中考英语复习： 难度较大的阅读文章含答案（九） 6页

Sleepless at Night It was a normal summer night．Humidity(湿气)hung in the thick air． I couldn’t go to sleep，partly because of my cold and partly because of my expectations for the next day．My mum had said that tomorrow was going to be a surprise． Sweat stuck to my aching body．Finally, gathered enough strength to sit up．I looked out of my small window into the night．There was a big bright moon hanging in the sky, giving off a magic light． I couldn’t stand the pressure anymore，SO I did what I always do to make myself feel better．I went to the bathroom and picked up my toothbrush and toothpaste．I cleaned my teeth as if there was no tomorrow．Back and forth，up and down． Then I walked downstairs to look for some signs of movement，some life．Gladiator, my cat, frightened me as he meowed(喵喵地唱出)his sad song．He was on t11e old orange couch(长沙发)，sitting up on his front legs，waiting for something to happen．He looked at me as if to say I“I’m lonely, pet me．I need a good hug(紧抱)．”Even the couch begged me to sit on it． In one movement I settled down onto the soft couch．This couch represented my parents’marriage，my birth，and hundreds of other little events． As I held Gladiator, my heart started beating heavily．My mind was flooded with questions：What’s life? Am I really alive? Are you listening to me? Every time I moved my hand down Gladiator’s body，I had a new thought；each touch sang a different song． I forgot all about the heat and the next day’s surprise．The atmosphere was SO full of warmth and silence that I sank into its alms．Falling asleep with the big cat in my arms，I felt all my worries slowly move away． 31 The author of the passage could not go to sleep partly because A it was too cold． B it was too dry． C he had a cold． D he had a fever 32 What was the weather like that night? A It was chilly． B It was windy． C It was fine． D It was cloudy． 33 The author brushed his teeth over and over A to relieve himself of the pressure． B to ease his toothache． C to shake off the cold． D to remove the dirt． 34 Gladiator was the name of A a movie． B a pet． C a couch． D a song． 35 What did the‘‘couch’’represent? A A new thought． B Different songs． C A comfortable life． D Happy memories． 第二篇 Ancient Egypt Brought Down by Famine Even ancient Egypt’s mighty pyramid(金字塔)builders were powerless in the face of the famine(饥荒)that helped bring down their civilization around 2180 B．C．．Now evidence collected from mud deposited by the River Nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometers to the south was ultimately to blame--and the same or worse could happen today． The ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile’s annual floods to irrigate their crops．But any change in climate that pushed the African monsoons(季风)southwards out of Ethiopia would have reduced these floods． Declining rains in the Ethiopian highlands would have meant fewer plants to stabilize the soil．W．1len rain did fall it would have washed large amounts of soil into the Blue Nile and into Egypt，along with sediment(沉积)from the White Nile． Blue Nile mud has a different isotope(同位素)signature from that of the white Nile．So by analyzing isotope differences in mud deposited in the Nile Delta．Michael Krom of Leeds University worked out what proportion of sediment came from each branch of the river． Krom reasons that during periods of drought，the amount of Blue Nile mud in the river would be relatively high．He found that one of these periods，from 4500 to 4200 years ago。 immediately came before the fall of the Egypt’s old Kingdom． The weakened waters would have been disaster for the Egyptians．‘‘Changes that affect food supply don’t have to be very large to have a ripple(波浪)effect in societies，”says Bill Ryan of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in New York． Similar events today could be even more devastating，says team member Daniel Stanley．a scientist from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D．C．“Anything humans do to shift the climate belts would have an even worse effect along the Nile system today because the populations have increased dramatically．” 36 Why does the author mention “Egypt’s mighty pyramid builders’’? A Because they once worked miracles． B Because they were well—built． C Because they were actually very weak． D Because even they were unable to rescue their civilization． 37 Which of the following factors was ultimately responsible for bringing down the civilization of ancient Egypt? A Change of climate． B Corrulption． C flood． D Population growth． 38 which of the following statements is true? A The White Nile is the trunk of the River Nile． B The White Nile is the trunk of the Blue Nile． C The White Nile is a branch of the Blue Nile． D The White Nile is a branch of the River Nile． 39 According to Krom，the Egypt’s o1d Kingdom fell A immediately after a period of drought． B immediately after a period of flood． C just before a drought struck． D just before a flood struck． 