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A biologist once criticized for stealing eggs from the nests of the rarest bird in the world has been awarded the “Nobel Prize” of conservation after his methods saved nine species from extinction.
Professor Carl Jones won the 2016 Indianapolis Prize --- the highest accolade in the field of animal conservation --- for his 40 years of work in Mauritius, where he saved an endangered kestrel from becoming the next Great Auk.
When the 61-year-old first travelled to the east African island in the 1970s, he was told to close down a project to save the Mauritius kestrel. At the time there were just four left in the wild, making it the rarest bird on Earth. However, he stayed, using the techniques of captive breeding (人工繁殖), which involved snatching eggs from the birds’ nests and hatching（孵化）them under incubators, prompting the mothers to lay another set of eggs in the wild.
A decade later, the number of Mauritius kestrels had soared to over 300 and today there are around 400 in the wild. The biologist has also been necessary in efforts to bring other rare species back from the edge of extinction, including the pink pigeon, echo parakeet and Rodrigues warbler.
Prof Jones was awarded the $250,000 (£172,000) prize at a ceremony in London.
“As a young man in my 20s, I certainly didn’t enjoy the stress and the tension of the criticism I received,” reflecting on the start of his career, he said the Maurutius kestrel project had been seen as a “dead loss” at the time. In the 1970s there was fierce opposition to the captive breeding techniques, with critics arguing that they were too risky and took the emphasis off breeding in the wild.
Prof Jones has devoted his whole life to his work, only becoming a father for the first time eight years ago, at 53. He said receiving the prize was particularly important to him, because it proved that his work to save birds was right.
1.What does the underlined word “accolade” mean in Paragraph 2?
A. return B. level
C. honor D. research
2.According to the passage, Great Auk is ________.
A. an endangered bird B. an extinct bird
C. a popular bird D. a fierce bird
3.What can we know from the figures in Paragraph 4?
A. Taking eggs from the nests has worked well.
B. The wild environment for kestrel has changed a lot.
C. Kestrel has adapted to the life in the wild.
D. It’s difficult to protect kestrel.
4.Prof Jones’ idea of taking eggs from the birds’ nests ________.
A. was proved of no use B. was widely accepted
C. was promoted officially D. was criticized by some people
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面的短文，然后按要求写一篇150字左右的英语短文。
A boy found an eagle’s egg and he put it in the nest of a hen. The eagle hatched and thought he was a chicken. He grew up doing what chickens do—scratching for food and flying short distances. It was a dull life. Gradually the eagle grew older and biller. One day he and his chicken friends saw a beautiful bird soaring on the currents of air, high above the mountains.
“Oh, I wish I could fly like that!” said the eagle. The chicken replied, “Don’t give it another thought. That’s the mighty(强大的) eagle, the king of all birds—you could never be like him!” And the eagle didn’t give it another thought. He went on cackling and complaining about life. He died thinking he was a chicken.
My friends, you too were born an eagle. The Creator intended you to be an eagle, so don't listen to the chickens!
【写作内容】
1、以约30个词概括上文的主要内容。
2、以约120个词谈谈你对“自信”的看法，内容包括：
(1) 鹰成为鸡的原因；
(2) 这则故事的启示。
【写作要求】
1、可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2、作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
高三英语书面表达困难题查看答案及解析
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Neil Jordan, a conservation biologist, has come up with a novel method for protecting cattle from African lions: paint eyes on their behinds. The lions will think their intended prey has seen them and will give up, since they’ve lost the element of surprise.
This psychological trickery has been called “iCow”, which is actually not as strange as it sounds. The eye-like patterns on butterfly wings are known to prevent preying birds and woodcutters in Indian forests wear masks on the backs of their heads when working to discourage hungry tigers.
The inspiration for the iCow strategy came while Jordan was based in a village in Botswana, when two lionesses were killed by local farmers to revenge their cattle’s death. The African lion is a vulnerable species, with numbers dropping from over 100,000 in the 1990s to about 30,000 today. Much of that decline is due to these kinds of revengeful killings because farmers have no effective strategies for protecting their herds.
“Lions are hunters that like to attack by surprise. They move slowly, quietly and carefully to their prey, get close and jump on them unseen,” he said. When Jordan was watching a lion follow an antelope one day, he noticed the lion gave up the hunt once the antelope spotted it.
So he joined one of the local farmers on a 10-week trial study, painting eyes on one-third of a herd of 62 cattle. When the cattle returned each night, they took a head count to see how many had survived. Only three cows were killed by lions during this period-all without the painted eyes on their behinds. And all the painted cows survived. However, Jordan warned that so far this is just a promising idea. He is now back in Botswana for a more ambitious study, armed with GPS devices to better monitor the movement of predators and prey.
1.The iCow strategy is designed to .
A. kill the lions B. warn the preys of danger
C. identify the cattle D. scare off animals that kill
2.When hunting, lions like to .
A. give up halfway B. hesitate to take action
C. chase their prey steadily D. launch surprising attacks
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The iCow strategy is likely to bring great benefit.
