DNA analysis has revealed family relationships between more than 10 generations of Stone Age people at megalithic (巨石的) tombs in Ireland and Sweden.
The evidence suggests that megaliths, prehistoric large stone structures, sometimes acted as graves for family groups in northwestern Europe thousands of years ago. The latest findings throw new light on the origins and social structure of the groups that built megaliths in this region—a history that has long been hidden in mystery.
For their study, the international team of researchers analyzed the genomes—the complete set of genetic material in a cell—of 24 Stone Age individuals from five megalithic burial sites in Ireland, Scotland and Gotland, a large Swedish island in the Baltic Sea.
This analysis showed that many of the individuals buried at each megalith, who all lived between 3,800 B.C. and 2,600 B.C., according to radiocarbon-dating of their remains, were closely related via family ties.
The results also showed that the individuals buried at the megaliths were related to Neolithic farmers in northern and western Europe but genetically distinct from other hunter-gatherers. This was particularly noticeable at the Ansarve site on the island of Gotland.
“The people buried in the Ansarve tomb are remarkably different on a genetic level compared to the individuals dug out from hunter-gather contexts, showing that the burial tradition in this megalithic tomb, which lasted for over 700 years, was performed by distinct groups with roots in the European Neolithic expansion,” Magdalena Fraser, co-first author from Uppsala University, said in the statement.
1.What’s the significance of the new findings?
A.It reveals the family ties between people in Ireland and Sweden.
B.It implies that many people buried in the tombs were closely related.
C.It indicates the long-hidden mystery concerning DNA analysis.
D.It suggests that the megaliths became tombs thousands of years ago.
2.How did the researchers reach their findings?
A.By interviewing individuals. B.By travelling to different regions.
C.By analyzing genes. D.By studying the burial sites.
3.Which is true according to the latest findings?
A.Some people buried in the tombs were related to farmers.
B.Few people buried in the tombs were genetically different.
C.All the people buried at megaliths had family relationships.
D.People buried in the Ansarve tomb were dug out 700 years later.
4.What’s the main idea of this passage?
A.Megaliths served as tombs thousands of years ago.
B.People buried at the megaliths were recently analyzed.
C.Latest findings shed light on a mystery about burials.
D.Stone-Age people in Ireland and Sweden had close ties.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题
DNA analysis has revealed family relationships between more than 10 generations of Stone Age people at megalithic (巨石的) tombs in Ireland and Sweden.
The evidence suggests that megaliths, prehistoric large stone structures, sometimes acted as graves for family groups in northwestern Europe thousands of years ago. The latest findings throw new light on the origins and social structure of the groups that built megaliths in this region—a history that has long been hidden in mystery.
For their study, the international team of researchers analyzed the genomes—the complete set of genetic material in a cell—of 24 Stone Age individuals from five megalithic burial sites in Ireland, Scotland and Gotland, a large Swedish island in the Baltic Sea.
This analysis showed that many of the individuals buried at each megalith, who all lived between 3,800 B.C. and 2,600 B.C., according to radiocarbon-dating of their remains, were closely related via family ties.
The results also showed that the individuals buried at the megaliths were related to Neolithic farmers in northern and western Europe but genetically distinct from other hunter-gatherers. This was particularly noticeable at the Ansarve site on the island of Gotland.
“The people buried in the Ansarve tomb are remarkably different on a genetic level compared to the individuals dug out from hunter-gather contexts, showing that the burial tradition in this megalithic tomb, which lasted for over 700 years, was performed by distinct groups with roots in the European Neolithic expansion,” Magdalena Fraser, co-first author from Uppsala University, said in the statement.
1.What’s the significance of the new findings?
A.It reveals the family ties between people in Ireland and Sweden.
B.It implies that many people buried in the tombs were closely related.
C.It indicates the long-hidden mystery concerning DNA analysis.
D.It suggests that the megaliths became tombs thousands of years ago.
2.How did the researchers reach their findings?
A.By interviewing individuals. B.By travelling to different regions.
C.By analyzing genes. D.By studying the burial sites.
3.Which is true according to the latest findings?
A.Some people buried in the tombs were related to farmers.
B.Few people buried in the tombs were genetically different.
C.All the people buried at megaliths had family relationships.
D.People buried in the Ansarve tomb were dug out 700 years later.
4.What’s the main idea of this passage?
A.Megaliths served as tombs thousands of years ago.
B.People buried at the megaliths were recently analyzed.
C.Latest findings shed light on a mystery about burials.
D.Stone-Age people in Ireland and Sweden had close ties.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and her family have just ended their one-week trip in China. The whole world has paid attention to the two elegant and beautiful first ladies who have made a difference in the relationship between China and the U.S.A.
Mrs. Obama has visited the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, and the pandas. She has tasted Peking Duck and experienced some other Chinese traditional culture. It is hoped that this trip to China can bring a real understanding of our eastern world to the first family of the United States.
