Among the dead in South Asia’s tsunami were many tourists at Sri Lanka’s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and flee to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater rupture likely produced sound waves known as infrasound or infrasonic sound. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration. The massive quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves move on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached SriLanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yale might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. Humans have a lot of things on our minds and usually that works out OK.
Notes:
①    tsunami  n. 海嘯
②    infrasound  n. 次聲
③    vibration  n. 振動(dòng),顫動(dòng)
Choose the best answers according to the above:
小題1: Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?
A.Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park.
B.Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings.
C.Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound.
D.Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away.
小題2:Which of the statements about “Ravleigh waves” is true?
A.Rayleigh waves are massive vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis.
B.Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves.
C.Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings.
D.Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals.
小題3:When a tsunami hits, it is possible that____.
A.we can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger
B.we can feel Rayleigh waves as well as infrasound so we are able to escape the danger like animals
C.we were so busy with things on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves
D.we think nothing of the information of its coming even though we can also get it
小題4: What does the underlined word “that” in the last sentence refer to?
A.Screening out the information.
B.There being so much going on before our eyes and in our ears.
C.Having a lot of things on our minds.
D.Paying attention to the information.

小題1:D
小題2:C
小題3:D
小題4:A

小題1:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從第二、三段可知,動(dòng)物能提前感知到危險(xiǎn)臨近,逃到安全地方去。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從第三、四段可知,人和動(dòng)物都能感覺(jué)到Rayleigh waves。
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從最后一段第四句可知。
小題4:詞義猜測(cè)題。該詞指代的意思從前一句Maybe we screen it out because …可以確定。
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – A fish that lives in mangrove swamps(紅樹(shù)沼澤) across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted(適應(yīng)) to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs(圓木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
“We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition(過(guò)渡) from water onto land,” Wright said.
1. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______.
A. likes eating nuts
B. prefers living in dry places
C. is the longest living fish on earth
D. can stay alive for two months out of water
2. Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus?
A. Patricia Wright.
B. Scott Taylor.
C. Scientists from Belize.
D. Researchers in Guatemala.
3. According to the text, lungfish can ________.
A. breathe through its skin
B. move freely on dry land
C. remain alive out of water
D. be as active on land as in water
4. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
A. It was made quite by accident.
B. It was helped by Patricia Wright.
C. It was based on a lab test of sea life.
D. It was supported by an American magazine.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

A high school in Hiroshima City has been the first to do something with DNA in the world. Its students have won praise not only for doing this research but also for presenting their findings to groups of expert scientists. The school is one of the Super Science High Schools allowed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, where students are given an opportunity to study science at an advanced level. Here, students use the same type of hitech experimental laboratories as those found at universities. In these labs, they conduct experiments and research in new fields of study not found in textbooks. As part of this science course, the students, with the help of Hiroshima University, used a machine called sequencer (音序器), and over the course of a year and a half they succeeded in decoding (解譯) the DNA. They then presented their results to academic groups. Achieving a world first might sound very wonderful, but the process of decoding the DNA involved very hard work. The students were also responsible for maintaining the equipment, and they had to read difficult research papers and put in extra study beyond their regular schoolwork.
"Researchers need to work hard. The work was tiring, but the students worked toward their ambitious goal of achieving a world first. They have a great sense of achievement, and the number of students who hope to become biologists has increased," said Taruma Akinori, who is in charge of the science course.
In addition to the results being added to the scientific community, the students’ research paper will be translated into English and made available overseas. Moreover, the students have decided to take on a new challenge in DNA decoding.
小題1:Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
A.Decoding the blueprint of life
B.Super Science High School
C.More students hoping to become biologists
D.Hi-tech experimental laboratory
小題2:Up to a point, their success is due to ______.
A.hi-tech experimental facilities
B.the great pressure their school put on them
C.the increasing number of biologists
D.little interest in their regular school work
小題3: The research paper will be put into English in order to ______.
A.become an English textbook
B.help the students make English friends
C.make the results known by the whole world
D.challenge foreign scientists
小題4:The author’s attitude towards those students who have accomplished a world first in DNA decoding is ______.
A.indifferentB.a(chǎn)dmiring
C.slightingD.disappointed

