How is it that siblings (兄弟姐妹) can turn out so differently? One answer is that in fact each sibling grows up in a different family. The firstborn is, for a while, an only child, and therefore has a completely different experience of the parents than those born later. The next child is, for a while, the youngest, until the situation is changed by a new arrival. The mother and father themselves are changing and growing up too. One sibling might live in a stable and close family in the first few years; another might be raised in a family crisis, with a disappointed mother or an angry father.
Sibling competition was identified as an important shaping force as early as in 1918. But more recently, researchers have found many ways in which brothers and sisters are a lasting force in each others’ lives. Dr. Annette Henderson says firstborn children pick up vocabulary more quickly than their siblings. The reason for this might be that the later children aren’t getting the same one-on-one time with parents. But that doesn’t mean that the younger children have problems with language development. Later-borns don’t enjoy that much talking time with parents, but instead they harvest lessons from bigger brothers and sisters, learning entire phrases and getting an understanding of social concepts such as the difference between “I” and “me”. 
A Cambridge University study of 140 children found that siblings created a rich world of play that helped them grow socially. Love-hate relationships were common among the children. Even those siblings who fought the most had just as much positive communication as the other sibling pairs.
One way children seek more attention from parents is by making themselves different from their siblings, particularly if they are close in age. Researchers have found that the first two children in a family are typically more different from each other than the second and third. Girls with brothers show their differences to a maximum degree by being more feminine than girls with sisters. A 2003 research paper studied adolescents from 185 families over two years, finding that those who changed to make themselves different from their siblings were successful in increasing the amount of warmth they gained from their parents.
小題1:The underlined part “in a different family” (in Para. 1) means “_______”.
A．in a different family environment
B．in a different family tradition
C．in different family crises
D．in different families
小題2:In terms of language development, later-borns ________.
A．get their parents’ individual guidance
B．learn a lot from their elder siblings
C．experience a lot of difficulties
D．pick up words more quickly
小題3:What was found about fights among siblings?
A．Siblings hated fighting and loved playing.
B．Siblings in some families fought frequently.
C．Sibling fights led to bad sibling relationships.
D．Siblings learned to get on together from fights.
小題4:The word “feminine” (in Para. 4) means “_______”.
A．having qualities of parents
B．having qualities of women
C．having defensive qualities
D．having extraordinary qualities

小題1:A
小題2:B
小題3:D
小題4:B
同一家庭出身的兄弟姐妹性格為何不同？那是因為他們生活于不同的家庭環(huán)境：對于父母的體驗，第一個出生的孩子與以后出生的孩子會迥然不同；在語言發(fā)展上，后出生的孩子更喜歡向哥哥姐姐學(xué)習(xí)而不是向父母學(xué)習(xí)……
小題1:詞義猜測題。難度中等。
【解題思路】根據(jù)第一段第二句中的“…different experience…”以及第一段最后一句中“…might live in a stable and close family in the first few years; another might be raised in a family crisis, with a disappointed mother and angry father.”可知，該短語意為“生活在不同的家庭環(huán)境中”，故A項正確。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。難度中等。
【解題思路】根據(jù)第二段最后一句話中“Later-borns don’t enjoy that much talking time with parents, but instead they harvest lessons from bigger brothers and sister…”可知后出生者更傾向于向兄弟姐妹學(xué)習(xí)，故B項正確。
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。難度中等。
【解題思路】根據(jù)第三段最后一句“Even those siblings who fought the most had just as much posistive communication as the other sibling pairs.”可知，即使兄弟姐妹間爭吵不斷，他們也在此中學(xué)習(xí)相處之道，故D項正確。
小題4:詞義猜測題。難度中等。
【解題思路】根據(jù)語境可知，有兄弟的女孩比有姐妹的女孩更具有女性品質(zhì)特征，故B項正確。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從1 -15各題所給的A、B、C和D項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
" You probably don't remember me," she said. Then she pulled out a piece of paper from her ___1___ and gave it to me. It was my handwriting.
As the assistant of the Honors Programs at the university, one of my __2___ was to review student transcripts(成績單) to make sure they could ___3___ in Honors. It was common for students to have a(n) ___4___ start and they could no longer continue in Honors after their first term. However, sometimes their ___5___ term report cards would still be sent to us even though the students were no longer in the program.
The note she handed me ___6___, " Congratulations on your excellent second term. You may have been ___7___ with your grades, but you should feel ___8___ of how you've made some progress. Best of luck in keeping up the good work, and you'll be able to succeed."
