It's thought that around 5 trillion pieces of...

It's thought that around 5 trillion pieces of plastic are currently floating in our oceans.

Both mammals and fish benefit from clean oceans. It is reported that more than 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year, and nearly half of the plastic we produce is single-use only.

This shoe brand, however, is riding the wave of change and is on a mission to help clean up our waters and rid the sea of plastic bottles that can take up to 400 years to break down. Vivobarefoot's newest footwear uses recycled plastic materials and has created an education program that spreads awareness about how harmful plastic is for sea life.

Every pair of shoes is made up of 17 plastic water bottles taken from the ocean and turned into a sustainable, comfortable pair of shoes, which are also healthy for your feet. And while not everyone can take part in ocean cleanups, choosing little ways we can give back to our planet goes a long way.

Vivobarefoot's new products include a variety of high-performance styles such as casual sneakers, running shoes, and hiking boots. The brand hopes that its latest initiative（首创精神）will help lessen the indifference to pollution and how harmful it is for all living beings.

In the future, Vivobarefoot hopes to increase their production of shoes created from sustainable materials, and thankfully, they are now one of many brands that aim to increase environmentalism and educate communities on how global warming affects everyone.

This year, they'll add more recyclable and traceable materials into more than half of their production line, and they have plenty of creative developments in the works as well.

The shoes also have a health benefit. Based on the concept that wider, minimally designed shoes enable our foot to function at maximum potential, wearers also experience better balance and sensory input.

1.How does the author make his point convincing?

A. By listing figures.　　 B. By telling a story.

C. By giving examples.　　 D. By making comparisons.

2.What is Vivobarefoot doing to help with the marine creatures?

A. Donating money to buy food for them.

B. Keeping the oceans free from plastic bottles.

C. Producing more shoes from sustainable materials.

D. Raising public awareness of recycling and reuse.

3.What is probably Vivobarefoot's operation philosophy?

A. Customer-focused.　　 B. Service-oriented

C. Money-saving.　　 D. Environmentally-friendly.

4.Which of the following is True according to the text?

A. Vivobarefoot's new products haven't been released.

B. Vivobarefoot is the most popular shoe brand in the world.

C. Vivobarefoot cares about not only its business but also public services.

D. Vivobarefoot is the first company to find the new function of waste materials.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Are Your Clothes Causing Pollution?

Very small pieces of plastic, called microfibers, are polluting rivers and oceans. 1. Clothes worn for outdoor activities and exercise are often made of artificial material, which is useful in keeping warm. But they contain very small plastic fibers, which may also be harming the environment when you wash them. When people wash these clothes, very small pieces go down the drain (下水道) with the wash water.

2.

Pollution caused by plastic is not new, but recent studies have shown the effect of microfibers in the environment.

Studies show very small microfibers are ending up in our waters, which may come from waste water treatment factories. A 2015 study found them in fish from California.

Microfibers，effect on food supplies.

Beyond the waterways, the researchers say microfibers may end up in soil and agricultural lands. 3. This means there is much to be learned about microfibers and the environment.

Some studies have shown that microfibers end up inside sea animals, like oysters. 4. Researchers say that the fibers tend not to move into the tissue of the fish, but it needs more study.

Steps to save or keep microfibers from the environment.

Until more information becomes known, there are steps to take to reduce the amount of microfibers in the environment.

People should use less of the artificial materials. If we already have those in our lives and we’re using them, an important step would be washing them less.

5. A bag is being designed in which to wash these clothes. It traps the microfibers in the bag and it may be available for purchase soon.

A. New technology may also help.

B. Studies on how much of the microfibers is released.

C. The source of these microfibers may surprise you: your clothes.

D. Washing machines keep microfibers from escaping with wash water.

E. Studies on microfibers in the environment.

F. They can also move around the atmosphere.

G. So if these microfibers have been found in fish and seafood, are they safe to eat?

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Are you able to tell if people are lying? There is a piece of good news that a technology company is developing a lie detector app for smart phones that could be used by parents, teachers and Internet daters. The app measures blood flow in the face to assess whether or not you are telling the truth. Its developers say that it could be used for Internet daters wanting to see if somebody really is interested in them. Parents could use it on their children to see if they are lying, and teachers could work out which pupils are truthful.

The app is being developed by Toronto startup NuraLogix and the app is called Transdermal Optical Imaging. The idea is that different human feelings create different facial blood flow patterns that we have no control over. These patterns change if we are telling the truth or telling a lie. Using footage from the smart phone camera, the app will see the changes in skin colour and compare them to standardized results.

A study finds that anger is connected with more facial blood flow and redness while sadness is connected with less of both.

Kang Lee, who has been researching the field for 20 years, said that the lie detector test will let you find out the truth remotely and secretly. He said: “It could be very useful, for example, for teachers. A lot of our students have math anxiety, but they do not want to tell us because that’s embarrassing.”

