In 2009, Dr. Kathleen Wermke and her colleagues made headlines with a study showing that French and German newborns produce distinctly different “cry melodies,” reflecting the languages they heard in womb (子宫). Today, Dr. Wermke’s lab houses a collection of around a half-million recordings of babies from as far a field as Cameroon and China.
The analysis of these recordings has produced further insights into the factors that shape a baby’s first sounds. Newborns whose mothers speak tonal languages, such as Mandarin, tend to produce more complex cry melodies. Swedish newborns, whose native language has what linguists call a “pitch accent,” produce more sing-songy cries.
Hearing and imitating are fundamental to language development. By the third trimester, a fetus (胎儿) can hear the rhythm and melody of its mother’s voice — known as “prosody”. It is the defining characteristic of language for the fetus. After they are born, young babies mimic many different sounds. But they are especially shaped by the prosody they heard in the womb, which becomes a handy guide to the strange sounds coming from the people around them. Through stress, pauses and other clues, prosody cuts up the stream of sound into words and phrases – that is, into speech.
“These studies redouble the lab’s broader effort to map the typical development of a baby’s cries, as well as vocalizations like cooing and babbling.” Dr. Kathleen Wermke said. “Knowing what typical development looks like and what factors can influence it helps doctors address potential problems early on.”
1.The underlined word “mimic” in Paragraph 3 refers to ______.
A.imitate B.learn
C.hear D.gain
2.What is Dr. Kathleen Wermke’s attitude towards the studies？
A.Ambiguous B.Doubtful
C.Neutral D.Approving
3.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Mandarin is the most complex tonal language
B.Swedish newborns produce more simple cry sounds.
C.Newborn babies cry in different languages
D.Hearing is fundamental to language development
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题
In January, British actor Eddie Redmayne made headlines around the world as he became the latest member of smartphone refuser. “It was a reaction against being glued permanently to my iPhone during waking hours,” he explained, turning instead to an old-fashioned “dumb phone” handset that could only make and take calls.
He is not alone. There is a small but busy market for phones that are simple and cheap at a time when smartphones are becoming ever more complex and expensive. Basic phones — handsets with some basic functions such as playing music and accessing the Internet — are gradually being replaced by low cost smartphones, according to Francisco Jeronimo, research director for European mobile devices at IDC, the research group. But there is still a significant demand for older-style phones.
Strategy Analytics, a research group, estimates that 44,000,000 basic phones were sold in 2015, accounting for 2 percent of the global market. Some phonemakers, such as Sony and LG, have already turned their back on the market. But others like Microsoft and Samsung are still producing devices every year aimed at the basic phone market.
Many smartphone users beef about having to buy devices that are easily broken, require daily recharging and which will be replaced by a new, better version within a year. Even basic smartphones offer more functions that not many people need.
Some users buy phones with limited or no Internet connections in a conscious attempt to keep away from the modern digital world. Analysts say that there is a growing number of “second phoneys” who use an expensive smartphone during the day, but turn to cheaper, pocket-sized devices when they go out in the evening.
Light Phone founder Joe Hollier falls into this camp. He has developed a credit card-sized phone without a data connection and no extra functions other than to make calls. He describes a feeling of huge relief when the ability to check emails or status updates is removed. Light Phone functions as a companion device to a smartphone but Mr Hollier hopes it will also encourage people to unplug from the modern Internet world.
1.What is the function of paragraph 1?
A. To lead to the topic. B. To summarize the whole passage.
C. To analyze the situation of phone usage. D. To deepen the theme.
2.The expression “beef about” may be replaced by “________” in the passage.
A. care about B. approve of
C. complain of D. think over
3.Joe Hollier developed the new card-sized phone to ________.
A. save money B. relax the mind
C. save time D. keep healthy
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Some people prefer basic phones to smart phones.
B. What are the functions of basic phones.
C. The old-fashioned phones have many advantages.
D. The future of smartphones is gloomy.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
A simple flower made headlines in the British press last week. How could that be?
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his ministers were attending a reception hosted by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. They insisted on wearing poppies(罂粟花) in their buttonholes.
What’s wrong with that?
According to the Global Times, Chinese officials apparently had asked the UK delegation not to wear poppies. The British said that poppies meant a great deal to them on that day and they would wear them all the same.
So what’s the significance of the poppy? It’s a flower which has different cultural and symbolic meanings for British and Chinese people.
From the Chinese point of view, the poppy is a symbol of China’s humiliation at the hands of European powers in the Opium Wars of the 19th century. Britain forced China to open the borders to trade —including in the opium —which was made from poppies grown in India.
