parents, who interpret their children’s habits. Many conclusions do not apply to the youngest members. There are disagreements about who exactly counts as Alpha. McCrindle thinks the group should include those born between 2010 and 2024. Yet other firms say Gen Z only stopped being born in 2012. Because there is no official classification, one person’s Z is another’s Alpha. But no one can deny that Alphas are in their formative years, when attitudes and values continue to change as they grow up and come of age. It will be at least five years before Alphas are old enough for real differences to be seen between them and others, believes Duffy. Until then, the generation will keep experts and parents on their toes. 1．In paragraph 3, both social scientists and Bobby Duffy believe that ________. A．Alphas are certain to be highly creative B．current reports accurately describe Alphas C．a precise description of Alphas cannot yet be made D．the name “Generation Alpha” itself reflects positive expectations 2．What can be inferred from the current research on Alphas mentioned in paragraphs 4 and 5? A．Its objectivity may be affected by commercial motivation. B．It is mainly conducted for academic exploration. C．The sample size used in the research process is limited. D．Legal restrictions make the findings more reliable. 3．According to paragraph 6, what does the author imply about Generation Alpha? A．Their values are largely shaped by outside social forces. B．Adults can take a relaxed attitude when dealing with them. C．Disagreements over labels don’t affect how the group is understood. D．Noticeable and distinct qualities won’t emerge until the generation matures. 4．What is the passage mainly about? A．The media’s excitement about naming the youngest generation. B．Why Generation Alpha is expected to reshape future markets and culture. C．The challenges and uncertainties in defining and researching Generation Alpha. D．How parents and marketing agencies influence children’s early development. In some Western parts, children of healthy weight have long become the exception. Now even in poor countries, childhood obesity (肥胖) is spreading faster than ever before. The problem is not new: the percentage of overweight children around the world went up in the 1980s, as junk food became a dietary staple. But the trend today is alarming. A report by UNICEF found that the number of school-aged children who are obese is, for the first time, higher than those who do not get enough food to stay healthy. In Niue and the Cook Islands, nearly 40% of 5 — 19-year-olds are obese — the highest rates in the world. The south Pacific also has some of the worst adult obesity rates, fueled by shifting diets and a culture that prizes size. America ranks in the top 20 countries for childhood obesity, with a rate of 20%. In Europe, Hungary leads with 15%. Poor countries are particularly ill-equipped to tackle this issue. Health systems there were built to fight hunger not obesity. Many babies are born underweight because of poor diets when their mothers are expecting them. That alters their metabolism (新陈代谢) and makes rapid weight gain and other long-term health problems more likely in adulthood. In South America and parts of Africa and the Middle East, the share of overweight children is already higher than in western Europe and is nearing the 45% seen in North America. The reason is simple: cheap, heavily processed foods are dominating children’s diets worldwide, crowding out fresh fruits, vegetables and proteins. A UNICEF survey of 20 low- and middle-income countries found that more than half of babies aged 6 — 23 months in 13 countries had consumed sweet drinks or sugary foods the previous day. Even in Britain many ready-to-eat baby foods marketed as healthy are far from it. In countries with lax regulation, the meals are worse. A study of hundreds of baby foods sold in seven South-East Asian countries found that half were ultra-processed. A third contained additives that are not permitted under the Codex Alimentarius, the UN’s food-standards code. But changing diets is hard. Ultra-processed foods are about 50% cheaper than fresh or minimally processed foods, according to the UN’s report on food systems. A global survey of school meals in 2024 found that 25% of schools served processed meats, 21% served sweets, 19% served deep-fried food and 14% provided sugar-sweetened drinks. Stronger rules that restrict the advertising and sales of unhealthy foods could help. So could financial aid to make good food cheaper. What children eat early shapes their tastes for life. Adult diets are habits fixed in childhood. Once formed, those tastes are hard to shift. 1．The author cites the specific obesity rates of Niue and the Cook Islands, America, and Hungary in Paragraph 2 primarily ________. A．to argue that European policies are the most effective B．to show the problem is global, affecting diverse regions C．to rank the economic development levels of these places D．to suggest the issue is most severe in Pacific Island nations 2．Which of the following is a major concern regarding childhood obesity in poor countries according to the passage? A．Parents are not aware of the risks of obesity at all. B．Children refuse to eat any fresh fruits or vegetables. C．There is a complete lack of regulations on food advertising. D．Health systems are not designed to deal with such problems. 3．The underlined word “lax” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________. A．strict B．effective C．loose D．detailed 4．