选修八 Unit 2 高考提能练

　　阅读理解·组块专练——练速度

　　(限时：35分钟)

　　Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　A

　　(2024·潍坊市高三一模)

　　Blind Dates at Alchemy in the Dark

　　Soup on my nose, a nearly spilt glass of wine and chocolate down my white blouse, as blind dates suggest, this was a really messy one. I had never made so much noise with plates and glasses, nor had I dined with a never-before-met companion. This blind date was quite different: we could see nothing. “Put your left hand on my shoulder, and then we’ll take small steps forward，” said Michael, the visually impaired waiter, in an East London accent. We three felt our way carefully bumping past heavy curtains before being arranged at the dining table, where we would eat and drink three completely secret and unseen courses.

　　Welcome to Alchemy in the Dark, Hong Kong?s first restaurant in total darkness. Upon arrival, diners briefly tell the chef about their allergies (过敏性反应), lock away their mobile phones and enter the windowless restaurant, which can seat 25 customers. When the meal is over, the contents of the delicious menu are shown — often to the diners’ surprise. “This is definitely duck，” my companion said, while eating chicken. “This soup，” I declared, “is carrot and coriander.” Even the too-close smell did not reveal the real tomato and cumin flavors. Dining in the dark changes everything: the sense of smell is heightened, manners go out of the window — using your hands to feel around the plates becomes normal — and there is a strange thrill in being able to ignore your facial expressions. Best of all? You don?t have to spend hours beforehand wondering what to wear.

　　Alchemy in the Dark is at 16 Arbuthnot Road, Central, tel: 6821 2801 and is open Monday to Saturday, from 7 pm to 11 pm. Reservations are required. A three-course meal with wine pairing costs HK$700 per person. 5% of all profits go to The Hong Kong Society for the Blind.

　　语篇解读：本文为一篇记叙文。文章讲述了作者在Alchemy in the Dark的一次独特的就餐经历，并对该餐厅做了简单的介绍。

　　1．How did the author and her companion arrive at their dining table?

　　A．By being directed.

　　B．By feeling their way.

　　C．By being led.

　　D．By finding it by themselves.

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的“Put your ...impaired waiter”可知，作者和同伴是被餐厅的服务员带到餐桌边的，故选C项。

　　2．According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

　　A．The diners might eat what they are allergic to.

　　B．The author enjoyed a special lunch at Alchemy in the Dark.

　　C．The diners arent allowed to take phones to the restaurant.

　　D．The restaurant donated some money to The Hong Kong Society for the Blind.

　　解析：选D　细节理解题。根据文章第二段的第二句可排除A和C选项；根据最后一段中的“open Monday to Saturday, from 7 pm to 11 pm”可排除B选项；根据最后一段的最后一句可知，餐厅利润的5%捐赠给香港盲人协会，故选D项。

　　3．From the text we can learn that the author ________.

　　A．had the table booked

　　B．shared the meal with a friend

　　C．practised how to eat in total darkness

　　D．chose her clothes in advance for the meal

　　解析：选A　推理判断题。根据最后一段的第二句“Reservations are required.”可推知，作者预订了餐位，故选A项。

　　4．The last paragraph is intended to ________.

　　A．present some facts about eating in the dark

　　B．inform what to do at Alchemy in the Dark

　　C．introduce some information about Alchemy in the Dark

　　D．conclude the experience of eating at Alchemy in the Dark

　　解析：选C　段落大意题。根据最后一段的内容可知，该段主要是对该餐厅的简介，故选C项。

　　B

　　(2024·郑州市第一次质检)

　　Drinks Have No Wings

　　You may have heard that “Red Bull gives you wings”. But while most people take the advertising slogan as a metaphor (隐喻), some Americans seem to have taken it very seriously.

　　Benjamin Careathers had been drinking the drink for 10 years, expecting to at least feel more energetic, but nothing happened. Feeling fooled by the ad, he took the issue to court in January, 2024.

　　In October, the Austria-based company agreed to pay $6.5 million (39.7 million yuan) to customers who have bought the drink since 2002. People in the US can apply for a share through energydrinksettlement.com before March,2024.　

　　But is the case really that ridiculous?

　　Red Bull said they had done nothing wrong and they only paid the money to save the cost and trouble of legal action.

　　However, the suit told a different story. Even though there is no evidence that Red Bull energy drinks provide more benefit for consumers than a cup of coffee, the company markets their products as a superior source of energy that costs little.

　　“Such conduct means that Red Bull’s advertising and marketing is not just ’puffery’， but is misleading and therefore actionable (可诉讼的)，” the suit said.

