【英语】2019届高考英语二轮复习考点讲解学案之：话题二十一　灾害防范 8页

话题二十一　灾害防范 A ‎[2019·江西赣中南五校第一次联考]‎ In its early history, Chicago had floods frequently, especially in the spring, making the streets so muddy that people, horses and carts got stuck. An old joke that was popular at the time went like this: A man is stuck up to his waist in a muddy Chicago street. Asked if he needs help, he replies, “No, thanks. I've got a good horse under me.”‎ The city planner decided to build an underground drainage (排水) system, but there simply wasn't enough difference between the height of the ground level and the water level. The only two options were to lower the Chicago River or raise the city.‎ ‎ An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt. This raised the level of the city's streets by as much as 12 feet.‎ ‎ This of course created a new problem: dirt practically buried the first floors of every building in Chicago. Building owners were faced with a choice: either change the first floors of their buildings into basements, and the second stories into mainfloors, or hoist (吊起) the entire buildings to meet the new street level. Small woodframe buildings could be lifted fairly easily. But what about large, heavy structures like the Tremont Hotel, which was a sixstory brick building?‎ ‎ That's where George Pullman came in. He had developed some housemoving skills successfully. To lift a big structure like the Tremont Hotel, Pullman would place thousands of jackscrews (螺旋千斤顶) beneath the building's foundation. One man was assigned to operate each section of roughly 10 jackscrews. At Pullman's sign each man turned his jackscrews by the same amount at the same time, thereby raising the building slowly and evenly. Astonishingly, the Tremont Hotel stayed open during the entire operation, and many of its guests didn't even notice anything was happening. Some people like to say that every problem has a ‎ solution. But in Chicago's early history, every engineering solution seemed to create a new problem. Now that Chicago's waste water was draining efficiently into the Chicago River, the city's next step was to clean the polluted river.‎ 体裁：说明文　题材：灾害防范　主题：洪水泛滥解决方案 ‎【文章大意】　本文主要介绍了芝加哥为了应对洪水泛滥的问题而实行了一些解决方案的故事。‎ ‎1．The author mentions the joke in Paragraph 1 to show ________.‎ A．horses were fairly useful in Chicago B．Chicago's streets were extremely muddy C．Chicago was very dangerous in the spring D．the Chicago people were particularly humorous 答案与解析：B　考查推理判断。根据第一段第一句“In its early history, Chicago had floods frequently, especially in the spring, making the streets so muddy that people, horses and carts got stuck”可推知，作者提及这个笑话是为了表明芝加哥的街道非常泥泞，故选B。‎ ‎2．The city planners were convinced by Ellis Chesbrough to ________.‎ A．get rid of the street dirt B．lower the Chicago River C．fight against heavy floods D．build the pipes above ground 答案与解析：D　考查细节理解。根据第三段第一句“An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt”可知，Ellis Chesbrough让城市规划者相信在地上建管道才能解决洪水泛滥所带来的问题，故选D。‎ ‎3．What can we conclude about the moving operation of the Tremont Hotel?‎ A．It went on smoothly as intended.‎ B．It interrupted the business of the hotel.‎ C．It involved Pullman in turning ten jackscrews.‎ D．It separated the building from its foundation.‎ 答案与解析：A　考查细节理解。根据第五段内容，以及最后一段倒数第三句“Some people like to say that every problem has ‎ a solution”可推知，用螺旋千斤顶把the Tremont Hotel升高的事项进展顺利，故选A。‎ ‎4．The passage is mainly about the early Chicago's ________.‎ A．popular lifestyles and their influences B．environmental disasters and their causes C．engineering problems and their solutions D．successful businessmen and their achievements 答案与解析：C　考查主旨大意。结合全文可知，本文主要讲的是早期芝加哥如何应对洪水泛滥的问题的故事，故选C。‎ B ‎[2019·石家庄检测一]‎ Ireland's Achill Island has always been a popular European tourist destination. However, since April in 2017, the small island of just 2,700 residents(居民) has gained worldwide fame thanks to the magical return of a beach that was washed away over three decades ago.