The relationship between humans and animals has always been complex. Some cultures have developed entire belief systems around favored animals. Even in cultures with less formal belief systems, connections between people and animals still lead to commonly accepted opinions about animals.
These belief systems usually develop around the animals that interact (互动) with humans most frequently. Therefore, it should not be surprising that so many stories surround the most common of animals: rats. Rats live side by side with humans all over the world and regularly interact with people. Human-rat coexistence may be common all around the world, but different cultures respond to that closeness in different ways.
In the United States and Europe, one typical attitude is that the rat is a pest. This could be due to the common belief that rats spread disease. Actually, they don’t, at least not directly, but many people don’t know that. The Pied Piper of Hamlin, a well-known children’s story, is one example of how rats have been described in Western literature: in that story, rats cause such a problem that a town has to hire a piper to call them all away.
In many Latin American countries, the rat is described in a very different way. The story of the tooth fairy (a fairy believed by children to leave money while they sleep in exchange for a tooth that has come out) is common all over the world, but in Latin America, the “fairy” is a rat! Rats do have very strong teeth, which could explain the association. Clearly, this shows another attitude toward rats that is much more positive.
Yet another attitude toward the rat can be seen in the Chinese Zodiac (生肖). The Rat is one of the animals of the Zodiac. Like the other zodiac animals, the Rat is neither entirely good nor entirely bad. It’s described as clever and friendly, but also tricky and not entirely honest. That may be the most accurate description of the rat so far. Whether you like rats or not, it’s hard to deny their reputation for cleverness.
As many people are discovering these days, rats can even make excellent pets, so long as you remember to close the cage carefully!
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. A trend of keeping rats as pets.
B. How different cultures look at rats.
C. How humans get along with animals.
D. Favored animals in different cultures.
2.The rats in The Pied Piper of Hamlin appear______.
A. unpleasant B. honest C. smart D. unusual
3.The tooth fairy in Latin America mentioned in Paragraph4 is to show______.
A. the tooth fairy is lovely
B. rats look very frightening
C. rats are welcome in Latin American countries
D. the story of the tooth fairy is common all over the world
4.According to the author, rats______.
A. don’t spread disease
B. should be treated as pests
C. are fairly described in the Chinese Zodiac
D. are kept as pets by more and more people
5.The passage is probably taken from a ______.
A. travel guide B. news report C. nature magazine D. history textbook
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
The relationship between humans and animals has always been complex. Some cultures have developed entire belief systems around favored animals. Even in cultures with less formal belief systems, connections between people and animals still lead to commonly accepted opinions about animals.
These belief systems usually develop around the animals that interact (互动) with humans most frequently. Therefore, it should not be surprising that so many stories surround the most common of animals: rats. Rats live side by side with humans all over the world and regularly interact with people. Human-rat coexistence may be common all around the world, but different cultures respond to that closeness in different ways.
In the United States and Europe, one typical attitude is that the rat is a pest. This could be due to the common belief that rats spread disease. Actually, they don’t, at least not directly, but many people don’t know that. The Pied Piper of Hamlin, a well-known children’s story, is one example of how rats have been described in Western literature: in that story, rats cause such a problem that a town has to hire a piper to call them all away.
In many Latin American countries, the rat is described in a very different way. The story of the tooth fairy (a fairy believed by children to leave money while they sleep in exchange for a tooth that has come out) is common all over the world, but in Latin America, the “fairy” is a rat! Rats do have very strong teeth, which could explain the association. Clearly, this shows another attitude toward rats that is much more positive.
Yet another attitude toward the rat can be seen in the Chinese Zodiac (生肖). The Rat is one of the animals of the Zodiac. Like the other zodiac animals, the Rat is neither entirely good nor entirely bad. It’s described as clever and friendly, but also tricky and not entirely honest. That may be the most accurate description of the rat so far. Whether you like rats or not, it’s hard to deny their reputation for cleverness.
As many people are discovering these days, rats can even make excellent pets, so long as you remember to close the cage carefully!
