Until recently, scientists and authors were in absolute disagreement over the point of crying. In King Henry VI, Shakespeare wrote,”…, to weep is to make less the depth of grief”, and the American writer Lemony Snicket said “unless you have been very, very lucky, you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit”.
Charles Darwin, on the other hand, thought that shedding tears (the act of crying) was merely a useless side effect of the way that the muscles around the eye worked. For him, those muscles had to contract（收缩）from time to time so that they didn’t overflow with blood; the expulsion of tears was simply an unintended consequence of that evolved physiological（生理学的）process. He did acknowledge that crying could help young infants attract the attention of their parents, though.
We now know that crying—at least, the sort that adults do—is a complex physiological response to some kind of emotional stimulus. The most noticeable feature is of course the shedding of tears, but it also includes changes in facial expressions and breathing patterns.
From a scientific perspective, crying is different from shedding the kind of tears like when you accidentally rub your eyes after eating spicy foods. Even the tears themselves are different. In 1981, Minnesota psychiatrist William H Frey II discovered that tears flowing due to sad movies had more protein in them than those that flowed in response to some freshly chopped onions.
If you shed tears of laughter when seeing a funny comedy show or you're moved to tears when listening to a bridegroom’s wedding vows to his bride, you may know that emotional tears aren't limited to feelings of deep sadness. While all of us are familiar with the feelings that are associated with crying, whether for joy or sorrow, we know little about why we do it as adults-but there are plenty of ideas.
One idea is that adult crying isn't actually all that different from the sort that babies do, at least when it comes to its social nature. In other words, perhaps weeping is a literal cry for attention, a means of soliciting support and help from our friends when we need it the most. It’s a way of communicating our inner emotional state at a time when we may not be able to express it clearly.
While this may explain some forms of crying, many researchers have found that adults often cry when they’re completely alone. Another possibility is that crying might serve as a means of “secondary appraisal,” helping people to realize just how upset they are, a way of just how upset they are and helping them understand their own feelings.
Another idea is that crying provides relief from stressful situations. The idea is consistent not only with the words of Shakespeare, but also with the words of Roman Poet Ovid, who wrote, “It is some relief to weep; grief is satisfied and carried off by tears.” The Greek Philosopher Aristotle also wrote that crying “cleanses the mind”. In a 1986 study of popular US magazines and newspapers, one psychologist found that 94% of articles about crying suggested that it helped to relieve psychological tension.
Indeed, a 2008 study of nearly 4,300 young adults from 30 countries found that most reported improvements in both their mental and physical well-being after a short period of crying, but not all. Some reported no change after a crying session, and some even said that they felt worse afterwards.
The difference seems to lie in the social context: if a person felt embarrassed about crying in public, for example, they might feel less resolved than if they cried alone or with a friend. The study also found that when people tried to suppress or hide their crying, they ended up feeling less relieved afterwards.
So the notion of having “a good cry” is not without merit. In the end, adults might just cry for the same reason as human infants: to seek help from their friends and family.
1.According to Darwin, shedding tears was ________.
A. the same thing as crying
B. aimed at attracting other’s attention
C. nothing but a physiological process
D. an effective way to get rid of negative emotions
2.What can we learn from the passage about crying?
A. It can benefit people’s eye muscles.
B. It is a response to the stimulus to eyes.
C. It is usually caused by painful emotions.
D. It can cause changes in people's outward features.
3.The underlined word “soliciting” in Paragraph 6 can be best replaced by “________”.
A. refusing B. seeking
C. providing D. receiving
4.Who doesn’t share the same idea with Shakespeare about crying?
A. Lemony Snicket. B. Ovid.
C. Aristotle. D. Charles Darwin.
5.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Why do people cry B. Experiments on crying
C. Different types of crying D. Is having a cry good for us
高二英语阅读理解困难题
Until recently, scientists and authors were in absolute disagreement over the point of crying. In King Henry VI, Shakespeare wrote,”…, to weep is to make less the depth of grief”, and the American writer Lemony Snicket said “unless you have been very, very lucky, you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit”.