‎ The chain of events began in 1984 when residents of Dooagh, one of the settlements on the island, awoke to a surprising sight: their beautiful sandy beach had been washed away by strong Atlantic storms. There were only rocks and rock pools left. For about 34 years, only small amounts of sand returned to the once unspoiled shores. The area's tourism industry slowly declined, and the handful of beachside hotels, pubs, and restaurants gradually closed as well.‎ Then around Easter in 2017, something magical happened — an unusual tenday tide blanketed the barren 300meter long rock beach with hundreds of tons of soft golden sand. Scientists suspect that the sand had been gathering offshore for months and was transported to the beach by the high winds and powerful waves.‎ The locals are delighted to have their beach back, especially as it is attracting thousands of visitors wishing to witness the power of nature, with their own eyes. However, Scan Molloy, manager at Achill Tourism, cautions against going into the cold waters just yet, saying, “Because of the sand coming in, we don't know how safe the beach is now because currents(水流) could be changed and it'll take a little bit of time. ”He instead recommends visitors enjoy the soft sand and leave the swimming to the dolphins that frequent the area.‎ Interestingly, this is not the first time Dooagh Beach has pulled a disappearing and reappearing act. It disappeared in the 1890s, for over 30 years, before returning in 1927. However, the locals are optimistic that this time around, the beautiful sand is here to stay.‎ 体裁：说明文　题材：自然灾害　主题：爱尔兰Achill岛的消失与再现 ‎【文章大意】　本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了爱尔兰Achill岛消失的海滩时隔三十多年再次出现的事件。‎ ‎【难句分析】　Because of the sand coming in, we don't know how safe the beach is now because currents(水流) could be changed and it'll take a little bit of time.‎ 分析：本句包含how引导的宾语从句，because引导的原因状语从句。‎ 译文：因为沙子的到来，我们不知道现在海滩的安全如何，因为洋流可能被改变，需要一点时间(才能确定人们是否可以在这里安全地游泳)。‎ ‎5．What has brought Achill Island worldwide attention recently?‎ A．An unusual storm.‎ B．The decrease in the number of residents.‎ C．The return of its beach.‎ D．The building of a new tourist destination.‎ 答案与解析：C　考查细节理解。根据第一段中的“However, since April in 2017, the small island of just 2,700 residents(居民) has gained worldwide fame thanks to the magical return of a beach that was washed away over three decades ago”可知，消失了三十多年的海滩的回归使得Achill岛引起了全世界的关注。‎ ‎6．What happened to Dooagh in the past three decades?‎ A．Tourism went down gradually.‎ B．Restaurants developed slowly.‎ C．Storms attacked frequently.‎ D．Rock pools disappeared completely. ‎ 答案与解析：A　考查细节理解。根据第二段中的“The area's tourism industry slowly declined, and the handful of beachside hotels, pubs, and restaurants gradually closed as well”可知，随着海滩的消失，在过去三十多年里Dooagh地区的旅游业逐渐衰落。‎ ‎7．What does the underlined word “barren” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?‎ A．Noisy. B．Soft.‎ C．Bare. D．Golden.‎ 答案与解析：C　考查词义猜测。根据画线词所在句中的“tenday tide blanketed the barren 300meter long rock beach with hundreds of tons of soft golden sand”可知，由于潮水的力量，300米长的岩石海滩被松软的金沙覆盖了。画线词修饰岩石海滩，结合文章内容可知，海滩消失之后，三十多年来岩石海滩表面什么都没有，所以画线词与bare同义，意为“空的，荒芜的”。‎ ‎8．What should tourists avoid according to Sean Molloy?‎ A．Spoiling the shores.‎ B．Getting into the rock pools.‎ C．Playing with dolphins.‎ D．Swimming near the beach.‎ 答案与解析：D　考查推理判断。根据第四段中的“He instead recommends visitors enjoy the soft sand and leave the swimming to the dolphins that frequent the area”可知，Sean Molloy建议游客享受松软的沙子，把游泳让给海豚，即他建议游客不要在海滩附近游泳。‎ C ‎[2019·广州市综合检测二]‎ Scientists have solved the mystery of why the overwhelming majority of mammoth fossils(化石) are male.