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Cells in our brain usually send a “stop eating” signal when we've eaten enough. But in a study, researchers found that after mice ate fatty food for just two weeks, their brains brake on overeating failed.
Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle conducted the study.They shared their findings in Science.Garret Stuber is a professor at the University of Washington.He and his team mainly focused on one brain area known-to be connected with eating behavior.This brain area contains many different kinds of cells.Researchers noticed big differences between the glutamatergic nerve cells(谷氨酸神经细胞)of the fat mice and those of the thin mice.And the earlier work by Stuber's group had suggested that these cells act like a brake on overeating.When the researchers stopped these cells from working,mice suddenly overate.They also fattened up. But it wasn't clear how these cells' activity changed as the mice changed from being slim to being fat.
“Being fat doesn't just happen overnight,”notes Stuber.To study that gradual fattening up,his group did a new study.They fed mice with high-fat food.Now and again,they used a microscope to look at how well the animals 'glutamatergic nerve cells could send out signals.During the process,they found the activity of these glutamatergic nerve cells slowed,even before the mice became fat.That cell sluggishness(怠惰)continued as the mice grew larger over a 12-week period.
The results suggest that the high-fat diet is removing the brake on overeating and becoming fat,”says Stephanie Borgland,a professor at the University of Calgary in Canada. Stuber's group doesn't know whether these brain cells will go back to normal if the mice stop eating the fatty food and slim down.It would be hard to keep monitoring the same cells over the months it would likely take for the mice to return to a healthy body weight,”explains Stuber.And it's hard to say whether similar cells control the same thing in humans.
“Having high-fat diets probably affects a much wider family of cells than those studied here,” Stuber notes. “Changes,” he says, “are probably happening across the brain.” Understanding those things might help us find better ways of limiting overeating.
1.What did researchers find in the study?
A.Mice tended to become sluggish if they often overate.
B.Having high-fat diets affected many kinds of brain cells.
C.Mice began to overeat after eating fatty food for a period.
D.The number of brain cells would drop when mice overate.
2.Why was a new study conducted?
A.To prove that fatty food was bad for health.
B.To know more about that gradual weight-gain.
C.To collect more information about the mice 's cells.
D.To observe how long it would take for the mice to grow fat.
3.What does the last but one paragraph mainly show?
A.It's still difficult to answer some questions.
B.It's hard to find the similar brain area in humans.
C.It's wrong to apply what suits animals to humans.
D.It's necessary to keep monitoring the mice for long.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A personal diary.
B.A useful guidebook.
C.A science magazine.
D.An adventure novel
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The cells of humans, especially _____of the brain, can live only minutes without circulating blood.
A．that B．ones C．it D．those
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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As we passed the Eaton’s Department store’s window, we stopped as usual to gaze and do our bit of dreaming. My mother set her eyes on a red dress, _______ it long.
As we continued down the street, mother turned_______for one more look. “My goodness! They’d display something a person could use!”
Christmas was_______and the red dress was soon forgotten. Mother was not the one who_______items that were not practical. Father, ______ , liked to splurge(放纵)whenever the budget(预算)allowed. He’d get blamed for his occasional splurging, but it was all done with the best_______.
On our last trip to town before Christmas, mother suddenly said in surprise, “Would you just look at that!” She pointed ______as Dad drove past Eaton’s.
“That big red dress is gone,” she said in ______ , “It’s actually gone.” I was certain to feel a bit of yearning(渴望)in her_______.
I’ll never forget that Christmas morning. I watched Mother tearing the paper off a large box that read, “Eaton’s Finest Enamel Dishpan”. “Oh Frank,” she_________in surprise, “just what I wanted!” Dad was sitting in his chair with a huge_______on his face.
“Only a ______wouldn’t give a priceless wife like mine exactly what she wants for Christmas, “Dad laughed and winked(递眼色)at me, confirming his _______, and my heart filled with more love for my father than it could hold!
Mother opened the______ . With trembling hands she touched the elegant material of Big Red.