Charles Darwin, on the other hand, thought that shedding tears (the act of crying) was merely a useless side effect of the way that the muscles around the eye worked. For him, those muscles had to contract（收缩）from time to time so that they didn’t overflow with blood; the expulsion of tears was simply an unintended consequence of that evolved physiological（生理学的）process. He did acknowledge that crying could help young infants attract the attention of their parents, though.
We now know that crying—at least, the sort that adults do—is a complex physiological response to some kind of emotional stimulus. The most noticeable feature is of course the shedding of tears, but it also includes changes in facial expressions and breathing patterns.
From a scientific perspective, crying is different from shedding the kind of tears like when you accidentally rub your eyes after eating spicy foods. Even the tears themselves are different. In 1981, Minnesota psychiatrist William H Frey II discovered that tears flowing due to sad movies had more protein in them than those that flowed in response to some freshly chopped onions.
If you shed tears of laughter when seeing a funny comedy show or you're moved to tears when listening to a bridegroom’s wedding vows to his bride, you may know that emotional tears aren't limited to feelings of deep sadness. While all of us are familiar with the feelings that are associated with crying, whether for joy or sorrow, we know little about why we do it as adults-but there are plenty of ideas.
One idea is that adult crying isn't actually all that different from the sort that babies do, at least when it comes to its social nature. In other words, perhaps weeping is a literal cry for attention, a means of soliciting support and help from our friends when we need it the most. It’s a way of communicating our inner emotional state at a time when we may not be able to express it clearly.
While this may explain some forms of crying, many researchers have found that adults often cry when they’re completely alone. Another possibility is that crying might serve as a means of “secondary appraisal,” helping people to realize just how upset they are, a way of just how upset they are and helping them understand their own feelings.
Another idea is that crying provides relief from stressful situations. The idea is consistent not only with the words of Shakespeare, but also with the words of Roman Poet Ovid, who wrote, “It is some relief to weep; grief is satisfied and carried off by tears.” The Greek Philosopher Aristotle also wrote that crying “cleanses the mind”. In a 1986 study of popular US magazines and newspapers, one psychologist found that 94% of articles about crying suggested that it helped to relieve psychological tension.
Indeed, a 2008 study of nearly 4,300 young adults from 30 countries found that most reported improvements in both their mental and physical well-being after a short period of crying, but not all. Some reported no change after a crying session, and some even said that they felt worse afterwards.
The difference seems to lie in the social context: if a person felt embarrassed about crying in public, for example, they might feel less resolved than if they cried alone or with a friend. The study also found that when people tried to suppress or hide their crying, they ended up feeling less relieved afterwards.
So the notion of having “a good cry” is not without merit. In the end, adults might just cry for the same reason as human infants: to seek help from their friends and family.
1.According to Darwin, shedding tears was ________.
A. the same thing as crying
B. aimed at attracting other’s attention
C. nothing but a physiological process
D. an effective way to get rid of negative emotions
2.What can we learn from the passage about crying?
A. It can benefit people’s eye muscles.
B. It is a response to the stimulus to eyes.
C. It is usually caused by painful emotions.
D. It can cause changes in people's outward features.
3.The underlined word “soliciting” in Paragraph 6 can be best replaced by “________”.
A. refusing B. seeking
C. providing D. receiving
4.Who doesn’t share the same idea with Shakespeare about crying?
A. Lemony Snicket. B. Ovid.
C. Aristotle. D. Charles Darwin.
5.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Why do people cry B. Experiments on crying
C. Different types of crying D. Is having a cry good for us
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20 percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers (海洋学家), industry and governments.
The new map is twice as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean.
The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth's orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency's Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar (声波定位仪) equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed.
The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor.
David Sandwell says the map is a powerful tool for fisheries, those interested in protecting the environment and for oil exploration.
