The word “soul” pops up everywhere. We may speak of a very polished performance, but without soul, or describe an athlete as the soul of his team. In each case, “soul” means deep feelings and core values. As neuroscientist Antonio Damasio wrote 20 years ago in his book Descartes’ Error. “Feelings form the basis for what humans have described for thousands of years as the soul or spirit.”
Today, studies increasingly show that many non-humans feel. Elephants appear to feel grief, while dolphins and whales express joy, or something much like it. Experiments have shown that rats become anxious when seeing surgery performed on other rats and that when presented with a trapped lab-mate and a piece of chocolate, they will free their trapped brother before eating.
None of the these will come as a surprise to pet owners or anyone who has observed virtually any kind of animal for any length of time. Science is rediscovering what Charles Darwin, in his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), concluded that the variations between humans and other species in their ability to feel and express their emotions are differences in degree rather than in kind.
It could even be argued that other creatures are more conscious of feelings than humans are, because they possess a primary form of consciousness: they are aware of themselves and their environment but are less burdened by complexities such as reflection and thoughts that typify (是……的典型) human consciousness. They live closer to the bone, so to speak. Jeffrey Masson, author of When Elephants Weep, has remarked that animals possess feelings of “undiluted (纯粹的) purity and clarity” compared to the “seeming opacity (费解) and inaccessibility of human feelings.” Furthermore, we should consider that humans may not experience the full range of feelings found in the animal kingdom. As Humane Society ethologist Jonathan Balcombe points out: “in light of their sometimes vastly different living circumstances and sensory abilities, other species may experience some emotional states that we do not.”
Sentience — the ability of an organism (有机体) to feel — is fundamental to being alive. What we feel deeply is what drives us, for good or ill. So if humans have souls, they must be more about sentience than consciousness. In his book Pleasure: A Creative Approach to Life, the late psychoanalyst Alexander Lowen reflected on these connections, proposing that “The soul of a man is in his body. Through his body a person is part of life and part of nature…If we are identified with our bodies, we have souls, for through our bodies we are identified with all creation.” As long as we are alive — and therefore feeling — we are connected to one another and to the natural world. We are, in a word, ensouled.
Thanks to the Internet, there’s a steady stream of examples of animals demonstrating sympathy, from an ape saving a bird to a gorilla protecting a three-year-old boy when he fell into her enclosure. A particularly striking case of animal gratitude occurred in 2005 off the California coast, where a female whale was found caught in nylon ropes used by fishermen. As narrated by Frans de Waal in The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society, “The ropes were digging into the body. The only way to free the whale was to dive under the surface to cut away the ropes. The divers spent an hour on the task. The most remarkable part came when the whale realized it was free. Instead of leaving the scene, she hung around. The huge animal swam in a large circle, carefully approaching every diver separately. She nuzzled (用鼻子轻触) one, then moved on to the next, until she had touched them all.”
Soul may be a profound (深奥的) matter of fellow feeling. The stronger the capability of a given species for fellow feeling, the more that species can be said to exhibit soulfulness. To view things in this way offers an important step in humanity’s progression toward understanding its place in Creation — and toward appreciating the inheritance we hold in common with other sentient beings on this increasingly small and fragile planet.
1.What can we infer from Charles Darwin’s conclusion in his book of 1872?
A.Humans and animals fall into different categories.
B.Animals can neither feel nor express their emotions.
C.Humans and animals express emotions at different levels.
D.Only some animals can express their emotions like humans.
2.Why is there an argument that animals have higher ability to feel than humans?
A.Because animals concentrate more on themselves and their surroundings.
B.Because animals are more capable of to reflect and think in a complex way.
C.Because Darwin’s theory of natural selection has not confirmed it up to now.
D.Because Darwin’s theory of natural selection doesn’t mention the phenomenon.
3.What can we learn from Jeffrey Masson and Jonathan Balcombe?
A.Animals’ living environment contributes to their sensory abilities.
B.The range of animals’ feelings may be larger than that of humans’.
C.Humans tend to unconsciously damage animals’ living environment
D.Animals in harmony with humans could express emotions more easily.
4.The author gives the example of a whale expressing its gratitude to divers to_______.
