完形阅读强化训练三
强化训练（三）
编制：魏平校对：于陶
I. 完形填空
It was 5:45 a. m. in March, and physician Michael Shannon was driving along the Coast Highway to meet a friend. As he 1 toward Dana Point Harbor, a blanket of white suddenly 2 his sight. A truck had pulled onto the road in front of him. The physician had no time to 3 .
“I remember the sound of breaking glass, and then everything 4 . I was sitting still.” he says. Shannon remained conscious during the crash. He sensed something burning. But he was 5 beneath the twisted dashboard (仪表盘).
Help arrived almost immediately; a team from the Orange County Fire Department was on the scene in less than two 6 . Paramedic (护理人员) Chiis Trokey could see how 7 it was. The whole front end of the SUV was crashed under the body of the truck. He could see a small red flame, but he knew it could 8 within minutes. The man inside the vehicle appeared unusually 9 “He wasn’t yelling,” says Trokey. “He was saying, ‘Get me out of here.’”
The firemen 10 the engine fire at once and the Chevy Suburban was finally opened. As he sat with him in the back of the ambulance, the crash victim’s name-Michael Shannon 11 his attention.
The paramedic 12 , could this be the same man who had saved his own life 30 years ago? The 13 who slept by Trokey’s side in the hospital until he was well enough to go home? As Trokey sat with Shannon, the feeling of 14 grew stronger.
In June 1986, Chris Trokey entered the world ten weeks early and only had a 50-50 chance of 15 . It was doctor Shannon who had given the baby a second life. Chris continued to be Shannon’s patient until he was in his teens.
Now, 30 years later, Chris Trokey stayed by Shannon’s side. “Do you remember me at all? You stayed with me when I was rea lly little,” asked Trokey, Shannon recognized Chris at once 16 Chris looked nothing like the 17 baby he had once been.
What a(n) 18 ! Each of them says this feeling—of having someone enter your life at a 19 time and watch over you until you are well, of giving a gift without 20 and then getting it back when you need it most-has given him faith in a higher power.
1. A. headed B. walked C. ran D. wandered
2. A. lost B. interrupted C. skipped D. discovered
3. A. reply B. remind C. reflect D. react
4. A. left B. moved C. returned D. stopped
5. A. pinned B. found C. hidden D. packed
6. A. seconds B. minutes C. hours D. days
7. A. urgent B. apparent C. practical D. delicate
8. A. disappear B. split C. start D. explode
9. A. worried B. nervous C. calm D. angry
10. A. gave out B. put out C. sent out D. brought out
11. A. focused B. paid C. escaped D. caught
12. A. realized B. believed C. wondered D. noticed
13. A. parent B. nurse C. doctor D. driver
14. A. recognition B. satisfaction C. inspiration D. occupation
15. A. assistance B. survival C. success D. ambition
16. A. although B. when C. because D. unless
17. A. strong B. sacred C. fragile D. noble
18. A. disaster B. accident C. virtue D. coincidence
19. A. perfect B. critical C. spare D. given
20. A. decorations B. techniques C. expectations D. comments II. 阅读理解
A
Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures “everything except that which makes life worthwhile.” With Britain voting to leave the European Union, and GDP already predicted to slow as a result, it is now a timely moment to assess what he was referring to.
The question of GDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers for over half a century. Many argue that it is a flawed (有缺陷的) concept. It measures things that do not matter and misses things that do. By most recent measures, the UK’s GDP has been the envy of the Western world, with record low unemployment and high growth figures. If everything was going so well, then why did over 17 million people vote for Brexit (British existing from the EU), despite the warnings about what it could do to their country’s economic prospects?
A recent annual study of countries and their ability to convert growth into well-being sheds some light on that question. Across the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of the poorest performers in ensuring that economic growth is translated into meaningful improvements for its citizens. Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more rounded assessment of how countries are performing.
While all of these countries face their own challenges, there are a number of consistent themes. Yes, there has been a budding economic recovery since the 2008 global crash, but in key indicators in areas such as health and educ ation, major economies have continued to decline. Yet this isn’t the case with all countries. Some relatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across
measures including civil society, income equality and the environment.
This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP is no longer regarded as the sole measure of a country’s success, the world looks very different.
So, what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. It does not include important factors such as environmental quality or education outcomes—all things that contribute to a person’s sense of well-being.
The sharp hit to growth predicted around the world and in the UK could lead to a decline in the everyday services we depend on for our well-being and for growth. But policymakers who refocus efforts on improving well-being rather than simply worrying about GDP figures could avoid the forecasted doom and may even see progress.
21. Robert F. Kennedy is quoted because he .
A. praised the UK for its GDP
B. identified GDP with happiness
C. misinterpreted the role of GDP
D. had a low opinion of GDP
22. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that .
A. the UK is reluctant to change its economic pattern
B. GDP as the measure of success is widely disapproved in the UK
C. the UK will contribute less to the world economy
D. policymakers in the UK are paying less attention to GDP
23. Which of the following is TRUE about the recent annual study?
A. It is sponsored by 163 countries.
B. It excludes GDP as an indicator.
C. Its criteria are questionable.
D. Its results are enlightening.
24. In the last two paragraphs, the author suggests that .
A. the UK is preparing for an economic boom
B. high GDP foreshadows an economic decline
C. it is essential to consider factors beyond GDP
D. it requires caution to handle economic issues
25. Which of the fallowing is the best title for the text?
A. High GDP but Inadequate Well-being, a UK Lesson
B. GDP Figures, a Window on Global Economic Health
C. Robert F. Kennedy, a Terminator of GDP
D. Brexit, the UK’s Gateway to Well-being
B
America’s education system has become less a ladder of opportunity than a structure to transmit inequality from one generation to the next.
