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Back in the early 1900s, American physician Byron Robinson wrote a book proposing an interesting theory: humans actually have two brains --- one in our heads and the other in our stomachs, and the two “communicate” all the time. Interestingly, in Chinese culture, thoughts are also related to the belly in phrases and idioms like fugao (腹稿, a draft), manfu jinglun (满腹经纶, a bellyful of ideas), and yiduzi weiqu (一肚子委屈, a bellyful of complaints).
This may sound a little ridiculous at first. But try to think of a time when you were extremely nervous. Chances are that you also felt uncomfortable in your stomach, didn’t you? This is probably why people use the idiom “butterflies in one’s stomach” to refer to being nervous.
Now scientists from Canada and the US have found that our guts (肠道), if not as bright as our actual brains, are much more than just where we digest the food we eat. They also affect our emotions and even behavior, all thanks to the bacteria in them, reported Scientific American.
In the study, scientists fed timid mice stomach bacteria from mice that were more active and daring. After eating the bacteria, the timid mice grew more energetic and fearless. Sure enough, when bold mice got the bacteria from timid ones, they became more anxious. The mice’s behavior also changed when scientists disturbed the bacteria in their guts by changing their diets and feeding them antibiotics (抗生素).
“If something goes wrong in the gut, that change is reflected in the brain,” Emeran Mayer, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, told The Huffington Post.
The brain-and-gut connection also works in the opposite way. Scientists studied children with autism (自闭症) --- a mental illness that makes people unable to socialize with others --- and found that they also have a lot of stomach problems. They have fewer types of stomach bacteria and lower totals of a few key bacteria than healthy children.
This research raises the possibility that scientists could treat patients with brain problems simply by feeding them the right food, which would be much more efficient than providing psychological therapy (疗法).
According to CBC News, you can get “good” bacteria that lift your spirits from food like yogurt while “bad” bacteria are usually in high fat and high sugar foods.
1.What is the author’s attitude toward Byron Robinson’s theory of two human brains?
A. Unsatisfied. B. Doubtful. C. Positive. D. Negative.
2.The author mentioned the idiom “butterflies in one’s stomach” in the second paragraph to _____.
A. describe the symptoms of nervousness
B. suggest a connection between our stomach and our emotions
C. hint at the danger of nervous feelings
D. encourage people to calm down and relax
3.What’s the closest meaning of the underlined word “bold” in Paragraph 4?
A. anxious B. fearless C. energetic D. sharp
4.According to the article, ______.
A. people with mental illnesses are more likely to have stomach problems
B. the use of antibiotics can turn timid mice into daring ones
C. timid mice have fewer types of stomach bacteria than daring mice
D. people must consider changing their diets when they feel anxious
5.We can infer from the article that______.
A. psychological therapy has never worked before for autistic children
B. yogurt is the best solution for anxiety problems
C. high fat and high sugar foods are responsible for many mental diseases
D. diet changes can lead to mood changes
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读理解。
The term “smog” was first used in London during the early 1900's to describe the combination of smoke and fog. What we typically call “smog” today is a mixture of pollutants but is primarily made up of groundlevel ozone (臭氧)．
Ozone can be beneficial or harmful depending on where it stays. The ozone staying high above the Earth protects human health and the environment, but groundlevel ozone is responsible for the choking, coughing, and painful eyes associated with smog. The ozone in smog also prevents plants growth and can cause widespread damage to crops and forest.
Major smog occurrences often are linked to heavy motor vehicle traffic, high temperatures, sunshine, and calm winds. Weather and geography affect the position and severity of smog. Because temperature regulates the length of time it takes for smog to form, smog can form faster and be more severe on a hot and sunny day. When warm air stays near the ground instead of rising and winds are calm, smog may stay trapped over your city for days. As traffic and other sources add more pollutants to the air, the smog gets worse. Smog is often more severe away from the pollution sources because the chemical reactions that cause smog occur in the atmosphere while the reacting chemicals are being moved by the wind.
Smog is a visible example of air pollution. You can look into the distance during the day to see how much smog there is in the air. In addition, most cities measure the concentrations of pollutants in the air and report the results to the public.
Environmental Protection Agency sets national standards for pollutants. Areas that fail to meet the standards for at least one air pollutant are called “nonattainment (不达标) areas”. New measures are being taken by local governments across the country to reduce air pollution in nonattainment areas. These include: banning charcoal barbecues and wood burning in stoves or fireplaces when pollution levels are high; developing programs to encourage carpooling and voluntary “ozone actions”； limiting traffic in overcrowded areas; expanding or improving public transportation systems; requiring employers to contribute to employee public transportation costs; assessing “smog fees” on cars according to the number of miles driven and vehicle emissions (排放) produced; and even buying and breaking up older “superdirty” cars.
