高考英语阅读理解专项训练4.docx

1、高考英语阅读理解专项训练42021年高考英语阅读理解专项训练4The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people whose achievements were many. They had farms, beautiful palaces, and cities with many buildings. The Mayan people knew

2、 a lot about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time, because they could use it to make their lives more fortable and rewarding. Knowledge about tools and farming, for instance, made their work easier and more productive.In anc

3、ient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of corn, beans, and other crops around it. To clear the land for farms, the Maya cut down trees with stone axes. They planted seeds by digging holes in the ground with pointed sticks. A farmer was a

4、ble to grow crops that produced food for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were cloth makers, builders, or priests.The Maya believed in many gods, including rain gods, sun gods, and corn gods. The people built large temples to honor the Mayan gods. Skillful workers built ci

5、ties around these temples. It was difficult for them to construct these cities, because they had no horses to carry the heavy stone they used to build with. Workers had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.Althoug

6、h the cities that the Maya built were beautiful, and the people worked hard to build them, very few of the people lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities.The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler than the elaborate structures in the

7、cities. They lived in small huts with no windows. The walls were made of poles covered with dried mud, and the roof was made of grass or leaves. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.Measuring time was important to the Maya, so they developed a system for measuring it accurately. Farmers nee

8、ded to know when to plant and harvest their crops. Mayan priests made a system to keep track of time. They wrote numbers as dots (.) and bars (-). A dot was one and a bar was five.The Mayan priests studied the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets. They made a calendar from what they learned. The year was d

9、ivided into 18 months of 20 days each with five days left over. The Mayan calendar was far more accurate than the European calendars of the time.Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from an infecti

10、ous disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. Archaeologists are still trying to find the lost secrets of the Maya. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.41.According to the passage, what made the Mayan peoples life easier?A.Their knowledge about nature and the

11、world.B.The arrival of the Spanish.C.The location of their villages and cities.D.The gods they believed in.42.Which of the following is not true about the Maya?A.Religion was an important part of the Mayan culture.B.The Maya led a simple and natural life.C.Most Mayans lived in the cities they built.

12、D.Tools made the Mayans farming easier and more productive.43.What numbers do“ . . ”and “ ” represent respectively?A. 2；3 B. 10；3 C. 2； 15 D. 10；1544.The elaborate structures in the cities _.A.were plex and consisted of many parts B.didnt have much decorationC.were small but very cozyD.were made of

13、modern materials 45.What is the main idea of this passage?A.The Mayan calendar was more accurate than the European calendar.B.The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people with many achievements.C.The mysteries of the Maya.D.How did the Mayan develop their agriculture?BBelow is a selection fr

14、om a science website: genome.gov/250xx8 What is cloning?The term cloning describes a number of different processes that can be used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity(存在体). The copied material, which has the same genetic makeup as the original, is referred to as a clone.H

15、ow are genes cloned?Researchers routinely use cloning techniques to make copies of genes that they wish to study. The procedure consists of inserting a gene from one organism, often referred to as foreign DNA, into the genetic material of a carrier called a vector(带菌者). Examples of vectors include b

16、acteria, yeast cells or viruses. After the gene is inserted, the vector is placed in laboratory conditions that prompt it to multiply, resulting in the gene being copied many times over.What animals have been cloned?Over the last 50 years, scientists have conducted cloning experiments in a wide rang

17、e of animals using a variety of techniques. In 1979, researchers produced the first genetically identical mice by splitting mouse embryos in the test tube and then implanting the resulting embryos into the wombs of adult female mice. It was not until 1996, however, that researchers succeeded in clon

18、ing the first mammal from a mature cell taken from an adult animal. After 276 attempts, Scottish researchers finally produced Dolly, the lamb from the udder cell of a 6-year-old sheep. Besides, other mammals that have been cloned include: cat, deer, dog, horse, mule, ox, rabbit and rat.Have humans b

19、een cloned?Despite several highly publicized claims, human cloning still appears to be fiction. There currently is no solid scientific evidence that anyone has cloned human embryos.In xx, scientists in South Korea claimed to have successfully cloned a human embryo, but said the experiment was interr

20、upted very early when the clone was just a group of four cells.In xx, a group led by Woo-Suk Hwang of Seoul National University in South Korea published a paper in the journalSciencein which it claimed to have created a cloned human embryo in a test tube. However, an independent scientific mittee la

21、ter found no proof to support the claim and, in January xx,Scienceannounced that Hwangs paper had been retracted(撤销).Why is human cloning difficult? From a technical perspective, cloning humans and other primates（灵长类动物） is more difficult than in other mammals. One reason is that two proteins essenti

22、al to cell division are located very close to the chromosomes（染色体） in primate eggs. Consequently, removal of the eggs nucleus to make room for the donor nucleus also removes the proteins, interfering with cell division. In other mammals, such as cats, rabbits and mice, the two proteins are spread th

23、roughout the egg. So, removal of the eggs nucleus does not result in loss of proteins. In addition, some dyes and the ultraviolet light used to remove the eggs nucleus can damage the primate cell and prevent it from growing.What are some of the ethical issues related to cloning?Cloning would present

24、 the potential of creating a human that is genetically identical to another person who has previously existed or who still exists. This may conflict with long-standing religious and societal values about human dignity, possibly violating principles of individual freedom, identity and autonomy（自主权）.

25、However, some argue that cloning could help sterile(生育困难的) couples fulfill their dream of parenthood. Others see human cloning as a way to avoid passing on a hurtful gene that runs in the family without having to undergo embryo screening or embryo selection.46. Which of the following animals hasnt b

26、een cloned? A. Cat. B. Donkey. C. Sheep. D. Ox.47. Why did Science retract Hwangs paper? A. Hwang copied others finds in his paper. B. There was no proof to support Hwangs claim. C. Science found out mistakes in the paper. D. Hwang wanted to update the paper by adding new things.48. Which of the fol

27、lowing statements about cloning is true? A. The cloning procedure consists of inserting a vector into the genetic material. B. Dolly was successfully cloned after a few attempts. C. Removal of the eggs nucleus can contribute to the failure of human cloning. D. There is no possibility that sterile co

28、uples can give birth to their babies. 49. What is the main purpose of the selection? A. To challenge new findings in the paper. B. To report the latest discoveries of cloning. C. To provide information about cloning. D. To claim new possibilities of cloning. CWhile residents of wealthy nations tend

29、to have greater life satisfaction, new research shows that those living in poorer nations report having greater meaning in life.These findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological science, suggest that meaning in life may be higher in poorer nations as

30、a result of greater religiosity (笃信宗教). As countries bee richer, religion bees less central to peoples lives and they lose a sense of meaning in life.“Thus far, the wealth of nations has been almost always associated with longevity, health, happiness or life satisfaction,” explains psychological sci

31、entist Shigehiro Oishi of the University of Virginia. “Given that meaning in life is an important aspect of overall well-being, we wanted to look more carefully at differential patterns, correlates (相关物), and predictors for meaning in life.”Oishi and colleague Ed Diener of the University of Illinois

32、 at Urbana-Champaign investigated life satisfaction, meaning, and well-being by examining data from the xx Gallup World Poll, a large-scale survey of over 140,000 participants from 132 countries. In addition to answering a basic life satisfaction question, participants were asked: “Do you feel your life has an important purpose or meaning?” and “Is religion an important part of your daily life?”The data revealed some unexpected trends:“Among Americans, those who are high in l