In many parts of the world, cars play an important role in daily life and many societies would not exist without them. So the idea that in 20 years’ time, no one will own cars may be hard to believe. But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers.
The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized, which will mean much saving, no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself, and it will not be owned by one individual. Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.
According to Dr. David Davis , who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture, which has blocked up our cities, polluted our air , and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.
Davis says, cars will be fitted with some intelligent devices to regulate the distance between one car and another. The car will automatically speed up, or slow down, to match the speed of the car in front. Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people.
By 2010, Dr. David Davis believes, car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road, whatever the weather conditions, by projecting an image of the road ahead on to the car’s windscreen. And by 2020, cars will travel in convoy, linked to each other electronically. Cars will be connected by an electronic tow bar to the car in front to form “road–trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the normal amount.” says Davis. “But all the others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount, and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.”
小題1:We know from the passage that governments and car manufacturers _______
A.do not believe the prediction that no one will own cars by 2020
B.a(chǎn)re devoted to the technological revolution in car industry
C.consider the predictions seriously
D.have put the super-intelligent car into mass production
小題2:Which of the following will be the characteristic of the cars of 2020?
  1. The car will speed up out of control.
  2. We will own as many cars as we want.
  3. All cars will be driven by computers.
  4. Cars will produce more pollution than present ones.
小題3:The leader of the research team believes that the present car culture should change because_________.
  1. cars play a very important role in daily life
  2. many societies would stop functioning without cars
  3. cars should not be owned by one individual
  4. it causes many deaths to human society
小題4:The expression closest in meaning to the phrase “in convoy” in the last paragraph is________.
A.in lineB.sidelongC.side by sideD.shoulder to shoulder
小題5:What will happen if cars are joined to each other electronically in 2020?
  1. Motorists will get a clear view of the road.
  2. The weather condition will not have effect on motorists.
  3. There will be less pollution caused by car.
  4. All trains will burn less fuel than present.

小題1:C
小題2:C
小題3:D
小題4:A
小題5:C

小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題。結(jié)合But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers可知答案。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題。結(jié)合The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized可知答案。
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)題。結(jié)合which has blocked up our cities, polluted our air , and caused more deaths than both world wars put together可知答案。
小題4:推斷詞義題。結(jié)合下文的Cars will be connected by an electronic tow bar to the car in front to form “road–trains”可知cars形成公路火車(chē),即汽車(chē)排隊(duì)形式。in line排隊(duì)。
小題5:細(xì)節(jié)題。結(jié)合But all the others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount, and so produce about ten percent of the pollution可知答案。
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神經(jīng)元)in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it,whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions y they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to ( for example :"The hand took hold of the ball" ) , the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much researeh suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互動(dòng)).Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物)for ncurosciencc of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does--well,perhaps you'll understand why.
小題1:Mirror neurons can explain         .
A.why we cry when we are hurt
B.why we cough when we suffer from a cold
C.why we smile when we see someone else smile
D.why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late
小題2:The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “  
A.set offB.cut offC.built upD.broken up
小題3:We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons  .
A.relate to human behavior and interaction
B.control human physical actions and feelings
C.result in bad behavior and social disorders
D.determine our knowledge and language abilities
小題4:What is the passage mainly about?
A.Ways to find mirror neurons.
B.Problems of mirror neurons.
C.Existence of mirror neurons.
D.Functions of mirror neurons.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