Today, the number of exchange students between China and the U.S. has reached more than 4 million every year. There are more than 11,000 people traveling to and from each side of the Pacific. If the two countries can increase the exchange in travel, language, cuisine, and cultural understanding, this will help a lot in improving the understanding between the two countries.
Education was an important theme of Mrs. Obama’s visit, and it is crucial to the development of Sino-US relationship. China has an ancient tradition of placing a high value on education, and the first lady herself is an outstanding example of a person who changed her own destiny through education. She took education as the key theme of her speech at Peking University, encouraging students from the two countries to learn more about and get wider experience of each other.
1.The whole world has paid attention to the two wonderful ladies because ________.
A.they are elegant and beautiful
B.they have made a difference in the relationship between China and the U.S.A.
C.they pay attention to education
D.they hope students can learn from each other
2.Mrs. Obama has visited the following places except________.
A.Terracotta Warriors B.the Forbidden City
C.the Great Wall D.the Summer Palace
3.The theme of Mrs. Obama’s speech at Peking University is_________.
A.education B.understanding
C.Sino-US relationship D.exchange students
4.What might be the best title of this passage?
A.China’s First Lady Welcome U.S First Lady B.U.S First Lady Michal Obama visit China
C.The Two First Ladies Pay Attention to Education D.Two First Ladies Meet Happily in Beijing
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many people turn to doctors or self-help books, but they forget a great thing that could help them fight illness: their friends.
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship in health. A 10-year Australian study found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the danger for obesity among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties (关系) could improve brain health as we age.
“In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t well realized,” said Rebecca, a professor at the University of North Carolina. “Friendship has a bigger effect on our psychological (心理的) health than family relationships.”
While many friendship studies are about the close relationships of women, some research shows that it can do good to men too. In a six-year study of 736 middle-aged men, having friendships reduces the risk of heart disease. Only smoking was as important a danger factor (因素) as having little social support.
The exact reason why friendship has such a big effect isn’t clear. While friends can send a sick person to the hospital or pick up medicine, the advantages go well beyond physical help. Friendship clearly has a big psychological effect. “People with stronger friendships feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen, a doctor. “The message of these studies is that friends make your life better.”
1.The three studies in paragraph 2 show that ________.
A.social ties have something to do with health
B.friends can help us lose weight
C.old people need friends the most
D.having more friends makes us healthier
2.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “obesity”?
A.health B.unhappiness C.excitement D.fatness
3.What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Friendship is more important to women than to men.
B.What people need most is a friend’s care.
C.The value of friendship hasn’t been fully understood.
D.Friendship is more important than family relationship.
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Smoking and lack of friends are also risk factors for health.
B.Friendship and family relationships have equal effects on health.
C.Close friendships are good for women but not for men.
D.It is clear why friendship has such a huge impact on health.
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to keep healthy.
B.The importance of doctors or self-help books.
C.The relationship between friendship and health.
D.How to improve family relationships.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races (种族) and rates (率) of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2.000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics (遗传学) might help explain the racial and ethnic（种族的） differences. There could be differences in how people's bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted (针对) medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine."
1.Researchers agree that it is________that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.
A．the larger amount of smoking than white people
B．the living style or habit of the blacks
C．the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs
D．the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke
2.People in the new study are made up of________.
A．heavy smokers in America B．smokers and non-smokers
C．the Asians and Hawaiians D．the black and white people
3.The production of BiDil referred to in the last paragraph is to________.
A．explain different races react to some diseases differently
B．tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers
C．show a big step people have taken in the medicine area
D．support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the author?
A．The way of smoking may increase the risk of lung cancer.
B．Race has nothing to do with the risk of having a lung cancer.
C．The research was started by the New England Journal of Medicine.
D．he risk of lung cancer lies I how much a person smokes.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2,000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic differences. There could be differences in how people's bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine."
1.Which of the following orders is from higher to lower risk of having lung cancer?
A．Whites—Native Hawaiians
B．Africans—Americans—Latinos
C．Asians—Native Hawaiians
D．Africans—Americans—Native Hawaiians
2.Researchers agree that it is _____ that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.
A．the larger amount of smoking than white people
B．the living style or habit of the blacks
C．the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs
D．the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke
3.People in the new study are made up of _____.
A．heavy smokers in America B．the black and white people
C．the Asians and Hawaiians D．smokers and non-smokers
4.The production of BiDil referred to in the last paragraph is to _____.
A．explain different races react to some diseases differently
B．tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers
C．show a big step people have taken in the medicine area
D．support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
As if 2016 hadn’t been hard enough for China’s workforce, a yearly survey has revealed that more than half of the country’s white-collar employees got no year-end bonus ahead of the upcoming and costly lunar(农历的) New Year holiday. The survey of 11,500 workers by Chinese employment agency Zhaopin found that 50.9 per cent did not get an annual bonus at the end of 2016. Another 9.6 percent were told their bonuses had been delayed until after the New Year holiday.
