The population of Africa is __________ so rapidly as to cause great concern of the whole world.
A. expanding B. stretching C. extending D. spreading
高二英语单项填空中等难度题
The population of Africa is ________ so rapidly as to cause concern of the whole world.
A. expanding B. circulating C. exporting D. spreading
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The population of Africa is __________ so rapidly as to cause great concern of the whole world.
A. expanding B. stretching C. extending D. spreading
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Uganda is a country in East Africa and,as in many such countries,a high percentage of the population,about 80 percent,are village-dwellers living in huts,which are often no bigger than a garage. The walls of the huts are made of mud,which is held together by reeds and sticks,and the roofs of the older ones are thatched（覆盖）with grass,although an increasing number of newer village houses have roofs made from corrugated（波纹形的）iron.
Several generations of the same family live together in the huts,which are usually divided into two sections by a curtain. The inner section,the one furthest from the open door of the hut,is where everyone sleeps and food is prepared and served in the outer part. If the family owns chickens or goats,they are kept in a small room attached to the main house.
Food is usually prepared on open fires although some people prefer to cook inside. However,this is quite dangerous and also means that the walls of the hut are stained by smoke and the atmosphere is acrid. The family sit in a circle on mats while they eat.
Newer village houses are almost always made of corrugated iron and are bigger,with one or two separate bedrooms and the kitchen in a smaller building beside the main house. But,old or new,the houses are not powered by electricity,and all homes are lit by paraffin（石蜡）candles called “tadobba”.
Nor is there any running water in the houses. Some villages have their own well,but in many cases,collecting water involves a long and arduous walk to a river or spring,carrying plastic containers or pots made of clay.
Children are the ones who have to fetch water,and they have to do this early in the morning before they go to school,or in the evening when they come home. They often have to climb high hills or walk through valleys with narrow paths through dense vegetation. It is no surprise that they grow up muscular and fit after such daily exercise,walking for several kilometres carrying such heavy weights.
1.Most Ugandans live ________.
A．with their whole family in large mud houses in the countryside
B．in towns in small houses made of mud and iron
C．in villages in small houses made of wet earth,grass and wood
D．With their parents and children as well as their chickens and goats
2.Where is food usually prepared?
A．In the kitchen.
B．On the floor in the middle of the house.
C．On fires in front of the hut.
D．In a small room attached to the main house.
3.How are the old and new houses the same?
A．Both of them have roofs made of corrugated iron.
B．Neither of them have a garage or kitchen.
C．Neither of them have electricity,lights or running water.
D．Both of them have water inside but no electric light.
4.The majority of Ugandan children have to ________.
A．go to a well or a river and often carry it for a long distance
B．do a lot of work cooking and carrying water
C．collect water on the way home from school
D．get water out of their own well
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The number of children is expected to _______ rapidly as the declaration of Two-child Policy by the government.
A. standardize B. supervise
C. multiply D. adopt
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The rapid growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades will cause significant risks to people and the global environment, according to analysis.
Researches from Yale and Stanford predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by 590,000 square miles—nearly the size of Mongolia—to meet the needs of 1.47 billion more people living in urban areas.
“It is likely that these cities are going to be developed in places that are the most biologically diverse,” said Karen Seto, a famous scientist at Yale University. “They are going to be growing and expanding into forests, biological hotspots, savannas(热带稀缺大草原), coastlines—sensitive and vulnerable places.”
Urban areas, they found, have been expanding more rapidly along coasts. “Of all the places for cities to grow, coasts are the most sensitive. People and buildings along the coast are at risk of flooding and other environmental disasters,” said Seto.
The study provides the first estimate of how fast urban areas globally are growing and how fast they may grow in the future. “We know a lot about global patterns of urban population growth, but we know significantly less about how urban areas are changing,” she said. “Changes in land cover associated with urbanization lead to many environmental changes, from habitats loss and agricultural land conversion(转化) to changes in local and regional climate.”