“Oh my goodness!” her eyes were ______tears. “Oh Frank. You shouldn’t have” came her weak attempt at ______ .
“Oh, never mind that! Let’s see if it _____ ,” he laughed, helping her put on the wonderful dress. Mother completely ______ into another person.
I watched surprisedly, _______by the happiness in my parents I had ______noticed before. “You look beautiful,” my dad whispered to my mom---and she surely did!
1.A. having B. keeping C. admiring D. wearing
2.A. up B. back C. away D. out
3.A. over B. on C. along D. near
4.A. wished for B. searched for C. called for D. sent for
5.A. besides B. therefore C. however D. also
6.A. value B. intention C. chance D. need
7.A. strangely B. confidently C. angrily D. excitedly
8.A. disbelief B. joy C. discomfort D. interest
9.A. dream B. desire C. voice D. view
10.A. stopped B. said C. told D. sighed
11.A. surprise B. embarrassment C. doubt D. smile
12.A. seller B. driver C. man D. fool
13.A. secret B. weakness C. kindness D. worry
14.A. door B. chain C. box D. letter
15.A. held back B. filled with C. occupied with D. squeezed with
16.A. scolding B. smiling C. appreciating D. feeling
17.A. fits B. attracts C. shines D. opens
18.A. looked B. changed C. grew D. made
19.A. interested B. fascinated C. puzzled D. doubted
20.A. always B. ever C. never D. still
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The traditional view is _____ we sleep because our brain is “programmed” to make us do so.
A. when B. why C. whether D. that
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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1. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job.In many European countries — like the UK or France —2.
Talks and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand.I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; 3. The people present just stared at me and smiled.After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; 4. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, 5. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
A. and sometimes these values are quite against each other.
B. people from both nations keep the rule that work comes first.
C. Meeting people from another culture can be difficult.
D. however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly.
E. instead there was an uncomfortable silence.
F. It is quite a common case to meet people from different cultures.
G. people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
高二英语信息匹配中等难度题查看答案及解析
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BEIJING—Eating at a Beijing restaurant is usually an adventure for foreigners, and particularly when they get the chance to order “chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head”.
Sometimes excited but mostly confused, embarrassed or even terrified, many foreigners have long complained about mistranslations of Chinese dishes. And their complaints are often valid(有效), but such an experience at Beijing’s restaurants will apparently soon be history.
Foreign visitors will no longer, hopefully, be confused by oddly worded restaurant menus in the capital if the government’s plan to correctly translate 3,000 Chinese dishes is a success and the translations are generally adopted.
The municipal(市政) office of foreign affairs has published a book to recommend English translations of Chinese dishes, which aims to help restaurants avoid bizarre translations. “It provides the names of main dishes of famous Chinese cuisines in plain English,” an official with the city’s Foreign Affairs office said. “Restaurants are encouraged to use the proposed translations, but it will not be compulsory.” It’s the city’s latest effort to bridge the culture gap for foreign travelers in China.
Coming up with precise translations is a daunting task, as some Chinese culinary(烹饪) techniques are untranslatable and many Chinese dishes have no English-language equivalent. The translators, after conducting a study of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking countries, divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste and name of a person or a place. For some traditional dishes, pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, is used, such as mapo tofu(previously often literally translated as “beancurd made by woman with freckles”), baozi(steamed stuffed bun) and jiaozi(dumplings) to “reflect the Chinese cuisine culture,” according to the book.
“The book is a blessing to tourist guides like me. Having it, I don’t have to rack my brains trying to explain Chinese dishes to foreign travellers,” said Zheng Xiaodong, a 31-year-old employee with a Beijing-based travel agency.
“I will buy the book as I major in English literature and I’d like to introduce Chinese cuisine culture to more foreign friends,” said Han Yang, a postgraduate student at the University of International Business and Economics.
It is not clear if the book will be introduced to other parts of China. But on Tuesday, this was the most discussed topic on weibo.com, China’s most popular microblogging site.
