A new study shows that air pollution can cause a huge reduction in our intelligence. The study was a project involving researchers at Peking University in China and Yale University in the United States.
The researchers reported that long-term exposure to air pollution can affect a person's mental abilities in two areas: Language and math.
The researchers studied about 25,000 people from across China. Between 2010 and 2014, these Chinese men, women and children were given language and math tests. Then researchers compared the test results with measurements of pollution in the air, namely nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide （二氧化硫）.
Xi Chen of the Yale School of Public Health led the study. He and his team found that breathing polluted air can reduce a person's education level by about one year.
Chen said that the effect generally is worse for those over 64 years of age, for men and for those with little or no education.
“The older persons—they are more affected. And we find, quite amazingly, males are more affected than females. And people working outdoors are more affected than people working indoors.
He noted that the youngest people in the study were 10 years old, while the oldest was 90 years old. They came from China's 33 provinces. In his words, the data and facts are convincing and this range of ages and locations across the country provided a real, objective and representative sample.
The researchers noted that the effect of air pollution on verbal ability is even more serious as people age, especially among men and the less educated. The researchers also stressed that every country, whether developed, developing or poor, should focus on air pollution or humans will face a bad situation.
1.What is the result of the study?
A.Air pollution has a bad effect on people's intelligence.
B.Females are more affected by air pollution than males.
C.Americans are more affected by air pollution than Chinese.
D.People working indoors are actually not affected by air pollution.
2.What did Chen say about the study?
A.It is doubtful.
B.It is extremely unfair.
C.It is common and not representative.
D.It is relatively objective and persuasive.
3.What did the researchers emphasize in the last paragraph?
A.The data from the 33 provinces is convincing.
B.The whole world should pay attention to air pollution.
C.The less educated take more responsibility for air pollution.
D.Air pollution's influence on verbal ability is less serious as people age.
4.Where is the text most likely taken from?
A.A life diary. B.A guidebook.
C.A science magazine. D.A biography.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
A new study shows that air pollution can cause a huge reduction in our intelligence. The study was a project involving researchers at Peking University in China and Yale University in the United States.
The researchers reported that long-term exposure to air pollution can affect a person's mental abilities in two areas: Language and math.
The researchers studied about 25,000 people from across China. Between 2010 and 2014, these Chinese men, women and children were given language and math tests. Then researchers compared the test results with measurements of pollution in the air, namely nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide （二氧化硫）.
Xi Chen of the Yale School of Public Health led the study. He and his team found that breathing polluted air can reduce a person's education level by about one year.
Chen said that the effect generally is worse for those over 64 years of age, for men and for those with little or no education.
“The older persons—they are more affected. And we find, quite amazingly, males are more affected than females. And people working outdoors are more affected than people working indoors.
He noted that the youngest people in the study were 10 years old, while the oldest was 90 years old. They came from China's 33 provinces. In his words, the data and facts are convincing and this range of ages and locations across the country provided a real, objective and representative sample.
The researchers noted that the effect of air pollution on verbal ability is even more serious as people age, especially among men and the less educated. The researchers also stressed that every country, whether developed, developing or poor, should focus on air pollution or humans will face a bad situation.
1.What is the result of the study?
A.Air pollution has a bad effect on people's intelligence.
B.Females are more affected by air pollution than males.
C.Americans are more affected by air pollution than Chinese.
D.People working indoors are actually not affected by air pollution.
2.What did Chen say about the study?
A.It is doubtful.
B.It is extremely unfair.
C.It is common and not representative.
D.It is relatively objective and persuasive.
3.What did the researchers emphasize in the last paragraph?
A.The data from the 33 provinces is convincing.
B.The whole world should pay attention to air pollution.
C.The less educated take more responsibility for air pollution.
D.Air pollution's influence on verbal ability is less serious as people age.
4.Where is the text most likely taken from?
A.A life diary. B.A guidebook.
C.A science magazine. D.A biography.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The result: 10% fewer heart attacks, 8% fewer strokes, 4% fewer deaths, 11% fewer new cases of heart disease, and 240 billion dollars in health care savings.
Researchers found it could prevent 100,000 heart attacks and 92,000 deaths every year.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California, San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams, or one half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University.
Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium（钠）, which is how foods may list their salt content.
The government says the average American man ears ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also rise. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.
Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute show that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children.
1.According to the passage, what disease is not related to salt in diet?
A.Cancer. B. Stroke. C. Blood pressure. D. Heart attack.
2.It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A. all the heart diseases result from eating too much salt
B. the American Heart association suggest less than 3 grams of salt a day for everyone
C. how much salt is contained in certain food is measured by the amount of sodium
D. the less salt one eats, the healthier he will be
3.The National Salt Reduction Initiative aims to________.