The researchers examined studies that used satellite data to map urban growth and found that from 1970 to 2000 the world’s urban footprint had grown by at least 22,400 square miles—half the size of Ohio.
“This number is numerous, but, in actuality, urban land expansion has been far greater than what our analysis shows because we only looked at the published studies that used satellite data,” said Seto. “We found that 48 of the most populated urban areas have been studied using satellite data, with findings in journals. This means that we’re not tracking the physical expansion of more than half of the world’s largest cities.”
Half of urban land expansion in China is driven by a rising middle class, whereas the size of cities in India and Africa is driven primarily by population growth. “Rising incomes translate into rising demand for bigger homes and more land for urban development, which has a great effect on biodiversity conservations, loss of carbon sinks and energy use.”
1.According to the passage, the most dangerous place for city expansion is the _____.
A．forest B．desert C．savannas D．coastline
2.The underlined word “vulnerable” (in Para. 3) probably means “____”.
A．diverse in plants B．beautiful in scenery
C．easily damaged D．very productive
3.From Para. 5, we can infer that ____.
A．urbanization is a good way to improve people’s standards of living
B．cities develop very fast and more and more people come to live in cities
C．more and more agricultural farmlands are used to make room for local animals
D．in the past, researchers focused their attention on the expanding urban areas
4.Cities in Africa become bigger and bigger mainly because of their ____.
A．growing population B．rising middle class
C．unique living patterns D．economic development
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
It is true that world population is growing, but this is not the cause of our current and future global problems. Believing this will cause us to ignore the real problem and risk long-term damage to our planet.
Let me start by explaining why overpopulation is a myth. For one thing, the UN Population Division regularly predicts population growth but provides a low variant (变量), medium variant, and high variant to factor in various possibilities. In the 2010 revision, their high variant suggests that the world population will be almost 16 billion in 2100, but the low variant predicts it will peak at 8 billion and decrease to just over 6 billion by 2100. In most cases, it is the low variant that has come true in the past, suggesting the same will be true of their future population predictions. In addition to this, the size of families is actually decreasing.
For another, if the Earth is overpopulated, there needs to be insufficient (短缺) food, water, and space for humans to live. However, Indian economist Raj Krishna estimates that India alone is able to increase crop produce to the point of providing the entire world’s food supply. The World Food Programme confirms that there is sufficient food grown to feed the world and there is the same amount of fresh water on the planet now as there was 10,000 years ago. So how is it possible that the number of people in the world is affecting our planet?
Therefore, it is not an increase in population but an increase in consumption that is a severe threat. Materialism and overconsumption are facts of life for everybody in the western world, as possessions reflect a person’s status in society and people strive to obtain happiness through owning the latest fashionable goods. Not only that, but waste is a common occurrence which has a huge effect on our resources. It is a sad truth that 80% of the world’s resources are currently used by just 20% of the world’s population.
Our overconsumption must be addressed now to make our lives more sustainable (可持续的) and avoid continuing the terrible damage to the environment we are causing. The key is education. If we do not work towards this but instead focus on the wrong issue, we may find ourselves living on a planet that can no longer sustain human life.
1.According to the author, what causes our current and future global problems?
A. The increase in population.
B. Shortage of food and water.
C. The fast growth of material needs.
D. Failure to protect the environment.
2.The underlined word “myth” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. fact B. misunderstanding C. possibility D. uncertainty
3.The author stresses that _____.
A. people should save food and water
B. economists are making wrong predictions
C. wrong judgment leads to serious consequences
D. measures should be taken to reduce population
4.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A. The real cause of global problems.
B. The severe effect of overpopulation.
C. Reasonable use of natural resources.
D. Methods to reduce overconsumption.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is true that world population is growing, but this is not the cause of our current and future global problems. Believing this will cause us to ignore the real problem and risk long-term damage to our planet.