The student went on and said, " You can't know what this ___9___ to me. I've carried it in my purse for three years and pulled it out anytime I didn't want to do my ___10___. For three years I've been ___11___ to enter your office and giving you this note and this ___12____. " she handed me her latest transcript with good marks.
We were both ___13____. She cried and I ___14____ to. Writing the note seemed like nothing to me, but it meant so ___15___ to her. I really had no idea that my actions had such meaning.
小題1:
A．bag B．pocketC．purseD．box
小題2:
A．a(chǎn)imsB．wishesC．plansD．jobs
小題3:
A．continueB．keepC．carryD．go
小題4:
A．pleasantB．unluckyC．easyD．different
小題5:
A．secondB．firstC．lastD．final
小題6:
A．readB．wroteC．voicedD．a(chǎn)nnounced
小題7:
A．surprisedB．disappointedC．a(chǎn)shamedD．pleased
小題8:
A．carefulB．a(chǎn)fraidC．tiredD．proud
小題9:
A．broughtB．meantC．designedD．suggested
小題10:
A．work B．dutyC．homeworkD．responsibility
小題11:
A．regrettingB．refusingC．planningD．promising
小題12:
A．transcriptB．bookC．penD．gift
小題13:
A．worriedB．excitedC．happyD．sad
小題14:
A．failedB．wantedC．decidedD．hated
小題15:
A．bitB．manyC．muchD．little

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

“If you talk to the plants, they will grow faster and the effect is even better if you’re a woman.” Researchers at Royal Horticultural Society carried out an experiment to find that the voice of a woman gardener makes plants grow faster.
The experiment lasted a month and by the end of the study scientists managed to discover that tomato plants grew up two inches taller when women gardeners talked to them instead of male.
Sarah Darwin was the one making the plants the best growth. Her voice was the most “inspiring” for plants than those of nine other gardeners when reading a passage from The Origin of Species. The great-great-granddaughter of the famous botanist （植物學(xué)家）Charles Darwin found that her plant grew about two inches taller than the plant of the best male gardener.
Colin Crosbie, Garden Superintendent at RHS, said that the finding cannot yet be explained.He says that women have a greater range of pitch and tone（音高和音色）which might have a certain effect on the sound waves that reach the plant. “Sound waves are an environmental effect just like rain or light ,”said Mr Grosbie.
The study began in April at RHS Garden Wisley in Survey. Scientists started with open auditions(聽力) for the people who were asked to record passages from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night Dream and Darwin's The Origin of Species.
Afterwards researchers selected a number of different voices and played them to 10 tomato plants during a period of a month. Each plant had headphones connected to it. Through the headphones the sound waves could hit the plants. It was discovered that plants that “l(fā)istened” to female voices grew taller by an inch in comparison to plants that heard male voices.
小題1:What does the passage talk about?
A．Plants enjoy men’s voices than women’s.
B．A science experiment in a museum.
C．Voice’s influence on plant growing.
D．Strange findings at Royal Horticultural Society.
小題2:What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean?
A．Plants need sound as well as rain and light.
B．Sound is basic for the plant to grow.
C．Sound has a good effect as rain or light does.
D．Plants can’t live without sound, rain or light.
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A．The experiment ended in May.
B．Scientist can explain the findings clearly.
C．Plants enjoy listening to the passages from famous works.
D．The findings are of great importance to human beings.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Researchers in over 80 nations are taking part in a project to conduct a decade-long census(統(tǒng)計) of sea life. Scientists presented some of their findings at a recent conference as the project neared its completion.
In deep icy waters under Antarctica, scientists found bulbous tunicates, an underground animal, and many newly-discovered creatures believed to be related to starfish (海星) and other marine(海洋的）creatures.
Elsewhere in the world’s oceans, they have recently discovered many kinds of underwater life forms new to science. It is all part of a research effort called the Census of Marine Life.
“There are about 2,000 scientists worldwide involved,” said Bob Gagosian, President, CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Gagosian helps manage the project. “Everywhere they’ve gone they’ve found new things,” he says. “The ocean basically is unexplored from the point of view of marine living things.”
Researchers have placed small markers on hundreds of fish and marine animals to track by satellite their migration(遷移）routes and to discover places where sea life gathers.
According to Ron O’Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, knowledge of life on the ocean floor is especially limited. “90% of all the information we have is from the top hundred meters of the ocean,” O’Dor states.
And he says the sea floor is, on average, at a depth of 4, 000 meters. And so, as some machines dive far below what people have previously seen, scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and living things.
Since the census project began, more than 5,300 new marine animals have been found. Ocean researchers say they hope to catalogue 230,000 species during the census —which some say is only a small part of all the creatures living in the sea.
