外刊时文精读+高考英语科技类说明文阅读理解练习-2026届高三英语二轮复习专项

Could AI help councils protect against floods? 导读 人工智能正逐渐融入公共服务领域，但它在应对洪水这类传统挑战中能发挥多大作用？本期精读选自 BBC 的一篇科技报道，通过英国诺森伯兰郡的试点项目，探讨 AI 如何辅助地方政府在规划审批中更高效地管理洪水风险。文章结构清晰、用例具体，是学习科技类报道写作与专业术语的实用材料。 Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming part of everyday life - from recruitment, to personalising social media feeds, to paving the way for medical breakthroughs. Northumberland County Council is testing how AI can support “faster and better” planning decisions related to flood risk, in hopes of rolling out its findings across the country. While planning officers review applications as normal, AI will be used in parallel this year to see if it finds issues faster, or if it could help make writing applications easier. The council said it was a “really exciting” project, but stressed: “Every decision will continue to be overseen by human experts.” Developers hoping to build on a site need to submit an application, including a flood risk assessment, to the local council. Planning officers then review it, checking for things such as surface water flood risk, and make comments - a process Northumberland County Council is hoping to streamline with AI. Nick Watson, flood and coastal erosion risk management manager, said the council reviewed thousands of planning applications each year. He said there was an issue with the consistency of what was submitted. “We hope that it’ll be able to review what's been submitted, check that against the massive amount of planning policy that's out there and flag up issues.” A £10bn AI and cloud computing data centre in Blyth has been given the go-ahead, and the local authority is already part of a project using AI to predict flash floods. The region has seen homes and businesses flooded in recent years, including during Storm Desmond in 2015. The council said: “The aim is to develop a practical governance framework for using AI responsibly in reviewing flood risk assessments, which will be shared with other authorities.” 人工智能（AI）正日益成为日常生活的一部分 —— 从招聘工作，到个性化社交媒体推送，再到为医学突破铺平道路。诺森伯兰郡议会正在测试人工智能如何为与洪水风险相关的规划决策提供 “更快速、更优质” 的支持，希望能在全国范围内推广其研究成果。在规划官员照常审核申请的同时，今年人工智能将同步投入使用，以检验它是否能更快发现问题，或是帮助简化申请撰写流程。议会表示这是一个 “非常令人振奋” 的项目，但同时强调：“所有决策仍将由人类专家监督。” 希望在某地块上进行开发的开发商需向地方议会提交申请，其中包含洪水风险评估。随后规划官员会对申请进行审核，检查地表积水风险等内容并给出意见 —— 诺森伯兰郡议会正希望借助人工智能简化这一流程。洪水与海岸侵蚀风险管理经理尼克・沃森表示，议会每年要审核数千份规划申请，而提交材料的一致性存在问题。“我们希望人工智能能够审核已提交的内容，将其与现有的大量规划政策进行比对，并标记出问题。” 位于布莱斯的一座价值 100 亿英镑的人工智能与云计算数据中心已获批建设，地方当局也已参与一个利用人工智能预测山洪的项目。近年来，该地区的住宅和商业建筑多次遭遇洪水，其中就包括 2015 年的 “德斯蒙德风暴”。议会表示：“我们的目标是制定一个实用的治理框架，以负责任的方式在洪水风险评估审核中使用人工智能，并将该框架分享给其他相关部门。” 1. Which of the following best explains the meaning of“flag up”as used in the context of the passage? A. To remove or ignore minor problems B. To mark or highlight for attention C. To solve technical issues automatically D. To delay decisions for further review 2. Based on the council's statements, what is the fundamental relationship envisioned between AI and human experts in flood risk management? A. AI will gradually replace human officers in routine tasks. B. Humans will use AI predictions but make all final decisions. C. They will work as equal partners with shared responsibility. D. AI is being tested mainly to reduce government staffing costs. 3. What is the primary function of mentioning Storm Desmond (2015) in the third paragraph? A. To criticize the council's slow response to past disasters B. To provide statistical data for AI prediction models C. To establish the historical urgency motivating current AI projects D. To compare different types of flood risks in the region 答案及详解 1.B 2.B 3.C 1.“flag up” 的含义 文章中提到：“We hope that it’ll be able to review what's been submitted, check that against the massive amount of planning policy that's out there and flag up issues.” 