Yet from the British viewpoint the poppy is a reminder of the killing during Word War I. Red poppies grew on the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium where many thousands of British soldiers died or were buried. Since then, Poppy Day (November 11) has become a time in the UK to wear poppies and remember the sacrifices of British soldiers and civilians in times of war.
So you can see that the poppy sets off strong feelings in the hearts of Chinese and British people for different reasons. And it makes sense for us to try to understand each other’s standpoint.
Of course cultural differences can also be interesting and funny. And what one nation thinks is an acceptable gift may be viewed differently by their guest from overseas. US President Barack Obama gave a gift of an iPod to Britain’s Queen —a dull person with no interest in music. Obama also presented Gordon Brown with a fine selection of American movies. But they were in US format and impossible to play on British DVD players.
Many countries have diplomats stationed overseas. Diplomats provide information and advice to their governments back home. However, sometimes it would seem that even diplomats can overlook the cultural significance of a small flower.
( ) 1.. British Prime Minister David Cameron probably attended a reception in Beijing on ________.
A. October 1 B. November 11 C. December 31 D. January 1
( ) 2.. The poppy reminds the Chinese of ________.
A. the shame caused by European countries in the 19th century
B. the British soldiers who were killed and buried during World War I
C. the Chinese soldiers killed during World War II
D. the suffering caused by Britain during World War I
( ) 3.. The diplomatic problem in Beijing is mainly caused by ________.
A. the translation mistake B. the language difference
C. the cultural difference D. the different lifestyle
( ) 4.. We can infer that ________.
A. Britain’s Queen is not interested in art
B. Gordon Brown was fond of American movies US President Barack Obama sent him
C. US President Barack Obama received a gift for music
D. Britain’s Queen may not like the iPod US President Barack Obama presented her
( ) 5.. What is the main idea of the 9th paragraph?
A. Cultural difference can also be interesting and funny.
B. Cultural differences can cause a big problem.
C. US President Barack Obama likes to present gifts to other leaders.
D. US leaders and British leaders get along well with each other.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
The idea for the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone came to Joanne Kathleen Rowling in 1990. It took her seven years to finish writing it. During those seven years she had a number of jobs, including one job as an English teacher in Portugal.
Rowling sent the book to four publishers before one of them bought it. She was very happy to sell her book because it was her life's dream to be a published writer. Before she sold her book, Rowling was living in a small apartment with her daughter and was so poor that she could not afford heat in the winter.
Harry Potter became very successful with children and adults in England. The book also really took off in the United States. After her second and third books were published, the three Harry Potter books filled the top three places on many newspapers' lists of best-sellers. Then the books were made into popular movies. Without question, Rowling's life had completely changed, in just three years.
Harry Potter books have now sold more than 30 million books around the world and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. In 1997, Rowling was earning ￡70 (about US$110) a week. By the end of 2001, she had earned over ￡150 million ($250 million), making her one of the most successful female writers of all time.
1.This reading is about _________.
A. Harry Potter's life B. the writer's life
C. how the book became a movie D. why Harry Potter is popular
2.Which sentence is true about the first Harry Potter book?
A. Four publishers bought it.
B. It took the writer several years to finish it.
C. It was first published in Portugal.
D. Rowling got the idea from her daughter.
3.Rowling's dream was _________.
A. to be a magician B. to make a movie
C. to have her books published D. to be an English teacher
4.How many languages has Harry Potter been translated into?
A. more than 35 B. about 135 C. about 90 D. more than 150
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
One of my close friends made great progress in her studies so her teachers ___ her, and I _____ her.
A. were happy with; was happy with B. were happy for; was happy for
C. were happy with; was happy for D. were happy for; was happy with
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Tu Yoyo devoted herself ________to her research and it made her famous in her field.
A. strongly B.partly C. entirely D. freely
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
To her joy, Della earned first the trust of her students and then ____ of her colleagues.
A. one B. ones C. those D. that
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Lucy has a great sense of humor and always keeps her colleagues with her stories.
A. amused B. amusing C. to amuse D. to be amused
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Lucy has a great sense of humor and always keeps her colleagues with her stories.
A. amused B. amusing
C. to amuse D. to be amused
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The girl’s _____ voice and excellent performance made her stand out in the singing contest.
A. distinctive B. profound C. ultimate D. curious
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有弹性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物种）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
1.What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
A.People can live to 122.
B.Old people are creative.
C.Women are sporty at 85.
D.Women live longer than men.
2.According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.
A.the average human life span could be 110
B.scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C.few people can expect to live to over 150
D.researchers are not sure how long people can live
3.Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
A.Jerry Shay. B.Steve Austad
C.Rich Miller D.George Martin
4.What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
A.Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.
B.The average human life span cannot be doubled
C.Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.
D.New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析