Anyone who commutes (通勤) by car knows that tr...

Anyone who commutes (通勤) by car knows that traffic jams are an unavoidable part of life. But humans are not alone in facing potential backups.

Ants also commute—between their nest and sources of food. The survival of their colonies depends on doing this efficiently.

When humans commute, there’s a point at which cars become dense (稠密) enough to slow down the flow of traffic, causing jam. Motsch, a mathematician in Arizona State University, and his colleagues wanted to know if ants on the move could also get stuck. So they regulated traffic density by constructing bridges of various widths between a colony of Argentine ants and a source of food. Then they waited and watched. “The goal was to try to find out at what point they are going to have a traffic jam.” said Sebastien Motsch.

But it appears that that never happened. They always managed to avoid traffic jam. The flow of ants did increase at the beginning as ants started to fill the bridge and then levelled off at high densities. But it never slowed down or stopped, even when the bridge was nearly filled with ants.

The researchers then took a closer look at how the behaviour of individual ants impacted traffic as a whole. And they found that when ants sense overcrowding, they adjust their speeds and avoid entering high-density areas, which prevents jams. These behaviours may be promoted by pheromones, chemicals that tell other ants where a trail is. The ants also manage to avoid colliding (碰撞) with each other at high densities, which could really slow them down. The study is in the journal eLife.

Can ants help us solve our own traffic problems? Not likely, says Motsch. That’s because when it comes to getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, human drivers put their own goals first. Individual ants have to be more cooperative in order to feed the colony. But the research could be useful in improving traffic flow for self-driving cars, which can be designed to be less like selfish humans—and more like ants.

1.What does the underlined word “this” in para.2 refer to?

A.Surviving. B.Commuting.

C.Finding food. D.Avoiding jams.

2.How did the researchers control the traffic density of the commuting ants?

A.By finding out the dense points. B.Through closer observation.

C.By controlling the widths of their path. D.By regulating their numbers.

3.According to the research, ants can avoid traffic jams mainly because ________.

A.they follow a special route.

B.they level off at high densities.

C.they never stop or slow down on the way.

D.they depend on their natural chemicals to adjust their speeds.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A.Traffic jams. B.Unavoidable? Not for ants!

C.Survival of an ant colony. D.Difference between human and ants.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Anyone who owns a car knows that we should maintain the car and fill it with fuel of good quality. To keep it looking good, we occasionally take it ________1.________ a wash. If we abuse the car, it won’t take us where we want to go. ________2.________ it is with our body and soul. The body is just like a vehicle to do the soul’s building. ________3.________ the body is full of energy, it can help open up the soul. Some deeper life issues will become easy for us. Just ________4.________ we learn to maintain a car, we ought to learn how to maintain the body. There must be ________5.________balance between enjoying ourselves and working. For one thing, we don’t need to be a slave. ________6.________can sometimes refresh the body so that our soul can accomplish more. For ________7.________, we have to be in control. Enjoy the pleasure, ________8.________don’t be addicted to it. Only when our body is at full power can the “will-power” go further.

高三英语填空题困难题查看答案及解析

阅读理解。

With more and more cars on the road，traffic jams are inevitable.Traffic jams can lead to increased accidents as there are more cars，with more people trying to get to their destination，all the while getting worse.Although it's impossible to avoid traffic jams altogether，there are some tips you can follow to reduce the amount of time on the road.

Check for traffic jams before you leave.You can listen to the radio for traffic news，or check on the Internet to get up­to­minute information on traffic.If the route you want to take is heavy with traffic，you can choose another.

Look for a different route permanently.Most traffic jams occur on busy roads.Using country roads could see you avoiding a lot of traffic.Although the distance you may have to travel is further，it can work out quicker.

Set your car radio to receive traffic bulletins.Many new car stereo systems(汽车音响系统)are equipped with a radio system by which you can hear the traffic channel.This way you can get the latest traffic information and change your journey if necessary.

