2024屆高考英語二輪專題總復習閱讀能力培養精品系列（二十五）

　　閱讀理解

　　A

　　With petroleum reserves (石油儲量) decreasing, the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner，greener alternative. Though much ecotalk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans, the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source: algae(藻類)．

　　Algae, like corn, soybeans, and other crops, grow via photosynthesis(光合作用) and can be processed into fuel oil. However, they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans, according to the U．S. Department of Energy. Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water—while corn and soy require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons.

　　“If you replaced all the diesel(柴油) in the U．S. with soy biodiesel, it would take half the land mass of the U．S. to grow those soybeans，”says Matt Caspari, chief executive of Aurora Biofuels, a Berkeley, Calif-based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology. On the other hand, the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require 15,000 square miles, which is a few thousand miles larger than Maryland (12,407 square miles), the 42nd state in land area.

　　Another bonus: Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space, they're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber. Smokestack emissions (煙囪排放物) can be pumped directly into the ponds, feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

　　Although processing technology for algae fuel－also known as “oilgae” in some environmentalist circles—is improving, it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump. “It's just a question of cost, because no large-scale facilities have been built yet，” Caspari says.

　　1. The underlined word “yield” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ________.

　　A. control

　　B. require

　　C. produce

　　D. grow

　　2. Compared with corn and soybeans, algae________.

　　A. may pollute water and soil

　　B. can grow in poor conditions

　　C. provide much less energy

　　D. need more special care

　　3. According to Paragraph 3, one of the advantages of algae fuel is that________.

　　A. it can be used more widely

　　B. it is more easy to produce

　　C. it needs much less land

　　D. it costs much less money

　　4. What do we learn about algae from Paragraph 4?

　　A. Algae help protect the environment.

　　B. People can grow algae anywhere.

　　C. Fish can get more oxygen from algae.

　　D. Algae produce less waste.

　　5. What does the passage mainly talk about?

　　A. Environmental protection.

　　B. Biofuels from corn and soybeans.

　　C. The false hope of biofuels.

　　D. A promising oil alternative.

　　B

　　Prince Charles yesterday, promised to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule. The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.

　　The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental impact of their activities. He said, “Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, ‘How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded, how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities？' These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked.”

　　He added,“At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone's books. Yet they are real, they are incurred (遭受) now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy(補救)．”He said the world was “running up the_biggest_global_credit_card_debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid”．

　　Flanked by (兩側有) the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James' Palace, the prince said his new accounting for sustainability (可持續性) project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet.

　　Duchy Originals, the Prince's food company, is taking steps to quantify how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas is emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products.

　　The changes to the Prince's travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences: Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff.

　　Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter(通勤者) and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The review will report in June, when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emissions.

　　6. One of the moves Prince Charles will take to reduce the royal impact on the environment is ________.

　　A. taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy

　　B. taking helicopters instead of private jets

　　C. taking trains instead of scheduled flights

　　D. taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters

　　7. How does Prince Charles feel about business leaders in terms of environmental protection?

　　A. Dissatisfied.

　　B. Disappointed.

　　C. Doubtful.

　　D. Impatient.

　　8. Duchy Originals will ________ in response to Prince Charles' calls.

　　A. make as much green food as possible

　　B. cut down on its electricity use

　　C. figure out its greenhouse gas emission

　　D. reduce its greenhouse gas emission

　　9. The underlined phrase “the biggest global credit card debt” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to ________.

　　A. the great amount of waste produced by industry

　　B. the great damage caused for the environment

　　C. the great amount of debts of the royal family

　　D. the high cost of industry in the producing process

　　10. What would be the BEST title of the passage?

　　A. Prince Charles promises greener royal lifestyle

　　B. Better late than never

　　C. Prince Charles and his concern for the environment

　　D. The royal family has a role to play in environment protection

　　參考答案

　?、? 1. 解析：選C。詞義猜測題。此處根據這句話的意思可以推出它們生產的能量比大豆之類的農作物要多30倍。故選C。

　　2. 解析：選B。細節推理題。根據第二段第三句的“...can grow in saltwater and polluted water”和“...require arable land fresh water...”可知，玉米和大豆需要有良好的環境才能生長，而藻類在較差的環境下也能夠生長。