这里的 “flag up” 是指标记或突出问题以引起注意，对应选项 B. To mark or highlight for attention。 2.AI 与人类专家的关系 文章明确指出：“Every decision will continue to be overseen by human experts.” 这说明人类会使用 AI 的预测结果，但最终的决定仍由人类做出，对应选项 B. Humans will use AI predictions but make all final decisions. 3.提到 Storm Desmond (2015) 的作用 文章提到该地区近年遭遇了洪水灾害，包括 2015 年的 Storm Desmond，这是为了说明当地面临的洪水风险背景，从而体现出当前 AI 项目的历史紧迫性和必要性，对应选项 C. To establish the historical urgency motivating current AI projects。 重难点词汇 artificial /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl/adj. 人工的；人造的 → artificial intelligence (AI) 人工智能 increasingly /ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli/adv. 越来越多地；不断增加地（修饰形容词 / 副词，写作高频） recruitment /rɪˈkruːtmənt/n. 招聘；招募（动词形式：recruit v. 招聘；招收，高考常考） personalise /ˈpɜːsənəlaɪz/v. 个性化；量身定制（形容词：personal adj. 个人的；私人的） pave /peɪv/v. 铺（路）；为…… 铺平道路 → pave the way for 为…… 创造条件；为…… 铺平道路（高考高频短语） breakthrough /ˈbreɪkθruː/n. 突破；重大进展（可数名词，常与 make 搭配：make a breakthrough） council /ˈkaʊnsl/n. 地方议会；政务委员会（专有名词中首字母大写：Northumberland County Council 诺森伯兰郡议会） flood risk 洪水风险（高考环境类高频搭配） roll out 推出；推广；逐步实施（高考完形 / 阅读高频短语） parallel /ˈpærəlel/adv. 并行地；同时地 → in parallel 同时；并行（短语） oversee /ˌəʊvəˈsiː/v. 监督；监管（过去式 / 过去分词：oversaw/overseen，高考熟词生义） developer /dɪˈveləpə(r)/n. 开发者；开发商（动词：develop v. 开发；发展，核心词） submit /səbˈmɪt/v. 提交；呈递（常与 to 搭配：submit sth. to sb./sth.，高考高频） assessment /əˈsesmənt/n. 评估；评价 → flood risk assessment 洪水风险评估（专有搭配）；动词：assess v. 评估 surface water 地表水（环境类词汇） streamline /ˈstriːmlaɪn/v. 简化；使效率更高（高考阅读生僻核心词） coastal /ˈkəʊstl/adj. 沿海的；海岸的 → coastal erosion 海岸侵蚀（搭配） consistency /kənˈsɪstənsi/n. 一致性；连贯性（形容词：consistent adj. 一致的，高考常考） policy /ˈpɒləsi/n. 政策；方针（可数名词，planning policy 规划政策） flag up 指出；强调（高考完形 / 阅读高频短语，表 “提示问题”） cloud computing 云计算（科技类高频专有名词） data centre 数据中心（科技类搭配） give the go-ahead 批准；同意（口语化短语，高考阅读常考） local authority 地方政府；地方当局（同义替换：local council，高考阅读高频） predict /prɪˈdɪkt/v. 预测；预报（名词：prediction n. 预测，核心词） flash flood 山洪；突发洪水（环境类高频搭配） governance /ˈɡʌvənəns/n. 管理；治理（高考阅读生僻词，需掌握） framework /ˈfreɪmwɜːk/n. 框架；体系（a practical governance framework 实用的治理框架） responsibly /rɪˈspɒnsəbli/adv. 负责任地（形容词：responsible adj. 负责的，核心词） 1 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 当方向盘后空无一人，Robotaxi会让城市更拥堵吗？ Self-driving cars will transform urban economies 导读 近期《经济学人》刊文指出：自动驾驶出租车正从旧金山、洛杉矶向全美扩散，普及将对城市经济结构产生系统性重塑。本文将带您拆解这场 “方向盘革命” 的经济底层逻辑。 Urban economies reflect how their residents get around. And before long, that will start to change—more dramatically than at any time since the automobile was invented over a century ago. The robotaxis now autonomously shuttling passengers around the Bay Area or Los Angeles may look like ordinary cars, but as they spread and develop, they will operate under different constraints to human-driven ones, and accordingly reshape cities. Over the next year, robotaxis will become increasingly difficult to ignore. Waymo plans to expand to cities including Miami and Washington. San Francisco’s experience suggests that public and regulatory resistance can be overcome. Pioneer cities offer a glimpse of changes to be expected elsewhere. Road safety ought to improve: Waymos are involved in ten times fewer serious crashes than an average human driver. The cars operate at the top end of the market. A trip with a Waymo costs roughly a third more than a ride-hailing service on average. Despite the cost of a ride, robotaxis’ market share is rising fast. Robotaxis are losing money at present, but they ought to become much cheaper. The most important fact about them is also the most obvious: no one is at the wheel. That makes their economics entirely different to either regular taxis or cars. A world of cheap urban transportation is alluring. But it could also cause a real problem: horrific traffic jams. Congestion is a classic economic externality. The cost of any single car’s contribution to a jam is not borne entirely by its occupants. Without such constraints, the result could be brutal gridlock—negating many of the benefits of robotaxis. An economist’s answer to this conundrum is straightforward: put a price on traffic. Swarms of robotaxis may force the matter. 