B. In the 10-week trial study more cattle were killed.
C. The farmers will take their revenge on more lions.
D. Neil got inspiration from patterns on butterfly wings.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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A biologist from the National Park Service discovered a rare and unusual mammoth(猛犸) skull(颅骨) buried in a 13,000-year-old rock layer on the Santa Rosa Island, the second largest landmass in the Channel Islands, California. The fossil of the extinct giant animal is leaving many paleontologists(古生物学家) scratching their heads. Despite the fact that it’s possibly the best preserved mammoth skull ever found and of high scientific importance, the species of the individual it belonged to can’t seem to be identified yet—it’s too big to be a pygmy(特别矮小的) mammoth and too small to have come from a Columbian mammoth. Some say it’s a new species while others believe the truth lies somewhere in between.
The first mammoths showed up in North America around two million years ago, but it was only during the last two ice ages that the Columbian species, which could grow to be up to 14 feet tall, made its way to the Channel Islands 100 miles west of Los Angeles. Once the ice melted, many populations became trapped on the island and evolved into pygmy mammoths, an endemic species(地方种) to the Channel Islands which grew only to six feet tall.
Judging from its size, the newly found mammoth skull doesn’t seem to fit any of the two species, Columbian or pygmy. To make things even more confusing, one of its two tusks(象牙) is nearly five feet long and coiled in a manner that resembles those of fully grown mammoths but the left tusk is shorter and sloped, more like a juvenile(青少年).
This has caused some scientists to say the Santa Rose skull may belong to a transitional species. Whatever’s the case, a following examination of the mammoth’s teeth should put the matter to rest. The analysis will also tell us how old the mammoth was when it died, so we can tell for sure whether it was an adult or juvenile.
More interesting than the mammoth’s lineage, however, might be its story. The giant mammal lived 13,000 years ago or roughly the same timeline of the “Arlington Man”, a 13,000-year-old human skeleton also found on Santa Rosa. Some 3,000 years later humans were already spread throughout the continent and the Channel Islands’ mammoth went extinct. The present finding might help reveal a link between the two.
The remains also seem to confirm a long-held assumption that there were two mammoth migrations to the Channel Islands. “The discovery of this mammoth skull increases the probability that there were at least two migrations of Columbian mammoths to the island: during the most recent ice age 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, as well as the previous ice age that occurred about 150,000 years ago,” said USGS geologist Dan Muhs.
1.The underlined part in the first paragraph means the paleontologists feel ________.
A. excited B. confused C. anxious D. frustrated
2.Which of the following is not among the reasons why the newly found skull is special?
A. It is possibly the best preserved mammoth skulls.
B. Its size fits neither the Columbian mammoth nor the pygmy mammoth.
C. It was found on the Santa Rose Island, California.
D. Its two tusks give out different information of the mammoth’s age.
3.What can be inferred from the last three paragraphs?
A. The examination of the mammoth’s teeth can tell us how old it was when it died.
B. There may be a link between the extinction of mammoths and the spread of humans.
C. At least two mammoth groups migrated to the Channel Islands during different periods of time.
D. There remains no final conclusion as to how many mammoth groups migrated to the Islands.
4.This passage mainly tells us the newly found mammoth skull _________.
A. is among the best preserved, but with a mysterious story
B. has aroused a debate over what species it belongs to
C. is of great scientific importance to mankind
D. is likely to confirm a former assumption
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Anyone, once ____ positive for Ebola, the deadly disease, will receive free medical treatment from the government.
A.testing B.being tested
C.tested D.to test
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Anyone, once____ positive for Ebola, the deadly disease, will receive free medical treatment from the government.
A. testing B. being tested
C. tested D. to test
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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New findings from Queen’s University biologists show that in the plant world, bigger isn’t necessarily better.
“Until now most of the thinking has suggested that to be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a big plant,” says Queen’s Biology professor Lonnie Aarssen. “But our research shows it’s virtually the other way around.”
Previous studies showed that larger plant species monopolize(垄断) sunlight, water and other resources, limiting the number of smaller plant species that can exist around them. But the research has proved that this is not generally the case in natural vegetation.
In the Queen’s project, PhD student Laura Keating targeted the largest “host plants” of 16 woody plant species growing in the Okanogan Valley, British Columbia. The research team calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant. They then randomly selected plots without host plants and calculated the plant species there as well. The research showed that the massive trees have no effect on the number of species with which they coexist.
Smaller plants have many advantages over their overbearing neighbors, Professor Aarssen notes. Larger species generate physical space niches under their shelters where smaller species grow well. Smaller plants are much more effective than large trees at using available resources. They also produce seeds at a much younger age and higher rate than their bigger counterparts, and settle down much more quickly—thus competing with the newly-born plants of larger species.
1. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Smaller plants may have many advantages over their neighbors.
B. In the plant world, the bigger is better than the smaller one.
C. To be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a small plant.
D. Queen’s University’s students made a new research.
2. The underlined word “this” in Para. 3 refers to the view that _____.
A. large and small plants can grow together in harmony
B. larger plant species limit their smaller neighbors’ growth
C. small plant species have their own advantages
D. large and small plant species can never coexist
3.What can we learn according to the text?