A. attract the public attention to the problem
B. require fast food places to list salt information
C. inform people of the harm that salt does to health
D. put pressure on food companies and restaurants
4.The last paragraph mainly tells us________.
A. Bloomberg has made some other efforts to improve people’s health
B. Bloomberg is very successful in his career
C. parents must pay great attention to calorie information
D. a new study is being done about calorie information
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The result: thirteen percent fewer heart attacks. Eight percent fewer strokes. Four percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings.
Researchers found it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten, at the University of California, was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams, or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University.
Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium, which is how foods may list their salt content.
The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants.
Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children's Research Institute shows how that idea can influence what parents order for their children.
Ninety-nine parents of three to six year olds took part. Half had McDonald's menus clearly showing how many calories were in each food. The other half got menus without the calorie information.
1. How many heart attacks will occur in the US every year？
A. nearly 800,000. B. 24,000.
C. 100,000. D. 92,000.
2. We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. Americans ate no more than 5 grams of salt per day in the 1970s
B. the American Heart Association suggest less than 3 grams of salt every day
C. a reduction in salt in the diet helps lower blood pressure
D. all the heart diseases result from eating more salt
3.The National Salt Reduction Initiative aims to ________.
A. advise Americans to eat less salt
B. put pressure on food companies and restaurants
C. require fast food places to list calorie information
D. attract the public attention to the problem
4.All the following are related to the salt in diet except ________.
A. strokes B. heart attacks
C. blood pressures D. stomach diseases
5.The best title of the passage of the passage is ________.
A. Less salt can mean more life
B. Prevent heart attacks and deaths
C. The National Salt Reduction Initiative
D. Americans should eat less salt
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The result：10％ fewer heart attacks. 8％ fewer strokes. 4％ fewer deaths. 11％ fewer new cases of heart disease. And 240 billion dollars in health care savings.
Researchers found it could prevent 10，000 heart attacks and 9。200 deaths every year.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams， or one-half teaspoon，less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia Uni versity.
Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium（钠），which is how foods may list their salt content.
The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies， while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.
Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas， like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute shows that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children.
1.We can tell from the passage that now heart attacks occur in the US every year.
| A．240，000 | B．900，000 | C．100，000 | D．92，000 |
2.It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．all the heart diseases result from eating too much salt |
| B．the American Heart Association suggests less than 3 grams of salt a day for everyone |
| C．Americans ate no more than 5 grams of salt per day in the 1970s |
| D．the less salt one eats， the healthier he will be |
3.The last paragraph mainly tells us .
| A．Bloomberg has made some other efforts to improve people’s health |
| B．Bloomberg is very successful in his career |
| C．parents must pay great attention to calorie information |
| D．a new study is being done about calorie information |
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
A new study links heavy air pollution from coal burning to shorter lives in northern China. Researchers estimate that the half-billion people alive there in the 1990s will live an average of 5 years less than their southern counterparts because they breathed dirtier air.
China itself made the comparison possible: for decades, a now-discontinued government policy provided free coal for heating, but only in the colder north. Researchers found significant differences in both particulate pollution of the air and life expectancy in the two regions.
While previous studies have found that pollution affects human health, "the deeper and ultimately more important question is the impact on life expectancy," said one of the researchers, Michael Greenstone, a professor of environmental economics at Massachusetts Institute of 一Technology. "This study provides a unique setting to answer the life expectancy question because the(heating) policy dramatically changes pollution concentrations（含量），，，Greenstone said in an email. "Further, due to the low rates of migration in China in this period, we can know people's exposure over long time periods," he said.
The policy gave free coal for fuel boilers to heat homes and offices to cities north of the Huai Riv饥which divides China into north and south. It was in effect for much of the 1950-198,0 period of central planning, and, though discontinued after 1980, it has left a legacy（遗留） in the north of heavy coal burning, which releases particulate pollutants into the air that can harm human health. Researchers found no other government policies that treated China's north differently from the south.
The researchers collected data for 90 cities, from 1981 to 2000, on the annual daily average concentration of total suspended（悬浮的）particulates. In China, those are considered to be particulates that are 100 micrometers or less in diameter, sent out from sources including power stations, construction sites and vehicles. Among them, PM2.5 is of especially great health concern because it can go deep into the lungs.
The researchers estimated the impact on life expectancies using death data from 1991-2000． They found that in the north, the concentration of particulates was 184 micrograms per cubic meter一or 55 percent higher than in the south, and life expectancies were 5.5 years lower on average across all age ranges.