It takes years of school to develop math skills, but learning about numbers starts earlier than you might think. Now according to a new study, at three months, babies have already started acquiring a concept (概念) of “how much”.
Previous research had suggested that very young babies can tell when the number of objects (物體) in a group has changed. But the babies in these studies were simply reacting generally to the fact that something had changed, they suspected.
Researchers of Harvard University studied 36 babies, all three months old. During the tests, each baby wore a hat with sensors (傳感器). The babies watched a series of images on a computer screen. They showed the same object, such as a cartoon character. For a while, the number of the objects in the pictures didn’t change. Then the images began to display a different object, or a different number of one of the objects the babies had previously looked at. As soon as something changed, the babies’ brains responded with a specific pattern of electrical signals, which would be recorded by sensors.
By analyzing these signals, the researchers discovered that one part of the brain (near the top on the left side) responded when the object in the image changed. A different part of the brain (lower and on the right side) responded when the number of objects in the image changed. This was not the area of the brain that is involved in attention. That suggests that the babies’ brains are doing more than just reacting to a change in what they’re seeing – they actually seem to be able to tell number changes from other types of changes.
Numbers and amounts are important concepts in our lives. Even though babies are years away from adding, subtracting (減), multiplying, and dividing, their brains seem to be preparing for a time when they finally will.
小題1:Why were hats with sensors used in the study?
A.To record the images on the computer screen.
B.To remind babies of the changes of numbers.
C.To record the electrical activity of each baby’s brain.
D.To help babies concentrate on the computer screen.
小題2:What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?
A.Babies involved in the study.
B.Sensors worn by the babies.
C.Numbers marked on the objects.
D.Images shown on the computer screen.
小題3:Which part of the brain is responsible for responding to the changes of numbers?
A.The top.
B.The left side.
C.The lower and the right side.
D.The upper and the left side.
小題4:The last paragraph mainly implies that           .
A.babies are in fact cleverer than they are thought
B.it is impossible to understand human brain completely
C.numbers play the most important part in people’s lives
D.the ability of babies remain a mystery to scientists
小題5:The purpose of the study is to prove that          .
A.math skills should be developed as early as possible
B.numbers are easier for babies to judge than images
C.babies really do have some sense of numbers
D.babies can react differently to what they see

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Scientists at Harvard University and Bates College find female chimpanzees (黑猩猩) appear to treat sticks as dolls, carrying them around until they have children of their own. Young males engage in such behavior much less frequently.
The new work by Sonya M. Kahlenberg and Richard W. Wrangham, described this week in the journal Current Biology, provides the first evidence of a wild non­human species playing with dolls, as well as the first known sex difference in a wild animal’s choice of playthings.
The two researchers say their work adds to a growing body of evidence that human children are probably born with their own ideas of how they want to behave, rather than simply mirroring other girls who play with dolls and boys who play with trucks. Doll play among humans could have its origins in object—carrying by earlier apes (猿類(lèi)), they say, suggesting that toy selection is probably not due entirely to socialization.
“In humans, there are obvious sex differences in children’s toy play, and these are remarkably similar across cultures,” says Kahlenberg. “While socialization by elders and peers has been the primary explanation, our work suggests that biology may also have an important role to play in activity preferences.”
In 14 years of data on chimpanzee behavior at the Kibale National Park in Uganda, Kahlenberg and Wrangham counted more than 100 examples of stick­carrying. Some young chimpanzees carried sticks into the nest to sleep with them and on one occasion built a separate nest for the stick. “We have seen juveniles occasionally carrying sticks for many years, and because they sometimes treated them rather like dolls, we wanted to know if in general this behavior tended to represent something like playing with dolls,” says Wrangham, a Professor at Harvard. “If the doll hypothesis (假設(shè)) was right, we thought that females should carry sticks more than males do, and that the chimpanzees should stop carrying sticks when they had their first child. We have now watched enough young chimpanzees to prove both points.”
小題1:What does a female chimpanzee do with sticks?
A.She gives them to her child to play with.
B.She treats them as dolls.
C.She makes useful tools from them.
D.She treats them as weapons.
小題2: What causes the different toy selection of chimpanzees, according to the passage?
A.Sex difference.B.Socialization.
C.Environment. D.Cultural difference.
小題3:We can infer from the fourth paragraph that ________.
A.socialization has nothing to do with human’s choice of playthings
B.sex difference is the only factor in human’s choice of playthings
C.the biology factor may also influence toy choice
D.people choose different toys in different cultures
小題4:It can be concluded from the passage that ________.
A.both humans and chimpanzees choose their playthings due to sex difference
B.different factors cause humans and chimpanzees to choose different playthings
C.only female chimpanzees have playthings
D.chimpanzees usually choose playthings for their children

