In 1973, a book ________ that plants can feel...

In 1973, a book ________ that plants can feel emotions, prefer classical music, and can respond to the unspoken thoughts of humans landed on the New York Times best-seller list.

A. having claimed　　 B. had claimed

C. claiming　 　　　　 　 D. claimed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Because plants cannot move or talk, most people believe that they have no feelings and that they cannot receive signals from outside. However, this may not be completely true.

People who studied plants have found out that plants carry a small electrical charge (电荷). It is possible to measure this charge with a small piece of equipment called “galvanometer”. The galvanometer is placed on a leaf off the plant, and it records any changes in the electrical field of the leaf. Humans have a similar field which can change when we are shocked or frightened.

A man called Backster used a galvanometer for his studies of plants and was very surprised at his results. He found that if he had two or more plants in a room and he began to destroy one of them － perhaps by pulling off its leaves or by pulling it out of its pot － then the galvanometer on the leaves of the other plants showed a change in the electrical field. It seemed as if the plants were signalling a feeling of shock. This happened not only when Backster started to destroy plants, but also when he destroyed other living things such as insects (昆虫).

Backster said that the plants also knew if someone had destroyed a living thing some distance away, because they signalled when a man who had just cut down a tree entered the room.

Another scientist, named Sauvin, achieved similar results to Backster’s. He kept galvanometers fixed to his plants all the time and checked regularly to see what the plants were doing. If he was out of the office, he telephoned to find out about the signals the plants were sending. In this way, he found that the plants were sending out signals at the exact times when he felt strong pleasure or pain. In fact, Sauvin could cause a change in the electrical field of his plants over a distance of a few miles simply by thinking about them.

1.Backster was surprised at the results of his studies because _____.

2.The plants sent out signals _____.

3.The scientist called Sauvin _____.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How can we measure animals’ emotions? A new study of animal’s emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make. The article of the study by Bristol University’s professor Mike Mendl was published online.

An animal living in an environment where it is often threatened by predators(捕食者）will develop a negative emotion or “mood”, such as anxiety. However, one in an environment with plenty of opportunities to get resources for survival will be in a more positive mood state.

The researchers say that these emotional states not only show the animal’s experiences, but also help it decide how to make choices, especially in unclear situations. This could have good or bad results. An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a “pessimistic” response to an unclear event. For example, it considers a noise in the grass as a signal of the predator. At the same time, an animal in a positive mood state will benefit from a more “optimistic” response. It considers the noise as a signal of prey(猎物）.

Professor Mike Mendl, head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Research Group at Bristol University’s School of Clinical Veterinary Science said, “ We can use “optimistic” or “pessimistic”decision-making as a symbol of an animal’s emotional state. Recent studies by our group and others suggest that this is a meritorious new approach to studying a variety of animal species.”

“Public interest in animal welfare remains high, with widespread concern about the way in which animals are treated, used and included in society. To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives,” Mike Mendl said. The researchers believe Mike Mendl’s study can help them to better understand and assess an animal’s emotions.

1.When an animal is in a negative mood state, _______.

A. its response to an unclear event is pessimistic

B. it will pay little attention to an unclear event

C. it is easy for it to make right decisions

D. it has more opportunities to get food

2.The underlined word “meritorious” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “_______”.

A. valuable　　　　　　　 B. useless　　　　　　 C. fashionable　　　　　 D. hopeless

3.We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. the animals with positive emotions live longer

B. there is no way to assess an animal’s emotions

C. few people care about animal welfare nowadays

D. the environment can influence animal’s emotions

4.Mike Mendl advised people to better understand animal’s emotions in order to _____.

A. tell people to build more protected areas for animals

B. explain animals should be regarded as people’s friends

C. raise people’s interest in studying animals

D. make people know how to treat animals properly

5.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Different kinds of Animals’ Emotions

B. Emotions Helps Animals to Make Choice

C. The Living Environment of Wild Animals

D. The Best Way to Measure Animals’ Emotions

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For the first time, researchers have discovered that some plants can kill insects in order to get additional nutrients. New research shows that they catch and kill small insects with their own sticky hairs near the roots and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the insects are killed and fall to the ground.

Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated (改良的) tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.”

The number of these carnivorous plants is thought to have came up to 50 percent and many of them have until now been wrongly regarded as among the most harmless plants. Among them are species of petunia（矮牵牛）, some special tobacco plants and cabbages, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, etc. Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realized.

It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild to get necessary nutrients in poor quality soil – and even various plants grown in your vegetable garden still have the ability.

The researchers, publishing their finding in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.” “We are accustomed to thinking of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply frightening about the thought of meat-eating plants," they added.

1.Tomatoes and potatoes kill insects to _____.

A. get more sticky hairs

B. make themselves grow better

C. make their roots stronger

D. avoid falling down to the ground

2.The word “carnivorous” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _____.

A. fast-growing

B. harmless

C. insect-killing

D. nutritious

3.The insect-killing technique of vegetables is developed most probably through _____.

A. evolution of species

B. helps from other garden plants

C. artificial cultivation

D. nutrients preserved in rich soil

4.The text is probably taken from _____.

A. a student book

B. a science fiction

C. a scientific repot

D. a bulletin board

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For the first time, researchers have discovered that some plants can kill insects in order to get additional nutrients. New research shows that they catch and kill small insects with their own sticky hairs near the roots and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the insects are killed and fall to the ground.

Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated (改良的) tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.”

The number of these carnivorous plants is thought to have came up to 50 percent and many of them have until now been wrongly regarded as among the most harmless plants. Among them are species of petunia(矮牵牛), some special tobacco plants and cabbages, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, etc. Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realized.

It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild to get necessary nutrients in poor quality soil ­ and even various plants grown in your vegetable garden still have the ability.

The researchers, publishing their finding in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.” “We are accustomed to thinking of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply frightening about the thought of meat­eating plants，” they added.

1.Tomatoes and potatoes kill insects to ________.

A．get more sticky hairs

B．make themselves grow better

C．make their roots stronger

D．avoid falling down to the ground

2.The word “carnivorous” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．fast­growing　 B．harmless

C．insect­killing　 D．nutritious

3.The insect­killing technique of vegetables is　 developed most probably through ________.

A．evolution of species

B．helps from other garden plants

C．artificial cultivation

D．nutrients preserved in rich soil

4.The text is probably taken from ________.

A．a student book　     B．a science fiction

C．a scientific repot　     D．a bulletin board

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We'd better grow the plant in a ________ plastic box so that the children can see the roots growing.

A．safe　     B．square

C．transparent　     D． thick

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the botanic garden we can find a（n）______of plants that range from tall trees to small flowers.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

—Are there any areas that you feel not ____ in the book? —Sorry．I've no idea．

A．produced　　　　 B．filled　　　　　　　　 C．referred　　　　　　　 D. covered

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Do you feel sad? Happy? Angry? You may think that the way you show these emotions is unique. Well, think again. Even the expression of the most personal feelings can be classified, according to Mind Reading, a DVD exhibiting every possible human emotion．1.

In the mid 1800s, Darwin divided the emotions into six types—anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise and enjoyment．More complex expressions of emotion were probably learned and therefore more specific to each culture．But now it is believed that many more facial expressions are shared worldwide．2.The Mind Reading DVD is a systematic visual record of these expressions．

The project was designed by a Cambridge professor．His research team first had to define an "emotion"．3.Using this definition, 412 emotion terms were identified and discussed, from "afraid" to "wanting"．

Then each expression is acted out by six different actors．"It was really clear when the actors had got it right," says Cathy Collis, who directed the DVD．"Although they were given some direction, the actors were not told which facial muscles they should move．4.

Someone who has tried to set such rules is the American, Professor Paul Ekman, who built database of how the face moves for every emotion．The face can make 43 distinct muscle movements．Ekman has also found that it may not be possible for people to reproduce them artificially．The most difficult expression to reproduce is the smile．It isn't only about stretching the lips, but tightening the tiny muscles around the eyes．5.If we learnt to recognize whether someone was using their eye muscle when they smiled, we would be able to distinguish true enjoyment from false.

A.It shows 412 distinct ways we feel．

B.These can be combined into more than 10,000 facial shapes．

C.These particular muscles are difficult to control, and few people can do it．

D.They decided that it was a mental state that could be introduced by "I feel" or "he looks "or "she sounds"．

E.He said the expression of these feelings was universal and recognizable by anyone, from any culture．

F.It is as if they are programmed into the brains of "normal humans" wherever they are and whatever their races．

G.We thought of trying to describe each emotion, but it would have been almost impossible to make clear rules for this．

高三英语七选五简单题查看答案及解析

Do you feel sad? Happy? Angry? You may think that the way you show these emotions is unique. Well, think again. Even the expression of the most personal feelings can be classified, according to Mind Reading, a DVD exhibiting every possible human emotion．　 1.

In the mid 1800s, Darwin divided the emotions into six types—anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise and enjoyment．More complex expressions of emotion were probably learned and therefore more specific to each culture．But now it is believed that many more facial expressions are shared worldwide．　 2.　 The Mind Reading DVD is a systematic visual record of these expressions．

The project was designed by a Cambridge professor．His research team first had to define an "emotion"．　　 3.　 Using this definition, 412 emotion terms were identified and discussed, from "afraid" to "wanting"．

Then each expression is acted out by six different actors．"It was really clear when the actors had got it right," says Cathy Collis, who directed the DVD．"Although they were given some direction, the actors were not told which facial muscles they should move． 　 4.

Someone who has tried to set such rules is the American, Professor Paul Ekman, who built database of how the face moves for every emotion．The face can make 43 distinct muscle movements．Ekman has also found that it may not be possible for people to reproduce them artificially．The most difficult expression to reproduce is the smile．It isn't only about stretching the lips, but tightening the tiny muscles around the eyes．5. If we learnt to recognize whether someone was using their eye muscle when they smiled, we would be able to distinguish true enjoyment from false．

A．It shows 412 distinct ways we feel．

B．These can be combined into more than 10,000 facial shapes．

C．These particular muscles are difficult to control, and few people can do it．

D．They decided that it was a mental state that could be introduced by "I feel" or "he looks "or "she sounds"．

E．He said the expression of these feelings was universal and recognizable by anyone, from any culture．

F．It is as if they are programmed into the brains of "normal humans" wherever they are and whatever their races．

G．We thought of trying to describe each emotion, but it would have been almost impossible to make clear rules for this．

高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析