That’s why school reform is so critical. This is an issue of equality, opportunity and national
conscience. It’s not just about education, but about poverty and justice.
It’s true th at the main reason inner-city schools do poorly isn’t teachers’ unions, but poverty. Southern states without strong teachers’ unions have schools at least as awful as those in union states. Some Chicago teachers seem to think that they shouldn’t be held ac countable until poverty is solved. There’re steps we can take that would make some difference, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying some of them—yet the union is resisting.
I’d be sympathetic if the union focused solely on higher compensation. Teachers need to be much better paid to attract the best college graduates to the nation’s worst schools. But, instead, the Chicago union seems to be using its political capital primarily to protect weak performers.
There’s solid evidence that there are huge differences i n the effectiveness of teachers. The gold standard study by Harvard and Columbia University scholars found that even in high-poverty schools, teachers consistently had a huge positive or negative impact.
Get a bottom 1% teacher, and the effect is the same as if a child misses 40% of the school year. Get a teacher from the top 20%, and it’s as if a child has gone to school for an extra month or two.
The study found that strong teachers in the fourth through eighth grades raised the skills of their students in ways that would last for decades. Just having a strong teacher for one elementary year left pupils a bit less likely to become mothers as teenagers, a bit more likely to go to college and earning more money at age 28.
How does one figure out who is a wea k teacher? Yes, that’s a challenge. But researchers are improving systems to measure a teacher’s performance throughout the year, and, with three years of data, it’s usually possible to tell which teachers are failing.
Unfortunately, the union in Chicago is insisting that teachers who are laid off—often for being ineffective—should get priority in new hiring. That’s an insult(侮辱) to students.
Teaching is so important that it should be like other professions, with high pay and good working conditions but few job protections for bottom performers. This isn’t a battle between garment workers and greedy bosses. The central figures in the Chicago schools strike are neither strikers nor managers but 350,000 children. Protecting the union demand sacrifices those students, in effect turning a blind eye to the injustice in the education system.
26. What do we learn about America’s educa tion system?
A. It provides a ladder of opportunity for the wealthy.
B. It contributes little to the removal of inequality.
C. It has remained basically unchanged for generations.
D. It has brought up generations of responsible citizens.
27. What is chiefly responsible for the undesirable performance of inner-city schools?
A. Unqualified teachers.
B. Lack of financial resources.
C. Unfavorable learning environment.
D. Subconscious racial discrimination.
28. What does the author think the union should do to win popular support?
A. Assist the city government in reforming schools.
B. Give constructive advice to inner-city schools.
C. Demand higher pay for teachers.
D. Help teachers improve teaching.
29. What is the finding of the gold standard study by Harvard and Columbia University scholars?
A. Many inner-city school teachers are not equal to their jobs.
B. A large proportion of inner-city children often miss classes.
C. Many students are dissatisfied with their teachers.
D. Students’ performance has a lot to do with teachers.
30. Why does the author say the Chicago unions’ demand is an insult to students?
A. It protects incompetent teachers at the expense of students.
B. It underestimates students’ ability to tell good teachers from poor ones.
C. It makes students feel that they are discriminated against in many ways.
D. It totally ignores students; initiative in the learning process.
III. 任务型阅读
Climate Change and Oilier Human Activities are Affecting Species Migration One of the reasons climate change is such an important topic is that it will affect the natural biological systems. Both plants and animals will have to respond to the changing climate. In some cases, this means adapting to higher temperatures. In other cases, the changes may be alterations in the rainfall, length of growing season, availability of resources, or other influences.
While some animals can adapt, others will have to migrate. Obviously migration can be apparent in mobile animals that will move to maintain a more or less similar climate to which they are accustomed.
But animal and plant movement does not occur in just a changing climate. It also has to make changes to the landscape that humans create. For instance, increased land allocation to agriculture or urbanization can create barriers for free migration. So, what scientists really want to know is how these two factors will affect the patterns of animal and plant movement.
Researchers in a study projected changes in the distribution of climatically suitable zones for projected future climates. Using a computer model, they projected how and when the species would migrate and they tracked the migration routes. The study incorporated a resistance to movement based on the amount of human alteration to the landscape. The analysis was similar to how the flow of electrons through a wire circuit is calculated. In fact, electronic circuit theory formed a basis for the calculations.
From their analysis, the authors identified several locations in North and South America that will be crucial for species movement in a changing climate. Large movements are expected in the southeastern US, the Amazon region, and parts of Brazil. Some of the areas where migration is expected have undamaged biological regions. Others, in particular the southeastern US and Brazil, have pathways that are heavily impacted by human activities, which may create a barrier to the migration routes.
In the study, the team of scientists first identified what they call “climatically suitable” conditions for each of the species under a changing climate situation. They plotted routes for the species from areas that were projected to be unsuitable to these suitable areas. The routes were plotted so that they avoided the most heavily human-impacted regions. They then plotted the paths on a map for easy visualization.
Some concrete and specific examples were provided. The authors have identified 14 biological regions and calculated the average direction of movement across each biome (生物群系). Great
强化训练（三）
1-20 ABDDA /BADCB /DCCAB /ACDBC
21-25 DBDCA 26-30 BBCDA
31. influences/impacts/effects 32. chance/possibility 33. choice/alternative/option 34. Factors 35. contribute/lead 36. Identification
37. Based 38. located 39. paths/routes
40. intention/purpose