高考英语阅读理解专项练习.docx

高考英语阅读理解专项练习.docx

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高考英语阅读理解专项练习

高考英语阅读理解专项练习

（1）

MenofHonor

AknightwasamountedwarriorofmedievalEuropewhoservedakingorotherfeudalsuperior,usuallyinreturnforland.Knighthoodwastakenquiteseriouslyandhadtobeearned.

Atabouttheageofeight,aboywouldbegintraininginpreparationforknighthood.Thisyoungtrainee,knownasapage（男侍者）,wouldtrainwithmentorstolearnabouthorses,armor,andweapons.Pagespracticedfightingwithaswordagainstawoodenstakeandlearnedtoskillfullyuseabowandarrow.Theladyofthecastletaughtayoungpageaboutmannersandsocialgraces,aswellashowtosing,playinstruments,anddance.Apriestmightgiveapagereligioustrainingandteachhimtoreadandwrite.

Bytheageoffourteen,thepagewouldbecomeasquire（护卫）.Asquirewasresponsiblefordressingaknightforbattlesandtournamentsandtakingcareoftheknight'sarmorandweapons.Hewouldevenfollowhismasteronthebattlefieldtoprotecthimiftheknightfell.

Asquirehadtogainskillinusingalance,spear,orsword,sohewouldpracticeagainstawoodendummycalledaquintain（枪靶）.Thequintainandashieldwerehungonawoodenpole,andwhenhit,thewholestructurewouldspin.Thesquirewouldlearntorideupandhittheshield'scenter,butthenquicklymoveoutofthewaywithoutgettinghitandknockedoffhishorsebythequintain.

Ataboutagetwenty,asquirewasfinallypreparedtobecalledaknight,whichinvolvedanextendedceremony.Ontheeveningbeforebecomingaknight,thesquireconfessedhissinstoapriest,wasgivenasymbolicbath,andthenfastedinordertocleansehissoul.Thesquirewoulddressallinwhiteandstayinachapelallnightprayingandwatchingoverhisweaponsandarmor.

Inthemorning,thesquirewoulddressinsymbolically-coloredclothing:

redforhisblood,whiteforpurity,andbrownforhisreturntotheearthafterdeath.Athisinduction（[in'dʌkʃən]入会仪式）,theknightsworeacodeofchivalry,whichrequiredhimalwaystobebrave,loyal,courteous,andtoprotectthedefenseless.Knighthoodwasgrantedbytheoverlordwithanaccolade,duringwhichthenewknightwastappedontheshouldersorneckwiththeflatsideofthesword.

Ifthisnewknighteverbrokehisvowsoracteddishonorably,hewouldbestrippedofhisknighthoodinanotherceremony,inwhichhewas"buried."IntheMiddleAges,aknightwithouthonorwasconsideredasgoodasdead.

1.Whatweretheresponsibilitiesofasquire?

A.Practicingfightingwithaswordandusingabowandarrowskillfully.

B.LookingafterhisownweaponsandlearningmannersfromtheLadyofthecastle.

C.Confessinghissinandprayingforhismentors.

D.Dressingaknightforbattlesorcompetitionsandprotectinghim.

2.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“chivalry”mean?

A.thenoblespiritsaknightpossesses

B.thetoughtaskaknighthastofinish

C.thehighgoalaknightmustachieve

D.themilitarydisciplineaknightshouldobey

3.Ifaknightweretobetraytheking,whatdoyouthinkmighthappen?

A.Hewouldbesentencedtodeath.

B.Hewouldberobbedofhistitle.

C.HewouldbeforcedtoleaveCourt.

D.HislandwouldbereturnedtotheKing.

4.Whichofthefollowingstatementsisrightaccordingtothepassage?

A.Aknighthadtobehighlyborn.

B.AknighthadgonethroughdifferentstagesoftrainingtobecomeaKNIGHT.

C.Aknightwasmilitarilyskillfulbutnotnecessarilyliterate.

D.KnighthoodstartedintheMedievalAgesandexistedonlyinEngland.

（2）

Thepsychologyofinnovation

Whyaresofewcompaniestrulyinnovative?

Innovationiskeytobusinesssurvival,andcompaniesputsubstantialresourcesintoinspiringemployeestodevelopnewideas.Thereare,nevertheless,peopleworkinginluxurious,state-of-the-artcentersdesignedtostimulateinnovationwhofindthattheirenvironmentdoesn’tmakethemfeelatallcreative.Andtherearethosewhodon’thaveabudget,ormuchspace,butwhoinnovatesuccessfully.

ForRobertB.Cialdini,ProfessorofPsychologyatArizonaStateUniversity,onereasonthatcompaniesdon’tsucceedasoftenastheyshouldisthatinnovationstartswithrecruitment.Researchshowsthatthefitbetweenanemployee’svaluesandacompany’svaluesmakesadifferencetowhatcontributiontheymakeandwhether,twoyearsaftertheyjoin,they’restillatthecompany.

Oneofthemostfamousphotographsinthestoryofrock’n’rollemphasizesCialdini’sviews.The1956pictureofsingersElvisPresley,CarlPerkins,JohnnyCashandJerryLeeLewisjammingatapianoinSunStudiosinMemphistellsahiddenstory.Sun’s‘million-dollarquartet’couldhavebeenaquintet.MissingfromthepictureisRoyOrbison,agreaternaturalsingerthanLewis,PerkinsorCash.SamPhillips,whoownedSun,wantedtorevolutionizepopularmusicwithsongsthatfusedblackandwhitemusic,andcountryandblues.Presley,Cash,PerkinsandLewisinstinctivelyunderstoodPhillips’sambitionandbelievedinit.Orbisonwasn’tinspiredbythegoal,andonlyeverachievedonehitwiththeSunlabel.