1.According to the passage, groundlevel ozone can______.
A．damage the environment
B．benefit human health
C．protect crops and forest
D．limit the spread of smog
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Air quality is better in time of calm wind.
B．Smog is more severe near pollution sources.
C．It takes more time for smog to form in hot weather.
D．Chemical reactions occur in the moving air and cause smog.
3.Which indication shows more exact the air is poor?
A．Heavy motor vehicle traffic in big cities.
B．Widespread damage of crops and forest.
C．Clear outlines of hills in the distance.
D．High concentrations of pollutants in the air.
4.What is included in the measures being taken by the local governments?
A．Unconditional banning of wood burning.
B．Encouraging carpooling and public transportation.
C．Charging all the vehicles more “smog fees”．
D．Buying new cars to replace superdirty old cars.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The traditional American school year begins in late August or early September.It ends in May or June, followed by summer vacation. 1.___ Because long ago, young people had to help their families harvest summer crops. At least this is what people today may think.
2.__ A recent report from an education policy center at Indiana University explored the historical roots of the traditional school calendar.
In the early days of the United States, children were not required to attend school School calendars depended on local needs. 3.__ They worked on family farms during the other months. City schools were often open much longer, some for eleven months of the year.
After the Civil War, more and more people saw the need for a system of required education.__ 4.______Many city schools wanted a shorter year and a longer summer break. The schools were often crowded. There was no modern air conditioning. Hot days would make it difficult to learn. Many rural educators, however, pushed for a longer school year. They thought it would keep children safe from industrial dangers when there were few child-labor laws.
So the traditional school calendar was a compromise (折中). The average school year used to be one hundred and seventy days. Times have not changed much. 5.___ But some experts think the traditional school calendar needs to change because the needs of the nation have changed. This thinking has led some schools to keep students in class longer.
A. Why such a long break?
B. Today the common average is one hundred and eighty days.
C. Americans think highly of their traditional school calendar.
D. Most schools had similar school calendars.
E. But the reason has more to it.
F. Students in rural areas went to school for no more than six months of the year.
G. But they had different ideas for the calendar.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Antidepressant（抗忧郁）drugs such as Prozac were viewed in the early 1900's as wonder pills that would remove depressive blues for good. But in the past five years, growing scientific evidence has shown these drugs work for only a minority of people. And now a research journal says that these antidepressants can make many patients' depression worse. This alarming suggestion centres on the very chemical that is targeted by antidepressants-serotonin（血清素）. Drugs such as Prozac are known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors（or SSRIs）. Their aim is to increase the level of this “feel-good” chemical in the brain.
But the new research, published in the journal Frontiers In Evolutionary Psychology, points out that serotonin is like a chemical Swiss Army knife, performing a very wide range of jobs in the brain and body. And when we start changing serotonin levels purposely, it may cause a wide range of unwanted effects. These can include digestive problems and even early deaths in older people, according to the study's lead researcher Paul Andrews. “ We need to be much more cautious about use of these drugs,” says Andrews, an assistant professor of evolutionary psychology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
Previous research has suggested that the drugs provide little benefit for most people with mild depression, and actively help only a few of the most severely depressed. Famous psychologist Irving Kirsch has found that for many patients, SSRIs are no more effective than a placebo pill. A research in 2010 on Danish children found a small, but significant, increase in the risk of heart problems among babies whose mothers had used SSRIs in early pregnancy. The key to understanding these side-effects is serotonin, says Andrews. Serotonin is also the reason why patients can often end up feeling still more depressed after they have finished a course of SSRI drugs. He argues that SSRI antidepressants disturb the brain, leaving the patient an even greater depression than before.
“After long use, when a patient stops taking SSRIs, the brain will lower its levels of serotonin production,” he says, adding that it also changes the way receptors in the brain respond to serotonin, making the brain less sensitive to the chemical. These changes are believed to be temporary, but studies indicate that the effects may continue for up to two years.
Most disturbingly of all, Andrews' review features three recent studies which, he says , show that elderly antidepressant users are more likely to die earlier than non-users, even after taking other important variables into account. One study, published in the British Medical Journal last year, found patients given SSRIs were more than 4 per cent more likely to die in the next year than those not on the drugs.
“Serotonin is an ancient chemical,” says Andrews. “It is regulating many different processes, and when you disturb these things, you can expect that it is going to cause some harm.”
