备战2012高考，精选阅读200篇，适合高三上学期使用，希望对大家有帮助。（2011-8）
From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations, human beings have been putting great effort into space research. And so far, we have achieved many successes. But there are still numerous tasks in front of us and we should not cease trying to progress.
The international space station is an important step we should take in space exploration. It is not only helpful but also essential. It provides a proper space environment for many experiments that we have wanted to do for a long time. It is also a base for the observations of the earth and the universe. It could also be an important base for later travel to the moon and Mars. In a word, if we want to explore space more, the first thing we should do is to set up a space station.
As the space station costs a lot of money, it is hard for one country alone to establish one. The USA seems to be the only country that has the ability to build a space station alone，and it has tried to do so, but not very successful. So it aggregated many other countries to work on it together. Though it is still extremely expensive, it is much cheaper than doing it alone. It is really a job that needs everyone’ s effort and will benefit everyone.
But even so, the funds needed are still a big problem. As for the USA, it seems that it has too many things to spend its money on. Although it is the richest country in the world, it has much debt every year. It has to make arrangements about its finance, and try to find a balance in all these issues.
[语篇解读] 这是一篇说明文。国际空间站对于人类探索太空起着至关重要的作用。由于耗资巨大，财大气粗的美国单独建造起来也并不那么成功。只有各国合作起来，才能解决资金问题，从而使国际空间站造福全人类。
1．What is the author’s attitude towards building and developing the international space station?
A. Supportive. B. Doubtful.
C. Critical. D. Dissatisfied.
[解析] 态度判断题。根据第一段中的“we should not cease trying to progress”和文中作者介绍国际空间站的重要性可知，作者对建设国际空间站持支持态度。
[答案] A
2．From Paragraph 2 we learn that ________.
A. the necessity of building the international space station is not realized now
B. many experiments have been done in the international space station
C. the international space station is necessary for people to explore space more
D. people have traveled to Mars from the international space station
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“In a word，if we want to explore space more，the first thing we should do is to set up a space station”可知，国际空间站是进行太空探索所必需的。
[答案] C
3．Which of the following is NOT a reason for countries’ cooperation in building the international space station?
A. That it requires a lot of money.
B. That it needs everyone’ s effort.
C. That it will benefit every participating country.
D. That it is too far away from the earth.
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“As the space station costs a lot of money...”和“It is really a job that needs everyone’s effort and will benefit everyone”可知，A、B、C三项均提到了，而文章中没有提到D。
[答案] D
5．The underlined word “aggregated” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “________”．
A. united B. scolded
C. allowed D. forbade
[解析] 词义猜测题。由该词所在的语境可知，发展国际空间站耗资巨大，因此美国联合其他一些国家共同来建设该工程，即该词的意思相当于united。
[答案] A
5．Which of the following aspects about building the international space station is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Difficulties. B. Cooperation.
C. Significance. D. Specific arrangements.
[解析] 细节理解题。第二段提到了建设国际空间站的重要性，第三段提到了建设国际空间站面临的困难和合作的重要性，但是文中没有涉及具体细节安排，故答案为D。
[答案] D
[长难句解读] From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations, human beings have been putting great effort into space research.
此句较长，但是简单句，句子前半部是介词短语，结构是“from...to...”。语意：从最初使用火箭将卫星送入太空到建立空间站，人们一直在太空研究方面努力着。
One potential problem with allowances is that children’s responsible behavior can become about earning the allowance rather than the intrinsic (固有的) value of their family responsibilities. For example, if you pay your children for taking out the trash, they see this chore (家务) as a job that they should be rewarded for instead of a responsibility they must fulfill as part of the family. But giving children an allowance for weekly chores is not necessarily bad. You are rewarding them for fulfilling their family responsibilities, but it is not for a specific act. Rather, it is an appreciation of their commitment to your family values. You are also conveying another important message that their actions have consequences: if they do good things, good things happen. They also learn a lesson about the market economy, namely that work is rewarded.
Allowances can also be used as punishment and to teach children lessons about family values. For example, if your children join a group of kids smashing (砸碎) pumpkins on Halloween, a part of a reasonable punishment might be to require them to pay the families out of their allowances to replace the pumpkins. Thus, your children learn that bad behavior has financial consequences. Also, by relating the punishment to the misdeed, you ensure that your children see the connection and learn the value lesson.
How much allowance should you pay your children？The precise amount depends on your family’ s financial situation, the cost of living and your children’s needs. Children can start to earn a weekly allowance as early as 5 years of age. An increase of $ 1 per week for each ydar of your children’ s lives is realistic until they reach their midMteens. When they begin to drive and date, you can calculate their expenses and establish a reasonable allowance that covers their needs.
[语篇解读] 本文为议论文，就“孩子做家务要不要给予物质奖励”这一话题进行谈论。文章分析了其利与弊，最后还就怎样的金额比较合适提出了自己的看法。
1．The underlined sentence in the 1st paragraph probably means that “giving allowances may ________”．
A. lead to children’s preference for money rather than anything else
B. lead to children’ s preference for earning money by their own
C. cause the problem that children value money more than responsibilities
D. cause children to earn money instead of going to school
[解析] 句意理解题。根据接下来的一句的举例说明可知前一句的句意，孩子会认