Lee added that the technology would not replace lie detectors used in a court of law. He said: "They want the accuracy to be extremely high, like genetic tests---a one-in-a-million error rate. Our technique won't be able to achieve an extremely high accuracy level, so because of that, I don't think it's useful for the courts. He added that it will be a few years before the dating app is available to consumers.

1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A. The operation process of the app.

B. The history of a technology company.

C. The functions and applications of the app.

D. The origin and development of the new technology.

2.What do we know about the app?

A. Its accuracy is the same as genetic tests.

B. It can help teachers pick out the honest pupils.

C. It will help see the structures of human skin.

D. It has been already on the market for a few years.

3.What can we learn from the text?

A. The technology will be applied to the medical field.

B. The technology will replace lie detectors in the court of law.

C. Different human feelings have nothing to do with facial blood flow patterns.

D. Sadness is related to less facial blood flow and redness when compared with anger.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. The Story about Kang Lee.　　 B. The Disadvantages of New Technology.

C. Various Smart Phones.　　 D. A Developing App for Smart Phones.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

–I really thought I’d win first prize．

--Oh,…well, 　　　　 , Tom．

A．that’s all right

B．best wishes

C．it’s out of question

D．better luck next time

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It's long been thought that in order to succeed in life you need to think only of yourself and ignore the needs of others. New research, however, suggests the exact opposite is true and being nice to others actually makes you more likely to be successful. The scientists found that ‘givers’ were more likely to share knowledge, and in turn gain more information themselves.

Researchers divided participants into three groups based on a personality test: givers, takers and matchers. In a social dilemma task, participants were given a made-up donation which was equal to the amount of ￡ 240($400). They were then asked to decide how much of their money they would give to a shared group pool. They were told that the money in the pool would be doubled and divided equally among all group members. Thus, it would be more beneficial to the group as a whole if everyone contributed their individual donations. However, it would be more beneficial for the individual if everyone else from the group contributed,while the individual kept his or her own money. The researchers used this strategic (策略的) information sharing task to examine how much and which pieces of information participants shared: the less important and already known information or the really important information only known by the individual.

The results showed that givers are less self-centered and self-loving than takers. Givers shared not only more money with the group, but they also shared important information. Takers on the other hand kept both the money as well as different types of information.

The findings suggest that it may not be enough to simply provide knowledge management tools in order to make the best of knowledge exchange in a group of people. It may be necessary for leaders and managers to keep in mind the personality styles of their employees. Specifically, they should be aware that takers may keep the important information for themselves.

1.What is the traditional opinion about success?

A. Cooperating and communicating with others.

B. Sharing knowledge and information with others.

C. Being warm-hearted and enthusiastic to others.

D. Paying all attention to your own need.

2.What can we learn from the results of the personality test?

A. Being self-centered and self-loving were unpopular.

B. Both givers and takers benefited from each other.

C. Takers got more than givers in money and information.

D. Sharing in turn brings more money and important information.

3.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A. Knowledge exchange in a company is not enough.

B. Knowing the personality styles helps the development of the company.

C. Leaders should not share any information with his employees.

D. Employees often keep important information to themselves.

4.In which column of the newspaper will you find this passage?

A. Science.　　 B. Entertainment.

C. Culture and art.　　 D. Human nature.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It is thought that a new system _____ the place of the old one in that company. But things are getting worse and worse.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It is thought that crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tear, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears (落泪者) is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive (适得其反).

Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance (increase) survival.

Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves.

Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.

Other researchers are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of “dry eye” syndrome（综合症）and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.

1.What does the phrase “both those responses” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?

A．Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness.

B．The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers.

C．The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying.

D．Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears.

2.From the passage we can infer that ________.

A．it is unnatural for people to shed tears

B．we can reduce our stress by shedding tears

C．shedders of tears can’t get help by crying loudly

D．unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival

3.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Roles of emotional tears.        B．functions of shedding tears.

C．Unwelcome shedders of tears.     D．Research on the effects of tears.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Will you stop using plastic?

If you take a look around your kitchen or office right now, chances are that you’ll notice you’re surrounded by plastic—water bottles, to-go coffee cups, straws (吸管), plastic grocery bags, food wrappers, take-out containers, single-serve coffee pods and produce bags. 1.

It’s certainly not realistic to remove all plastic from your life, but let’s examine some statistics that may encourage you to reduce your single-use plastic footprint by throwing away straws, switching to reusable water bottles, bringing cloth bags to the grocery store and more.

According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, the popularity of plastic, which began rising in the 1950s, is growing out of control. 2. And there’s no sign of slowing down, considering scientists say that another 12 trillion kilograms will be produced worldwide by 2050.

“Every piece of plastic that has ever been created will remain in the environment in some form, but once we conveniently throw out our rubbish at home, wind and runoff carry our waste from landfills and streets to the ocean,” says Mystic Aquarium’s chief clinical veterinarian Jennifer Flower, DVM, MS. “Given that we are globally producing over 320 million tons of plastic annually, the marine environment is taking a big hit from our daily disposal of plastic.