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. A trend of keeping rats as pets.
B. How different cultures look at rats.
C. How humans get along with animals.
D. Favored animals in different cultures.
2.The rats in The Pied Piper of Hamlin appear______.
A. unpleasant B. honest C. smart D. unusual
3.The tooth fairy in Latin America mentioned in Paragraph4 is to show______.
A. the tooth fairy is lovely
B. rats look very frightening
C. rats are welcome in Latin American countries
D. the story of the tooth fairy is common all over the world
4.According to the author, rats______.
A. don’t spread disease
B. should be treated as pests
C. are fairly described in the Chinese Zodiac
D. are kept as pets by more and more people
5.The passage is probably taken from a ______.
A. travel guide B. news report C. nature magazine D. history textbook
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The relationship between parents and children has always been a hot topic. Many students may feel 1. (stress) because of their parents. Most parents have good intentions, 2. some of them aren’t very helpful with the problems their sons and daughters have in 3. (adjust) to college, and a few of them seem to go out of their way to add to their children’s 4. (difficulty).
For one thing, parents are often not aware of the kinds of problems their children face. They don’t realize that the 5. (compete) is stronger, that the required standards of work are 6. (high), and that their children may not be prepared for 7. change. They may be upset by their children’s poor grades. At their kindest, they may 8. (gentle) ask why John or Mary isn’t doing better, whether he or she is trying as hard as he or she could, and so on. At their worst, they may threaten 9. (take) their children out of college or cut off living expenses.
Sometimes parents think it right and natural that they determine 10. their children should do with their lives. They forget that everyone is different and that each person must develop in his or her own way.
高二英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The similarities between elephant and human behavior has been a curiosity to scientists worldwide. These huge beasts are not so different from us. Their devotion to their family is just as powerful as the friendships between humans. In order to prevent future elephant attacks, people must first understand the similarities between elephants and themselves.
Because deaths are felt so deeply in elephants, memories of people harming or killing other members are not forgotten. Due to the Uganda-Tanzania War in Africa, poaching (偷猎) elephant increased during the 1970’s and continued, despite government restrictions. However, ecologists like Eve Abe did not see this as simple poaching; they saw it as a “mass destruction. “Elephants that have witnessed the murder of a matriarch, are more likely to become violent and attack humans. Many aggressive elephants do not act without reason; they are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At a young age, humans invade their life, kill their parents, and ultimately destroy their peaceful environment. More and more calves live neglected lives without a mother figure, and have to become a parent early for survival. Humans that had a difficult childhood or early family life also suffer from aggression and pain. Young elephants have been known to have “nightmares,” waking up suddenly and screaming. These are clearly signs of stress, as males grow up to be increasingly hostile (敌对的) humans and target certain villages where painful experiences had occurred.
Although many see elephants as massive, violent, and simple-minded animals, their social structure is not unlike many human societies. Humans and elephants have been on parallel paths. However, if people continue practicing ignorance over the cruel treatment of these creatures, then collision will become inevitable. Cruel treatment of elephants still goes on, but by understanding the similarities between us, it can be stopped.
1.In order to stop the hostile behavior of elephants, people should lay emphasis on ________.
A. stopping harming or killing the group members of elephants
B. understand the similarities between elephants and humans
C. taking good care of the young elephants
D. carrying out the government restrictions
2.What does the underlined word “matriarch” mean?
A. young elephant.
B. male elephant.
C. strong elephant.
D. mother elephant.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Young elephants will grow up to be violent easily.
B. Humans and elephants have the same social structure.
C. Sometimes young elephants are forced to grow up.
D. Elephants attack villages when painful experiences occur.
4.Why should we take good care of the young kids?
A. Because early family life counts.
B. Because they will be aggressive when grown up.
C. Because humans and elephants are on parallel paths.
D. Because signs of stress have to be stopped.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Both humans and animals have enemies. It is easy for us to know the difference between our friends and our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who mean a threat and those who do not. In Kenya, researchers find that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men hunt animals and thus mean a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.