小題1:Why do the researchers place small markers on many marine creatures?
A．To catch them.B．To research them.
C．To kill them.D．To protect them.
小題2:From what Ron O’Dor says, we can conclude that        .
A．human beings only know a little about marine life
B．the oceans don’t need to be further explored
C．he considers exploring the ocean a dangerous thing
D．the marine creatures mainly live on the top of the ocean
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A．About 2,000 scientists from America are involved in the project.
B．The census of sea life will last for ten years.
C．230,000 new marine animals have been found.
D．The sea floor is at a depth of 400 meters.
小題4:Why does the author write the passage?
A．To tell the news that new marine creatures are being discovered
B．To encourage people to find new marine creatures
C．To prove the importance of marine creatures
D．To introduce the newly-discovered creatures.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences.
Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 babies aged 9 months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were typically boys’ toys ---- a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys；and could pick whichever toy they liked their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.
Of the youngest children (9 to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.
Dr Brenda Todd said, “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer: moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the colour of a newborn baby.”                                
小題1:Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because ________.
A．baby boys are much more active
B．baby girls like bright colours more
C．their parents treat them differently
D．there is a natural difference between them
小題2:Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with ________ according to the study.
A．a(chǎn) ballB．a(chǎn) teddyC．a(chǎn) carD．a(chǎn) doll
小題3:What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all.
B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls.
C．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is.
D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys.
小題4:What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?
A．Adults purposely influence their babies’ preference.
B．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings.
C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting.
D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

By the mid-nineteenth century, the term "icebox" had entered the American language, but ice was still only beginning to affect the diet of ordinary citizens in the United States. The ice trade grew with the growth of cities. Ice was used in hotels, taverns(酒館), and hospitals, and by some forward-looking city dealers in fresh meat, fresh fish, and butter. After the Civil War (1861-1865), as ice was used to refrigerate freight cars, it also came into household use. Even before 1880, half of the ice sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and one-third of that sold in Boston and Chicago, went to families for their own use. This had become possible because a new household convenience, the icebox, a precursor (前身) of the modern fridge, had been invented.
　　Making an efficient icebox as not as easy as we might now suppose. In the early nineteenth century, the knowledge of the physics of heat, which was essential to a science of refrigeration, was rudimentary(未發(fā)展的). The commonsense notion that the best icebox was one that prevented the ice from melting was of course mistaken, for it was the melting of the ice that performed the cooling. Nevertheless, early efforts to economize ice included wrapping up the ice in blankets, which kept the ice from doing its job. Not until near the end of the nineteenth century did inventors achieve the delicate balance of insulation(絕緣) and circulation needed for an efficient icebox.
　　But as early as 1803, and ingenious Maryland farmer, Thomas Moore, had been on the right track. He owned a farm about twenty miles outside the city of Washington, for which the village of Georgetown was the market center. When he used an icebox of his own design to transport his butter to market, he found that customers would pass up the rapidly melting stuff in the tubs of his competitors to pay a premium price(高價) for his butter, still fresh and hard in neat, one-pound bricks. One advantage of his icebox, Moore explained, was that farmers would no longer have to travel to market at night in order to keep their produce cool.
小題1:Where was ice used after the Civil War?
A．In refrigerating freight cars and households.
B．In hotels, taverns and hospitals
C．In families of New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
D．In fresh meat, fish and butter by city dealers.
小題2:What was essential to to make an icebox efficient according to the passage?
A．Keeping the ice from melting
B．Knowledge of the physics of heat.
C．Balance of insulation and circulation
D．Making efforts to reduce the use of ice
小題3:The second paragraph is mainly about_____
A．the deveopment of icebox
B．the theoretical foundation of icebox
C．the wrong ideas about icebox
D．the way of using icebox
小題4: What can we infer from the text?
A．Thomas Moore is the inventor of modern fridge
B．The butter produced by Thomas Moored is better in quality than other famers’
C．Knowledge of the physics of heat plays an important part in inventing a good icebox
D．Before 1880, most of the sold ice was used for family use.
小題5: Without an ice box, farmers had to go to the market at night ________.
A．to sell their produce at high price
B．to go home earlier
C．to keep their produce fresh
D．to win more customers than their competitors

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科目：高中英語 來源：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 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Which are you more likely to have with you at any given moment-your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electronic scanner.
In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its stores. This is the first pay-by-phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more wireless payment alternatives as something called near field communication (NFC) gets into America’s consumer electronics. Last December, some new smart phones which contain an NFC chip were introduced to the public.
