4. 2004北京春季高考试题

　　A

　　Countries Count

　　Earth’s landmasses are divided into seven continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. This graph(柱状图)shows the number of countries on each continent.

　　56. Which continent has almost twice as many countries as South America?

　　A. Europe.

　　B. North America

　　C. Australia

　　D. Asia

　　答案与分析

　　本篇是实用文体阅读。全篇以图表代替文字，图表指出了各大洲所拥有的国家数量。问题也在图表中提出。

　　56. B 首先找出South America拥有的国家,从图表上看South America 国家数大于10，小于15，因此North America与之接近。

　　B

　　Blameless

　　I was a freshman in college when I met the Whites. They were completely different from my own family, yet I felt at home with them immediately. Jane White and I became friends at school, and her family welcomed me like a long-lost cousin.

　　In my family, it was always important to place blame when anything bad happened.

　　“Who did this?” my mother would scream about a dirty kitchen.

　　“This is all your fault, Katharine,” my father would insist when the cat got out or the dishwasher broke.

　　From the time we were little, my sister, brothers and I told on each other. We set a place for blame at the dinner table.

　　But the Whites didn’t worry about who had done what. They picked up the pieces and moved on with their lives. The beauty of this was driven home to me the summer Jane died.

　　In July, the White sisters and I decided to take a car trip from their home in Florida to New York. The two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, were college students, and the youngest, Amy, had recently turned sixteen. Proud of having a new driver’s license(驾照), Amy was excited about practicing her driving on the trip. She showed off her license to everyone she met.

　　The big sisters shared the driving of Sarah’s new car during the first part of the trip, but when they reached less crowded areas, they let Amy take over. Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat. After lunch, Amy got behind the wheel. She came to a crossroads with a stop sign. Whether she was nervous or just didn’t see the sign no one would ever know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping. The driver of a large truck, unable to stop in time, ran into our car.

　　Jane was killed immediately.

　　I was slightly injured. The most difficult thing that I’ve ever done was to call the Whites to tell them about the accident and that Jane had died. Painful as it was for me to lose a good friend, I knew that it was far worse for them to lose a child.

　　When Mr. and Mrs. White arrived at the hospital, they found their two daughters sharing a room. Sarah had a few cuts on the head; Amy’s leg was broken. They hugged(拥抱)us all and cried tears of sadness and of joy at seeing their daughters. They wiped away the girls’ tears and made a few jokes at Amy as she learned to use her crutches(拐杖).

　　To both of their daughters, and especially to Amy, over and over they simply said, “We’re so glad that you’re alive. ”

　　I was astonished. No blame. No accusations.

　　Later, I asked the Whites why they never talked about the fact that Amy was driving and had run a stop sign.

　　Mrs. White said, “Jane’s gone, and we miss her terribly. Nothing we say or do will ever bring her back. But Amy has her whole life ahead of her. How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister’s death?”

　　They were right. Amy graduated from the University of California and got married several years ago. She works as a teacher of learning-disabled students. She’s also a mother of two little girls of her own, the oldest named Jane.

　　57. The author of the passage is _____.

　　A. Mrs. White’s niece

　　B. Jane’s school friend

　　C. The Whites’ cousin

　　D. Sarah’s friend from college

　　58. How did the author’s parents differ from the Whites?

　　A. The author’s parents were less caring.

　　B. The author’s parents were less loving.

　　C. The author’s parents were less friendly.

　　D. The author’s parents were less understanding.

　　59. How did the accident occur?

　　A. Amy didn’t stop at a crossroads and a truck hit their car.

　　B. Amy didn’t know what to do when she saw the stop sign.

　　C. Amy didn’t slow down so their car ran into a truck.

　　D. Amy didn’t get off the highway at a crossroads.

　　60. The accident took place in ______.

　　A. Florida

　　B. California

　　C. South Carolina

　　D. New York

　　61. The Whites did not blame Amy for Jane’s death because _____.

　　A. they didn’t want Amy to feel ashamed and sorry for the rest of her life

　　B. Amy was badly injured herself and they didn’t want to add to her pain

　　C. they didn’t want to blame their children in front of others

　　D. Amy was their youngest daughter and they loved her best

　　62. From the passage we can learn that _____.

　　A. Amy has never recovered from the shock

　　B. Amy changed her job after the accident

　　C. Amy lost her memory after the accident

　　D. Amy has lived quite a normal life

　　答案与分析

　　本文是记叙文，全文讲述了“我”所遇到的一家的事情。他们相互之间没有责备，而是相关爱，这给“我”留下了深刻印象。

　　57. B 细节题。从Jane while and I became friends at shod 我们可以得知她们学校是朋友。

　　58. D细节理解题，从In my family , it was always important to place blame then anything bad happened我们可以得知，他们之间缺乏谅解。

　　59. A 细节理解题，从She came to a crossroads with a stop sign. Whether she was nervous or just didn’t see the sign no one would ever know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping.我们可以得知，当看到停止显示时，她没有停，因此造成了重大事故。

