“Jewel wings fly around like little helicopters until they see preys (猎物), usually smaller flying insects,” said Bellido, a biologist at the University of Minnesota. “Then they dash at their meals in a burst of speed.”
You might mistake jewel wings for their cousins, dragonflies. New research shows that these two insects share something more significant than their appearance, however. In a paper published in Current Biology, Dr. Bellido and the dragonfly colleagues reveal that the neural (神经的) systems behind jewel wings’ vision are shared with dragonflies, with whom they have a common ancestor that lived before dinosaurs. But over the centuries, this brain wiring has adapted itself in different ways in each creature, enabling sharply different hunting strategies.
Jewel wings’ behavior involves attacking what’s directly in front of them, the team found. But recordings made in the lab by Dr. Gonzalez and her colleagues confirmed that dragonflies rise up in a straight line to seize unsuspecting insects from below. Researchers are particularly interested in the neurons (神经元) that send visual information to the wings.
To look closer at the neurons linking vision and flight, the researchers equipped jewel wings with sensors and showed them a video of a moving dot, comparing it with earlier dragonfly research. When a neuron fired, a popping sound filled the researchers’ ears, allowing them to tell exactly which movements-left, right, up, down or some combination-each neuron responded to. Jewel wings best see what’s right in front of them, they found, while dragonflies’ clearest vision is just above them.
The team was interested to find that while jewel wings’ neurons didn’t always respond like those in dragonflies, the number of neurons and organization were similar. That suggests that the system that conveys this information from the eyes to the wing muscles did not evolve recently, but has roots that are millions of years older than the oldest dinosaurs. And that ancient common ancestor likely had already developed remarkable speed in both vision and flight. Then, in the following years, the system has evolved to suit individual insect species.
This shared neural system may be more than 250 million years old, but it is also flexible enough to transform itself to meet the needs of a variety of creatures in different eras and environments, the findings suggest.
1.Jewel wings usually catch their meals ________ them.
A.on the right of B.on the left of
C.straight ahead of D.at the back of
2.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.What actions jewel wings take to catch preys.
B.How jewel wings ‘neurons respond to vision.
C.When jewel wings start to hunt for their preys.
D.Where researchers did the research into jewel wings.
3.What can we learn about dragonflies and jewel wings from the passage?
A.The two insects possess similar neural systems.
B.Jewel wings’ vision is sharper than dragonflies’.
C.Dragonflies ‘brain wiring is the same with jewel wings’.
D.The oldest dinosaurs react as rapidly as the two insects.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To analyse the habits of two similar insects.
B.To tell the difference between dragonflies and jewel wings.
C.To assess the effects of different insects ‘hunting strategies.
D.To present the result of a study on two insects neural systems.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
“Jewel wings fly around like little helicopters until they see preys (猎物), usually smaller flying insects,” said Bellido, a biologist at the University of Minnesota. “Then they dash at their meals in a burst of speed.”
You might mistake jewel wings for their cousins, dragonflies. New research shows that these two insects share something more significant than their appearance, however. In a paper published in Current Biology, Dr. Bellido and the dragonfly colleagues reveal that the neural (神经的) systems behind jewel wings’ vision are shared with dragonflies, with whom they have a common ancestor that lived before dinosaurs. But over the centuries, this brain wiring has adapted itself in different ways in each creature, enabling sharply different hunting strategies.
Jewel wings’ behavior involves attacking what’s directly in front of them, the team found. But recordings made in the lab by Dr. Gonzalez and her colleagues confirmed that dragonflies rise up in a straight line to seize unsuspecting insects from below. Researchers are particularly interested in the neurons (神经元) that send visual information to the wings.
To look closer at the neurons linking vision and flight, the researchers equipped jewel wings with sensors and showed them a video of a moving dot, comparing it with earlier dragonfly research. When a neuron fired, a popping sound filled the researchers’ ears, allowing them to tell exactly which movements-left, right, up, down or some combination-each neuron responded to. Jewel wings best see what’s right in front of them, they found, while dragonflies’ clearest vision is just above them.
The team was interested to find that while jewel wings’ neurons didn’t always respond like those in dragonflies, the number of neurons and organization were similar. That suggests that the system that conveys this information from the eyes to the wing muscles did not evolve recently, but has roots that are millions of years older than the oldest dinosaurs. And that ancient common ancestor likely had already developed remarkable speed in both vision and flight. Then, in the following years, the system has evolved to suit individual insect species.
