暑假高考英语阅读理解外国文化话题提分训练.docx

1、暑假高考英语阅读理解外国文化话题提分训练2021暑假高考英语阅读外国文化话题提高训练第一阶段1If a person throws up a coin into the air, it may land on one side, or it may land on the other.There is no sense in analyzing (分析)the result, because it is a random (随意的)chance event. Nothing can be done to influence the outcome. About half the time th

2、e coin will land on one side, and about half the time it will land on the other side, no matter how the coin is thrown up. In ancient times, people believed almost anything that happened to them was an intervention (干涉) by a divine (神的) power. Now, however, few cultures would believe the outcome of

3、such an insignificant event as throwing up a coin to be divine intervention. Many events of life are basically events of random chance. Let us look at one example. You might be walking in Prague, and a pickpocket steals your wallet. Here are some different explanations one could give to such a misfo

4、rtune. 1. The Fatalistic (宿命论) one, popular in Arabic countries, would be that the theft was merely your fate, and could not be avoided. I often think “fate” is the realization that many things in life are merely random chance events. It is senseless to worry that you did anything to cause this even

5、t. It just happened that a pickpocket just happened to be near you, and your wallet was the closest one for him to steal. I cannot hide my bias (偏见): I think this is probably the healthiest explanation of random chance events. 2. In primitive (原始的) cultures or regions where certain religions commonl

6、y existed, the explanation might be that it was Gods will for your wallet to be stolen. God was punishing you for a misdeed, or trying to teach you a central truth by letting you lose this money. 3. And lastly there is the explanation I find increasingly common in Western societies. Any misfortune m

7、ay be explained by a lack of precautions (预防措施). An intervention on someones part (usually the governments) could have prevented the theft. For example, you should not have walked in certain streets; you should have been more watchful. Or the government should have employed more policemen, or impris

8、oned more criminals. Misfortunes are not caused by random chance, but by incomplete care or control. This latter explanation is being accepted increasingly every day. One reason must be that it comforts people to rationalize (使有合理依据)their misfortunes, especially if it makes them seem blameless. ( “I

9、f there were just more policemen, my wallet would not have been stolen.”) I find this last explanation amusing in one sense, and extremely harmful in another. If we cannot accept bad things ever happening to us, we must be willing to accept an unlimited expansion of laws and government intervention

10、in our lives1. According to the author _ A. if you want to know the result of something you plan to do, the throwing up of a coin will be of great help B. whether the coin lands on one side or the other, its Gods will C. the way that a coin is thrown up decides which side it will land D. whichever s

11、ide a coin will land doesnt affect the result of the thing one plans to do2. If someone broke into your house and took away all the valuable things, the writer most probably agrees with the idea that _ A. its because you have done something wrong and so you are punished for that B. its just somethin

12、g that you cant avoid C. the government is to blame for that D. you are not careful enough to prevent it from happening3. More and more people accept the third explanation because _ A. people feel comfortable to think so B. it is true of the fact C. the government hasnt employed enough policemen D.

13、in fact, the government doesnt warn people against theft in public places4. The writer wrote this article to tell us _ A. people of different cultures have different attitudes towards a certain event that happens to or around them B. people should hold scientific attitude towards events that happen

14、to or around them C. many events just happen without any reasons D. which of the three explanations is more reasonable5. The writer says “I find this last explanation amusing in one sense, and extremely harmful in another” probably because if this explanation is accepted _ A. people will not be able

15、 to walk in certain streets B. there will be too many laws and people will lose much of their freedom C. there will be too many policemen in the streets or other public places D. there will be too many criminals in prison2The producers of instant coffee found their productstrongly resisted in the ma

16、rket places despite their products manifest advantages. Furthermore, the advertising expenditurefor instant coffee was far greater than that for regular coffee.Efforts were made to find the cause of the consumers seemingly unreasonable resistance to the product. The reason given by most people was d

17、islike for the taste. The producers suspected that there might be deeper reasons, however. This was confirmed by one of motivation researchs classic studies, one often cited in the trade. Mason Haire of the University of California constructed two shopping lists that were identical except for one it

18、em. There were six items common to both lists: hamburger, carrots, bread, baking powder, canned peaches, and potatoes, with the brands or amounts specified. The seventh item, in fifth place on both lists, read”11b.Maxwell House coffee” on one list and “Nescafe instant coffee” on the other. One list

19、was given to each one is a group of fifty women, and the other list to those in another group of the same size. The women were asked to study their lists and then to describe, as far as they could, the kind of woman (personality and character) who would draw up that shopping list .Nearly half of tho

20、se who had received the list including instant coffee described a housewife who was lazy and a poor planner. On the other hand, only one woman in the other group described the housewife, who had included regular coffee on her list, as lazy; only six of that group suggested that she was a poor planne

21、r. Eight women felt that the instant -coffee user was probable not a good wife! No one in the other group drew such a conclusion about the housewife who intended to buy regular coffee.1. The purpose of the study made by Mason Haire was to find out_.A. why people would not buy instant coffee B. why i

22、nstant coffee did not taste good C. why women didnt like to drink coffee D. why regular coffee was popular2. The result of the investigation showed that _.A. women who used regular coffee were good plannersB. most of the women investigated were good at reasoning C. many women believed that wives who

23、 used instant coffee were lazyD. housewives who used instant coffee were lazy3. In the study, the woman were supposed to give their opinions about_.A. which was better, instant coffee or regular coffee B. womens attitude towards shopping C. the necessity of making such a shopping list D. the persona

24、lity of a woman who would prepare such a list4. Judging by the result of the study many women were not interested in instant coffee because_.A. they didnt trust advertisements B. instant coffee was not suited to their tasteC. they wanted to show that they were intelligent D. subconsciously, they had

25、 a sense of shame about using instant coffee5. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?A. Much more money was spent by the producers in promoting the sale of instant coffee.B. Maxwell House coffee was superior to Nescafe instant coffee in quality.C. The consumers dislike

26、of instant coffee was unreasonable.D. Instant coffee had no obvious advantage.3 Some of the best American companies today have turned themselves upside down. Theyve found the old top-down pyramid style management form doesnt work. So theyve turned the pyramid over, giving employees more say in what

27、goes on. And it works, as proved in improved sales and earnings. Interested in inverting (倒置) the pyramid in your operation? Here are some tips: Challenge employees to come up with their own better ways to do their jobs, you may be surprised at how valuable some of their suggestions are. Collect ide

28、as from everyone, not just those who have a direct connection with the job. Sometimes good ideas come from unlikely sources. Treat employees with honesty and respect. Dont order them if they are not going to have their ideas enacted. Explain the reasons that underline a decision or policy. Spread au

29、thority around. If the largest part of the pyramid is to be at the top, the top people should have authority. At one car plant any worker who sees a problem can shut down the whole assembly line (生产线) until the problem is solved. By giving employees more control like that over their work environment

30、 and more involvement in running their jobs, you tap (开发) a valuable source of ideas and productivity - and that pays off for everyone.1. Why did the best American companies change their old management style for a new one? A. To give more authority to employees. B. To show their respect to their wor

31、kers. C. To improve production and sales. D. To give their employees more chances to talk to each other.2. In the writers eyes, the new management style should _. A. force workers to find out more effective ways to do their work B. respect every worker and give them enough rights to settle problems

32、C. just ask top employees for some advice D. order workers to do some important jobs3. The underlined phrase “pays off” in the last paragraph means _ A. brings good results B. pays somebody his wages and fires him C. gives somebody some money to prevent him doing something D. pays in full4. Why can any employee in a car factory shut down the whole assembly line when he/she finds a problem? A. He/She has t