When Chinese researchers successfully figured...

Researchers are trying to figure out exactly when and where a lizard got trapped in the sap(汁、液) of a tree. Over time, the tree sap turned into amber (琥珀), preserving the lizard’s mains, which a man discovered and donated to the Miller Museum of geology at Queen’s University. But the man didn’t report the amber’s age and where he got it.

“The man who donated it died, unfortunately,” said Ellen Handyside, an undergraduate student at Queen’s University. “We are really starting from scratch in determining its history Ellen Handyside is leading the research into the amber-surrounded lizard. She and her colleagues analyzed the chemical composition of the 4.7-inch -long piece of amber and learned some facts. “The amber wasn’t actually artificial,” she told Live Science, “and we found that it did match up quite well to an amber sample.”

The researchers analyzed the amber's carbon and hydrogen isotopes(同位素) and the results indicated that the amber was formed from the sap of a flowering tree. Moreover, the results suggested that the tree and the lizard, for that matter, lived in an area with a lot of rainfall and dated to the Neogene, a period that lasted from the end of the Paleogene Period 23.03 million years ago to the beginning of the present Quatemary Period. Next, the scientific team realized that the 2.7-inch-long lizard was likely a gecko(壁虎), according to a detailed, 3D, digital model of the animal’s body that the researchers created through X-ray microscopy scans.

“We looked at the skull ---the teeth are in place and the ear bones are there too. And we’ve even got some flesh, skin and its long toes,” Handyside said. “It’s fantastic!” She said she hoped that they could figure out how the creature fit into the gecko family tree. “When you think of a gecko, you think of short and fat toes and sticky pads. That isn’t what we’re looking at, but it’s more likely to live in trees. If it were a tree-living creature, then its death actually could make more sense,” Handyside said.

1.What can probably be inferred about the amber?

A. It was obtained by a museum at a low price.

B. Its original owner knew nothing about it.

C. It was found to be a unique type of amber.

D. Its donor didn't say much about its history.

2.What was found about the lizard through studying isotopes?

A. Its category.

B. Its shape.

C. Its living habit.

D. Its living surroundings.

3.What can we learn from Handyside’s words?

A. The Lizard's death was caused by a gecko,

B. The lizard has fat and short toes.

C. The lizard is preserved very well.

D. The lizard belongs to the tree living creature.

4.What does the author mainly tell us in this passage?

A. The discovery of a piece of natural amber.

B. The mystery about a piece of amber.

C. The research into a piece of amber.

D. The meaningful death of a lizard.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A cat with an accent sounds like a character in children’s tale, but Swedish scientists are trying to figure out if domestic cats actually do have different “dialects” based on their geographical location. They also want to understand if the owner’s voice might have a role to play in the way cats’ meow（猫）. If they’re successful, the team of scientists from Lund University. hope to put together a “dictionary” of cat sounds.

The project will be carried out over the next five years. SchÖtz explained that she and her team will use phonetic（语音）analysis to compare cat sounds from two parts of Sweden-Stockholm and Lund-with different human dialects, and figure out if the cats from these regions also have different dialects. They will focus on tune, voice, and speaking style in the human speech that is addressed to cats, and also cat sounds that are addressed to humans.

While it all sounds rather fanciful, the main idea behind the project is to improve the human-cat relationship. Since their domestication（驯化）about 10,000 years ago, cats and humans have learned to “talk” through audio（声音的）and visual signals. Even today, wild cats have no need for meowing in adulthood, while domestic ones continue to meow as a way of communicating with humans. And by understanding more about this communication, SchÖtz and her team hope to influence the way cats are treated in animal hospitals, shelters, and care homes.

The team will record voices of about 30 to 50 cats in different situations, for example when they want access to desired locations, when they are content, friendly, happy, hungry, annoyed, or even angry-and try to identify any differences in their phonetic patterns. They want to know if cats prefer pet-directed speech or prefer to be spoken to like human adults.

The project is yet to begin officially, but the researchers have already started testing their equipment and techniques by recording a few cats’ meowings. And they’ve already made a few interesting observations. In one of the recordings, they noticed that when a cat is begging for food its meows rise slowly. But the opposite happens when the cat is unhappy. By the year 2021, SchÖtz and her team hope to have entirely broken the cats’ code by interpreting all their meowings.

1.Carrying out the research, Swedish Scientists will mainly investigate ______.

A.how cats vary the melody of meows B.how cats communicate with their owners

C.how cats meow with a funny mood D.how cats are treated around the world

2.The main purpose of the project done by Swedish scientists is to ______.

A.find out where the cats live B.understand the cats’ lifestyle

C.build up the human-cat relationship D.make up a dictionary of cat sounds

3.According to the passage it can most probably be inferred that ______.

A.the owners’ voice plays a key role in the way cats meow

B.the research could bring about the cats’ welfare changes in shelters, for instance

C.the owners understand entirely the cats’ need through their meows

D.domestic cats live a happier life than wild ones

4.What attitude does the author hold towards the prospect（前景）of the research？

A.Optimistic. B.Pessimistic.