Let me start by explaining why overpopulation is a myth. For one thing, the UN Population Division regularly predicts population growth but provides a low variant (变量), medium variant, and high variant to factor in various possibilities. In the 2010 revision, their high variant suggests that the world population will be almost 16 billion in 2100, but the low variant predicts it will peak（达到顶峰） at 8 billion and decrease to just over 6 billion by 2100. In most cases, it is the low variant that has come true in the past, suggesting the same will be true of their future population predictions. In addition to this, the size of families is actually decreasing.
For another, if the Earth is overpopulated, there needs to be insufficient (短缺) food, water, and space for humans to live. However, Indian economist Raj Krishna estimates that India alone is able to increase crop produce to the point of providing the entire world’s food supply. The World Food Programme confirms that there is sufficient food grown to feed the world and there is the same amount of fresh water on the planet now as there was 10,000 years ago. So how is it possible that the number of people in the world is affecting our planet?
Therefore, it is not an increase in population but an increase in consumption that is a severe threat. Materialism and overconsumption are facts of life for everybody in the western world, as possessions reflect a person’s status in society and people strive to obtain happiness through owning the latest fashionable goods. Not only that, but waste is a common occurrence which has a huge effect on our resources. It is a sad truth that 80% of the world’s resources are currently used by just 20% of the world’s population.
Our overconsumption must be addressed now to make our lives more sustainable and avoid continuing the terrible damage to the environment we are causing. The key is education. If we do not work towards this but instead focus on the wrong issue, we may find ourselves living on a planet that can no longer sustain human life.
1.According to the author, what causes our current and future global problems?
A. The increase in population.
B. Shortage of food and water.
C. The fast growth of material needs.
D. Failure to protect the environment.
2.The underlined word “myth” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. fact B. uncertainty
C. possibility D. misconception
3.The author stresses that _____.
A. people should save food and water
B. economists are making wrong predictions
C. wrong judgment leads to serious consequences
D. measures should be taken to reduce population
4.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A. The real cause of global problems.
B. The severe effect of overpopulation.
C. Reasonable use of natural resources.
D. Methods to reduce overconsumption.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States, 30%of the grown-up population has a “weight problem”. To many people, the cause is clear: we eat too much. But scientific experiments do little to support this idea. Going back to the America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today, yet they ate more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch TV.
Several modern studies, besides, have shown that fatter people do not eat more on average than thinner people. In fact, some research work, such as the 1979 study of 3,545 London office workers, reports that fat people eat less than thinner people on average. Studies show that thin people are more active than fat people. A study by the research group at Standford University School of Medicine found the following fact: the more the man ran, the greater body fat he lost. The more he ran, the greater was his need for food. Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat.
1. What kind of physical problem do many grown-up Americans have?
A. They are too thin. B. They work too hard.
C. They are too fat. D. They lose too much body fat.
2. Based on the information given this article, suppose there are 500 grown-up Americans, about how many of them have a weight problem?
A. 30 B. 50 C. 100 D. 150
3. Are there scientific facts to support that eating too much is the cause of the “weight problem”?
A. Yes, there are plenty of them.
B. Of course, there are facts to show this is true.
C. There are hardly any scientific facts to support this.
D. We don’t know because the information is not given.
4. Compared with the grown-up Americans today, the Americans of 1910______.
A. ate more food and had more physical activities
B. ate less food but had more activities
C. ate less food and had less physical activities
D. had more weight problems
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
To save as much language diversity as possible in the face of its rapidly dying out, researchers suggest using “evolutionary trees”, a tool from conservation biology.
One of the world’s 7,000 languages disappears every other week, and half might not survive the 21st century, experts say.
When setting conservation goals, ecologists use evolutionary trees—diagrams that show how biological species are related to one another—to identify species that have few close relatives. Such species are said to be evolutionarily distinct. Similarly, recent advances in the construction of language trees make it possible to measure how unique a language is.
“Evolutionary trees have transformed our understanding of how life has evolved and helped us to decide which species most need conserving,” says Jonathan Davies, senior author of the new study.
