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Unit 15 Learning
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A
Maps of the world's population show that the majority of people today live near water. We live along coastlines, around bays, up the course of rivers and streams and on islands. We also vacation at the beach and find comfort fishing on a lake. Nothing makes small children happier than the chance of playing in water.
More surprisingly, this human favor for water makes evolutionary(进化的)sense. Sure, we need drinking water to live, but we have also benefited from what's swimming under the waves.
Neuroscientist Crawford of the University of North London has proposed that our ancient ancestors attached to the sea, and that their devotion paid off by allowing the human species to develop large and complex brains.
Crawford claims that when humans separated from apes(类人猿)and appeared in the forests of Africa, they stuck close to rivers and beaches and started catching fish, clams and crabs. That seafood was packed with omega3 fatty acids, essential fatty acids that promote brain cell growth.
It's no coincidence, Crawford claims, that human brain growth began to increase rapidly once we left the woods and headed for the beach.
Scientists have also discovered that people who eat fish regularly are less likely to suffer from depression than those who eat less seafood. Biochemist Hibbelin of the National Institutes of Health has shown that across cultures there is a direct link between amount of fish eaten each week and rates of depression. More interestingly, Hibbelin and researcher Laura have found that fish is commonly used as a symbol of happiness and good health in various religions and cultures.
We know that fish and the sea are good for us, and so we seek them out. We vacation on the coast and see the waves come and go, feeling happiness has taken over our brain. When we move inland, or go home from vacation, we lose touch with our sea roots and feel unhappy.
文章大意：这是一篇说明文。喜欢水并寻找有水的地方是人类的天性。
1．To explain human's favor for water, the author ________.
A．lists some examples
B．compares some facts
C．analyzes some numbers
D．raises some questions
答案：A 写作手法题。为了说明人们对水的偏爱，作者在第一段里列举了许多例子。
2．Human beings have benefited a lot from seafood because ________.
A．seafood has enough water and is fresh
B．fishes in the sea have large and complex brains
C．our ancestors had nothing to eat but seafood
D．it is abundant in fatty acids promoting brain cell growth
答案：D 细节理解题。从第四段最后一句“That seafood was packed with omega3 fatty acids, essential fatty acids that promote brain cell growth. ”可知答案。
3．According to Crawford, human brain developed fast when we ________.
A．went to the coast to spend our holidays
B．left the woods and headed for the beach
C．separated from apes and appeared in the forests of Africa
D．discovered seafood was packed with omega3 fatty acids
答案：B 细节理解题。根据第五段从“Crawford claims, that human brain growth began to increase rapidly once we left the woods and headed for the beach.”可知答案。
4．What's the main idea of Paragraph 6?
A．Scientists help people overcome depression.
B．Fish is a kind of symbol in some religions.
C．Eating fish regularly may reduce our depression.
D．Happiness is linked with good health.
答案：C 主旨大意题。第六段的中心句是第一句“...Scientists have also discovered that people who eat fish regularly are less likely to suffer from depression”，其余句子都是围绕这个中心内容的。
5．What can we infer from the passage?
A．It's good to our health to swim under the waves.
B．Human has the largest and most complex brains.
C．Beach is the best destination of vacation.
D．It's human nature to seek out bodies of water.
答案：D 推理判断题。从第一段和最后一段的内容可以推知，喜欢水并寻找有水的地方是人类的天性。
B
(2024·江西重点中学联考)I've just got to talk about this problem I'm having with my postman. It all began a year ago, after the birth of his first child. Not wanting to appear rude, I asked him about the baby. The next week, not wanting him to think I had asked out of mere politeness the week before, I asked all about the baby again. Now I can't break the habit. I freeze whenever I see him coming. The words “How's the baby？” come out on their own. It holds me up. It holds him up. So why can't I stop it?
The answer is that I want him to like me. Come to think of it, I want everyone to like me.
My sister had the same problem with the caretaker of her block of flats: “All he ever does is complain; he talks at me rather than to me, never listens to a word I say, and yet for some reason I'm always really nice to him. I'm worried in case I have a difficulty one day, and he won't lift a finger to help.”
