阅读理解
Public schools in the New York, America’s biggest city, commonly have numbers for names. But this is unusual. In the United States, the process of naming a school often involves parents and the community as well as elected school leaders. Researchers say school names can show civic values and also shape them. For example, naming a school after a historic person becomes a way to teach students about that person’s importance in history.
A new study examines the naming of American public schools. The study is from the Manhattan Institute, an organization that does public policy research. The study shows that fewer and fewer schools are being named after people. Instead, more schools are being named after the local area or natural features like hills, trees or animals.
The researchers say these changes raise questions about the civic duty of public education. They looked at seven states with twenty percent of all public school students in the country. They found similar results in every state: new schools are less likely to be named after people. This is true especially with presidents. For example, in Arizona, public schools in the past twenty years were almost fifty times more likely to be named after such things as landforms or plants.
School officials say they try to choose names that will not offend anyone. For example, a few years ago, the city of New Orleans banned the naming of any school after a person who owned slaves. Other school systems have rules against naming new schools after any person, living or dead.
The researchers say naming a school after a person can lead to important debates about democratic values. They call for more researches to identify the causes and effects of the changes in school names. The causes may include changes in American culture as well as in the political control of school systems.
【文章大意】一项调查表明, 美国的大多数学校已不再以人的名字命名, 更多的是考虑学校所在的地区或者自然特征等因素。学校命名方式的巨大变化, 显示了美国文化和学校制度的相应改变。
1. Many schools are named after some persons so that ________ .
A. the students can remember the schools forever
B. the students can learn the importance of them
C. the students can learn the national history very well
D. the students can show their civic values and attitudes
【解析】选B。细节理解题。第一段中的“For example, naming. . . ”是解题的主要依据。
2. According to the study, ________ .
A. more schools are named after great people
B. fewer schools are named after places
C. more schools are named after the environment where they stand
D. fewer schools are named after animals
【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据第二段中的“. . . Instead, more schools are being named. . . ”可知C项为最佳答案。
3. All the followings are true EXCEPT that ________ .
A. some people used to have a greater effect in history
B. schools are less likely to be named after presidents
C. schools have their right to choose school names to a certain degreeD. school names are now an important problem in the USA
【解析】选D。推理判断题。第一段中的“For example, naming a school. . . ”说明A项是正确的; 第二段中的“The study shows that fewer and fewer. . . ”以及第三段中的“. . . less likely to be named after people. This is true especially with presidents. ”说明B项是对的; 第四段中的“School officials say. . . ”说明C项也是正确的。根据全文的内容可知, D项的意思与文意不符。
4. The main idea of this passage probably is that ________ .
A. more new schools are being built in America
B. school officials control all the schools now
C. few USA schools now are named after people
D. there are reasons for changes of school names
【解析】选C。主旨大意题。结合全文内容可知该篇主要介绍了现在美国的学校很少以人的名字命名, 并就这个话题列举了大量的例子加以说明。
【技法导练】
如何分析阅读理解中的长难句: “三步搞定长难句”
第一步: 如果待处理的长难句为一个复杂的单句, 可跳读修饰成分, 迅速找出主谓结构。可将长句化为短句, 将难句化为易句。具体步骤是: 先跳读修饰成分或附加成分, 找出句子的主干并理解其意义; 然后再分段理解修饰成分或附加成分。第二步: 如果待处理的长难句为一个复杂的并列句: 可先找出其中的并列连词, 然后再根据并列连词的意思理清句子前后是顺连关系还是反连关系, 是因果关系还是转折关系等, 最后再根据不同的语境关系正确理解句意。
第三步: 如果待处理的长难句为一个复杂的主从复合句: 可先分清主句与从句, 然后弄清从句的性质, 即弄清它是什么从句。注意: 弄清从句性质对于理解复合句的意思至关重要。
试分析下句:
For example, in Arizona, public schools in the past twenty years were almost fifty times more likely to be named after such things as landforms or plants.
【试一试】该句是一个简单句。可以“一步搞定”, 分析句子找出主谓结构: public schools(主语); were谓语, 其他成分迎刃而解。其中be likely to do意为“很可能做”, “fifty times more likely. . . ”表示的意思是“50多倍的可能性……”, name after意为“以……命名”。
【翻译】________________________________________________________
答案：例如, 在亚利桑那州, 在过去20年里, 公办学校有(比以往多)几乎50多倍的可能性以诸如地形或植物等事物命名。