　　3. 解析：選C。細節理解題。根據第三段最后一句“On the other hand... the 42nd state in land area”可知，如果藻類燃料全部代替美國的石油燃料，所需土地比馬里蘭州的面積多一些，而該州面積僅居全美國42位。聯系本段第一句的“...it would take half the land mass of the U.S. to grow those soybeans...”可知，生產藻類燃料僅需很少的土地。

　　4. 解析：選A。推理判斷題。根據第四段第二句“Smokestack emissions can...of the atmosphere”可知，煙囪排放物能夠直接排入養殖著藻類的池塘，既向藻類提供了養料，又防止了溫室氣體污染大氣。可見，藻類對保護環境有利。

　　5. 解析：選D。主旨大意題。本文介紹了一種頗具前景的藻類能源，重點分析了這種新能源的優勢。注意第一段第一句的關鍵詞alternative。

　　6. 解析：選D。細節理解題。根據文章第一段，查爾斯王子改變生活方式的途徑是：乘班機和火車，不再乘污染嚴重的噴氣式飛機和直升機。

　　7. 解析：選A。推理判斷題。從文章第二段，查爾斯王子對商界一連串的發問中可以看出他的不滿。

　　8. 解析：選C。細節理解題。由第五段“Duchy Originals...is taking steps to quantify how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas is emitted...”其中quantify 作動詞用，意為“量化”，同C項的figure out（計算出）意思接近，因此C項正確。

　　9. 解析：選B。詞義理解題。根據語境判斷，此處短語指的是我們對環境的破壞，查爾斯王子形象地把它比喻成我們“對地球的最大欠賬”。

　　10. 解析：選A。標題歸納題。文章介紹英國的查爾斯王子準備為環保事業身體力行，改變自己的生活方式，以減少溫室氣體的排放，因此A項最能體現文章的中心。B項是“亡羊補牢，為時未晚”的意思，文中有一定的信息，但不是全文的中心；C項僅僅體現出“關心”，而沒有體現行動；D項指的是整個王室，而沒有緊扣查爾斯王子的行為。

　　2024屆高考英語二輪專題總復習閱讀能力培養精品系列（二十五）

　　閱讀理解

　　A

　　With petroleum reserves (石油儲量) decreasing, the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner，greener alternative. Though much ecotalk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans, the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source: algae(藻類)．

　　Algae, like corn, soybeans, and other crops, grow via photosynthesis(光合作用) and can be processed into fuel oil. However, they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans, according to the U．S. Department of Energy. Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water—while corn and soy require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons.

　　“If you replaced all the diesel(柴油) in the U．S. with soy biodiesel, it would take half the land mass of the U．S. to grow those soybeans，”says Matt Caspari, chief executive of Aurora Biofuels, a Berkeley, Calif-based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology. On the other hand, the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require 15,000 square miles, which is a few thousand miles larger than Maryland (12,407 square miles), the 42nd state in land area.

　　Another bonus: Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space, they're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber. Smokestack emissions (煙囪排放物) can be pumped directly into the ponds, feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

　　Although processing technology for algae fuel－also known as “oilgae” in some environmentalist circles—is improving, it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump. “It's just a question of cost, because no large-scale facilities have been built yet，” Caspari says.

　　1. The underlined word “yield” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ________.

　　A. control

　　B. require

　　C. produce

　　D. grow

　　2. Compared with corn and soybeans, algae________.

　　A. may pollute water and soil

　　B. can grow in poor conditions

　　C. provide much less energy

　　D. need more special care

　　3. According to Paragraph 3, one of the advantages of algae fuel is that________.

　　A. it can be used more widely

　　B. it is more easy to produce

　　C. it needs much less land

　　D. it costs much less money

　　4. What do we learn about algae from Paragraph 4?

　　A. Algae help protect the environment.

　　B. People can grow algae anywhere.

　　C. Fish can get more oxygen from algae.

　　D. Algae produce less waste.

　　5. What does the passage mainly talk about?

　　A. Environmental protection.

　　B. Biofuels from corn and soybeans.

　　C. The false hope of biofuels.

　　D. A promising oil alternative.

　　B

　　Prince Charles yesterday, promised to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule. The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.