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

  More than 6000 children were expelled(開(kāi)除)from US schools last year for bringing  guns and bombs to school, the US Department of Education said on May 8. 
The department gave a report on the expulsions (開(kāi)除)as saying handguns accounted for 58 percent of the 6093 expulsions in 2005—2006, against 7 percent for rifles(步槍)or shotguns and 35 percent for other types of firearms.
“the report is a dear sign that our nation’s public schools are cracking down” on students who bring guns to school, ” Education Secretary Richard Riey said in a statement. “We need to be tough-minded about keeping guns out of our schools and do everything to keep our children safe.”
In March 2006, a 1l-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy using handguns and rifles shot dead four children and a teacher at a school in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In October, two were killed and seven wounded in a shooting at a Mississippi school. Two months later, a 14-year-old boy killed three high school students and wounded five in Daducab, Kentucky.
“Most of the expulsions, 56 percent were from high schools, which have students from about age 13, 34 percent were from junior high schools and 9 percent were from elementary schools”, the report said.
小題1:From the first paragraph we can infer that in the US schools______.
A.students enjoy shootingB.students are eager to be soldiers
C.safety is a problemD.students can make guns
小題2:The report from the US Department of Education shows that______.
A.the number of the expulsions is not largeB.the number of the expulsions is wrong
C.there are soldiers hiding among the studentsD.guns are out of control in US schools
小題3:The main idea of paragraph four shows us______.
A.some examples of shootings in US schoolB.the Americans’ feeling
C.some famous schoolsD.that some teachers were killed by students
小題4: How many students were shot dead in 2006 in US schools?
A.10B.9C.12D.22
小題5:From this passage we know that______.
A.every American cannot have gunsB.only soldiers and police can have guns
C.every American citizen can own gunsD.teachers have no money to buy guns

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for cluesfor water and possible signs of life.
The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samplesto analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.
Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbesexisted in the ice.
Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.
True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previousmissions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.
The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.
Notes:
①    clue  n. 線索
②    sample  n. 標(biāo)本,樣品
③    microbe  n. 微生物
④    previous  adj. 先前的
小題1:The passage mainly tells readers that _________.
A.clues of water will be found in Phoenix
B.Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars
C.August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off
D.the Mars Scout program will be carried out
小題2: The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.
A.on timeB.behind the timeC.out of workD.a(chǎn)head of time
小題3: According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.
A.in May 2008B.in August 2007
C.in August 2008D.in September 2008
小題4: According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.
A.rebirthB.deathC.energyD.hope
小題5:After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.
A.find soil samples and send them to the earth
B.look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples
C.take photos and send them to the earth
D.find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

It is difficult for parents of nearly every family to teach their children to be responsible (有責(zé)任的)for housework, but with one of the following suggestions, you really can get your children to help at home.
  If you give your children the impression that they can never do anything quite right, then they will regard themselves as unfit or unable persons. Unless children believe they can succeed, they will never become totally independent.
  My daughter Carla’s fifth - grade teacher made every child in her class feel special. When students received less than a prefect test score, she would point out what they had mastered and declared firmly they could learn what they had missed.
  You can use the same technique when you evaluate (評(píng)價(jià))your child’s work at home. Don’t always scold and give lots of praise instead. Talk about what he has done right, not about what he hasn’t done. If your child completes a difficult task, promise him a Sunday trip or a ball game with Dad.
  Learning is a process(過(guò)程)of trying and failing and trying and succeeding. If you teach your children not to fear a mistake of failure, they will learn faster and achieve success at last.
小題1:The whole passage deals with ________.
A.social educationB.school education
C.family educationD.pre - school education
小題2:The author thinks that________.
A.there is no way to get children to help at home
B.the more encouragement and praise you give, the more responsible and helpful children will become
C.it is very difficult to make children responsible for housework
D.children can be forced to help with housework
小題3:The article gives us a good suggestion about how to evaluate(評(píng)價(jià))your child’s work at home. That is to ________.
A.praise his successB.promise him a trip
C.give him a punishmentD.promise him a ball game
小題4:The author advises readers to________.
A.learn from himself, for he has a good way of teaching
B.take pride in Carla’s fifth - grade teacher
C.do as what Carla’s teacher did in educating children
D.follow Carla’s example because she never fails in the test
小題5:Having read the last paragraph, we can conclude that ________.
A.pride goes before a fall
B.practice makes perfect
C.no pains, no gains
D.failure is the mother of success

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Imagine a training course that helps you in your specific job. Imagine tools and techniques that are so closely connected with your work that you can apply them directly to it. Imagine receiving an Open University (OU) certificate (證書(shū)) in a course which states what you have studied and achieved.
It may sound fantastic, but it’s a reality at the Open University’s CCPD, which is making learning while you work more flexible (靈活的) than ever before.
The courses are starting to change workplace learning completely. Paige, who took CCPD’s courses, said the study had changed her whole way of thinking. “It was excellent for so many reasons,” she said. “It developed me as a person and as an employee and taught me particular techniques. I was always able to bring what I’d learned into the office the next day and apply it to my job.”
Even better news for Paige was that her employer paid the full cost of her study. She became one of thousands of OU students whose fees were paid by employers who recognized the value of an OU education.
“These courses are designed for CCPD rather than as part of a formal certificate,” said Kathy, an OU teacher. “We pay more attention to development rather than assessment (評(píng)估). Our role is to give them personal developmental advice, not a mark.”
Paige is just one of 200,000 students who are learning at OU. CCPD itself is just a part of an organization that offers courses and qualifications in 360 subjects and has so far helped to develop the skills and knowledge of more than two million people.
“Education does not stop with getting a degree,” said Charles Edwards, CCPD’s director. “In a fast-moving economy you cannot afford to rely on the degree you got some time ago. You must keep updating your knowledge.”
For details on CCPD’s courses and to register with the 10% discount available to members, visit www.open.ac.uk.
小題1:According to the passage, CCPD’s courses are ________.
A.required courses for formal academic qualifications
B.training courses for professional development
C.special courses for a master’s degree
D.elective courses for university students
小題2:The example of Paige is given to show ________.
A.the benefits of lifelong learning
B.how completely learning has changed
C.the value of CCPD’s courses of the OU
D.the importance of hard work
小題3:It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that ________.
A.Paige has got promoted after learning CCPD’s courses
B.a(chǎn)n OU education has been accepted by many employers
C.Paige is the best employee in her company
D.most employers care for their employees
小題4:According to the passage, CCPD’s courses focus on ________.
A.a(chǎn)ssessment of learners
B.learners’ personal development
C.the academic knowledge of learners
D.classroom learning