40 The word “devastating” in the last paragraph could be best replaced by A “frustrating'’． B “damaging'’． C “defeating”． D “worrying'’． 第三篇 Technology Transfer in Germany When it comes to translating basic research into industrial success，few nations can match Germany．Since the 1940s，the nation’s vast industrial base has been fed with a constant stream of new ideas and expertise from science．And though German prosperity(繁荣)has faltered(衰退)over the past decade because of the huge cost of unifying east and west as well as the global economic decline，it still has an enviable(令人羡慕的)record for turning ideas into profit． Much of the reason for that success is the Fraunhofer Society, a network of research institutes that exists solely to solve industrial problems and create sought-after technologies · But today the Fraunhofer institutes have competition．Universities are taking an ever larger role in technology transfer， and technology parks are springing up all over．These efforts are being complemented by the federal programs for pumping money into start-up companies. Such a strategy may sound like a recipe for economic success，but it is not without its critics. These people worry that favoring applied research will mean neglecting basic science， eventually starving industry of flesh ideas．If every scientist starts thinking like an entrepreneur(企业家)，the argument goes，then the traditional principles of university research being curiosity．driven：free and widely available will suffer．Others claim that many of the programs to promote technology transfer are a waste of money because half the small businesses that are promoted are bound to go bankrupt within a few years. While this debate continues，new ideas flow at a steady rate from Germany’s research networks，which bear famous names such as Helmholtz，Max Planck and Leibniz．Yet it is the fourth network，the Fraunhofer Society，that plays the greatest role in technology transfer． Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer Society is now Europe’S largest organization for applied technology，and has 59 institutes employing 1 2，000 people．It continues to grow．Last year’it swallowed up the Heinrich Hertz Institute for Communication Technology in Berlin．Today, there are even Fraunhofers in the US and Asia． 1 What factor Can be attributed to German prosperity? A Technology transfer． B Good management． C Hard work． D Fierce competition． 2 Which of the following is NOT true of traditional university research? A It is free． B It is profit-driven． C It is widely available． D It is curiosity—driven． 3 The Fraunhofer Society is the largest organization for applied technology in A Asia． B USA． C Europe． D Africa． 4 When was the Fraunhofer Society founded? A In 1940． B Last year． C After the unification． D In 1949． 5 The word“expertise’’in line 3 could be best replaced by A “experts”． B “scientists”． C “scholars”． D “special knowledge”． 31．c该题问的是：该文的作者不能入睡的部分原因是什么?第二段的第一个句子是这么说的：我 不能入睡，部分原因是感冒，部分原因是对第二天的期待。 32．C该题问的是：那天的天气怎么样?第一段的第一句是这么说的：这是一个普通的夏季里的夜 晚。第三段的最后一句话说的是：一个巨大的明媚的月亮悬挂在天空，发出妖艳的光芒。可见， 那天天气很好。 33．A该题问的是：作者不断地刷牙是为什么?第四段的第一句话是这么说的．：我再也受不住这 种压力了。于是我就去做我经常做的事，使得感觉好些。下面就谈到了刷牙。 34．B该题问的是：“Gladiator”是什么的名字?第五段的第二句话是这么说韵：Gladiator，我的 猫，喵喵地唱出了它的悲哀的歌，把我吓了一跳。可见“Gladiator”是爱畜的名字。 35．D该题问的是：“couch”代表了什么?倒数第三段的第二个句子是这么说的：这个“躺椅，代表 了我父母的婚姻、我的降临，以及许许多多其他的小的事件。不难看出，它代表的是愉快的记忆。 36．D这道题问的是：作者为什么提及“古埃及伟大的金字塔建筑者”?文章开头有这么一句话，中 文意思是：即使古埃及伟大的金字塔建筑者面对那场在公元前2180年促使他们的文明毁灭的饥荒 也无能为力。D说的是：即使是他们也不能挽救他们的文明。因此D是正确的答案。A说的是：他 们曾创造过奇迹。B说的是：他们很强壮。C说的是：他们其实很弱。 37．A这道题问的是：下面列出的几种因素中哪一种因素是造成古埃及文明毁灭的根本性因素。 A说的是：气候变化。第一段中有这样一个子句：…a shift in climate…was ultimately to blame…最终归咎于气候的变化。在第一题的题解中，我们提到了“饥荒” 与“古埃及文明毁灭” 的关系。但“饥荒”是表层的因素，“气候的变化”才是古埃及 文明毁灭的深层的因素。因此，A是 正确的答案。B：腐败。c：水灾。D：人口增长。 38．D这道题问的是：下面列出的几种陈述哪一种是正确的?D说的是：白尼罗河是尼罗河的支流。 第四段中的最后一句话是这么说的：…worked out what‘proportion of sediment came from each branch ofthe river．……找到了来自河的每条支流的沉积物的比例。这里的“河”是指“尼罗河”， “每条支流”回指上文所说的“青尼罗河”和“白尼罗河”。因此，D是正确的答案。A：白尼罗河是尼 罗河的干流。B：白尼罗河是青尼罗河的干流。c：白尼罗河是青尼罗河的支流：显然，这些都不 构成答案。 39．A这道题问的是：古埃及王朝毁灭发生在什么时候?A说的是：就在一个时期的干旱之后。第 五段有这么一个句子：…one of these periods…immediately came before the fall of the Egypt's Old Kingdom．其中的一个时期……就发生在古埃及王国毁灭之前。可以看出，A应该是 正确的答案。B：就在一个时期的水灾之后。C：就在遇到一次旱灾之前。D：就在遇到一次水灾 之前。 40．B devastate是及物动词。意思是：使荒芜；破坏。devastating既是现在分词，又是形容词。 此处devastating不是现在分词，因为它后面不跟名词短语，它只能是形容词。它的意思是：破 坏性的。frustrate是动词。意思是：使受挫；受挫。frustrating是现在分词，同时也是形容词。 作形容词时，它的意思是：失望的。可以看出，它跟devastating的意思相差很远。damage：破 坏，毁灭。damaging是它的现在分词，但它本身也是形容词，意思是：破坏的或毁灭的。跟 devastating意思相近，是合适的选择。defeat：击败。worry：担忧，发愁。worrying：令人担 忧的，令人发愁的。 41．正确答案为A。答案在第一段可以找到，该段的最后一句话it still has a11 enviable record forturning ideas into profit是该段的总结，明确指出了德国的繁荣归功于技术的转换。 42．正确答案为B。答案可以在第三段里找到，这一段里有这样一句话：traditional principles of university research being curiosity．driven，free and widely available’will suffer， 传统的 大学科研原则有三个特点，惟独没有‘profit-driven，即受利益驱动。 43．正确答案为C。答案在最后一段里讲得很清楚。 44．正确答案为D。答案在最后一段的第一句话里。 45．正确答案为D。expertise是特殊领域的知识和学问的意思，另外三个选项都用来指人，在这 个上下文里根本不合适。