“The petrol exploration industry is interested in how to reconnect the continents, bring them back together tectonically so you can map the basins （盆地）on one continental edge—say, Africa—and use that to establish where the similar basin would be on the other continental edge in South America.”
If scientists know that information, they may be able to find oil fields. The new data also will help scientists improve their estimates of ocean depths. This information can help ships travel safely and improve military operations and scientific projects worldwide.
Mr. Sandwell thinks scientists will make many more discoveries as they examine the new map and the information it provides.
1.Which one is not mentioned about the benefits brought by the new map?
A. Fisheries. B. Scientific projects.
C. Ship manufacture. D. Oil exploration.
2.What can we know about the new map?
A. It shows where earthquakes will happen.
B. It will be helpful to industry and governments.
C. It is three times as detailed as the old one years ago.
D. It is based on the data gathered by the spaceships.
3.The text is likely to appear in _________.
A. a sicence fiction B. an advertisement
C. a science magazine D. a finance report
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. The detailed picture of the oceans
B. Underwater mountains and places
C. More discoveries about the oceans
D. Scientists create new maps of ocean floor
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
At the awarding ceremony held in Tokyo, the scientists were surprised by what ______ in science and technology.
A.has discovered B.has been discovered
C.had discovered D.had been discovered
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Only in 1996 the determination and patience of the scientists with a breakthrough at last .
A. were ; paid off B. did; pay back C. did ; pay off D. did ; pay for
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Rachel Carson was an American author and environmental protection scientist. “Silent Spring” was her most famous book. The idea for the book developed from a suggestion from a friend. Rachel’s friend owned a protected area for birds. An airplane had flown over the area where the birds were kept and spread a powerful chemical called DDT. Many songbirds and harmless insects were killed by the DDT.
Miss Carson and other scientists were very concerned about the harmful effects of DDT and other insect-killing chemicals called pesticides. Rachel Carson tried to get many magazines interested in publishing a report about the subject. However, none would agree to publish anything about such a debate subject. They said no one wanted to hear that industrial companies could cause great ecological damage.
Miss Carson believed the public needed to know about this important issue. She decided to write a book about it. In her book “Silent Spring”, Miss Carson questioned the right of industrial companies to pollute without considering the effects on the environment. Miss Carson argued that this kind of pollution would result in ever-decreasing populations of birds and other wildlife. She said this would lead to the loss of the wonderful sounds of nature. The chemical poisoning of the environment, she said, would cause a silent spring.
The chemical industry felt threatened. Industry spokesmen and other critics said the book was non-scientific and emotional. They misunderstood the message of the book. Miss Carson did not suggest that all pesticides be banned. She urged that control of these substances be given to biologists who could make informed decisions about the risks involved.
Support for the book increased. By the end of 1962, there were more than forty bills in state laws proposing to control pesticides. Finally, in November, 1969, the United States government ruled that the use of DDT must stop in two years.
Rachel Carson did not live to see how her book influenced the government’s decision to ban DDT. She died of breast cancer in 1964.
1.What gets Rachel Carson to write the book?
A.The area of protection.
B.A powerful chemical called DDT.
C.Killed songbirds and insects.
D.The advice given by Rachel’s friend.
2.No magazines agreed to publish the harmful effect of DDT because ______.
A.it was an unimportant subject for them
B.they were afraid of being involved in the quarrel
C.they had no environmental consciousness at all
D.DDT was necessary for industry development
3.Industry spokesman’s attitude towards the book is that of ______.
A.tolerance B.criticism
C.unconcern D.praise
4.What does the passage mainly tell about?
A.The influence of the book “Silent Spring”.
B.Rachel Carson’s book“Silent Spring”.
C.Environmental protection.
D.Why DDT is forbidden.
5.What does the topic of the book “Silent Spring” imply?
A.DDT was forbidden to be used in spring.
B.Wildlife would disappear by and by.
C.Miss Carson enjoyed silence in spring.
D.If only it could be silent in spring.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.
