[2012年高考英语阅读理解练习]社会文化类
(一)(2011·课标全国)When milk arrived on the doorstep
When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5??year??old boy, I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note －“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”－and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr.Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊). Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1．Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer
________.
A．to show his magical power
B．to pay for the delivery
C．to satisfy his curiosity
D．to please his mother
2．What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?
A．He wanted to have tea there.
B．He was treated as a family member.
C．He was a respectable person.
D．He was fully trusted by the family.
3．Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?
A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now.
B．It has been driven out of the market.
C．Its service is getting poor.
D．It is forbidden by law.
4．Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?
A．He missed the good old days.
B．He wanted to tell interesting stories.
C．He needed it for his milk bottles.
D．He planted flowers in it.
下一页答案解析 分页标题#e#
答案与解析
1.C 推理判断题。根据第一段最后可以看出，当时作者只是一个5岁的孩子，对送奶人腰带上的投币器很好奇，善良的送奶人把一枚硬币送给作者，是为了满足其好奇心，所以应选C项。
2.D 推理判断题。根据第三段第二句可知，家里人与送奶人之间关系很密切，送奶人甚至有家里的钥匙，由此推断送奶人得到了充分的信任，故选D项。
3.B 细节理解题。根据第四段可知，激烈的竞争和购买的便利使得送奶上门退出了市场，无法存在下去，故选B项。
4.A 推理判断题。由最后一段可以看出，作者有一种怀旧的心理，想念儿时的时光，感觉送奶人送来牛奶的同时，也带来了友谊，故选A项。
(二)(2011·课标全国)
While small may be beautiful, tall is just plain uncomfortable it seems, particularly when it comes to staying in hotels and eating in restaurants.
The Tall Persons Club Great Britain (TPCGB), which was formed six months ago to campaign for the needs of the tall, has turned its attention to hotels and restaurants. Beds that are too small，shower heads that are too low, and restaurant tables with hardly any leg??room all make life difficult for those of above average height, it says.
But it is not just the extra??tall whose needs are not being met. The average height of the population has been increasing yet the standard size of beds, doorways, and chairs has remained unchanged.
“The bedding industry says a bed should be six inches larger than the person using it, so even a king??size bed at 6′6″ (6 feet and 6 inches) is falling short for 25% of men, while the standard 6′3″ bed caters for less than half of the male population，” said TPCGB president Phil Heinricy，“Seven??foot beds would work fine.”
Similarly, restaurant tables can cause no end of problems. Small tables, which mean the long??legged have to sit a foot or so away from them, are enough to make tall customers go elsewhere.
Some have already taken note, however. At Queens Moat Houses' Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh, 6′6″ beds are now put in as standard after requests for longer beds from taller visitors，particularly Americans.
1．What is the purpose of the TPCGB campaign?
A．To provide better services.
B．To rebuild hotels and restaurants.
C．To draw public attention to the needs of the tall.
D．To attract more people to become its members.
2．Which of the following might be a bed of proper length according to Phil Heinricy?
A．7′2″
B．7′
C．6′6″
D．6′3″
3．What may happen to restaurants with small tables?
A．They may lose some customers.
B．They may start businesses elsewhere.
C．They have to find easy chairs to match the tables.
D．They have to provide enough space for the long??legged.
4．What change has already been made in a hotel in Edinburgh?
A. Tall people pay more for larger beds.
B．6′6″ beds have taken the place of 6′3″ beds.
C．Special rooms are kept for Americans.
D．Guest rooms are standardized.
下一页答案解析 分页标题#e#
答案与解析
1.C 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句话可知，这次活动的目的是引起公众对高个子的人的需要的关注。
2.B 细节理解题。根据第四段最后一句中的“Seven??foot beds would work fine.”可知，床铺的合适长度是7英尺。
3.A 推理判断题。根据第五段可知，餐桌太小会使高个子的人们到别的地方去(吃饭)，也就是说，餐桌太小的饭店会失去一些客人。
4.B 细节理解题。根据最后一段可知，爱丁堡的一家宾馆已经使用6英尺6英寸的床铺作为标准床铺，故选B项。
(三)(2011·课标全国)
Cassandra Feeley finds it hard to manage on her husband's income. So this year she did something more than a hobby: She planted vegetables in her yard. For her first garden, Ms. Feeley has put in 15 tomato plants, and five rows of a variety of vegetables. The family's old farm house has become a chicken house, its residents arriving next month. Last year, Ms. Rita Gartin kept a small garden. This year she has made it much larger because, she said, “The cost of everything is going up and I was looking to lose a few pounds, too; so it's a win??win situation all around.”