1.What’s the best title of the passage?
A．An adventure for foreigners who eat in Beijing.
B．Confusing mistranslations of Chinese dishes.
C．Chinese dishes to have “official” English names.
D．The effort to bridge the culture gap.
2. “chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head” are mentioned in the beginning of the passage to show________.
A．some Chinese dishes are not well received
B．some Chinese dishes are hard to translate
C．some Chinese dishes are mistranslated
D．some Chinese dishes are not acceptable
3.What measure has the municipal office taken?
A．Recommending a book on Chinese dishes.
B．Advocating(提倡) using precise translation for Chinese dishes.
C．Publishing a book on China’s dietary habits.
D．Providing the names of main Chinese dishes.
4.What’s the meaning of daunting in paragraph 5?
A．confusing B．disappointing C．discouraging D．Worthwhile
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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When you choose to send one of our free E-cards, you save paper and give friends and family the opportunity to enjoy the wonder of nature.
Celebrate the beauty of our natural world and send an E-card to friends and family who care about protecting our planet. Feel free to set your E-card to arrive on any day you please.
Looking for something to do besides sending an E-card?
Check out our Everyday Environmentalist page with eco-tips on how to live greener, and become an e-member of our free global online community or calculate(计算) your carbon footprint. You can even upload your photos to our site and your photo may be featured in an E-card next year!
1.For what purpose is the passage written?
A. Offering free E-cards to call on planet protection.
B. Celebrating the beauty of our natural world.
C. Introducing various cheap and wonderful E-cards.
D. Advertising the E-cards for some commercial profit.
2.To your little sister who is an animal lover, you’d better send her ________.
A. a special occasion E-card
B. a habitat E-card
C. a seasonal E-card
D. a wildlife E-card
3.For your father’s birthday, you’d better choose an E-card from column ________.
A. Seasonal E-card
B. Special Occasion E-card
C. Habitat E-card
D. Best of Nature E-card D
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Our brains work in complex and strange ways.There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years,but who cannot add two plus two.Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once,but they cannot read or write.
Dr.J.Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887.He called these people idiot savants.An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental impairment（损伤）,such as in autism（孤独症，自闭症）or retardation.At the same time,the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills,which are unusual for most people.The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics,or having a photographic memory.
One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr.Benjamin Rush, an American doctor.His patient,Thomas Fuller,was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1724.It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years,17 days,and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds. Despite this ability,he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write.
Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s.Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words,but he played 5,000 musical pieces beautifully.
In the excellent movie Rain Man,made in 1988 and available on video cassette,Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise,with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly.
Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment.Yet not all brain impairment leads to savant skills.Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills.However few people wish to participate in such experiments.There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain.The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate.Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots.
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities.
B. Human Beings have complicated thinking process.
C. The brains of the idiot savants are partly impaired.
D. The reasons why people have wonderful skills vary.
2.Which of the following can be done by Rain Man?
A. He can play wonderful pieces of classical music.
B. He can guess out exactly the length of a mads life.
C. He can memorize the contents of the pictures fast.
D. He can count matches dropped on the floor quickly.
3.What can you infer from the passage?
A. Idiot savants have real talents for art and math.
B. Dr.Down is the first person who found idiot savants.
C. Few people wish to risk becoming savants by brain operations.
D. Intentional left brain impairments will surely lead to idiot savants.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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When most of us look at our hands, we might notice that we need to clean, or stop biting our fingernails, and that’s about it. But if you ask a doctor, he can see a whole lot more. Everything from poor diet and stress to serious kidney (肾) problems can be revealed by a glance at your fingernails.
There are about 30 different nail signs that can be associated with medical issues, though may indicate more than one problem, according to Dr. Amy Derick, a clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern University.
Here are five of the things a doctor can tell about your health based on your fingernails.
1. People who aren’t eating well and lack vitamin or dietary may have thinner than normal nails, which are more likely to break.
