高考英语阅读理解说明文5篇

高考 地理事物空间分布特征语文高考下定义高考日语答题卡模板高考688高频词汇高考文言文120个实词 英语说明文5篇 1 Here is an astonishing and significant fact: Mental work alone can’t make us tire. It sounds absurd. But a years ago, scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists, they discovered that blood passing through the brain, when it is active, shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer, we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day. So far as the brain is concerned, it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless. So what makes us tired? Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional(情绪的) attitudes. One of England’s most outstanding scientists, J.A. Hadfield, says, “The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact, fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.” Dr. Brill, a famous American scientist, goes even further. He declares, “One hundred percent of the fatigue of sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.” What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired? Joy? Satisfaction? No! A feeling of being bored, anger, anxiety, tenseness, worry, a feeling of not being appreciated---those are the emotions that tire sitting workers. Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue. We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body. 1. What surprised the scientists a few years ago? A. Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood. B. Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn after a day’s work. C. The brain could work for many hours without fatigue. D. A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins. 2. According to the author, which of the following can make sitting workers tired? A. Challenging mental work. B. Unpleasant emotions. C. Endless tasks. D. Physical labor 3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the scientists’ idea? A. He agrees with them. B. He doubts them. C. He argues against them. D. He hesitates to accept them. 4. We can infer from the passage that in order to stay energetic, sitting workers need to ________. A. have some good food. B. enjoy their work C. exercise regularly D. discover fatigue toxins 2 They baby is just one day old and has not yet left hospital. She is quiet but alert (警觉). Twenty centimeters from her face researchers have placed a white card with two black spots on it. She stares at it carefully. A researcher removes the card and replaces it by another, this time with the spots differently spaced. As the cards change from one to the other, her gaze(凝视)starts to lose its focus —until a third, with three black spots, is presented. Her gaze returns: she looks at it for twice as long as she did at the previous card. Can she tell that the number two is different from three, just 24 hours after coming into the world? Or do newborns simply prefer more to fewer? The same experiment, but with three spots shown before two, shows the same return of interest when the number of spots changes. Perhaps it is just the newness? When slightly older babies were shown cards with pictures of objects (a comb, a key, an orange and so on), changing the number of objects had an effect separate from changing the objects themselves. Could it be the pattern that two things make, as opposed to three? No again. Babies paid more attention to squares moving randomly on a screen when their number changed from two to three, or three to two. The effect even crosses between senses. Babies who were repeatedly shown two spots became more excited when they then heard three drumbeats than when they heard just two; likewise (同样地)when the researchers started with drumbeats and moved to spots. 5. Th e experiment described in Paragraph 1 is related to the baby’s__. A. sense of hearing B. sense of sight C. sense of touch D. sense of smell 6. Babies are sensitive to the change in______. A. the size of cards B. the colour of pictures C. the shape of patterns D. the number of objects 7. Why did the researchers test the babies with drumbeats? A. To reduce the difficulty of the experiment. B. To see how babies recognize sounds. C. To carry their experiment further. D. To keep the babies’ inter est. 8. Where does this text probably come from? A. Science fiction. B. Children’s literature. C. An advertisement. D. A science report 3 Last night’s meteor(流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothsclild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights t hat it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead. “My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointments.” Astronomers---scientists who study stars and planets----have been complaining about this problem for decades. They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it. There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats frogs, snakes, etc. For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating(迁徙的)birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association. “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers.” Countless more animals casualties(伤亡)result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings, but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans, too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase person’s chances of getting cancer. Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution. For years, Flagstaff, Arizona, has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night. 9.It happened last night that A.the city’s lights affected the meteor watching B. the meteors flew past before being noticed C. the city light show attracted many people D. the meteor watching ended up a social outing 10. What do the astronomers complain about? A. Meteor showers occur less often than before B. Their observation equipment is in poor repair C. Light pollution has remained unsolved for years D. Their eyesight is failing due to artificial lighting 11. What the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4? A. Birds may take other migration paths B. Animals living habits may change suddenly C. Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced D. Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting 12. Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to A. Lessen the chance of getting cancer B. create an ideal observation condition C. ensure citizens a good sleep at night D. enable all creatures to live in harmony 13.What message does the author most want to give us? A. Saving wildlife is saving ourselves B. Great efforts should be made to save energy C. Human activities should be environmentally friendly D. New equipment should be introduced for space study 4 Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know,however,that they existed over 5,500years ago in ancient Asia. The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn't become popular for .while, though . This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around. But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren't going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modern road design. In the mid-1700s,a Frenchman came up with a new design of road--a base layer (层)of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller atones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same time, metal hubs(the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the Wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads(泊油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster. 14. What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time? A. Few knew how to use transport wheels. B. Humans carried farming tools just as well. C. Animals were a good means of transport. D. The existence of transport wheels was not known. 15.What do we know about road design from the passage? A. It was easier than wheel design. B. It improved after big changes in vehicle design. C. It was promoted by fast-moving vehicles. D. It provided conditions for wheel design to develop. 16. How is the last paragraph mainly developed? A. By giving examples. B. By making comparisons. C. By following time order. D. By making classifications. 17. What is the passage mainly about? A. The beginning of road deaign. B. The development of transport wheels. C. The history of public transport. D. The invention of fast-moving vehicles. 5 Imagination and fantasy can play an important role in achieving the things we fear. Children know this very well. Fred Epstein, in his book I Make It to Five, tells a story he heard from one of his friends about Tom, a four-year-old boy with a cancer in his back bone. He came through several operations and a lot of pain by mastering his imagination. Tom loved to pretend, and he particularly loved to play superheroes. Dr. Epstein explained that it was actually a brilliant way for his young mind to handle the terrifying and painful life he led. The day before his third trip to the operating room, Tom was terribly afraid. “ Maybe I could go as Superman,” he whispered to his mom. Hearing this, the mother hesitated for while. She has avoided buying the expensive costume(戏装), but finally she agreed. The next day Tom appeared as the powerful Superman, showing off through the hospital halls and coolly waving his hand to the people greeting him along the way. And Tom, with the strength of his fantasy, successfully made it through the operation. The power of imagination need not be reserved for children only. We all have the power to use our fantasies to attempt things we never thought possible, to go through those things that seem impossible, and to achieve what we never believed we could. Just as Dr. Epstein puts it, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” It doesn’t mean that y ou should dress as a superhero for your next job interview. But, next time you are tested in a way that seems impossible, imagine what it would take to overcome it. Become the person you need to become to win over your challenge and do it in your mind first. So, let your imagination run wild, and dare to dream. 18. What do we know about Tom? A. He was seriously ill. B. He was a dishonest boy. C. He was crazy about magic. D. He was Dr. Epstein’s patient. 19. What can be inferred about Tom’s mother? A. She was a rich lady. B. She refused Tom’s request. C. She wanted Tom to be a superhero. D. She wanted to get Tom through the pain. 20. When Tom went for the third operation, he_________. A. pretended to be painful B. acted like a superhero C. appeared in poor spirits D. argued with his mother 21. In the last paragraph, you are advised________. A. to go through some difficult tests B. to wake up from your wild dreams C. to become a powerful person in your mind D. to wear expensive clothes for job interviews 22. What is the purpose of the passage? A. To tell us an interesting story. B. To help us make right decisions. C. To advise us to care about children. D. To encourage us to use our imagination.