Research led by UK and Australian scientists sheds (發(fā)出)new light on the role that our ancestors played in the extinction of Australia's prehistoric animals. The new study provides the first evidence that Tasmania's giant prehistoric animals were still living on the island when humans first arrived.
The findings suggest that the mass extinction of Tasmania's large prehistoric animals was the result of human hunting, and not climate change as previously believed.
Scientists have long argued over the reasons behind the worldwide mass extinction that took place towards the end of the last ice age. The main culprits are generally thought to be climate change or some form of human impact. People only arrived in Tasmania around 43,000 years ago, when the island became temporarily connected by a land bridge to mainland Australia. None of Tasmania's giant animals, known as "megafauna" were known to have survived until this time. This appeared to clear humans of any involvement in the disappearance of the island's large megafauna.
This new international study reports the discovery of giant kangaroos surviving in Tasmania until people arrived, placing humans back on the list of likely culprits for the extinction of the megafauna.
Using the latest techniques, the team were able to determine the age of the fossilized remains of the megafauna more accurately than ever before. The results showed that some of these animals survived until at least 41,000 years ago一much later than previously thought and up to 2,000 years after the first human settlers arrived. As climate in Tasmania was not changing dramatically at this time, the researchers argue that this is evidence of these species being driven to extinction through over-hunting by humans.
58. The underlined word "culprits" in Paragraph 3 probably means“______”.
A. results B. signals C. theories D. reasons
59. The third paragraph mainly tells us________.
A. the conclusion of previous studies
B. when and how humans arrived in Tasmania
C. the disappearance of Tasmania's giant animals
D. the reasons for the worldwide mass extinction
60. It can be inferred from the results of the new study that after humans arrived in Tasmania_________.
A. they killed a lot of giant animals
B. giant animals began to disappear
C. they built a bridge to the mainland
D. climate began to change dramatically
61. The best title for the passage would be________．
A. Giant prehistoric animals found in Tasmania
B. Climate change and human activities
C. Humans involved in prehistoric animals’ extinction
D. Roles of climate change and human activities
小學奪冠AB卷系列答案科目：高中英語 來源：黃岡題庫練考新課堂 高二英語(上) 題型：054
完形填空
Have you ever been in a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your 1 was a million miles away? You probably felt 2 and made up your mind to pay attention and never daydream again. Most of us, from earliest school 3 , have been told that daydreaming is a waste of time.
“On the contrary,”says L. Giambra, an expert in psyschology,“daydreaming is quite 4 Without it, the mind couldn’t get done all the 5 it has to do during a normal day. You can’t possibly do all your thinking with a conscious mind. 6 , your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming then may be one 7 in which the unconscious and conscious 8 of mind have silent dialogue.”
Early experts in psychology paid no attention to the importance of 9 , or even considered them harmful. At one time daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental 10 . They did not have a better understanding of daydreams 11 the late 1980s. Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology, is the writer of the book Daydreaming Klinger says,“We 12 now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we, 13 our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our future. Daydreams are really a reflection (反映) on the things we 14 or the things we long for in life.”
Daydreams are usually very simple and 15 , quite unlike sleep dreams, which may be 16 to understand. it’s easier to gain a 17 understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help one 18 the difficult situations in life and find out a possible way for dealing with them.
Daydreams cannot be predicted (預見). They move off in 19 directions, which may be creative and full of useful ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were, and are, a main source of creative energy.
So next time you catch 20 daydreaming, don’t stop . Just pay attention to your dreams. They may be more important than you think.
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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆浙江嘉興第一中學高三適應性考試英語卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解
Looking for a new weight loss plan? Try living on top of a mountain. Mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes, so breathing it causes the heart to beat faster and the body to burn more energy. A handful of studies have found that athletes training at high altitudes tend to lose weight. Doctor Florian Lippl of the University Hospital Of Ludwig-Maximilians-university Munich wondered how the mountain air would affect overweight individuals if they weren’t doing any more physical activity than usual.
Lippl and his colleagues invited 20 overweight men to an environmental research station about 300 meters below the summit of Zugspitze, a mountain around 2,970 meters near the Austrian border. They were allowed to eat as much as they liked. The men also gave blood so that researchers could test for hormones linked to appetite and fatness. At the end of the week, the men, whose mean weight starting out was 105kg, had lost on average about l.5kg. The men’s blood pressure also dropped, which the researchers believed was due to weight lost.