Stafford Lightman, professor of medicine at the University of Bristol, and a leading UK expert in brain chemicals and hormones, says Andrews’ review highlights some important problems, yet it should also be taken with a pinch of salt. “This report is doing the opposite of what drug companies do,” he says. “Drug companies selectively present all the positives in their research, while this search selectively presents all the negatives that can be found. Nevertheless, Andrews' study is useful in that it is always worth pointing out that there is a downside to any medicine. ” Professor Lightman adds that there is still a great deal we don't know about SSRIs-not least what they actually do in our brains.
When it comes to understanding why the drugs work only for a limited part of patients, U.S. scientists think they might now have the answer. They think that in many depressed patients, it’s not only the lack of feel-good serotonin causing their depression, but also a failure in the area of the brain that produces new cells throughout our lives. This area, the hippocampus, is also responsible for regulating mood and memory. Research suggests that in patients whose hippocampus has lost the ability to produce new cells, SSRIs do not bring any benefit.
1.According to paragraph 2, serotonin, like a chemical Swiss Army knife, can ________.
A. make many patients' depression worse
B. cause a wide range of unwanted effects
C. affect human body and brain in various ways
D. provide little benefit for most depressed people
2.In Stafford Lightman's opinion,________.
A. drug companies don't know the negative effect of antidepressants
B. Andrews focused on different things from the drug companies
C. scientists have found what SSRIs do in the brain
D. Andrews' research has no medical value
3.Which of the following is TRUE about SSRIs?
A. They are used to increase the “feel-good” medical in the brain.
B. They can work even when the hippocampus can't produce new cells.
C. They create a risk of heart problems in pregnant women.
D. They are responsible for controlling mood and memory.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. The aim of drug companies
B. The function of SSRIs
C. The side-effects of antidepressants
D. The cause of depression
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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When film was first invented in the late 1800s and early 1900s, movie-goers could actually see images of far-away places, like China, and that fueled interest in the area. Throughout history, many Chinese Americans are devoted in this area. Now, the back room of the Formosa Cafe looks like a museum that honors the works of Chinese Americans and their contributions to Hollywood.
Chinese stereotypes（刻板印象）
Stereotypes of the Chinese in America were strengthened by the otherness of U.S. China towns in the late 1800s and early 1900s.There was an idea that the Chinese was the “yellow peril”, who you couldn’t trust. And that resulted in the character called Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu was an evil character who wanted to destroy the western world. He appeared in movies and in a television series. In 1926 , Charlie Chan, a Chinese investigator from Hawaii, appeared for the first time in a movie. This created a different , yet still problematic Asian stereotype.
“Yellow face” actors
Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu may have been Chinese characters, but the actors were usually white men made up to look like Asian. Actors Sidney Toler, Roland Winters and Ross Martin all played Charlie Chan. Yellow face meant they actually yellowed up their skin. White actors just played the lead characters in The Good Earth, a 1937 film about Chinese farmers. Asian actors had parts in the film, but they needed bankable actors , however , there were no Asian American bankable actors.
China factors
Over the years, Asian and Chinese Americans did find work in Hollywood, and a few earned a star on the Hollywood Walk for Fame. Hollywood is also changing the way it presents the Chinese culture. As the biggest market for movies outside the U. S, Hollywood has been making films that will not offend movie goers in China or the country’s government. The industry has been careful not to show the Chinese as evil. Co-productions between Hollywood and Chinese companies put Chinese characters and China in a favorable or satisfactory way.
1.Why is the back room of the Formosa Cafe mentioned?
A.To show appreciation for Chinese American filmmakers.
B.To display the richness of Chinese American films.
C.To attract more customers to enjoy coffee in the Formosa Cafe.
D.To recommend a place to mover goers to learn Chinese American films.
2.What can be known about Charlie Chan?
A.He could be found in a TV series.
B.He was an actor bearing evil reputation.
C.He represented investigators from Hawaii.
D.He wasn’t much appreciated by movie-goers then.
3.What can be concluded about Chinese American films?
A.Chinese actors were preferred in casting Chinese roles.
B.They focused on evil Chinese eager to ruin America.
C.China factors are positively viewed in them.
D.They have been introducing Chinese stereotypes.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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3D cinema has been around since the early 20th century, but Hollywood brought the technology back In 2007. Many thought it was just a trick to make more money. But then came Avatar, the first must-see movie in 3D.