1.The main idea of this passage is that＿·
A. research in China finds air pollution shortened life expectancy
B．the government provided free coal for heating in North China
C．coal burning causes bad air quality across China
D. a new study finds different particulates in South China
2.According to Greenstone,＿greatly contributed to the high pollution concentrations in North China.
A. power stations B. construction sites
C. the free heating policy D. gases from vehicles
3.It is implied in the passage that＿·
A. coal is no longer used for heating in North China
B．air quality was comparatively better in South China
C. southerners burned coals for heating in the 1980s
D．people preferred to live in South China after 1980
4.The underlined word "particulates" most probably means＿．
A. dirty clouds B. particular smoke
C. harmful dust D. dangerous bacteria
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
______ that the air conditioners cause so much pollution, I would never have bought one.
A. If I knew B. Did I know C. If I have known D. Had I known
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
B vitamins（维生素）may offer some protection against the effect of air pollution,a new study suggests.
The scientists say the effect is real but stress the limitations of their work.Follow-up studies are urgently needed, they say,in heavily polluted cities like Mexico.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),over 90% of the world's population live in heavily-polluted areas.The one of the pollutants that is considered the most dangerous is very fine particulate matter, referred to as PM2.5.At around 1/30 the width of a human hair,PM2.5 can go deep into the human lung and contribute to lung and heart health problems in the young and old.
Scientists have long suspected that PM2.5 causes what are termed epigenetic（表观遗传）changes in our cells that can damage our health.Now in this new human trial,an international team of scientists wanted to see if exposure to concentrations of PM2.5 could be mitigated by daily B vitamins.
Ten volunteers were tested initially exposed to clean air and their basic responses were measured.The same volunteers were later tested with large doses（剂量）of B vitamins while exposed to air containing high levels of PM2.5.The researchers found that a four-week B vitamin intake limited the PM2.5 effect by between 28-76% at ten gene locations.They found a similar reduction in effect on the mitochondrial DNA,the parts of cells that produce energy.
However,the researchers caution that their study,while observing a real effect,has limitations.As well as the small number of participants,there was little information on the size of the B vitamin dose that caused the response.
1.What is the main idea of the text?
A. B vitamins may fight against PM2.5.
B. PM2.5 can lead to epigenetic changes.
C. Further studies should be done on PM2.5.
D. Exposure to PM2.5 is more and more serious.
2.Which can replace the underlined word "mitigated" in Paragraph 4?
A. measured B. ignored
C. reduced D. observed
3.How many limitations does the text mention about the new study?
A. 2. B. 3.
C. 4. D. 5.
4.How does the writer of the text like the new study?
A. He believes it deeply. B. He criticizes it strongly.
C. He thinks it needs testing again. D. He shows no opinion about it.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Air pollution shortens human lives by more than a year, according to a new study from a team of leading environmental engineers and public health researchers. Better air quality could lead to a significant extension of lifespan(寿命) around the world.
It is the first time that data on air pollution and the lifespan has been studied together in order to check how air pollution affects overall life expectancy.
The researchers looked at outdoor air pollution from particulate matter (PM)(颗粒物) smaller than 2.5 microns. These particulates can enter deep into the lungs, and breathing PM 2.5 is associated with the increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancers. PM 2.5 pollution comes from power plants, cars and trucks, fires, agriculture and industrial emissions(排放物).
Led by Joshua Apte, the team used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study to measure PM 2.5 air pollution exposure and its consequences in 185 countries. They then quantified the national impact on life expectancy for each individual country as well as on a global scale.
“The fact that air pollution is a major global killer is already wellknown,” said Apte. “And we all care about how long we can live. Here, we were able to systematically identify how air pollution shortens lives around the world. What we found is that air pollution has a very large effect on survival — on average about a year globally.”
In the context of other significant phenomena negatively affecting human survival rates, Apte said this is a big number. “For example, it’s considerably larger than the benefit in survival we might see if we found cures for both lung and breast cancer combined,” he said. “In countries like India and China, the benefit for elderly people of improving air quality would be especially large. For much of Asia, if air pollution were removed as a risk for death, 60yearolds would have a 15 percent to 20 percent higher chance of living to age 85 or older.”
1.What do we know about PM 2.5?
A.It has a bad effect on human health. B.It will be controlled in the future.
C.It only comes from industrial emissions. D.It spreads to the world from Asian countries.
2.What did the researchers do to study how air pollution affects the lifespan?
A.They collected accurate information from all the Asian countries.
B.They employed the research data to calculate the effect.
C.They studied the disease and lifespan together time and time again.
D.They measured particulate matter much more carefully than before.
3.What can be inferred from the text?
A.The key to people living longer is good air quality.
B.People think air pollution is the most dangerous killer to them.
C.Apte will agree that people should take action to deal with air pollution.
