14 days. That’s the time Chinese scientists t...

14 days. That’s the time Chinese scientists took to identify the full genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus (新冠病毒) since its outbreak. It was shared with the WHO immediately, and has now become an important foundation for global researchers in the fight against the COVID-19. But first, let us turn the clock back 17 years, when it took months to identify the SARS virus. From months to 14 days, what changed? It turns out AI played an important part.

The scientists first obtained bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid (支气管扩张灌洗液) samples from patients, isolated (分离) the DNA and RNA, then sequenced the genetic material by comparing them. AI’s advantage is its ability to recognize patterns among a flood of data.

Let me put it in a simple way. Sequencing the coronavirus genome (基因组) is similar to looking for a needle in a haystack (干草堆)---looking for genotypes (基因型) with specific characteristics from a huge gene pool. That’s where search algorithm (算法), a branch of modern AI, comes in. Think of it as an efficient search engine, which can find the needle in the haystack. This search algorithm can shorten months-long genetic sequencing to weeks or even just a few days. Combined with macro-genomic sequencing and a virus library, this AI technology can also be used in tracking virus mutation (突变).

AI doesn’t just support scientists. It can also help patients by improving the efficiency of diagnosis (诊断). China launched a Genomics Service, which can run multiple virus gene comparisons and produce a detailed report within 60 seconds. This algorithm has been put into use in China and shared to the world for free.

1.AI’s advantage is that it can ________.

A.slow down the spread of coronavirus B.separate DNA from RNA

C.identify specific genotypes rapidly D.obtain samples from patients quickly

2.The search algorithm helps shorten the time of genetic sequencing by __________.

A.finding a needle in a haystack B.serving as a search engine

C.combining with a virus library D.tracing virus mutation

3.What do we know about the Genomics Service in the last paragraph?

A.It has been widely used in the world. B.It is mainly based on blood test.

C.It is for fast diagnosis of COVID-19. D.It is used to track COVID-19 patients.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A.14 Days---China Made it! B.AI Assists in COVID-19 Fight

C.Search Algorithm, Best Choice D.China’s Genomics Service

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Inventor, physicist, surveyor, astronomer, biologist, artist... Robert Hooke was all these and more. Some say he was the greatest experimental scientist of the seventeenth century. Once he worked with renowned men of science like Christian Huygens, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton and the great architect, Christopher Wren.

Hooke’s early education began at home, under the guidance of his father. He entered Westminster School at the age of thirteen, and from there he went to Oxford, where he came in contact with some of the best scientists in England. Hooke impressed them with his skill at designing experiments and devising instruments. In 1662, at the age of twenty-eight, he was named Curator of Experiments of the newly formed Royal Society of London. Hooke accepted the job, even though he knew that it had no money to pay him!

Watching living things through the microscope was one of his favorite occupations.

He devised a compound microscope for this purpose. One day while observing a cork (软木) under a microscope, he saw honeycomb-like structures. They were cells—the smallest units of life. In fact, it was Hooke who coined the term “cell” as the box like cells of the cork reminded him of the cells of a monastery (修道院).Perhaps because of his varied interests, Hooke often left experiments unfinished. Others took up where he left　 off and then claimed sole (独占的) credit. This sometimes led to quarrels with colleagues. One work that he finished was his book MICRO GRAPHIA, a volume that reveals the immense potential of the microscope. The book also includes, among other things, ideas on gravity and light which may have helped scientists like Newton while they　 were developing their own theories on these phenomena.

Hooke made valuable contributions to astronomy too. A crater (陨石坑) on the moon is named after him in appreciation of his services to this branch of science.

1.From the first paragraph, we can know that Robert Hooke ________.

A.was famous because he worked with many scientists

B.liked making friends with the famous people

C.received a lot from other scientists

D.made contributions to many different fields

2.Robert Hooke probably went to school in________.

