1、1Unit 2 Cloning阅读理解组块专练练速度(限时：30 分钟).阅读理解AAt your next meeting, wait for a pause in conversation and try to measure how long it lasts.Among English speakers, chances are that it will be a second or two at most. But while this pattern may be universal, our awareness of silence differs dramatically ac
2、ross cultures.What one culture considers a confusing or awkward pause may be seen by others as a valuable moment of reflection and a sign of respect for what the last speaker has said. Research in Dutch (荷兰语) and also in English found that when a silence in conversation stretches to four seconds, pe
3、ople start to feel uneasy. In contrast, a separate study of business meetings found that Japanese people are happy with silences of 8.2 seconds nearly twice as long as in Americans meetings.In Japan, it is recognised that the best communication is when you dont speak at all. Its already a failure to
4、 understand each other by speaking because youre repairing that failure by using words.In the US, it may originate from the history of colonial (殖民地的) America as a crossroads of many different races. When you have a complex of difference, its hard to establish common understanding unless you talk an
5、d theres understandably a kind of anxiety unless people are verbally engaged to establish a common life. This applies also to some extent to London.In contrast, when theres more homogeneity,_perhaps its easier for some kinds of silence to appear. For example, among your closest friends and family it
6、s easier to sit in silence than with people youre less well acquainted with.语篇解读：本文主要讲述了谈话中的沉默文化。尽管交谈中出现停顿是普遍存在的，但我们对沉默的认识在不同的文化中有着巨大的差异。不同的文化中沉默时间不同，对于沉默的看法也不同。1Which of the following people might have the longest silence in conversation?AThe Dutch. BAmericans.2CThe English. DThe Japanese.解析：选 D 细节
7、理解题。根据第二、三段内容可知，日本人在谈话中沉默时间最长。故选 D。2What might the Japanese agree with in conversation?ASpeaking more gives the upper hand.BSpeak out what you have in your mind.CGreat minds think alike without words.DThe shorter talking silence, the better.解析：选 C 推理判断题。根据第四段首句可知，在日本，一般认为最好的交流是一句话不说的时候。因此推断日本人认为“伟大的
8、心灵，无言而喻” 。故选 C。3What can we learn from the text?AA foursecond silence in conversation is universal.BIts hard for Americans to reach a common agreement.CEnglish speakers are more talkative than Japanese speakers.DThe closer we and our family are, the easier the silence appears.解析：选 D 推理判断题。根据文章最后一句可知
9、，亲密的人之间更容易出现沉默，因此我们和家人越亲密，沉默越容易出现。故选 D。4What does the underlined word “homogeneity” in the last paragraph mean?ASimilarity. BContradiction.CDiversity. DMisunderstanding.解析：选 A 词义猜测题。根据下文的举例可知，越亲密的人，越容易出现沉默，因此推断画线句表示相比而言，当有更多相似时，也许沉默更容易出现。故画线词意思与similarity 意义相近。故选 A。BPlant cloning has been an agricul
10、tural technique used by farmers and gardeners for centuries. Grafting (嫁接) is a common form of plant cloning. Many plants in nature actually clone themselves and reproduce asexually (无性生殖地)3Cloned plants are much more predictable than normal plants, so their yield (产量) is more reliable. Cloned plant
11、s also reproduce faster, limiting the amount of time between planting and harvesting. It is also often cheaper to produce seeds through cloning than through traditional methods. Plants can essentially be optimized so that farmers or individual growers always have the best seeds available. With highe
12、r yield at a faster rate, farms can produce more food for more people while decreasing overall costs.Cloning can be used to wipe out diseases that previously killed off entire fields of crops. This would make plants immune to the kinds of diseases that farmers and gardeners around the world fear eac
13、h year. Crop failures due to disease and virus could become a thing of the past. Also, plants that are near extinction can be brought back to life through cloning.Through cloning scientists can develop super fruits and vegetables of superior (更好的 ) nutritional quality. This could make for a healthie
14、r population overall. This has already been done through selective pollination (授粉), and genetic cloning could take it to the next level.By plant cloning we have a population of identical plants and all these plants equally suffer from the same diseases, but in nature the weak would die and the stro
15、ng would survive. While there are some dangers to consider with plant cloning, there are plenty of benefits that could prove vital to the propagation (繁衍) of the human species.语 篇 解 读 ： 本 文 是 说 明 文 。 文 章 主 要 介 绍 了 植 物 克 隆 的 好 处 。5The underlined word “optimized” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning 4
16、to “_”Agrown BproducedCperfected Dexamined解析：选 C 词义猜测题。根据“so that farmers or individual growers always have the best seeds available”可知，optimize 与 perfect 的意思相近。6According to the text, cloned plants _.Ahave lower yield than normal plantsBneed less care from peopleCprevent various kinds of diseasesDh
17、ave a shorter growth cycle解析：选 D 细节理解题。从第二段中的“Cloned plants also reproduce faster, limiting the amount of time between planting and harvesting.”可知，克隆的植物的生长周期短。7What is the main purpose of the text?ATo warn the negative effects of plant cloning.BTo show different kinds of plant cloning.CTo predict th
