1
高一下学期强化班英语午间练习 8
阅读理解
A
What will the schools of the future look like? With the introduction
of 5G technology, we’re starting to find out.
The answer is smart campuses, with high-tech features to help
students learn more effectively and safely. They also bring convenience
to teachers and administrators (管理者).
The University of British Columbia has what is believed to be
Canada’s first 5G-powered smart campus, according to The Star
newspaper. The school has partnered with tech company Rogers Communications to install (安装) a
massive 5G network on its campus. Researchers at the school can use the network to test real-time 5G
applications, as well as access a data storage facility (设施) similar to “cloud” storage, the newspaper
noted.
US tech company Amazon is also looking to get into the smart campus arena (舞台). Alexa, the
company’s voice-activated (声控) smart assistant, is being aimed at teachers. They may help to run
classes more efficiently, says Amazon. For example, if a teacher has to teach different classes in
different rooms, Alexa can remember the teacher’s preferences, such as whether or not they need to use
a projector (投影仪).
Smart technology can also be used to keep students and teachers safe. At the Global Indian
International School in Singapore, CNET reports that facial recognition scanners ( 扫 描 器 ) allow
teachers to automatically lock or unlock classroom doors, while students can store their textbooks in
smart lockers linked to their student ID cards.
People often describe college campuses as “mini-cities”. After all, they have their own on-campus
infrastructure (基础设施), including transport links, roads, shops, restaurants – even police. And just
like the smart cities being designed around the world, many college campuses are adopting smart
technology. The University of Michigan in the US, for example, has its own self-driving shuttle (班车)
system, allowing students to go from classroom to classroom in a safe and efficient manner.
Unlike cities, universities are seen as a particularly good testing ground for smart technology
because many of them have sole (单一的) control over their property (财产). “Cities are so big, and
there are so many players and stakeholders (利益相关者), it can be difficult. But many universities
around the world have control over their estates (房产). They own all their buildings ... so they can
become like a living lab,” said Gemmy Ginty, a designer working on a smart campus development
strategy for the University of Glasgow, UK, in a news report by the Guardian.
21. How is the text mainly developed?
A. By giving examples. B. By making comparisons.
C. By following the order of time. D. By explaining causes and effects.
22. What can we learn about Alexa from the text?
A. It offers free “cloud” storage to its users.
B. It is used to test real-time 5G applications.
C. It can help improve classroom efficiency.
D. It can help monitor students’ class performances.
23. Why are universities seen as a good testing grounds for smart technology, according to the text?
A. Smart technology benefits students the most.
B. Universities are full of laboratories and researchers.
C. Sole control over their properties makes it easier to test new tech.
D. There are many players and stakeholders on university campuses.
B
It’s a land where winter darkness is long, and summers bring continuous sunlight.
However, people are very happy in Finland, despite the country’s natural challenges. Last month,
the nation was named the happiest on Earth, according to the 2018 World Happiness Report released
by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
The Finns certainly have a high range of happiness, Eric Weiner wrote in his 2008 book The
Geography of Bliss.
There’s a stereotype (刻板印象) that Finns are introverted (内向的) and shy, because they often
stay silent. But in fact, “for Finns, it is extremely rude to interrupt someone. This leads to us making
pauses or taking our time to talk”, Krista Huhtala-jenks, a senior officer at Finland’s Ministry of
Transport and Communications, explained to CNN.
Perhaps Finland’s love for heavy metal music and tango reveals the country’s true personality,
however. Indeed, young Finns love heavy metal, while tango remains a huge part of Finnish culture for
the older generation. The passionate dance started in Argentina, but it’s Finland that became the tango
capital of the world. Every July, the Finnish town of Seinajoki draws thousands of people from all over
the world to a four-day tango festival. During the festival, a tango king and queen are chosen.
Another trademark (特征) of Finnish culture is the sauna (桑拿). According to CNN, the nation
has about 3.5 million saunas – roughly one for every 1.6 people. And 99 percent of Finns take at least
one sauna a week, BBC News reported.
In Finns’ eyes, saunas are closely related to well-being. For example, if a person gets sick, he or
she will take a sauna. Many women also prefer to give birth in a sauna, because “the walls of
traditional smoke saunas were lined with naturally bacteria-resistant soot (抑菌的煤烟灰), making
them the cleanest room in the house”, BBC News noted.
Medical benefits aside, the sauna is also seen as a place to collect your thoughts. “Sauna is for
your mind. It really helps you to calm down in a modern society where it is never quiet,” Jarmo
Lehtola from the Finnish Sauna Society, told BBC News. “If somebody wants to understand what it is
to be a Finn, they have to understand what a sauna is. If you do not experience sauna, you do not
experience Finland.”
24. According to Huhtala-jenks, why do Finns often remain silent?
A. They are too introverted to talk. B. They prefer to take time to think.
C. They have plenty of time for conversation. D. They believe it’s impolite to interrupt others.
25. How does the author show the sauna’s popularity in Finland?
A. By giving examples. B. By raising questions.
C. By presenting data. D. By making a comparison.
26. How do Finns believe saunas benefit people?
A. They help people to recover from cancer. B. They can reduce the pain of giving birth.
C. They help people keep a peaceful mind. D. They’re a good place to look for inspiration.
27. What’s the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To explore the interesting history of Finland. B. To introduce some aspects of Finnish culture.
