高考历年英语阅读理解—科普知识类.doc

高考历年英语阅读理解—科普知识类
　　Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, gentically mondified (GM, 转基因) foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the word,mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis. But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would ,is it the best solutiorr?
　　Despite what it promiises,GM technology actually has not increased the production potential of any corp. In fact
　　Studies show that the most crown GM croo.
　　GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity. For instance, a report than analysed nearly two decades of research on mojor GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production.
　　Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companics tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides(杀虫剂). On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops. “ The promise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production. But nether is true,” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition.
　　At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger： Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics. These indeed deserve our efforts and money. Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report.
　　As a matter of fact ,scientists see better ways to feed the world. Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice.
　　57.The author develops the second paragraph mainly . 【C】
　　A. by classification B. by comparison
　　C. by example D. by process
　　58. What does the underlined word “boost ” in the third paragraph probably mean? 【D】
　　A. Control. B. Evaluate C. Obtain. D. Increase.
　　59. GM companies promise farmers that they will benefit from _________. 【B】
　　A. practicing “green” farming B. use of less chemicals
　　C. fair distribution of their crops D. using more crops for fuel
　　60. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards GM technology?【C】
　　A. Optimistic B. Defensive C. Disapproving D. Casual
科普知识类第二篇
(2011重庆卷)C
　　Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
　　In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546.
　　Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
　　Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea： clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
　　Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease.On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家)，encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
　　64. The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because .
　　A. they lived healthily in a dirty environment.
　　B. they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in
　　C. they believed disease could be spread in public baths
　　D. they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease
　　65.Which of the following best describes Henry IV’s attitude to bathing?
　　A. Afraid. B. Curious.
　　C. Approving. D. Uninterested.
　　66. How does the passage mainly develop?
　　A. By providing examples.
　　B. By making comparisons.
　　C. By following the order of time.
　　D. By following the order of importance.
　　67. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
　　A. To stress the role of dirt.
　　B. To introduce the history of dirt.
　　C. To call attention to the danger of dirt.
　　D. To present the change of views on dirt.
　　【答案】CA CD

科普知识类第三篇
(2011湖南卷)C
　　A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species
　　The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant
　　Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石)，mammoths and mastodons the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
　　The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.
　　There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
　　Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
　　Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (优先)for conservation purpose .”
　　66. One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________.
　　A. the Asian elephant B. the forest elephant
　　C. the savanna elephant D. the mastodon elephant
　　67. The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________”
　　A. evolution B. exhibition C. separation D. examination
　　68. The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s ____________
　　A. DNA B. height C. weight D. population
　　69. What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?
　　A. The conversation of African elephants.
　　B. The purpose of studying African elephants
　　C. The way to divide African elephants into two units
　　D. The reason for the distinction of African elephants
　　70. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
　　A. Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants. B. Amazing Experiment about Elephants
　　C. An Unexpected Finding about Elephants D. A Long scientific Debate about Elephants
　　C 科普说明文：African elephant 有两个不同的种类
　　66. fossils 定位，找到第三段第一句，有两种fossils，mam和mas，选项D
　　67. 文中divergence of the two species指代前文the Ase and the Afe have been distinct species, divergence与distinct同义替换，对应选项C
　　68. conclusion, based on定位，找到倒数第二段最后一句lay in 与based on 同义替换，答案：A
　　69. AR定位，找到倒数第一段，从AR的话中，第一句for conservation purpose, 最后一句for conservation purpose确定A
　　70.文章首句点明全文主旨，答案：C