This shared neural system may be more than 250 million years old, but it is also flexible enough to transform itself to meet the needs of a variety of creatures in different eras and environments, the findings suggest.
1.Jewel wings usually catch their meals ________ them.
A.on the right of B.on the left of
C.straight ahead of D.at the back of
2.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.What actions jewel wings take to catch preys.
B.How jewel wings ‘neurons respond to vision.
C.When jewel wings start to hunt for their preys.
D.Where researchers did the research into jewel wings.
3.What can we learn about dragonflies and jewel wings from the passage?
A.The two insects possess similar neural systems.
B.Jewel wings’ vision is sharper than dragonflies’.
C.Dragonflies ‘brain wiring is the same with jewel wings’.
D.The oldest dinosaurs react as rapidly as the two insects.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To analyse the habits of two similar insects.
B.To tell the difference between dragonflies and jewel wings.
C.To assess the effects of different insects ‘hunting strategies.
D.To present the result of a study on two insects neural systems.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“Jewel wings fly around like little helicopters until they see preys (猎物), usually smaller flying insects,” said Bellido, a biologist at the University of Minnesota. “Then they dash at their meals in a burst of speed.”
You might mistake jewel wings for their cousins, dragonflies. New research shows that these two insects share something more significant than their appearance, however. In a paper published in Current Biology, Dr. Bellido and the dragonfly colleagues reveal that the neural (神经的) systems behind jewel wings’ vision are shared with dragonflies, with whom they have a common ancestor that lived before dinosaurs. But over the centuries, this brain wiring has adapted itself in different ways in each creature, enabling sharply different hunting strategies.
Jewel wings’ behavior involves attacking what’s directly in front of them, the team found. But recordings made in the lab by Dr. Gonzalez and her colleagues confirmed that dragonflies rise up in a straight line to seize unsuspecting insects from below. Researchers are particularly interested in the neurons (神经元) that send visual information to the wings.
To look closer at the neurons linking vision and flight, the researchers equipped jewel wings with sensors and showed them a video of a moving dot, comparing it with earlier dragonfly research. When a neuron fired, a popping sound filled the researchers’ ears, allowing them to tell exactly which movements-left, right, up, down or some combination-each neuron responded to. Jewel wings best see what’s right in front of them, they found, while dragonflies’ clearest vision is just above them.
The team was interested to find that while jewel wings’ neurons didn’t always respond like those in dragonflies, the number of neurons and organization were similar. That suggests that the system that conveys this information from the eyes to the wing muscles did not evolve recently, but has roots that are millions of years older than the oldest dinosaurs. And that ancient common ancestor likely had already developed remarkable speed in both vision and flight. Then, in the following years, the system has evolved to suit individual insect species.
This shared neural system may be more than 250 million years old, but it is also flexible enough to transform itself to meet the needs of a variety of creatures in different eras and environments, the findings suggest.
1.Jewel wings usually catch their meals ________ them.
A.on the right of B.on the left of
C.straight ahead of D.at the back of
2.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.What actions jewel wings take to catch preys.
B.How jewel wings ‘neurons respond to vision.
C.When jewel wings start to hunt for their preys.
D.Where researchers did the research into jewel wings.
3.What can we learn about dragonflies and jewel wings from the passage?
A.The two insects possess similar neural systems.
B.Jewel wings’ vision is sharper than dragonflies’.
C.Dragonflies ‘brain wiring is the same with jewel wings’.
D.The oldest dinosaurs react as rapidly as the two insects.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To analyse the habits of two similar insects.
B.To tell the difference between dragonflies and jewel wings.
C.To assess the effects of different insects ‘hunting strategies.
D.To present the result of a study on two insects neural systems.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When astronauts return to the earth's atmosphere, helicopters fly to ________ they would land, ready to collect them.
A. what B. where C. which D. that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
When astronauts return to the earth's atmosphere, helicopters fly to________they would land, ready to collect them.
A.what | B.where | C.which | D.that |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
If cars had wings,they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2011.
“It’s the next ‘wow’ vehicle,”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh .“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go. When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS. Another option is a full-plane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,” Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits.“We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.
1.
We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.
A.car-planes will be popular in 2011 |
B.people might drive a car-plane in 2011 |
C.both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land |
D.Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts |
2.
lt takes the car-plane one minute to ________.
A.fold and unfold its wings | B.unfold wings for flying |
C.land in the airport | D.meet flying safety regulations |
3.
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.