What about at work? Richard Lawton, a management trainer, warns: “Those managers who are actually liked by most of their staff are always those to whom being liked is not the primary goal. The qualities that make managers popular are being honest with staff, treating them as human beings and observing common politeness like saying hello in the morning.” To explain the point, Richard mentions the story of the company chairman who desperately wanted to be liked and who, after making one of his managers fired, said with moist
(湿润的)
eyes that he was so, so sorry the man was leaving. The employee replied: “If you were that sorry, I wouldn't be leaving.” The lesson being, therefore, that if you try too hard to be liked, people won't like you.
The experts say it all starts in childhood. “If children feel they can only get love from their parents by being good，” says Zelda WestMeads, a marriage guidance consultant, “they develop low selfconfidence and become compulsive_givers.” But is there anything wrong in being a giver, the world not being exactly short of takers? Anne Cousins believes there is. “There is a point at which giving becomes unhealthy，” she says. “It comes when you do things for others but feel bad about it.”
I am now trying hard to say to people “I feel uncomfortable about saying this, but ...” and tell myself “Refusal of a request does not mean rejection of a person” and I find I can say almost anything to almost anyone.
1.Why does the author ask the postman about his baby?
A.He is interested in the baby.
B.He wants to create a good impression.
C.He wants to be always polite to him.
D.It's a way to start a chat with great politeness.
2.What could we find out about the author's sister and the caretaker?
A.She doesn't want to risk displeasing him.
B.She doesn't pay attention to him.
C.He often refuses to help her.
D.He is impatient of her overreaction.
3.The underlined words
“compulsive givers”
in the fourth paragraph refer to the people who ________.
A.are willing to help others
B.couldn't bear to turn down requests
C.are unconfident of denying demands
D.are less selfish than takers
4.What is the author's intention of writing this passage?
A.To show how to let others like you more.
B.To prove how to create a harmonious atmosphere.
C.To encourage people to have more selfconfidence.
D.To suggest ways of dealing with difficult people.
1．解析：选B 细节理解题根据第一段“The answer is that I want him to like me. Come to think of it, I want everyone to like me.”可知作者想要邮递员喜爱作者给邮递员留下好印象故选B解析：选A 细节理解题根据二段“My sister had the same problem with the caretaker of her block of flats ...I'm always really nice to him.”可知作者的妹妹对公寓的管理员十分友好故选A解析：选C 词义猜测题根据最后一段“Refusal of a request does not mean rejection of a person”可知compulsive givers指的是不知道如何拒绝其他人的人 故选C解析：选C 写作目的题根据最后一段可知本文主要是为了鼓励人们应该有自信故选CC
London's newest skyscraper (摩天大楼) is called the Shard and it cost about 430 million pounds to build.At a height of almost 310 metres，it is the tallest building in Europe.The Shard has completely changed the appearance of London.However，not everyone thinks that it is a change for the better.
The Shard was designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano.When he began designing the Shard for London，Piano wanted a very tall building that looked like a spire(尖顶)．He wanted the glass surfaces to reflect the sky and the city.The sides of the building aren't regular.So the building has an unusual shape.It looks like a very thin，sharp piece of broken glass.And that is how the building got the name：the Shard.Piano says that the spire shape of the Shard is part of a great London tradition.The shape reminds him of the spires of the churches of London or the tall masts(桅杆) of the ships that were once on the river Thames.
The Shard has 87 floors.At the top，there is an observatory.At the moment the building is empty，but eventually there will be a fivestar hotel.There will also be top quality restaurants，apartments and offices.
Before building work began，a lot of people didn't want the Shard though the plans were approved.Now they are still unhappy about the Shard.Some critics say that such a tall skyscraper might be good in a city like New York，but not in London.They say that the best thing about the Shard is its spire shape.But that is the only thing.There is no decoration，only flat surfaces.The Egyptians did that 4,500 years ago.They also think the Shard is too big for London.It destroys the beauty of the city.
Other critics don't like what the Shard seems to represent.They say that the Shard shows how London is becoming more unequal.Only very rich people can afford to buy the expensive private apartments and stay in the hotel.But the people who live near the Shard are among the poorest in London.So the Shard seems a symbol of the division in society between the very rich and the poor.