They are among the growing number of Americans who, driven by higher living costs and a falling economy (经济), have taken up vegetable gardening for the first time. Others have increased the size of their existing gardens. Seed companies and garden shops say that not since the 1970s has there been such an increase in interest in growing food at home. Now many gardens across the country have been sold out for several months. In Austin, Tex., some of the gardens have a three??year waiting list.
George C. Ball Jr., owner of a company, said sales of vegetable seeds and plants are up by 40% over last year, double the average growth of the last five years. Mr. Ball argues that some of the reasons have been building for the last few years. The big one is the striking rise in the cost of food like bread and milk, together with the increases in the price of fruits and vegetables. Food prices have increased because of higher oil prices. People are now driving less, taking fewer vacations, so there is more time to garden.
1．What does the word “residents” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?
A．chickens
B．tomatoes
C．gardens
D．people
2．Why is vegetable gardening becoming increasingly popular?
A．More Americans are doing it for fun.
B．The price of oil is lower than before.
C．There's a growing need for fruits.
D．The cost of living is on the rise.
3．Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
A．Family Food Planning
B．Banking on Gardening
C．A Belt??tightening Move
D．Gardening as a Hobby
下一页答案解析 分页标题#e#
答案与解析
1.A 词义猜测题。根据前半句可知，这家的农舍变成了鸡舍，所以下个月要住进来的应该是“鸡”。
2.D 推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句中的“The cost of everything is going up”和第二段第一句中的“higher living costs and a falling economy”以及最后一段第三句中的“the striking rise in the cost of food like bread and milk，together with the increases in the price of fruits and vegetables”可以看出，种植蔬菜流行的原因是生活费用的提高。
3.B 主旨大意题。纵观全文可知，很多人种植蔬菜不仅是出于爱好，更重要的是为了节省生活费用，所以应选B项，bank作为动词是“存款”的意思。
(四)(2011·全国卷Ⅱ)
Since 1984, Philadelphia has been cleaning up its act. One by one, graffiti??covered walls are being changed into outdoor art. So far, more than 1,800 murals (壁画) have been painted.Philadelphia now has more murals than any other American city.
The walls that were once ugly with graffiti (涂鸦) are now covered with beautiful pictures of historical heroes and modern art, thanks to the Mural Arts Program (MAP). Its work makes schools and public places attractive, and its citizens very proud. The program began as part of Philadelphia's Anti??Graffiti Network. Jane Golden is the MAP's artistic director. “When people ask me what our program is about，” she says, “I answer them with one word: hope”. Each year, the MAP offers youth art programs and workshops. Some one??time graffiti writers even help paint MAP murals.
The MAP's work, says Golden, is all about developing a sense of community (社区). When a neighborhood requests a mural, the MAP works with the people there to develop a message. Some messages have been “Safe Streets”， “Love and Care”， and “Peace Walk”．
The MAP receives up to 50 requests for murals each week. Last year, the workers painted 140 murals.
“The making of a mural enters people's collective memory as an extraordinary, pleasant moment in neighborhood history.” says Golden, who began as a muralist in Los Angeles.
1．What can be the best title for the text?
A．Love, from Graffiti Writers to Muralists
B．MAP, a New Company in Philadelphia
C．Jane, an Excellent Mural Artist
D．Hope, One Wall at a Time
2．What is the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia aimed at?
A．Helping the young find jobs.
B．Protecting the neighborhood.
C．Fighting against graffiti.
D．Attracting more visitors.
3．How does the MAP decide on the message for a mural?
A．By having discussions with people in the community.
B．By seeking advice from the city government.
C．By learning from the young graffiti writers.
D．By studying the history of the city.
4．Which of the following words best describes the work of the MAP?
A．Difficult.
B．Dangerous.
C．Experimental.
D．Successful.
下一页答案解析 分页标题#e#
答案与解析
1.D 主旨大意题。根据第二段Jane Golden的话可知，当人们问及该项目是关于什么的时候，她用一个词来概括，即Hope，故D项为最佳标题。
2.C 推理判断题。根据第一、二段，昔日曾经被涂鸦的墙壁正被美丽的壁画所覆盖，以使社区更具魅力，因此对抗涂鸦应是该项目的目的。
3.A 细节理解题。根据第三段第二句可知，当社区的居民请求画一张壁画时，该项目的工作人员就和当地的人们一起工作来拟定出一个主题，故选A项。
4.D 推理判断题。根据第一段及倒数第二段可知，该项目很成功，故选D项。
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