B. To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
C. The car-plane may fly as high as normal planes.
D. People can park the car-plane in the garage at their home.
4.
The underlined word “it” in the last but one paragraph refers to ________.
A.the radio | B.the transponder | C.the GPS | D.the full-plane parachute |
5.
What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Cars With Wings May Be Just Around The Corner |
B.Which to Choose: A Ferrari or a Car Plane? |
C.A more Convenient and Cheaper Way to Fly |
D.Cars With Wings Can Fly as Fast as Planes |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
f cars had wings,they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2011.
“It’s the next‘wow’vehicle,”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh.“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold back up for driving.A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both.The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly.They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go.When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road.There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet.It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers.Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS.Another option is a full-plane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation,itis the necessary safety option,”Gersh said.
So far,the company has more than 70 orders with deposits.“We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,”Brown said.
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that .
A. car-planes will be popular in 2011
B. people might drive a car-plane in 2011
C. both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land
D. Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts
2.lt takes the car-plane one minute to .
A. fold and unfold its wings B. unfold wings for flying
C. land in the airport D. meet flying safety regulations
3..According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.
B.To mcet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
C.The car-plane may fly as high as normal planes.
D.People can park the car-plane in the garage at their home.
4..The underlined word“it”in the last but one paragraph refers to .
A. the radio B. the transponder
C. the GPS D. the full-plane parachute
5.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Cars With Wings May Be Just Around The Corner.
B. Which to Choose: A Ferraris or a Car Plane?
C. A more Convenient and Cheaper Way to Fly.
D. Cars With Wings Can Fly as Fast as Planes.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2012.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its carplane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012.
“ It's the next ’wow’ vehicle,” said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh.“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly.”
The car plane has wings that unfold for flying-a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both.The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National High way Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly.They say it saves you the trouble of trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you're good to go.When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road.There are no expensive parking fees because you don't have to store it at an air port-you park it in the garage at home.
The carplane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet.It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers.Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界) conditions.
The Transition's price tag: $ 194,000.But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS.Another option is a fullplane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,”Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 0rders with deposits. “We're working very closely with them,
but there are still some remaining steps, ” Brown said.
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that________.
A.carplanes will be popular in 2012
B.people might drive a carplane in 2012
C.both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land
D.Richard Cersh is the vice president of Massachusetts
2.It takes the carplane one minute to________.
A.fold and- unfold its wings B.unfold wings for flying
C.land in the airport D.meet flying safety regulations
3.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The carplane needs a runway to take off and land.
B.To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
C.The carplane may fly as high as normal planes.
D.People can park the carplane in the garage at their home.
4.The underlined word "it" in the last but one paragraph refers to________.
A.the radio B.the transponder
C.the GPS D.the fullplane parachute
5.What's the best title for the passage?
A.Cars With Wings May Be Just Around The Comer
B.Which To Choose: A Ferrari Or A CarPlane?
C.A More Convenient And Cheaper Way To Fly
D.Cars With Wings Can Fly As Fast As Plane
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
(2013·湛江一中期末测试)If cars had wings,they could fly and that just might happen,beginning in 2012.The company Terrafugia,based in Woburn,Massachusetts,says it plans to deliver its carplane,the Transition,to customers by the end of 2012.
“It's the next ‘wow’ vehicle,” said Terrafugia,vice president Richard Gersh.“Anybody can buy a Ferrari,but as we say,Ferraris don't fly.”
The carplane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold back up for driving.A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies,although it is both.The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations,and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly.They say it saves you the trouble of trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports:you drive the car to the airport and then you're good to go.When you land,you fold up the wings and hit the road.There are no expensive parking fees because you don't have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.
The carplane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet.It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds,including fuel and passengers.Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(边缘的) conditions.
The Transition's price tag:$194,000.But there may be additional charges for options like a radio,transponder or GPS.Another option is a fullplane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation,it is the necessary safety option,”Gersh said.
So far,the company has more than 70 orders with deposits.“We're working very closely with them,but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.
A.carplanes will be popular in 2012
B.people might drive a carplane in 2012
C.both the Transition and the Ferrari can take off and land
D.Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts
2.It takes the carplane one minute to ________.
A.fold and unfold its wings
B.unfold wings for flying
C.land in the airport
D.meet flying safety regulations
3.According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?
A.The carplane needs a runway to take off and land.
B.To meet aircraft regulations,the company has been working with FAA.
C.The carplane may fly as high as normal planes.