But since Avatar, 3D cinema has struggled. In 2010, several 3D movies bombed at the box office. And by late 2010, Some people said the technology was dead. Of course, this isn’t the first time Hollywood has struggled with new technology. Although sound was added to movies in the late 1920s, it took audiences time to get used to the new technology. But in the end, sound and color became the standard. James Cameron, director of Avatar, thinks we’re going through the same process with 3D.
Some say cinemas are charging too much for 3D movies. In the US, seeing a 3D movie can cost up to $7.5 more than seeing it in 2D. Also, a recent study at California State University found audiences don’t actually enjoy movies in 3D any more than in 2D. Walter Murch , a famous movie editor, wrote in 2011 that human beings have no ability to process 3D images. Watching a 3D movie confuses our brain and this is why some people get headaches.
But James Cameron disagrees. In fact, he recently predicted that in five years all movies will be in 3D. And there are signs that 3D is fighting back. More 3D movies were put on the market in 2012 than ever before. The Lion King 3D recently made over US $150 million at the box office, and Cameron’s Titanic 3D made even more.
Who knows what the future holds for 3D? Steven Spielberg recently said, ‘Tm hoping 3D gets to a point where people dorft notice it. Because then it just becomes another tool and helps tell a story.”
1.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably means that in 2010, 3D movies______
A．were not successful B．became popular
C．developed quickly D．were of poor quality
2.The example of sound and color is used mainly to show that______.
A．Hollywood tends to absorb what is new
B．3D technology takes time to be accepted
C．Hollywood struggles with new technology
D．high technology helps to make better movies
3.In Walter Murch7S opinion, 3D movies______.
A．bring moviemakers great profits
B．are more expensive than 2D movies
C．do great harm to people’s health
D．are unsuitable for people to watch
4.What can we learn from the text?
A．Avatar was the first 3D movie.
B．3D cinema has existed for years.
C．Titanic 3D has made the most money.
D．2012 witnessed the coming of 3D’s time.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The United States government is back in business. Early Thursday morning, President Barack Obama signed a bill to reopen the government. The budget bill, drafted by Senate late on Wednesday night, raised the government’s debt ceiling and averted(避免)a serious economic crisis. “With the shutdown behind us,” Obama said after the Senate vote, “we now have an opportunity to focus on a sensible budget that is responsible, that is fair and that helps hardworking people all across this country.”
Now that a settlement has been reached, formerly furloughed(休假)employees have returned to work, national museums and parks are reopening, and the government’s gears are slowly beginning to turn again.
Before the shutdown, a federal funding bill went back and forth between the Senate and the House. A major issue was whether or not the government would pay for changes in Obama’s healthcare plan. The Senate, with a Democratic majority, wanted to pass a budget that would fund the new healthcare law. But the House, which has a Republican majority, did not want government money used that way. Because an agreement could not be reached on a budget plan, the government was forced to partially shut down.
Sixteen days later, the two sides have come together to pass a measure that raised the country’s debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is the strict legal limit Congress places on the amount of money that can be borrowed each year. Had this agreement not been met by October 17, the U.S. may not have been able to pay its promised payments. This legislation, or law, will fund the government through January 15. During this time, Obama and Congress will work on a long-term spending plan.
The effects of the two-week government shutdown were widespread. In addition to national parks, museums, memorials and monuments were off-limits to visitors. Workers at government-run organizations like NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency were furloughed. Part of the new legislation will pay back the 800,000 workers who were without pay during the shutdown.
Early Thursday, the Smithsonian Institution celebrated the government’s reopening on Twitter. “We’re back from the shutdown!” they wrote, announcing that museums would reopen Thursday and the National Zoo in Washington on Friday.
To the delight of many people, that also means the return of the zoo’s popular live Panda camera.
1.What may have lead to the government shutdown?
A. Economic crisis.
B. The senate voting.
C. Dispute on the budget bill.
D. Lazy people across the country.
2.What does the underlined phrase “two sides” in paragraph four refers to?
A. The senate and the house.
B. The senate and the president.
C. The president and the congress.
D. The legislator and the government.
3.What can we learn about the U.S. Government from the shutdown?
A. It is run by lazy workers.
B. It is affected by different political forces.
C. The people has no say in the decision making process.
D. Obama decides whether his health care bill will be passed or not.
4.In mentioning the live Panda camera, the author suggests that ______.
A. zoos were government-run
B. pandas were popular among the public
C. the effects of the shutdown were widespread
D. tourists were affected the most by the shutdown
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Back in the early 2000s, lots of people couldn’t have imagined life without alarm clocks, CD players, calendars, cameras, or lots of other devices. But along came the iPhone and other smartphones, and they took over the functions of dozens of things we used to think were essential.
