高考英语二轮复习专项限时训练阅读理解（三）APeople have been painting pictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hunted animals. They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill. Pictures of this kind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain. No one knows why they were painted there. Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals. Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell stories according to pictures. About 5,000 years ago the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as a kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet(字母表).The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture-writing and pictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like modem comic-strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic-strip. But, for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple. The ordinary people could not understand it. By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area a-round the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only one sound in their language. The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.These days we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawings, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the streets, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily, and they can make a story much more interesting.1. Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because _. A. the hunters wanted to see the pictures B. the painters were animal lovers C. the painters wanted to show imagination D. the pictures were thought to be helpful2.The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that _. the former was easy to write B. there were fewer signs in the former B. the former was easy to pronounce D. each sign stood for only one sound3. Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet. B. The Egyptians liked to write comic-strip stories. C. The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one. D. The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.4. In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures A. should be made comprehensible B. should be made interesting C. are of much use in our life D. are disappearing from our life BDIABETES? Is your CHOLESTEROL number up?Life shouldnt be a game of chance. But if you have diabetes (胆固醇) and raise cholesterol(糖尿病), you have an increased chance of heart disease or stroke. So its really important that you find out your cholesterol number (the level of cholesterol in your blood) especially since your cholesterol level is controllable, just like your diabetes. Your doctor is the best person to talk to about this.So dont play a game of chance with your health, call for a FREE copy of our ChoLESterol booklet. It contains useful information and may help you talk to your doctor.Call 0300 08 0439 today. Call any time for a FREE booklet.You can also write to ChoLESterol, Dept 9,FREEPOST NEA 10320,Rotherham S89BR,or visit our website: www. lesscholesterol. co. uk where you can download or request your booklet.5. Who will be interested in this passage? A. Doctors who treat diabetes. B. People who like free books. C. Patients with heart disease. D. People who suffer diabetes and raise cholesterol.6. What information will the booklet provide for its readers? A. When to see a doctor. B. How to cure your diabetes. C. How to know the level of your cholesterol. D. How to get the free book.7. The word ChoLESterol in the passage probably means_. A. keeping cholesterol steady B. making cholesterol fall down C. the level of cholesterol D. curing your diabetes8. The purpose of this advertisement is _. A. to help doctors