Already in use in parts of Asia and Europe, NFC allows shoppers to wave their phones a few inches above a payment terminal – a contact- free system built for speed and convenience. But before NFC becomes widely adopted in the U.S., a few problems need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable transaction（交易）fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave-and- pay systems that use NFC-enabled credit cards, cell phone service providers may try to muscle their way into the point-of-sale（POS）market. Three big cell phone service providers have formed a joint venture（合資企業(yè)）that will go into operation over the next 15 months. Its goal is “to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.”
The other big NFC issue, apart from how payments will be processed, is security. For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pick-pocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against you in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,” says Jimmy Shah. A mobile- security researcher, “Users may also be able to set transaction limits, perhaps requiring a password to be entered for larger purchases.”
Still uneasy about this digital-wallet business? Keep in mind that if you lose your smart phone, it can be located on a map and remotely disabled. Plus, your phone can be password protected. Your wallet isn’t.
小題1:What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?
A．The expansion of cell phone companies.
B．The boom of pay-by-phone business.
C．The disappearance of credit cards.
D．The increase of Starbucks sales.
小題2:The NFC technology can be used to __________.
A．ensure the safety of shoppers
B．collect transaction fees easily
C．make purchase faster and simpler
D．improve the quality of cell phones
小題3:Three cell phone service providers form a joint venture to __________.
A．strengthen their relationship
B．test the NFC technology
C．sell more cell phones
D．get a share in the payments industry
小題4:According to the passage, what can users do if they lose their smart phones?
A．Stop the functioning of their phones.
B．Set up a password.
C．Get all the money out of their phones.
D．Report it to the bank.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Have you heard of the movie Benji off the Leashf This Benji story7 begins when his mother, a pretty black furry dog, escapes from the puppy mill with Colby, a boy who loves her．He tries to hide her in an abandoned house．The boy' s father discovers her there and takes mother and pups back home to the puppy mill, but leaves Benji behind because he doesn't look purebred （純血統(tǒng)的） enough to be sold for money．Colby comes back later to rescue the tiny puppy and keeps Benji in his wooden clubhouse, bringing Mom to come to visit him in secret．
As Benji grows bigger, it becomes harder to keep him in the clubhouse, and eventually the boy' s father discovers him and Benji is forced to flee to the streets．But despite his fear of Colby' s father, Benji cannot forget about his mother, who is growing steadily weaker and sicker．He continues to sneak back to the puppy mill yard to spy on the goings-on there and plan a way to rescue her．
Benji's doggie pal, Scrappy enters the story when he is pushed out of a car into a country lane．Once his paws hit the ground, Scrappy wags his tail once helplessly after the car as it drives away, and then is immediately up to his neck in hapless mischief （頑皮）. Scrappy is a lovably stupid little dog who barely manages to escape the animal control officers who are determined to catch him．
One of the wonderful things about this movie is that the two stars are not highly trained purebred dogs．Both Benji and Scrappy were rescued mixed breed dogs found at local animal shelters．Adorable Benji and his stupid pal, Scrappy, demonstrate that mixed-breed rescue dogs are just as intelligent and trainable as any purebred dog．
Benji Off the Leash clearly demonstrates the connection between people who abuse animals and people who abuse people．Colby' s father takes out his anger on those who are weaker than him, namely by frightening his wife and the dogs．He attempts to frighten Colby, but the boy bravely refuses to let him．
Children who are used to fast-paced action films with catchy theme songs may not have the patience for the slower pace of this film．But for rescue volunteers, older children, and anyone who loves dogs, this is a heartwarming movie that shows how even in today' s world of deserted dogs and backyard puppy mills, there can still be happy endings for homeless dogs．
小題1:What can be learned from the passage?
A．Two dogs star the movie．
B．The boy' s mother is very disgusting．
C．The movie will be liked by all the children．
D．The movie is fast-paced．
小題2:We can infer from the passage that _____．
A．The movie is in praise of deserting homeless dogs．
B．We shouldn't have mercy on homeless dogs．
C．We human beings need to love animals because they are our friends．
D．mixed-breed rescued dogs are less intelligent and trainable than purebred dogs．
小題3:What' s the passage mainly about?
A．Reviewing a Him．
B．Giving a summary of a movie．
C．Thinking highly of the relationship between animals and humans．
D．Criticizing people deserting animals．
小題4:What' s the purpose of writing the passage?
A．To attract more people to see the movie．
B．To call on children to help homeless pets．
C．To show anger about abusing animals．
D．To urge people to care and love animals．

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