1. If you’re obese, blame your genes.
Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.
At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.
2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control.
Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant(警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.
Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.
4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don’t exercise.
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.
1.The author mentioned Deborah Cohen’s book in Paragraph 1 to _______.
A. introduce the topic
B. draw readers’ attention
C. introduce the author of the book
D. advertise the book
2.What is the relationship between obesity and the place where you eat?
A. The less you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
B. The less you eat at home, the lower rates of obesity you have.
C. The more you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
D. The more you eat at home, the higher rates of obesity you have.
3.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Four misunderstandings of obesity.
B. Four rules to help you avoid obesity.
C. Obesity leads to a big fat crisis.
D. Lacking self-control leads to obesity.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If life were a book and you were the author, how would you like the story to go? That is the question that _________ my life forever.
One day I went home from the training of snowboarding with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later, I was in a __________ on life support with less than twenty percent __________ of living. It wasn’t until days later that the doctors diagnosed me with a ___________ blood infection. Over the __________ of 2.5 months, I lost the hearing in my left ear and both my legs below the knees. When my parents ___________ me out of the hospital, I __________ that I had been put together like a patchwork （拼接物）doll and I had to live with ___________ legs. I was absolutely physically and emotionally broken, ________ streaming down.
But I knew in order to move forward, I had to let go of the Old Amy and ____________ the New Amy. It was at this moment that I asked myself that significant ______________ . And that is when it __________ me that I didn’t have to be five-foot-five anymore, __________ I could be as tall as I wanted. And ________ of all, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes. So there were _________ here.
Four months later, I was back upon a __________. And this February, I won two Board World Cup gold medals, _________ me the highest ranked snowboarder in the world.
So, instead of looking at our ____________ and limitations as something ____________ or bad, we can begin looking at them as a wonderful ____________ that can be used to help us to further than we ever know we could go.
1.A. ruined B. changed C. saved D. risked
2.A. field B. stadium C. hospital D. club
3.A. chance B. decision C. thought D. degree
4.A. potential B. slight C. mild D. severe
5.A. course B. schedule C. journey D. break
6.A. pulled B. delivered C. wheeled D. dragged
7.A. worked out B. put forward C. made sure D. felt like
8.A. shapely B. false C. muscled D. heavy
9.A. tears B. water C. blood D. sweat
10.A. fix B. introduce C. hug D. recognize
11.A. information B. favor C. plan D. question
12.A. depended on B. looked into C. dawned on D. knocked into
13.A. while B. but C. although D. so
14.A. best B. luckiest C. first D. strangest
15.A. rewards B. conflicts C. struggles D. benefits
16.A. track B. playground C. stage D. snowboard
17.A. calling B. making C. allowing D. giving
18.A. devotions B. hesitations C. challenges D. achievements
19.A. negative B. terminal C. active D. amazing
20.A. tool B. gift C. ability D. skill
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
If your life were a book and you were the author, how would you want your story to go? That’s the question that changed my life forever.
At the age of 19, I became a massage therapist(治疗师). For the first time in my life, I felt free, independent and completely in control of my life. That is, until my life took a detour. I was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis . Over the course of two months, I lost my spleen(脾) , my kidneys , and both of my legs below the knees.
One day, I went home. I crawled into bed and this is what my life looked like for the next few months: me passed out, escaping from reality, with my legs resting by my side. I was completely physically and emotionally broken. But I knew that in order to move forward, I had to let go of the old Amy and learn to embrace the new Amy. And that is when I began to realize that I didn’t have to be small any more. I could be as tall as I wanted or as short as I wanted depending on whom I was dating. And if I snowboard again, my feet aren’t going to get cold. And the best of all, I thought, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes that are on the sales shelf. And I did!
I started snowboarding. Then I went back to work. And then I co-founded a non-profit organization for physical disabilities so that they could get involved in action sports. And just this past February, I won two World Cup gold medals, making me the highest-ranked adaptive female snowboarder in the world.
