縱觀近年的江蘇各市的中考英語試卷可以看出，許多試題的閱讀文章中透射出新時代的氣息。這些閱讀文章遵循《新課程標準》的理念，把基礎(chǔ)性、真實性、知識性和時尚性有機地結(jié)合起來。試卷中的許多文章從不同的側(cè)面反映了時代飛躍的發(fā)展，激發(fā)了學生對知識的渴求和對未來的憧憬。也深刻反映了現(xiàn)實社會中學生的生活實際。本文從這些文章的點滴之處加以剖析，以窺探出其時代的特色。
　　一、科技發(fā)展日新月異
　　當今社會的迅猛發(fā)展給人們的生活帶來了巨大的變化。試卷中許多文章中闡述了科學技術(shù)的新成就，讓學生去了解、去感悟，這對培養(yǎng)學生的創(chuàng)造能力產(chǎn)生了極大的作用。當學生閱讀完這些文章后，心底之處便會萌生出對未來世界的探究心理。眼前浮現(xiàn)的不再是枯燥無趣的試卷，而是一幅幅未來美麗的畫卷。閱讀下面的這篇短文便會有切身的體驗。如：
　　1）Recently，a solar-powered plane took to the sky for the first time.It had passed an important test on the way to travel around the world.
　　The plane took off from an airport in Switzerland at 45km an hour. It slowly rose above the fields and into the sky.
　　“There has been an airplane of that kind that could fly—never an airplane so big，so light，using so little energy.”Said Bertrand Piccard， a leader of the project.
　　During the 90-minute flight，the plane did several turns.It climbed nearly 1.6 km above the countryside.
　　Engineers plan to test a night flight before July.Then they will use the results of the tests to build a second plane.They plan to travel around the world in that plane in 2012.
　　“We want to fly it day and night with no fuel，” Piccard said.
　　Piccard and pilot Andre Borscbberg will take the plane around the world. They will make a few stops to change places and rest after a long time in the air—and to show off their plane.
　　The plane will fly at 70 km per hour on average. That is faster than a bike and slower than a car. The pilots will keep the plane in the air for up to five days at a time. （2010泰州市閱讀理解D）
　　該文用淺近的語言向?qū)W生介紹了科學技術(shù)的最新成果。由于地球的自然資源不斷地被消耗，人類已認識到自然資源是有限的。如何利用其它途徑來取代自然資源，已成為人類共同關(guān)注的問題?？茖W家們正在不斷尋求新的方式來解決此問題。太陽能飛機的誕生便是科學技術(shù)不斷發(fā)展的縮影之一。本文從此種飛機的外形、性能、飛行速度及科研過程等方面向?qū)W生展示了這一最新動態(tài)。閱讀此短文不由得使人贊嘆科學技術(shù)的飛躍發(fā)展，更使學生認識到處在這樣的一個時代，知識的更新是非常迅速的，只有在學校學好各門功課，掌握一定的技能、技巧，才能在未來運用所學的知識去為社會服務(wù)。
　　二、人文教育貴在情理
　　如何正確對待自己的人生，是每個青少年在成長的過程中不可避免的問題。在中考試卷的許多閱讀文章中常常貫穿著這一內(nèi)容的素材教育。通過對不同題材內(nèi)容的瀏覽，讓學生感悟到如何做人。這些閱讀文章實際上起到了潛移默化的教育功能作用，引導學生對人生觀問題的探究，讓學生明確一個人除了要有崇高的偉大的理想，還一定要有崇高的情操。沒有高尚的情操，再崇高、再偉大的理想也是不能達到的。從下面一篇文章的節(jié)選中便能窺出其中的真諦。
　　1）Have successful people ever felt sad ? Do they have any “secrets” to success ? The answer to these questions can be found in the US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt from his speech.
　　But the truth is， being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem completely important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.
　　No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
　　Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness； it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something， and to learn something new.
　　And even when you’re struggling， even when you’re discouraged， and you feel like other people have given up on you—don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself， you give up on your country.（2010常州市閱讀理解C）
　　
　　本文為經(jīng)典時文，通過奧巴馬的演講來告訴我們在人生的征程中，一個人不是隨隨便便就能成功的。無論在什么樣的困境中，永遠不要放棄自己。失敗是成功的前奏，一個人應(yīng)以正確的方式對待失敗，應(yīng)盡自己的所能去實現(xiàn)自己的夢想。不要害怕問問題，尋求幫助是一種勇氣的象征，在問中學、在問中思、在問中悟，才能在最后到達勝利的彼岸。樸實的語言、經(jīng)典的話語，使人悟出人生的哲理。
　　三、社會現(xiàn)實引人深思
　　在2010年的中考試卷中，還有許多閱讀文章從不同的角度審視了當前的許多社會問題。從不同的側(cè)面反映了現(xiàn)實生活中的實際，如：如何做高自愿者服務(wù)工作、環(huán)境保護的問題等。如何正確看待社會問題，是不少學生感到困惑的事情。青少年由于未步入社會，往往對某些社會問題看不透，有時只憑個人的見解去理解。而通過這些短文的閱讀，讓學生更理智地面對社會、了解社會都會起到一種良好的導向作用。閱讀下面的文章便會有切身的體會。
　　Some western countries insist that China is one of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters. But in fact our government has taken actions actively to struggle with climate change.
　　Firstly， the public are educated to pay more attention to the environment. As the government expects， the people have reached a very high level of knowing low-carbon economy. If you watch TV， listen to the radio or read newspapers， you’ll find low-carbon lifestyle has become a fashion. Secondly， developing renewable energy is another action. The government is building many wind farms and solar power stations in the deserts. Of course， within a long time， China will continue using the coal. At the same time， the government has been making laws to punish those people who dare to destroy the environment. Besides， some scientists have suggested that greening the deserts is more important than developing new forms of energy. Their latest research shows that 80% of the CO2 in the atmosphere comes from land-use.
　　As we know， China hasn’t achieved balance between the green lifestyle and the economic growth， but we are on the way. We’ll take more actions to reduce the greenhouse gas emission.（ 2010鎮(zhèn)江市短文填空題）
　　該文介紹了中國政府為減少溫室氣體排放，保護環(huán)境所采取的幾項措施。環(huán)境保護是當今全世界共同關(guān)注的問題之一。因此政府提倡的低碳生活方式已成為一種時尚。中國政府采取種種措施來喚醒人們的意識，盡管有無數(shù)的艱難險阻，但我們必須有付諸實踐的理念。盡管任重而道遠，但我們必須以為己任。留住青山，讓它更郁郁蔥蔥；留住綠水，讓它更波光漣漪；留住這美好的世界，讓子孫后代盡享這天倫之福。
　　通過上述幾例的閱讀文章的闡述可以看出2010年江蘇各市的中考英語試卷把關(guān)注社會熱點、貼切學生生活實際放在首位。取材與時代的步伐所一致，設(shè)計與時代的節(jié)奏所吻合，充分體現(xiàn)了時代的特色感。當然本文所論述的短文只是眾多文章中的滄海一栗，還有許多尚未涉及到。學生們通過閱讀這些文章可以了解到許多在課本中尚未學到的內(nèi)容，這不但拓寬了學生的眼界，而且改變了學生對原先某些事物的看法，激起了學生對事物的探究，使其在知識和心靈上都受益匪淺。