Exactly what caused the weight loss is uncertain. Loss of appetite is common at higher altitudes, and indeed the men ate significantly less than usual—about 700 calories fewer per day. Lippl also notes that because their consumption was being recorded, they may have been more self-conscious about what they ate. Regardless, eating less accounts for just l kg of the l.5 kg lost, says Lippl. He thinks the increased metabolic (新陳代謝的) rate, which was measured, also contributed to weight loss but cannot separate the different effects with the given data.
Appetite loss at high altitudes could certainly be key, notes Damian Bailey, a physiologist at the University of Glamorgan, UK, who recently lost 11 kg during a 3-month expedition to the Andes in Chile.
Unfortunately, for the average person there is no treatment that can resemble living at high altitude, says Lippl. The only alternative is hypobaric chamber, which exposes subjects to low oxygen and isn’t practical as a treatment. He says, half- jokingly, “If fat people plan their holidays, they might not go to the sea, but maybe to the mountain.”
【小題1】What contributes the most to one’s heart rates according to the first paragraph?
| A．our bodyweight | B．the consumption of energy |
| C．the rates of our breathing | D．the amount of oxygen provided |
| A．one’s bodyweight | B．one’s blood pressure |
| C．one’s way of living | D．one’s metabolic rate |
| A．They controlled what to eat self-consciously. |
| B．They took in much fewer calories than usual. |
| C．They lost appetite because of lack of physical activity. |
| D．They were provided with a healthier diet than before. |
| A．He experimented with the new weight loss plan in the Andes. |
| B．He found no other reasons for his loss of weight in the Andes. |
| C．He researched the related subject in the Andes. |
| D．He lost much weight in the high altitude Andes. |
| A．casual | B．inaccurate | C．uncertain | D．confident |
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科目：高中英語 來源：2011-2012學年江蘇省重點中學高二5月質(zhì)量檢測英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解
閱讀下面短文，根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在表格中的空白處填入恰當?shù)膯卧~。注意：每個空格只填一個單詞。
Time, a faithful company of our life, is a universal topic. People are always curious about what it is, how it travels and who it meets.
Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s smartest physicists, once said. “I’m fascinated by time.”
Many of us are, and the popularity of time travel novels, movies and TV series has proved that. After Palace and Startling by Each Step achieved astonishing ratings last year, Palace 2 aired on January 20, attracting time travel fans back to TV.
Woody Allen’s movie Midnight in Paris achieved great success. It was nominated for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Art Direction for the 2012 Academy Awards.
Dream of heroism
Time travel TV series and movies connect both today and the past, thus offering room for imagination. Imagination creates a chance for the young to fulfill a dream that is hard to achieve in reality.
Chinese writer Xi Juan is a pioneer of time-travel stories in China. In 1993 she published a love story about a young woman time traveling to ancient times. The leading role’s modern personality and perception of love help her win the heart of a cool, handsome martial art master. Such a plot satisfies female fans’ love fantasy.
Starting from the late 1990s, novels about men traveling back to the past prevailed (盛行), with a Step into the Past as the most popular example. In these stories, the male leading roles accomplish great things with their modern skills and wisdom.
It is usually “a dream of heroism come true”, along with enviable romances.
Eye candy
“I’m hooked by the shows because they are characterized by dramatic and poetic love and have eye-pleasing actors,” Xia Xiaoyan, who works for a foreign-owned enterprise in Shanghai, explained her love for time travel TV series.
Her comment echoes a 2011 survey by Creat Marketing Research Co Ltd in China. When asked about what is so appealing about time travel TV series, 21 percent of respondents answered, “These attractive characters.”
A bigger reason behind the popularity of time travel stories, however, is the relaxation they offer, according to the survey.
Cai Yinong agrees. “Many people are facing tremendous pressure in their fast-paced lives, so this genre is more relaxing than other shows as it provides people with a terrific outlet to escape reality,” Cai told China Daily.
Cultural homesickness
“Which dynasty would you like to live in if you could travel to the past?” asked a survey launched by Shanghai University and Shanghai Social Sciences Association last December.
About 60 percent of the 2,543 respondents chose Tang Dynasty, while Qing Dynasty, and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were the other top two destinations.
The survey results reflects people’s definition of the good days: prosperous economy and culture, steady society, fair and uncorrupted politics, and opening up to the outside world.