3. For example, newborn fish are mistaking tiny bits of plastic waste for food. If they die, there will be fewer big fish—and that could damage the food chain. Often our society is so focused on making our lives more convenient in the short term, but in the long run, our health and the health of marine life are at the expense of those everyday conveniences.”

4. A recent report suggests that when heated, certain food additives (添加剂) can damage hormones, growth and development, as well as increase chances for children of being fat. 5. It is found in plastic containers and metal cans. Parents are urged to avoid using microwaves to warm food and drinks or placing plastics in the dishwasher.

A. Our plastic consumption is directly affecting the life in the ocean.

B. People are concerned about the results of overusing plastic containers.

C. 8.2 trillion kilograms of plastic have been produced around the world.

D. Using plastic containers in microwaves is also harmful to children’s health.

E. Let’s stop using plastic for the benefit of the environment and human beings.

F. These are all examples of single-use plastic products, which is a hot topic nowadays.

G. The most concerning artificial additive BPA is a chemical used in the production of plastics.

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some inventions are so useful, but seem so simple, that we wonder why no one thought of them long ago.

Post-it Notes were invented about twenty years ago by Art Fry, a scientist at 3M Company. The idea for the product came from an awful experience he often had while singing in his church choir. Fry used pieces of paper as bookmarks to mark the places in his book of songs, but these bookmarks were always falling out. Around that time, Fry heard about a new adhesive (粘合剂) that a colleague, Dr. Spence Silver, had created. This adhesive was special because it was strong enough to hold papers together, but not strong enough to tear the paper when it was removed.

A short time later, Fry realized that his new invention had even more uses than being a great bookmark. He came to this realization when he wrote a note on one of his new “bookmarks” and attached it to a report he was going to give to a colleague. Soon, co-workers were asking Fry for more of his invention so that they could use the new type of notes themselves.

Fry and some other people at 3M believed so much in the new product that they asked the company to give away thousands of the “sticky pieces of paper” for trial use. When some salespeople at 3M went to offices and showed workers just how helpful the new type of notes could be, they immediately received many orders. As more and more people discovered how useful Post-it Notes could be, the product took off.

1.How did Dr. Spence help Art Fry?

A. His adhesive made Art’s invention possible.

B. He offered the new adhesive to Art.

C. He created the Post-it Notes.

D. He often worked and discussed science with Art.

2.Which of the following is a possible use of Post-it Notes?

A. A postcard from abroad.

B. An ad in a newspaper.

C. A note on a friend’s door.

D. An e-mail to a friend.

3.Which of the following shows the proper order of the events?

a. The company gave away many “sticky pieces of paper” for people to try.

b. Dr. Spence created a new adhesive.

c. Many orders were received and the Post-it Notes became successful.

d. Fry invented Post-it Notes.

e. His colleagues began to use the new types of notes themselves.

A. d b a e c　 　　 B. b a e d c

C. b d e a c　 D. d e a b c

4.In which column of a newspaper can we read this passage?

A. Economy B. Recreation C. Culture　　 D. Science

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some inventions are so useful, but seem so simple, that we wonder why no one thought of them long ago.

Post-it Notes were invented about twenty years ago by Art Fry, a scientist at 3M Company. The idea for the product came from an awful experience he often had while singing in his church choir. Fry used pieces of paper as bookmarks to mark the places in his book of songs, but these bookmarks were always falling out. Around that time, Fry heard about a new adhesive (粘合剂) that a colleague, Dr. Spence Silver, had created. This adhesive was special because it was strong enough to hold papers together, but not strong enough to tear the paper when it was removed.

A short time later, Fry realized that his new invention had even more uses than being a great bookmark. He came to this realization when he wrote a note on one of his new “bookmarks” and attached it to a report he was going to give to a colleague. Soon, co-workers were asking Fry for more of his invention so that they could use the new type of notes themselves.

Fry and some other people at 3M believed so much in the new product that they asked the company to give away thousands of the “sticky pieces of paper” for trial use. When some salespeople at 3M went to offices and showed workers just how helpful the new type of notes could be, they immediately received many orders. As more and more people discovered how useful Post-it Notes could be, the product took off.

1.How did Dr. Spence help Art Fry?

A. He created the Post-it Notes.

B. He offered the new adhesive to Art.

C. His adhesive made Art’s invention possible.

D. He often worked and discussed science with Art.

2.Which of the following is a possible use of Post-it Notes?

A. A note on a friend’s door

B. An ad in a newspaper.

C. A postcard from abroad.

D. An e-mail to a friend.

3.Which of the following shows the proper order of the events?

a. The company gave away many “sticky pieces of paper” for people to try.

b. Dr. Spence created a new adhesive.

c. Many orders were received and the Post-it Notes became successful.

d. Fry invented Post-it Notes.

e. His colleagues began to use the new types of notes themselves.

A. d b a e c　　　　 B. b a e d c

C. d e a b c　 　　 D. b d e a c

4.In which column of a newspaper can we read this passage?

A. Economy　 　　 B. Recreation

C. Science　　　 D. Culture

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析