Over the last 50 years, illegal trade in wild...

Over the last 50 years, illegal trade in wildlife has become one of the greatest threats to our natural world. Traffickers (贩子) are exploiting communities in developing areas, driving them to illegally hunt down animals for their body parts. These criminal networks only pay a tiny portion of the final price they get for the animals they receive. Beautiful animals are shipped off to faraway markets, whole or apart.

Angry? We’ve barely started yet. The animal parts are being shipped along with weapons, drugs, even people". These heartless profiteers don’t care about the destruction they cause. Live animals are hidden during transport with no thought for their survival. Many of them don’t make it. Perhaps it’s a mercy when traffickers choose to kill and freeze the animals, before hiding them in the containers the size of a small bus. It’s not one or two animals here and there—it’s entire species that we are seeing driven towards extinction, lost forever from our global heritage. And for one reason alone: to put more money in the pockets of these criminals—whatever the cost.

Now, humans reap as they have sown. COVID-19 has “affected us all. It’s breaking our economies. It has sealed us in our homes and is attacking the weakest among us. In a short period? almost every person on the planet has been affected and we still don’t know the final toll. The source could well be these criminal profiteers. We don’t know for certain how the pandemic started. Some scientists suggest that the disease might have been transferred to a person from a pangolin (穿山甲) being traded illegally in one of these markets—these are most trafficked mammals in the world, with over a million consumed by the trade since 2000.

Yet we would never have imagined that these markets for body parts of wild animals would affect us in this way. It’s time to say “enough”. Dr, Rebecca Drury, Head of Wildlife Trade at Fauna & Flora International (FFI) says, We would like to see stronger action to stop illegal hunting, trafficking and consumption of illegally- sourced wildlife. It is no longer an option to ignore the dangers of illegal and unregulated wildlife trade and consumption, to human health and to healthy, functioning ecosystems needed for life on earth to thrive. We must ensure that the lessons from COVID-19 pandemic are applied to prevent repeats of this global crisis.

The governments of the world are doing what they can. But while bans are put in place, the greedy individuals driving the trafficking will try to use their illegal networks to keep selling, lining their pockets until they are stopped. It’s precisely because this is a trade that happens in the shadows, so we must stop it at source. That’s why FFI is raising funds—to help put a stop to this mean trade. To do so they are asking readers of The-Week to make an urgent contribution today.

1.What can we know from Paragraph 2?

A.Most of the live animals can’t survive the long trip.

B.Most of the live animals were killed and frozen during the trip.

C.Generally, the animal parts won’t shipped along with drugs or people.

D.Traffickers will give it a second thought when considering the cost of the trafficking.

2.What does the author want to convey mainly in Paragraph 3?

A.Humans are paying a price for the illegal animal trafficking.

B.COVID-19 has brought disasters to humans.

C.COVID-19 originates from the pangolin.

D.Scientists have known the transferring path of COVID-19.

3.Which of the following statement is TRUE?

A.Dr Rebecca Drury suggests stopping the trade of wildlife.

B.The most trafficked mammals in the world are the pangolin.

C.FFI is trying to find the source of the illegal wildlife trade.

D.Humans can prevent global crisis if they stop the illegal wildlife trade.

4.What is the purpose of the article?

A.To show us millions of endangered animals are being cruelly killed.

B.To confirm illegal wildlife trade threatens some of our beloved animals.

C.To discuss how to stop the trafficking.

D.To call on immediate action to end the illegal wildlife trade.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

________ sales of cars up by 30% last year, the traffic in Beijing has become increasingly terrible.

A．With             B．Since             C．For              D．As

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

________ sales of cars up by 30% last year, the traffic in Beijing has become increasingly terrible.

A．As               B．Since             C．For              D．With

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Without most people realizing it, there has been revolution in office work over the last ten years. Before that time, large computers were only used by large rich companies that could afford the investment. With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them.

The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processor system, or WPS as they are often called. 40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast.

There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager. The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as retyping letters and storing papers. He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss. From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hours.

But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed. Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (显示器). The unease of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly. It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed. Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them.

Whatever the arguments for and against word processors, they are a key feature of this revolution in office practice.

1.Ten years ago, large computers were only used by large companies because _________.