　　The company said that the drink could promote healthy joints and reduce the risk of eye diseases. However, according to the organization, the product contains a lot of sugar, which could actually lead to many health problems.

　　Coca-Cola agreed to pay $1.2 million in compensation in July. But to fully stop the company from linking the drink to health benefits, Truth in Advertising, another non-profit organization, took the issue to court again in late October.

　　False advertisements have become a common problem around the world. China changed its consumer rights law last year to ban advertising companies and media from making or publishing false advertisements. Celebrities (明星) are also made responsible if they endorse (代言) false or substandard products.

　　语篇解读：本文以“红牛”为例，告诉我们夸大其辞做虚假宣传的商家会受到法律的严惩。

　　5．What benefits can people get, according to the Red Bull company?

　　A．One can really fly like birds, for it offers you wings.

　　B．Drink it, and one can be forever energetic and young.

　　C．As it contains a lot of sugar, it can make one more powerful.

　　D．Healthy joints can be promoted if one takes this drink.

　　解析：选D　细节理解题。根据文章第八段中的“The company said that the drink could promote healthy joints and reduce the risk of eye diseases.”可知，公司声称红牛饮料可以使关节更加健康。故选D项。

　　6．This article shows clearly that ________.

　　A．more companies will be taken to court as they fail to live up to their promises

　　B．both Red Bull and Coca-Cola are now winning the consumers trust and respect

　　C．Benjamin Careathers has benefited a great deal since he drank Red Bull

　　D．no puffery words have ever appeared in both Red Bull and Coca-Colas advertisements

　　解析：选A　推理判断题。根据文章第九、十段可知，可口可乐公司因夸大饮料的功效而受到惩罚，而现在世界范围内虚假广告已经成为一个严重的问题，中国政府也改变法律来禁止公司做虚假宣传，连代言的明星都要承担法律责任，由此可推知，将会有更多夸大其辞的公司被告上法庭，故选A项。

　　7．Faced with the suit, the Red Bull company decided to ________.

　　A．apologize to its customers and pay for their losses in health

　　B．take full responsibility for the bad effects it has caused to its customers

　　C．give no one but its American customers some money as a reward

　　D．spend some money to save the cost and trouble of legal action

　　解析：选D　细节理解题。根据文章第五段可知，红牛公司认为自己没有做错，他们只是花钱来挽回损失和处理法律诉讼的问题，故选D项。

　　8．What is each country as well as the publics attitude towards those false advertisements?

　　A．Tolerant.　B．Favorable.

　　C．Unbearable.

　　D．Indifferent.

　　解析：选C　推理判断题。阅读全文可知，政府和很多机构都在对做虚假宣传的公司进行监督和处理，夸大其辞的广告商品非但不能达到厂家宣传的效果，可能还会对消费者的身体造成危害，因此公众对这些虚假广告是无法容忍的，故选C项。

　　C

　　(2024·衡水一中高考模拟) It is 7 am and the alarm is going off. You know you have to be out of bed to catch the bus. But the urge to bury yourself in the bed is ever so strong.

　　Sounds familiar? Why is it that teens find it difficult to get themselves out of bed in time every morning or stay sharp and focused during the first couple of hours of school?

　　During adolescence, the body goes through many changes and these include a shift in sleep patterns. Researchers from MIT have been tracking the body?s need for sleep in teenagers. They found that though adolescents need as much as 9.5 hours of sleep a day, they get to bed later and later with each passing year. In fact, the sleep cycle shifts later by as much as 12 to 18 minutes each year between the ages of 10 and 20! So by the time a 10-year-old who sleeps at 8 pm grows to be 17 or 18, his body naturally wants to stay up till 10：30 pm or 11 pm.

　　According to researchers, this is because of a hormone called melatonin (褪黑激素) that is secreted (分泌) by the pineal gland — a tiny structure deep inside the brain. Melatonin regulates the body’s natural day-night rhythms. It causes a person to become sleepy by lowering his body?s core temperature. In teens, melatonin is secreted much later in the evening and continues to increase throughout the night. This makes it difficult for teens to fall asleep earlier as they did in their younger years. Likewise, the effect of melatonin continues until much later in the morning, making it hard for them to wake up early.

　　A study found that at least one in four teens is tired and falls asleep in school at least once a week. During sleep, important body functions and brain activities happen. So how can teenagers get their sleep enough? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that middle and high schools should start later — not before 8：30 am. This should give teens some more time to sleep at night.