　　The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental impact of their activities. He said, “Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, ‘How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded, how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities？' These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked.”

　　He added,“At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone's books. Yet they are real, they are incurred (遭受) now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy(補救)．”He said the world was “running up the_biggest_global_credit_card_debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid”．

　　Flanked by (兩側有) the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James' Palace, the prince said his new accounting for sustainability (可持續性) project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet.

　　Duchy Originals, the Prince's food company, is taking steps to quantify how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas is emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products.

　　The changes to the Prince's travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences: Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff.

　　Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter(通勤者) and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The review will report in June, when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emissions.

　　6. One of the moves Prince Charles will take to reduce the royal impact on the environment is ________.

　　A. taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy

　　B. taking helicopters instead of private jets

　　C. taking trains instead of scheduled flights

　　D. taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters

　　7. How does Prince Charles feel about business leaders in terms of environmental protection?

　　A. Dissatisfied.

　　B. Disappointed.

　　C. Doubtful.

　　D. Impatient.

　　8. Duchy Originals will ________ in response to Prince Charles' calls.

　　A. make as much green food as possible

　　B. cut down on its electricity use

　　C. figure out its greenhouse gas emission

　　D. reduce its greenhouse gas emission

　　9. The underlined phrase “the biggest global credit card debt” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to ________.

　　A. the great amount of waste produced by industry

　　B. the great damage caused for the environment

　　C. the great amount of debts of the royal family

　　D. the high cost of industry in the producing process

　　10. What would be the BEST title of the passage?

　　A. Prince Charles promises greener royal lifestyle

　　B. Better late than never

　　C. Prince Charles and his concern for the environment

　　D. The royal family has a role to play in environment protection

　　參考答案

　?、? 1. 解析：選C。詞義猜測題。此處根據這句話的意思可以推出它們生產的能量比大豆之類的農作物要多30倍。故選C。

　　2. 解析：選B。細節推理題。根據第二段第三句的“...can grow in saltwater and polluted water”和“...require arable land fresh water...”可知，玉米和大豆需要有良好的環境才能生長，而藻類在較差的環境下也能夠生長。

　　3. 解析：選C。細節理解題。根據第三段最后一句“On the other hand... the 42nd state in land area”可知，如果藻類燃料全部代替美國的石油燃料，所需土地比馬里蘭州的面積多一些，而該州面積僅居全美國42位。聯系本段第一句的“...it would take half the land mass of the U.S. to grow those soybeans...”可知，生產藻類燃料僅需很少的土地。

　　4. 解析：選A。推理判斷題。根據第四段第二句“Smokestack emissions can...of the atmosphere”可知，煙囪排放物能夠直接排入養殖著藻類的池塘，既向藻類提供了養料，又防止了溫室氣體污染大氣?？梢?，藻類對保護環境有利。

　　5. 解析：選D。主旨大意題。本文介紹了一種頗具前景的藻類能源，重點分析了這種新能源的優勢。注意第一段第一句的關鍵詞alternative。

　　6. 解析：選D。細節理解題。根據文章第一段，查爾斯王子改變生活方式的途徑是：乘班機和火車，不再乘污染嚴重的噴氣式飛機和直升機。

　　7. 解析：選A。推理判斷題。從文章第二段，查爾斯王子對商界一連串的發問中可以看出他的不滿。

　　8. 解析：選C。細節理解題。由第五段“Duchy Originals...is taking steps to quantify how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas is emitted...”其中quantify 作動詞用，意為“量化”，同C項的figure out（計算出）意思接近，因此C項正確。

　　9. 解析：選B。詞義理解題。根據語境判斷，此處短語指的是我們對環境的破壞，查爾斯王子形象地把它比喻成我們“對地球的最大欠賬”。

　　10. 解析：選A。標題歸納題。文章介紹英國的查爾斯王子準備為環保事業身體力行，改變自己的生活方式，以減少溫室氣體的排放，因此A項最能體現文章的中心。B項是“亡羊補牢，為時未晚”的意思，文中有一定的信息，但不是全文的中心；C項僅僅體現出“關心”，而沒有體現行動；D項指的是整個王室，而沒有緊扣查爾斯王子的行為。