A.teach humans to have a grateful heart
B.show that animals have certain feelings
C.explain humans live in harmony with animals
D.tell readers whales have special ways to say thanks
5.What is the purpose of the last paragraph?
A.To give an explanation of the relationship between soul and fellow feeling,
B.To stress the importance of understanding animals’ feelings in human progress.
C.To remind humans of the meaning of appreciating nature.
D.To raise a new question about creatures and fragile planet.
6.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Do animals really have souls? B.Are animals similar to humans?
C.Can humans communicate with animals? D.How do animals express their emotions?
高三英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析
People have speculated (思索) for centuries about a future without work. Some imagine that the coming work-free world will be defined by inequality: A few wealthy people will own all the capital, and the masses will struggle in a wasteland. A different prediction holds that without jobs to give their lives meaning, future people will simply become lazy and depressed.
But it doesn’t necessarily follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with dissatisfaction. Such visions are based on the downsides of being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment. In the absence of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could provide strikingly different circumstances for the future of labor and leisure.
These days, spare time is relatively rare for most workers. “When I come home from a hard day's work, I often feel tired,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different — perhaps different enough to throw himself into a hobby with the enthusiasm usually reserved for professional matters.”
Daniel Everett, an anthropologist (人类学家) at Bentley University studied a group of hunter-gathers in the Amazon called the Piraha for years. According to Everett, while some might consider hunting and gathering work, hunter-gatherers don’t. “They think of it as fun,” he says. “They don’t have a concept of work the way we do.”
Everett described a typical clay for the Piraha: A man might get up, spend a few hours fishing, have a barbecue, and play until the evening. Does this relaxing life lead to the depression and purposelessness seen among so many of today’s unemployed? “I’ve never seen anything like depression there, except people who are physically ill,” Everett says. While many may consider work necessary for human life, work as it exists today is a relatively new invention in the course of human culture. “We think it’s bad to just sit around with nothing to do,” says Everett. “For the Piraha, it’s quite a desirable state.”
1.What might be some people’s attitude towards the work-free world?
A.Objective. B.Negative.
C.Skeptical. D.Cautious.
2.What does the underlined word “downsides” in Paragraph 2 probably refer to?
A.Risks. B.Losses.
C.Challenges. D.Disadvantages.
3.John Danaher might agree that _____.
A.work plays an important role in our future life
B.people don’t know how to balance work and life
C.people’s work-free future life will be full of charm
D.higher unemployment makes life tougher for workers
4.Why is Daniel Everett’s study mentioned?
A.To justify John Danaher’s opinion. B.To show a future life without work.
C.To compare different views on work. D.To introduce the Piraha in the Amazon.
高三英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析
Bombardier beetles are known for their skillful response to predators (捕食性动物).If they are about to be eaten, the insects spray their predators with boiling-hot chemicals. If they get swallowed anyway, they have plan B: Blast (爆炸) their way out from the inside.
In an experiment, scientists watched as a Japanese stream toad readily swallowed an Asian bombardier beetle. But 44 minutes later, the toad vomited (呕吐) the contents of its stomach. The insect ran away, physically unharmed.
“The vomited beetle was alive and active,” study authors Shinji Sugiura and Takuya Sato of Kobe University in Japan reported in the journal Biology Letters. Why, the researchers wondered, does luck always favor the escape artists? To find out, they needed more of them, and they needed to feed them to more toads. Scientists gathered 15 species of ground beetles, including the bombardier beetle. They also collected Japanese common toads, which are natural bombardier beetle predators, and Japanese stream toads, which do not live in the same place as the insect.
Sugiura and Sato hypothesized (假设) that over years of exposure, the common toad species developed a greater tolerance to the bombardier beetle's poisonous chemicals than the stream toads had. The bombardier beetles were divided into two groups. Some were poked (戳) with special tools, which caused them to release all their poisonous chemical spray. Other beetles were left alone. Then they were fed to the toads.
The toads that swallowed a fully loaded bombardier beetle were in for a surprise. “An explosion was heard inside each toad, which indicates that the bombardier beetle sent up a chemical spray after being swallowed, the authors wrote. The common toads vomited their prey 35 percent of the time. The stream toads vomited their prey 57 percent of the time. That confirmed their hypothesis about the toads' evolutionary adaptation. All 16 of the vomited insects were “alive and active” 20 minutes later. Almost all the beetles that released their defensive chemicals before meeting the toads were “successfully digested”. The test told the researchers that the beetles' boiling chemical spray was indeed their ticket to freedom.
