Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons（季风）, but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
Every year, moist （潮湿的）air masses，known as monsoon，produce large amounts of rainfall in India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
According to Edward Cook , a weather expert at Columbia University in New York., the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings, or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.
Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.” With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve computer climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So, to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”
1.What’sthe passage mainly about？
A. The effects of Asian monsoons.
B. A breakthrough in monsoon prediction.
C. The achievements of Edward cook.
D. The necessity of weather forecast.
2. It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because_________
A. it is hard to keep long-term climate records.
B. they are formed under complex climate systems.
C. they influence many nations.
D. there is heavy rainfall in Asia.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Long and details climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research.
B. The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years.
C. The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak.
D. The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas.
4.What do we know about the research according to Eugene Wahl?
A. It will help people prevent droughts and floods.
B. It should include information about human life in the past.
C. It has analyzed moisture models world wide,
D. It is a great achievement in climate science.
5.Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?
A. Humorous B. Pessimistic
C. Matter-of –fact D. Friendly.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons（季风）, but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
Every year, moist （潮湿的）air masses，known as monsoon，produce large amounts of rainfall in India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
According to Edward Cook , a weather expert at Columbia University in New York., the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings, or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.
Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.” With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve computer climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So, to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”
1.What’sthe passage mainly about？
A. The effects of Asian monsoons.
B. A breakthrough in monsoon prediction.
C. The achievements of Edward cook.
D. The necessity of weather forecast.
2. It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because_________
A. it is hard to keep long-term climate records.
B. they are formed under complex climate systems.
C. they influence many nations.
D. there is heavy rainfall in Asia.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Long and details climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research.
B. The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years.
C. The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak.
D. The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas.
4.What do we know about the research according to Eugene Wahl?
A. It will help people prevent droughts and floods.
B. It should include information about human life in the past.
C. It has analyzed moisture models world wide,
D. It is a great achievement in climate science.
5.Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?
A. Humorous B. Pessimistic
C. Matter-of –fact D. Friendly.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
By the middle of the 21st century, the vast majority of the world’s population _____ in cities rather than in the country.
A．are living B．will be living C．have lived D．will have lived
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Iceland is a large island. In fact, it’s the world’s 18th largest island. Most of the population, however, lives in the southwestern part of the country, in or around the capital city of Reykjavik. By its very name, you’d expect Iceland to be mostly ice. Looking at Iceland on a map, you’ll notice it sits just outside the Arctic Circle. Despite this location and its name, Iceland actually has a temperate climate, because it is warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream also helps keep Iceland’s coastal ports ice-free through the winter.
There is plenty of ice on Iceland, though. The country consists of a large plateau(高原)that includes fields of sand, mountains and glaciers. Over 60% of Iceland is tundra（苔原）. About 14% of Iceland is lakes and glaciers. Only about 24% of the country has plants or vegetation of any kind, which covers a vast area in the south of the country.
Iceland was settled in the late 800s and early 900s by Norsemen from the Scandinavian country of Norway. Other settlers also came from Ireland and Scotland. From the 13th century up until 1918, Iceland was part of the Norwegian and later Danish monarchies. For most of that time, the small Icelandic population depended upon fishing and farming to make a living. For hundreds of years, Iceland was one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. After World War II, international aid and industrialization of the fishing industry turned Iceland into one of the wealthiest countries in the world. In 1994, Iceland became part of the European Economic Area(经济区), which allowed its economy to grow even more.
Iceland boasts one of the youngest islands in the world. Surtsey rose out of the ocean during a series of volcanic eruptions between 1963 and 1968. Today, only scientists who study the growth of new life can occasionally visit the volcanic island of Surtsey.
1.What can we know about Iceland according to the passage?
A.It lies in the Arctic Circle.
B.Its capital city is very crowded
C.Many people live in the east.
D.It has a fairly mild temperature.
2.What is mainly talked about in the third paragraph?
A.Iceland’s history.
B.Iceland’s geography.
C.Iceland’s economy.
D.Iceland’s politics.
3.What can we infer about Surtsey from the last paragraph?
A.People live on fishing.
B.No human beings live there at all.
C.There are many visitors.
D.Science is developing fast there.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Once out of the earth’s gravity, the astronaut is________ by the problem of weightlessness.
| A．affected | B．effected | C．related | D．offered |
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The population of Africa is ________ so rapidly as to cause concern of the whole world.
A. expanding B. circulating C. exporting D. spreading
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is true that world population is growing, but this is not the cause of our current and future global problems. Believing this will cause us to ignore the real problem and risk long-term damage to our planet.
Let me start by explaining why overpopulation is a myth. For one thing, the UN Population Division regularly predicts population growth but provides a low variant (变量), medium variant, and high variant to factor in various possibilities. In the 2010 revision, their high variant suggests that the world population will be almost 16 billion in 2100, but the low variant predicts it will peak at 8 billion and decrease to just over 6 billion by 2100. In most cases, it is the low variant that has come true in the past, suggesting the same will be true of their future population predictions. In addition to this, the size of families is actually decreasing.
For another, if the Earth is overpopulated, there needs to be insufficient (短缺) food, water, and space for humans to live. However, Indian economist Raj Krishna estimates that India alone is able to increase crop produce to the point of providing the entire world’s food supply. The World Food Programme confirms that there is sufficient food grown to feed the world and there is the same amount of fresh water on the planet now as there was 10,000 years ago. So how is it possible that the number of people in the world is affecting our planet?
