It often seems that some people possess super...

It often seems that some people possess superhuman eating powers, allowing them to eat an entire pizza while remaining slim. Others only eat a slice but gain five pounds. Now one doctor says there' s evidence that genetics could be behind some of these differences. Regardless of how much you eat, your weight may be out of control.

Vann Bennett, a biochemist at Duke University and his team led a new study and discovered why this happens. They engineered mice to have several common modifications of the gene found in humans. They observed that mice who had mutations of ankyrin-B(锚蛋白B的变异) took more glucose(葡萄糖) into their fat cells, which in turn made more fat. Typically, the cell membrane( 膜) acts as a barrier to prevent glucose from entering these cells ; the change kept the gate open. The change may serve a useful purpose. “ Probably this is not always a bad thing,” Bennett told Newsweek. “It could help people survive hunger in the past. But today we have so much food that it probably is a bad thing.”

Dieters have long been told to watch their calories and exercise more, but this new finding suggests that a common approach doesn't work for everyone. Our metabolism( 新陈代谢) naturally slows with age, making it harder to maintain the weight of our 30-year-old selves when we' re 50. Now add an uncontrollable ankyrin-B gene, and it may seem impossible to stay slim.

The mice in the study gained more weight when on high-fat diets. Despite being studied in mice, the researchers believe further research on this gene could potentially create a field of customized diets and health plans based on genetics. Bennett imagines such assessments being performed at birth one day. For now, disappointed dieters can take comfort with one saying: It's not you, it's your genes.

1.How did a mouse gain weight with mutations of ankyrin-B?

A.The ankyrin-B could make the mouse eat more.

B.The fat cells in the mouse would take more glucose to create more fat.

C.The glucose could function as a barrier to prevent the fat from reducing.

D.The cell membrane in the mouse could open the gate of fat into the mouse.

2.What was the effect of the change in the past in paragraph 2?

A.It could help people to avoid fat food.

B.It could help people to absorb more nutrition.

C.It could help people to get through the starvation.

D.It could help people to enjoy more delicious snacks.

3.Why is it more difficult to stay slim when we are older?

A.Because we all lack exercise. B.Because we have ankyrin-B genes.

C.Because we watch our calories less. D.Because our metabolism weakens.

4.What can be expected from further research?

A.It may help people to maintain the weight.

B.It may provide more comfort for the depressed dieters.

C.It may change many new-born babies’ gene arrangement.

D.It may present human beings with a series of health plans.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It often seems that people have a hard time in speaking a seemingly familiar name. Did you ever have someone's name on the tip of your tongue and yet you were not able to recall it? When this happened，what did you do? Next time this happens again，what should you do?

You should not try to recall it. Instead, just do something else for a couple of minutes and then the name may come into your head. Why? The name is just there, since you have met this person and learned his name. It, waiting there, only has to be dug out. The initial(最初的) effort to recall prepares the mind for operation, but it is the subconscious (下意识的) activities that go to work to dig up a dim（模糊的）memory. Forcing yourself to recall almost never helps because it doesn't loosen your memory; it only tightens it.

That’s why students find the preparatory method greatly helpful in examinations. They read over the questions before trying to answer any of them. Then they answer first the ones of which they are most confident. At the same time, deeper mental activities in the subconscious mind are taking place; work is being done on the more difficult questions. By the time the easier questions are answered, answers to the more difficult ones will usually begin to come into consciousness. It is often just a question of waiting for recall to come to the memory.

You see, forcing ourselves to think hard to recall something usually doesn’t help. Chances are that the harder we think, the more difficulty we face in thinking of what we want to. Offering our mind time to work is what we are expected to do.

高三英语信息匹配中等难度题查看答案及解析

It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble．That’s more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.

“I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville．As I got onto  Highway 40，blue lights and sirens(警笛)going.I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway．The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me．He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder．”

But Hyde couldn’t go after him．Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders，so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident．But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove，hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car．As it turned out，keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult．Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.

Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination(目的地)．At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene．His help wasn’t needed.Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird，who by this time had developed something new to panic about．

“Just about that time，” Hyde said，“I saw fire coming out from under that car，with blue smoke and oil going everywhere.He’d blown his engine．Now he had to stop．”

“After I arrested him．I asked him why he was running．He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license(执照)．”

That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty---a thousand dollars for the new engine---not to mention the charges for driving without a license，attempting to run away，and dangerous driving．

1.The underlined word“panicked”in Paragraph 2 means       .

2.The driver of the Firebird suddenly speeded down the highway because         .

3.Which of the following statements is true?

4.Choose the best title for the passage．

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

People tend to be more impressed by evidence that seems to confirm some relationship. Thus many are convinced their dreams are known ahead of time because a few have come true; they neglect or fail to notice the many that have not.

Consider also the belief that "the phone always rings when I'm in the shower. "If it does ring while you do it , the event will stand out and be remembered. If it doesn't ring, that thing probably won't even be remembered.

People want to see order, pattern and meaning in the world. Consider, for example, the common belief that things like personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths "happen in threes." Such beliefs stem from the tendency of people to allow the third event to define the time period. If three plane crashes occur in a month, then the period of time that counts as their "happening together” is one month; if three crashes occur in a year, the period of time is stretched. Flexible end points reinforce such beliefs.

We also tend to believe what we want to believe. A majority of people think they are more intelligent, more fair-minded and more skilled behind the wheel of an automobile than the average person. Part of the reason we view ourselves so favorably is that we use criteria that work to our advantage. As economist Thomas Schelling explains, “Everybody ranks himself high in qualities he values: careful drivers give weight to care, skilled drivers give weight to skill, and those who are polite give weight to courtesy," This way everyone ranks high on his own scale.

Perhaps the most important mental habit we can learn is to be cautious in drawing conclusions. The "evidence" of everyday life is sometimes misleading.

1.In the first paragraph the author states that______.

A. dreams cannot be said to be prophetic even though a few have come true.

B. dreams are prophetic did come true.

C. dreams may come true if clearly remembered.

D. dreams and reality are closely related.

2.By" things like...""happen in threes"(Para.3,Line 2),the author indicates that people believe_____.

A. personal misfortunes tend to happen every now and then.

B. personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths usually happen together.

C. misfortunes tend to occur according to certain patterns.

D. misfortunes will never occur more than three times to a person in his lifetime.

3.The word "courtesy" (Para.4,Line 6)probably means_____.

A. good manners       B. appropriate speech

C. friendly relations.    D. satisfactory service.

4.What can be inferred from the passage_____.

A. Happenings that go unnoticed deserve more attention.

B. In a series of misfortunes the third one is usually the most serious.

C. People tend to make use of evidence that supports their own beliefs.

D. Believers of misfortunes happening in threes are cautious in interpreting events.

5.It can be concluded from the passage that_____.

A. there is some truth even in the wildest dreams.

B. one should take notice of other people's merits.

C. there is no order or pattern in world events.

D. we should not base our conclusions on accidental evidence.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Some kinds of mental skills naturally decrease as people get older. Yet research seems to show that some training can improve such skills. A recently published study also appears to attest that the good effects of training can last for many years after that training has ended.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland wanted to learn how long memory and thinking skills would last in older people who were trained to keep them. The people were part of the ten-year research project. They were taught methods meant to improve their memory, thinking and ability to perform everyday tasks.

More than 2,800 volunteered for the study called ACTIVE — short for Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly. Most were studied when they were more than 70 years old.

The volunteers took one of several short training classes meant to help them keep their mental　 abilities. One class trained participants in skills including how to remember word lists. Another group trained in reasoning. A third group received help with speed-of-processing — speed of receiving and understanding information. A fourth group — the control group did not get any training.

Earlier results had established that the training helped the participants for up to five years. Now, leading study writer George Rebok says, the research showed most of the training remained effective a full ten years later.

Professor Rebok and his team found that the people trained in reasoning and speed-of- processing did better on tests than the control group.

“We are wondering whether those effects which endured over time would still be there ten years　　　 following the training, and in fact, that's exactly what we found.,,

The effect on memory, however, seemed not to last as long. Still, the old people in any of the three classes generally reported less difficulty in performing daily activities than the control group.The total training time for the older people was between 10 and 15 hours.