D.Factories should decrease the production of cars to stop air pollution.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.The Way Human Beings Enjoy a Longer Lifespan
B.The Importance of Getting Rid of Air Pollution
C.Asian People Are Suffering from Serious Air Pollution
D.Air Pollution Reduces the Lifespan by More than One Year
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A decade-long study, also the first major research into air pollution and disease has shown that living near a main road increases the risk of dementia(痴呆). The study of 6.6 million people found that one in 10 dementia deaths in people living within 50 metres of a busy road was due to waste gas and noise.
Air pollution is already known to contribute to the deaths of around 40,000 people in Britain each year by worsening breathing and heart conditions, while previous research showed emissions (排放物) can cause brain shrinkage. But the new study by Canadian public health scientists is the first to find a link between living close to heavy traffic and the increasing of dementia, a discovery described as "believable" and "impressive" by British experts.
Dr Hong Chen said. "Our study suggests that busy roads could be a source of environmental stressors that could give rise to the onset of dementia. Population growth and urbanization has placed many people close to heavy traffic, and with widespread exposure to heavy traffic and growing rates of dementia, even a modest effect from near-road exposure could cause a large public health burden. More research to understanding this link is needed, particularly into the effects of different aspects of traffic, such as air pollutants and noise."
In the new study, the team tracked all adults aged between 20 and 85 living in Ontario for more than a decade from 2001 to 2012. They used postcodes to determine how close people lived to a main road and analyzed medical records to see if they went on to develop dementia, Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis(多发性硬化).
While there was no correlation between living near a road and Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis, dementia risk reduced as people lived further from a main road, with a 7 percent higher risk in developing dementia among those living within 50 metres; a 4 percent higher risk at 50-100 metres and a 2 percent higher risk at 101-200 metres. After 200 metres there was no increase. Researchers believe that noise of traffic may also play a role in the raised risk as well as other urban pollution, which is often present near busy roads.
1.What can we know about Canadian's new study?
A. British experts think highly of it.
B. It brings benefits to dementia patients.
C. It shows that air production is very serious.
D. It shows that air pollution can cause brain shrinkage.
2.What Dr Hong Chen said showed that______.
A. people are diagnosed with dementia mainly due to air pollution
B. widespread exposure to traffic will reduce the risk of having dementia
C. the link between living near roads and having dementia was not obvious
D. busy roads could be a source of environmental stressors that caused dementia to increase
3.What does the underlined the word ‘correlation’ mean?
A. Change. B. Improvement.
C. Association. D. Secret
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Living near a main road adds to the risk of noise.
B. Living beyond 300 metres of a main road is safe for people.
C. Living within 200 metres of a main road has a lower risk of having dementia.
D. The further people live away from heavy traffic, the smaller the risk of having dementia.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health，but many do not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant health effects.Environmental Protection Agency studies indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be 3～5 times，and occasionally more than 100 times，higher than outdoor levels.These levels of indoor air pollutants may be of particular concern because most people spend about 90% of their time indoors.
There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home.These include sources such as oil，gas，coal，wood，and tobacco products，building materials，wet or damp carpet，and furniture made of certain pressed wood products，products for household cleaning and maintenance，personal care，or hobbies，central heating and cooling systems.
Immediate effects may show up after a single exposure (暴露) or repeated exposures.These include irritation of the eyes，nose，and throat，headaches，dizziness.Such immediate effects are usually shortterm and treatable.Sometimes the treatment is simply removing the person’s exposure to the source of the pollution，if it can be identified.
The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors.Age and preexisting medical conditions are two important influences.In other cases，whether a person reacts to a pollutant depends on individual sensitivity，which varies tremendously from person to person.Some people can become sensitized to biological pollutants after repeated exposures，and it appears that some people can become sensitized to chemical pollutants as well.
Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral (病毒性的) diseases，so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution.While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for many harmful effects，there is considerable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure are necessary to produce specific health problems.People also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants.Therefore，further research is needed to better understand the effects of indoor air pollution and to find efficient ways to protect our health.
1.According to the first paragraph，which of the following is NOT true?
A．People often fail to notice indoor air pollution.
B．Indoor air pollution sometimes is more dangerous than outdoor air pollution.
C．Outdoor air pollution may not be so serious as indoor air pollution.
D．It is obvious that people have been paying more attention to indoor air pollution.
2.According to the author，which may NOT be the source of indoor air pollution?
A．Building materials. B．Wet carpet.
C．Cooling system. D．Refrigerators.
3. What does the underlined word “irritation” in the third paragraph probably mean?
A．Bad intention. B．Much sensitivity.
C．Injury. D．Carelessness.
4. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A．Reactions of Pollution B．Danger from Home
C．Pollution Resources D．Different Pollutions
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析