高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day 255.docx

1、高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day 255高二英语阅读理解强化训练附解析Day 255Passage 1Robots have taken over many of Americas factories. But can they pick a strawberry? “Its really hard for robots to match what humans can do,” says Bob Pizter, an expert on robots.Any 4-year-old kid can pick a strawberry, but machines cant seem to f

2、igure it out. Pizter says the hardest thing for them is finding the fruit. Pizters strawberry-picking robot is rolling into a strawberry field. This well-designed device drives itself. Its as big as a bus, long enough to straddle ( 跨 越 ) a dozen rows of strawberries at once. Powerful computers are s

3、itting on top.Underneath, there are high-definition cameras to find the berries, and robotic claws ready to pick them.“Nobodys telling it what to do,” explains Paul Bissett, the chief operating officer of Harvest CROO Robotics. “Its remembering its path down the row. Its remembering where all these

4、plants are.” It knows all this, thanks to the super-accurate GPS. Its computer brain contains a map showing the locations of every strawberry plant in the field. The action of machinery is truly impressive, but the baskets are still practically empty. Pitzer says the robots are able to find and pick

5、 more than 50 percent of ripe berries. Thats not yet up to human standards. A typical worker, he says, manages to pick anywhere from 60 to 90 percent of the berries. Also, he admits, the machine is slower than human hands. On the other hand, it has some advantages. It can work right through the nigh

6、t. Two years later, he says, this machine will be in the fields working for real. “There are weaknesses to work out, but its getting there. Were close.” he says.Strawberry companies are putting millions of dollars into this project. The reason, Gary Wishnatzki, the owner of Wish Farms says, is that

7、its getting more and more difficult to find enough people to pick his berries. “The fact of the matter is, if we dont solve the problem of this labor shortage with automation, the industry is facing a big challenge ahead. The price of fruit is going to be much higher,” Jose Santos, the leader of the

8、 farm, says.Jose is pretty convinced, though, that picking strawberries will always require people. The machines will break down, he points out. In fact, hes looking on the bright side. “You could afford to give people a day off if you have machines behind you,” he says.1. According to the passage,

9、the strawberry-picking robot _.A. can work extra hoursB. relies on GPS only to find berriesC. runs on petrol just like a busD. picks both ripe and unripe berries2. What do people mentioned in the passage think of the strawberry-picking robot?A. It will lead to the price of strawberries rising.B. It

10、keeps human workers working through night.C. It is not very efficient at the moment but promising.D. It will completely take the place of human workers.3. What does the passage mainly talk about?A. The working principle of strawberry-picking robots.B. Farmers expectations for strawberry-picking robo

11、ts.C. The present state of strawberry-picking robots.D. The differences between humans and strawberry-picking robots.Passage 2Rumors (谣言): weve all heard some and weve all spread some. In more traditional times they shook entire families. Today, they travel differently because the way we share infor

12、mation has also changed.The fact is that rumors have great potential to upset things, whether socially or personally. We dont enjoy being on the receiving end of one, since they usually dont have good intentions. They are somewhat veiled (掩饰的) messages.Normally rumors are oral messages: word of mout

13、h. The paradox (自相矛盾) is that there is no evidence to support rumors, but the more people share it, the more they see it as true. To finish explaining rumors, we think that they follow certain very clear laws. Secrecy: The source is unknown. There is also a proven phenomenon that human beings usuall

14、y forget the source of a message before they forget its content. Certainty: We hardly question rumors simply because of the mental effort involved. On the other hand, no one likes to doubt a person who convinces us that the information they spread is true. Change: It acts like a tree. New rumors bra

15、nch out to fill in the gaps left by the first rumor.Another property (属性) of rumors is that they tend to become viral. Each receiver is at the same time a potential transmitter (传输者) of the information. The receiver often adds their own opinion. Their manner and tone of transmitting it also changes

16、it.How can we end rumors? The answer is as simple as it is impossible: preventing people from communicating. A more realistic response is equally difficult, although less than the first one. It is that we should be critical of the information we receive. We should ask ourselves if the source is reli

17、able. Ask (if possible) the person you heard it from whether they also trust the information. We should also think about if the rumor benefits someone, and if that someone started the rumor.One rumor to be especially cautious of is a rumor about groups relatively unable to defend themselves. Thats w

18、hy we say, History is always told by the winners. The first payment the defeated must make is to accept the victors version of the story.1. What can we learn about rumors?A. We have all heard some and believed them.B. Were happy to be the receiving end of them.C. They may have negative influence on

19、society.D. They often hide good intentions in the messages.2. How are rumours like a tree?A. Rumours keep changing, just as trees change their colour.B. Rumours are deeply rooted in reality, like tree roots in the earth.C. New rumours have gaps, like the space between tree branches.D. New rumours gr

20、ow out of the original, like branches out of a trunk.3. What does the underlined word viral in Para 4 probably mean?A. Something easily spread.B. Something acceptable.C. Something easily defended.D. Something beneficial.4. Which of the following may the author agree with?A. It is easy to prevent peo

21、ple from spreading rumors.B. People are often active in judging the rumors critically.C. We should think about the hidden message of the rumors.D. Stories told by the victors are usually better worth trusting.Passage 3Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though

22、neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, “In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvat

23、ion or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence”. Given that this is the case, why arent students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on vio

24、lence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult (侮辱). For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to in

25、sults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isnt in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution (解决): stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or she should

26、choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, name calling, and accusations only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.After both sides have calmed down, they can us

27、e another key strategy (策略) for conflict resolution: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask nonthreatening questions to clarify the speake

28、rs position. Then the two people should change roles.Finally, students need to consider what they are bearing. This doesnt mean trying to figure out whats wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting

29、match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these：How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply

30、becomes smaller. Even if it doesnt, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual（彼此共同的）solution.There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesnt mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Respon

31、sibility, “64 percent of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75 percent of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92 percent of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, p

32、arents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.1. This article is mainly about _.A. the lives of school childrenB. the cause of arguments in schoolsC. how to analyze youth violenceD. how to deal with school conflicts2. From Paragraph 2 we can learn that _.A. violence is more likely to occur at lunchtimeB. a small conflict can lead to violenceC. students tend to lose their temper easilyD. the eating habit of a student