1. Which statement is false according to the text?

A. This kind of training can only have effects on people for a few years.

B. The people were trained during a period of ten years.

C. Most of the people who were studied were more than 70 years old.

D. The first group were trained how to remember word lists.

2. How would the old in the second group perform after receiving the trauung?

A. Remember more words.

B. Understand information more quickly.

C. Act as poorly as before.

D. Perform daily activities better.

3. What does the underlined word "attest" in the first paragraph mean7

A-Affect.　　　　　　 B. Deny.

C. Prove.　　　　　　　　 D. Improve.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Some Kinds of Mental Skills Naturally Decrease.

B. Mental Training Helped Elderly Stay Sharp for Years.

C. Four Groups of Old People Were Trained Mentally.

D. A Ten-year Research Affects Elderly.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Nothing stays the same for long. Things and people change, often for the ___________, it seems, but once in a ___________, very much for the better. I grew up on a small farm, living a life that I took for granted. I had a dog and mountains in whichever_______ I looked, and I awoke to the call of birds in the alfalfa (苜蓿) fields. My father worked in the city as a worker. He was quiet and _________. He was not _________educated, but he was smart, with an engineer’s way of looking at problems. He was a man made of leather and chewing tobacco who tried to teach my brother and me useful things, including respect. He also had a _______. I did not like him very much.

One day I came home from school and his car was already there. Once inside, I was told by my mother that he didn’t feel well. His back hurt. My father never missed work; in fact, when he came home, he went to work even more. I remember looking secretly around the corner at him as he _________ on his bed in the middle of the day. I was in _______ school. Multiple myeloma, I learned, is a type of blood cancer. It starts in the_______ that normally make antibodies for the body to use in its immune response against __________. When those cells become ill, they make abnormal antibodies like crazy, ____________ out the useful ones. As the cancer grows, the person who has it__________. The disease weakens the body’s energy, and the abnormal antibodies cause problems for other cells and__________. Over time, bones __________ look like Swiss cheese, and when they break, they may never__________.

For the last year of my father’s life, his entire day consisted of rising from his hospital bed in the living room and walking to his chair to sit and think. He was __________ in that chair when I came home one day during the fifth grade. I do not remember where my mother and brother were, but the two of us were__________. He asked me to sit down. What followed still moves me these ____________ later. He told me about his life, his family growing up, what it was like in the Pacific during World War II, his loves, his heartbreaks. It was as if a pipe had__________, his inner self rushing out to me in a great flood. He had been speaking for maybe an hour or more when I realized that he was doing more than telling. He was asking to be forgiven. All it took was understanding that that was what he needed, and I__________ everything, immediately.

1.A.wealthier B.worse C.healthier D.familiar

2.A.while B.hour C.day D.week

3.A.time B.village C.valley D.direction

4.A.warm B.noisy C.distant D.considerate

5.A.lowly B.less C.more D.highly

6.A.smile B.weakness C.temper D.friend

7.A.launched B.lay C.laid D.landed

8.A.elementary B.middle C.high D.university

9.A.carriers B.chests C.currents D.cells

10.A.invitations B.investigation C.infections D.inference

11.A.compromising B.crowding C.circulating D.clarifying

12.A.substitutes B.sneezes C.sacrifices D.shrinks

13.A.talents B.tensions C.tissues D.tunnels

14.A.fortunately B.eventually C.ambiguously D.considerately

15.A.heal B.hurt C.hesitate D.handle

16.A.predictably B.psychologically C.primitively D.potentially

17.A.alone B.abnormal C.absent D.absurd

18.A.distances B.decades C.disciplines D.dilemmas

19.A.bounced B.boarded C.burst D.bound

20.A.forget B.finance C.function D.forgave

高三英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析

Some people sit outside for hours without getting bitten by mosquitoes, but it always seems like you’re being eaten alive within minutes of stepping outdoors.

If this is you, you’re not alone. According to Smithsonian Magazine, around 20 percent of people in the world are especially tasty to mosquitoes. What about these people makes mosquitoes’ mouths water?

A popular myth claims that mosquitoes prefer certain blood types, but the fact is that they simply can’t tell what your blood type is from a faraway place. Jonathon Day, a professor of medical entomology (昆虫学) at the University of Florida in the US, told NBC it’s not complicated. “The two most important reasons a mosquito is attracted to you have to do with sight and smell.”

