An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast (夸耀) about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we've never taken a good look right under our noses. The inside of the earth is relatively close, but how can we get there?
The deepest oil well enters a mere six miles into the crust (地殼) (the center of the earth is about 4,000 miles deeper). Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia, but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface. The Mohole project, a U.S. plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle (地幔). Sadly the project involved government supporting.
It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer. Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust ---  about 52,800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible.
What little we know about the inside of the earth (like the fact that there's a crust, a mantle, and a core) comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes.
So maybe it's time for a thorough new method to explore the earth's inside. Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes. Instead, we should open a crack (裂縫).
Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep (not with a shovel) but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb. Next, he'd pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten (熔化的) iron into the crack, along with a robot. The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper. The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2,000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface.
Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration. "We're going somewhere we haven't been before,"he says. "In all possibility, there will be surprises.”
This idea can probably be put in the drawer marked with Isn't Going To Happen. The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything. But Stevenson's idea may inspire a new look at an old problem. Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas.
小題1:Going inside the earth is _____ than going into space.
A.more interestingB.more possibleC.easierD.more challenging
小題2:How deep have we gone into the earth until now?
A.6 miles.B.4,000 miles.C.7.5 miles.D.25 miles.
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about David Stevenson's idea?
A.It is an inspiring but not practical idea now.
B.It is a practical proposal that has come into use now.
C.It is a good proposal that will soon be put into practice.
D.It is a false theory that cannot be carried out at all.
小題4: What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A.An Annoying Problem for Humans
B.To the Center of the Earth
C.The Mohole Project
D.David Stevenson's Proposal

小題1:D
小題2:C
小題3:A
小題4:B

小題1:推理判斷題。從第一段以及全文可知深入地殼比進(jìn)入太空更富有挑戰(zhàn)性。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第二段的but bottomed out about 7.5 miles below the surface可知。
小題3:推理判斷題。從最后一段可知Steveson的想法只是一個鼓舞人心但目前不可行的建議。
小題4:歸納標(biāo)題題。全文主要講的是怎樣深入地球進(jìn)行探索。
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


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D. scientists have put some of his parents' DNA into him
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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There were concerns in the last remaining days of Discovery's mission that a torn heat blanket—another shield against overheating in the space shuttle—may pose a problem to crew members. NASA officials and technicians worked on ways that the crew could fix the problem, but later decided it was not a risk.?
With the shuttle and its crew safely back on firm ground, NASA is hailing this mission, labeled STS?114,as a huge success. “I hope this shows people that we're coming back,” NASA spaceflight chief Bill Readdy said after Discovery's successful landing. “We've got some more work to do. We know what we need to do and we'll do it.?
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C.Testing new repair techniques.?
D.Finding the cause why the shuttle Columbia came apart.?
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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Items
Japan
Korea
U.S.A
Britain
France
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32
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17
59
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68
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26
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10
38
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20
19
50
71
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G. To raise responsible citizens
45
40
46
28
15
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C.strengthening family relationshipD.caring for raising children
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A.B and CB.D and FC.E and FD.F and G
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B.Japanese parents share two of their main reasons with the British and American parents, and the third one with Korean parents.?
C.More than half of the parents from each country chose the reason“tostrengthen family ties”and for each it was one of the three main reasons for having children.?
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work,a move scientists say can be good for productivity,workplace morale(士氣),and the well-being (安寧, 幸福)of animals.
A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet. Sue Chaseling of Pet care Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets.“On the pets’ side,they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,”she said. A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial(有益的),while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism(缺勤).
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“It wasn’t the moon ”, was the reply.
They watched the light and saw that it was moving. It seemed to be an object rather like a big plate. In some ways it looked like smoke with a light on it, but it wasn’t smoke because it didn’t change its shape. It was moving in a regular way. That is to say, it didn’t go suddenly faster or more slowly, and it didn’t go higher or lower. So the two men decided that there must be men in it.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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Notes:
①    charity  n. 慈善,慈善團(tuán)體
②    reindeer  n. 馴鹿
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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Thanks to the computer,we are able to be alone and together with other people—at the same time!
小題1:The underlined phrase “networked individualism”probably means that by using computers people_______.
A.stick to their own ways no matter what other people say
B.have the rights and freedom to do things of their own interest
C.do things in their own ways and express opinions different from other people
D.a(chǎn)re able to keep to themselves but at the same time reach out to other people
小題2:According to the Pew study,what do many people rely on to make major life decisions?
A.Networks.B.Friends.
C.Phones.D.Parents.
小題3:It can be inferred from the Pew study that_______.
A.people have been separated from each other by using computers
B.the Internet makes people waste a lot of time and feel very lonely
C.the Internet has become a tool for a new kind of social communication
D.a(chǎn) lot of people regard the person-toperson communication as good thing
小題4:Which would be the best title for this passage?
A.We’re Alone on the Internet.
B.We’re Communicating on the Internet.
C.We’re Alone Together on the Internet.
D.We’re in the Imaginary World of the Internet.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Dearest Mom and Dad,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school principal is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer.
The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. This is against the rules, of course. We are not supposed to smoke at all.
As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away.
Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire. There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too. Soon the whole room was burning.
The principal phoned for the fire department. The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was in flames. Many of the girls are in the hospital.
The principal says the fire was my fault and you must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I am very sorry about this.
Much love, Sarah
P.S.
None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams. I just want you to know how bad things could have been!
小題1:Sarah wrote to her parent______
A. to inform them about an accident
B. to ask them for money
C. to them wonderful news
D. to tell then she had failed her exams
小題2:Sarah told her parents the story about the fire because______
A.she wanted to make them worried
B.she wanted them to have some fun
C.she wanted to make them less angry at the real news
D.she wanted to make them even more angry
小題3:The main body of the letter was_____
A.mostly trueB.partly true
C.a(chǎn)ll trueD.completely untrue
小題4:Sarah said the principal was angry because____
A.she had failed her exams
B.it was her fault that the fire had broken out
C.she not make the phone call in time
D.she had caught her smoking in bed

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