《2025年天利38套五年高考真题汇编详解英语》

C
In recent years, researchers from diverse fields have agreed that short - termism is now a significant problem in industrialised societies. The inability to engage with longer - term causes and consequences leads to some of the world's most serious problems: climate change, biodiversity collapse, and more. The historian Francis Cole argues that the West has entered a period where “only the present exists, a present characterised at once by the cruelty of the instant and by the boredom of an unending now”.
It has been proved that people have a bias(偏向) towards the present, focusing on loud attractions in the moment at the expense of the health, well - being and financial stability of their future selves or community. In business, this bias surfaces as short - sighted decisions. And on slow - burning problems like climate change, it translates into the unwillingness to make small sacrifices(牺牲) today that could make a major difference tomorrow. Instead, all that matters is next quarter's profit, or satisfying some other near - term desires.
These biased perspectives cannot be blamed on one single cause. It is fair to say, though, that our psychological biases play a major role. People's hesitancy to delay satisfaction is the most obvious example, but there are others. One of them is about how the most accessible information in the present affects decisions about the future. For instance, you might hear someone say: “It's cold this winter, so I needn't worry about global warming. ” Another is that loud and urgent matters are given too much importance, making people ignore longer - term trends that arguably matter more. This is when a pop star draws far more attention than, say, gradual biodiversity decline.
As a psychologist once joked, if aliens(外星人) wanted to weaken humanity, they wouldn't send ships; they would invent climate change. Indeed, when it comes to environmental transformations, we can develop a form of collective “poor memory”, and each new generation can believe the state of affairs they encounter is nothing out of the ordinary. Older people today, for example, can remember a time with insect - covered car windscreens after long drives. Children, on the other hand, have no idea that insect population has dropped dramatically.
28. The author quotes Francis Cole mainly to ________.
A. draw a comparison
B. introduce a topic
C. evaluate a statement
D. highlight a problem
29. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Climate change has been forgotten.
B. Lessons of history are highly valued.
C. The human mind is bad at noting slow change.
D. Humans are unwilling to admit their shortcomings.
30. What does the author intend to tell us?
A. Far - sighted thinking matters to humans.
B. Humans tend to make long - term sacrifices.
C. Current policies facilitate future decision - making.
D. Bias towards the present helps reduce near - term desires.

答案： 28.D 推理判断题 【定位句】①The historian Francis Cole argues that the West has entered a period where “only the present exists, a present characterised at once by the cruelty of the instant and by the boredom of an unending now”.（第一段最后一句） 译文：历史学家Francis Cole称，西方已经进入了一个“只有现在存在（现在论）的时代，这个现在既具有瞬间的残酷又具有永恒的无聊”。 ②It has been proved that people have a bias（偏向） towards the present, focusing on loud attractions in the moment at the expense of the health, well-being and financial stability of their future selves or community.（第二段第一句） 译文：事实证明，人们偏向于当下，专注于当下备受瞩目的具有吸引力的事物，（而）牺牲了未来自己或社会的健康、幸福和金融稳定。 【解析】根据定位句可推知，作者引用Francis Cole的话主要是为了强调人们只关注眼前的利益，而忽视长远发展这一社会问题。故选D。 29.C 推理判断题 【定位句】Indeed, when it comes to environmental transformations, we can develop a form of collective “poor memory”, and each new generation can believe the state of affairs they encounter is nothing out of the ordinary. Older people today, for example, can remember a time with insect-covered car windscreens after long drives. Children, on the other hand, have no idea that insect population has dropped dramatically.（第四段最后三句） 译文：的确，就环境变化而言，我们可能出现集体“健忘”的状态，每一代人可能都认为他们遇到的事情并没有什么不同寻常之处。比如，今天的老年人还记得长途驾驶后汽车挡风玻璃上爬满了昆虫的情景。另一方面，孩子们却不知道昆虫的数量已经急剧下降。 【解析】根据最后一段尤其是定位句可推知，人类的大脑不善于留意缓慢的变化。故选C。 30.A 推理判断题 【定位句】①In recent years, researchers from diverse fields have agreed that short-termism is now a significant problem in industrialised societies. The inability to engage with longer-term causes and consequences leads to some of the world's most serious problems：climate change, biodiversity collapse, and more. （第一段第一、二句） 译文：近年来，不同领域的研究人员（一致）认为，短期行为现在是工业化社会的一个显著问题。未能处理长期以来（问题）产生的原因及其后果导致了世界上最严重的一些问题：气候变化、生物多样性崩溃等等。 ②Another is that loud and urgent matters are given too much importance, making people ignore longer-term trends that arguably matter more.（第三段倒数第二句） 译文：另一个原因是人类过于重视备受瞩目和十万火急的事情，使得他们忽视了可以说更重要的长期趋势。 【解析】根据全文内容尤其是定位句可推知，作者想告诉我们深思远虑对人类来说很重要。故选A。 【长难句分析】It has been proved that people have a bias（偏向） towards the present, focusing on loud attractions in the moment at the expense of the health, well-being and financial stability of their future selves or community.（第二段第一句） 分析：本句是一个主从复合句。It作形式主语，that引导主语从句。 译文：事实证明，人们偏向于当下，专注于当下备受瞩目的具有吸引力的事物，（而）牺牲了未来自己或社会的健康、幸福和金融稳定。 【词汇积累】short-termism n. 短期行为 significant adj. 重大的，值得注意的，显著的 collapse n. 崩溃，瓦解 urgent adj. 紧急的 【常见搭配】be blamed on 被归咎于 【一词多义】cause(第一段第二句） （1）n. 原因，起因·There was discussion about the fire and its likely cause.（人们）对那场火灾及其可能的起因进行了讨论。 （2）n.（支持或为之奋斗的）事业，目标，理想·Animal welfare campaigners raised $ 70 000 for their cause last year. 动物保护主义者去年为保护动物募集了7万美金。 （3）v. 使发生，造成，引起·Are you causing trouble again? 你又在惹麻烦吗？ D 体裁：说明文 主题语境：人与社会——社会进步与人类文明——“人工生命” 【文章大意】文章主要介绍了“人工生命”的含义、局限性、可能的回报及未来前景。 【语篇结构】 |结构划分|具体信息| |--|--| |第一段|引出话题：人工生命| |第二段—第四段|“人工生命”的局限性及其可能带来的回报| |第五段|“人工生命”的崛起是不可避免的|