第2部分 限时阅读8——说明文-【金版教程】2026年高考英语大二轮大考试题精选重组全书word

限时阅读8——说明文

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记住：读不懂的时候，不是考单词，而是考能力。

(2025·河南省许昌市高三下期中检测)There are functioning steam railways in other countries: tourists in France can go for a ride in Brittany; so can visitors travelling to the Dandenong Ranges in Australia. But no other country has a heritage railway sector anywhere near as energetic as the UK's, where more than 170 services cross around 600 miles of track and call at 460 stations.

Just a few years after the first of these railways opened at Talyllyn in north Wales, in 1951, a fictional Welsh steam engine became the main character in the children's television serial Ivor the Engine. On lines originally built for slate quarries (石板采石场), north Wales still has the biggest group of steam railways, but they exist in all four nations of the UK, typically operating seasonal timetables in tourist areas. These railways are living museums with stations decorated in period style. Some staff wear costumes too.

Up to 95% of the 18.5m journeys on heritage railways each year are taken by domestic tourists. They owe their popularity to a combination of nostalgia (怀旧), enjoyment of the countryside and enthusiasm for the old engines.

Railways are expensive to run, and the first steam preservation enthusiasts recognised that they would need volunteers to make their dream of a revival come true. This reliance on volunteers is partly due to cuts in budgets from local authorities and other funders. But heritage railways are a good example of what can be achieved by a combined paid and voluntary workforce. As well as the economic contribution that the railways make to rural areas, there is evidence that volunteering can have beneficial effects on people as well.

The railways will need to respond, like the rest of the society, to environmental policies. The destructive impact of greenhouse gases is an obvious challenge to a sector that trades on an image of coal­powered transport. Electric railway engines are being used for maintenance, to bring

emissions down, and some railways are active in wildlife conservation. There will need to be further adaptation down the line. That the railways don't stand still has always been part of their appeal especially on rainy days in the summer holidays.

篇章导读：本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了英国遗产铁路部门十分活跃的情况，包括其分布、受欢迎原因、运营依赖志愿者的情况，以及面临的环境挑战等。

1．How are the UK's steam railways different from other countries'?

A．They are active across the countries.

B．They serve as tourist attractions.

C．They are mainly powered by steam.

D．They use small amounts of energy.

答案：A

解析：细节理解题。根据第一段中的“But no other country ... call at 460 stations.(但没有哪个国家的遗产铁路部门像英国那样活跃，英国拥有超过170条线路，跨越约600英里的轨道，停靠460个车站。)”可知，英国的蒸汽铁路在全国都很活跃。故选A。

2．Why does the author mention Ivor the Engine?

A．To spread knowledge of the classic serial.

B．To introduce the origin of steam engines.

C．To show the popularity of steam railways.

D．To share a childhood memory of travelling.

答案：C

解析：推理判断题。根据第二段中的“Just a few years ... the biggest group of steam railways(1951年，威尔士北部塔尔利林的第一条此类铁路开通后仅几年，一部以虚构的威尔士蒸汽机车为主角的儿童电视连续剧《伊沃尔小火车》便问世了。在原本为石板采石场修建的铁路线上，威尔士北部至今仍拥有规模最大的蒸汽铁路线路)”可推知，作者提到Ivor the Engine是为了展示蒸汽铁路的受欢迎程度。故选C。

3．What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Volunteers help to keep heritage railways alive.

B．Economic growth depends on individual efforts.

C．People can't afford to travel by heritage railway.

D．Local officials don't use old means of transport.

答案：A

解析：推理判断题。根据第四段中的“Railways are expensive to run ... from local authorities and other funders.(铁路运营成本高昂，而最早致力于保留蒸汽铁路的狂热者认识到，他们需要志愿者来实现复兴的梦想。这种对志愿者的依赖部分原因是地方当局和其他资助者削减了预算。)”可推知，志愿者帮助遗产铁路得以存续。故选A。

4．What is the author's attitude towards heritage railways?

A．Indifferent.   B．Doubtful.

C．Appreciative.   D．Negative.

答案：C

解析：推理判断题。根据第二段中的“These railways are living museums with stations decorated in period style.”和最后一段中的“Electric railway engines ... down the line.(电动铁路机车正被用于铁路养护，以减少排放，一些铁路公司也在积极参与野生动物保护。未来还需要沿着这一方向进行更多的适应性调整。)”可推知，作者对遗产铁路持有赞赏的态度。故选C。

词汇：①heritage  n. 遗产，传统　②energetic adj. 精力充沛的，充满活力的　③originally adv. 起初，原来　④due to 因为

佳句：They owe their popularity to a combination of nostalgia （怀旧）， enjoyment of the countryside and enthusiasm for the old engines.

它们之所以受欢迎，是因为怀旧之情、对乡村风光的喜爱以及对老式机车的热爱。

(2025·山西省山西大学附属中学高三下月考)How did nearsighted people manage in the pre­glasses past? Have you ever thought about this? Aristotle may have written the first observations of myopia (近视) around 350 BC. Because their eyeballs are too long, people with this condition can see objects that are close by, but distant objects tend to look blurry.

Neil Handley, a museum curator, said not much is known about how people dealt with myopia before the first lenses for nearsighted people were invented in the 15th century in Europe. And he noted that “even in the history of the invention of glasses, that is a late development”. There are