城市经济的形态，反映着当地居民的出行方式。用不了多久，这种出行方式就会发生巨变 —— 其剧烈程度将超过一个多世纪前汽车发明以来的任何时期。如今，在旧金山湾区或洛杉矶自主接送乘客的自动驾驶出租车看起来和普通汽车无异，但随着它们的普及与发展，其运行规则将与人类驾驶的车辆截然不同，并会相应地重塑城市面貌。在未来一年里，自动驾驶出租车将变得愈发无法被忽视。Waymo 计划将业务拓展至迈阿密、华盛顿等城市，而旧金山的经验表明，公众与监管层面的阻力是可以被克服的。 作为先行城市，它们让我们得以窥见其他地方即将出现的变化。道路安全水平理应得到提升：Waymo 车辆发生严重事故的概率仅为普通人类司机的十分之一。这类车辆目前定位高端市场，一次 Waymo 行程的平均价格比普通网约车高出约三分之一。尽管价格不菲，自动驾驶出租车的市场份额仍在快速增长。虽然目前仍处于亏损状态，但它们的价格未来理应大幅下降。关于自动驾驶出租车，最核心也最显而易见的一点是：方向盘后空无一人。这一特点让它们的经济逻辑与传统出租车或私家车完全不同。 一个拥有廉价城市交通的世界充满吸引力，但这也可能引发一个切实的问题：严重的交通拥堵。拥堵是一种典型的经济外部性 —— 单辆车对拥堵的贡献所产生的成本，并非完全由该车乘客承担。如果不加以约束，结果可能是严重的交通瘫痪，从而抵消自动驾驶出租车带来的诸多益处。经济学家对这一难题的解决方案很直接：为交通定价。大量涌入的自动驾驶出租车或许会迫使这一方案落地。 阅读练习 1. In the sentence “The robotaxis now autonomously shuttling passengers...”, the word “shuttling” most nearly means A. repairing B. transporting C. constructing D. cleaning 2. According to the passage, what is a potential negative consequence of cheap robotaxi services? A. A significant increase in serious traffic accidents. B. A drastic rise in unemployment among mechanics. C. The possibility of severe traffic congestion. D. A decrease in the expansion of services to new cities. 3. Based on the passage, the author most likely believes that the problem of traffic congestion caused by robotaxis A. will prevent them from ever becoming widely adopted. B. requires a market-based solution to be effectively managed. C. is less important than the safety benefits they provide. D. can only be solved by banning robotaxis in busy urban areas. 答案及解析 1. B 2.C 3.B 1. B. transporting解析：“shuttling passengers” 意为 “接送 / 运送乘客”，与 transporting（运输、运送）含义最接近。 2. C. The possibility of severe traffic congestion.解析：文章第三段明确提到廉价的自动驾驶出租车可能导致 “horrific traffic jams”（严重的交通拥堵）。 3. B. requires a market-based solution to be effectively managed.解析：文章结尾提到经济学家的解决方案是 “put a price on traffic”（为交通定价），这是一种基于市场的解决方式。 重点词汇梳理 英文 词性 中文释义 文中例句 autonomously adv. 自主地；自动地 The robotaxis now autonomously shuttling passengers... shuttle v. 往返运送；穿梭接送 The robotaxis now autonomously shuttling passengers around the Bay Area... constraint n. 限制；约束条件 they will operate under different constraints to human-driven ones reshape v. 重塑；彻底改变 accordingly reshape cities regulatory adj. 监管的；法规的 public and regulatory resistance can be overcome pioneer adj. 先驱的；先行的 Pioneer cities offer a glimpse of changes to be expected elsewhere alluring adj. 诱人的；有吸引力的 A world of cheap urban transportation is alluring congestion n. 拥堵；阻塞 horrific traffic jams. Congestion is a classic economic externality externality n. 外部性（经济学术语） Congestion is a classic economic externality gridlock n. 交通瘫痪；僵局 the result could be brutal gridlock conundrum n. 难题；棘手的问题 An economist’s answer to this conundrum is straightforward 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ Why strict diets are a bad idea for long-term weight loss Those hoping to lose weight this year might be tempted to try to a diet challenge in the hopes of kick-starting their weight loss. But while we might think these kinds of short-term, restrictive diets will help give our waistlines a nudge, psychology and physiology shows us why this strategy can be so hard to stick to – and why it probably won’t result in long-term weight loss. Research estimates that as few as 20% of people who lose weight through dieting manage to keep the weight off long-term. For decades, psychologists have been trying to understand why it is that diets so often fail. One potential reason for this is that diets often involve strict food rules – such as avoiding the foods you enjoy. The problem with this