Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents(洋流). Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way-by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.

Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海灘搜尋) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.

As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.

1.The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.

A. fitting rooms B. trading fairs

C. business talks D. group meetings

2.Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________.

A. what caused the shipping accident

B. when and where the shoes went missing

C. whether it was all right to use their shoes

D. how much they lost in the shipping accident

3.How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?

A. By collecting information from beachcombers.

B. By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.

C. By searching the web for ocean currents models.

D. By researching ocean currents data in the library.

4.Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ________.

A. traveling widely the coastal cities of the world

B. making records for any lost objects on the sea

C. running a global currents research association

D. phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea

5.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A. To call people's attention to ocean pollution.

B. To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.

C. To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.

D. To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

練習冊系列答案
相關(guān)習題

科目：高中英語 來源：浙江省金華市2016-2017學年高二6月月考英語試卷 題型：閱讀理解

Parents who help their children with homework may actually be bringing down their school grades. Other forms of parental involvement, including volunteering at school and observing a child's class, also fail to help, according to the most recent study on the topic.

The findings challenge a key principle of modern parenting where schools expect them to act as partners in their children's education. Previous generations concentrated on getting children to school on time, fed, dressed and ready to learn.

Kaith Robinson, the author of the study, said, “I really don't know if the public is ready for this but there are some ways parents can be involved in their kids' education that leads to declines in their academic performance. One of the things that was consistently negative was parents' help with homework.” Robinson suggested that may be because parents themselves struggle to understand the task. “They may either not remember the material their kids are studying now, or in some cases never learnt it themselves, but they're still offering advice.”

Robinson assessed parental involvement performance and found one of the most damaging things a parent could do was to punish their children for poor marks. In general, about 20% of parental involvement was positive, about 45% negative and the rest statistically insignificant.

Common sense suggests it was a good thing for parents to get involved because “children with good academic success do have involved parents”, admitted Robinson. But he argued that this did not prove parental involvement was the root cause of that success. “A big surprise was that Asian-American parents whose kids are doing so well in school hardly involved. They took a more reasonable approach, conveying to their children how success at school could improve their lives.”

1.The underlined expression “parental involvement” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.

A. parents' participation in children's education

B. parents' expectation on children's health

C. parents' control over children's life

D. parents' plan for children's future

2.What is the major finding of Robinson's study?

A. Modern parents raise children in a more scientific way.

B. Punishing kids for bad marks is mentally damaging.

C. Parents are not able to help with children’s homework.

D. Parental involvement is not so beneficial as expected.

3.The example of Asian-American parents implies that parents should ________.

A. spend more time improving their own lives

B. set a specific life goal for their children

C. help children realize the importance of schooling

D. take a more active part in school management

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：江蘇省高中英語選修六牛津譯林版練習題：Unit 2 What is happiness to you？ 題型：單項填空

You may have one of these；in other words，you may have ________you choose.

A. whichever B. wherever

C. whenever D. no matter which

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：江蘇省高中英語選修十牛津譯林版練習題：Units 1～2 題型：單項填空

It remains to be seen whether the plan which has been approved can be ________.It depends on your determination.

A. come into use B. put into practice

C. taken into consideration D. got into trouble

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：河北省2017屆高三上學期第16周周測英語試卷 題型：完成句子

1.They are busy _________ ________ ________(準備)the wedding.

2.He ______ ________ ___________(慚愧)having lied to his mum

3.__________ _________ _________(代表)my colleagues and myself I thank you.

4.There is no point _________ _________ ________ ________(陷入驚慌)about the exams.

5.If you wan to see him, you have to ________ ________ ________(預約).

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：河南省鄭州市2016-2017學年高二下學期入學測試英語試卷 題型：完成句子

1.______(抽象的) paintings don’t appeal to me much.

2.My mother is called Anna, and by_______(巧合) my wife’s mother is also called Anna.

3.Pisces(雙魚座) is the most_______(靈活的) of all the star signs.

4.You must practise for a _______(最小值) of 30 minutes every day.

5.It’s a pity that he doesn’t have enough money to_______(贊助) the project.

6.The new law is aimed at_______(加強) protective measures for workers.

7.It is_______(非法的) to drive when you are drunk.

8.Many natural_______(現(xiàn)象) remain to be explored.

9.On_______(平均) we would be spending￥300 every day.

10.We wanted each student to realize their full_______(潛力).

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：河南省鄭州市2016-2017學年高二下學期入學測試英語試卷 題型：閱讀理解

It’s such a happy-looking library,painted yellow,painted yellow,decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof.About the size of a microwave oven,it’s pedestrian-friendly,too,waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach Country Estates,along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.

It's a library built with love.

A year ago,shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization,a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available,she announced to her family of four,“That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”

Son Austin,now a 10th-grader,didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles（與...相似）a mailbox.But Janey insisted and husband Peter unwillingly got to work.The 5-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses,and made a door of glass.After adding the library’s final touches（裝點）,the family hung a signboard on the front,instructing users to“take a book,return a book”,and making the Henriksen library,now one several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2500 in the world,the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.

They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read,a mix of science fiction,reference.titles,novels and kids’ favorites.“I told them,keep in mind that you might not see it again,”said Janey,a stay-at-home mom.Since then,the collection keeps replenishing（補充）itself,thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers.The library now gets an average of five visits a day.

