高考英語閱讀理解災難篇

1. 2021年高考英語全國卷 - 閱讀理解C

When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly recing waterfowl habitat.
當探險家們第一次踏上北美洲大陸時，天空和大地上到處都是各種各樣的野生動物，美洲土著人智慧地保護了這些寶貴的自然資源。然而僅僅幾十年，探險家和定居者們就奪走了這些資源中的大部分。數百萬只水鳥在市場獵人和一些野心勃勃的運動員手中被殺。上百萬英畝，用於喂養和容納不斷增加的水禽種群的濕地乾涸，水禽棲息地大大減少。

In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. 「Ding」 Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, Iowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
1934年，隨著《候鳥狩獵郵票法案》的通過，越來越受到關注的國家採取了堅定的行動，制止對候鳥水禽以及對它們的生存至關重要的濕地的破壞。根據該法案，所有16歲及以上的水禽獵手每年都必須購買並攜帶聯邦鴨票。第一張聯邦鴨票是由J.N.「丁」達林設計的，他是愛荷華州得梅因的一位政治漫畫家，當時被富蘭克林·羅斯福總統任命為生物調查局局長。獵人願意購買鴨票，可以確保我們自然資源的生存。

About 98 percent of every ck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System — a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
每一張鴨票的98%直接進入候鳥保護基金，用於購買濕地和野生動物棲息地，納入國家野生動物保護區系統——確保這片土地得到保護，提供給子孫後代。自1934年以來，已有超過5億美元的資金投入該基金，用於購買超過500萬英畝的棲息地。難怪聯邦鴨票計劃被稱為有史以來最成功的保護計劃之一。

2. 2018年高考英語北京卷 - 閱讀理解C

Plastic-Eating Worms
吃塑料的蠕蟲

Humans proce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills， and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.
人類每年生產超過3億噸塑料，其中幾乎一半被作為垃圾填埋， 多達1200萬噸污染海洋。目前還沒有有效的方法來消除它，但一項新的研究表明，答案可能在於一些飢餓蠕蟲的胃。

Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms' chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass--apparently broken down by enzymes from the worms' stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology in 2017.
西班牙和英國的研究人員最近發現，大蠟螟的蠕蟲可以分解聚乙烯，聚乙烯占塑料的40%。研究小組將100隻蠟蟲蠕蟲放在一個商用聚乙烯購物袋中12小時，這些蠕蟲消耗並分解了約92毫克，約占總量的3%。為了證實蠕蟲的咀嚼並不是聚乙烯分解的原因，研究人員將一些蠕蟲製成糊狀物並將其放置於塑料薄膜。14小時後，這些膠片失去了13%的質量——顯然被蠕蟲胃裡的酶分解了。他們的發現發表在2017年的《當代生物學》上。

Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms' ability to break down their everyday food-beeswax--also allows them to break down plastic. "Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, "she explains. "The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. "
這項研究的合著者費德麗卡·貝爾托基尼說，蠕蟲分解日常食物——蜂蠟的能力，也可以讓它們分解塑料。「蠟是一種復雜的混合物，但聚乙烯中的基本鍵——碳碳鍵——也存在，」她解釋道，「蠟蟲進化出一種方法或系統來破壞這種鍵。」

Jennifer Debruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme proced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes?
田納西大學的微生物學家詹妮弗·德布魯恩沒有參與這項研究，她說，這種蠕蟲可以破壞聚乙烯，這並不奇怪。但與之前的研究相比，她發現這次研究的分解速度令人興奮。德布魯恩說，下一步將是確定分解原因。這種酶是由蠕蟲自身產生還是腸道微生物產生？

Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team』s findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of instrial process-not simply "millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.」
貝爾托基尼對此表示同意，並希望她的研究小組的發現有朝一日能利用這種酶在垃圾填埋場分解塑料。但她希望在某種工業過程中使用這種化學物質，而不僅僅是將「數百萬只蠕蟲扔在塑料上」。