2. Horizontal lines are associated with serious physical stress. They frequently occur in people who have gone through chemotherapy(化疗).They can also occur after some illnesses, injuries, or with severe malnourishment(营养不良).Interestingly, there may be an altitude connection too. They’ve also been found in people who dove 1,000 feet and others who participated in an Everest exploration.
3. Vertical lines, however, are generally not such a big deal. Some people are more genetically prone to them than others, but they’re commonly associated with aging.
4. When people lack iron, their nails can turn spoon-like. Instead of curving down and covering the finger normally, they ’ll start to rise up on the sides and front, like the part of a spoon that holds liquid.
5. Kidney and liver problems can create “half-and-half nails”, where one part of the nail is white and the other part dark or pink, according to Derick.
Doctors note that because disease diagnosis is complex and some symptoms can be associated with different diseases, you should always see a medical professional if you are concerned about something you notice.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Doctors can tell us something about our health by looking at our nails.
B. We should see a doctor if we find nails in bad condition.
C. A famous doctor in the USA conducted an interesting research.
D. If we don’t want to get ill, we need to clean and stop biting our fingernails.
2.If we don’t eat well or regularly, our fingernails may ________.
A. become harder than normal nails.
B. become thinner than normal nails.
C. become “half-and-half” nails.
D. have horizontal and vertical lines.
3.Who will have horizontal lines on the nails ?
A. A cancer patient who has received normal treatment.
B. Hungry African children suffering from severe malnourishment.
C. An explorer who had reached Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province.
D. A patient with serious illness, like kidney and liver problems.
4.Which of the following best describes the nails that show people lack iron?
A. The nails are thinner and more likely to break.
B. The nails will curve down and cover the fingers.
C. The nails will start to rise up on the sides and front.
D. The nails will change their colours on the surface.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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When most of us get a text message on our cell phone from an unknown person, we usually say “sorry, ______number!” and move on. But when Dennis Williams ______a text that clearly wasn’t intended for him, he did something ______.
On March 19, Dennis got a group text ______ him that a couple he didn’t know were at the hospital, waiting for the ______of a baby.
“Congratulations! But I think someone was mistaken,” Dennis ______. The baby was born and update texts were ______ quickly from the overjoyed grandmother, Teresa. In her ______, she didn’t seem to realize that she was ______ the baby’s photos with a complete stranger. “Well, I don’t ______you all but I will get there to take pictures with the baby,” replied Dennis before asking which room the new ______were in.
Much to the family’s surprise, Dennis stuck to his ______ ! He turned up at the hospital ______ gifts for the new mother Lindsey and her baby boy. Lindsey’s husband was totally ______ by the unexpected visit. “I don’t think we would have randomly invited him over but we ______ it and the gifts.”
Teresa ______ a photo of the chance meeting on a social networking website ______ by the touching words: “What a ______ this young man was to our family! He was so ______ and kind to do this.” The post has since gained the______ of social media users all over the world, receiving more than 184,000 shares and 61,500 likes in just three days.
1.A. unlucky B. wrong C. new D. secret
2.A. copied B. translated C. received D. printed
3.A. reasonable B. practical C. necessary D. special
4.A. informing B. reminding C. convincing D. warning
5.A. wake-up B. arrival C. growth D. recovery
6.A. predicted B. interrupted C. responded D. repeated
7.A. passing down B. setting out C. coming in D. moving around
8.A. excitement B. anxiety C. opinion D. effort
9.A. comparing B. sharing C. discussing D. exchanging
10.A. accept B. bother C. believe D. know
11.A. patients B. doctors C. parents D. visitors
12.A. dream B. principle C. schedule D. promise
13.A. opening B. collecting C. bearing D. making
14.A. astonished B. relaxed C. discouraged D. defeated
15.A. appreciate B. need C. admit D. expect
16.A. found B. posted C. developed D. selected
17.A. confirmed B. accompanied C. clarified D. simplified
18.A. pity B. problem C. relief D. blessing
19.A. sweet B. calm C. smart D. fair
20.A. sympathy B. trust C. control D. attention
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析