‎ Much like wild elephants today, young male Ice Age mammoths probably travelled around alone and more often got themselves into risky situations where they were swept into rivers, or fell through ice or into mud, lakes or sinkholes that preserved their bones for thousands of years, scientists say.‎ Females, on the other hand, travelled in groups led by an older matriarch who knew the landscape and directed her group away from danger.‎ ‎“Without the benefit of living in a herd led by an experienced ‎ female, male mammoths had a much higher risk of dying in natural traps such as mud holes, rock cracks and lakes，” said coauthor Love Dalén of the Swedish Museum of Natural History in a report published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology.‎ The study used genetic data to determine the sex of 98 woolly mammoth fossils in Siberia. Researchers found that 69% of the samples were male, a heavily unbalanced sex ratio, assuming that the sexes were fairly even at birth.‎ ‎“We were very surprised because there was no reason to expect a sex bias in the fossil record，” said first author Patricia Pecnerova, also of the Swedish Museum of Natural History.‎ Therefore, researchers believe that something about the way they lived influenced the way they died.‎ ‎“Most bones, tusks, and teeth from mammoths and other Ice Age animals haven't survived，” explained Dalén.‎ ‎“It is highly likely that the remains that are found in Siberia these days have been preserved because they have been buried, and thus protected from weathering.”‎ These giant, tusked plant eaters disappeared about 4,000 years ago. While there is no scientific agreement on the causes of their disappearance from the planet, most believe that climate change, excessive hunting by humans and the spread of other animals into mammoth feeding grounds were influential factors.‎ 体裁：说明文　题材：自然灾害　主题：猛犸象消失的原因 ‎【文章大意】　本篇文章主要介绍了猛犸象化石大多是雄性以及这种生物从地球上最终消失的原因。‎ ‎【难句分析】　It is highly likely that the remains that are found in Siberia these days have been preserved because they have been buried, and thus protected from weathering.‎ 分析：本句是一个复合句。第一个that引导主语从句，在从句中不作成分，It作形式主语；第二个that引导定语从句，修饰先行词the remains，that在从句中作主语；because引导原因状语从句。‎ 译文：现在在西伯利亚地区发现的猛犸象的残骸很有可能是因为其被埋了起来，避免了风化，由此被保留了下来。‎ ‎9．The underlined word “matriarch” in Paragraph 3 means ________.‎ A．figurehead B．female leader C．experienced animal D．mature mammoth 答案与解析：B　考查词义猜测。根据第四段中的“Without the benefit of living in a herd led by an experienced female，male mammoths had a much higher risk of dying in natural traps”可推知，matriarch是指有经验的雌性领导，故选B。‎ ‎10．Why do the majority of mammoth fossils come from male animals?‎ A．Scientists find it easier to study male fossilised bones.‎ B．There were more male mammoths in comparison to females.‎ C．Male mammoths were better able to adapt to the changing circumstances.‎ D．Male mammoths more frequently died in places where fossils could form.‎ 答案与解析：D　考查推理判断。根据第二段的内容可推知，雄性猛犸象很可能单独出行而非群体活动，因此更容易陷入危险境地而死亡，最后变成化石，故选D。‎ ‎【干扰项分析】　文章中并没有提到科学家们发现雄性化石更容易研究，故A项错误；B项与第五段中的“Researchers found that 69% of the samples were male, a heavily unbalanced sex ratio, assuming that the sexes were fairly even at birth”表达的意思不符；文中并未提到雄性猛犸象能够更好地适应变化的环境，故排除C项。‎ ‎11．Which of the following is suggested as a reason for mammoths dying out?‎ A．The increasing competition for food.‎ B．The cooling of the earth's temperature.‎ C．The disappearance of male mammoths.‎ D．The risky behaviour of younger mammoths.‎ 答案与解析：A　考查细节理解。根据最后一段中的“While there is no scientific agreement on the causes of their disappearance from the planet，most believe that climate change，excessive hunting by humans and the spread of other animals into mammoth feeding grounds were influential factors”可知，气候变化、人类的过度猎杀、其他动物侵入聚食场都是猛犸象最终消失的重要因素，故选A。‎ ‎12．What is the text type of the passage?‎ A．A newspaper article.‎ B．An academic essay.‎ C．A historical description.‎ D．A science fiction story.‎ 答案与解析：A　考查推理判断。根据第一段的导入和全文的内容可推知，本文是一篇有关猛犸象化石新研究的新闻报道，故选A。‎