2016高考英语阅读理解和短文改错选练（12）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。 A Myth
It is true that world population is growing, but this is not the cause of our current and future global problems. Believing this will cause us to ignore the real problem and risk long-term damage to our planet.
Let me start by explaining why overpopulation is a myth. For one thing, the UN Population Division regularly predicts population growth but provides a low variant (变量), medium variant, and high variant to factor in various possibilities. In the 2010 revision, their high variant suggests that the world population will be almost 16 billion in 2100, but the low variant predicts it will peak at 8 billion and decrease to just over 6 billion by 2100. In most cases, it is the low variant that has come true in the past, suggesting the same will be true of their future population predictions. In addition to this, the size of families is actually decreasing.
For another, if the Earth is overpopulated, there needs to be insufficient (短缺) food, water, and space for humans to live. However, Indian economist Raj Krishna estimates that India alone is able to increase crop produce to the point of providing the entire world’s food supply. The World Food Programme confirms that there is sufficient food grown to feed the world and there is the same amount of fresh water on the planet now as there was 10,000 years ago. So how is it possible that the number of people in the world is affecting our planet?
Therefore, it is not an increase in population but an increase in consumption that is a severe threat. Materialism and overconsumption are facts of life for everybody in the western world, as possessions reflect a person’s status in society and people strive to obtain happiness through owning the latest fashionable goods. Not only that, but waste is a common occurrence which has a huge effect on our resources. It is a sad truth that 80% of the world’s resources are currently used by just 20% of the world’s population.
Our overconsumption must be addressed now to make our lives more sustainable (可持续的) and avoid continuing the terrible damage to the environment we are causing. The key is education. If we do not work towards this but instead focus on the wrong issue, we may find ourselves living on a planet that can no longer sustain human life.
1. According to the author, what causes our current and future global problems? A. The increase in population. B. Shortage of food and water. C. The fast growth of material needs.
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D. Failure to protect the environment.
2. The underlined word “myth” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________. A. fact
B. misconception
C. possibility
D. uncertainty
3. The author stresses that _____. A. people should save food and water B. economists are making wrong predictions C. wrong judgment leads to serious consequences D. measures should be taken to reduce population 4. What is mainly discussed in the passage? A. The real cause of global problems. B. The severe effect of overpopulation. C. Reasonable use of natural resources. D. Methods to reduce overconsumption. 【参考答案】C
阅读理解。
For those who study the development of intelligence（智力）in the animal world, self-awareness is an important measurement. An animal that is aware（意识）of itself has a high level of intelligence.
Awareness can be tested by studying whether the animal recognizes itself in the mirror, that is, its own reflected image（反射出的影像）．Many animals fail this exercise bitterly, paying very little attention to the reflected image. Only humans, and some intelligent animals like apes and dolphins, have been shown to recognize that the image in the mirror is of themselves.
Now another animal has joined the club. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that an Asian elephant has passed the mirror self-reflection test. \important animal,\Plotnik and Fans B．M. de Waal of Emory University. With their large brains, Reiss said, elephants \cousins to apes and dolphins.\
The researchers tested Happy, Maxine and Patty, three elephants at the Bronx Zoo. They put
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B C .A
an 8-foot-square mirror on a wall of the animals' play area (out of the sight of zoo visitors) and recorded what happened with cameras, including one built in the mirror.
The elephants used their long noses to find what was behind it, and to examine parts of their bodies.
Of the three, Happy then passed the test, in which a clear mark was painted on one side of her face. She could tell the mark was there by looking in the mirror, and she used the mirror to touch the mark with her long nose. Diana Reiss said, \way.\
1. What can mirror tests tell us about animals? A. Whether they have large brains. B ．Whether they have self-awareness. C. Whether they enjoy outdoor exercises. D. Whether they enjoy playing with mirrors.
2. Why does the author mention apes and dolphins in the text? A. They are most familiar to readers. B ．They are big favorites with zoo visitors. C. They are included in the study by Reiss. D. They are already known to be intelligent. 3. What made Happy different from Maxine and Patty? A. She used her nose to search behind the mirror. B. She recognized her own image in the mirror. C. She painted a mark on her own face. D. She found the hidden camera. 【参考答案】1---3、BDB
阅读理解。
An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same tome. In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in
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families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起）the \Read the Same Book \groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长）appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the \around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York ,where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns,where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy
And passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultinatel was Nancy points out,the level of sucicess is not meastured by how many people read a book,but by how many people are enriched by the process.or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word. 1.What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy? A.To invite authors to guide readers. B.To encourage people to read and share. C.To involve people in communnity service. D.To promote the friendship between cities.
2.Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the projict? A.They had little interest in reading. B.They were too busy to read a book. C.They came from many different backgrounds D.They lacked support from the locat government
3.According to the passage,where would the project be more easily carried out? A.In large communities with little sense of unity B.In large cities where libraries are far from home C.In medium-sized cities with a diverse population D.In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached
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