In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants noticed the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they noticed the smells of either clean clothing or clothing worn by a Kamba man.
Clothing color also plays a role. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted angrily toward the red clothing.
The researchers believe that the elephants’ emotional reactions are due to their different senses of smell and sight. Smelling a possible danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.
1.The author wrote the text in order to tell us that elephants are _____.
A. dangerous B. friendly C. clever D. naughty
2.How did the elephants react to smells in the study?
A. They attacked a man with the smell of new clothing.
B. They needed time to relax when smelling something unfamiliar.
C. They became anxious when they smelled Kamba-scented clothing.
D. They were frightened and ran away when they smelled their enemies.
3.What can be inferred about the elephants’ behavior from this text?
A. Elephants can tell enemies from friends.
B. Elephants have a sharper sense of smell than sight.
C. Elephants are more intelligent than other animals.
D. Elephants tend to attack rather than escape when in danger.
4.In which section of a magazine will the text be most probably found?
A. Business. B. Fashion. C. Nature. D. News.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The relationship between exercise and cancer has long both intrigued and puzzled oncologists and exercise physiologists.
Exercise is strongly associated with lowered risks for many types of cancer. At the same time, exercise involves biological stress, which typically leads to a short-term increase in inflammation(发炎)which can contribute to higher risks for many cancers.
Now, a new study in mice may offer some clues into the exercise-cancer paradox. It suggests that exercise may change how the immune system deals with cancer by boosting adrenaline(肾上腺素), certain immune cells and other chemicals that, together, can reduce the severity of cancer or fight it off altogether.
To try to better understand how exercise can both elevate inflammation and simultaneously protect the body against cancer, scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and other institutions decided to closely examine what happens inside mice at high risk for the disease.
So, for the new study, they began by gathering a group of adult lab mice. These animals generally like to run.
The scientists then implanted melanoma (黑素瘤) skin cancer cells into the mice before providing half of them with running wheels in their cages while the other animals remained sedentary. After four weeks, far fewer of the runners had developed full-blown melanoma than the sedentary mice and those that had been diagnosed with the disease showed fewer and smaller lesions.
They drew blood from both the exercising and sedentary animals and cells from any tumors in both groups. As expected, they found much higher levels of the hormone adrenaline in the blood of the exercising animals, especially right after they had been working out on the wheels but also at other times of the day. The body releases adrenaline in response to almost any type of stressful experience, including exercise.
They also found higher levels of interleukin-6 in the blood of the runners. This is a substance that is released by working muscles and is believed to both increase and decrease inflammation in the body, depending on where and how it goes to work.
Perhaps most important, they found much higher numbers in the bloodstreams of runners than in the sedentary mice of a type of immune cell named natural killer cells that are known to be strong cancer fighters.
So the scientists repeated their original experiment multiple times, inducing cancer while allowing some mice to run and others to sit. In some of these follow-up experiments, the scientists injected the runners with a substance that blocked the production of adrenaline and gave sedentary animals large doses of added adrenaline.
What they now found was that when running mice could not produce adrenaline, they developed cancer at the same rate as the sedentary animals, while the sedentary animals that had been injected with extra adrenaline fought off their tumors better than other sitting mice.
More remarkably, the scientists determined that adrenaline seemed to be sending biochemical signals to some of the animals’ IL-6 cells, making them physiologically more alert, so that when a tumor began to develop in the affected animal, those IL-6 cells in turn activated the natural killer cells in the bloodstream and actually directed them to the tumors, like minute guide fish.
With these results, “we show that voluntary wheel running in mice can reduce the growth of tumors, and we have identified an exercise-dependent mobilization of natural killer cells as the underlying cause of this protection,” said Pernille Hojman, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen who oversaw the new study. It perhaps provides one more incentive for us to get up and move.
1.The relationship between exercise and cancer has long puzzled oncologists and exercise physiologists because ________.