A. small companies did not have enough money to buy such expensive computers

B. large computers could not do the work that small companies can do today

C. large computers did not come onto the market

D. small companies did not need to use this new technology

2.According to the writer, the main progress made in office work over the last ten years is ________.

A. the saving of time and money

B. the use of computers in big companies

C. the wide use of word processors

D. the decreasing number of secretaries

3.We can infer from the passage that with the use of word processors, _________.

A. some secretaries will lose their jobs

B. all jobs can be done automatically outside office hours

C. medical problems related to work with a VDU must have increased

D. the British companies will make less money

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor.

B. The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors.

C. The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years.

D. Using word processors, secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal. In some ways, however, very little has changed. Ideas about social class whether a person is “working-class” or “middle-class” are one area in which changes have been extremely slow.

In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors. As a result of this and also of the fact that workers’ jobs were generally much less secure, distinct differences in life-styles and attitudes came into existence. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then give them to his wife, leaving a little for drinking or betting.

The type of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was and still is likely to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house to provide him and his family with security. Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity (or the education and training) to make such long-term plans.

Nowadays, much has changed. In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much. Social security and laws have made it less necessary than before to worry about “tomorrow”. Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority(自卑感)they had in the past. In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position.

The changes in both life-styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen among younger people. They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes. They spend their money enjoying themselves, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations. Nevertheless, we still have a wide gap between the well-paid and the low-paid. As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new problems will appear between different groups.

1.Which of the following is seen as the main cause of class differences in the past?

2. The writer seems to suggest that _______.

3. According to the passage, what was the typical feature of the middle–class in the past?

4. Working-class people's sense of security has increased as a result of all the following factors EXCEPT that _______.

5.Which of the following statements is incorrect?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years. Before that time, large computers were only used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment. With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work that used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them

The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors（处理器）, or WPS as they are often called. 60% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast.

There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager. The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers. He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss. From a manager’s point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hours.

But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed. Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units（显示器）. The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly. It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed. Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them.

Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature of this revolution in office practice.

1.Ten years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________.

A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers

B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today

C．these computers did not come onto the market

D．these companies did not need to use this new technology

2.According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work over the last ten years is __________.

A．the saving of time and money

B．the use of computers in small companies

C．the wide use of word processors

D．the decreasing number of secretaries

3.It is implied in the passage that with the use of word processors _________.

A．some secretaries will lose their jobs

B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours

C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased greatly

D．the British companies will make less money

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor.

B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors.

C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years.

D．Using word processors, secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses.

5.It can be concluded from the passage that ________.

A．safety screens are of poor quality

B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one’s health

C．more and more British offices will use word processors

D．British companies will need fewer and fewer managers

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We know that the earth has become warmer over the last century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, reports that the average surface temperature of the earth has increased during the twentieth century by 0.6°+ 0.2°C.(The + 0.2°C means that the increase might be as small as 0.4°C or as great as 0.8°C). This may seem like a small shift, but although regional and short—term temperatures do fluctuate(变动) over a wide range, global temperatures are generally quite stable. In fact, the difference between today’s average global temperature and the average global temperature during the last Ice Age is only about 5 degrees C. Indeed, it’s warmer today around the world than at any time during the past 1,000years, and the warmest years of the previous century have occurred within the past decade.

We also know that human activities—primarily the burning of fossil fuels—have increased the greenhouse gas content of the earth’s atmosphere significantly over the same period. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gases, which trap heat near the planet’s surface.

The vast majority of climate researchers agree with these overall findings. The scientific disagreements that do still exist primarily concern detailed aspects of the processes that make up these largely accepted general themes.

You can think of this website as a window into the world of scientific research. In this primer, you’ll find a general discussion of the physical processes underlying the earth’s climate, an outline of the kinds of data that may shed light on how the climate is changing—and the role of human activity in these changes—and a description a some of the questions and uncertainties that researchers continue to explore. This primer is organized into four interconnected sections: the Atmosphere; the Hydrosphere(水圈); the Cryosphere(低温层); and the Biosphere(生物层).

1.We know from the text that “IPCC”___.

A. engages in the climate and changes about the earth.

B. is a group by scientists who like to walk around the moon

C. works in the World Meteorological Organization

D. often greets the passers-by from the outer space

2.We know from the text that carbon dioxide ___.