　　语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。早睡才能早起，晚睡会导致早上赖床，睡觉周期的改变实际上受制于大脑中一种被称为褪黑激素的荷尔蒙。

　　9．From Paragraph 2, we can learn that if you sleep late, the next day you should ________.

　　A．stay sharp

　　B．skip breakfast

　　C．get up late

　　D．stay up late

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。文章第一段提到为什么孩子们早上不愿起床，第二段紧接着分析原因，说明孩子们睡觉晚是他们早上赖床的原因，故C项正确。

　　10．What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

　　A．The students want to stay up.

　　B．The shifts of the sleep cycle.

　　C．The pineal gland secretes melatonin.

　　D．The adolescents sleep late.

　　解析：选B　代词指代题。第二段提到了睡觉周期的改变，第三段紧接着解释造成这一现象的原因，因此this指睡觉周期的改变，故B项正确。

　　11．The teens go to sleep later than before because ________.

　　A．melatonin is secreted much later

　　B．melatonin regulates the sleep time

　　C．they sleep a lot in the daytime

　　D．they need to finish their homework

　　解析：选A　细节理解题。根据文章第三段中的“In teens, ...the night.”可知，孩子们睡觉晚是由褪黑激素分泌晚造成的，故A项正确。

　　12．According to AAPs recommendation, middle and high schools should ________.

　　A．let teens sleep in the day

　　B．let the students be active

　　C．delay the start time

　　D．start later at 8 am

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。根据文章最后一段的倒数第二句话可知，APP建议初中和高中上午上课的时间应该推迟，故C项正确。

　　D

　　(2024·石家庄高三质检一) Common Sense Media is a non-profit group in the United States that studies children’s use of media and technology. The group has done a survey asking teachers about the effects of their students’ use of entertainment media.

　　Entertainment media was defined as the TV shows, music, video games that students use for fun. Many teachers said they believe media use has hurt academic performance, which in some cases is already not very strong. Vicky Rideout wrote the report for Common Sense Media. “We have merely four in ten students feel poor at reading, at oral communication and more than that thing the students wrongly fear report writing. So we need to make sure that everything kids are doing is helping to accelerate progress and not preventing it.”

　　The survey involved 685 teachers around the country. 71% of the teachers said they believe entertainment media has reduced students’ ability to pay attention in class. And almost 60% said it has hurt their writing skills. Many teachers thought it has negatively affected students’ ideas about boys and girls’ relationship. Many also thought it encourages aggression and anti-social behavior. Teachers who describe themselves as uncomfortable with new technologies were more likely than other teachers to see destructive effects of media use on social development.

　　But not all effects of media use were seen as bad. Almost two thirds of teachers said it also helps the students’ ability to find information quickly and efficiently. And one third said using entertainment media has helped their students to multitask (同时执行多项任务) effectively. Only 25% said it just has hurt them. Teachers who consider themselves as techsavvy (精通技术的) were more likely than others to see an advantage to students’ creativity from the use of entertainment media. Vicky Rideout said teachers accept that the way students spend their time and how they like to learn has changed.

　　语篇解读：美国的Common Sense Media通过询问老师来调查学生在使用娱乐传媒方面的影响，老师们对娱乐传媒的作用褒贬不一。13．Vicky Rideout holds the view that entertainment media ________.

　　A．declines students grades badly

　　B．influences students performance

　　C．accelerates learning progress

　　D．makes all students poor at writing

　　解析：选B　细节理解题。根据第二段中Vicky Rideout所说的话可知，她认为娱乐传媒影响了学生的在校表现，故B项正确。

　　14．Teachers who describe themselves as technology knowers were more likely than others to ________.

　　A．see negative effects of media use

　　B．make students aggressive

　　C．teach students the use of media

　　D．see the benefit of media use

　　解析：选D　细节理解题。根据最后一段的倒数第二句话可知，这些老师看到的是娱乐传媒的使用给学生带来的好处，故D项正确。

　　15．It can be inferred from the passage that entertainment media ________.

　　A．only affects students negatively

　　B．may be beneficial to parents

　　C．is a double-edged sword

　　D．will guide public opinions

　　解析：选C　推理判断题。文章第二、三段讲述娱乐传媒给学生造成的不利影响，最后一段谈到了娱乐传媒的益处，可见娱乐传媒是把双刃剑，故C项正确。

　　Ⅱ.阅读七选五

　　(2024·江西九校第二次联考)If you feel depressed, its best to do something about it — depression doesn’t just go away on its own. In addition to getting help from a doctor or counselor, here are four things you can do to feel better.