A new study has been carried to test the role of story telling in lowering blood pressure. Dr. Thomas Houston, a professor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, led a group of scientists that researched how pre-recorded videos of hypertension (高血压) patients' talking about their medical histories helped another group of patients with high blood pressure to control their condition over several months.
Houston was surprised by their studies that suggested that communication can be a powerful tool in medicine. They showed that those who had had similar experiences, when talking to someone with a similar background, could help change their behavior to become healthier. Hypertension is difficult to control, since it is dependent on diet, exercise and mental state. Medical treatments with drugs, and lifestyle therapies(疗法) have been relatively ineffective because people find it hard to follow those medical requirements.
In the test, his team carefully chose their story-tellers from 230 members of a patients' community with whom they could most easily relate. Next, they divided their study population into two groups. One received three interactive DVDs containing the tellers' stories of their experiences in living with and treating their hypertension. The other were given educational discs on an unrelated health topic. The study volunteers reported that they had listened to the DVDs, and after three months, those who heard the stories of the hypertensive patients lowered their blood pressure.
While the study did not address how the story-telling influenced the patients' behavior, Houston doubts that watching patients of similar backgrounds who had a similar medical experience helped to motivate them to seek medical help to their hypertension. They found that after six months the difference in blood pressure between those who watched the story-tellers and those who observed the unrelated videos remained, suggesting that the story-telling continued to have an effect.
1. We can learn from the text that the pre-recorded videos _________.
A. tell medical histories of hypertension patients
B. introduce some medical treatments of hypertension
C. introduce a good lifestyle for hypertensive patients
D. tell scientific discoveries of the scientist group
2.Houston was surprised to find that _______.
A. hypertension is really difficult to control
B. communication has some medical effects
C. medical treatments have no effect at all
D. people don't follow the medical requirements
3. The underlined word "address" in the last paragraph most probably means _______.
A. persuade B. observe C. attend D. announce
4. Which of the following could be the best title of the text?
A. The stories of some hypertension patients.
B. Medical treatments of blood pressure.
C. Storytelling may help lower blood pressure.
D. Suggestions about how to lower blood pressure.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
A new study has been carried to test the role of story telling in lowering blood pressure. Dr. Thomas Houston, a professor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, led a group of scientists that researched how pre-recorded videos of hypertension (高血压) patients' talking about their medical histories helped another group of patients with high blood pressure to control their condition over several months.
Houston was surprised by their studies that suggested that communication can be a powerful tool in medicine. They showed that those who had had similar experiences, when talking to someone with a similar background, could help change their behavior to become healthier. Hypertension is difficult to control, since it is dependent on diet, exercise and mental state. Medical treatments with drugs, and lifestyle therapies(疗法) have been relatively ineffective because people find it hard to follow those medical requirements.
In the test, his team carefully chose their story-tellers from 230 members of a patients' community with whom they could most easily relate. Next, they divided their study population into two groups. One received three interactive DVDs containing the tellers' stories of their experiences in living with and treating their hypertension. The other were given educational discs on an unrelated health topic. The study volunteers reported that they had listened to the DVDs, and after three months, those who heard the stories of the hypertensive patients lowered their blood pressure.
While the study did not address how the story-telling influenced the patients' behavior, Houston doubts that watching patients of similar backgrounds who had a similar medical experience helped to motivate them to seek medical help to their hypertension. They found that after six months the difference in blood pressure between those who watched the story-tellers and those who observed the unrelated videos remained, suggesting that the story-telling continued to have an effect.
1. We can learn from the text that the pre-recorded videos _________.
A. tell medical histories of hypertension patients
B. introduce some medical treatments of hypertension
C. introduce a good lifestyle for hypertensive patients
D. tell scientific discoveries of the scientist group
2.Houston was surprised to find that _______.
A. hypertension is really difficult to control
B. communication has some medical effects
C. medical treatments have no effect at all
D. people don't follow the medical requirements
3. The underlined word "address" in the last paragraph most probably means _______.
A. persuade B. observe C. attend D. announce
4. Which of the following could be the best title of the text?
A. The stories of some hypertension patients.
B. Medical treatments of blood pressure.
C. Storytelling may help lower blood pressure.
D. Suggestions about how to lower blood pressure.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Recently a new study has been carried out. It shows students who write notes by hand during lectures perform better on exams than those who use laptops.