A. exercise is strongly associated with lowered risks for many types of cancer
B. exercise can both elevate inflammation for many cancers and protect the body against cancer
C. exercise may change can reduce the severity of cancer or fight it off altogether
D. exercise can increase in inflammation which can contribute to elevated risks for many cancers
2.In the first experiment, which one is the most important result the scientists found?
A. Natural killer cells are much more in the bloodstreams of runners than in the sedentary mice.
B. Levels of interleukin-6 are higher in the blood of the runners than in the sedentary mice.
C. Exercise such as running seemed to help the mice fight against the cancer.
D. Adrenaline can reduce the severity of cancer or fight it off.
3.What does the underlined word “sedentary” mean?
A. run B. move C. sit D. sleep
4.In the follow-up experiments, the scientists found __________.
A. the hormone adrenaline has much higher levels in the blood of the exercising animals
B. how these elements in the runners — their increased adrenaline, IL-6, and natural killer immune cells — fight against tumor
C. interleukin-6 can both increase and decrease inflammation in the body, depending on where and how it goes to work
D. what happens inside mice at high risk for the disease that kill the immune cells
5.According to the study, we can infer the fundamental substance to fight the cancer off is ________.
A. adrenaline B. interleukin-6 C. natural killer cells D. genes
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Information has always been at the center of human communication. You may ask why. Well, communication between people contains giving and receiving information. The way we give and receive information today has experienced a revolution in the development of the mass media in the 20th century.
The first truly mass communication medium was the newspaper. For the first time in history, people could read about events in their country and from around the world every day. However, there were two problems with newspapers of that time. Firstly, newspapers were available only in large cities, for getting newspapers to the countryside was a difficult and time-consuming(耗时的) task. Secondly, newspapers weren’t always reliable, as there was a limited range of opinions.
Nowadays, we can choose from a wide variety of sources to get information. Television and the Internet have given us the chance to be informed about everything the minute it happens. Large numbers of radio and TV stations, satellite channels and millions of websites help people keep up with the latest news. People live in history and are part of it.
The media have come a long way in the last century and there is no doubt that we now live in the information age. Whatever type of media we choose, it all comes down to the need for information. This will always be a basic need as long as communication is part of human nature.
1.Information is considered the center of human communication because ________.
A. human communication means information exchange
B. human communication involves people’s participation
C. information is now experiencing a revolution
D. information helps people gather together
2.What was the historical contribution of the newspaper as a source of information?
A. It made the mass communication truly develop.
B. It helped the mass communication develop in cities.
C. It kept people timely informed about home and world events.
D. It kept reliable information available in big cities.
3.The third paragraph mainly tells us that technology helps ________.
A. information easily available B. people be part of history
C. inform everything timely D. produce the latest news
4.It can be concluded from the last paragraph that a basic need today is ________.
A. communication B. information
C. high technology D. media types
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Winter begins in the north on December 22nd. People and animals have been doing what they always do to prepare for the colder months. Squirrels (松鼠), for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees. Well, scientists have been busy gathering information about what the squirrels do with the food they collect.
They examined differences between red squirrels and gray squirrels in the American state of Indiana. The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut (黑胡桃) trees. The black walnut is the nut of choice for both kinds of squirrels. The black walnut tree is also a central part of some hardwood forests.
Rob Swihart of Purdue University did the study with Jake Goheen, a former Purdue student now at the University of New Mexico. The two researchers estimate that several times as many walnuts grow when gathered by gray squirrels as compared to red squirrels. Gray squirrels and red squirrels do not store nuts and seeds in the same way. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in a number of places. But they seldom remember where they buried every nut. So some nuts remain in the ground. Conditions are right for them to develop and grow the following spring. Red squirrels, however, store large groups of nuts above ground. Professor Swihart calls “death traps for seeds”.
Gray squirrels are native to Indiana. But Professor Swihart says their numbers began to decrease as more forests were cut for agriculture. Red squirrels began to spread through the state during the past century.
The researchers say red squirrels are native to forests that stay green all year, unlike walnut trees. They say the cleaning of forest land for agriculture has helped red squirrels invade Indiana. Jake Goheen calls them a sign of an environmental problem more than a cause.