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own.My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old,making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen.While I was growing up,we lived a very hard life.We had little money,but my mom gave me a lot of love.Each night,she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life,“Kemmons,you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen,I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again.Every day,my mother spoke to me in her gentle,loving voice,telling me that no matter what those doctors said,I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough.She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her.A year later,I returned to school—walking on my own!
When the Great Depression(大蕭條)hit,my mom lost her job.Then I left school to support the both of us.At that moment,I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years,I experienced various levels of business success.But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951.I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child.That was too expensive for the average American family.I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽車(chē)旅館)for families that would never charge extra for children.There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly,mom was one of my strongest supporters.She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style.As in any business,we experienced a lot of challenges.But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul,I never doubted we would succeed.Fifteen years later,we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn.In 1979 my company had 1759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations.But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself,nothing can stop you.
小題1:What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was_______.
A.caringB.moving
C.encouragingD.interesting
小題2:According to the author,who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?
A.Doctors.B.Nurses.C.Friends.D.Mom.
小題3:What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A.His terrible experience in the hotel.
B.His previous business success of various levels.
C.His mom’s support.
D.His wife’s suggestion.
小題4:Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?
A.Modest,helpful and hard-working.
B.Loving,supportive and strong-willed.
C.Careful,helpful and beautiful.
D.Strict,sensitive and supportive.
小題5:Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A.Self-confidence,hard work,higher-education and a poor family.
B.Mom’s encouragement,clear goals,self-confidence and hard work.
C.Clear goals,mom’s encouragement,a poor family and higher education.
D.Mom’s encouragement,a poor family,higher education and opportunities.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The United States government wants to know what the public thinks about its findings on the safety of cloned animals.
The Food and Drug Administration says meat and milk from clones of adult cattle, pigs and goats are safe to eat. An F.D.A. official called them "as safe to eat as the food we eat every day." And when those clones reproduce sexually(有性繁殖), the agency says, their offspring(后代) are safe to eat as well. But research on cloned sheep is limited. So the F.D.A. proposes that sheep clones not be used for human food.
The United States this year could become the first country to approve the sale of foods from cloned animals. First, however, the public will have ninety days to comment on three proposed documents. On December 28th the F.D.A. released a long report, called a draft risk assessment, along with two policy documents.
The agency says it must receive comments by April second. The F.D.A. seemed ready to act several years ago, but an advisory committee called for more research.
For now, the government will continue to ask producers to honor a request that they not sell foods from cloned animals.
Clones are still rare. They cost a lot and are difficult to produce.
The F.D.A. says most food from cloning is expected to come not from clones themselves, but from their sexually reproduced offspring. It says clones are expected to be used mostly as breeding animals to spread good qualities.
Public opinion studies show most Americans do not like the idea of food from cloned animals. But this research also shows the public knows little about cloning.
Cloning differs from genetic engineering. A cell taken from a so-called donor animals is grown into an embryo(胚胎)in the laboratory. Next, the embryo is placed into the uterus(子宮)of a female animal. If the process is successful, the pregnancy reaches full term and a genetic copy of the donor animal is born.
小題1:From the passage we know that               .
A.foods from cloned animals are popular in America
B.cloned adult animals are safe to eat except sheep.
C.cloned animals will be easy to produce
D.most foods from cloning is expected to take place of other foods
小題2:The main purpose of the text is to               .
A.tell a interesting storyB.give some advice on foods
C.give a reportD.compare different opinions
小題3:Who believe that foods from cloning are safe to eat?
A. Most Americans     B. An advisory committee
C. Critics             D. The F.D.A.
小題4:It can be inferred from the last paragraph that         .
A.cloning has much in common with genetic
B.not every cell taken from a donor animal can grow into a genetic copy
C.the donor animal should be a female one
D.cloned animals grow faster than normal ones

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