A.1634 B.1647 C.1662 D.1640

3.Robert Hooke made himself known to some of the best scientists in England by________.

A.learning by himself with his father's help

B.introducing himself to them

C.designing experiments and instruments

D.refusing any reward from Royal Society of London

4.Robert Hooke couldn’t get along well with his colleagues because________.

A.he couldn’t finish his work on time sometimes

B.he had all kinds of interests in his daily life

C.he was too proud to look up to them

D.the other scientists took the fruits of his experiments

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists believe they could bring the likes of dodos(渡渡鸟)back from the dead through cloning experiments in the near future which could see the flightless birds revived from their extinction.

The big bird, which was about a metre tall and weighed up to 18 kilograms, was native to Mauritius but became extinct in the 1600s, shortly after humans discovered the island. However, 400 years later, scientists now believe that they could bring the dodo back to life through cloning of some of its closest living relatives.

Scientists recently published a paper which identified the overall genomic structure of dinosaurs. The team achieved this by tracing the ancestors (祖先)of birds — the dinosaurs closest living relatives — to create the genomic structure. Researchers involved in the study say it is an emphatic ‘no’ when it comes to the possibility of ever being able to clone dinosaurs, but they do say that more recently extinct birds like the carrier pigeon and the dodo could be brought back due to the fact that they have such close living relatives.

University of Kent scientists Darren Griffin and Rebecca O’Connor wrote in an article for The Conversation: “We discovered that birds and most flightless dinosaurs had a lot of chromosomes (packages of DNA). Having so many allows animals to generate variation, the driver of natural selection.”

“However, though it is a long shot, it may be possible in future to use Jurassic Park technology to help avoid some of the harm that humans have caused. Mankind has seen the extinction of well-known avian dinosaurs such as the dodo and the passenger pigeon.”

“Recovery(恢复)of DNA that is a only few hundred years old from these birds is a far more realistic way. It may also be that eggs from closely related living species might just be good enough. In the right conditions we may be able to use them to resurrect some of these species from extinction.”

1.What can we learn about dodos?

A.They flew to Mauritius in the 1600s. B.They could be used to clone pigeons.

C.They would die out in the near future. D.They might be brought back to life soon.

2.How do scientists revive dodos?

A.They clone dodos’ closest living relatives. B.They trace those endangered birds closely.

C.They look for dinosaurs’ living conditions. D.They identify genomic structure of pigeons.

3.What does the underlined word “resurrect” in the last paragraph mean?

A.Learn. B.Protect.

C.Revive. D.Prevent.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.Scientists Expect to Clone the Dodos. B.Scientists Find Close Living Relatives.

C.Dinosaurs Have Already Been Extinct. D.Some Species Have Been Discovered.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Many science fiction stories tell about explorers arriving in a new world. The explorers then use some kind of high-tech device to test for breathable air or signs of life. But here on Earth, science fiction is becoming reality through a new sampling technology called environmental DNA, or eDNA for short. Scientists can use it to identify rare species or estimate fish populations with just a little air or water.

Environmental DNA can be used in two ways. One is to identify the creatures that live in a certain place. The other is to confirm the presence or lack of a specific creature.

Caren Goldberg is one of the first biologists to take the technology from the testing stage to actually using it. She sees eDNA as a way to get answers more efficiently and with less destruction compared to traditional survey techniques. Until recently, scientists depended on snorkeling ( 潜水), netting or using an electric current to temporarily catch fish.

This newer way to identify what lives in the environment is becoming popular around the world. Animal experts in Vietnam are using the eDNA to find the last, wild Yangtze giant softshell turtles. One researcher on the Caribbean island of Trinidad is using the sampling technology to find endangered golden treefrogs. In Madagascar, it is being used to identify amphibian(两栖动物)diseases.

Ms Goldberg has used eDNA testing to confirm the local extinction (灭绝) of a leopard frog in the American state of Idaho. She has also been asked to document the spread of the New Zealand mudsnail in the state of Washington. The creature has been found in lakes and other waterways across the state.