C.Unconcerned. D.Skeptical.

高二英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析

The girl ________to figure out the boy’s attitude towards her but without success.

A．managed　      B．succeeded　　　 C．attempted      D．predicted

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

When Chinese researchers successfully figured out the genetic structure of the novel coronavirus in January, many people thought a vaccine(疫苗) would soon follow.　 1.　　

First, scientists must work together to understand the structure of the virus and develop potential vaccines to fight against it.　 2.　 After passing animal tasting, clinical trials of the vaccine are then done on humans. Finally the vaccine needs to be approved by officials before it can be made available to the public. All of the steps are necessary to make sure that the new vaccine is safe for people to use.　 3.　 With technological advancements and government funding (资金), the time it takes to develop vaccines can be reduce.

CEPI, an international organization that develops vaccine, for example, is funding programs that focus on making a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. About 35 companies and academic institutions, including the US company Moderna, funded by CEPI, are searching for a COVID-19 vaccine.　 4.　 Once a vaccine is ready, 100 million doses (剂量) could be made within a year, according to Modena’s CEO Stephane Bancel.

5.　 Not only do they help to save individual lives, but they also help the local and even the global community.

A.This is why a vaccine is developed.

B.But that’s a lot easier said than done.

C.However, experts say vaccines are unlikely to be available

D.Once these first vaccines are made, they are tested on animals.

E.Sometimes, this process can take as long as 10 to 15 years to complete.

F.Even though vaccines take a long time to develop, they are very important.

G.A few have begun testing in animals, while Moderna’s attempt has started human trials.

高二英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析

We cannot figure out ______ quite a number of students were infected with the flu.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

In a recent series of experiments at the University of California, researchers studied toddlers’ thinking about winners and losers, bullies (欺凌) and victims.

In the first experiment, toddlers (学步儿童) watched a scene in which two puppets (木偶) had conflicting goals: One was crossing a stage from right to left, and the other from left to right. The puppets met in the middle and stopped. Eventually one puppet bowed down and moved aside, letting the other one pass by. Then researchers asked the toddlers which puppet they liked. The result: 20 out of 23 toddlers picked the higher-status puppet — the one that did not bow or move aside. It seems that individuals can gain status for being dominant (占优势的) and toddlers like winners better than losers.

But then researchers had another question: Do toddlers like winners no matter how they win? So, researchers did another experiment very similar to the one described above. But this time, the conflict ended because one puppet knocked the other down and out of the way. Now when the toddlers were asked who they liked, the results were different: Only 4 out of 23 children liked the winner.

These data suggest that children already love a winner by the age of 21-31 months. This does not necessarily mean that the preference is inborn: 21 months is enough time to learn a lot of things. But if a preference for winners is something we learn, we appear to learn it quite early.

Even more interesting, the preference for winners is not absolute. Children in our study did not like a winner who knocked a competitor down. This suggests that already by the age of 21-31 months, children’s liking for winners is balanced with other social concerns, including perhaps a general preference for nice or helpful people over aggressive ones.

In a time when the news is full of stories of public figures who celebrate winning at all costs, these results give us much confidence. Humans understand dominance, but we also expect strong individuals to guide, protect and help others. This feels like good news.

1.One of the purposes of the experiments is to ________.

A.teach toddlers how to gain higher status

B.offer toddlers a chance to watch a scene

C.observe the process of toddlers’ solving a conflict

D.find out toddlers’ attitude toward winners and losers

2.The toddlers regarded bowing and moving aside as a sign of ________.

A.obeying rules

B.gaining status

C.giving in to the other

D.showing good manners

3.What does the second experiment tell us about toddlers?

A.They are excellent learners.

B.They are always changeable.

C.They show mercy to the loser.

D.They value kindness over winning.

4.What does the author think of the results of the series of experiments?

A.Disappointing. B.Encouraging.

C.Unexpected. D.Controversial.

高二英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析

Shinrin- yoku means"forest bathing".Forest bathing doesn't mean you take a bath in the forest;rather,you simply go for a walk in the woods or a city park,where you slacken by using all your senses to experience nature.

Yoshifumi Miyazaki,from Chiba University,is among a growing number of scientists who have begun studying the science behind the effects of nature on human health.In his book　 Shinrin-yoku:The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing,Miyazaki explains the techniques of forest bathing.

Miyazaki has an interesting theory about why shinrin-yoku is so effective.He points out　 that for more than 99,99%of the time,humans have lived in a natural environment.In fact,in 1800,only 3%of the world's population lived in cities,and by 2016,this figure reached 54%.　 This is only going to get worse;officials predict that by 2050,66%will live in cities.

This suggests we live in our modern society with bodies that are still used to the natural environment,he writes in the book,because"genes cannot change over just a few hundred years".The science behind the research studies he presents in the book makes a convincing case that forest bathing is an effective method for reducing stress in today's world.

Now city planners are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of nature and are creating new kinds of "parks”out of empty spaces.There' re also more city gardens where people can grow vegetables.For kids,kitchen gardens in schools are becoming popular.As Miyazaki stresses,you don't have to find a formal park or garden to practice shinrin-yoku. Instead,you can enjoy the effects of nature wherever there' re plants.

