阅读理解专练(六)历史与地理(限时20分钟)A(2019届高三石家庄质检)Irelands Achill Island has always been a popular European tourist destination.However, since April in 2017, the small island of just 2,700 residents (居民) has gained worldwide fame thanks to the magical return of a beach that was washed away over three decades ago.The chain of events began in 1984 when residents of Dooagh, one of the settlements on the island, awoke to a surprising sight: their beautiful sandy beach had been washed away by strong Atlantic storms.There were only rocks and rock pools left.For about 34 years, only small amounts of sand returned to the once unspoiled shores.The areas tourism industry slowly declined, and the handful of beachside hotels, pubs, and restaurants gradually closed as well.Then around Easter in 2017, something magical happened an unusual tenday tide blanketed the barren 300meter long rock beach with hundreds of tons of soft golden sand.Scientists suspect that the sand had been gathering offshore for months and was transported to the beach by the high winds and powerful waves.The locals are delighted to have their beach back, especially as it is attracting thousands of visitors wishing to witness the power of nature, with their own eyes.However, Sean Molloy, manager at Achill Tourism, cautions against going into the cold waters just yet, saying, “Because of the sand coming in, we dont know how safe the beach is now because currents (水流) could be changed and itll take a little bit of time.” He instead recommends visitors enjoy the soft sand and leave the swimming to the dolphins that frequent the area.Interestingly, this is not the first time Dooagh Beach has pulled a disappearing and reappearing act.It disappeared in the 1890s, for over 30 years, before returning in 1927.However, the locals are optimistic that this time around, the beautiful sand is here to stay.语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了爱尔兰Achill岛消失的海滩时隔三十多年再次出现的事件。1What has brought Achill Island worldwide attention recently?AAn unusual storm.BThe decrease in the number of residents.CThe return of its beach.DThe building of a new tourist destination.解析：选C细节理解题。根据第一段中的“However, since April in 2017, the small island of just 2,700 residents (居民) has gained worldwide fame thanks to the magical return of a beach that was washed away over three decades ago”可知，消失了三十多年的海滩的回归使得Achill岛引起了全世界的关注。2What happened to Dooagh in the past three decades?ATourism went down gradually.BRestaurants developed slowly.CStorms attacked frequently.DRock pools disappeared completely.解析：选A细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The areas tourism industry slowly declined, and the handful of beachside hotels, pubs, and restaurants gradually closed as well”可知，随着海滩的消失，在过去三十多年里Dooagh地区的旅游业逐渐衰落。3What does the underlined word “barren” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?ANoisy.BSoft.CBare.DGolden.解析：选C词义猜测题。根据画线词所在句中的“tenday tide blanketed the barren 300meter long rock beach with hundreds of tons of soft golden sand”可知，由于潮水的力量，300米长的岩石海滩被松软的金沙覆盖了。画线词修饰岩石海滩，结合文章内容可知，海滩消失之后，三十多年来岩石海滩表面什么都没有，所以画线词与bare同义，意为“空的，荒芜的”。4What should tourists avoid according to Sean Molloy?ASpoiling the shores.BGetting into the rock pools.CPlaying with dolphins.DSwimming near the beach.解析：选D推理判断题。根据第四段中的“He instead recommends visitors enjoy the soft sand and leave the swimming to the dolphins that frequent the area”可知，Sean Molloy建议游客享受松软的沙子，把游泳让给海豚，即他建议游客不要在海滩附近游泳。B(2018泰安质检)Look at a map of Spain and point at the center.Youll locate the countrys capital and one of Europes most beautiful cities: Madrid.This popular destination is considered a city of contrasts with its abundant historic sites, resting in the shadows of modern skyscrapers.HistoryThis city of over 3 million people is proud of Western Europes largest royal palace, and some consider it to be Madrids most beautiful building.Inside the Royal Palace 2,800 rooms are decorated in glory with museumquality furniture and artwork.Tourists can tour 50 of these large and splendid rooms.ArtThe internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive art gallery in Spain.Founded in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the worlds most comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.ShoppingMadrid has some of Europes best shopping malls, and potential buyers love to look through the stores looking for bargains.But for 500 years, shoppers have gathered to an extremely large outdoor flea market known as El Rastro where they find everything from antiques to CDs.EntertainmentNo trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spains famous art form, flamenco.Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.FoodMadrid has a wide variety of restaurants, but because the Spanish typically eat late at about 9 or 10 pm, its difficult to find good dinner food earlier.If you get hungry before then, the best solut