18、e future of plant cloning.DTo introduce the advantages of plant cloning.解析：选 D 写作目的题。文章的第二、三、四段都是在介绍植物克隆的好处，所以本文的目的是介绍植物克隆的好处。CWe are all fascinated by mysteries. To some extent we love to expect strange phenomenon occurring before us. Here are some amazing unsolved mysteries.The Georgia Guidestones
19、On one of the highest hilltops in Elbert County, Georgia stands a giant granite monument (花岗岩纪念碑). Carved in eight different languages on the four giant stones are 10 Guides.The origin of this strange monument is covered in mystery because no one knows the true identity of the man, or men, who const
20、ructed it. All we know is that in June 1979, a man identifying himself as RC.Christian announced that he would build something to convey a message to mankind, but to date, no one knows who RC.Christian really was.Bermuda Triangle5The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean. Many
21、planes, ships, and boats are said to have disappeared in this triangle without a trace, which led to the belief that “supernatural” forces exist in this area of the sea.Could there truly be an unnatural force at work in this geographical triangle or are these disappearances merely coincidence? Eithe
22、r way, numerous people remain unwilling to step over the boundary line into the Devils Triangle.Loch Ness MonsterThe Loch Ness Monster is a legendary animal that supposedly lives in the depths of Loch Ness, a long narrow lake located in rural Scotland.Stories concerning the monster date back to the
23、6th century AD. Over the years thousands have reported seeing a long neck appearing from the water with a small head of an unknown creature. Pictures have even been taken of this “creature”， but most scientists refuse to believe any creature of this kind lives in the Loch Ness. So far, the evidence
24、is inadequate, and the controversy continues.语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了世界上三大未解之谜，包括佐治亚州的巨石阵、百慕大三角和尼斯湖水怪。8Why is the Georgia Guidestones mysterious?AIt is on one of the highest hilltops in Elbert County.BThere are eight different languages on the stones.CThe person who built it remains unknown.DR. C. Chri
25、stian could convey a message to mankind.解析：选 C 细节理解题。根据 The Georgia Guidestones 部分第二段内容可知，巨石阵很神秘是因为没有人知道是谁建造了它。故选 C。9Why are people unwilling to enter the Bermuda Triangle?AIt is too remote from land.BThe chance of surviving is slim there.CThere are supernatural forces in the area.DAll transportatio
26、ns have disappeared there.解析：选 B 推理判断题。根据 Bermuda Triangle 部分第一段第二句可知，在百慕大三角经常有飞机、轮船和小船失踪；由此可推知，在百慕大三角人们幸存的可能性很小，所以许多人不愿意进入百慕大三角地带。故选 B。610What can we know about Loch Ness Monster?AIt existed in the 6th century AD.BIt is said to have a long neck and a large head.CIt has been living in Loch Ness Lake
27、 for a long time.DPeople havent reached an agreement on its existence.解析：选 D 细节理解题。根据最后一段第一句可知，关于水怪的故事始于公元 6 世纪，并不是说水怪出现在公元 6 世纪，故排除 A 项；根据最后一段第二句中的“with a small head”可知，B 项错误；根据最后一段倒数第二句可知，大多数科学家都不相信有这种水怪生活在尼斯湖中，故排除 C 项；根据最后一段最后一句可知，D 项“人们对它的存在没有达成一致意见”符合原文。故选 D。.阅读七选五Too often an inappropriate vie
28、w gets around us that it is our physical conditions that make us happy or unhappy. As a consequence, physical conditions have been overstated._1_， that is, good standard of living, high goals that we want to obtain, surrounding ourselves with a nice house, nice car, nice clothes, etc. _2_. But many
29、times once we obtain our goals and are surrounded by what we thought would make us happy, we are still unhappy.Also on the other end of the stick, many, many people are unhappy now, because they have not obtained their goals and _3_， which, consequently, adds to their dissatisfaction with life.So th
30、is is why so many people keep themselves for most of their lives in a state of “incompleteness” and unhappiness, and this is why so many super successful people still arent happy. The reason is that _4_. They think that the Universe should give them what they want first and then theyll be happy. But
31、 that just puts a barrier in between them and happiness because of the way the Universe is set up.The message here is to understand that your desires tell you where you want to put your focus in your life, however, _5_. You make yourself happy from the inside out, not the outside in. Do not require
32、certain conditions be met for your happiness, because it wont work anyway.AWe have different ways to get what really makes us happyBthey dont have what they want in lifeCWe set out to get happy by trying to control all the wonderful 7conditions around ourselvesDthey are never there to be found in li
33、feEthey should not control your happiness in this momentFWe may think this is the key to our happinessGthey dont realize how to get happy语篇解读：本文是一篇议论文。本文谈论的是人们认为的幸福实际上并没有给人们带来幸福，作者就如何才能得到真正的幸福提出了自己的观点。1选 C 根据上文中的“physical conditions”及下文中的 “good standard of living .nice clothes”可知，C 项“我们通过努力掌控我们身边美好的
34、物质条件来获取幸福”与上文相呼应，与“that is”后面的解释也一致。故选 C。2选 F 根据语境可知，很多时候当我们拥有了良好的生活标准，实现了我们想要的目标，拥有了漂亮的房子、车子、衣服时，我们可能就认为这是幸福的关键所在了。F 项“我们可能会认为这就是幸福的关键了”衔接上文，并与下文构成转折，符合语境。故选F。3选 B 根据语境可知，此处分析了不快乐的人的心理。根据“because they have not obtained their goals”可知，许多人不快乐是因为没有达到目标，and 连接和前面并列的内容。B 项“他们没有拥有生活中想要的”也是人们不快乐的原因，并且和下文联系紧密。故选 B。4选 G 上文提到，拥有了良好物质条件的人仍然感到不幸福，没有达到目标的人也感到不幸福，此处作者给出他们感到不幸福的理由，因为“他们没有意识到如何获得快乐” 。由此可知，G 项与上文衔接紧密。故选 G。5选 E 上文提到，本文传递的信息就是要让你明白，你的欲望会告诉你，在生活中要看重什么。由 however 可知，后面的内容应与前面的叙述形成对比，所以 E 项“这时这些欲望不应该左右你的幸福感”符合语境。故选 E。8