Mosquitoes are especially active in the late afternoon. While flying along, they use their sense of smell to find possible targets. They find victims (攻击对象) by smelling the carbon dioxide (CO2) breathed out by humans and animals. That’s why you commonly find them in crowded streets and parks.

Joop van Loon, an entomologist at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, told Live Science, “Mosquitoes start orienting (使......朝向) themselves to carbon dioxide and keep flying upwind as they sense higher concentrations (浓度).”

As a result, people who simply exhale (呼出) more of the gas over time – generally, larger people – have been shown to attract more mosquitoes than others. “This is why kids don’t get bitten as much ... as adults,” US professor Ted Rosen told Science Alert.

This love for CO2 can also put pregnant women at increased risk for mosquito bites, as they tend to exhale 21 percent more CO2 than people of the same age and size who aren’t pregnant.

In addition to carbon dioxide, the color of the clothes you wear also plays a role in attracting mosquitoes.

According to Live Science, mosquitoes can lock onto targets from up to 50 meters away. At this distance, what we wear has a huge effect. Due to their vision (视觉), people wearing dark colors are more likely to become targets.

Being bitten by mosquitoes is annoying, but don’t worry. Some simple tips can help ward them off. Scientists recommend that we use insect repellent (驱虫剂) and wear light-colored clothing.

1.How do mosquitoes locate their targets, according to the article?

A.By seeking out bright clothes.

B.By identifying different blood types.

C.By sensing an increase of carbon dioxide.

D.By following bigger crowds.

2.Why are pregnant women more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes?

A.Their larger size helps mosquitoes to see them.

B.They breathe out more CO2.

C.They are more likely to sweat.

D.Their body temperatures are higher.

3.How does the article advise you to avoid mosquitoes?

A.Exercise regularly.

B.Wear light-colored clothing.

C.Keep your skin dry and clean.

D.Stay indoors in the evening.

4.What’s the article mainly about?

A.A new finding about mosquitoes.

B.How people can avoid mosquito bites.

C.A popular myth about mosquitoes.

D.Why some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

OK, I admit it: emoticons (表情符号) are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.

Some, however, such as editor and Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, blast (抨击) the use of emoticons as “infantile (幼稚的) just like the people who use them”  He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re being funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent (明显的) from the comment that goes before the emoticon,” he argues.

In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. “Men don’t use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all,” he said. “Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there’ s an emoticon gene.”

It’s an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed “to seek out representations of humanity”. He believes that they appeal not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they tap into (融入) something beyond language. They reach to our need to be with and communicate with people.

All of these arguments may be somehow valid (正确的). Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I do not have much time for emoticons. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I’d rather let my words do the talking.

Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this. I don’t regard any of my friends as lazy or immature (不成熟的). It’s just a question of individuality. :)

1.According to the article, emoticons are popular because ______.

A. most of them look funny

B. they are easy for lazy people to use

C. they add feeling and character to a communication

D. a reader cannot understand a message without them

2.Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with?

A. Instant Message chatters are childish.

B. It’s enough to use language in digital communication.

C. Men never use emoticons.

D. There is an emoticon gene in everybody.

3.From the text, we can conclude that the author ______.

A. feels he has no difficulty using emoticons

B. thinks emoticons don’t suit him

C. encourage his friends to use emoticons

D. believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone

4.What is the main point of the article?

A. Advice on language used over the Internet.

B. The history of emoticons.

C. Arguments over the use of emoticons.

D. Reasons for the popularity of emoticons.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

These days, it seems that almost all of us are too serious．My older daughter often says to me, “Daddy, you’ve got that serious look again．” Even those of us who are committed to non-seriousness are probably too serious．People are frustrated and anxious about almost everything -- being five minutes late, witnessing someone look at us wrong or say the wrong thing, paying bills, waiting in line, overcooking a meal, making an honest mistake -- you name it, and we all lose perspective（理性判断） over it．

The root of being anxious is our unwillingness to accept life as being different, in any way, from our expectation．Very simply, we want things to be a certain way but they’re not a certain way．Life is simply as it is．Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don’t fit our ideas, they become our difficulties．” We spend our lives wanting things, people, and events to be just as we want them to be -- and when they’re not, we fight and we suffer．