A. is one of the most important greenhouse gases

B. has fossil fuels

C. traps cold near the planet’s surface

D. exist in human activities

3.From the text, we know when we say the temperature of something has increased by about 0.7+ 0.2°C, the + 0.2°C means___.

A. the increase might by as small as 0.3°C or as great as 0.7°C

B. the increase might by as small as 0.5°C or as great as 0.8°C

C. the increase might by as small as 0.5°C or as great as 0.9°C

D. the increase might by as small as 0.4 C or as great as 0.8°C

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A. What Are the Scientific Disagreements

B. You Can Think of This Website

C. What Do We Know about Global Climate Change?

D. The Vast Majority of Climate Researchers

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We know that the earth has become warmer over the last century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, reports that the average surface temperature of the earth has increased during the twentieth century by 0.6°+ 0.2°C.(The + 0.2°C means that the increase might be as small as 0.4°C or as great as 0.8°C). This may seem like a small shift, but although regional and short—term temperatures do fluctuate(变动) over a wide range, global temperatures are generally quite stable. In fact, the difference between today’s average global temperature and the average global temperature during the last Ice Age is only about 5 degrees C. Indeed, it’s warmer today around the world than at any time during the past 1,000years, and the warmest years of the previous century have occurred within the past decade.

We also know that human activities—primarily the burning of fossil fuels—have increased the greenhouse gas content of the earth’s atmosphere significantly over the same period. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gases, which trap heat near the planet’s surface.

The vast majority of climate researchers agree with these overall findings. The scientific disagreements that do still exist primarily concern detailed aspects of the processes that make up these largely accepted general themes.

You can think of this website as a window into the world of scientific research. In this primer, you’ll find a general discussion of the physical processes underlying the earth’s climate, an outline of the kinds of data that may shed light on how the climate is changing—and the role of human activity in these changes—and a description a some of the questions and uncertainties that researchers continue to explore. This primer is organized into four interconnected sections: the Atmosphere; the Hydrosphere(水圈); the Cryosphere(低温层); and the Biosphere(生物层).

1.We know from the text that “IPCC”___.

A. engages in the climate and changes about the earth.

B. is a group by scientists who like to walk around the moon

C. works in the World Meteorological Organization

D. often greets the passers-by from the outer space

2.We know from the text that carbon dioxide ___.

A. is one of the most important greenhouse gases

B. has fossil fuels

C. traps cold near the planet’s surface

D. exist in human activities

3.From the text, we know when we say the temperature of something has increased by about 0.7+ 0.2°C, the + 0.2°C means___.

A. the increase might by as small as 0.3°C or as great as 0.7°C

B. the increase might by as small as 0.5°C or as great as 0.8°C

C. the increase might by as small as 0.5°C or as great as 0.9°C

D. the increase might by as small as 0.4 C or as great as 0.8°C

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A. What Are the Scientific Disagreements

B. You Can Think of This Website

C. What Do We Know about Global Climate Change?

D. The Vast Majority of Climate Researchers

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Believe it or not, the size of the human brain has become smaller over the past 20,000 years. Scientists argue over whether this means we are becoming more or less intelligent as a species.

“I’d call that a major downsizing in an evolutionary eye blink (眨眼),” John Hawks told Discover magazine.

Why is the brain becoming smaller?

There are different theories to explain it. One is that tens of thousands of years ago, before the decline began, to survive in cold and dangerous conditions, humans needed a stronger and larger body and therefore, a larger head. Also they had to chew the tough meat of rabbits, foxes and horses. As conditions improved, the brain stopped growing, according to supporters of this theory.

Another theory comes from a recent study by David Geary and Drew Bailey. They found that brain size decreased as population density(密度) increased.

“As complex societies appeared, the brain became smaller because people did not have to be as smart to stay alive.” Geary told AFP.

But smaller brain size does not necessarily mean that modern humans are less smart than their ancestors. “Modern humans simply developed different, more complex forms of intelligence,” said Brian Hare.

Hare’s studies focus on two types of great apes: chimpanzees and bonobos. Both are much like humans, but are physically quite different from one another. The bonobo has a smaller brain than the chimpanzee, and is also much less aggressive and more tolerant.

“When it comes to working out a problem,” Hare said, “chimpanzees are much less likely to accomplish it if it involves working together. Not so with bonobos.”