C. To study Finns’ true personality. D. To show Finlands’s love for saunas.
C
US cosmologist (宇宙学家) Carl Sagan once said: “Across the sea of space, the stars are other
2
suns.”
For centuries, human beings have dreamed of traveling into space, orbiting (围绕......运行) our
little blue planet, and appreciating incredible views of sunrises and sunsets. And soon, it seems that our
dream will finally come true, as US startup Orion Span announced on April 6 that it planned to launch
the first hotel in space in 2021. It will be ready to welcome guests the following year.
The space hotel, Aurora Station, will orbit 320 kilometers above Earth, circling it every 90
minutes. It’s capable of housing two crew members and four guests. The crew members will likely be
former NASA astronauts who worked on the International Space Station. However, there’s a catch:
Each guest must pay at least $9.5 million (60 million yuan) for a 12-day stay at the hotel.
Once aboard the Aurora Station, guests will find many exciting things to do. According to Orion
Span, guests can enjoy the excitement of zero-gravity as they fly throughout the space hotel. They can
watch 16 sunrises and sunsets every day and view the northern and southern auroras ( 极 光 )
through the many windows. They can take part in research experiments like growing food, and even
take it home as a souvenir. And they can stay in touch with their families and friends via a high-speed
internet connection.
But most importantly, the trip will offer a real sense of what it’s like to live in space. “The premise
(前提) of Aurora Station is for guests to live, feel, and [breathe] what it’s like to be an astronaut,”
Frank Bunger, founder of Orion Span, told the Robb Report. “The food and drinks are freeze-dried
products. It’s not going to be five-star dining … Fire and gas don’t work the same way in space as they
do on Earth.”
To better prepare guests for space travel, the company will require a health screening and provide
a three-month training program that helps guests understand basic spaceflight, orbital mechanics (轨道
力学) and life in the pressurized environment of space.
Some may have doubts about the project, but the company even has plans to turn part of Aurora
Station into private apartments. “Future Aurora owners can live in, visit, or sublease (转租) their space
[apartment],” Bunger said in a news release. “This is an exciting frontier (待开发的领域) and Orion
Span is proud to pave the way.”
28. What can we learn about Aurora Station?
A. It will be open to guests in 2021. B. It can only serve four guests at a time.
C. It costs every guest $9.5 million a week. D. It will invite NASA to train the guests.
29. What can guests do on Aurora Station?
A. View beautiful auroras. B. Fly outside the space hotel.
C. Buy various souvenirs. D. Enjoy five-star meals.
30. According to Bunger, what is the main purpose of Aurora Station?
A. To help people learn more about space.
B. To offer comfortable space travel experiences.
C. To provide real experiences of living in space.
D. To prepare people for future space exploration.
31. What can be inferred about Aurora Station from the last two paragraphs?
A. It’s ready for guests to book their first trip.
B. Few people are optimistic about its future.
C. Its guests must have a basic knowledge of space travel.
D. Private apartments are the most popular choice among its guests.
D
Jack Rummler was in the hospital, but he kept emailing his journalism teacher and classmates at
Boone High School in the US. He wanted to stay on top of his newspaper work and didn’t want anyone
else to be stuck with the tasks he’d taken on.
“He would be in the hospital writing stories,” said Renee Burke, his teacher at the time. “He
wouldn’t stop worrying about us.”
Rummler, 18, said he did this because he enjoyed high school journalism so much. “Every little
aspect of it.”
He is a compassionate (有同情心的) student, Burke said, who always seems to be thinking about
others, even when he faces his own challenges.
Born with spina bifida (脊柱分裂), he walks with a limp (走路一瘸一拐) and has had about 12
surgeries. Two years ago, medical problems kept him out of school for weeks.
Yet, he never wanted to be treated differently, Burke said, nor did he avoid doing anything that
might be physically challenging for him, such as filming football games. During his high school life,
he worked his way up from staff member to editor-in-chief of the Boone paper.
And last month, he won the “student journalist of the year” award from the Florida Scholastic
Press Association.
The contest required student journalists to put together examples of their work and their ability to
be “backpack journalists” who could take on many types of assignments. Rummler’s examples
included stories and opinion pieces, a graphic he’d designed about school construction, and a TV
commercial (广告) for the paper’s online site.
“I think one of the things that journalism taught me is to always be aware of what’s going on in
the world,” he said.
His school paper publishes in print four times a year, as well as online. The last issue he worked
on was about graduation, showcasing the accomplishments of top students and athletes, among other
soon-to-be graduates.
In August, Rummler will start at the University of Florida, where he plans to study environmental
sustainability and communications.
“Whatever he does, he’s going to be great at it,” said Bridgette Norris, the current journalism
teacher at Boone, who taught him this past school year.
32. Which of the following words best describe Rummler?
A. Hardworking and modest. B. Optimistic and creative.
C. Humorous and talented. D. Strong-minded and considerate.
33. What can we learn about Rummler?
A. He has had more than 20 surgeries.
B. He is willing to accept difficult tasks.
C. He has never missed school because of his disease.
D. He will soon be the editor-in-chief of the Boone newspaper.
34. What won Rummler the “student journalist of the year” award?
A. His willingness to accept challenges.
B. His contribution to his high school paper.
C. His ability to create a variety of news works.
D. His inspiring reports about graduation.
35. How does Norris feel about Rummler’s life in college?
A. Confident. B. Doubtful. C. Surprised. D. Worried.
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