As for the movie Midnight in Paris, it features modernity versus cultural homesickness. The New York Times commented, “The past seems so much more vivid, more substantial, than the present. The good old days are so attractive because we were not around, however much we wish we were.”
| Time travel wins fans | |
| Phenomenon | l Stephen Hawking shows great interest in 【小題1】 _. l People prefer 【小題2】____ time travel movies and TV series. l Woody Allen was 【小題3】_______ in his time travel movie. |
| Reasons for its 【小題4】___ | Supporting details |
| Dream of heroism | l Chances are offered for the young to fulfill 【小題5】__________ hard to l achieve in reality. l Xi Juan’s 1993 love story【小題6】_______ a young woman traveling to l ancient times, which satisfies females fans. l From the late 1990s, novels about 【小題7】________ traveling back to l the past became increasingly popular. l The male leading role in A Step Into the Past travels back to the past l to fulfill great things by using his 【小題8】_______ skills and wisdom. |
| Eye candy | Attractive actors and travel stories make viewers under pressure 【小題9】_________. |
| Cultural homesickness | Most respondents chose to live in a certain dynasty for: l Prosperous economy and【小題10】________; l Steady society; l Fair and uncorrupted politics; l Opening up to the outside world. |
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科目：高中英語 來源：福建省2009-2010學年高二下學期期中考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解
It’s not too late!
CLEARING VACANCIES AT
THE UNIVERSITY
OF HULL
l Founded in 1927, the University is traditional yet progressive
l Recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in teaching and research
l Equal 4th in the UK for graduate to find jobs
l Study on an attractive campus only 15 minutes from the City centre
l Wide variety of accommodation to choose from
l Excellent sporting and social facilities
l Friendly and supportive environment
WE STILL HAVE CHANCES IN
l ENGINEERING
l SCIENCE
l MATHEMATICS
01482-466103
l SOCIAL SCIENCES
01482-466104
Fax 01482442290
Email admissions @ admin, hull. ac. uk www. hull. ac.uk
1. The advertisement on the left is about _______.
A. offering chances to study at the university
B. graduation from the university
C. looking for jobs for students from the university
D. the history of the university
2. In which country is the university?
A. The USA B. Britain C. Hull D. We don’t know
3. If you want to study history, you should call______ .
A. 01482-466103 B. 01482-466104 C. 01482-466105 D. any of the above numbers
4. How many different ways are there in which you can get in touch with the university if you want to enter?_________.
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
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科目：高中英語 來源：2010年高考預測試題英語（六） 題型：閱讀理解
第二部分閱讀理解(共25小題。第一節(jié)每小題2分，第二節(jié)每小題l分，i滿分45分)
第一節(jié)閱湊下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中，選出最佳選項，并在
答題卡上將該項涂黑。
A
WASHINGTON(Reuters)-People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer(胰腺癌)，an unusual but deadly cancer，researchers reported on Monday．
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk，the study
of 60,000 people in Singapore found．
Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other
poor health habits，said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota，who led the study．
“The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin(胰島素)in The body,which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,”Pereira said in a statement．
Writing in the joumal Cancer Epidemiology，Biomarkers & Prevention，Pereira and colleagues
said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for l4 years．
Over that time，140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer．Those who drank two or
more sweetened soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got
pancreatic cancer．
Pereira said he believed the fndings would apply elsewhere。
“Singapore is a wcahhy country with excellent heahhcare．Favorite pastimes(消遣)are
eating and shopping，so the findings should apply to other western countries，”he said．
But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious．
“Although this study found a risk，the finding was based on a relatively small number of
cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal(因果的)connection or not�！眘aid Mayne．
who serves on the board of the journal，which is published by the American Association for
Cancer Research．
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer，with 230,000 cases globally．In
the United States，37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die
of it．
4 1．According to the text，who is in control of the health study?
A．Mark Pereira． B．Scientists from Singapore．
C．Researchers in Yale． D．Susan Mayne．
42．We can infer from Pereira,s words that__．
A．the heahhcare in Singapore should be greatly improved
B．2 soft drinks a day are considered harmful to health
C．87 out of l40 volunteers developed pancreatic cancer
D．sugar might not be the only cause of pancreatic cancer
43．How does Susan seem to feel about the findings of the study?
A．Satisfied． B．Doubtful． C．Worried． D．Hopeful．
44．The best title of the text might be________．
A．The Deadliest Forms of Cancer B．Drink Fruit Juice Instead of Sodas
C．A Study in University of Minnesota D．Sugary Soft Drinks Lead to Cancer
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