A. Larger plant species limit the number of smaller ones around them.
B. Smaller plants can limit the number of plant species around them.
C. Smaller plants produce seeds at a higher rate than their bigger counterparts.
D. Larger trees are more effective than small plants at using available resources.
4. Which is the CORRECT order in the Queen’s project?
a. Randomly selected plots without host plants and-calculated the plant species.
b. Calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant.
c. Selected the largest individuals or "host plants" of 16 woody plant species.
A. a, b, c B. c, b, a
C. b, c, a D. a, c, b
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Winona Ryder was once one of Hollywood’ s biggest stars. During the 1990s, she received critical praise and box office success. And in 2000, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But then it went wrong. In December 2001, she was arrested for shoplifting. She was caught leaving a Beverly Hills department store carrying thousands of dollars worth of clothes. Her sentence? 480 hours of community service in hospital. Afterwards, Winona quit acting for a few years. And she moved from los Angeles to San Francisco to get out of the spotlight. But now she’s on a comeback. She recently appeared in the award-winning Black Swan.
Bill Gates doesn’t seem like a bad boy. But on 29th April 1975 (just two weeks after founding Microsoft) he was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What for? Speeding and driving without a driver’s license. But Bill’s rap sheet doesn’t end there. In 1977 he was arrested again, this time for speeding, driving his Porsche through a stop sign road and, once again, driving without a license.
Bill has never commented on his wild past. But a Microsoft spokesperson said, “It’s well known that when Bill was young, he didn’t have a very good driving record.”
Can someone with a criminal record become president of the Unite States? They certainly can. And George W. Bush did. In 1976, the 30-year old Bush was drinking in a bar near his parents’ house. A few hours later, he decided to drive home. But on the way, a police officer pulled him over. Bush had been driving suspiciously slowly. The future president was arrested for drunk driving. Bush kept his arrest secret for 24 years. But it leaked to the press just before the 2000 presidential election (which he won). He admitted it was true and said he had learned his lesson that night.
1.What punishment was given to Winona Ryder after she was caught shoplifting?
A.She was forbidden acting for a few years.
B.She was put in prison for 480 hours.
C.She did community service for 480 hours.
D.She was forgiven for her outstanding acting skills.
2.What is the meaning of the underlined part “rap sheet”?
A.Criminal record. B.Careless behavior.
C.Sentence. D.Impolite behavior.
3.How did the police know George W. Bush was drunk driving?
A.The police were checking drunk driving and caught him by chance.
B.Bush was driving so slowly as to cause the police’ s suspicion.
C.Bush drove through a stop sign.
D.Bush drove in the wrong direction.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Some famous people without morality.
B.Some famous people and their life stories.
C.Some interesting stories of famous people.
D.Some arrests of famous people.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Once upon a time, there is a leprosy（麻风病） patient, who from the disease for nearly 40 years, has been on the roadside, he was led to the magic pool edge, But he lay there for nearly 40 years, still not to the half goal.
One day, God met him and asked: “Sir, do you want to be cured, the lifting of the ?”
The leprosy patient said: “Of course! Sinister but good people, they are after nothing but , will not help me.”
Hearing that, the God said: “Would you like to the treatment?
“I should, of course! But for me to climb over the pond, the water .”
God listened to the leprosy patient, then after a little ， ask him once: “Don’t you want to be cured in the end?
He said: “Yes!”
God : “Well, you now stand up to to the pool, do not always find some reasons that can not be for their own defense.”
Upon hearing this, the leprosy patient was deeply and immediately stood up and went to the water edge, containing the heart of God with his hands a few water to . Twinkling of an eye, his for nearly 40 years of leprosy paid off!
Everyone has a ideal, the success of everyone. However, if you have not yet reached the , the success of far-fetched, do you yourself: I pay for their own ideals and how much effort? I was not always finding a(n) for a lot of failure for my own sophistry？ In fact, We should not make excuses for failure. We should find a to success, As long as you have made the efforts to development, the fate will always you.
1.A. learned B. suffered ` C. gained D. benefited
2.A. lying B. waiting C. sitting D. standing
3.A. disease B. God C. pool D. road
4.A. life B. person C. body D. disease
5.A. yourself B. himself C. themselves D. herself
6.A. receive B. refuse C. find D. ask
7.A. looking B. waiting C. forgetting D. arranging
8.A. put up B. dried up C. broke up D. took up
9.A. happy B. excited C. anxious D. angry
10.A. shouted B. thought C. replied D. smiled
11.A. come B. leave C. run D. roll
12.A. found B. completed C. taken D. followed
13.A. encouraged B. moved C. ashamed D. please
14.A. wash B. smoke C. spill D. drink
15.A. struggle B. life C. work D. love
16.A. ideal B. edge C. line D. agreement
17.A. taught B. cured C. promised D. asked
18.A. reason B. cause C. excuse D. factor
19.A. pool B. god C. target D. solution
20.A. oppose B. enable C. force D. Follow
高三英语完形填空简单题查看答案及解析
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29. He was busy preparing a speech , only _______ once in a while to rise from the table for a tea .
A．stopping
B．to stop
C．to have stopped
D．having stopped
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析