1、1阅读理解（科普类）05十二、A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the worlds first long-distance signing device(装置), the LongPen.After many tiring book-signing from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them . She hired some technical experts and started her own com
2、pany in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Heres how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each
3、 other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens。Work on the LongPen began in Atwoods basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed,
4、 teat runs w ere made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here , Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movemen
5、t of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.“Its really fun”,
6、said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. “Obviously you cant shake hands with the author， but there are chances for a connection that you dont get from a regular book signingThe response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from a
7、uthors who think she is trying to end book tours. But 2she said, “It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldnt afford it.”41. Why did Atwood decide to invent the LongPen?A. To set up her own companyB. To win herself greater popularityC. To writ
8、e her books in a new wayC. To make book signings less tiring42. How does the LongPen work?A.It copies the authors signature and prints it on a book.B. It signs a book while receiving the authors signature.C. The webcam sends the authors signature to another city.D. The fan uses it to copy the author
9、s signature himself.43. What do we know about the invention of the LongPen?A. It has been completed but not put into use.B. The basement caught fire by accident.C. Some versions failed before its test run.D. The designers were well-prepared for the difficulty.44. How could the LongPen be used in the
10、 future?A. To draft legal documents.B. To improve credit card securityC. To keep a record of the authors ideas.D. To allow author and fan to exchange videos45. What could be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6?A. Atwood doesnt mean to end book tours.B. Critics think the LongPen is of little useC. Books
11、tore owners do not support the LongPenD. Publishers dislike the LongPen for its high cost【考点】考察科普知识类阅读【文章大意】本文介绍了一种特殊的远程签字笔 LongPen，可以让作者在很远的城市为读者签名。文章介绍了这种发明的起因以及发明过程等信息。341. 【答案】D 【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第二段第一行 After many tiring book-signing from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do
12、 them .可知在很多次令人疲惫的签名售书的活动以后，他认为应该有一个更好的方法。说明他想这样做是因为签名令人疲惫了。故 D正确。42. 【答案】B 【试题解析】细节题。根据第二段 2,3,4行 Heres how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen sign
13、s the book.可知作者在一个城市里用一支特殊的笔写下签名，另外一个城市里的自动手臂会接受信号也写下同样的内容。故 B正确。43. 【答案】C 【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第三段第三句. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it.可知这个装置的发明经历了很多次失败，最后才成功。故 C项正确。44. 【答案】B 【试题解析】细节题。根据文章第四段 2,3行 It could increase credit card security and
14、 allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.可知这种技术可以应用在信用卡技术方面，以提高信用卡的安全性。故 B正确。45. 【答案】A 【试题解析】推理题。根据第六段最后一句 But she said, “It will be possible to go to places that you never got
15、 sent to before because the publishers couldnt afford it.”这会让作者有机会去更多你没有去过的地方，因为出版商不可能出钱让你去。说明他发明 LongPen并不想结束 book tours.，而是让作者有更多的机会到处走走。故 A正确。【长难句解析】“It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldnt afford it4【翻译】很可能让你去一些你以前从来没有被送去的地方，因为出版商无法承担得
16、起。【分析】本句中 it是一个形式主语，真正的主语是后面的不定式 to go to places that you never got sent to before；定语从句修饰先行词 places；后面的 because引导的是原因状语从句 because the publishers couldnt afford it。十三、Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in S
17、an Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers.The cottages could be an example of the industry s odd love affair with “low technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with o
18、ld-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的) so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by hand in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example, but Twitters designs l
19、ie on the extreme end. Other companies are using a broader interpretation (阐释) of low technology that focuses on nature.Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Googles office, an entire floor is car
20、peted in glass. Facebooks second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking trail.Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “We have lost the connection to the maker in our lives, and our tech engineers are the ones who feel imp
21、overished (贫乏的) , because theyre surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “Theyre looking for a way to regain their individual identity, and weve found that introducing real crafts is one way to do that.”This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, t
22、urned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, 5just after the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life,” Morris said. Research has shown that natural environments can res
23、tore(恢复) our mental capacities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe,” taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure.These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative eff
24、ects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the officeeven simple views of trees and flowersfelt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially nourish the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine,
25、 bring on the cottages.50. The writer mentions the two nineteenth-century cottages to show that _.A. Twitter is having a hard timeB. old cottages are in need of protectionC. early settlers once suffered from a dry climate in MontanaD. Internet companies have rediscovered the benefits of low technolo
26、gy51. Low technology is regarded as something that _.A. is related to nature B. is out of date todayC. consumes too much energy D. exists in the virtual world52. The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that human beings _.A. have destroyed many pre-industrial artsB. have a tradition of valuing arts and craf
27、tsC. can become intelligent by learning historyD. can regain their individual identity by using machines53. The writers attitude to “low technology” can best be described as _.A. positive B. defensive C. cautious D. 6doubtful54. What might be the best title for the passage?A. Past Glories, Future Dr
28、eams B. The Virtual World, the Real ChallengeC. High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices D. The More Craftsmanship, the Less Creativity【考点】考察科普知识类阅读【文章大意】本文介绍了“大自然能够促进人的创造力”这一理念，也就是在自然环境下工作的人们工作效率更高。所以世界上很多的大公司都积极创设自认的办公环境提高员工的创造力。50.D 推理题。据文章第一段可知 19世纪的两座小木屋被运到了 San Francisco，现在让工程师在里面工作。根据第二段 The cot
29、tages could be an example of the industry s odd love affair with “low technology,”这里的 low technology是指在工业化之前的技术。也就是说现代科技的大公司发现了他们需要低科技年代的自然环境来提高员工的创造力。所以才会有第一段的做法。故 D正确。51.A 推理题。根据文章最后一段 Her research found that workers with access to nature at the officeeven simple views of trees and flowersfelt the
30、ir jobs were less stressful and more satisfying.工人们在自然状态下的办公室里工作会感觉压力更下，更加满意。再根据文章第三段第一句 Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.”可知这样做会让工人感觉是在自然环境下就像是在公园里工作一样。故 Low technology 被认为是与自然有关的，故 A正确。52.B 段落大意
31、题。根据第一句 This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after the Industrial Revolution得知英国的艺术家和作家 William Morris认为工业基础理论是扎根于历史的，很多都可以追溯到 18世纪 60年代之后的工业革命之后的艺术理论。也就是告诉我们人类有重视艺术的传统的。故B项正确。53.
32、A 推理题。根据文章第三段内容可知很多大公司都积极创设一种自然的低技术的环境来提高员工的创造性。在根据倒数第二段第一句 Research has shown that natural 7environments can restore(恢复) our mental capacities.可知研究人们还认为自然的环境能够恢复员工的精神能力。这些都说明作者认为 low technology是非常有好处的。也就是说作者对它的态度是积极的。故 A正确。54.C 主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了之前的 low technology对现在的高科技公司有很大作用，很多 low technology可以被用来装饰办
33、公室，来提高员工的创造性和恢复精神能力。在文章第三段里列举了多个实例，说明本文的主要内容是 C项。【长难句解析】The cottages could be an example of the industry s odd love affair with “low technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era.【翻译】这些小木屋可以背当成工业时代喜欢利用“低技术”的例
34、子，这是一个与自然世界，存在与网络年代之前的旧手艺有关的概念。【分析】本句较长，句中的 a concept与前面的 the industry s odd love affair with “low technology是同位语的关系，associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era.是一个形容词短语做定语修饰名词 a concept。其中有定语从句 that exists long before the Internet era修饰名词 old-school craftsmanship。8