Managinginnovationisadelicateart.It’seasyforacompanytobepulledinconflictingdirectionsasthemarketing,productdevelopment,andfinancedepartmentseachgetdifferentfeedbackfromdifferentsetsofpeople.Andwithoutasystemwhichensurescollaborativeexchangeswithinthecompany,it’salsoeasyforsmall‘pocketsofinnovation’todisappear.Innovationisacontactsport.Youcan’tbriefpeoplejustbysaying,‘We’regoinginthisdirectionandI’mgoingtotakeyouwithme.’

Cialdinibelievesthatthis‘follow-the-leadersyndrome’isdangerous,notleastbecauseitencouragesbossestogoitalone.‘It’sbeenscientificallyproventhatthreepeoplewillbebetterthanoneatsolvingproblems,evenifthatonepersonisthesmartestpersoninthefield.’Toprovehispoint,CialdinicitesaninterviewwithmolecularbiologistJamesWatson.Watson,togetherwithFrancisCrick,discoveredthestructureofDNA,thegeneticinformationcarrierofalllivingorganisms.‘Whenaskedhowtheyhadcrackedthecodeaheadofanarrayofhighlyaccomplishedrivalinvestigators,hesaidsomethingthatstunnedme.HesaidheandCrickhadsucceededbecausetheywereawarethattheyweren’tthemostintelligentofthescientistspursuingtheanswer.ThesmartestscientistwascalledRosalindFranklinwho,Watsonsaid,“wassointelligentsherarelysoughtadvice”.’

Writing,visualizingandprototypingcanstimulatetheflowofnewideas.Cialdinicitesscoresofresearchpapersandhistoricaleventsthatprovethatevensomethingassimpleaswritingdeepenseveryindividual’sengagementintheproject.Itis,hesays,thereasonwhyallthosecompetitionsonbreakfastcerealpacketsencouragedustowriteinsaying,innomorethan10words:

‘IlikeKellogg’sCornFlakesbecause….’Theveryactofwritingmakesusmorelikelytobelieveit.

Authoritydoesn’thavetoinhibitinnovationbutitoftendoes.Manytheoristbelievetheidealbossshouldleadfrombehind,takingprideincollectiveaccomplishmentandgivingcreditwhereitisdue.Cialdinisays:

‘Leadersshouldencourageeveryonetocontributeandsimultaneouslyassureallconcernedthateveryrecommendationisimportanttomakingtherightdecisionandwillbegivenfullattention.’Thefrustratingthingaboutinnovationisthattherearemanyapproaches,butnomagicformula.However,amanagerwhowantstocreateatrulyinnovativeculturecanmaketheirjobaloteasierbyrecognizingthesepsychologicalrealities.

1.Theexampleofthe‘million-dollarquartet’underlinesthewriter’spointabout

A.recognizingtalent.

B.workingasateam.

C.havingasharedobjective.

D.beinganeffectiveleader.

2.JamesWatsonsuggeststhatheandFrancisCrickwontheracetodiscovertheDNAcodebecausethey

A.wereconsciousoftheirownlimitations.

B.broughtcomplementaryskillstotheirpartnership.

C.weredeterminedtooutperformtheirbrighterrivals.

D.encouragedeachothertorealizetheirjointambition.

3.Thewritermentionscompetitionsonbreakfastcerealpacketsasanexampleofhowto_______________.

A.inspirecreativethinking.

B.generateconcisewriting.

C.promoteloyaltytoagroup.

D.strengthencommitmenttoanidea.

4.Inthelastparagraph,thewritersuggeststhatitisimportantforemployeesto_______________.

A.beawareoftheircompany’sgoals.

B.feelthattheircontributionsarevalued.

C.haverespectfortheirco-workers’achievements.

D.understandwhycertainmanagementdecisionsaremade.

（3）

Likemanyothersmallboys,Iwasfascinatedbycars,especiallybecausemyoldestbrotherwasabitofacarguyandsubscribedtocoolmagazineslikeCarandDriverandMotorTrend.Everysooften,oneofthosemagazineswouldrunanarticleonthe“CaroftheFuture”.Theyfeaturedunconventionalthingslikesmallnuclearreactorsaspowersources.Yet,frankly,mycardoesn’tdoanythingthatmybrother’sStudebakerdidn’tdo.Itgoes,itstops,itburnsgasoline.Istillhavetosteerit,anditstillrunsintothingsifIdon’tsteeritcarefully.

Butguesswhat?

Allofthesethingsarelikelytochangeinthenot-so-distantfuture.Itmaynotburngasoline,Imaynothavetosteerit,anditmaybealotbetteratnotrunningintothings.

Airbagsaren’tthebe-allandend-allinsafety.Infact,consideringtherecentnewsaboutpeopleoccasionallybeingkilledbytheirairbagsinlow-speedcrashes,theyobviouslystillneedsomedevelopment.Buttheyaren’tgoingaway,andinfact,youcanexpecttoseecarsappearingwithadditional,side-impactairbags,somethingsomeEuropeancarmanufacturersalreadyoffer.

Betterthansystemstomini