The smaller brain in modern humans may be evidence that we can cooperate,” Hare told the US National Public Radio.

1.Which of the following words can be used to replace the underlined word in Paragraph 2?

A. speed　　 B. increase

C. decline　　 D. change

2.We can learn from the passage that ____________.

A. the size of human brain has something to do with many factors

B. the brain size increases because of the increase of population density

C. the abilities of the bonobos and the chimpanzees are almost the same

D. modern humans can certainly do teamwork better than other species

3.According to Brian Hare, _____________.

A. bonobos are much likely to cooperate better than chimpanzees

B. chimpanzees tend to work well with others

C. modern humans are less smart their ancestors

D. small brains are certainly connected with intelligent beings

4.Which of following is probably the best title of the passage?

A. Bonobo or Chimpanzee—Which Smarter?

B. Smaller Brain--Less Intelligent?

C. Human and Animal—More Intelligent?

D. Human Brain-Why Downsizing?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

C　　 “Over the years the unthinkable has become thinkable and today we sense we are close to being able to alter human heredity(遗传)．” These were the words of David Baltimore of the California Institute of Technology，on December 1st，when he opened a three­day meeting in Washington to discuss the morality and use of human gene editing．Dr Baltimore is an old hand at these sorts of discussions，for he was also a participant in the Asilomar conference，in 1975，which brought scientists together to discuss a safe way of using the then­new technology of recombinant DNA，and whose recommendations influenced a generation of biotechnology researchers．

Four decades on，the need for a similar sort of chin­wag　 has arisen．The International Summit on Human Gene Editing has been held by the national scientific academies of three countries—America，Britain and China．They are particularly concerned about whether gene editing should be used to make heritable changes to the human germ line，something Dr Baltimore described as a deep and troubling question．Like those of Asilomar，the conclusions of this meeting will not be binding．But the hope is that，again like Asilomar，a mixture of common sense and peer pressure will create a world in which scientists are trusted to regulate themselves，rather than having politicians and civil servants do it for them．The meeting is being held against a backdrop of rapid scientific advance．Since 2012 research into a new，easy­to­use editing tool called CRISPR­Cas9 has blossomed．This technique involves a piece of RNA (a chemical messenger，which can be used to recognise a target section of DNA) and an enzyme(酶) called a nuclease that can snip unwanted genes out and paste new ones in．

Public interest was aroused in April，when Chinese scientists announced they had edited genes in non­viable(无活力的) human embryos，and again in November when British researchers said they had successfully treated a one­year­old girl who had leukaemia(白血病)，using gene­edited T­cells．T­cells are part of the immune system that attack，among other things，tumour cells．The researchers altered T­cells from a healthy donor to encourage them to recognise and kill the patient's cancer，to make them immune to her leukaemia drug，and to ensure they did not attack her healthy cells．

In another recent development，a firm called Edit as Medicine，which is based in Cambridge，Massachusetts，has said it hopes，in 2017，to start human clinical trials of CRISPR­Cas9 as a treatment for a rare genetic form of blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis(伯氏先天性黑蒙)．Though other companies are already testing gene­editing therapies，these employ older，clunkier forms of the technology that seem likely to have less commercial potential．Moreover，researchers at the Broad Institute，also in Cambridge，said this week that they had made changes to CRISPR­Cas9 which greatly reduce the rate of editing errors—one of the main obstacles to the technique's medical use．

On the subject of germ­line editing，Eric Lander，the Broad's head，told the meeting it would be useful only in rare cases and said it might be a good idea to “exercise caution” before making permanent changes to the gene pool．The need for caution is advice that might also be heeded by those pursuing work in animals other than people，and in plants—subjects not being covered by the summit．

1.Which of the following is TRUE about CRISPR­Cas9?

A．It has fewer side effects．

B．It can modify human gene．

C．It can protect immune system．

D．It has less commercial potential．

2.The underlined word “chin­wag” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ________．

A．discussion

B．negotiation

C．argument

D．comparison

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Dr．Baltimore started his research on modifying gene in 1975．

B．Scientists' opinions about the use of gene editing are consistent．

C．CRISPR­Cas9 has been applied to cure Leber congenital amaurosis．

D．More research should be made before the technology comes into wide use．

4.This passage is most probably a ________．

A．science fiction

B．scientific report

C．conference summary

D．commercial advertisement

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析