D.People can park the carplane in the garage at their home.
4.The underlined word “it” in the last but one paragraph refers to ________.
A.the radio
B.the transponder
C.the GPS
D.the fullplane parachute
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
When I was little, I’d see tons of bats flying around streetlights at night in my neighborhood in upstate New York. But I’ll never forget the first time when I saw a bat up close. By the time I turned 7, though, I noticed something strange: All the bats in my neighborhood had disappeared, and I wondered why.
Then, three years ago, when I was 11 and visiting the state fair, I learned what had happened to my town’s bats. A disease called “white nose syndrome” had killed 93 percent of New York State’s bats. I was horrified. Then I wrote a letter to the host of an environmental program on the local radio station, asking if they could do a show on bats. They did!
But I still wanted to find a way to educate people face to face. I reached out to a teacher I had in elementary school and asked if I could make a presentation to her class. I described how bats help farmers by eating crop-damaging insects. It went over so well that other teachers started requesting me. Over the past three years, I’ve talked in front of everyone from 5-year-olds to senior citizens! Many people think that bats are blind, and that they always carry diseases, but none of that is true. The more I present, the more I notice that I am changing minds.
And while getting people to respect bats is pretty hard, getting them to respect me has been difficult too. When I first applied to host a booth (摊位) at a local street fair, the managers thought I was too young. But I refused to take “no” for an answer. I continued to make my case, and they finally said yes! The best part is, I impressed them so much— 100 visitors on my first day — that they now invite me back every year.
1.All the bats in the neighborhood disappeared because they .
A. were killed by a disease
B. moved to another habitat
C. were hunted by other animals
D. hid in a place where people couldn’t find them
2.The author wrote a letter to the host in order to ask them to .
A. donate some money to save bats
B. make a radio program about bats
C. announce new findings about bats
D. finish some questionnaires about the fair
3.How did the author save bats?
A. By building a new home for them.
B. By volunteering to work in the wild.
C. By improving their living environment.
D. By educating people that they are beneficial.
4.What does the underlined phrase “make my case.” in the last paragraph mean?
A. make an impressive persuasion.
B. look into the matter.
C. quarrel with them
D. stick to the facts.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A recent experiment proves that bees can save time and energy when they fly around to different flowers.
Dr Nigel Raine, from the Royal Holloway University of London, has always been interested in finding out why animal behave like they do. He is also interested in bees. It was not a surprise when he and some other scientists from Queen Mary University of London discovered that bees can quickly solve a problem that takes computers many days.
Flowers make pollen (花粉), and when bees visit them, they carry the pollen to other flowers. The plants need the pollen to make seeds that will grow. Dr Raine notes that we get a lot of our food from plants, so it is important to know how the bees move around and take the pollen between flowers. The scientists wanted to examine the journey that the bees take and how they save energy when they do this. They completed the experiment on the roof of Queen Mary University, using artificial flowers and a large amount of nectar, a sweet liquid produced by flowers. They taught one bee to visit all the flowers in one place at the same time. When the bee got to know the location of the flowers well, they saw how it flew around and returned home with the nectar. After this, they changed the locations of the flowers. The scientists thought the bee would follow the route it knew already. This would mean that it followed a longer route than it needed to, and so it would use more energy. They watched the bee carefully as it travelled between the flowers in their new location, and they made notes. But in the experiment, the bee changed its route and flew a shorter distance.
The problem that the bee solved is similar to a maths puzzle called the ‘travelling salesman problem’. A salesman who goes to different places to sell things wants to travel the shortest distance. But he has to calculate the length of many possible routes to know which one is the shortest. A computer can calculate this but the experiment shows bees can do the same calculation quickly with a tiny brain. Scientists are very interested in how they do this. It would help us to understand how pollen is moved around. In addition, if they find this out, it could help us to improve communication networks. This might help humans to reduce traffic jams when there is an accident, for example.
1.The underlined word “nectar” in the third paragraph means_________.
A. powder B. honey
C. vitamin D. water
2.The researcher’s experiment found _________.
A. bees could manage to avoid accidents
B. bees showed signs of being very intelligent
C. bees could take the same route they knew before
D. bees were faster at calculating distance than computers
3.According to the last paragraph, the next step of the study is to discover how _______.
A. pollen is moved around
B. traffic jams can be reduced
C. bees can calculate so quickly
D. communication networks are improved
4.Where does this passage probably come from?
A. A novel. B. A website.
C. A science magazine. D. An advertisement.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析