1.The study done by Rob Swihart and Jake Goheen is to ________.
A. find out the living conditions for squirrels
B. learn squirrels’ influence on black walnut trees
C. do something to get rid of squirrels
D. save the forests in the American state of Indiana
2.The difference between gray squirrels and red squirrels mainly lies in ________.
A. the way they gather the walnut
B. the time they have winter sleep
C. the place they have winter sleep
D. the place they store the walnuts
3.When Professor Swihart says “death traps for seeds”, he actually means that ________.
A. red squirrels eat more nuts than gray squirrels
B. gray squirrels and red squirrels will have severe fights
C. nuts above the ground will not develop into plants
D. seeds can be traps for other animals in the forest
4.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. The black walnut is equally attractive to both gray and red squirrels.
B. Gray squirrels do more harm to the forest than red squirrels.
C. Red squirrels and gray squirrels have helped the spread of walnut trees.
D. The cleaning of forest land benefits red squirrels directly.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists have created a “ human-like robot” that can dance and do the housework.
“ Mahru” has been developed to imitate humans and can move its lips, eyebrows and pupils(瞳孔). The machine can also move its upper and lower body freely and automatically stop itself when walking.
In addition, it has been programmed to give out two kinds of pleasant smells to match its emotions.
The 1.5 tall robot was produced by researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and is the first South Korean- developed machine of its kind.
“‘Mahru’ will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework,” You Bum-Jae, leader of the development research team ,said. “‘Mahru’ can dance while walking on its legs and is able to work in place of a human.”
Through an advanced motion capture (捕获) system, “Mahru” can follow a variety of human movements and move its hands freely enough to deal with any obstacles that may get in its way when walking.
State-funded KIST showed the robot during a presentation at its head office in Seoul.
People here were treated to an entertaining demonstration which saw the robot show off the full range of its skills, most notably s series of dance moves.
The research team added that they had designed another “ Mahru”, this time with sensors(传感器) allowing it to distinguish(分辨) between faces and objects.
The showing of “ Mahru” came a week after researcher in Japan said they had created the “most human-like” robot in the world. A team at robotics department of Osaka University in Japan claimed that “ robogirl”, Repliee R-1, “ looks, moves and interacts (相互作用) like a human, and has silicone(硅胶) skin that feels almost human to the touch.”
1. “Mahru” made by KIST can do the following things EXCEPT____________
A.dance with other human –like robots | B.move its body freely |
C.stop automatically when walking | D.express certain feelings through smells |
2. According to what You Bum- Jae said in Paragraph 5, his research team wants to ________.
A.help robots with doing housework | B.show its scientific power |
C.make Mahru offer more fun | D.explore Mahru’s commercial use |
3. When Mahru” meets something in its way, it will be likely to________.
A.go around it | B.turn back quickly |
C.deal with it using its hands | D.ask humans for help |
4.According to the last paragraph, Repliee R-1 __________.
A.is another Mahru | B.was made by KIST |
C.has skin feeling similar to humans’ | D.looks like a boy |
5.The passage is probably a __________.
A.news report | B.research report | C.healthy report | D.entertainment report |
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Cloning humans has been _____ in the science world for many years and it is likely to continue .
A. ridiculous B. contemporary
C. controversial D. contradictory
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Humans and animals have always lived together. For example, many people have dogs in _1.___ homes. Dogs __2.___ (be)very affectionate animals. They are also very sensitive to the feelings of the people with ___3.____ they live, and it seems quite natural ____4.______ (have) them in our houses. __5.____ all the many different types of dogs come from one species of animal, the grey wolf. These wild animals came into villages 12,000 years ago, ____6._____ (look) for food. People found that wolves could help in the __7.____ (day) struggle for survival by guarding their homes and ___8.____ (hunt) wildlife to kill and eat. In some very cold parts of Northern Canada, the skin of very old dogs is still used _____9._____ warm clothes. Dogs are useful and many people love them—that is why they ____10.___ (call) “ man’s best friend”.
高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析