Students are increasingly using laptops for note-taking because of speed and legibility (清晰度). But the research has found laptop users are less able to remember and apply the concepts they have been taught.
Researchers performed experiments that aimed to find out whether using a laptop increased the tendency to make notes “mindlessly” by taking down word for word what the professors said.
In the first experiment, students were given either a laptop or pen and paper. They listened to the same lectures and were told to use their usual note-taking skills. Thirty minutes after the talk, they were examined on their ability to remember facts and on how well they understood concepts.
The researchers found that laptop users took twice as many notes as those who wrote by hand. However, the typists performed worse at remembering and applying the concepts. Both groups scored similarly when it came to memorizing facts.
The researchers’ report said, “While more notes are beneficial, if the notes are taken mindlessly, as is more likely the case on a laptop, the benefit disappears.”
In another experiment aimed at testing long-term memory, students took notes as before but were tested a week after the lecture. This time, the students who wrote notes by hand performed significantly better on the exam.
These two experiments suggest that handwritten notes are not only better for immediate learning and understanding, but that they also lead to superior revision in the future.
1.More and more students favor laptops for note-taking because they can .
A. get higher scores
B. digest concepts better
C. write more notes
D. understand lectures better
2.While taking notes, laptop users tend to be .
A. skillful
B. tireless
C. thoughtful
D. mindless
3.The author of the passage aims to .
A. examine the importance of long-term memory
B. explain the process of taking notes
C. stress the benefit of taking notes by hand
D. promote the use of laptops
4.The passage is likely to appear in .
A. a science magazine
B. a newspaper advertisement
C. a computer textbook
D. a finance report
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Ever since man began to use the telephone, there have been new problems arising from the carrying of messages. At first, each message was carried by a pair of overhead wires. As a result, telephone exchanges were soon surrounded by thousands of wires. The wires were then replaced by cables (电缆),each containing many pairs of wires. Each cable is capable of carrying many messages. These cables, laid underground, replaced the overhead wires.
The more extensive telephone services have become, the more demand for these services has increased, particularly the demand for long-distance services. In China, for example, this growth is now over 30% every year. Long-distance telephone exchanges are usually in crowded cities, where is not easy to lay new labels for expanding services.
The use of radio to send telephone message and to link all telephone exchanges makes it possible to get rid of overhead wires and some underground cables.
Now man has invented the microwave system ( 微波系统 ). In a microwave system messages from various places can be brought together, and then they are sent out and received by radio. After that, the messages are split into their original form. Finally, they are sent to the places where they are going to be sent.
1.The word “message” ( in paragraph 1) is close in meaning to “______”.
A. electricity B. industry C. information D. wave
2.A cable is different from an overhead wire, because it ________.
A. is made of wood
B. needs more exchange
C. carries more messages
D. is much longer
3.What does the word extensive mean?
A. growing B. using C. holding D. understanding
4.The best title for the passage would be “________”.
A. The Telephone and Its Past
B. From the Wire to the Microwave System
C. The Needs for Better Telephones
D. How to Use the Telephone
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Finding the Real You
Psychometric testing—personality testing—has been very popular nowadays as studies show their results to be three times more accurate in predicting your job performance. These tests are now included in almost all graduate recruitment (招聘) and are widely used in the selection of managers.
The most popular of these personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It is based on the theory that we are born with a tendency to one personality type which stays more or less fixed throughout life. You answer 88 questions and are then given your “type”, such as Outgoing or Quiet, Feeling or Thinking.
Critics of personality testing raise doubts about “social engineering”. Psychologist Dr. Colin Gill warns that the “popular” personality traits (特性) have their disadvantages. “People who are extremely open to new experiences can be butterflies, going from one idea to the next without mastering any of them.” However, the psychometric test is here to stay, which may be why a whole sub-industry on cheating personality tests has sprung up. “It’s possible to cheat,” admits Gill, “but having to pretend to be the person you are at work will be tiring and unhappy and probably short-lived.”
So can we change our personality? “Your basic personalities fixed by the time you’re 21,”says Gill, “but it can be affected by motivation and intelligence. If you didn’t have the personality type to be a doctor but desperately wanted to be one and were intelligent enough to master the skills, you could still go ahead. But trying to go too much against type for too long requires much energy and is actually to be suffered for long. I think it’s why we’re seeing this trend for downshifting—too many people trying to fit into a type that they aren’t really suited for.”
