2023届高考英语三轮复习·冲刺押题·外刊阅读理解训练 (29)（含解析）.doc

2023届高考英语三轮复习·冲刺押题 外刊阅读理解训练29 ——改编自Has Silicon Valley lost its monopoly over global tech? 【文章】 According to data provider CBInsights, venture investments in Europe have increased from less than $40 billion in 2019 to more than $93 billion last year. This is nearly on par with the amount invested in Silicon Valley, showing that the Bay Area has lost its "geographical monopoly" in the tech industry. Other VC firms are following Sequoia's example and opening offices in Europe, and many other firms already have outposts in Asia. Even the king of Sand Hill, Sequoia, recently opened offices in London. Phil Libin, a serial entrepreneur, now runs mmhmm, a Zoom-like video-conferencing firm whose investors include Sequoia. Libin himself lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, which is better known as the home of Walmart than as a tech hub. As covid-19 fades into endemicity, even Zoom-hardened venture capitalists would rather investigate a startup founder over a bottle of Napa cabernet than over a video call. However, some may believe that this dispersion in the tech industry will slow or reverse. They may become more discerning about where they put their money since it is becoming more expensive. This could favor nearby startups on which it is easier to keep an eye. It is true that the next trillion-dollar company may not come from Silicon Valley, the place, just like most of the current crop, but the odds are that it will emerge from Silicon Valley, the mindset. Its capitalists and capital have infused technology scenes from Stockholm to Shanghai and São Paulo. The Bay Area's initial geographical monopoly might cause problems for landlords in San Francisco and second-rate entrepreneurs in Mountain View who took advantage of the area's prosperity. However, it is a boon for everyone else in the industry. Tech workers south of Market who can finally afford a flat nearby or innovators in Mumbai who can tap Silicon Valley money and expertise will benefit from this dispersion in the tech industry. In conclusion, Silicon Valley is becoming less relevant due to the increasing dispersion in the tech industry, which is good news for most people except for those who took advantage of its initial geographical monopoly. 【重点词汇&词组】 data provider [ˈdeɪtə prəˈvaɪdə(r)] n. 数据供应商 CBInsights [siː biː ˈɪn.saɪts] n. CBInsights公司 venture investments [ˈvɛntʃər ɪnˈvɛstmənts] n. 风险投资 Silicon Valley [ˈsɪlɪkən ˈvæli] n. 硅谷 geographical monopoly [dʒiəˈɡræfɪkl məˈnɒpəli] n. 地理垄断 tech industry [tek ˈɪndəstri] n. 科技产业 VC firms [viː siː fɜːmz] n. 风险投资公司 outposts [ˈaʊtpəʊsts] n. 前哨基地 Asian [ˈeɪʒən] adj./n. 亚洲的/亚洲人 Sand Hill [sænd hɪl] n. 桑德山（硅谷的一个地区） Sequoia [sɪˈkwɔɪə] n. 美国风险投资公司红杉资本 serial entrepreneur [ˈsɪərɪəl ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜː(r)] n. 连续创业者 mmhmm [ˈmʌm] n. mmhmm公司 Zoom-like [zuːm-laɪk] adj. 类似于Zoom的 video-conferencing [ˈvɪdiəʊ ˈkɒnfərənsɪŋ] n. 视频会议 covid-19 [ˈkəʊvɪd nainˈtiːn] n. 新冠病毒 endemicity [ˌendəˈmɪsɪti] n. 地方性流行病 venture capitalists [ˈvɛntʃər ˈkæpɪtlɪsts] n. 风险资本家 investigate [ɪnˈvɛstɪɡeɪt] v. 调查 startup [ˈstɑːtˌʌp] n. 初创公司 Napa cabernet [ˈnɑːpə kæbəneɪ] n. 纳帕卡本内葡萄酒 discerning [dɪˈsɜːnɪŋ] adj. 有眼力的 dispersion [dɪsˈpɜːʃən] n. 分散 expensive [ɪkˈspensɪv] adj. 昂贵的 nearby [ˈnɪəbaɪ] adj. 附近的 innovators [ˈɪnəʊˌveɪtəz] n. 创新者 Mumbai [ˈmʊmbaɪ] n. 孟买（印度城市） infused [ɪnˈfjuːzd] v. 注入 technology scenes [tekˈnɒlədʒi siːnz] n. 科技领域 Stockholm [ˈstɒkhəʊlm] n. 斯德哥尔摩（瑞典首都） Shanghai [ˈʃæŋhaɪ] n. 上海（中国城市） São Paulo [sau ˈpaʊlu] n. 圣保罗（巴西城市） initial [ɪˈnɪʃəl] adj. 最初的 problems [ˈprɒbləmz] n. 问题 landlords [ˈlændlɔːdz] n. 地主、房东 San Francisco [sæn frənˈsɪskəʊ] n. 旧金山（美国城市） second-rate [ˌsekənd ˈreɪt] adj. 二等的 prosperity [prɒsˈperəti] n. 繁荣 boon [buːn] n. 福利 tech workers [tek ˈwɜːkəz] n. 科技工作者 south of Market [ˈsaʊθ ɒv ˈmɑːkɪt] 在旧金山市场以南地区 flat [flæt] n. 公寓 tap [tæp] v. 利用、开拓 expertise [ˌekspɜːˈtiːz] n. 专业知识 relevant [ˈreləvənt] adj. 相关的 emerge [iˈmɝːdʒ] v. 出现 mindset [ˈmaɪndset] n. 思维方式 capitalists [ˈkæpɪtlɪsts] n. 资本家 infused [ɪnˈfjuːzd] v. 注入 dispersion [dɪsˈpɜːʃən] n. 分散 landlords [ˈlændlɔːdz] n. 房东、地主 relevant [ˈreləvənt] adj. 相关的 boon [buːn] n. 福利 dispersion [dɪsˈpɜːʃən] n. 分散 tech industry [tek ˈɪndəstri] n. 科技产业 Mumbai [ˈmʊmbaɪ] n. 孟买 【阅读理解习题】 1. According to CBInsights, how much did venture investments in Europe increase from 2019 to 2020? A. More than $40 billion. B. Less than $40 billion. C. Nearly $93 billion. D. More than $100 billion. Answer: C 解析：根据CBInsights的数据，2019年欧洲的风险投资不到400亿美元，2020年则超过930亿美元，这几乎与在硅谷的投资金额相等，因此选择C。 2. What does the phrase "geographical monopoly" refer to in this passage? A. The abundance of geographical features in Silicon Valley. B. The high prices of living in Silicon Valley. C. The dominant position of Silicon Valley in the tech industry. D. The limited space available for startups in Silicon Valley. Answer: C 解析：文章提到三大VC公司开始在欧洲设立办事处，表明了像Sequoia和Silicon Valley这样行业地位显赫的区域的重要性正在下降；之前，硅谷拥有技术行业的主导地位，可以称为“地理垄断”，因此选择C。 3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about Seqoia? A. It has recently opened offices in London. B. It is a VC firm. C. It invested in Phil Libin's video-conferencing firm. D. Its investors come from all over the world. Answer: D 解析：文章提到Seqoia最近在伦敦开设了办事处，还投资了Phil Libin的类似于Zoom的视频会议公司mmhmm，因此选择D。 4. What is suggested in the passage about venture capitalists' preferences after the COVID-19 pandemic ends? A. They will continue to prefer video calls with startup founders. B. They will investigate startup founders over a bott