“The rapid rate of language loss, as well as limited resources for preservation（保护）, means that we must choose carefully where to focus our efforts,” adds Max Farrell, a PhD student in Davies’ lab. “The more isolated (孤立的) a language in its family tree, the more unique information it contains and eventually contributes to language diversity.”
As a case study, they used this approach to rank 350 Austronesian languages, spoken in islands spread across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
For each of these languages, the researchers combined measures of evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) and global endangerment (GE) to produce an “EDGE” score. The language with the highest score, which means it is extremely distinct（不同的） yet nearly dying out, was Kavalan, a language native to Tai Wan. The next-highest scores went to Tanibili, an endangered language in the Solomon Islands.
By building trees for other language groups, language specialists could target preservation efforts and help reduce the loss of language diversity in the future, the researchers say.
1.What can an evolutionary tree show in biology?
A. The relation among species.
B. The concept of each species.
C. The conservation measures of each species.
D. The different uses of different species.
2.Why do researchers build language trees?
A. To increase the variety of languages.
B. To make languages easier for new learners.
C. To aim their effort at endangered languages.
D. To choose the best way to study languages.
3.What does it mean if a language gets the highest EDGE score?
A. It is unique to a special area. B. It is widely used in the world.
C. It is similar to other languages. D. It is in danger of dying out.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Evolutionary Trees, Symbols of Languages
B. Evolutionary Trees, Tools to Record Species
C. To Save Dying Languages, Use Evolutionary Trees
D. To Show Language Diversity, Choose Evolutionary Trees
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Our risk of cancer rises rapidly as we age．So it makes sense that the elderly should be routinely screened for new tumors (肿瘤) or doesn’t it?
While such tracking of cancer is a good thing in general, researchers are increasingly questioning whether all of this testing is necessary for the elderly．With the percentage of people over age 65 expected to nearly double by 2050, it s important to weigh the health benefits of screening against the risks and costs of routine testing．
In many cases, screening can lead to additional examinations and operations to remove cancer, which can cause side effects, while the cancers themselves may be slow-growing and may not cause serious health problems in patients’ remaining years．But the message that everyone must screen for cancer has become so ingrained (根深蒂固的) that when health care experts recommended that women under 50 and over 74 stop screening for breast cancer, it caused a noisy reaction among doctors, patients and social groups．
It’s hard to uproot deeply-held beliefs about cancer screening with scientific data．Certainly, there are people over age 75 who have had cancers detected by routine screening, and gained several extra years of life because of treatment．And clearly, people over age 75 who have other risk factors for cancer, such as a family history or previous personal experience with the disease, should continue to get screened regularly．But for the rest, the risk of cancer, while increased at the end of life, must be balanced with other factors like remaining life expectancy．
A recent study suggests that doctors start to make more objective decisions about who will truly benefit from screening—especially considering the explosion of the elderly．
It’s not an easy calculation to make, but one that makes sense for patients．Dr．Otis Brawley said, “Many doctors are ordering these tests purely to cover themselves from medical disputes．We need to think about the wise use of health care, which means making some difficult decisions with elderly patients, and going against the misguided belief that when it comes to health care, more is always better.”
1.Routine cancer screening for the elderly people makes sense because ______．
A．it is believed to contribute to a long life
B．it is part of their health care package
C．they are more sensitive about the health
D．they are in greater danger of tumor growth
2.How do some researchers now look at routine cancer screening for the elderly?
A．It adds too much to their medical bills.
B．They are doubtful about necessity.
C．It helps increase their life expectancy.
D．They think it does more harm than good．
3.What is the traditional view about women screening for breast cancer?
A．It is a must for adult women．
B．It applies to women over 50．
C．It is intended for young women.
D．It doesn’t apply to women over 74．
4.What does the writer say is the general view about health care?
A．Better care, longer life
B．Prevention is better than cure.
C．Better early than late.
D．The more, the better．
5.Why do many doctors advise routine screening for cancer?
A．They want to take advantage of the medical care system．
B．They want to protect themselves against medical disputes．
C．They want data for medical research．
D．They want their patients to suffer less．
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析