The Shard now dominates the London skyline.It is not certain，however，that ordinary London citizens will ever accept it as a valuable addition to the city.
1．London's newest skyscraper is called the Shard because of ________.
A．its cost
B．its size
C．its shape
D．its height
2．When he designed the Shard，Piano wanted it to ________.
A．change London's skyline
B．inherit London's tradition
C．imitate the Egyptian style
D．attract potential visitors
．The critics who refer to social division think the Shard ________.
A．is only preferred by the rich
B．is intended for wealthy people
C．is far away from the poor area
D．is popular only with Londoners
．Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．The Shard：Cheers and Claps
B．The Shard：Work of a Great Architect
C．The Shard：New Symbol of London?
D．The Shard：A Change for the Better?
答案：
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文。介绍了英国伦敦的地标性建筑——约310米高的欧洲第一高楼——“碎片大厦”。有人说这栋摩天大楼使伦敦看起来更漂亮，但更有批评意见一直伴随着大楼的诞生。
1．C 解析：细节理解题。由第二段中的“It looks like a very thin，sharp piece of broken glass.And that is how the building got the name：the Shard.”可知，这栋楼的名字的由来是其外形像一块很薄、很锋利的碎玻璃片，因此选C项“它的形状”，而非它的“花费、尺寸或高度”。
．B 解析：细节理解题。第二段中的Piano says that the spire shape of the Shard is part of a great London tradition.(Piano说“碎片大厦”的尖顶外形是伦敦伟大传统的一部分。)解释了设计师的想法，与B项“继承伦敦的传统”相吻合。A项“改变伦敦的天际线”是结果而不是设计初衷，C项“模仿埃及风格”及D项“吸引潜在的游客”文中均未涉及。
．B 解析：细节理解题。由第五段中的“Only very rich people can afford to buy the expensive private apartments and stay in the hotel.”可知，谈到社会分化的批评家认为“碎片大厦”是“专为有钱人设计的(is intended for wealthy people)”。
．D 解析：主旨大意题。全文介绍了欧洲第一高楼——英国伦敦的“碎片大厦”。由第一段的最后一句“However，not everyone thinks that it is a change for the better.”可知，对于这个改变，毁誉参半，故D项“碎片大厦：更好的改变？”作为标题最为合适。A项“碎片大厦：欢呼与掌声”只关注了支持者，不够全面。
Ⅱ.任务型阅读
There is an old Spanish Proverb which states, “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week”. How many times have we put off our dreams until tomorrow?
1.________ We have to go for them now! Here's why.
Tomorrow is not promised
Nobody likes to talk about death, but the reality is
everybody is going to die at one point. None of us know the day, or the hour. Therefore, today is all we have.
2.________ Make the decision to go after every dream, big or small right now.
The world is waiting on your gift
I know this may be hard to believe, but the world is
waiting on YOU! You were born into the world with a unique gift. Other people may be able to sing. But they'll never be able to sing exactly like you.
3.________Thus, it is your responsibility to figure out exactly what your gift is, and use to better your life and the lives of those around you.
You can't let fear win
One of the biggest dream killers is fear. There are so many people who could have achieved amazing things if only they weren't afraid. Just think about all the things you've wanted to do, but allowed fear to convince you that you weren't capable. Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create.
4.________
You'll be much happier if you go for it
Imagine how much happier you'll be if you're living the life you always dreamed about. The only thing that is stopping you is yourself.
5.________ Don't keep your dreams waiting.
A.Don't go to your grave with unfulfilled dreams.
B.Other people can write, but they'll never be able to write from the same perspective in which you write.
C.Unless you take the first step, your dreams will never come true.
D.Take control of your own happiness.
E.Doors that you couldn't imagine open up when you go after what you want.
F.Choose not to let fear stop you from achieving your dreams.
G.Our dreams should not, and cannot wait.
Ⅲ.语法填空
(2024·贵州适应性测试)It was the day of the poetry festival, and I was 1.________
(excite). At my old school, I had won the poetry ribbon every year. I do write good poetry. When Mrs. Baker called on me, I stood up. I didn't even bother to look at my paper. I'd spent so much time 2.________