Scientists working with the technology say they do not expect robots to replace field biologists anytime soon. But the old-fashioned field work could soon be more targeted.

1.Compared to traditional survey techniques, eDNA is more______.

A.complex B.eco-friendly

C.dangerous D.convincing

2.By using eDNA, Caren Goldberg has______.

A.succeeded in catching many fishes

B.found the existence of golden treefrogs

C.documented the spread of softshell turtles

D.confirmed the disappearance of the leopard frog in Idaho

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph ?

A.Robots will replace scientists soon.

B.Some scientists are against using eDNA.

C.The old-fashioned field work may disappear.

D.Many biologists are unwilling to do the field work.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.Science Fiction Becomes Reality for Species Surveys

B.Biologists Explore Space with the Help of eDNA

C.Scientists Found Methods to Test for Signs of Life

D.New Technologies Are Presented in Science Fictions

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

A few days ago we ––– that’s me and the husband ––– took a cab to the station. Chat with the driver fell to the wrong of cyclists, and the misunderstanding of the road rules. So far as the rules of the road go, there seems to be one basic principle: when you are driving a car you hate bikes, when you are riding a bike you hate cars (and I guess walkers hate everyone).
　　 There is an obvious difference of viewpoint built in here. It wasn’t until I started to drive a car (almost 20 years after I had first ridden a bike) that I actually realized that you could not see a cyclist at night without lights. In fact I now want to shout at late night cyclists without lights (like motorists once did at me): “ You’ll get killed, sunshine, I can’t see you.”
　　 The problem is that cyclists do ride headlong into danger. It's not just not having lights. It’s biking on pavements (and so threatening to injure a load of innocent walkers in the process) and biking down one-way streets the wrong way.
　　 I admit that I do bike the wrong way down a one-way street sometimes. My feeble(软弱无力) defense is that I try always to do it as if I know I was doing wrong. That is slowly, with an apologetic look on the face, and ready to get off at any minute. I can’t bear the guys(一伙人) (usually, but not always it is guys) who do it as if they owned the place, and at high speed.
　　 So cyclists are not entirely innocent. But they are among the disadvantaged groups, because the bottom line is that a car or a lorry can kill a cyclist and not the other way around.

1. When did the writer realize the danger for late night cyclists without lights?

A. Not until she became a driver herself.

B. Not until she had driven a car for 20 years.

C. After she was shouted at by a motorist.

D. After she was once knocked down by a group of guys.

2.When the writer biked the wrong way down a one way street, she felt ________.

A. angry　　　　　　 B. guilty

C. innocent　　　　　　 D. proud

3.Which group is most likely to face danger according to the writer?

A. drivers　　　　　 B. passers-by

C. cyclists　　　　 D. motorists

4.What can we learn about the writer?

A. She often took a cab with her husband.

B. She has been a motorist for over 20 years.

C. She used to ride a bike without lights at night.

D. She often biked the wrong way down a one-way street.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Last Friday I took the subway home as usually. Since our physics teacher had just teach us in class that the escalator（自动扶梯） worked, I decided to see how fast the escalator went. To my surprise, it went a speed of about 40 m/min. The next day, I went to a department store with her cousin Emily. I times the escalator here too. I found that it was much slower, going about 30 meter every minute. Why? I check on the Internet and found the reason. Stores slow down escalators on a purpose, allowing customers more time to looking at their products.

高二英语短文改错简单题查看答案及解析

I ________ asleep because it took me a long time to realize that the telephone was ringing.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

A. could fall        B. need have fallen     C. must have fallen 　    D. may fall

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

For as long as they can remember, Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica. This winter, they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation (NSF). But they didn't, as scientists. Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist. They went to Antarctica as participants in the NSF's Artists and Writers Program, which makes it possible for artists, including filmmakers and musicians, to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent.