The smartphone story could even be a model for fighting climate change; not because smartphones use a small part of the energy of all the things they replace—although they do—but because they represent a different approach to design in general. And that approach is to focus on function rather than form. That requires focusing on understanding the underlying problem, and then engineering a wide range of potential solutions. This approach could revolutionize how we think about energy efficiency.
Traditionally, improvements in energy efficiency have mostly focused on individual devices, which can be quite fruitful. But focusing on individual devices is like if Apple had spent effort inventing a better alarm clock, a better CD player, a better calendar, and a better camera. Now with an iPhone, we don’t need the standalone devices at all, because it can function as all of them.
So when it comes to using energy efficiently, rather than just installing a more efficient heater, some people have focused instead on the desired function: staying warm. They designed and coated their house so well that they could get rid of their heater altogether, letting them heat their house with 99% less energy.
In the same way, rather than just making cars more efficient, what if we focus on the desired function—getting where we want when we want—and create an efficient transportation system where we can drive less or get rid of our personal cars entirely?
The most energy efficient car or heater is no car, or no heater, while still being able to get around and stay warm. In other words, it’s not thinking efficient, it’s thinking different.
1.What makes the iPhone a good example of environmental protection?
A.Perfecting individual devices.
B.Combining possible functions.
C.Adopting a minimalist design.
D.Reducing the energy consumption.
2.According to the passage, what is the core of improving energy efficiency?
A.Using recyclable materials.
B.Revolutionizing technologies.
C.Figuring out various solutions.
D.Concentrating on the essential needs.
3.What does the author think of traditional practices in energy improvements?
A.Out-of-date. B.Ineffective.
C.Adequate. D.Successful.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Think out of the box. B.Differences make it unique.
C.Be economical with energy. D.Step out of the comfort zone.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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D
My mom has eyes in the back of her head. She also taught me from an early age to be suspicious of strange men, especially when they give you presents. One day, a “nice man” bearing flowers managed to steal 20 euros from her purse, while she was holding it in her hands. “He said he was collecting for a church charity so I pulled out a euro,” she explains, “He said ‘no, no, that’s too much’ and offered to look in my purse to find a smaller coin. He must have slid out that 20 euro note at the same time. I did not even notice until an hour later. I felt so stupid.”
According to neuroscientists, the key requirement for a successful pickpocket is not having nifty (熟练的) fingers, it’s having a working knowledge of the loopholes (漏洞) in our brain. The most important of these loopholes is the fact that our brains are not set up to multi-task. Most of the time that is a good thing — it allows us to filter (过滤) out all but the most important features of the world around us. But a good trickster can use it to against you. This kind of trick involves capturing all of somebody’s attention with other movements. Street pickpockets often use this effect to their advantage by manufacturing a situation that can not help but overload your attention system. Other strategies are more psychological. Pickpockets tend to hang out a “beware of pickpockets” signs, because the first thing people do when they read it is check they still have their valuables, helpfully giving away where they are. And in my mom’s case, the thief’s best trick was not coming across like a pickpocket. “He was a very nice guy and very confident. Not someone that would cause you to suspect,” she says. Apollo Robbins, a stage pickpocket, said smart move, like moving your hand in an arc (弧) motion rather than a straight line, is another popular strategy employed by tricksters.
At last, it should be pointed out that most thefts are opportunistic. The skill level of most thieves is far less than you think. But they are opportunistic enough to keep up with new technology.
1.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. People’s brains are not designed to multi-task.
B. People’s brains can filter out all but the most important features.
C. Somebody’s attention can be distracted by a certain trick.
D. Somebody’s overload attention system.
2.According to the passage, all of the following are pickpocket strategies except _________.
A. having nifty fingers
B. hanging out “beware of pickpockets” sign
C. displaying confidence
D. moving hand in an arc motion
3.In the author’s opinion, _________.
A. people’s brains have many loopholes
B. thieves are more skillful than opportunistic
C. his mom’s losing money is nothing but a by-accident experience
D. signs reminding people of pickpockets can play a negative role in protecting valuables
4.What will the author probably talk about next?
A. Mom’s another suffering
B. Pickpockets concerning new technology
C. Pickpockets’ tricks
D. Apollo Robbins’ stage pickpockets
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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--- Dr. Saxena, a knowledgeable and ever victorious physician, has been down in the dumps these days for his experiment failed again.
--- Every one has his _____ and he is not exceptional.
A. Achilles’ heel B. Daniel in the lion’s den
C. Herculean task D. Waterloo
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析