阅读理解。阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
The practice of swapping fashions has recently been attracting attention worldwide, particularly in Europe and the United States. This is an activity aimed at making more effective use of resources by providing a platform for people to exchange free of charge those fashion items in their closets that they don’t use anymore.
In London, fashion swap events sponsored by the credit card company VISA focus on the swapping of specific brands. Japan’s first major fashion swap event, “xChange,” was held in September 2007 in Tokyo. The xChange event is designed to exchange not only fishing items but also information and feelings from the owners of the clothes, using what is called an “episode tag.” Participants put tags on each of the items they bring and write their name and a bride episode about the items.
For example, a tag of a white jacket read, “This is a gift from a friend, but it’s just not my style.” On a tag attached to a pair of red shoes, a person wrote. “These don’t fit me anymore. I hope someone who loves red can use them.” Just as shoppers check price tags, some people check the episode tags before making a selection, imagining who used to wear the item. The episode tags make people aware of the human connection by exchanging goods.
Many participants say things like, “I’m very lucky to get such lovely clothes for free,” and “I was happy to see someone try on and choose what I brought here.” Unwanted clothes for one person can be new and exciting for someone else. Besides, xChange achieves close to a 100-percent reuse rate by donating leftover clothes to companies that reuse or recycle secondhand clothing. Anything they cannot use, they then donate to developing countries or reuse them as rags.
Since 2007, the xChange event has been held every two or three months in a different region of Japan, always attracting many participants. This success is probably because it is an active event that gives participants opportunities to enjoy fashion without increasing the impact on the environment.
1. What's the main purpose of the fashion exchange?
A. To attract people's attention. B. To make good use of resources.
C. To get rid of unwanted clothes. D. To try to avoid buying new clothes.
2. What is special about "an episode tag"?
A. It provides personal information of the owner.
B. It is being attached by a price tag.
C. It gives details of a fashion item.
D. It includes brief information of the item and feelings of the owner.
3. That the xChange event has achieved success is probably because ____.
A. it donates secondhand clothing to developing countries
B. it changes people's way of consuming
C. offers an example of enjoying fashion without damaging environment
D. it shows fashion is the best policy for women
4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. "Fashion Exchange" Concept Grows in Japan.
B. "xChange" Environment Meets the Fashion Industry.
C. The Global Rise of the Fashion Exchange.
D. Join in "xChange".
1、答案解析：答案为B。 本题为细节题。由第一段第二句话 “This is an activity aimed at making more effective use of resources by…”可知，答案为B。
2、答案解析：答案为D。本题为词义推测题。由第二段 “The xChange event is designed to exchange not only fishing items but also information and feelings from the owners of the clothes, using what is called an “episode tag.”可知，答案为D。
3、答案解析：答案为C。本题为细节题。由最后一段 “This success is probably because it is an active event that gives participants opportunities to enjoy fashion without increasing the impact on the environment.”可知，答案为C。
4、答案解析：答案为A。本题为主旨大意题。由第二段 “Japan’s first major fashion swap event, ‘xChange,’ was held in September 2007 in Tokyo.” 可知，第一届Fashion Exchange2007年在日本东京举办，后文对其进行了介绍，最后一段呼应文章的中心 “Since 2007, the xChange event has been held every two or three months in a different region of Japan, always attracting many participants.”, 因此本文主要介绍Fashion Exchange在日本的盛行，尽管第一段提到Fashion Exchange在欧美受到了欢迎，但这仅仅是Fashion Exchange的影响，故最佳标题为A。
【2014·新课标全国卷Ⅰ 】阅读理解B
Passenger pigeons(旅鸽)once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers.Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks(群)so large that they darkened the sky for hours.
It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point, there were more than 3 billion passenger pigeonsa number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant birds in the world.Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.
Sadly, the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing.Where the birds were abundant, people believed there was an everlasting supply and killed them by the thousands.Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time.The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.