“It's important for scientists and artists to work together,” says Surgent, who spent six weeks at Palmer Station, the smallest of the U.S. research bases. “You need a lot of different ways and points of view to explain the world.”

Martin followed four scientific teams on the ice and wrote articles and poems inspired by her experience. “Each day was the new ‘best day of my life’.” said Martin, who said she also loved spending time in the library at the McMurdo Station reading the journals of early explorers.

Today's scientists write articles for scientific journals. Unlike the early explorer's journals, scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand. Writers in Antarctica work to explain the research to the public. Peter Rejcek is editor, writer, and photographer for the Antarctic Sun, an online magazine devoted to news about the U.S. Antarctic Program. He goes to the South Pole every year, interviewing the scientists about their research.

Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific, historical, and personal. People such as Martin, Surgent, and Rejcek are making an effort to bring those stories to as many people as they can.

“Some people are going to be scientists, some people are going to be artists, some people are going to be journalists, but we can all work together,” says Surgent, "to celebrate this extraordinary place.”

1.What is the main purpose of the NSF's Artists and Writers Program?

A.To increase people's understanding of Antarctica.

B.To develop a relationship between scientists and artists.

C.To encourage artists and writers to learn science.

D.To make the scientists in Antarctica known to the public.

2.Which of the following best explains why scientists and artists work together?

A.The world is full of different people. B.The world should move in harmony.

C.The world is full of different opinions. D.The world should be seen in different ways.

3.Where is the library in which Martin spent time reading?

A.At the Antarctic Sun. B.At a research base in the USA.

C.At a research base in Antarctica. D.At the National Science Foundation.

4.It can be inferred from the text that articles by writers about Antarctica　　　　　 .

A.are hard for people to understand B.are easy for people to understand

C.have nothing to do with the research D.are mainly about early explorers

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（/\），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Graduation finally came. My classmates and I made up our minds do something. Someone suggested make a video to record our experiences at school and we agreed. Material collecting took us a whole week, during it we interviewed our teachers and took picture of every aspect of school life. The editing part after that was tough. We debated over what to put them into the video. Some disagreements were unavoidable, and the video turned out perfect. Several days later, when the video was played on a graduation ceremony, it was very popular for everyone. What a wonderfully time the students and teachers shared! That surely gives us a great sense of achievement.

高二英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析

Philo Farnsworth was a man who made it possible for one of the most important communication devices (设备）－ television to be created. Philo was born on August 19th, 1906, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. He attended a very small school near his family's farm. He did very well in school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand.

One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures and hear the sound. The magazine story said some of the world's best scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures.　

14-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong and that mechanical devices would never work. He decided that such a device would have to be electronic. Philo knew electrons（电子）could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was to find a way to make electrons do the work.　

Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a receiver. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it "light in a bottle".

Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture (捕捉）pictures. He drew a plan for it, which he gave his teacher. Philo's drawing seemed very simple, but it clearly showed the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo's early idea.

Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old then. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact,　 experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.

On September 7th, 1927, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. In 1930, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.

1.How did Philo get the idea of inventing a television?

A.By learning from his science teacher.

B.By reading a story in a magazine.

C.By thinking hard on his own.

D.By using his knowledge about electrons.

2.The underlined word "it" in the fourth paragraph refers to 　　 .

A.a container sending pictures and sound through the air

B.a receiver that holds light and sends it on a line of electrons

C.a light box with a line of electrons in a bottle

D.a way to make electrons send pictures quickly

3.What can we learn about Philo?

A.His interest in science was raised by his teacher.

B.He made the first television receiver himself.

C.He received patent documents at the age of 24.

D.He found the famous scientists wrong after showing his teacher a plan.

4.We can infer from the text that Philo's idea 　　 .

A.was not recognized at first

B.was only understood by his teacher

C.was turned into a television receiver immediately

D.was widely used in all television equipment in 1927

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析