3. 2018年高考英語全國卷2 - 閱讀理解B

Many of us love July because it』s the month when nature』s berries and stone fruits are in abundance. These colourful and sweet jewels form British Columbia』s fields are little powerhouses of nutritional protection.
我們中的許多人喜歡七月，因做吵為它是大辯早自然的漿果和核果豐收的月份。這些來自不列顛哥倫比亞省田野，五顏六色、甘甜的寶石是營養保護的小小動力。

Of the common berries, strawberries are highest in vitamin C, although, because of their seeds, raspberries contain a little more protein, iron and zinc (not that fruits have much protein). Blueberries are particularly high in antioxidants. The yellow and orange stone fruits such as peaches are high in the carotenoids we turn into vitamin A and which are antioxidants. As for cherries, they are so delicious who cares? However, they are rich in vitamin C.
在普通漿果中，草莓的維生素C含量最高，盡管是由於種子的 原因，覆盆子含有更多的蛋白質, 鐵和鋅（水果中不含太多蛋白質）。藍莓的抗氧化劑含量特別高。 黃色和橙色的核果，如桃子，富含類胡蘿卜素，我們可以將其轉化為維生素A，這是一種抗氧化劑。至於櫻桃, 它們太好吃了，誰會在乎營養價值呢？不過，它們富含維生素C。

When combined with berries or slices of other fruits, frozen bananas make an excellent base for thick, cooling fruit shakes and low fat 「ice cream」. For this purpose, select ripe bananas for freezing as they are much sweeter. Remove the skin and place them in plastic bags or containers and freeze. If you like, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on the bananas will prevent them turning brown. Frozen bananas will last several weeks, depending on their ripeness and the temperature of the freezer.
當和漿果或其他水果片混純灶侍合時，冷凍香蕉是製作濃稠冰涼的水果奶昔和低脂「冰淇淋」的最佳基礎配料。為此，選擇熟的香蕉冷凍，這樣更甜。去皮，將其放入塑料袋或容器中冷凍。如果你願意，在香蕉上灑一點新鮮檸檬汁可以防止香蕉變成棕色。冷凍香蕉可以保存幾個星期，這取決於它們的成熟度和冰箱的溫度。

If you have a juicer, you can simply feed in frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit. Out comes a 「soft-serve」 creamy dessert, to be eaten right away. This makes a fun activity for a children』s party; they love feeding the fruit and frozen bananas into the top of the machine and watching the ice cream come out below.
如果你有榨汁機，你可以簡單地加入冷凍香蕉和一些漿果或切片水果。松軟的奶油甜點完成，可以立即食用。這對於兒童聚會來說是一項有趣的活動；他們喜歡把水果和冷凍香蕉放進機器的頂部，觀察下面擠出的冰淇淋。

4. 高考英語閱讀理解訓練題及參考答案

高考英語閱讀理解【1】

Blondin was a very famous acrobat(雜技師) in the 19th century. He used to walk on a tight--rope across the Niagara Falls(瀑布). On September 8th, 1860, a crowd of about 300,000 people gathered at Niagara to watch Blondin carry a man across! Three men had offered to go with him, but they falled to appear, so Blondin asked his manager, Mr. Colcord, to climb on his back, Colcord agreed to go this so as not to disappoint the crowd, but he was terrified. The crossing was very difficult because Colcord was heavier than Blondin thought. After he had gone a short way, Blondin had to stop in order to rest. He asked Colcord to get down. At first Colcord refused, but at last he had to. He clung to (緊緊握住) Blondin’s leg and the rope in order not to fall, Blondin had to stop six times ring the crossing so as to rest. Sometimes the rope swung(盪，擺動) as much as 40 feet! At last both men crossed safely. The crowd sighed with relief(松一口氣) and so did poor Mr. Colcord.

1. How did Blondin walk across Niagara Falls on September 8th , 1860?

A. On a tight—rope with his manager on his back.

B. On a tight—rope by himself.

C. On a tight—rope with three men on his back.

D. On a tight—rope with one of his helpers on his back.

2. Why do you think the three men did not appear?

A. They couldn’t walk on tight-rope. B. They did not dare to take the risk.

C. They were ill. D. They had met with an accident.

3. Mr. Colcord agreed to act with Blondin because he .

A. was brave

B. was Blondin’s true friend

C. did not want to disappoint the 300,000 people

D. was Blondin’s manager

4. Blondin stopped six times ring the crossing .

A. in order to help Colcord

B. in order to get his strength back

C. because Colcord clung to his leg and the rope

D. because Colcord was heavier than him

5. Blondin’s nationality was .

A. American B. Canadian

C. Englishman D. not mentioned in the passage

高考英語閱讀理解【2】

One day last November, Tom Baker stopped out of his house into the morning light and headed across the rice fields toward the bank of the Rapti River. Tom, a 32-year-old school teacher in the farming village of Madanpur, was going for his morning bath.

As he approached(走近) the river, the head of a tiger(老虎) suddenly appeared over the edge of the river bank. Before he could turn to run, the tiger was upon him. It jumped on his shoulder and threw him to the ground, its huge jaws attacked his head in a killing bite.

Peter Smith was also on his way to the river and saw the attack. He screamed. The tiger lifted its head and roared(吼叫) at him. Peter ran.

From the window of his house John Brown heard the tiger roar and ran out to see it attacking a man. He screamed, too, and all the villagers ran out shouting as the tiger dropped its victim(犧牲品) and ran off. When the villagers reached the river bank, Tom was already dead.

For the villagers, the horror of the incident intensified(加劇) by the tales of man-eating tigers that has once run around in the countryside, killing hundreds.

1. How many people saw the tiger before it was driven off?

A One person. B. Two persons. C. Three persons. D. Four persons.

2. What was the victim’s professional job?

A. A hunter. B. A teacher. C. A farmer. D. A manager.

3. The reason why the tiger attacked the man was .

A. it was hungry B. it was angry

C. it was frightened by the man D. not mentioned in the passage

5. 2022年高考英語全國甲卷 - 閱讀理解C

As Ginni Bazlinton reached Antarctica, she found herself greeted by a group of little Gentoo penguins longing to say hello. These gentle, lovely gatekeepers welcomed her and kick-started what was to be a trip Ginni would never forget.
吉妮·巴茲林頓到達南極洲時，一群渴望問好的小巴布亞企鵝向她打招呼。這些溫柔可愛的看門人歡迎她，開始了一段吉妮永遠難忘的旅程。

Ever since her childhood, Ginni, now 71, has had a deep love for travel. Throughout her career as a professional dancer, she toured in the UK, but always longed to explore further. When she retired from dancing and her sons eventually flew the nest, she decided it was time to take the plunge.
現年71歲的吉妮從小就熱愛旅行。在她的職業舞蹈生涯中，曾在英國巡迴演出，一直渴望繼續探險。當她從舞蹈中退休，兒子們最終各自成家立業後，決定是時候冒險了。

After taking a degree at Chichester University in Related Arts, Ginni began to travel the world, eventually getting work teaching English in Japan and Chile. And it was in Chile she discovered she could get last-minute cheap deals on ships going to Antarctica from the islands off Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of the South American mainland. "I just decided wanted to go," she says. "I had no idea about what I'd find there and I wasn't nervous, I just wanted to do it. And I wanted to do it alone as I always prefer it that way."
在奇切斯特大學獲得相關藝術學位後，吉妮開始周遊世界，最終在日本和智利找到了教英語的工作。她發現，在智利，她可以在最後一刻買到從南美大陸最南端火地島出發前往南極洲的便宜船票。「我只是想去，」她說，「我不知道在那裡會發現什麼，我也不緊張，我只是想去。我想一個人去，因為我總是喜歡這樣。」

In March 2008, Ginni boarded a ship with 48 passengers she'd never met before, to begin the journey towards Antarctica. "From seeing the wildlife to witnessing sunrises, the whole experience was amazing. Antarctica left an impression on me that no other place has," Ginni says. "I remember the first time I saw a humpback whale; it just rose out of the water like some prehistoric creature and I thought it was smiling at us. You could still hear the operatic sounds it was making underwater."
2008年3月，吉妮登上一艘載有48名乘客的船，開啟了她從未經歷的南極洲之旅。「從看野生動物到看日出，整個過程令人驚嘆。南極洲給我留下了獨一無二的印象，」吉妮說，「我記得我第一次看到座頭鯨時，它就像史前生物一樣從水中浮出水面，我認為它在向我們微笑。你還可以聽見它在水下發出的歌劇般的聲音。」

The realization that this is a precious land, to be respected by humans, was one of the biggest things that hit home to Ginni.
認識到這是一塊寶貴的土地，應該受到人類的尊重，這就是對吉妮來說最重要的事情之一。

6. 2017年高考英語北京卷 - 閱讀理解C

Measles, which once killed 450 children each year and disabled even more,was nearly wiped out in the United States 14 years ago by the universal use ofthe MMR vaccine. But thedisease is making a comeback, caused by a growing anti-vaccine movement andmisinformation that is spreading quickly. Already this year, 115 measles caseshave been reported in the USA, compared with 189 for all of last year.
麻疹, 曾一度每年導致450名兒童死亡，甚至更多的兒童致殘，14年前由於MMR疫苗的普遍使用，在美國幾乎被消滅。不過這種疾病正在卷土重來，這是因為不斷增長的反疫苗運動和迅速傳播的錯誤信息造成的。今年美國已經報告了115例麻疹病例，而去年全年為189例。

The numbers might sound small, but they are the leading edge of a dangerous trend. When vaccination rates are very high, as they still are in the nation as a whole, everyone is protected. This is called 「herd immunity」, which protects the people who get hurt easily, including those who can』t be vaccinated for medical reasons, babies too young to get vaccinated and people on whom the vaccine doesn』t work.
數字聽起來可能很小，但它們代表一種危險趨勢。當全國范圍內作為一個整體疫苗接種率很高時，每個人才會受到保護。這就是所謂的「群體免疫」，保護那些易受感染的人，包括那些因醫療原因不能接種疫苗的人，年齡太橘州小不能接種疫苗的嬰兒，以及那些疫苗不起作用的人。

But herd immunity works only when nearly the whole herd joins in. When some refuse vaccination and seek a free ride, immunity breaks down and everyone is in even bigger danger.
但群體免疫只有在幾乎整個群體都加入時才起作用。當一些人拒絕接種疫苗並尋求自由乘車時，群體免疫就會崩潰，每個人都會圓告蔽面臨更大的風險。

That』s exactly what is happening in small neighborhoods around the country from Orange County, California, where 22 measles cases were reported this month, to Brooklyn, N.Y., where a 17-year-old caused an outbreak last year.
從本月報告了22例麻疹病例的加利福尼亞州奧蘭治縣到去年一名17歲青年引發了一場麻疹友宏疫情的紐約州布魯克林，全國各地的小社區都是如此。

The resistance to vaccine has continued for decades, and it is driven by a real but very small risk. Those who refuse to take that risk selfishly make others suffer.
對疫苗的反對已經持續了幾十年，因為存在真實但非常小的風險。那些拒絕冒險的人讓別人承受痛苦，非常自私。

Making things worse are state laws that make it too easy to opt out of what are supposed to be required vaccines for all children entering kindergarten. Seventeen states allow parents to get an exemption, sometimes just by signing apaper saying they personally object to a vaccine.
更糟糕的是，州法律使得所有進入幼兒園的兒童放棄接種疫苗很容易。17個州允許父母選擇放棄, 有時候，只需要簽署一份聲明，說他們個人反對疫苗。

Now, several states are moving to tighten laws by adding new regulations for opting out. But no one does enough to limit exemptions.
現在，有幾個州正在加強法律，為退出接種增加新的規定。但沒有人採取措施來限制放棄接種。

Parents ought to be able to opt out only for limited medical or religious reasons. But personal opinions? Not good enough. Everyone enjoys the life-saving benefits vaccines provide, but they』ll exist only as long as everyone shares in the risks.
父母應該只能因為有限的醫療或宗教原因選擇放棄。但是個人意見呢？還不夠充分。每個人都享受疫苗提供的拯救生命的好處，但只要每個人都分擔風險，疫苗才會存在。