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To criticize the food industry for promoting unhealthy foods. B．To recommend specific lifestyle programs for obese children. C．To analyze the global trend and challenges of childhood obesity. D．To compare obesity rates between developed and poor countries. Over the past few years, areas in East Asia, North America and northern Europe have been colder than normal during some periods of winter. This has left many debating whether Earth is experiencing global warming or not, but scientists have shown that Earth’s warming trends are responsible. When people in the Northern Hemisphere hear North Pole or Arctic region, they automatically think of the hemisphere’s northernmost area, the home of extremely cold weather during late fall and winter. During this time, very little, if any, sunlight reaches the Arctic’s stratosphere, one layer of Earth’s atmosphere that exists six to 20 kilometers above Earth’s surface. To balance the temperature difference with that of the warm equatorial region, an area of low pressure called the polar vortex forms and flows in a complete circle around the pole. This occurs inside the stratosphere about 10 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. While this belt of strong winds is usually stable and able to keep the cold air contained, it can be destroyed by loss of sea ice, due to global warming. This results in surface temperatures changing, changes which make them less stable. If this happens, the polar vortex may shift, slipping off the North Pole and moving south, or it can separate into two or three rings that form in multiple places far south of the pole. This stretching or distortion of the polar vortex also makes influences on the path of the polar jet stream, which is responsible for Earth’s weather. This jet stream, along with three other primary jet streams in different parts of the world, is located in the troposphere, the atmospheric layer just below the stratosphere. The polar jet stream’s air currents blow from 177 kilometers an hour to over 400 kilometers an hour and from west to east between 50 degrees and 60 degrees latitude — think from France to Norway. The differences in cold polar air and warm mid-latitude air form the polar jet stream, and its movement prolongs periods of cold or warm weather in different regions. Large temperature differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes cause the polar jet stream to be strong and move straight, keeping the cold in the north. Because the Arctic is warming at a fast pace, the temperature difference between it and mid-latitudes is decreasing, making the polar jet stream slower and weaker. That, in turn, makes the stream more likely to bend north and south. When it bends far enough, the barrier between Arctic and mid-latitude air can dive down to Mexico, taking Arctic temperatures along for the ride. Although heat and cold are considered opposites, in the case of climate, the former can cause the latter. 1．The word “prolong” (para 5) is closest in meaning to ________. A．extend B．regulate C．control D．shorten 2．What is suggested in the passage? A．Heat and cold are opposite but they can change each other. B．The air layers above the earth are responsible for climate change. C．The extreme cold in some areas originated from other areas’ heat. D．The Warming Earth is actually caused by the Colder Winters. 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．The streams in the Northern Hemisphere have to move to the South. B．It is certain that the Earth will become warmer and warmer. C．The temperature difference between day and night will decrease. D．The colder areas might gradually become larger and larger in the future. 4．What is the main focus of the passage? A．The Relationship between Warming Earth and Colder Winters B．The Strange Phenomenon of Warming Earth with Colder Winters C．The Temperature Differences between the Arctic and Mid-latitude Areas D．The Potential Reasons for Earth Becoming Warmer and Warmer When you were a kid, you most likely had more friends than you do now. As you grew up, your friendship circle most likely grew smaller. You now have just a few really important friendships. One idea suggests that we become more selective about our friends because we become increasingly aware of our own mortality (生命的有限). In other words, we have future-oriented cognition (认知). However, a recent study suggests that our friendships may not actually be tied to thinking about the future. In this study, a team of researchers analyzed 78,000 hours of observations of 21 male chimpanzees (黑猩猩) made between 1995 and 2016. A unique feature of this study is the value that exists in the long-term collection of data. Like humans, as these chimpanzees grew older, they increased the number of mutual friendships and decreased the number of one-sided friendships. In these mutual friendships, aged chimpanzees were more likely to groom (理毛) each other, and they engaged in grooming for longer, which suggests these friendships were of high value to the chimpanzees. These results question some aspects of the socioemotional selectivity theory. While humans have a sense of mortality, it is widely believed that chimpanzees do not. Because we are so closely related to chimpanzees, these findings in the wild chimps might also apply to people. But if future-orientated cognition isn’t the source of this shift in social behavior seen in both humans and chimpanzees, what is? Now, the researchers are using the same data set to investigate