A new study says that birds living in big cit...

A new study says that birds living in big cities sing shorter, faster songs that are higher-pitched (高音调的) than those sung by their brothers in the forests. The researchers think that the birds adjust their songs to allow themselves to be heard over the noises of the city, especially the low traffic noise.

To study how urban birds song, Hans Slabbekoorn and Ardie den Bore, biologists at the University of Leiden in Netherlands, travelled around Europe and recorded bird songs in ten major cities and in nearby forests. The species they focused on, the great tit (大山雀), is widespread across Eurasia and one of the few types of birds that thrives in big cities.

Singing is crucial (重要的) for males, which use their songs to attract mates and mark out their territory. The changing songs could play a role in eventually causing the city birds and the forest dwellers to evolve into separate species.

The findings could also help explain why usually only a few bird species thrive in cities. By contrast, many more bird species tend to be found in forests and other undeveloped habitats.

Studies like this could eventually help researchers predict how urbanization (都市化) will affect birds, using this knowledge could help urban planners design more pleasant city environments, study co-author Slabbe-koorn said. “You can make a city much more livable if you pay attention to where the noise goes and where the people go,” he said. “It would be easy to fit the birds into those models.” Then cities wouldn’t be strictly for the people, but also for the birds.

1. Which is the best title of the passage?

A. Birds Change Songs to Suit Country Life

B. Birds Change Sex to Suit Urban Life

C. Birds Change Living Habits to Suit Urban Life

D. Birds Change Songs to Suit Urban Life

2. Males usually sing their songs to ____.

A. evolve into another species

B. attract mates and mark out their living area

C. attract city people’s attention and make them supply food

D. allow themselves to be heard over the noises of the city

3. The underlined word “thrives” in the second paragraph means “____”.

A. dies       B. survives       C. suffers     D. travels

4.What is NOT the effect that studies of birds’ songs have?

A. Predicting how course of the city’s expanding will affect birds.

B. Helping the city planners design more pleasant city environments.

C. Making cities more livable for both the birds and people.

D. Driving the urban birds back to the forest.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you live in the countryside , ____ are that you have heard birds singing to welcome the new day.

A. situations  B. facts   C. chances  D. possibilities

高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

If you live in the country or have ever visited there, ______ are that you have heard birds singing to welcome the new day.

A. situations　　 B. facts　　 C. chances　　 D. possibilities

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

New York, London, Paris and other big cities are exciting places to live in. There are many interesting things to see and to do. You can go to different kinds of museums, plays and films. You can also buy things from all over the world.

But there are serious problems in big cities, too. The cost of living is high, and there are too many people in some places of big cities. Every year many people move to the cities to find jobs, to study at good schools and to receive good medical care. But sometimes these people can not find work or a good place to live in. Also, it is hard to keep the cities safe and clean.

Some people enjoy living in big cities, others do not. Before people move to a big city, they should think about the problems of living there.

1.Which is the best title this passage?

A. Big Cities　　 B. New York, London and Paris

C. Exciting Places To Live In　　 D. Serious Problems in Big Cities

2.In big cities people can ____

A. go to different kinds of museums

B. see all kinds of plays and films

C. buy things from all over the world

D. A, B and C

3.Which of the following is true?

A. Big cities are not safe and clean enough.

B. People can easily find a good place to live in big cities.

C. Living in big cities doesn’t cost a lot.

D. All people like to live in big cities.

4.In this passage the author advises people __ .

A. to move to big cities

B. not to move to big cities

C. not to move to a big city without considering the problems there

D. not to think so much about the problems before they move to a big city

5.Which is NOT talked about in the passage?

A. New York and London are big cities, and so is Paris.

B. Big cities are better than small cities.

C. Big cities are exciting places to live in.

D. Big cities have a lot of serious problems.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A new report says living in a city makes it harder for people to concentrate(集中) on some tasks. The research found that people who live in rural areas can focus better than people in urban areas. The study is from Goldsmiths College, which is part of the University of London.　 Head researcher Dr. Karina Linnell and her team made great contributions. They studied how two groups of people did the same "thinking tasks". The team went to a remote(偏远的) part of Namibia, southwest Africa, to study the Himba tribe. Himba people live a very basic life in the desert. They are still doing traditional farming. The team also studied members of the same tribe who had moved to the nearest town. Dr. Linnell said the tribe who lived in the desert did much better on the tests than those in the town. It's really interesting and shocking.