Our interest in personality now exists in every part of our lives. If you ask an expert for advice on anything, you’ll probably be quizzed about your personality. But if personality tests have any value to us, perhaps it is to free us from the idea that all of us are full of potential, and remind us of what we are. As they say in one test when they ask for your age: pick the one you are, not the one you wish you were.
1.The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is based on the belief that ________.
A. certain personality traits are common
B. personality is largely decided from birth
C. some personality types are better than others
D. personality traits are various from time to time
2.According to Dr. Gill, what is the problem with personality tests?
A. Employers often find the results unclear.
B. They may have a negative effect on takers.
C. People can easily lie about their true abilities.
D. The results could be opposite to what employers want.
3.What’s Dr. Gill’s view about changing our personality?
A. It’s worthwhile trying in your adult life.
B. It’s easy if you have great motivation.
C. It’s difficult before the age of 21.
D. It’s unlikely because it requires much energy.
4.What final conclusion does the author reach about the value of personality tests?
A. They are not really worth doing.
B. They may encourage greater realism.
C. They are of doubtful value to employers.
D. They can strengthen the idea we have of our abilities.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new study has found the amount of antibiotics(抗生素)given to farm animals is expected to increase by two-thirds over the next 15 years. Researchers are linking the growing dependence on the drugs to the increasing need for meat, milk and eggs. However, the drugs could quicken the development of antibiotic-resistant infections(感染). Such infections are already a major public, health concern in the United States.
The World Health Organization notes when people stop living in poverty(贫困), the first thing they want to do is eat better, rather than earn more money. For most people, that means their diet should contain more meat. With the rapid development of Asia, people there are eating nearly four times as much meat, milk and other milk products as they did 50 year ago.
To meet the need, farmers have put many animals into smaller spaces. As the animals are crowded together, the easiest way to deal with some of the problems of crowding is to give them antibiotics. It's clear that antibiotics help animals stay healthy in a crowded environment and grow faster. But bacteria can develop resistance to the drugs gradually.
Nowadays, doctors find antibiotics that once worked against the infections no longer work. The bacteria have learned ways to fight against the drugs. The heavy use of antibiotics in animals is responsible for the growth of antibiotic resistance worldwide. In the United States, at least two million people get drug-resistant infections each year and at least 23,000 die from an infection.
Europe has banned the use of antibiotics to increase animal growth. And the United States is hoping to persuade farmers to stop using antibiotics for that purpose.
1.What accounts for the increasing amount of antibiotics given to farm animals?
A.The desire for new drugs. B.The less effective antibiotics.
C.The outdated farm technology. D.The need for more various foods.
2.What do most people want to do first when they get rid of poverty according to the WHO?
A.Making a lot of money. B.Focusing more on health.
C.Having more meat in their diet. D.Living in a better environment.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Antibiotics do harm to animals.
B.Antibiotics help animals stay healthy.
C.Antibiotics are used heavily in Europe.
D.Antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread to people.
4.What's the passage mainly about?
A.A new way of raising farm animals.
B.The advantages of using antibiotics.
C.The reason for banning the use of antibiotics.
D.The negative effect of antibiotics in farm animals.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new branch of the company is going to be open. ____, the decoration of its main store has been finished.
A.Instead B.However C.Therefore D.Meanwhile
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
---Did you look up the time of trains to New York?
--- Yes, but the early train has been cancelled _______ the heavy fog.
A.because | B.as for | C.in spite of | D.due to |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
A new argument has been put forward as to whether penguins are disturbed by the presence of tourists in Antarctica.
Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany monitored Adelie penguins and noted that the birds’ heart rates increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30 meters away. But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to measure heart rates, disputes this. Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge say that a slow moving human who does not approach the nest too closely, is not viewed as a threat by penguins.
The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of certain types of penguins near tourist sites. However, tour operators have continued to insist that their activities do not adversely(不利地)affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-destructive behavior in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other factors.
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behavior towards humans. “A nesting penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the nest,” says Nimon. “First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they often flee the nest leaving it open for predators(掠夺者)to fly in and remove eggs or chicks.” The artificial egg, specially for the project, monitored both the parent who had been ‘disturbed’ when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took it in turns to guard the nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon’s findings do not prove his own research invalid. He points out that species behave differently – and Nimon’s work was with Gentoo penguins. Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik’s research was methodologically(方法论上)defective because the monitoring of penguins’ responses needed catching the birds and fitting them with heart-rate transmitters(发射器). Therefore, argues Nimon, it would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human subsequently.
