2015广东五校联考英语试题及答案(2)

II. 阅读（共两节，满分50分）
第一节  阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
A
Michael Edwards was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, on 5 December, 1963. Better known as “Eddie the Eagle”, he was a strong downhill skier, so good that in 1984, he nearly made the British Olympic team. To improve his chances to qualify(使具有资格) for Calgary in 1988, he moved to Lake Placid in the U.S. to train and enter races of a higher standard, but he quickly found himself short on funds. To realize his Olympic dream, Edwards realized he’d need to get creative.
Clearly, competition for the downhill team was difficult, but what if he switched from skiing to ski jumping? Since there weren’t any other Brits in the event, he was sure to make the team. To save money, Edwards lived in a Finnish mental institution, the cheapest place he could find near a slope, and paid for his training by working as a plasterer(泥水匠).
That’s how, with just 18 months of practice and one crash - related broken jaw under his belt, Edwards made it to Calgary. He outweighed his competition by 20 pounds, and poor vision forced him to compete in his thick glasses, which were always fogged. He joked to the press “My glasses clear up enough for me to see where I’ll land and on which part of my body.”
His Olympic jumps were disasters. Edwards finished dead last in the competition, his scores not even half of what the medalists earned. He reportedly whispered “May I survive” to himself before each effort, managing to land on his feet each time.
Despite the poor showing, “Eddie the Eagle” became a fan favorite. Audiences couldn’t get enough of the dogged Olympic dreams of the jumper. And while the rules were quickly changed to keep such hopeless cases out of future Olympic competitions, Edwards captured the public’s affection in a way no last - place finisher ever had. The Brits even held a parade upon his return home! Edwards remained humble (谦逊的), though. “I’m not letting this go to my head,” he told the media. “I’m determined to keep my feet on the ground. Except when I’m ski jumping of course.”

1. 26. According to Paragraph 1, Edwards ______.

    A. was a great downhill skier
    B. competed in the 1984 Olympics
    C. gradually lost interest in downhill skiing
    D. was confident of winning an Olympic medal

1. 27. What was the biggest challenge when Edwards was preparing for the Olympics?

    A. Short of money.           B. Lack of coaches.
    C. Fierce competition.        D. Little training time.

1. 28. What can we learn about Edwards’ Olympic performance?

A. He nearly won a medal.
B. He was far behind the others.
C. He injured his jaw seriously.
D. He failed to land when jumping.

1. 29. What was the Brits’ attitude towards Edwards?

A. Hopeful.    B. Pitiful.    C. Admiring.     D. Annoyed. 
30. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Eagle made history     B. A creative ski jumper
C. A successful switch        D. Would the Eagle win?


B
Michelle Obama, Kate Moss and Samantha Cameron are three of the most stylish women on the planet but it seems they have their daughters rather than their style know how to thank for that. New research has shown that women with daughters tend to be more stylish than mothers of sons; a fact partly because of the style advice their daughters offer as they get older.
78 percent of women over the age of 50 say they would be more than happy to let their daughters choose a complete outfit for them. However, just five percent of women say they would turn to their sons for style advice, while 28 percent believe that mothers of boys are less fashionable than women with girls.
“Women who don’t have daughters become less interested in style as they grow older but having a daughter may keep alive her interest in looking great,” comments psychologist Honey Langcaster - James. “And, because of their close relationship, they also have a source of support and encouragement when it comes to their style decisions.”
More than a quarter of women believe that Mums who have sons are less fashion - conscious than Mums with daughters. The most common reasons for this are that daughters are more critical (爱挑剔的), offer good advice and inspiration, and add an element of competition to look the best while sons don’t seem to care and aren’t as strict as daughters.
Interestingly, although mothers tend to rely on their daughters’ style tips, their confidence isn’t reciprocated, with 40 percent of women between the ages of 19 and 34 saying they wouldn’t allow their mothers to shop for them as what their mothers would choose for them would not be as good as they expected.
And although they might not appreciate the fashion advice, the research, which was conducted by online retailer Gray & Osbourn, showed that daughters do still need their mothers with 71 percent saying they chat to their female parent every day.
“Overall, the research shows just how important relationships are between mothers and daughters,” added Langcaster - James, “and just how much women appreciate an honest and trustworthy opinion.”

1. 31. The opening paragraph is mainly to show ________.

A. girls influence their mothers’ style decisions
B. women with children are often less stylish