Dr. Linnell said their research may lead to changes in the way companies operate. In the future, workers may move from cities to live and work in the countryside. Linnell said there are too many things around us in the city that stop us from thinking about one thing for a long time.　 This means we do not work at our best. She asked, "What if, for example, companies realized certain tasks would be better carried out by employees based outside of the urban environment? There their concentration ability is better. "The past century has seen billions of people move from the countryside to big cities. In the future, the trend may not continue. If Dr. Linnell's research is true, this century might see many of those people return to the great outdoors. Let's wait to see what will happen.

1.What did Dr. Linnell and her team conclude from the study on the Himba tribe?

A. Himba people are cleverer than others.

B. Himba people aren't used to the life in city.

C. Himba people focus better in the desert

D. Himba people give up traditional farming.

2.What happened in the past one hundred years?

A. Many people returned to the countryside.

B. Big cities attracted many people to live and work.

C. Many people couldn't concentrate on one task.

D. The way companies operate changed a great deal.

3.The underlined word "outdoors" in the last paragraph probably refers to "______".

A. villages　　 B. cities

C. towns　　 D. countries

4.What is the main purpose of the text ?

A. to remind people to focus better.

B. to advise people to live in countryside.

C. to share a recent study with readers.

D. to show the bright future to readers.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some people say that city living in the 21 st century is stressful and offers no advantages, but I don’t agree with them completely.

With the development of high-tech and the improvement of living qualities, more and more people crowded into city, which leads to the uncontrollable urbanization (城市化). Because of this, some of the largest cities must be fairly oppressive(压抑的) places in which to live if you are short of money or unemployed. However, for those with much income, a city provides colorful environment which enables people to enjoy their modern life. In that case, I believe the advantages of urban living far outweigh from its shortcomings.

Regarding shopping, as for me, rather than click on the Internet to get what I want, I prefer to windowshop. All kinds of shopping malls and supermarkets located in city centre really content me. What’s more, a large city’s service even covers numbers of the surrounding towns and benefits many people.

In terms of entertainment, city residents are usually spoiled for choice, from amusement park to sport stadium, whoever you are will find exactly what you need. Maybe going to a concert tonight and visiting museums tomorrow. City always contains various activities and full of energy.

City also provides better opportunities with so many choices and challenges. Cities with universities offer high-standard education so that graduates from these places always get ideal jobs with considerable salary. Every day in the business district, you can see a fierce competition among those large companies, while there are exactly places that may give birth to talents.

Many people may complain about the traffic jam or pollution in the city, but I think with some useful measures to take, our city will be more habitable rather than stressful.

1.What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?

A. City living in the 21 st century is stressful.

B. City provides more conveniences and pleasures.

C. City living brings great trouble to the youth..

D. City is gradually dying out as a matter of fact.

2.The advantages of urban living are________.

A. much income and colorful environment

B. quantities of population and shopping centers

C. great entertainments and better education

D. strong measures and fresh air

3.City residents are usually spoiled for choice because they______.

A. have no more choices for amusement

B. can hardly find what they like to do

C. are so many kinds of entertainment

D. will spend more money in a way

4.What’s the attitude of the author to the disadvantages in city?

A. Disappointed　　　　 　　 B. Hopeful

C. Amazed　　 D. Cold-hearted

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on children's bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that equal to seven to ten years of premature aging (提前衰老).

“Scientists measured this by studying the ends of children' s chromosomes(染色体), called telomeres.” says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Telomeres are special DNA sequences (序列)which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.

Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres including smoking, radiation (辐射) and psychological stress(心理压力), such as being treated badly when young, and taking care of someone who is permanently ill.

In the study, researchers examined whether exposure to(暴露于) violence could make children' s telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at the ages of 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the children had been exposed to violence between the mother and her partner, having been treated badly in a physical way by an adult, or bullying. Researchers measured the children's telomeres— in cells from their cheeks—at the ages of 5 and 10.

Telomeres shortened more quickly in children exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless such a pattern changes, the study suggests these children could be expected to develop diseases related to aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to ten years earlier than children of the same age.

Shalev says there is hope for these children. His study found that in some cases, telomeres can lengthen."Better exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres,” he says

1.The new study found that ________.

