高考英语试卷试题(2)

　　23. What’s the main purpose of the text?

　　A. To offer some information to protect our heart

　　B. To persuade us to live a healthy life

　　C. To tell us what is heart disease

　　D. To provide advice on how to treat heart disease

　　B

　　Since the nineteen nineties, education has been required for all South Africans from age seven to fifteen. Last December, the government announced that seventy percent of students passed their final examination to finish high school. In 2008 the passage rate was about sixty---three percent. There have been increases each year since then.

　　Professor Shireen Motala at the University of Johannesburg say access to basic education is nolonger the problem in South Africa. She says most children stay in school until they are about sixteen.The problem now, she says, is that large numbers of them leave without completing high school.Students take an examination known as the matric in grade twelve, their final or "matriculation" year. Professor Motala notes that less than half the children who started school in 2000 sat for the matric last year.

　　Educational researchers also point to another problem. They say South African schools do not produce braries at school. Ninety---two percent of the schools do not have libraries."

　　Also, education specialists say in many cases, teachers and school principals do not have the skills or training to do their jobs. In other cases, they are simply not doing their duty to provide an education.Professor Motala says a number of teachers were poorly trained during the system of apartheid(种族隔离), or racial separation in South Africa. Apartheid ended in 1994.

　　Secondly, she says, teachers have been confused by the many educational reform efforts in the last fifteen years. And, finally, she thinks language differences in the classroom have not gotten as much attention as they should.

　　South Africa's minister of basic education promises a number of improvements.

　　24. What does the underlined word “passage” mostly mean?

　　A. Age B. Education C. Article D. Pass

　　25. What’s the Motala’s attitude towards the basic education for students in South Africa?

　　A. Confident B. Hopeless C. Negative D. Worried

　　26. From the passage we know the matric is _________.

　　A. an examination difficult for students to pass

　　B. an examination for students in grade twelve

　　C. the number of student leaving school

　　D. the number of students taking exams

　　27. Students in South Africa find it hard to get improve in math and science because _________.

　　A. they drop out of school without finishing high school

　　B. teachers don’t have the abilities to teach them

　　C. most schools can not provide enough equipment

　　D. there aren’t such subjects in most schools

　　C

　　World leaders arrived at the G20 summit(峰会)in Australia this weekend to help resolve serious globoal crises(危机)---but they stayed for the koalas.

　　All heads of state at the summit, from the ‘leader of the free world’s President Obama to the ‘Iron Chancellor’ Angela Merkel, proved powerless against the lovely animals.

　　Even the usually stone---faced Valdimir Putin, was pictured cracking a smile while embracing (拥抱)a koala, who appeared to be trying to escape the Russian president’s iron grip.

　　President Obama was equally overjoyed to spend some quality time with a koala named ‘Jimbelung’. But Obama’s new furry friend did not seem very much impressed with the US commander-in-chief, and instead focused his attention on the koala in the arms of Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

　　At one point, the two furry creatures even exchanged a kiss, to the obvious delight of Obama and Abbott.

　　Meanwhile the ladies of the G20 were also treated to the unique Australian experience and were led by Mr. Abbott’s wife, Margie, through Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary(保护区) on Saturday.

　　The G20 leaders’ wives also got chances to hug some koalas and feed some Kangaroos. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s wife Peng Liyuan and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s wife Laureen were among the first ladies who laughed nervously as a couple of large kangaroos walked slowly up to help themselves to the offered food.

　　But the “Koala diplomacy(外交)” could only carry the western leaders so far.

　　28. Where can we most probably find this passage?

　　A. In a magazine B. In a newspaper C. In a science book D. In a travel journal

　　29. What does the underlined part “Obama’s new furry friend” in Para 4. most probably mean?

　　A. Angela Merkel B. Putin C. Tony Abbott D. Jimbelung

　　30. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

　　A. The purpose of the G20 summit is to solve serious global crises

　　B. Not all heads attending the Summit loved koalas

　　C. The G20 leaders’ wives didn’t love koalas at all

　　D. Putin loves smiling from time to time

　　31. What is the best title for the passage?

　　A. The G20 Summit B. Leaders Gathered in Australia

　　C. Koala Diplomacy D. Lovely Koala

　　D

　　Boredom(无聊)is such a large part of day-to-day existence. Perhaps because it’s common in our lives, scientists have been slow to explore it. John Eastwood is one of the first scholars to take an interest.

　　One of the most common false views is that “only boring people get bored”. Yet as Eastwood set about exploring the reasons for boredom, he found that there are two distinct types of personality that tend to suffer from the feeling of boredom, and neither are particularly dull themselves.

　　Boredom often goes among people who are constantly looking for new experiences. For these people, the steady path of life just isn’t enough to hold their attention. The second kind of bored people have almost exactly the opposite problem: the world is a fearful place, and so they try not to step outside their comfort zone. While this might offer some comfort, they are not always satisfied with the safety it offers-and boredom results.

　　Emotions should evolve(进化)for our benefit. “The very fact that boredom is a daily experience suggests it should be doing something useful,” says Heather Lench at Texas A$M University. Feelings like fear help us avoid danger, after all, while sadness might help prevent future mistakes. So, if true, what does boredom achieve?

　　Reviewing the evidence so far, Lench suspects that it lies behind one of our most important characters-curiosity. Boredom, she says, pushes us to try to seek new goals or explore new ideas which stimulate innovation(激发创新).