whether changes in emotional reactivity explain the recent findings from the male chimpanzees. Joan Silk, a professor not involved in the study, explained that it could be emotional reactivity, but that’s just a possible explanation, distinct from a complete explanation of how something works. Does emotional reactivity also explain human shifts in friendship selection? These are questions that deserve further study. Anyway, the new study gives valuable insight into how natural selection shapes social relationship strategies as we age, and it is also stimulating because it makes one reconsider the nature of how humans think and behave. Answering questions like this is difficult because humans live such a long time, but what’s important about this study is that it provides long-term data on known individuals that live a long time. By studying our evolutionary cousins, we can learn more about our own behavior. 1．What social change occurs in both humans and chimpanzees as they age? A．They avoid all forms of social grooming. B．Their friendship circles expand significantly. C．They prioritize quantity over quality in friendships. D．They focus on fewer but deeper mutual relationships. 2．The chimpanzee study challenges the socioemotional selectivity theory because _________. A．young chimpanzees exhibited stronger future-oriented cognition B．human friendships were proven unrelated to emotional reactivity C．chimpanzees were found to have a human-like understanding of death D．the social shift occurs in chimpanzees despite their lack of mortality awareness 3．What did Joan Silk imply about the chimpanzee study? A．Its approach is innovative. B．Its findings remain incomplete. C．Its explanation is reasonable. D．Its conclusions are unbelievable. 4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A．Aging and Friendship: A New Insight from Chimpanzees B．Future-Oriented Cognition: The Key to Friendships C．The Emotional Reactivity of Male Chimpanzees D．How Mortality Shapes Human Friendship When a fire at a supplier’s factory forced a temporary shutdown at the plant of a large European manufacturer of consumer goods, Tim Schweisfurth and his colleagues at the Technical University of Munich found a surprising upside: The idleness (闲散) led to an outpouring of ideas for improvements. The conclusion: Unexpected Interruptions Can Boost Creativity. We discovered this when we looked at the online system the company used to collect plant workers’ ideas and suggestions. People could enter submissions whenever they were on-site. Some proposed small changes, like replacing worn tools; others, major ones, such as a new paint-ordering system that saved the firm €280, 000 a year. The 8,500 employees in the part of the plant that shut down were sent home for four days. In the three weeks after they returned to work, they produced 58%more ideas than uninterrupted employees did. In addition, their ideas were higher quality: Managers rated the accepted submissions and determined that those from sidelined employees were roughly three percentage points better than those from other workers. We also studied an unexpected interruption at the plant that didn’t lead to idle time:  a flood that required employees to clean up the damage. That incident lowered creative performance because workers had to switch their attention to the new task. A similar thing happens when your focus immediately shifts after a social media app beeps to signal a new post. There are many good reasons to take a vacation, but our research doesn’t suggest it will improve your creativity at work, because it wouldn’t be an unexpected interruption. When we looked at a third kind of interruption at the plant — extended weekends — we found no increase in employee suggestions after people returned to work. We think the reason has to do with so-called attention residue — the sweet spot for creativity. It’s when our minds continue to think over something that’s important to us even after we’ve moved on to another activity. Think of all the times you’ve had a breakthrough moment in the shower or while pushing a cart around the grocery store. Those insights all resulted from your brain’s behind-the-scenes perseveration. When we do something that allows us to totally disengage, such as taking a long weekend or a vacation, we don’t experience the same attention residue, so we don’t have the same kinds of breakthroughs. 1．What did the study find about employees who experienced a 4-day shutdown? A．Their creativity decreased significantly. B．They submitted mostly minor tool suggestions. C．Most of their ideas were approved by managers. D．They produced more and better ideas after returning. 2．What conclusion can be drawn concerning unexpected interruptions based on the_________. A．Idle time has a negative impact on the generation of creative ideas. B．Creativity depends upon how much attention remains on the original task. C．Creativity is determined by how focused an individual person is. D．Employees are motivated to be more creative in the face of a challenge. 3．The underlined words “attention residue” in the last paragraph means_________. A．persistent mental engagement B．fundamental spiritual basis C．temporary psychological refreshment D．habitual task-switching routine 4．Which of the following situations is most likely to boost creativity? A．An extended weekend at home. B．A five-day planned trip to a scenic spot. C．A short, unexpected break from work. D．An unexpected work-related assignment. 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $