英语B1阅读理解题及答案

2024年1月26日发(作者：)

《英语B1》阅读理解

81。 Holidays in the United States usually occur at least once a month. Most months have a

national holiday that has been arranged to be celebrated on a Monday. The holidays have all

been decided to be celebrated on a Monday so that the workers may have 3—day

weekends—-— that is， Saturday, Sunday and Monday in order to rest or travel or do things

with their families。 Major holidays in the United States such as New Year’s Day or Christmas

Day or the day， when we remember the first settlers of the United States, called Thanksgiving

Day are celebrated all over the country。 During these holidays most businesses close and the

workers stay home and celebrate with their family.

Vacation can be from 2 weeks a year to 4 weeks a year。 This usually depends on how long

you've been working for a company， what type of position you have， whether you have a very

high position or a very important position and it's difficult to find someone to replace

you。 In this case, you might take a few days at a time rather than taking one month all at once。

Usually the more time you spend working for a company, the more time you may get for

vacation。

1。 The government of the United States makes it a rule for workers to have a ___ weekend

almost once a month。

A。 1—day B。 2—day C. 3—day D. 4-day

2. Workers in the United States sometimes work from___.

A. Monday to Saturday B。 Tuesday to Sunday

C。 Thursday to Friday D. Tuesday to Friday

3。 Which statement is not true according to this passage？

A。 Only a few shops remain open on New Years Day。

B. Most of the workers needn’t work on Christmas Day.

C. Days on vacation must be more than all the holidays in a year.

D。 All the workers have a half month vacation at last.

4。 The reason why someone has to divide his vacation into several parts is that ___。

A。 no one can be found to take his place

B。 he hasn’t a most high position

C。 he plays an important role in his work

D. he hasn’t been working for his company for a long time

5。 Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A。 Holidays in the United States

B. Vacation in the United States.

C. How do the workers spend their holidays。

D. Something about the holidays and vacation in the U.S..

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82。 Why don’t birds get lost in their long migratory flights? Scientists have been puzzled over

this question for many years。 Now they’re beginning to fill in the blanks。

Not long ago， experiments showed that birds rely on the sun to guide them during daylight

hours. But what about birds that fly mainly at night？ Tests with artificial stars have proved

conclusively that certain night—flying birds are able to follow the star in their long-distance

flights。

One such bird-——a warbler（鸣禽)—-—had spent its lifetime in a cage and never flown under

the natural sky. Yet it showed an inborn ability to use the stars for guidance。 The bird’s cage

was placed under an artificial star—filled sky at migration time. The bird tried to fly in the same

direction as that taken by his outdoor cousins. Any change in the position of the make—believe

stars caused a change in the direction of his flight。

Scientists think that warbler， when flying in daylight， use the sun for guidance. But the stars

are apparently their principal means of navigation. What do they do when the stars are hidden by

clouds？ Apparently， they find their way by such landmarks as mountain ranges, coast lines,

and river courses. But when it’s too dark to see these, the warblers circle helplessly, unable to

get their bearings.

1。 The reason why birds don't get lost in migratory flights

A。 have been known to scientists for years .

B。 have only recently been discovered。

C. are known by everyone.

D。 will probably remain a mystery。

2. The experiment with the warbler indicated that

A. birds have to be taught to navigate.

B. a bird that has been caged will not migrate.

C。 some birds cannot fly at night.

D。 some birds seem instinctively to follow the star when flying at night.

3。 Under artificial stars, the bird in the cage

A. tried to fly in the same direction as birds not caged 。

B。 changed direction when the position of the stars was changed.

C。 would not fly at all。

D. both A and B.

4。 Warblers migrate

A. from North American to the Falkland Islands.

B。 only once during their lifetime.

C。 using what is apparently an inborn navigational ability.

D. when they are freed from their cages.

5. This article is a good example of the way scientists

A。 jump to conclusion。

B. discover workable answers to general questions by studying particular cases。

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C。 formulate a law and then carry out investigation。

D。 are frustrated by the habits of animals。

83. Social customs and ways of behaving change。 Things which were considered impolite

many years ago are now acceptable. Just a few years ago, it was considered impolite behavior

for a man to smoke on the street. No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would

make a fool of himself by smoking when a lady was in a room.

Customs also differ from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or the right of a

woman in your country? Or doesn’t it matter? What about table manners？ Should you use both

hands when you are eating? Should you leave one on your lap, or on the table?

The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also share a large number

of social customs. For example， in both America and England people shake hands when they

meet each other for the first time. Also, most Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer

their seat to a woman, and so will most Americans. Promptness is important both in England and

in America. That is， if a dinner invitation is for 7 o'clock， the dinner guest either arrives close

to that time or calls up to explain his delay.

The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make

other people feel uncomfortable， especially if they are your guests. There is an old story about a

man who gave a formal dinner party. When the food was served， one of the guests started to eat

his peas with a knife。 The other guests were amused or shocked, but the host calmly picked up

his knife and began eating in the same way. It would have been bad manners to make his guest

feel foolish or uncomfortable。

1. If one has accepted a dinner invitation， what should he do if he is to be late for the dinner？

A. He should find an excuse。 B. He should ask for excuse。

C. He should say “Sorry”. D. He should telephone to explain his being late。

2. “It would have been bad manners to make his guests feel foolish or uncomfortable。” “Bad

manners： means ___.

A。 ugly B。 dishonest C。 impolite D. shameful

3。 Which of the following do you think is the best title for this passage?

A。 Social Customs and Behavior B。 Social life

C。 American and British Customs D. Promptness Is Important

4。 According to the text， the best host ___。

A。 tries his best to make his guests feel comfortable

B. makes his guests feel excited

C。 tries to avoid being naughty to his guests

D. tries to avoid being foolish

5. The author of this article may agree with which of the following?

A. The guest who ate his peas with a knife。

B. The other guests who were amused or shocked。

C。 The host who picked up his knife and began eating in the same way。

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D. None of the above.

84. There have been many great inventions, things that changed the way we live。 The first

great invention was that is still very important today ——— the wheel。 This made it easier to

carry heavy things and to travel long distances。

For hundreds of years after that there were few inventions that had as much effect as the wheel.

Then in the early 1800’s the world started to change. There was little unknown land left in the

world. People didn’t have to explore much anymore。 They began to work instead to make life

better.

In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made. Among them were the

camera， the electric light and the radio。 These all became a big part of our life today。

The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions。 The helicopter in 1909, sound

movies in 1926, the computer in 1928， and jet planes in 1930. This was also a time when a new

material was first made. Nylon came out in 1935。 It changed the kind of clothes people wear。

The middle part of the 20th century brought new ways to help people get over disease。 They

worked very well. They made people healthier and let them live long lives. By the 1960s most

people could expect to live to be at least 60.

By this time most people had a very good life. Of course new inventions continued to be made。

But man now had a desire to explore again。 The world is known to man but the stars are yet.

Man began looking for ways to go into space。 Russia made the first step。 Then the United

States took a step。 Since then other countries， including China and Japan， have made their

steps into space。

In 1969 man took his biggest step away form earth。 Americans first walked on the moon。 This

is certainly just a beginning though. New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have

never yet dreamed of。

1。 ___ inventions had had as much effect as the wheel before the 19th century。

A. Quite a number of B。 Some C. Few D。 Many other

2. Nylon came out nearly at the same time as ___.

A. the radio B. the camera C. jet planes D。 the movies

3. People can live longer lives because ___ to help cure diseases have worked very well。

A。 doctors B. new methods C。 medicines D. new hospitals

4. This passage talks mainly about ___。

A。 how inventions affect people's lives B. when the electric light was invented

C。 which country made the first step into space D. why cars were very important

5。 We can safely come to the conclusion that people’s lives will be made even better through

___。

A。 new discoveries B。 greater inventions

C。 better ways to help get over diseases D. all of the above

85. The whole body is covered with skin. The surface of the skin is dead （like the hair and

nails）, but it is made from a living layer just under the surface。 The outside dead layers wear

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off all the time， with new ones replacing them， and the body forms a totally new skin every

three weeks.

The skin protects the body from the outside world and it passes in information from the outside。

It helps to keep water in the body and to keep the body at the same temperature. Bacteria (germs)

cannot get in through the skin unless it is damaged。

If the weather is cold, the blood vessels on the skin squeeze （挤压) down， or contract， so that

as little blood as possible comes near the surface。 This means that less warmth is lost to the

outside。 This makes the skin look pale， or even “blue". At the same time， the hairs on the

skin are pulled upright by tiny muscles。

When it is hot, the blood vessels expand， or get wider again， to allow plenty of blood to run

near the surface of the skin。 This helps the body to loose heat, and the skin may look red。 At

the same time， The sweat glands produce more sweat, which cools the skin down。

If the skin has ever been numb， you will realize how important the feeling from the skin is.

Nerves in the skin are sensitive to heat and cold， sharpness， hardness and softness, wetness

and dryness and pain。 If one is not able to feel these things， which can act as warning, he is

likely to be burned, cut or hurt in other ways。

The color of the skin depends on special color cells。 These are just below the top layers of the

skin。 They are needed as protection from some of the harmful rays of the sun。 The stronger the

sun， the more important it is to have a dark skin. People with pale skins may “tan（晒黑)” in the

sun. This happens when the body produces extra color cells in the skin for protection。 In the

sun， the skin produces a vitamin (vitamin D） which is needed for strong bones。

1. According to the passage， which of the following statements is not true？

A. There is skin all over one’s body.

B。 The skin of one’s body will be completely different in three weeks.

C. The surface of the skin is made of a living layer

D。 One’s hair and nails are dead。

2. The second paragraph of the passage mainly talks about。

A. the functions of the skin B。 the temperature of the skin

C。 the information from the skin D。 the water in one’s body

3。 When will bacteria get in through the skin?

A。 When one is ill. B。 When the bacteria are strong enough。

C。 When the skin is cut。 D. When the temperature is very low.

4. When the weather is cold, the skin will contract in order to

A. make more blood come near the surface。 B. keep warmth.

C. make the skin look pale. D。 help the body lose heat。

5。 The color of the skin is determined by。

A。 the top layers of the skin。 B。 vitamin D

C. the rays of the sun D。 color cells.

86。 Many of the world’s pollution problems have been caused by the crowding of large groups

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of people into the cities。 Supply for the needs of the people leads to further pollution by

industry. If the rapid increase in human population continues at the present rate， there may be

much greater harm。 Some scientists speak of the increase in numbers of people as“population

pollution”.

About 2，000 years ago, the world population was probably about 250 million。 It reached a

billion in 1850. By 1930， the population was two billion。 It was three and a half billion by

1980. It doubled by the year 2000。 If the population continues to grow at the same rate， there

would be 25 billion people in the world a hundred years from now!

Man has been using the earth's resources more and more rapidly over the years。 Some of them

are almost gone. Now many people believe that man's greatest problem is how to control the

growth of his own population. The materials in the world will not support the human population,

in time to come， if the present rate of increase continues. Already there is overcrowding in the

cities and hunger in some countries。 Can man’s rate of increase continue？ Many people

believe that human survival in the future depends on the answer to this question。

1. The world's pollution problems would be less serious if

A。 fewer people moved from countryside to the cities。

B. More people moved from countryside to the cities。

C。 Industry developed less fast.

D. Many people moved to the cities without the fast development of industry.

2。 The increasing move to the cities of the people is thought to be

A. city pollution B. population pollution

C. countryside pollution D。 industry pollution

3。 In 1850 the population in the world was

A. 250 million B. 1，000million C. 200 million D。 2，000million

4. In the year 2000， the world population was

A. 350 million B. 25，000 million C. 4，000 million D. 7，000 million

5. The most serious problem man is facing is thought to be

A. The using of the earth's resources。

B. The control over the waste of the natural materials.

C。 How to slow down the increase of population.

D. How to stop the birth of new babies。

87。 While flying in space， astronauts have no weight. It is a condition of weightlessness. How

does this affect their heart and blood vessels？ What happens to their hearts and blood vessels

when they go into space？

On earth gravity （引力) makes blood flow down towards the feet, so the heart must work to

pump blood up。 In space blood flows up towards the heart. The effect is similar to what

happens when you lie with your feet up and your head down. The flowing blood is felt by

receptors in the walls of arteries (动脉） in the upper part of the body and in the heart. These

receptors send signals to the brain， but the brain reads them incorrectly. To the brain, the signals

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means the amount of blood in the body has increased， so the brain tells other parts of the body

to react to the increase in the blood。 For example， the body produces more urine （尿液)，

resulting in loss of body fluid and salt. At the same time the astronaut has less desire to drink and

so does not replace the lost fluid.

As a spacecraft begins to fall back to earth atmosphere, the crew begins to feel gravity. Blood

again flows towards the feet and collects there. The heart beats faster in an effort to pump

enough blood to the brain. Some crew members may not get enough blood to the brain and the

heart beats too fast。 They become sick and even lose consciousness as their spacecraft reenters

the earth atmosphere。 To prevent this, special clothing is invited for astronauts to prevent blood

collecting in their legs. They put it on just before the craft reenters the earth’s atmosphere. They

also drink about a liter （升） of water and eat some salt to replace the fluid they have lost while

in space。

Weightlessness affects the heart and blood vessels in another way。 The heart does not work as

hard in a weightless environment as it does in an environment of gravity. When the heart works

less hard， the heart muscles become weaker。 It is replaced by fibrous tissue and fat。

1. If one lies with his feet up and his head down on earth， his

A. heart will pump the blood up to the head. B. blood will flow down towards the feet.

C. heart will have to work harder. D. blood will flow up towards the heart.

2. What can we infer from the second paragraph of the passage？

A. The brain reads the signals incorrectly because it tends to go wrong in outer space

B. In space an astronaut should drink some water even when he does not feel thirsty。

C。 In space the amount of water in the body of an astronaut increase。

D. The receptors in the walls of arteries often send wrong signals to the brain.

3. When the spacecraft reenters the earth's atmosphere some astronauts become sick or even lose

consciousness because

A. their brains cannot get enough blood B. their hearts are not strong enough

C. their blood collects in their feet D。 they begin to feel the gravity again

4. When the spacecraft enter the earth’s atmosphere， the astronauts should do the following

except

A。 drinking some water. B。 eating some salt

C。 putting on special clothing D。 trying to regain their consciousness

5. After a long time in space， an astronaut’s heart muscles become weaker because

A。 the heart works too hard under an environment of weightlessness.

B。 they are completely replaced by fibrous tissue and fat。

C。 they are short of exercises when the heart works less hard.

D。 the astronaut’s hard work puts too great a burden on the heart.

88。 What will man be like in the future---in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can

only make a guess， of course， but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is

today. For man is changing slowly all the time.

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Let us take an obvious example. Man， even five years ago， was shorter than he is today。 Now,

on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of

time， so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller。

Again, in the modern world we use our brain a great deal. Even so， we still make use of only

about 20% of the brain’s capacity。 As time goes on， however， we shall have to use our brain

more and more——-and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a

physical change too: the head， in particular the forehead, will grow larger。

Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact， we use them so much that very often they

become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over a very long period of time it is likely that

man’s eyes will grow stronger。

On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs。 These, as a result, are likely

to grow weaker。 At the same time， however， our fingers will grow more sensitive because

they are used a great deal in modern life。

But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time

because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer。 In the future， then, both sexes are likely

to be bald!

Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look

at! This may well be true。 All the same， in spit of all these changes, future man will still have

a lot in common with us。 He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to

our own.

1。 Future man is likely to be different from us

A。 in almost every way B。 in quite a few ways

C。 in great many ways D. in one or two ways

2. The reason for believing that future man will be different is that he

A。 began to change five years ago B。 never stops changing

C. never stops growing D. has recently begun to change

3。 People’s heads will eventually grow larger. This is because their brains

A. will grow faster than at present B。 will be in constant use

C. will play an important part D. will need more room than at present

4。 Future man will probably

A。 have bigger eyes B。 get weaker eyes

C. see better D。 have to wear better glasses

5。 future man's hair will

A. grow darker B。 stop growing completely

C. fall out more often D. get longer

89。 Some of the most interesting buildings in the world are the pyramids。 The pyramids stand

huge and silent, and in modern days， people look at them and wonder, “Who built them？

Why？ When? What is inside? How did they do it？"

Thousands of years ago, certain kings of Egypt built the pyramids。 They used to build them as

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tombs。 The kings thought the pyramids would help them find life after death. They also wanted

the world to remember them as important people。 Some pyramids were for queens， but they

are less interesting because they are not as big as those of the kings!

The oldest pyramid that we know today is the pyramid near Sakara in Egypt。 It is about 5000

years old。

There are many pyramids along the Nile River. The largest is the pyramid of Khufu. It is made

of 2,300,000 huge stones, most of them taller than a person. It is about 144 meters high。 Inside

the pyramid are the burial rooms for the king and queen and long passage ways to these rooms。

The rest of the pyramid is made of solid stones。

Workers usually built the pyramids when they had little or no work to do on their farms. To build

the pyramid of Khufu， 100,000 men worked for twenty years。

We know there are wonderful treasures in the pyramids. Robbers have dug into some of the

pyramids and taken many of these treasures. However， today some of the treasures are in

museums.

How did the people of ancient days build the pyramids？ How did they carry and lift upwards

the huge stones? Each stone fits in with one another so well though they didn’t have our modern

machine at all！ The ancient art work of Egypt give us the idea of a miracle。 Scientists have

studied the pyramids, but nobody can say just how they did it。

1。 What is this passage mainly about?

A. How ancient tombs were built in Egypt.

B。 Some of the most interesting buildings in the world.

C。 Egyptian Kings and their wives.

D. The oldest pyramid near Sakara in Egypt。

2。 People today think the pyramids in Egypt。

A。 are reminders of the power enjoyed by the kings。

B. are in memory of some important people.

C。 will help ancient Egyptian kings find life after death.

D. are the most important buildings in the world。

3。 Which of the following is true?

A。 The pyramid near Sakara is the largest in Egypt。

B。 All the stones used to build the pyramid of Khufu are taller than a person。

C. It took 100，000 workers and 20 years to build the pyramid of Khufu.

D。 All the treasures in the burial rooms have been stolen.

4。 Why did robbers dig into the pyramids？ Because

A. they wanted to see if there were any treasures in them as they thought。

B。 they wanted to study why each stone fits so well。

C。 they wanted to know how those huge stones were carried and lifted upwards.

D。 they wanted to steal all the precious things.

5. According to the passage, we..。

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A。 have known a lot about the pyramids。

B. know nothing about these ancient tombs。

C. can't say just how these pyramids were built。

D。 know quite well how ancient Egyptians built the pyramids。

90。 Trees are useful to man in three very important ways： they provide him with wood and

other products; they give him shade； and they help to prevent droughts （干旱) and floods.

Unfortunately, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. Two

thousand years ago a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which

to gain itself an empire（帝国). It gained the empire, but, without its trees， its soil became hard

and poor。 When the empire fell to pieces， the home country found itself faced by flood and

starvation。

Even though a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees， it is difficult

for it to persuade villagers to see this。 The villagers want wood to cook their food with; and

they can earn money by selling wood. They are usually too lazy to plant and look after the trees.

So， unless the government has a good system of control， or can educate the people， the

forests will slowly disappear。

This does not only mean that the villagers’ children and grandchildren will have fewer trees. The

results are even more serious， for where there are trees their roots break the soil

up, allowing the rain to sink in and also bind the soil， thus preventing its being washed away

easily。 But where there are no trees， the rain falls on hard ground and flows away from the

surface, causing flood。

1. That trees can help to prevent droughts and floods is

A。 not as important as the other services. B。 as important as the other services.

C。 not important D. more important than any other services。

2. People cut trees down in large numbers so that they found that

A。 they lost the best friends they had。 B。 their best friends lost tree。

C。 their best friends drew quick profit。 D。 their best friends died。

3. Two thousand years ago, the soil of a rich country became hard and poor， because

A. it fell to pieces. B. it was faced with floods.

C。 it cut down its trees to build warships. D。 it was faced with starvation。

4. It is difficult for a government to persuade the villagers

A. to make charcoal B. to realize the importance of trees

C. to carry wood to the town D。 to cook the food with wood

5。 According to the passage we know that trees can

A。 prevent the rain from falling on the ground。

B. cause great floods.

C。 have the rich top—soil carried away.

D。 prevent the soil from being washed away easily.

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答案

81。 1-5 CDDAD

82。 1—5 BDDCB

83。 1—5 DCAAC

84. 1—5 CCBAD

85。 1-5 CACBD

86. 1—5 ABBDC

87. 1—2 DBBDC

88。 1-5 BBBCB

89. 1-5 BACDC

90。 1—5 DACBD

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