（全国用）2019年高考英语二轮复习与增分策略 专题一 阅读理解
第三节 题组练习 2 科普知识
(2017·甘肃甘谷二中一模)
Are you an optimist？Do you look at your glass and see it as half full？Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that things generally turn out for the best？Do you believe that if something is meant to be，it will be？If you reply “yes” to all of these questions，then you are an optimist.You probably are enthusiastic，cheerful and outgoing.You may be successful at work and in love.
But you may be misguided because things don’t turn out for the best.You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example，you may fail to obtain a new job; another chance will come around soon)．Wrong.When one door closes，another door slams(砰然关上) in your face.That’s bitter reality.
Now a book has been published which confirms what pessimists(悲观者) have suspected all along.It’s called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism.Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results.Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear，anxiety and worry.Defensive pessimists prepare for the things by setting low outcomes for themselves.They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems.And this gives them a sense of control.Lawrence Sanno，a psychology professor，says，“What’s interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people，so their low opinion of the situation’s outcomes is not realistic.They use it to motivate themselves to perform better.”
So far，so good.This is not rocket science.Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong，whether at work，on date or even in a sports game.It makes sense to have a back-up plan.There are many sayings in English urging caution.For example，“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And “Don’t count your chickens until they hatch.” To have a confident and optimistic approach to life’s problems is good.But listen to what Woody Alien，the American comedian says，“Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”
There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist.Don’t feel bad if you see the glass half empty.You are a realist.But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.
语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文，说明了防御性悲观的积极力量，防御性悲观主义是一种管理恐惧、焦虑和担心的策略。防御性悲观者为自己设定较低的结果，他们仔细考虑可能出现的问题并计划处理这些问题的办法，这给了他们一种控制感。 1．What’s the passage mainly about? A．A book that has recently been published. B．How to become successful in life. C．The dangers of being too optimistic. D．The benefits of defensive pessimism. 答案 D
解析 主旨大意题。文章在第一段提出了人乐观一点会更好，接着主要讨论了要做一个防御性悲观者，因为这样的悲观者才会对以后的事情做好充分的准备，会有详细的计划和安排。那样才能有更好的结果。故D正确。
2．The underlined sentence in Para.4 means . A．it’s not a dangerous thing to do B．it is quite simple to understand C．the cost is not so high D．there is no real proof 答案 B
解析 句意理解题。谚语“This is not rocket science.”中的rocket science指困难的事情，难以理解的事情。本句话的意思就是指这很好理解。故B正确。
3．Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe? A．Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. B．The glass is half full not half empty. C．Whatever will be，will be. D．Every cloud has a silver lining. 答案 A
解析 细节理解题。根据文章第四段中的“There are many sayings in English urging caution.For example，‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’”可知该谚语表示做事要谨慎，与防御性悲观者观点一致，故A项符合。
4．The writer would probably describe himself as . A．an optimist C．a realist 答案 C
解析 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“当上帝关上一扇门的时候，他会为你打开另外一扇门。但是实际上并不是总是如此。”再接合最后一段内容可知作者是个现实主义者。故C正确。
B．a defeatist D．a scientist
B
(2017·吉林长春外国语学校期中)
Showers can be relaxing.You can hum a song，daydream or think about nothing，leaving the real world behind you.But did you know that showering can also benefit your mind?
A research by Scott Barry Kaufman，a psychologist from Yale University in the US interviewed over 3,000 people around the world.It turned out that nearly two-thirds of the interviewees said they had experienced new ideas in the shower and were more likely to have them in the shower than at work.So why does a simple shower have such magic power？Science can explain it.
Showering can help to raise our level of dopamine，a hormone(荷尔蒙) closely related to our creativity.“People vary in terms of their level of creativity according to the activity of dopamine，” explained Alice Flaherty，a famous American neuroscientist.“Taking a warm shower can make us feel relaxed and therefore make the dopamine level rise and bring ‘Aha！’ moment to us.”
Besides the chemical changes，showering may give you a break from what you feel you have been stuck with.Especially when you have thought hard all day about a problem，jumping into the shower can keep you from the outside world so that you can focus on your inner feelings and memories.In this way，according to American psychologist Shelley H．Carson，author of Your Creative Brain，“a showering hour may turn into an ‘incubation(孵化) period’ for your ideas.”
Showering allows us to enjoy the creative juices of our minds，but it needn’t just be the bathroom where you get your inspiration.For instance，Gertrude Stein，a female American writer and poet，got new ideas by driving around a farm and stopping at different cows until she found the one that most inspired her.So try to create your own way to free your mind，whether it’s a walk near the ocean，a country drive or reading a book at home.
语篇解读 一项科学实验证实了淋浴不仅能让我们感到放松，还能激发大脑的创造力。 5．According to the article，what changes can showering cause? A．Bringing the terrible moment to us. B．Increasing the level of dopamine. C．Leading to boredom or tiredness.
D．Setting the conservative part of the brain free.
答案 B
解析 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Showering can help to raise our level of dopamine...”可知，淋浴能增加人体内多巴胺的水平。故选B。
6．If one has focused on something all day，showering can help . A．turn one’s attention inwards
B．draw one’s attention to the outside world C．one make an important breakthrough D．many chemical changes to take place 答案 A
解析 细节理解题。根据第四段第二句“Especially when you have thought hard all day about a problem，jumping into the shower can keep you from the outside world so that you can focus on your inner feelings and memories.”可知，A项正确。
7．What’s the author’s attitude towards the opinion that showering can lead to creativity? A．Positive. C．Neutral. 答案 A
解析 观点态度题。根据最后一段中的“Showering allows us to enjoy the creative juices of our minds...”可判断出，作者认为淋浴能激发我们的创造力，即作者对“淋浴能激发人的创造力”这一观点持积极态度。故选A。
8．The example of Gertrude Stein in the last paragraph is used to . A．encourage readers to find their own ways of getting inspiration B．point out to readers that it’s hard to find inspiration C．explain how to link inspiration with readers’ daily lives D．show that creativity often comes from strange places 答案 A
解析 推理判断题。最后一段开头作者指出淋浴能激发我们的创造力，但是并不一定非得在浴室淋浴获得灵感，后面就以Gertrude Stein为例讲述其他方法也能激发我们的灵感。由此可判断出，作者以Gertrude Stein为例是为了鼓励读者找到自己的获取灵感的方法。故选A。
C
(2017·第三次全国大联考)
Feeding knowledge directly into your brain，just like in sci-fi classic The
B．Negative. D．Not mentioned.
Matrix(《黑客帝国》)，could soon take as much effort as falling asleep，scientists
believe.