　　60. C 细节题。从Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat.以及下文我们得知她们在South Carolina 吃午饭不久发生了事故。

　　61. A 细节理解题，从How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister’s death? ”我们得知，The whites没有责备Any是怕对她以后的幸福生活造成伤害。

　　62. D 推理判断题。最后一段第一句They were right是对How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister’s death? ”的承认，意思是，他们(the whites)对了，即Amy没有受到她姐姐的死亡的影响，现在过着full and happy life。

　　C

　　The first tape recorder didn’t use tape. It used long thin wire. It was invented in 1900 by Valdermar Poulsen. In 1930, German scientists invented the tape we use today. Back then the tape was on big rolls. In 1964 the Philips company in Holland invented the cassette. It’s pretty much a holder for the tape. People use cassettes all over the world. If you don’t have a cassette recorder, borrow one.

　　Think of a book your parents read out loud to you. That might be a great book to read out loud to your mom or dad in their car. Put a cassette in the recorder, open the book, hit the record button and start reading out loud.

　　Remember there is no such a thing as a wrong way to do this. You might think you’ve made a mistake, but this gift is part of you, and nothing about that can be a mistake. It’s impossible.

　　You get to be all artistic and creative here. You might want to play music in the background. Do whatever you want. The gift is you, so you decide. Remember to say “I love you”at the end of your reading. That’s like the prize at the end of the book.

　　63. Choose the right order that shows the development of the tape recorder.

　　a. Using big rolls.

　　b. Using cassettes.

　　c. Using thin wire.

　　A. a, b, c

　　B. b, c, a

　　C. c, a, b

　　D. c, b, a

　　64. Why does the author mention the history of tape recorders in Paragraph 1?

　　A. To inform readers of new inventions.

　　B. To lead into his following suggestion.

　　C. To give an example of his suggestion.

　　D. To show the importance of tape recorders

　　65. What does the author advise us to do?

　　A. To read a book to our parents in their car

　　B. To ask our parents to record a book.

　　C. To make a gift for our parents.

　　D. To practice reading out loud.

　　66. Why does the author say it is impossible to make a mistake in Paragraph 3?

　　A. Because the tape shows your true love.

　　B. Because it’s easy to use a tape recorder.

　　C. Because the music is what your parents like.

　　D. Because it’s impossible to find a mistake in the book.

　　答案与分析

　　本文是议论文，全文首先录音机的发明历程接着讲述了利用录音机提供给我们的便利，大声读一本书录下音，将磁带送给父母，作为礼物。

　　63. C 事件排序题。从短文第一、二句，我们知道C排在第一位，因此排除A，B，从Back then (in 19 30) the tape was on big rolls 得知a 排在第二位，因此得出C答案。

　　64. B 用磁带录下我们读书的声音送给父母。是作者要给我们提的建议。作者首先提出录音机非常完善，建议我们用它作为向我们的父母表达爱的手段。

　　65. C 总结概括题。将我们所读的书录成磁带，并在磁带最后加上 “I love you” 是我们送给父母的最好礼物，其他答案不合题意。

　　66. A 推理判断题。从“but this gift is part of you, and nothing about that can be a mistake.”我们可以得知，因为为父母读书体现了你对他们的爱，因此没有错误而言。

　　D

　　English as a Foreign Language

　　Who taught you to speak English? Your parents, while you were a young child? Your teachers at school? Perhaps even the BBC as a grown-up. Whoever it was, somehow you have developed an understanding of what is rapidly becoming a truly global language.

　　There are now about 376 million people who speak English as their first language, and about the same number who have learnt it in addition to their mother tongue. There are said to be one billion people learning English now and about 80% of the information on the Internet is in English.

　　Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? Should we celebrate the fact that more and more of us can communicate, using a common language, across countries and cultures(文化)？Or should we worry about the dangers of ‘mono-culturalism’, a world in which we all speak the same language, eat the same food and listen to the same music?

　　Does it matter if an increasing number of people speak the same language? On the contrary(相反), I would have thought-although I have never accepted the argument that if only we all understood each other better, there would be fewer wars. Ask the people of India(where many of them speak at least some English)and Pakistan(the same situation with India)…

　　If we all speak English, will we then all start eating McDonalds burgers? Surely not. If English becomes more dominant(占主导地位的), it will kill other languages ? I doubt it. When I travel in Africa or Asia, I am always surprised by how many people can speak not only their own language but often one or more other related languages, as well as English and perhaps some French or German as well.

　　When we discussed this on Talking Point a couple of years ago, we received a wonderfully poetic email from a listener in Ireland. “The English language is a beautiful language. Maybe it’s like a rose,” he said. “But who would ever want their garden just full of rose?”

　　Well, I love roses, and I think they make a beautiful addition to any garden. But the way I see it, just by planting a few roses, you don’t necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people want to plant English roses, that’s fine by me.

