富源一中2014届高三

富源一中2014届高三“尖子生”阅读能力提升专题训练（III）

A

One day an out-of-work mime is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a performer. As soon as he starts to draw the crowd, a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office. The zoo keeper explains to the mime that the zoo’s most popular attraction, a gorilla, died suddenly and the keeper fears that the attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mime a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mime accepts.

So the next morning the mime puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He discovers that it’s a great job. He can sleep when he wants to, play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mime. However, eventually the crowds get tired of him and he doesn’t like just swinging on wires any longer. He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his.

Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience, he climbs to the top of the cage, crawls across a partition(隔开物), and dangles(悬荡) from the top of the lion’s cage. Of course, this makes the lion furious, but the crowd loves it. At the end of the day the zoo keeper comes and gives the mime a raise for being such a good attraction. Well, this goes on for some time, the mime keeps laughing at the lion, the crowds grow larger, and his salary keeps going up.

Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the furious lion he slips and falls. The mime is terrified. The lion gathers its strength and prepared to pounce(猛扑). The mime is so scared that he begins to run round and round in the cage with the lion close behind. Finally, the mime starts screaming and yelling, “Help me! Help me!”, but the lion is quick and pounces. The mime soon finds himself lying on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says, “Shut up, you idiot! Do you want to get us both fired?”

1. The mime goes to the zoo in order to _______.

A. perform to make some money B. take part in an interview

C. look for a better job as a worker in the zoo D. help the zoo keeper to draw more visitors 2. The mime doesn’t like his job any longer probably because _______.

A. he can’t have enough sleep every day B. the visitors throw something at him

C. people are less interested in his performance D. he wants to stay with the lion in the cage

3. The underlined word “furious” (in Paragraph 3) means “_______”. A. happy B. angry C. frightened D. satisfied 4. Which of the following is true about the third paragraph?

A. The visitors like the lion more. B. The lion is getting on well with the mime. C. The mime asks the zoo keeper for more salary. D. The zoo keeper is satisfied with the mime. 5. According to the passage, we can know that _______.

A. the lion wants to catch hold of the mime B. both the lion and the mime will be killed

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C. another employee dresses up as the lion D. the zoo keeper will fire both of them

B

Funny people are fun to be with. Learn how to be funny and you’ll be the life of the party. At parties you’ll be surrounded by a lot of friends, who are eager to listen to your funny stories and laugh at your jokes. However, being funny is a skill. Fortunately it’s a skill you can learn. It’s never too late to start learning to be funny. Knowing the best way to tell funny jokes and funny stories is easier than you think.

Make a point of remembering jokes you’ve heard or read recently. There are hundreds of really funny jokes on the Internet. Choose jokes that really amuse you. If you find them really funny, you are going to find it easy to memorize them. A good way to memorize jokes is to practice saying them to yourself in front of a mirror, just as you would do if you had to deliver a speech. In telling a joke, remember that timing is everything. Make sure you deliver the punchline at the right time. Before you tell the joke to even a few friends, try to practice it in private.

In addition to remembering funny jokes that you have heard recently, make a point of remembering funny quotes(引语) and funny remarks. Try and remember as many as you can and then use them at appropriate times. Very often these funny quotes were made by famous people. For example, it’s really easy to remember the remark that Winston Churchill made at a party when a lady sitting next to him informed him, very loudly, and in an aggressive manner: “Sir, you are drunk!” Churchill immediately replied: “Yes, Madam, you are right. But you are ugly. Tomorrow I will be sober.”

When you tell a story, instead of making fun of someone else, in order to show how clever you are, it’s a good idea to make fun of yourself. You don’t have to do so in a way that makes you look a complete idiot. Rather do so in a way that describes an embarrassing situation that happens to you. 1. From the first paragraph we can know that the funny people are _______. A. clever B. popular C. honest D. wealthy 2. If you find a joke really funny you’d better _______.

A. deliver a speech in public B. read it again and again C. look at yourself in a mirror D. learn it by heart 3. Which of the following can make your speech funny? A. A joke, a party, a quote and an idea. B. A story, a joke, a remark and a quote. C. A party, a remark, a manner and a story. D. A manner, a joke, a party and an idea.

4. What Winston Churchill said suggests that he was _______.

A. a funny person B. a serious politician C. a true friend D. a rude guest 5. You can help yourself out of an embarrassing situation by _______. A. showing that you are very clever B. laughing at other people at present C. playing a joke on yourself D. telling others that you are a fool

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C

Florida, in the southeastern United States, is called the Sunshine State. It grows more oranges than any place except Brazil. But Arctic air has damaged some Florida oranges and strawberries in recent days, and killed fish at tropical fish farms. The unusually long period of cold weather has shown how even warm climates can sometimes freeze over. But protecting plants, especially trees in the garden may not be too difficult if you follow a few suggestions.