Therefore, it is not an increase in population but an increase in consumption that is a severe threat. Materialism and overconsumption are facts of life for everybody in the western world, as possessions reflect a person’s status in society and people strive to obtain happiness through owning the latest fashionable goods. Not only that, but waste is a common occurrence which has a huge effect on our resources. It is a sad truth that 80% of the world’s resources are currently used by just 20% of the world’s population.
Our overconsumption must be addressed now to make our lives more sustainable (可持续的) and avoid continuing the terrible damage to the environment we are causing. The key is education. If we do not work towards this but instead focus on the wrong issue, we may find ourselves living on a planet that can no longer sustain human life.
1.According to the author, what causes our current and future global problems?
A. The increase in population.
B. Shortage of food and water.
C. The fast growth of material needs.
D. Failure to protect the environment.
2.The underlined word “myth” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. fact B. misunderstanding C. possibility D. uncertainty
3.The author stresses that _____.
A. people should save food and water
B. economists are making wrong predictions
C. wrong judgment leads to serious consequences
D. measures should be taken to reduce population
4.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A. The real cause of global problems.
B. The severe effect of overpopulation.
C. Reasonable use of natural resources.
D. Methods to reduce overconsumption.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is true that world population is growing, but this is not the cause of our current and future global problems. Believing this will cause us to ignore the real problem and risk long-term damage to our planet.
Let me start by explaining why overpopulation is a myth. For one thing, the UN Population Division regularly predicts population growth but provides a low variant (变量), medium variant, and high variant to factor in various possibilities. In the 2010 revision, their high variant suggests that the world population will be almost 16 billion in 2100, but the low variant predicts it will peak（达到顶峰） at 8 billion and decrease to just over 6 billion by 2100. In most cases, it is the low variant that has come true in the past, suggesting the same will be true of their future population predictions. In addition to this, the size of families is actually decreasing.
For another, if the Earth is overpopulated, there needs to be insufficient (短缺) food, water, and space for humans to live. However, Indian economist Raj Krishna estimates that India alone is able to increase crop produce to the point of providing the entire world’s food supply. The World Food Programme confirms that there is sufficient food grown to feed the world and there is the same amount of fresh water on the planet now as there was 10,000 years ago. So how is it possible that the number of people in the world is affecting our planet?
Therefore, it is not an increase in population but an increase in consumption that is a severe threat. Materialism and overconsumption are facts of life for everybody in the western world, as possessions reflect a person’s status in society and people strive to obtain happiness through owning the latest fashionable goods. Not only that, but waste is a common occurrence which has a huge effect on our resources. It is a sad truth that 80% of the world’s resources are currently used by just 20% of the world’s population.
Our overconsumption must be addressed now to make our lives more sustainable and avoid continuing the terrible damage to the environment we are causing. The key is education. If we do not work towards this but instead focus on the wrong issue, we may find ourselves living on a planet that can no longer sustain human life.
1.According to the author, what causes our current and future global problems?
A. The increase in population.
B. Shortage of food and water.
C. The fast growth of material needs.
D. Failure to protect the environment.
2.The underlined word “myth” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. fact B. uncertainty
C. possibility D. misconception
3.The author stresses that _____.
A. people should save food and water
B. economists are making wrong predictions
C. wrong judgment leads to serious consequences
D. measures should be taken to reduce population
4.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A. The real cause of global problems.
B. The severe effect of overpopulation.
C. Reasonable use of natural resources.
D. Methods to reduce overconsumption.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The population of Africa is __________ so rapidly as to cause great concern of the whole world.
A. expanding B. stretching C. extending D. spreading
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The population of China is larger than ______ of any other country in the world.
A. that B. it C. one D. this
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
In many situations, the quality of your travel experience is directly affected by your ability to understand the local language. For some travelers, the challenge of learning a new tongue is one of the joys of travel, and as a result, they spend much of their time in conversations with local citizens. Others will find that just learning to read the most common signs and use every-day greetings is enough.
No matter which view you agree with, it’s necessary to take some time to learn some of the simple phrases of the new language before you go. One way of finishing this task is by listening to the new language. A phrase book can help expand your vocabulary, but hearing the sounds of the different spoken words is an excellent activity that can be done right in the comfort of your home. You can see movies in the new language or listen to the tapes or CDs. You can also download some listening material from the Internet. Just spending 15 minutes a night will improve your language skills.
When you arrive in the new land, begin by greeting new friends in their own tongue. This may come easy or it could take some time to learn, but it’s interesting. If you can’t do this, then it means that you will need more practice and patience to learn these very important words. You can go out during the day and begin one-on-one conversations with shop owners, business-men and taxi drivers. This should not be done until you have learned some of the most common phrases, but once you begin to go shopping in a second language your communication skills will start to improve rapidly. You can also watch the local TV or listen to the local radio. For example, the advertisements will help you recognize the correct pronunciation of local street names.
1.What’s the text mainly about?
A. How important it is to learn a new language.
B. How to enjoy oneself during travel.
C. How to learn a new language during travel.
D. How to prepare for travel.
2.One should start one-on-one conversations with the local people _____.
A. as soon as he arrives in the place he is visiting
B. after he has seen many movies in the local tongue
C. after he has mastered enough vocabulary to go shopping
D. when he has learned some of the most common phrases
3.According to the author, the local advertisements can help travelers _____.
A. learn more about local business
B. know the right pronunciation of the street names
C. improve communication skills more rapidly
D. understand the local people’s dialogues
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析