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (懷舊的)skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe(轉(zhuǎn)換) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot(發(fā)現(xiàn)) spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
小題1:What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?
A.The absence of blackboard in classroom.
B.The use of new technologies in teaching.
C.The lack of practice in handwriting.
D.The popular use of smartphones.
小題2:Berninger’s study published in 2009 ___________.
A.focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer.
B.indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper.
C.found that good essays are made up of long sentences.
D.discussed the importance of writing speed.
小題3:Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?
A.Spelling improves one’s memory of words.
B.Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability.
C.Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.
D.Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.
小題4:What does “mind’s eye” in paragraph 5 mean?
A.Window.B.SoulC.Picture.D.Imagination.
小題5:What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A.Computers can help people with their choice of words.
B.Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.
C.Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms.
D.Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


People who eat at home most of the time have better nutrition than those who go out to eat , a recent study shows. Cornell University professors Lana Hall and Karen Bunch interviewed(面試,接見(jiàn)) 3900 people in the survey. “People who eat less than 30 percent of their food away from home eat the most nutritiously,” they said.
“In general, Americans don’t have nutrient, except for iron and calcium,” they reported. They have the opposite problem——over—consumption(過(guò)度消耗), especially of fat.
The food at many fast food restaurants is often low in vitamins. “People who eat more than 30 percent of total calories away from home eat foods that are generally low in nutrients per calorie,” the professors said. More calories and enough nutrient intake(吸收) are required to achieve.
One of the major health risks(風(fēng)險(xiǎn)) is eating too much fat. The professor found than fat consumption became greater as income(收入) went up. It also went up in houses where the female worked. This is probably because these people eat more highly processed (加工的)foods.
小題1:According to the passage, which of the following suggestions would you most readily take?
A.Eat out as many times as possible
B.Eat at home as many times as possible
C.Eat foods with a lot if iron, calcium and fat
D.Eat more highly processed foods
小題2:What is the result if people often dine out according to the passage?
A.They tend to have better nutrition
B.They tend to have less nutrition
C.They can save a lot of time
D.They will spend much money on it
小題3:Nowadays, a major health risk that people face is_______.
A.Eating too much fast foodB.Frequent dining out
C.Eating at home very oftenD.Eating too much fat
小題4:The passage is about       .
A.Eating and Health
B.The Life Style in Modern Society
C.Fast food in the USA
D.Dining out Lowers Nutrient Intake

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted(預(yù)測(cè))in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.
Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns, scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide(CO2)in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen, while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researches of several U.S. universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated(低估)the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments under-predicted the speed of the advance — for both leafing and flowering — that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change, it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis(光合作用)to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions(排放)of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2℃ this century — a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.
小題1:What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
A.Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystem.
B.The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation.
C.Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns.
D.Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather.
小題2:We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that ______.
A.plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing
B.there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents
C.scientists should improve the design of the experiments
D.the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change
小題3:Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because _______.
A.they can prove the climate change clearly
B.they are very important in the food chains
C.they play a leading role in reducing global warming
D.they are growing and flowering much faster than before
小題4:What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
A.It has risen nearly 0.2℃ since 1979.
B.Its change will lead to weather extremes.
C.It is 0.8℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1990.
D.It needs to be controlled within 2℃ in this century.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:完形填空