Better yet,he says,we can bring nature closer to where we spend most of our time.Miyazaki's research has shown that just increasing the amount of plants in a room can affect the relaxation benefits of the room.What's more,even when people simply look at flowers,their bodies relax and stress levels decrease.

1.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 1 mean?

A.Behave. B.Entertain.

C.Anticipate. D.Relax.

2.How does the author mainly develop the third paragraph?

A.By giving examples.

B.By listing figures.

C.By making remarks.

D.By presenting research findings.

3.Why does forest bathing work effectively according to Miyazaki?

A.Human genes can change easily. B.Nature is part of the modern society.

C.Human body can integrate into nature. D.People can always get excited in nature.

4.Which of the following will Miyazaki agree on forest bathing?

A.It is easy to operate.

B.It is meant for gardeners.

C.It is unaffordable in the city.

D.It is inconvenient to practice.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Chinese researchers say they have come up with a simple way to find out a person’s biological age —how much the body has aged physically – through a urine (尿) test.

Their findings will help researchers conduct numbers of ageing studies and even predict a person’s risk of age-related diseases, according to a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience.

Another paper by researchers at the Beijing Hospital and the West China Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, said on Tuesday that people aged at different rates due to changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.

Chronological age – which is based on one’s birth date —was not an exact measure of biological age so a more exact method was needed, the team said.

Ageing is driven by the lifelong gradual accumulation(积累) of a broad variety of molecular (分子) faults in the body’s cells. The team said they had identified a matter 8-oxoGsn　 that indicated increases in oxidative (氧化性) damage in urine as people’s bodies aged.

Cai Jianping, a co-author at the Beijing Hospital, said: “As we age, we suffer increasing oxidative damage and so the levels of oxidative matters increase in our body.” The team tested the levels of 8-oxoGsn in urine samples from 1,228 Chinese people aged two to 90 and concluded the marker helped accurately determine the stage of biological ageing in adults.

They had previously found that 8-oxoGsn levels also increased with age in the urine of animals such as mice.

The team has also developed a rapid analysis technique called ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography(层析法), which can process up to 10 urine samples an hour, according to the study.

1.Scientifically speaking, by what does a doctor judge the stage of a person getting old?

A. His psychology.　　 B. His condition.

C. His biological age.　　 D. His chronological age.

2.What are the outer factors the speed of one’s ageing physically depend on?

A. One’s birth date.

B. The changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.

C. The accumulation of various molecular faults in the body’s cells.

D. The increases in oxidative damage in urine.

3.Which can take the place of the underlined word “marker” in the sixth paragraph?

A. Molecular faults.　　 B. 8-oxoGsn.

C. Oxidative damage.　　 D. Stage of biological ageing in adults.

4.What is the passage about?

A. Why people are ageing.

B. What determines the stage of people’s ageing physically.

C. A rapid method with which to judge how much people are aging physically.

D. How to delay people’s ageing physically.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dear 17﹣year﹣old self，

When your Laker dream comes true tomorrow， you need to figure out a way to invest in the future of your family． This sounds simple， and you may think it's a no﹣brainer， but take some time to think on it further．

I said INVEST．

I did not say GIVE

Let me explain．

Purely giving material things to your siblings（兄弟姐妹） may appear to be right decision． So you buy them a car， a big house， pay， all of their bill． You want them to live a beautiful comfortable life， right？

But the day will come when you realize that as much as you believed you were doing the right thing， you were actually holding them back．

You will come to understand that you were taking care of them because it made YOU feel good， it made YOU happy to see them smiling and without a care in the world ﹣ and that was extremely selfish of you． While you were feeling satisfied with yourself， you were slowly eating away at their own dreams and ambitions． You were adding material things to their lives， but subtracting the most precious gifts of all．

Invest in their future， don't just give．

Use your success， wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose． Put them through school， set them up with job interviews and help them become leaders in their own right． Hold them to the same level of hard work and dedication that it took for you to get to where you are now， and where you will eventually go．

I'm writing you now so that you can begin this process immediately， and so that you don't have to deal with the hurt and struggle of weaning（断绝） them off of the addiction that you facilitated That addiction only leads to anger， hatred and jealousy from everybody involved， including yourself．

As time goes on， you will see them grow independently and have their own ambitions and their own lives， and your relationship with all of them will be much better as a result．

Trust me， setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and headache， some of which remains to this day．

Much love，

1.What might be the best title of his letter？

A.To My Younger Self

B.For My Dear Family

C.To My Beloved Son

D.For My Older Self

2.What may be "the most precious gifts of all" in the underlined part？

A.Independence and growth

B.wealth and health

C.love and dedication

D.success and leadership

3.What can we infer from this letter？

A.The writer will stop offering his siblings help in the future．

B.The writer didn't think it a good fortune to become successful early．

C.The writer intends to remind others not to care too much about materials

D.The writer was once troubled by the relationship between him and his family．

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It didn't take the children long to _______ the correct answer.

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析