　　67. By saying “Ask the people of India…and Pakistan”(in Paragraph 4), the author is trying to show that _____.

　　A. speaking the same language doesn’t necessarily bring peace

　　B. wars can destroy the relationship between two countries

　　C. English doesn’t kill other languages

　　D. English is widely used in the world

　　68. What does “garden” in the last two paragraphs stand for?

　　A. LanguageB. Family

　　C. The worldD. The Earth

　　69. The author would probably agree that ______.

　　A. it’s very hard to plant many kinds of flowers in a garden

　　B. it’s good for people from other countries to learn English

　　C. more and more people like to plant roses in their gardens

　　D. English is easier to learn than other languages

　　70. This passage is mainly about _____.

　　A. why English has become a global language

　　B. how many people in the world speak English

　　C. how people in the world learn English as a foreign language

　　D. whether we need to worry about English being a world language

　　答案与分析

　　本文是议论文，全文在讲述英语重要性的同时，对有些担心全球将来只会用一种语言以及认为如果能彼此理解将会有更少的战争的错误认识进行了批评。

　　67. A 细节理解题。本句承接上文“although I have never accepted the argument that if only we all understood each other better, there would be fewer wars.”而来，作者以印度和巴基斯坦为例说明彼此间的了解并不能减少战争。

　　68. C 词义理解题。在最后两段作者提出没有人会让他们的花园仅仅种植玫瑰，他想表达的意思是世界上不能所有国家都使用同一种语言，在这里roses指“单一语言”，因此garden指“世界”。

　　69. B 作者意图推断题。在最后一段，作者说“But the way I see it, just by planting a few roses, you don’t necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people want to plant English roses, that’s fine by me.”作者用花来比喻语言，由此我们看出，作者认为别的国家的人学英语(to plant English roes)是好的。

　　70. D 主旨大意题。全文在讲了英语的重要性后，作者提出了有些人担心英语成为世界单一语言，对此以花园为比喻，提出了多种语言共存的必要性，鼓励人们多学英语。

　　Planet Hunter

　　When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night, he would go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky.

　　“What excited me most was whether there were planets(行星)in other solar(太阳的)systems where life might exist,” he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting(沿……轨道运行)other stars like our Sun.”

　　And he did. “My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995,” Dr. Marcy says. “We worked for ten years without finding anything! But we stuck with it, and our patience paid off.”

　　Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler also spotted the first “family” of three planets. In June 2002 they announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like(像木星一样的)planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.

　　At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.

　　Why is this important? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features(特征)in our solar system. The first is Jupiter.

　　“Because it’s so big, Jupiter pulls comets and asteroids(小行星), or they all come and hit the Earth.” Dr. Marcy explains. “Without Jupiter, life on Earth would likely have been destroyed.”

　　A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life, can exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55 Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr. Marcy, “We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life!”

　　71. What can we learn about Dr. Marcy from the passage?

　　A. He is fond of watching Jupiter.

　　B. He is from a scientist family.

　　C. He dislikes working with Paul Butler.

　　D. He is interested in finding life in outer space.

　　72. Which of the following is true of the recent discovery?

　　A. The planet is not as protective as Jupiter.

　　B. The planet is close to star 55 Cancri.

　　C. The planet proves to be a gas planet.

　　D. The planet is as large as Jupiter.

　　73. How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?

　　A. 100 B. 69

　　C. 66 D. 65

　　74. Dr. Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55 Cancri system because ______.

　　A. he has found the system similar to the solar system

　　B. he has discovered an Earth-like planet there

　　C. he has discovered a rocky planet there

　　D. he has found signs of life in the system

　　75. “But we stuck with it”(in Paragraph 3)means ______.

　　A. they felt discouraged

　　B. they carried on with it

　　C. they failed in their attempt

　　D. they made some progress

　　答案与分析

　　本文是记叙文，全文介绍了科学家Geoff Marcy 及其同伴发现新的行星的经过及地球生命存在原因，他们的研究仍在继续，并提出了新的猜想。

　　71. D主旨大意题。全文讲述了Mr Marcy 试图找到外空生命存在证据的漫长历程。

　　72. C 细节题。从“The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.”我们得知，这个行星是气体行星。

　　73. D细节题。从“Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and.”我们得知到目前为止，他们发现在100个行星中有65个沿其他恒星运行。

　　74. A 推理判断题。Mr Marcy 首先分析了地球上生命的存在是因为有了巨大的木星。从 “A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55 Cancri.”我们知道在“55 Cancri”附近有一个“Jupiter-like planet”，因此他就提出“Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice?”由此我们可以推断，如果有一个“Earth-like planet”，那么外空就会有生命存在。

　　75. B句意理解题。从短文中我们知道在找到“Jupiter-like planet”之后，Mr Marcy 坚定了找外空生命的信心，但目前仅是猜想，而没有真正找到或取得进展，因此A, C, D不合题意。