1.When Bombardier beetles are in danger, they can ______.
A.have relevant ways to escape B.bring up the content of stomach
C.cause damage to their enemies D.make no response to outside attack
2.What was the scientists’ assumption before the experiment?
A.Bombardier beetles were always lucky to escape.
B.Japanese common toads were natural predators.
C.Common toads had the ability to resist the poison.
D.Bombardier beetles could release poison constantly.
3.What do we know about Sugiura and Sato’s test?
A.It showed the process of the insects’ evolution.
B.It demonstrated the harm of explosion in the toads.
C.It stressed the importance of a balanced ecosystem.
D.It provided convincing evidence for their assumption.
高三英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析
If you're looking for a reason to care about tree loss, this summer's record-breaking heat waves might be it. Trees can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit(华氏度), according to a recent study. But tree cover in US cities is shrinking. A study published last year by the US Forest Service found that we lost 36 million trees annually from urban and rural communities over a five-year period. If we continue on this path, "cities will become warmer, more polluted and generally more unhealthy for inhabitants," said David Nowak, a senior US Forest Service scientist and co-author of the study. Nowak says there are many reasons our tree cover is declining, including hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, insects and disease. But the one reason for tree loss that humans can control is sensible development.
"We see the tree cover being changed, which means when we look at the photographs, what was there is now replaced with a parking lot or a building," Nowak said. "Every time we put a road down, we put a building and we cut a tree or add a tree, it not only affects that site, it affects the region." The study placed a value on tree loss based on trees' role in air pollution removal and energy conservation.
Nowak says there's a downside to trees too, such as pollen allergies or large falling branches in storms, "and people don't like sweeping leaves." But, he says, there are ways cities and counties can manage trees to help communities thrive. Urban forests especially need our help to replace fallen trees. Unlike rural areas, it is very difficult for trees to repopulate themselves in a city environment with so much pavement and asphalt(沥青). "A lot of our native trees can't actually find a place to drop a seed so they can regenerate," explains Greg Levine, co-executive director for Trees Atlanta. "That's why the community has to go in and actually plant a tree because the areas just aren't natural anymore."
Nowak says the first step is caring for the trees on your own property. "We think we pay for our house, and so we must maintain it. But because we don't pay for nature, we don't need to. And that's not necessarily true."
1.Why does the author mention “trees can lower summer daytime temperatures” ?
A.To tell the temperatures in summer are high.
B.To introduce the topic.
C.To tell trees are helpful.
D.To explain the reason of tree loss.
2.How can humans control tree loss according to Nowak ?
A.Improve climate to let trees grow.
B.Prevent fires form damaging trees.
C.Develop cities in reasonable ways.
D.Decrease insects in citites.
3.Why forests in cities need our help ?
A.Because trees in urban areas can’t regenerate naturally.
B.Because native trees don’t drop seeds any more.
C.Because trees don’t grow in a city environment.
D.Because humans want to plant more trees.
4.What is the purpose of this passage ?
A.Describe the importance of trees in cities.
B.Show the number of trees in the US is declining.
C.Ask people to plant trees with the author.
D.Appeal people to protect trees in their surroundings.
高三英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析
Directions: Write a summary of the passage in more than 60 words and the original sentences in the passage are not allowed to use.
Why do some people live to be older than others? You know the standard explanations: keeping a moderate diet, engaging in regular exercise, etc. But what effect does your personality have on your longevity? Do some kinds of personalities lead to longer lives? A new study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at this question by examining the personality characteristics of 246 children of people who had lived to be at least 100.
The study shows that those living the longest are more outgoing, more active and less neurotic (神经质的) than other people. Long-living women are also more likely to be sympathetic and cooperative than women with a normal life span. These findings are in agreement with what you would expect from the evolutionary theory: those who like to make friends and help others can gather enough resources to make it through tough times.
Interestingly, however, other characteristics that you might consider advantageous had no impact on whether study participants were likely to live longer. Those who were more self-disciplined, for instance, were no more likely to live to be very old. Also, being open to new ideas had no relationship to long life, which might explain all those bad-tempered old people who are fixed in their ways.