By the closing decades of the 19th century, the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans' need for wood, which scattered(驱散)the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and spring storms contributed to their decline.Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again.
In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons, but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years.The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900.For a time, a few birds survived under human care.The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden in September 1, 1914.
【试题分析】 据记载，在18世纪及19世纪，美国有大量的旅鸽。本文描述了这一期间旅鸽的生存状况。
1. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, passenger pigeons________.
A.were the biggest bird in the world
B.lived mainly in the south of America
C.did great harm to the natural environment
D.were the largest population in the US
解析：细节理解题。根据第一段第二句的信息可知，在18世纪及19世纪早期，美国旅鸽的数量很大。
答案：D
2. The underlined word “undoing” probably refers to the pigeons________.
A.escape B.ruin
C.liberation D.evolution
解析：词义猜测题。根据第三段第二句中的“...people believed there was an everlasting supply and killed them by the thousands.”可知，人们认为旅鸽数量极大，因此大量捕杀它们，所以正是由于旅鸽数量大才导致它们被捕杀，故可推知该词的意思是“损坏，破坏”之意。
答案：B
3.What was the main reason for people to kill passenger pigeons?
A.To seek pleasure.
B.To save other birds.
C.To make money.
D.To protect crops.
解析：细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句“The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.”可知，他们捕杀旅鸽的原因是为了赚钱。
答案：C
4. What can we infer about the law passed in Michigan?
A.It was ignored by the public.
B.It was declared too late.
C.It was unfair.
D.It was strict.
解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句可知，虽然密歇根州制定了法律，但是到那个时候，已经不能见到大量的旅鸽了，这说明法律制定及宣布得太迟。
答案：B
【2014·新课标全国卷Ⅰ 】阅读理解C
A typical lion tamer (驯兽师) in people's mind is an entertainer holding a whip (鞭子)and a chair.The whip gets all of the attention , but it's mostly for show.In reality , it's the chair that does the important work.When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion's face , the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time.With its focus divided , the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next.When faced with so many options , the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion ? How often do you have something you want to achieve (e.g.lose weight , start a business , travel more )only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress ?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best, the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information.The end result is that we feel like we can't focus or that we're focused on the wrong things , and so we take less action , make less progress , and stay the same when we could be improving.
It doesn't have to be that way.Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face , remember this：All you need to do is focus on one thing.You just need to get started.Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people.If you have somewhere you want to go , something you want to accomplish , someone you want to become....take immediate action.If you're clear about where you want to go , the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out the way.
【试题分析】 面对生活中的众多选择，我们应该如何做?通过文中驯兽师的做法，我们可以得到些启发。
1. Why does the lion tamer use a chair?
A.To trick the lion.
B.To show off his skill.
C.To get ready for a fight.
D.To entertain the audience.
解析：推理判断题。根据第一段第四、五句可知，驯兽师举起椅子的目的是为了分散狮子的注意力，可见驯兽师使用椅子的目的是欺骗狮子。
答案：A
2. In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?
A.They feel puzzled over choices.
B.They hold on to the wrong things.
C.They find it hard to make changes.
D.They have to do something for show.
解析：推理判断题。结合前三段的内容可知，人们对待选择的态度通常是疑惑不解的，这就与狮子面对椅子时的情况相同。
答案：A
3. What is the author's attitude towards the experts mentioned in paragraph 3?
A.Tolerant
B.Doubtful
C.Respectful
D.Supportive
解析：推理判断题。根据第三段第一句可知，专家们也忙于讨论什么是最好的选择这个问题，很明显，他们的做法也令人感到疑惑。
答案：B
4.When the world is “waving a chair in your face”， you're advised to________.
A.wait for a better chance
B.break your old habits
C.make a quick decision
D.ask for clear guidance
解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“All you need to do is focus on one thing...take immediate action.”可知，你所得到的建议是“尽快做出决定”。
答案：C