Before the slowdown that began in 2014, employers in China had been less ungenerous with cash bonuses, which can total well over a full month’s pay and send employees back home for the holiday with plenty of cash for gifts to elders and other family members or to put away as savings. The impact of weak growth on year-end bonuses may have reached the highest point in 2015, however, when 66 per cent of white-collar workers received no year-end bonuses. And the 2016 level actually represents an improvement from 2014, when 61 per cent had to go without.
But that recovery has also seen the size of bonuses drop: last year the average bonus was Rmb 12,821（$1,861）, about Rmb 2,000 more than that in 2015 but still about Rmb800 below the 2014 average. More than a quarter of those surveyed who saw their bonuses drop last year blamed the drop on poor company performance.
Differences among the 34 cities surveyed were still greater, as the average bonus of over Rmb 15,800 in Beijing was more than three times than that in the lowest-paying city of Shenyang. Employees of state-owned firms also expressed more satisfaction with their bonuses than those at private companies — and little wonder, as the average bonus at the former was Rmb 17,318, or about Rmb 6,000 more than what private companies’ employees could expect.
But the impact of companies’ stinginess(吝啬) can go beyond simply ruining employees’ New Year holiday, possibly coming back to affect employers: 39 percent of respondents said they would look for work elsewhere if their year-end bonus was not returned to normal, an increase of 2.3 Percentage points from 2015.
1.Which is the right order of the year of year-end bonuses’ receiving percentage according to the passage?
A. 2016>2015>2014 B. 2016>2014>2015
C. 2015>2016>20I4 D. 2014>2015>2016
2.What can we know from the passage?
A. Some employees think poor company performance is a reason for the bonus drop.
B. Small bonus differences exist in the 34 cities surveyed in China.
C. The average bonus in Shenyang is over Rmb5500.
D. Private firms’ workers can get more bonuses than those in state-owned firms.
3.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Bonus Differences between State-owned Firms and Private Firms
B. The Importance of Bonuses for White-collar Workers in China
C. A Hard Year for China’s White-collar Workers
D. A survey of China’s Workforce’s Year-end Bonuses
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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
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
Everyone has many different relationships. Some relationships are with family members, some are with friends and some are love relationships. Each relationship is different, and all relationships change over time as the people within them grow and develop. Most relationships contain a combination of healthy and unhealthy characteristics.
Healthy relationships have certain characteristics. Each partner feels whole without the other even though the two people enjoy being together. They communicate effectively and honestly. In a healthy relationship, both partners accept the other as he or she is. There are no unrealistic expectations or attempts to control the other person. In healthy relationships, changes on both sides are recognized and appreciated. Both partners have established healthy, comfortable limits based on their own standards. There is a balance between togetherness and separate lives of each partner.
Some relationships may contain unhealthy characteristics. One person may expect his or her partner to fulfill all their needs. One or both partners may be jealous and demand complete devotion. The desire to control others is another unhealthy characteristic. There may be a tendency to dominate the other person and the relationship. Selfishness may be a part of an unhealthy relationship. Those who are selfish only take care of their own comfort, pleasure and interest excessively but without regard for others. The last characteristic that may exist in unhealthy relationships is abuse, which involves emotional and physical mistreatment.
When unhealthy characteristics exist within a relationship, partners may choose to work toward making the relationship healthier. However, both partners must be willing to make efforts to overcome the negative characteristics of the relationship. Counseling services within schools and communities help families and couples strengthen their relationships. When problems within a relationship are not surmounted, one or both partners may decide to end the relationship.
1.From the first paragraph we can conclude that ______.
A. people live among many kinds of relationships
B. some relationships remain the same over time
C. there are various definitions of relationships
D. there are some similarities and differences between different relationships
2.All of the following are the characteristics of healthy relationships EXCEPT _________.
A. a balance between togetherness and separate lives of each partner
B. proper limits based on standards of both partners
C. attempts to control the other person if possible
D. a kind of honest and effective communication
3.The underlined word “surmounted” in the last paragraph probably means “________”.
A. discovered B. caused
C. valued D. overcome
4.From the passage, which of the followings is most likely to make the relationships end?
A Being jealous and selfish
B Demanding complete devotion
C The existence of the unhealthy and unbalanced relationships
D Unwilling to make efforts to overcome the unhealthy relationships
5.The best title for this passage is “________”.
A. How Unhealthy Characteristics Influence Relationships
B. What Healthy Relationships and Unhealthy Relationships Are
C. How People Benefit from Healthy Relationships
D. What Makes a Relationship Healthy
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析