The first step in recovering from over-seriousness is to admit that you have a problem．You have to want to change, to become more easygoing．You have to see that your own anxiety is largely of your own creation -- it’s made up of the way you have set up your life and the way you react to it．

The next step is to understand the link between your expectations and your frustration level．Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn’t, you’re upset and you suffer．On the other hand, when you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you’re free．

A good exercise is to try to approach a single day without expectation．Don’t expect people to be friendly．When they’re not, you won’t be surprised or bothered; if they are, you’ll be delighted．Don’t expect your day to be problem-free．Instead, as problems come up, say to yourself,　 “Ah, another barrier to overcome．” As you approach your day in this manner you’ll notice how elegant life can be．Rather than fighting against life, you’ll be dancing with it．Pretty soon, with practice, you’ll lighten up your entire life．And when you lighten up, life is a lot more fun．

1.Why are people easily frustrated and anxious these days?

A．Because their children are disappointing．

B．Because they have to look serious in public．

C．Because life is becoming a greater burden．

D．Because people have lost sensible judgment．

2.According to Benjamin Franklin, what was the cause of over-seriousness?

A．The fact that people’s perspective, hopes and fears are limited．

B．The fact that people can’t change life itself．

C．The fact that things fail to meet people’s expectations．

D．The fact that circumstances turn out to be difficult．

3.In what pattern is this article developed?

A．Phenomenon, causes and solutions．

B．Problems, explanation and conclusion．

C．Examples, causes and arguments．

D．Phenomenon, analysis and conclusion．

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A．People seem to be too serious

B．Life is simply as it is

C．Hopes can turn into difficulties

D．A good exercise removes over-seriousness

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

These days, it seems that almost all of us are too serious．My older daughter often says to me, “Daddy, you’ve got that serious look again．” Even those of us who are committed to non-seriousness are probably too serious．People are frustrated and anxious about almost everything -- being five minutes late, witnessing someone look at us wrong or say the wrong thing, paying bills, waiting in line, overcooking a meal, making an honest mistake -- you name it, and we all lose perspective（理性判断） over it．

The root of being anxious is our unwillingness to accept life as being different, in any way, from our expectation．Very simply, we want things to be a certain way but they’re not a certain way．Life is simply as it is．Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don’t fit our ideas, they become our difficulties．” We spend our lives wanting things, people, and events to be just as we want them to be -- and when they’re not, we fight and we suffer．

The first step in recovering from over-seriousness is to admit that you have a problem．You have to want to change, to become more easygoing．You have to see that your own anxiety is largely of your own creation -- it’s made up of the way you have set up your life and the way you react to it．

The next step is to understand the link between your expectations and your frustration level．Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn’t, you’re upset and you suffer．On the other hand, when you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you’re free．

A good exercise is to try to approach a single day without expectation．Don’t expect people to be friendly．When they’re not, you won’t be surprised or bothered; if they are, you’ll be delighted．Don’t expect your day to be problem-free．Instead, as problems come up, say to yourself,　 “Ah, another barrier to overcome．” As you approach your day in this manner you’ll notice how elegant life can be．Rather than fighting against life, you’ll be dancing with it．Pretty soon, with practice, you’ll lighten up your entire life．And when you lighten up, life is a lot more fun．

1.Why are people easily frustrated and anxious these days?

A．Because their children are disappointing．

B．Because they have to look serious in public．

C．Because life is becoming a greater burden．

D．Because people have lost sensible judgment．

2.According to Benjamin Franklin, what was the cause of over-seriousness?

A．The fact that people’s perspective, hopes and fears are limited．

B．The fact that people can’t change life itself．

C．The fact that things fail to meet people’s expectations．

D．The fact that circumstances turn out to be difficult．

3.In what pattern is this article developed?

A．Phenomenon, causes and solutions．

B．Problems, explanation and conclusion．

C．Examples, causes and arguments．

D．Phenomenon, analysis and conclusion．

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A．People seem to be too serious

B．Life is simply as it is

C．Hopes can turn into difficulties

D．A good exercise removes over-seriousness

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析