限时训练——阅读理解之议论文
1. 【·湖北卷】
Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there’s always a temptation(诱惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character,and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.
Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren’t?
To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines（学科）. Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox(非常规的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader’s attention.So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.
On the whole,Brooks’s story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks’s attempt to translate his tale into science. 1.The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to__________. A. illustrate where science can be applied B. demonstrate the value of Brooks’s new book C. remind the reader of the importance of science D. explain why many writers use science in their works
2.According to the author, which of the following could be a strength of the book? A. Its strong basis. B. Its convincing points. C. Its clear writing.
D. Its memorable characters.
3.What is the author’s general attitude towards the book? A. Contradictory. B. Supportive. C . Cautious. D. Critical.
4.What is the author likely to write about after the last paragraph? A. Problems with the book. B. Brooks’s life experience. C. Death of the characters. D. Brooks’s translation skills.
2. 【·陕西】
Parents who help their children with homework may actually be bringing down their school grades. Other forms of prenatal involvement, including volunteering at school and observing a child's class, also fail to help, according to the most recent study on the topic.
The findings challenge a key principle of modern parenting(养育子女) where schools except them to act as partners in their children's education. Previous generations concentrated on getting children to school on time, fed, dressed and ready to learn.
Kaith Robinson, the author of the study, said, \this but there are some ways parents can be involved in their kids' education that leads to declines in their academic performance. One of the things that was consistently negative was parents' help with homework.\Robinson suggested that may be because parents themselves struggle to understand the task.\some cases never learnt it themselves, but they're still offering advice.\
Robinson assessed parental involvement performance and found one of the most damaging things a parent could do was to punish their children for poor marks. In general, about 20% of parental involvement was positive, about 45% negative and the rest statistically insignificant. Common sense suggests it was a good thing for parents to get involved because \with good academic success do have involved parents \this did not prove parental involvement was the root cause of that success.\Asian-American parents whose kids are doing so well in school hardly involved. They took a more reasonable approach, conveying to their children how success at school could improve their
lives.\
1. The underlined expression \ . A. parents' expectation on children's health B. parents' participation in children's education C. parents' control over children's life D. parents' plan for children's future
2. What is the major finding of Robinson's study ? A. Modern parents raise children in a more scientific way. B. Punishing kids for bad marks is mentally damaging. C. Parental involvement is not so beneficial as expected. D. Parents are not able to help with children’s homework.
3. The example of Asian-American parents implies that parents should . A. help children realize the importance of schooling B. set a specific life goal for their children C. spend more time improving their own lives D. take a more active part in school management
3. 【·四川】
Across Britain, burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers, But, according to a new study, we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year.
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work. Now, the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours, they would earn as much as＄172,000 a year.
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do, as well as the hours they are working, to determine the figure. This would make their yearly income ￡30,000 more than the Prime Minister earns.
By analysing the numbers, it found the average mother works 119 hours a week,40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime. After questioning 1,000 mothers with children under 18,it found that ,on most days, mums started their routine work at 7am and finished at around 11pm.
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour, it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on, including housekeeper, part-time lawyer, personal trainer and
entertainer. Being a part-time lawyer, at ￡48.98 an hour, would prove to be the most profitable of the “mum jobs”,with psychologist（心理学家）a close second.
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face, with 80 percent making emotional（情感的） demand as the hardest thing about motherhood.
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends.
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day. The emotional ,physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending, but children are also sources of great joy and happiness. Investing（投入）in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent.
1.How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister? A.￡30,000. B.￡142,000.
C.￡172,000. D.￡202,000.
2.The biggest challenge for most mothers is from. A. emotional demand B. low pay for work
C. heavy workload D. lack of training
3.What is stressed in the last paragraph?
A. Mothers’importance shows in family all year long. B. The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile. C. Mothers’devotion to children can hardly be calculated. D. Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return. 4.What can we conclude from the study?
A. Mothers’working hours should be largely reduced. B. Mothers should balance their time for work and rest. C. Mothers’labour is of a higher value than it is realised. D .Mothers should be freed from housework for social life.
4. 【·天津】
Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at
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