Growing up in the U.S.A., I always wanted to experience another culture. The   1  came when I was 15. After several months of   2 , I was ready to spend the second term of my first year of high school as an exchange student in Australia.
Landing in Perth was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I   3  then that there was no turning back. The family I would live with was waiting for me, and it would be only five days   4  the new school year started.
The Catholic school I   5  was different from my public school back in the States. The uniform code was very strict. We were only   6  to wear one bracelet, which had to be a watch and one necklace, which had to have a Holy Cross. I was quite intimidated(害怕的) at first,   7  never having been to a new school—even in the United States. Everything went   8  , though. The teachers were welcoming and the students were friendly.
The most unforgettable time of my term abroad was with forty-one other international exchange students traveling around Australia during our term break. Our   9  were as extensive as our nationalities: we traveled to Sydney, Canberra, Mildura, Coober Pedy, Uluru, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Mount Isa, Airlie Beach, and the Cold Coast.
The few weeks we enjoyed together were crowded with   10  . We took a day-cruise on Darling Harbor and visited the Sydney Opera House. We slept in an “underground town”. We walked around the famous Ayers Rock and went sailing on the Pacific Ocean.
At the end of our   11  in Australia, we had three weeks of traveling time to share our stories and help each other deal with leaving. It was   12  that our last day together was filled with tears. We packed our camp, exchanged e-mail addresses, and gathered together for a final good-bye.
小題1:
A.dreamB.vacationC.privilegeD.opportunity
小題2:
A.examiningB.preparingC.stayingD.resting
小題3:
A.realizedB.wonderedC.wishedD.concluded
小題4:
A.whenB.sinceC.untilD.before
小題5:
A.visitedB.involvedC.a(chǎn)ttendedD.studied
小題6:
A.persuadedB.a(chǎn)llowedC.determinedD.forced
小題7:
A.a(chǎn)lwaysB.intentionallyC.speciallyD.especially
小題8:
A.toughlyB.a(chǎn)nnoyinglyC.smoothlyD.strangely
小題9:
A.destinationsB.worksitesC.habitatsD.shelters
小題10:
A.challengesB.a(chǎn)musementsC.a(chǎn)ssignmentsD.a(chǎn)ctivities
小題11:
A.holidayB.stayC.workD.tour
小題12:
A.naturalB.essentialC.embarrassingD.unexpected

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


Homework can put you in a bad mood (心情), and that might actually be a good thing. Researchers from the University of Plymouth in England doubted whether mood might affect the way kids learn. To find out the answer, they did two experiments with children.
The first experiment tested 30 kids. Some shapes (圖片) were hidden inside a different, larger picture. The kids had to find the small shapes while sitting in a room with either cheerful or sad music playing in the background. To test their mood, the scientists asked the kids to point to one of five faces, from happy to sad. Children who listened to cheerful music tended to point to the smiley faces while the others pointed to the unhappy ones. The researchers found that sad kids took at least a second less to find the small shapes. They also found an average of three or four more shapes.
In the second experiment, 61 children watched one of two scenes from a film. One scene was happy, and the other was sad. Just like in the first experiment, kids who saw the sad scene acted better compared to the others.
The researchers guessed that feeling down makes people more likely to focus on a problem or difficult situation. Not all scientists agree with them, however. Other studies argued that maybe, that cheerful music in the first experiment distracted (使分心) kids from finding shapes.
While scientists work on finding out the answers, it still might be wise to choose when to do your tasks according to your mood. After eating a delicious ice cream, for example, write an essay.
小題1:Researchers did experiments on kids in order to find out ______.
A.how they really feel when they are learning
B.whether mood affects their learning ability
C.what methods are easy for kids to learn
D.the relationship between sadness and happiness
小題2:The researchers found in the first experiment that ______.
A.kids who listened to happy music turned out to be energetic
B.kids who listened to sad music liked to choose smiley faces
C.kids worked harder in the background of happy music
D.sad music helped kids find out small shapes quickly
小題3:What can we learn from the text?
A.The researchers will continue to do experiments.
B.The researchers have found a clear answer.
C.The experiments are popular among kids.
D.Kids change their feelings more easily.
小題4:We can infer that the text is ______.   
A.a(chǎn) science surveyB.a(chǎn) research report
C.a(chǎn) school projectD.a(chǎn)n introduction to an experiment

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