1.According to the passage, which of the following messages is presented?
A. No firm conclusions are drawn.
B. Neither Culik’s nor Nimon’s findings are of much value.
C. Penguin reduction is closely related to tourist behavior.
D. Tourists are not responsible for the fall in penguin numbers.
2.Which of the following is right according to the passage?
A. Penguins are harder to research when they have young.
B. Tour operators should encourage tourists to avoid Antarctica.
C. Not all penguins behave in the same way.
D. Penguins need better protection from tourists.
3.What do you know about the opinions of Culik and Nimon in the passage?
A. They are unreasonable. B. They are based on each other.
C. They are similar. D. They are contrary to each other.
4.The underlined word subsequently probably means ________.
A. later B. calmly
C. separately D. earlier
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Joanna Cole, born on August 11, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, has been credited to be one of the most popular children’s authors of all time. She has written over 250 books and is famous for writing one of the most popular children's book series. She knew as early as 5th grade that she was interested in writing and science. Cole has owed a large part of her passion to one of her elementary school teachers.
Joanna Cole continued her education by attending the University of Massachusetts and Indiana. She would eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the City College of New York in 1967; after graduation Cole decided to take some education courses to become a librarian at a Brooklyn elementary school in 1967. Eventually, she would take jobs working for Newsweek, Seesaw book club.
Cole’s passion for writing and science was still alive and well during this time. In 197l she decided to write her first book, Cockroaches. She did some research and discovered there had never been a book written for children about cockroaches. So she thought she would be the first.
Cole struck gold when she wrote the first Magic School Bus in 1985. The book would go on to be published the following year and quickly became book series and cartoon series due to its success.
Cole continued to write both non-fiction and fiction books for children. She writes in a way that will hopefully inspire children to think like a scientist. She does this by writing ideas instead of just facts. She also tries to ask questions in her books that require children to think and discover the answers as they read. This creates an engaging experience for children, so it is no wonder why younger readers are hooked on her books.
1.When Joanna Cole was young, she ________.
A. got inspired by one of her teachers
B. was very popular with children
C. began her career of writing novels
D. knew what she would do in the future
2.What does the underlined phrase probably mean?
A. Got ideas. B. Made a promise.
C. Made a fortune. D. Obtained help.
3.What do we know about Joanna Cole?
A. She is the most famous woman writer in America.
B. She is an expert at getting science across to readers.
C. She writes novels not only for kids but for adults.
D. She has made great contributions to science.
4.What kind of person is Cole in the passage?
A. Talented and creative. B. Popular and reliable.
C. Serious and honest. D. Positive and brave.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Higher income has already been linked to greater longevity and better health.A new study by a famous researcher suggests geographic location plays an key role in life expectancy(预期)for lower earners.That means if you're poor,you're likely to live for longer in a city like San Francisco or New York than in a city like Detroit or Cincinnati.
Being rich anywhere broadly means enjoying good health anywhere,but location is a key factor in health for people in lower income groups.Michael Stepner,one of the study's co-authors,said economic decline and decreasing populations in the Rust Belt aren't necessarily to blame.
The study found that location matters for low earners.Low-income individuals tend to live more healthily and for longer in cities with college-educated populations,high incomes,more immigrants,and high levels of government expenses,such as New York and San Francisco.The study also found measures of health—insurance coverage and health spending were of lesser importance than social and economic factors in determining health for low-income individuals.Nor did having health insurance seem to be a factor in increasing life expectancy for poorer groups."The key driver of differences in inequality across areas of life expectancy is probably not access to health care,"Mr Stepner said.
1.The underlined word "longevity" in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to " ".
A. successful experience B. long life
C. good relationship D. young appearance
2.What is a key part in life expectancy for lower earners?
A. Warm climate. B. Higher income.
C. Good education. D. Geographic location.
3.Where would this text most probably appear?
A. Travel guide. B. Health research.
C. Sports newspaper. D. Science fiction.
4.What is the best title for this text?
A. Higher earners like living abroad.
B. Being rich means having a happy life everywhere.
C. Lower earners are likely to live for longer in big cities
D. The government is trying its best to make people live longer
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析