Sudden cold can be the biggest threat, especially after a warm period. Plants have not had a chance to harden their defenses. Those that are actively growing or flowering are at high risk. Try to choose plants that live best with cold weather, and planting areas that face west and south. Being near other growth may also provide warmth.

Most frost damage takes place at night. Ice crystals(晶体) form on the leaf surface. They pull moisture(水汽) from the leaves and keep plants from getting water. Cold weather is most likely to damage or kill plants that do not have enough moisture. So keep the garden watered. Moist soil absorbs more heat than loose and dry soil covered with vegetation.

Experts of University of Arizona say covering plants and small trees with cloth or paper can help prevent frost damage. A 100-watt light designed for outdoor use can also provide warmth. Some people place Christmas lights in young trees for warmth. The bulbs should hang below the leaves to let the heat rise into the tree.

Cold is especially dangerous to orange trees. Agricultural specialists at the University of California suggest putting paper or cloth around the trunk and central branches of young orange trees. In Florida, as temperatures fall to record lows, orange growers spray water on their trees to help prevent freeze damage.

Jim Bottcher is master gardener. He explains that as the water freezes, it produces heat, and the ice forms a protective blanket around the tree. If you spray a tree, keep the water away from nearly power lines. Heavy ice can form and break them. 1. The first paragraph is mainly to _______.

A. report more oranges are grown in the United States B. show Florida oranges and strawberries are in trouble C. explain why the farmers are trying to save their fish D. introduce the topic of this passage to readers 2. Plants are rather easy to be damaged _______. A. when it becomes cold suddenly B. when they face to the west

C. when they are growing with other plants D. when the temperature is too high

3. Which of the following can help the plants grow well in the freezing weather? A. Ice crystals. B. Loose, dry soil. C. Moist soil D. The leaf surface. 4. According to the experts of University of Arizona, we can know that _______. A. a 100-watt light bulb can be used outdoors

B. cloth or paper can be helpful to keep the trees warm C. young trees are very attractive with Christmas lights D. all the bulbs should be placed above the top of the trees 5. What’s the main idea of this passage? A. It is extremely cold in Florida.

B. Planting trees is possible in the Arctic. C. Climate in Florida changes suddenly.

D. Keep plants and trees warm when it is cold.

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D

Language development is a main part to every child’s growth. The best way for children to develop speaking skills is to practice with different methods from the baby stage into early childhood.

Speaking: Children develop speech very early in life. It is very important to talk to your baby with every activity, whether it is feeding, bathing or dressing him or her. The second part of the speech aspect is to encourage the baby or child to speak. It might feel silly that you want them to speak but that means vocalizing to children. Have them repeat words after you starting with simple, three-letter words and working up to bigger ones.

Hearing: Hearing is an important factor in language development skills. The only way for babies to learn a language is hearing it. A good technique is repetition. Repeat the same words, phrases and structures over and over so he or she can catch on. By the time the child is nine months old he or she should be able to understand simple words and may even speak some at this age as well.

Passage/Active Knowledge: We all have two separate masses including passive knowledge and active knowledge. Passive knowledge is knowledge attained through listening or reading. Active knowledge can improve by using our passive knowledge. So by our speaking language to children, they learn it passively but can then develop that knowledge into its active form.

Reading: When you read the same stories to children over and over, they will learn to associate the words they hear with what they see written on the page. They also will learn the meaning of the words they hear and see. This visual learning is especially strong in some children, but all children can learn through being read to. Clearly, reading to children also improves their vocabulary and language skills. 1. Which of the following may be the best for children to develop language skills?

A. Hearing. B. Reading. C. Practicing with different methods. D. Speaking. 2. In order to develop children’s ability of speaking you should _______. A. encourage them to repeat what you say B. often talk to your family members C. help them to have a bath every day D. make them speak three-letter words

3. If a baby is about 10 months old he/she is most likely to have the ability of _______. A. reading and writing B. playing and speaking

C. writing and hearing D. understanding and speaking 4. We can infer from the fourth paragraph that _______.

A. passive knowledge is more important than active knowledge B. active knowledge is as important as passive knowledge C. passive knowledge is less important than active knowledge D. active knowledge develops before passive knowledge

5. The underlined phrase “visual learning” (in Paragraph 5) probably refers to an ability that children can ___.

A. connect what they hear and see B. use their sight only while learning C. understand what they hear completely

D. learning knowledge by observing carefully

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