Whether you can successfully change your personality as an adult is the subject of a longstanding psychological debate. But the new paper suggests that if you want long life, you should strive to be as outgoing as possible.
Unfortunately, another recent study shows that your mother’s personality may also help determine your longevity. That study looked at nearly 28,000 Norwegian mothers and found that those moms who were more anxious, depressed and angry were more likely to feed their kids unhealthy diets. Patterns of childhood eating can be hard to break when we’re adults, which may mean that kids of depressed moms end up dying younger.
Personality isn’t destiny, and everyone knows that individuals can learn to change. But both studies show that long life isn’t just a matter of your physical health but of your mental health.
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高三英语概要写作困难题查看答案及解析
Directions: Choose from the sentences A-F to complete the passage. There are extra sentences which you do not need to use.
Practical tips to stay fit for Spring Festival
The Spring Festival is here and lots of people may not only ruin their usual diets, but also gain a few extra pounds.1.. Excessive eating is claimed to be the main cause for the additional weight gain, but it is also due to lack of physical activity and exercise. A lot of individuals out there tend to set aside their fitness routines during the holidays since they believe that they do not have enough time to perform their workouts. And because they feel guilty after the holiday season, most of the gyms and fitness centers are packed with fresh members. 2.. Here are several useful tips that might help you.
Eat before heading out. It is best that you eat something before heading out to visits, trips or family dinners. You will no longer be tempted to eat a lot or overindulge yourself since you have already eaten.
Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast! Even though it can be tempting to skip on certain meals, believing that it will make up for the treats you consumed in the previous day, don’t do it because it will only lead to counterproductive results.
3.. Alcohol, coke or other juices will only add more calories to the ones you already ate!
Make the holidays a family affair. Plan outdoor activities where everyone is involved. Even a tour at the shopping mall will burn a lot of calories and keep the children entertained.
You’d better distribute your meals evenly throughout the day, and do not eat everything at once. 4.. Eat your dinner earlier and have a nice walk before going to bed.
These tips will help you avoid gaining weight during the holiday, and will also allow you to enjoy yourself and have a great time with your loved ones. So there you go!
A.Try to do exercise early in the morning while everyone else is still sleeping.
B.Always bear in mind that you can enjoy the holidays and stay fit at the same time.
C.Instead of having two enormous meals, have five small ones.
D.Based on studies, the majority of people tend to gain additional weight during the holiday season.
E.It is best to regulate your drinking.
F.Prioritize your workouts and try your best to avoid neglecting meals.
高三英语六选四困难题查看答案及解析
He smiled politely Mary apologized for her drunken friends.
A.as B.if
C.unless D.though
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
假定你是李华,你的英国朋友Andy将要参加中文诗歌朗诵比赛(recitation contest),发邮件向你询问下面这首诗歌的含义。请你回复邮件,介绍该诗歌的主要内容、表达的思想感情和写作手法。
游子吟
作者:孟郊(唐)
慈母手中线,游子身上衣。
临行密密缝,意恐迟迟归。
谁言寸草心,报得三春晖。
注意:
1. 字数100字左右;2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
高三英语提纲类作文困难题查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Good morning, everyone! It was my honor to be here to share my opinion on what to learn in senior high school.
In the coming three years, the school life will be challenged. On the one hand, we should learn to study efficiently, adopting some effect methods. As the matter of fact, developing a good study habit is of great importance. It really benefits me a lot to preview lessons, get active involved in class and review what has taught. On the other hand, in senior high school, we are supposed to learn what to get along well with other. We ought to respect to teachers and be friendly to classmates.
Thank you!
高三英语短文改错困难题查看答案及解析
你校同学李华刚被评为“市三好学生(Merit Student of the City)”, 以下是李华的个人资料:
姓名 | 李华 |
现任职务 | 学校学生会主席、班长 |
爱好 | 阅读、运动、登山 |
特长 | 演讲、英语口语、钢琴 |
曾获奖项 | 学校英语演讲比赛一等奖、校园才艺大赛第一名 |
师生评价 | 李华乐观开朗、多才多艺(versatile), 是一名深受师生喜爱的学生 |
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高三英语提纲类作文困难题查看答案及解析