Eleven years ago, when I lost my legs, I had no idea what to expect. But if you ask me today, if I would ever want to change my situation, I would have to say no, because my legs haven’t disabled me. They’ve forced me to rely on my imagination and to believe in possibilities, and that’s why I believe that our imaginations can be used as tools for breaking through borders, because in our minds, we can do anything and we can be anything. It’s belief in those dreams and facing our fears directly that allow us to live our lives beyond our limits.
1.What can we learn from the underlined sentence in Paragraph3?
A.The author no longer wanted to make friends with Amy.
B.The author realized she had to learn to accept a new “herself” gladly.
C.The author wanted a new friend in her new life eagerly.
D.The author felt hard to choose between the old Amy and the new Amy.
2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.The author didn’t like her job as a massage therapist.
B.The author is still very sensitive to her disabilities.
C.The author has learnt to see her disabilities as blessings.
D.The author hopes to return to her old life.
3.What message does the author want to convey with her speech?
A.Roman is not built in one day.
B.Failure is the mother of success
C.Imagination is more important than knowledge.
D.It is not what happens to you but how you respond that counts.
4.The tone of the passage is best described as ________.
A.proud but stubborn B.interesting but regretful
C.optimistic and inspiring D.pessimistic and doubtful
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Recently some American scientists have given a useful piece of advice to people in industrialized countries.They say people should eat more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago.1.
The scientists say that human life has changed greatly. Our bodies have not been able to deal with these changes in lifestyle and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses.2.They are called“diseases of civilization”．Many cancers and diseases of the blood system are examples of such diseases.
The scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none.3.However, a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that today.
Stone Age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic (驯养的) ones. They ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits. They did not have milk or any other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains. 4. We eat six times more salt than our ancestors and we eat more sugar as well. We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein (蛋白质) and much less vitamin C.
5.But the scientists say that we would be much healthier if we eat much the same way the ancient people did, cutting the amount of fat, salty and sweet food.
A. Stone Age people lived a simple life without any meat.
B. But today, we enjoy eating a lot of these.
C. In that case, they would live a much healthier life.
D. Ancient people also got lots of physical exercise.
E. These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times.
F. People today probably don't want to live like our ancestors.
G. Modern people used to suffer from“diseases of civilization”．
高二英语阅读表达中等难度题查看答案及解析
Recently some American scientists have given a useful sincere piece of advice to people in industrialized nations that they would be much healthier if they ate more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago.
The scientists say that the human body has changed very little since humans first appeared on the earth, but the way we live has changed greatly. Our body has not been able to deal with these changes in life style and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses. These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times, so they are called “diseases of civilization”. Many cancers and diseases of the blood system, including heart attacks and strokes ( 中风 ) are examples of such diseases.
Scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none. Ancient people also got a great deal of physical exercise, but a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that of today.
Stone-age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic or tame ones ( 家畜 ). They also ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits. They didn’t have milk or any other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains. But today, we eat a large amount of these. We eat six times more salt than our remote ancestors. We eat more sugar. We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.
People today probably do not want to live the way people thousands of years ago did, but scientists say that we would be much healthier if we ate much the same way as remote ancestors did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.
1.What is the main cause that people suffer from a lot of new sicknesses?
A. Ancient people did a great deal of physical exercise.
B. People today have a lot of alcohol.
C. People today have more tobacco.
D. Food today is quite different from that of ancient times.
2.Which of the following belongs to the dairy products?
A. Milk B. Corn C. Pork D. Flour
3. New kinds of sicknesses have been found because ________.
A. the human body has changed compared with humans who first appeared on the earth
B. the way we live has changed a little
C. our body can’t deal with the changes in life style
D. the way we live today is proper for the human body
4. According to some scientists, Stone-age people were much healthier than people today because they ate a lot of ________.
A. milk and other dairy products B. salt and sugar
C. wild animals, fresh wild vegetables and fruits D. grain foods
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析