strategy is that the foods people tend to crave most – such as chocolate, ice cream and crisps – activate the brain’s reward system. This creates positive feelings. When we cut these foods out of our diet, we lose the pleasure they bring. This can then trigger food cravings – a complex psychological process where we experience an intense desire to eat a particular food, even when we’re not hungry. Food cravings are often dependent on mood and may be particularly bad when we feel stressed. They can also be especially intense in the afternoon and evening when we feel more tired and have less willpower to resist these cravings. Food cravings can drive overeating, especially when trying to diet. One review even showed that when people deliberately excluded certain foods from their diet, they experienced an increase in cravings for the foods they were avoiding. Although the review’s authors conclude that this response can be unlearned, it explains why even short-term restrictive diets tend not to work. Crash diets can trigger stronger food cravings, which can make it harder to stick to your goals – and may even lead to weight gain instead. Repeated dieting failures can also harm self-efficacy (our belief in our own ability to succeed), a psychological resource important for making lasting behaviour changes. 今年想要减肥的人可能会忍不住尝试饮食挑战，希望以此开启自己的减重计划。但尽管我们可能认为这类短期、限制性的饮食能帮我们缩小腰围，心理学和生理学却揭示了为何这种策略如此难以坚持 —— 以及为何它很可能无法带来长期的减重效果。 研究估计，通过节食减重的人群中，仅有 20% 的人能长期维持体重。几十年来，心理学家一直试图弄清楚为何节食往往会失败。 一个潜在的原因是，节食通常包含严格的饮食规则，比如禁止食用自己喜欢的食物。这种策略的问题在于，人们最渴望的食物（如巧克力、冰淇淋和薯片）会激活大脑的奖赏系统，从而产生愉悦感。 当我们从饮食中剔除这些食物时，就失去了它们带来的愉悦，这进而会引发食欲渴求 —— 这是一种复杂的心理过程，即便不饿，我们也会对某一种食物产生强烈的进食欲望。 食欲渴求往往受情绪影响，在压力大时尤为强烈。下午和傍晚时分，我们更容易疲惫，意志力也更弱，因此这种渴求会变得更难抵抗。 食欲渴求会导致暴饮暴食，尤其是在节食期间。有综述甚至显示，当人们刻意从饮食中排除某些食物时，他们对这些被禁食食物的渴望反而会增强。 尽管该综述的作者指出这种反应是可以被 “消除” 的，但这也解释了为何即便是短期的限制性饮食也往往无效。速成节食会引发更强烈的食欲渴求，这不仅会让你更难坚持目标，甚至可能导致体重反弹。反复的节食失败还会损害自我效能感（即我们对自身成功能力的信念），而这正是做出持久行为改变的重要心理资源。 阅读练习 1. Which of the following is a reason why strict diets often fail according to the passage? A. Strict diets provide too many food choices. B. Restricted foods activate the brain’s reward system and trigger cravings. C. People on strict diets have stronger willpower in the evening. D. Strict diets can quickly improve self-efficacy. 2. Why do crash diets tend to lead to weight gain instead of long-term weight loss? A. They help people keep the weight off easily. B. They activate the brain’s reward system permanently. C. They trigger stronger food cravings that may cause overeating. D. They increase people’s self-efficacy significantly. 3. What does the author mainly want to convey through the passage? A. Strict diets are the best way for short-term weight loss. B. People should avoid all diet challenges to prevent weight gain. C. Strict diets are ineffective for long-term weight loss due to psychological and physiological factors. D. Physiological factors alone make strict diets fail for long-term weight loss. 答案与解析 1. B. Restricted foods activate the brain’s reward system and trigger cravings. 解析：文章第三段提到，人们渴望的食物（如巧克力、冰淇淋）会激活大脑的奖赏系统；当这些食物被严格限制时，会引发强烈的食欲渴求，这正是严格节食失败的原因。 2. C. They trigger stronger food cravings that may cause overeating. 解析：文章最后一段指出，速成节食（crash diets）会引发更强烈的食欲渴求，这会导致暴饮暴食，最终反而让体重增加，而非长期减重。 3. C. Strict diets are ineffective for long-term weight loss due to psychological and physiological factors. 解析：文章开篇就点明，短期限制性饮食难以坚持且无法带来长期减重效果，后续内容从心理（食欲渴求、自我效能感）和生理（大脑奖赏系统）两方面解释了其原因，这是全文的核心观点。 核心词汇 kick-starting：启动，开启（文中指开启减重计划） restrictive diets：限制性饮食 waistlines：腰围 physiology：生理学 keep the weight off：维持体重不反弹 strict food rules：严格的饮食规则 crave：渴望，渴求 reward system：奖赏系统 food cravings：食欲渴求 willpower：意志力 overeating：暴饮暴食 crash diets：速成节食，突击节食 self-efficacy：自我效能感（对自身成功能力的信念） lasting behaviour changes：持久的行为改变 1 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $