2009年高考英语阅读理解专项训练.附详解（文化类）
(1)
A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man — the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.
This attitude toward manual(体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.
1. From paragraph 1, we can know that in
A. people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man
B. people can always rise to the top through their won efforts
C. college professors win great respect from common workers
C. people feel painful to mention their fathers as labors.
2. According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because _________.
A. servants in American are hard to get
B. she takes pride in what she can do herself
C. she can hardly afford servants
D. It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food
3. The expression “ wait on table” in the second paragraph means “_________”.
A. work in a furniture shop B. keep accounts for a bar
C. wait to lay the table D. serve customers in a restaurant
4. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?
A. A Respectable Self-made Family B. American Attitude toward Manual Labor
C. Characteristics of American Culture D. The Development of Manual Labor
【答案解析】本文介绍了崇尚自我奋斗，尊重体力劳动的美国文化。
1. A。细节题。 根据 A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made made 我们可以了解到，“崇尚自我奋斗”是美国文化的特点。
2. B。推断题。根据This attitude toward manual(体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life.(在美国生活的方方面面，尊重体力劳动态度的现象仍然随处可见)，可以推断女主人亲自下厨，是因为她以能做这样的体力活而自豪。
3. D。词义猜测题。wait on table 意为“服务顾客”，注意其后的 washing dishes 也有一定的暗示意义，故答案为 D。
4. B。主旨题。纵观全文，文章主要讲了美国崇尚自我奋斗，尊重体力劳动的文化习惯。故答案为B。
(2)
A child who has once been pleased with a tale likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.
A charge made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises(出现) from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.
There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar(奇怪的) that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from
No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.
1. The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when it is _______.
A. repeated without any change B. treated as a joke
C. made some changes by the parent D. set in the present
2. According to the passage, great fear can take place in a child when the story is _______.
A. in a realistic setting B. heard for the first time
C. repeated too often D. told in a different way
3. The advantage claimed(提出) for repeating fairy stories to young children is that it _______.
A. makes them less fearful
B. develops their power of memory
C. makes them believe there is nothing to be afraid of
D. encourages them not to have strange beliefs
4. The author’s mention of sticks and telephones is meant to suggest that _______.
A. fairy stories are still being made up
B. there is some misunderstanding about fairy tales
C. people try to modernize old fairy stories
D. there is more concern for children's fears nowadays
5. One of the reasons why some people are not in favor of fairy tales is that _______.
A. they are full of imagination
B. they just make up the stories which are far from the truth
C. they are not interesting
D. they make teachers of history difficult to teach
(1—5 CBABB)
【答案解析】本文为论说文，作者驳斥了对神话故事的种种指责和误解。
1. C。细节题。根据 It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better. 可推知此题答案为C。
2. B。细节题。根据 this arises(出现) from the child having heard the story once. 可推知此题答案为B。
3. A。细节题。根据Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.可以得出此答案。
4. B。推断题。有些人认为神话不现实，都是教孩子一些不存在的东西，会对孩子有不好的影响。作者用虚拟语气作了一个假设，如果这些观点站得住脚的话，可能会出现这样的情况：the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from
5. B。推断题。根据 …not objectively true, do not exist可知有些人不赞成神话故事的原因是这些故事是编出来的，远离现实。故选B。
(3)
The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the
In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.
The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.
1. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. The Difficulties of Learning English
B. International Communications
C. The Standard Varieties of English
D. English as a World Language
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.
B. There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.
C. It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.
D. People learn English for a variety of reasons.
3. According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?
A. It was popular during Shakespeare’s time.
B. It is used in former British colonies.
C. It serves the needs of its native speakers.
D. It is a world language that is used for international communication.
4. What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?
A. The ability to read a newspaper.
B. It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.
C. Being a multilingual.
D. Being a native speaker.
5. What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?
A. Those geographically close to the
B. Those interested in the culture of the
C. Former colonies of
D. Countries where international conferences are held.
【答案与解析】本文介绍了英语的发展变化情况，说明了英语最后成为世界语言的原因及英语在当代社会中的重要性。
1.D。主旨题。根据第3段第1句及全文的内容：英语在各个国家的各个领域的应用，可推知此题的答案为 D。
2.A。细节题。根据文章第1段中第2句及第2段的第1句的描述可推知此题的答案为A。
3.D。推断题。根据文章最后一段的描述，英语在世界不同领域、不同的地区的使用，可推知此题的答案为D。
4.B。细节题。根据文章第2段最后一句可推知此题答案为B。
5.C。细节题。根据文章最后一段倒数第2句可推知此题答案为C。
(4)
“If there is one thing I’m sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives — the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因) engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do — as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送) electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I’m pretty sure that how it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read — sports and international news, etc.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(媒体). They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen.
1. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The
C. Make Your Own Newspaper D. The Future of Newspaper
2. In the writer’s opinion, in the future, _______.
A. more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news
B. newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer
C. newspapers will cover more scientific research
D. more and more people will watch TV
3. What will probably be on in the newspaper made by yourself?
A. Sports and international news. B. A menu of important news.
C. The most important news. D. What you are interested in.
4. From the passage, we can infer _______.
A. newspapers will win the competition among the different media
B. newspapers will stay with us together with other media
C. television will take the place of newspaper
D. the writer believe some media will die out
5. The phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means _______.
A. depend on B. compete with
C. fight with D. kill off
(1—5 DCDBA)
【答案与解析】本文提出报纸这一新闻媒体在近百年内不会消失的观点并分析了其原因。
1. D。主旨题。从文章第1句：一百年后人们仍要读报，到后面文章讲到报纸跟人们生活的关系，报纸的形式和内容，可归纳出此题的答案为D。
2. C。细节题。根据文章第2段I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though.可推知此题答案为C。
3. D。推断题。从文章第3段最后一句You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read… 可推知此题答案为D。
4. B。细节题。根据文章第1段第3句Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday可推知此题答案为B。
5. A。词义猜测题。作者上一句说人们错误地认为各各种不同的媒体相互竞争，而下一句作者又说 They actually feed off each other(注意句中 actually 一词)，再结合所给的四个选项，可知选A为合适。
(7)
Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand which topics are suitable and which are considered taboos(禁忌) in a particular culture. Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. They expect questions about their family and are sure to show pictures of their children. Yon may feel free to ask similar questions of your Latin American friends. The French think of conversation as an art form, and they enjoy the value of lively discussions as well as disagreements. For them, arguments can be interesting — and they can cover pretty much or any topic — as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent(智慧的) manner.
In the
As general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion(宗教) with your business friends. This can get you into trouble, even in the
1. The author considers politics and religion ________.
A. cheerful topics B. taboos
C. rude topics D. topics that can never be talked about
2. Which is typically a friendly topic in most places according to the author?
A. Sports. B. Children.
C. Personal feelings. D. Families.
3. Why are people from
A. They don’t want to talk with others much.
B. They don’t want to have their good relationship with others harmed by informal conversation.
C. They are afraid to argue with their colleagues.
D. They want to keep their feelings to themselves.
4. What shouldn’t you do when talking about sports with colleagues from another country?
A. Praising your own country’s sports.
B. Criticizing your own country’s sports.
C. Praising the sports of your colleagues’ country.
D. Criticizing the sports of your colleagues’ country.
【答案与解析】非正式谈话是任何商业联系中的一个重要组成部分，不过谈话时，可别无所顾忌，一定要适可而止。
1. B。语义理解题。从最后一段第1句话As general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion(宗教) with your business friends 可以明显看出答案为什么选B。
2. A。细节题。命题依据是最后一段第4句话Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world。
3. B。判断题。从第2段第3句话…because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious(和谐的) business relationship they’re trying to build可以推知。
4. D。语义理解题。根据最后一段第4句话中的…although be careful not to criticize a national sport 可知答案为D。
(8)
To face the music
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.
1. How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
A. 1 B.
2. What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
A. To face something far less pleasant.
B. To face the stage.
C. To face the back of one’s horse.
D. To face one’s leader.
3. Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
A. When we are playing basketball.
B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party.
D. When we are talking with somebody.
4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
A. unfriendly B. dislike C. unkind D. unnecessary
(1—4 CABA)
【答案与解析】本文说明了美国习语to face the music的来历和意义。
1. C。细节题。根据文章第三、四、五段的解释，可推知此题答案为C。
2. A。细节题。根据文章第2段第2句It is something far less pleasant可推知此题答案为A。
3. B。推断题。根据文章第3段的解释：演讲与演出一样，都要面对观众，可推知此题答案为B。
4. A。词义猜测题。根据单词所在的语境：friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines说明hostile与friendly意义相反，从而可推知此题答案为A。
(9)
There are several ways you can find out about the countries and places you wish to visit. You can talk to friends who have travelled to the places. Or you can go and see a colour film. Or you can read travel books.
It would seem that there are three kinds of travel books. The first are those that give a personal, subjective(主观的) account of travels which the author has actually made himself. if they are informative and have a good index(索引), then they can be useful to you when you are planning your travels. The second kind are those books whose purpose is to give a purely objective(客观的) description of things to be done and seen. If a well-read, cultured person has written such a book, then it is even more useful. It can be sorted as a selected guide book. The third kind are those books which are called “a guide” to some place or other. If they are good, they will, in addition to their factual information, give an analysis or an explanation. Like the first kind they can be inspiring and interesting. But their basic purpose is to help the reader who wishes to plan in the most practical way.
Whatever kind of travel book you choose you must make sure that it does not describe everything as “wonderful”, “excellent” or “magical”. You must also note its date of publication because travel is a very practical affair and many things change quickly in the twenty-first century. Finally, you should make sure that the contents are well presented and easy to find.
1. This passage is about _______.
A. how to travel B. how to buy travel books
C. how to read a travel book D. travel books
2. The following travel books may be of use when you plan your travels except _______.
A. the book written by some people who have had the same travel experience themselves
B. the book which tells you what is worth doing and seeing based on the facts
C. the book in which a lot of big adjectives are used to draw your attention
D. the book which offers you a lot of useful information like a tour guide
3. The date of the publication must be noticed because _______.
A. the world is changing and so are the places you are going to visit
B. the price of the book is always changing
C. the author of the book may be different
D. the contents of the book are always the same
【答案解析】本篇分别介绍了3种类型的旅游书。
1. D。主旨题。根据主题句It would seem that there are three kinds of travel books可知，D为最佳答案。
2. C。推断题。根据 …you must make sure that it does not describe everything as “wonderful”, “excellent” or “magical” 可知那些夸夸其谈的书不宜选用。
3. A。细节题。根据 …many things change quickly in the twenty-first century 可推知此题答案为A。
(10)
Lucky is the man who has no “skeleton in his closet”. When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a “skeleton in his closet”. Some people may have more than one skeleton.
As we have noted many times, it is hard to find out how these expressions begin. Sometimes, we get some hard facts. But more often we have to depend on guesswork. And that is true of this phrase, which came from
Before 1932, English law did not permit a doctor to cut open a dead human body for scientific examination, unless it was the corpse(尸体) of an executed(处决) criminal.
But when it became legal, more and more doctors demanded skeletons for a more scientific study of medicine. It was helping in the advance of modern medicine. The demand had become so strong that men began to rob tombs and sell skeletons to doctors at high prices.
We are told that a doctor would usually buy just one skeleton for scientific study. It became very important in his work. But he had to keep it hidden because most people objected to keeping such a thing. As a rule, the doctor would keep his skeleton in some dark corner where it could not be seen, or hide it in a closet.
After a time, people began to suspect(怀疑) every doctor of hiding a skeleton in the closet. From this suspicion, the phrase “a skeleton in the closet” took on a broader, more general meaning to describe anything that a man wanted to keep others from discovering. It could be proof of a criminal act, or something much less serious. Well, that is one theory.
One writer, however, believes that the phrase might have come from something that really happened. It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton, clear proof of some old family shame or crime. Well, one man’s guess is as good as another. But this sounds like a story by the great French novelist, Balzac.
Baizac tells us of a man who suspected his wife of having a lover. The husband comes home by surprise. But she hears him and quickly hides her lover in the closet of her bedroom. He enters her room and asks her if she is hiding her lover. He says he will not open the door to the closet if she promises him there is no one there; He will believe her. She answers firmly that she is not hiding anyone in the closet.
The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never come out alive. But she will not change her story and admit her guilt.
1. Which of the following situations is suitable for using the phrase “skeleton in the closet” ?
A. You have stolen something precious and don’t want it discovered.
B. You are a doctor and have to keep a skeleton for research.
C. If you have cut open a dead human body for scientific examination you should keep the skeleton secret.
D. You have done a crime or done something foolish, but you want to keep other from discovering it.
2. From the text we know that there are _______ theories about how the phrase “skeleton in the closet” came into being.
A. one B. two C. three D. four
3. In Chinese the world “skeleton” means _______.
A. 尸体 B. 标本 C. 收藏 D. 骷髅
4. Which of the following is right according to the text?
A. In the 20th century, doctors realized the importance of anatomy(解剖) in the development of medicine.
B. The doctors of the ancient times liked to collect as many skeleton as possible.
C. The thieves stole skeletons from tombs in order to help the doctors.
D. It was legal that corpses of anybody were cut open for scientific examination in history.
5. From the story Balzac told we know that the wife’s lover must have become _______.
A. a corpse B. a phrase C. a skeleton D. a secret
【答案解析】本文列举两个故事诠释 “skeleton in the closet” 之义。
1. D。推断题。根据 When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a “skeleton in his closet” 可知 “skeleton in the closet” 的意思是一个人想隐藏自己感到羞愧的事，由此可推知犯了罪或做了傻事而又不想让别人知道的符合 “skeleton in the closet”，故选 D。
2. B。细节题。阅读全文得知本文用了两个故事来解释这个短语，一是英国医生用死尸来进行医学研究；二是法国作家 Balzac 讲述的是丈夫将妻子的情人封死在墙里，由此可知B为正确答案。
3. D。词义猜测题。从该词的源处得知它与死尸有关，再从倒数第三段 It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton可推测其义为 D。
4. A。细节题。根据全文可知B、C、D是错误的，再从 It became very important in his work可知 A 为正确答案。
5. C。推断题。根据最后一段The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never… 得知她的情人将死在墙里，自然成为骷髅了。故选C。
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