________.Most traffic jams usually occur during rush hour，so try to avoid this time period if possible.Some jobs offer flexible working hours so that you can travel to work outside of rush hour.Some jobs even allow you to work from home so as to avoid commuting altogether.Ask your manager to see what you can do if traffic is a problem for you.

Use public transport alternatives where available.The easiest way to avoid traffic jams is to take buses or the underground instead of driving your own car.Not only will you avoid traffic jams but you will most likely be saving money as the cost of motoring rises.

1.The underlined word“inevitable”in Paragraph 1 probably means________.

A．hard to accept　　 　　　　　　 　 B．impossible to avoid

C．getting less serious　　 　　 D．seen everywhere

2.The author wrote the text in order to________.

A．explain why there are traffic jams

B．tell the negative effects of traffic jams

C．tell us what we can do on the road

D．tell us how to save time on the road

3.To get the latest traffic information，you could do the following except ________.

A．surfing the Internet

B．listening to the radio for traffic news

C．listening to the traffic channel

D．turning to other drivers for information

4.Which of the following can be put in the blank in the text?

A．Choose a job that has flexible working hours

B．Try traveling at different time

C．Make friends with your manager

D．Work from home

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

_______ in the traffic jam, I usually set out at 7:00 in the morning from home by car..

A. To avoid to be caught　　 B. To avoid being caught

C. Avoiding being caught　　 D. Avoid to be caught

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

________ in the traffic jam, I usually set out at 7:00 in the morning from home by car.

A.To avoid to be caught B.To avoid being caught.

C.Avoiding being caught D.Avoiding to be caught

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

When I commute (通勤) into London, there are certainly plenty of people conversing on their mobile phones—discussing and sharing personal details with a friend. 1. In fact, they don't even acknowledge the person who is actually sitting beside them.

Many of us spend part of each day surrounded by strangers, whether on our daily commute, or sitting in a park or a cafe. 2. However, new evidence has shown that gathering the courage to strike up a conversation might be good for our health.

Behavioural scientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder looked at this silent relationship and whether solitude (独处) is a more positive experience than interacting with strangers. 3. Their research suggested that when we make an initial conversation, ''we consistently underestimate how much a new person likes us. '' It seems we carry a negative voice in our head telling us all the things that could go wrong and why someone wouldn't want to converse with us.

4. It found that ''every participant in our experiment who actually tried to talk to a stranger found the person sitting next to them was happy to chat.'' The conclusion is that connecting with strangers is surprisingly pleasant. It has a positive impact on our wellbeing. It's true that talking can make you feel happier and happiness can lead to better mental health.

It's good to talk. So maybe, if you're a loner, it's time to come out of your shell and make some small talk with a stranger. 5.

A.The experiment proved to be successful.

B.It could be the beginning of a new friendship.

C.But most of them remain just that—strangers.

D.They talk as though the person is sitting next to them.

E.Talking to strangers can change the communication skills and habits.

F.Their research involved an experiment with a group of Chicago commuters.

G.They found that many people feel uncomfortable and frightened talking to others.

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

TV talk shows dominate daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.

Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents on his show are as surprising as possible. For example, the show takes the forever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives.

Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and the quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.

Compared with Oprah, the Jerry Springer looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech about the main idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.

Clear as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main viewers are middle-class Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tougher problems. The Jerry Springer show, on the other hand, has more of connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drugs. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show’s exploitation (开发，挖掘).

1.Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are _____.

2.What is the audience’s reaction to the social problems that Jerry Springer talks about?

3.Which of the following topics is the most suitable one for the Oprah show?

4.From the passage we can learn that the two talk shows _____.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Anyone who has worn a cast (石膏) knows that rebuilding muscle strength once the cast is removed can be difficult. Now researchers at the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute (OMNI) at Ohio University have found that the mind is critical in maintaining muscle strength following a long period of not moving and that mental imagination may be key in reducing the associated muscle loss.