The project's best payoff,says Peter,are the thank-you notes left behind.“We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”

1.Janey got the idea to build a library from .

A. a visit to Brian Williams

B. a spring break with her family

C. a book sent by one of her neighbors

D. a report on a Wisconsin-based organization

2.The library was built .

A. by a ship supply company B. on the basis of toy horses

C. like a mailbox D. with glass

3.What can we infer about the signboard?

A. It was made by a user of the library.

B. It marked a final touch to the library.

C. It aimed at making the library last long.

D. It indicated the library was a family property.

4.The passage tells us that the users .

A. donate books to the library

B. get paid to collect books for the library

C. receive thank-you notes for using the library

D. visit the library over 5 times on average daily

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：浙江省2016-2017學年高二下學期期末考試英語試卷 題型：閱讀理解

It used to be a matter of fact when Peter Pan – a character from James Matthew Barrie’s 1911 book – said: “All children, except one, grow up.”

But this “fact” doesn’t seem to apply to today’s world anymore.

According to the NPD Group, a US market research company, sales of toys to adults in the UK increased by more than 20 percent in 2016, three times the pace of the children’s toy market itself. These toys ranged from puzzles and Lego building sets to vehicle models and action figures. And more than half of the sales came from millennials – people born between the 1980s and 2000s.

“Adults of the 21st century are channeling (疏導) their inner child, one toy at a time,” commented website Koreaboo. This is also why these adults are sometimes referred to as “kidults”.

According to Frederique Tutt, an analyst at NPD, the motivation of these grown-ups is to escape the stress of today’s fast-paced world. They are driven toward the more immediate pleasures brought by toys than those brought by, say, getting a promotion, which is far less easy to achieve.

“It reminds me of the playful side of life,” Rob Willner, a 25-year-old PhD student in the UK, told The Telegraph when talking about his love for Lego, which he said brings him both comfort and entertainment.

Despite this, some social scientists see the trend as disturbing. To Frank Furendi, a professor at the University of Kent in the UK, the fact that so many adults are pursuing “the thrills (刺激) of youth” is the evidence that “adulthood has got nothing attractive about it anymore”, he told The New York Times.u “That’s actually quite sad.”

But scientists are probably just worrying too much. According to Canadian comic book artist Todd McFarlane, collecting toys could simply be a way for people to express their individuality (個性).

“It’s just pop culture stuff. It’s stuff that says, ‘I like a little of this and I like a little of that’,” he told ABC News. “[It’s] no big deal.”

So now that over 100 years have passed since Peter Pan, perhaps it’s time to introduce a new “fact”, as stated in the tagline (品牌宣傳詞) of the UK fashion brand KIDULT: “Growing old is mandatory (強制性的), but growing up is optional.”

1.The author mentions Peter Pan in the text mainly to ______.

A. show the influence of the character on millennials

B. explore the similarities Peter Pan and millennials share

C. lead up to the trend of millennials’ love for toys

D. analyze what has made many millennials refuse to grow up

2.Why do many adults feel like collecting toys, according to Frederique Tutt?

A. They find it brings them both comfort and inspiration.

B. They consider it a way to relieve stress.

C. They want to make up for the pleasures they missed during childhood.

D. They usually don’t get along well in their lives and need an emotional outlet.

3.What can we conclude from the article about kidults?

A. They are well-known for their pursuit of independence and freedom.

B. Social scientists feel worried about them because they take nothing seriously.

C. In Todd McFarlane’s eyes, their interest in toys is a way to express their identity.

D. They refuse to make efforts to become promoted at work as they don’t want to grow up.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：貴州省2016-2017學年高一下學期第三次月考英語試卷 題型：閱讀理解

In Britain, many theatres put on shows for children at Christmas and many theatres have a theatre-in-education team working there. This team, made up of actors and teachers, writes plays for children, usually performing them in schools. They do different plays for different age groups and the children often take part in the play in some way.

Pantomime is a special kind of Christmas show for children. It is loved by people and also allows the audience (觀眾) to join in. “Pantomime” was the name of the Roman actor who performed shows without speaking — this is where the English word “mime” comes from.

A pantomime is always based on a well-known children's story. But there are always certain types of characters in the show and certain situations and events. For example, a pantomime must always include a hero, known as the “principal boy” and this principal boy is always played by a pretty girl wearing a short costume (服裝). Then there is the comic older woman, known as the “dame” who is played by a man. There is always a group of men and women who sing and dance and often there is a pantomime horse. The horse is played by two men who form the “front” and “back” ends inside a “horse” costume. It is funny and it usually kicks the dame when she isn't looking.

Members of the audience have to shout a warning to one of the characters and argue with the character (usually the dame) when she does not believe them. When she shouts, “Oh no, it isn't,” the audience always responds with “Oh yes, it is!” The audience also learns and sings a simple song and a few children are sometimes invited to help one of the characters during the show.

1.The theatre-in-education teams _____.

A. are made up of famous local actors

B. write plays for the same age group

C. often give plays in their own theatres

D. usually allow children to join in a play

2.According to the text, a pantomime _____.

A. is designed to make people laugh

B. is made up of three characters

C. is especially popular with grown-ups

D. can be watched all year round in Britain

3.When the dame says, “Yes, it is”, the audience should _____.

A. follow her and sing

B. stand up and dance

C. repeat what she says

D. disagree with her loudly

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案