A. hardship has a long-term effect on a child's mind　　 B. violence leaves scars on a child's mind

C. violence can speed up a child's aging　　 D. hardship can change a child's DNA

2.According to the passage, telomeres ________.

A. are at the ends of people's chromosomes　　 B. can help prevent DNA from separating

C. can make a cell die quickly　　 D. become shorter before they die

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Violence can cause quick cell division in children’s body.

B. Children at the ages of 5 to 10 are more likely to be exposed to violence.

C. Being treated badly will make a child's telomeres shorten faster.

D. Children who have shorter telomeres may have a heart attack earlier.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Violence Aging Children’s DNA.

B. Children’s Changing DNA Patterns

C. Violence and Telomeres

D. The Function of Telomeres

高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

In many big cities, a lot of old people keep birds, cats, dogs and other animals in their houses. These animals are friendly to the old people and never leave them. So the old people love them and see them as their good friends or families.

It’s not difficult to keep these lovely animals at home. But you have to take them to animal hospitals to give them needles (注射), so they won’t get ill or they will make people ill. Now there are lots of animal food stores here and there. People can buy good animal food for their animals there. Old people can buy animal food on the phone or on the Internet. But it’s a little more expensive.

Sometimes it’s kind of dirty and dangerous to keep animals. They sometimes look dirty and smell terrible and can be dangerous. For example, an old woman in Shanghai lost her life on the street for her pet dog.

Maybe old people in big cities have many reasons to keep these nice and clever animals. They may feel lonely when their children leave. And these pets can be their great helpers. They are their good friends and help them in many things.

1.Old people love these animals because they are _________.

A. nice and lovely        　　 　　 B. can be great helpers

C. are not difficult to keep　　 D. are friendly to them

2.If people don’t give the animals needles, the animals may ________.

A. be ill　　 B. run away

C. not eat food 　　 D. make people unhappy

3.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. How to keep pets.　　 B. Pet animals in big cities.

C. Old people and their pet animals.　　 D. Friendly and nice pet animals.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A new study has found that North American migratory(迁徏的) birds have been getting smaller over the past 40 years. Researchers say the finding suggests a warming climate(气候)could be affecting bird growth in North America -- and across the world.

The study was recently published in Ecology Letters. Researchers measured(测量)the size of 80,000 birds killed from 1978 to 2016 during the spring and fall migrations in the city of Chicago, Illinois. Over the 40-year period, body size decreased in all 52 species. The average body weight fell by 2.6 percent. Leg bone length dropped by 2.4 percent. The one area of growth was the wingspan, which increased by 1.3 percent.

The researchers said the wing growth likely happened to allow the birds to continue making long migrations with smaller bodies. The study considered a principle known as Bergmann’s rule, in which individuals within a species grow smaller in warmer areas and grow larger in colder ones.

Brian Weeks, a biologist at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, helped lead the research. He said that he believes the results show a clear connection between a warming climate and the growth of the birds. “In other words, climate change seems to be changing both the size and shape of these species,” he said.

The study found a direct connection between the average summer temperature and the body size of the birds. Dave Willard works with Chicago’s Field Museum, which was in charge of measuring all the birds. He said nearly “everyone agrees that the climate is warming, but examples of just how that is affecting the natural world are only now coming to light.”

“We had good reason to expect that increasing temperatures would lead to reductions in body size, based on earlier studies,” Weeks said. “I was incredibly surprised that all of these species are responding in such similar ways.”

The researchers plan to continue studying the Field Museum data in an effort to find additional evidence to support their findings. They will also further examine the idea that an individual’s physical development can change to fit changing environmental conditions.

1.Which of the following didn’t go down to a lower level?

A.The body size B.The body weight

C.The leg bone length D.The wingspan

2.Which of the following took responsibility for measuring the birds?

A.Ecology Letters B.Brian Weeks

C.The Field Museum D.Dave Willard

3.What does the underlined words “coming to light” in Paragraph5 mean?

A.Known B.similar

C.intelligent D.distant

4.The main idea of the passage is that　　　　

A.fifty-two species of birds became smaller.

B.the warming climate could affect bird growth.

C.the warming climate makes the birds grow larger.

D.the researchers have proved their findings.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I was surprised ______little birds could eat ______ many insects in ______ a short time.

A. that so; so; such                    B. that so; such; such

C. that such; so; so                    D. that such; so; such

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析