Strength is controlled by a number of factors----the most studied by far is skeletal muscle. However, the nervous system is also an important, though not fully understood, determining factor of strength and weakness.

Brian C. Clark and colleagues set out to test how the system functions in strength development. They designed an experiment to measure changes in wrist (腕) muscle strength in three groups of healthy adults. Twenty-nine subjects wore a hard cast that extended from just below the elbow (肘) past the fingers, effectively preventing the hand and wrist from moving, for four weeks. Fifteen subjects who did not wear casts served as the control group.

Of the 29 people wearing a hard cast, half were asked to regularly perform an exercise, imagining they were strongly contracting their wrist for five seconds and then resting for five seconds. This was repeated four times in a row followed by a one-minute break for a total of 13 rounds per session and five sessions per week. The other half performed no imagination exercises.

At the end of the four-week experiment, both groups who wore casts had lost strength in their unmoving limbs (肢体) when compared to the control group. But the group that performed imagination exercises lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group. The nervous system’s ability to fully make the muscle recover also returned more quickly in the imagination group compared to the non-imagination group.

1.What does the underlined word “critical” mean in the first paragraph?

A. Serious.　　 　　 B. Disapproving.

C. Significant.　　 D. Criticizing.

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Scientists have partly understood the nervous system.

B. Whoever has worn a cast for long may have difficulty in muscle recovery.

C. Scientists have already spent a lot of time in studying skeletal muscle.

D. The number of the subjects in the experiment was 29 in all.

3.What can we learn from the experiment?

A. The control group lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group.

B. The imagination group lost more strength than the non-imagination group.

C. The control group wore casts but didn’t perform the imagination exercise.

D. The speed of non-imagination group’s muscle recovery was slower.

4. Where can you most probably find the passage?

A. In a science magazine.　　　　 B. In a storybook.

C. In a textbook .　　　　　　　　　 D. In a book review.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive(欺骗)?When someone tells you something that is true，but leaves out important information that should be included，he can give you a false picture．

For example，someone might say, ''I just won a hundred．dollars on the lottery(彩票)．It was great．I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!"．This guy's a winner，right? Maybe，maybe not．We then discover that he bought$200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner．He’s really a big loser! He didn't say anything that was false，but he left out important information on purpose．That's called a half-truth．Half truths are not technically lies，but they are just as dishonest．

Some politicians often use this trick．Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term，her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs．Then she seeks another term．One of her opponents says, “During Governor Smith’s term，the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true．However，an honest statement would have been，“During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”

Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths．It's against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth．An advertisement might say，''Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache．'' It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company．

This kind of deception happens too often．It’s a sad fact of life：Lies are lies，and sometimes the truth can 1ie as well．

1.The underlined word“opponents”in Paragraph 3 means             ．

A．enemy    B．partner    C．cooperator  D．assistant

2.We may infer that the author believes people should             ．

A．buy lottery tickets if possible

B．make use of half-truths

C．be careful about what they are told

D．not trust the Yucky Company

3.How many examples does the writer give to show how the truth is used to deceive?

A．One．    B．Two．    C．Three．D．Four．

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Using half truths is against the law．

B．Technically，half truths are in fact lies．

C．Yucky Pills is a very good medicine for toothache．

D．Governor Smith did a good job during her last term．

5.M1ich of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?

A．He’s really a big loser!

B．Sometimes the truth can lie as well．

C．Advertisers will sometimes use half truths．

D．It’s against the law to make false statements．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important in formation that should be included, he can give you a false picture.

For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for on e hundred dollars!”

This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only on e was a winner. He’s really a big loser!

He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.

Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents(对手) says, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” that’s true. However, and honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”

Advertisers(广告商) will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.

This kind of deception happens too of often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.

1.How much did the lottery winner lose?

2.We may infer that the author believes people should _______.

3. What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?

4.What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析