“Birds are not as loyal to their partners as ...

“Birds are not as loyal to their partners as you might think, with divorce, child abandonment and remarriage a common part of birds’ life,” a new book has shown. Author and biology professor Bridge Stutchbury, dispels the love-bird belief that birds pair up for life. “In terms of the top 10 beliefs about birds, the lasting pair bonds that we think about, do occur in some birds, but in most of the little songbirds that we studied, no,” the professor from York University in Toronto said. The divorce rate among greater flamingos is 99 percent.

Stutchbury’s book, The Private Lives of Birds, based on 20 years of research from radio filming and DNA testing shows male Acadian flycatchers fertilize(使受孕) females far away from their home nests, “ The main discovery is that so many birds do divorce for what humans would describe as selfish reasons,” Professor Stutchbury said. She noted that females may seek out males that are more colorful and better singers, or look to “step up in the world” and move to areas that are safer and have more food. “Females are looking for the highest quality male so that their children will be of high quality,” she added.

Professor Stutchbury said shorter summers may drive females to leave their nests before their young are fully grown up so they can quickly find new mates（配偶） and lay more eggs, leaving the males to feed the hungry chicks on their own.

Males can double their success in producing children by fertilizing neighboring females, but only “mates” care for the young, and some are none the wiser. “  They can’t tell when the egg comes out and whether it’s theirs or not,” She said. “They have no way to know.”

Divorce is surprisingly common among birds, and most live with one partner for only a few months or years. Divorce rates range from 99 percent in the greater flamingo to zero in the wandering albatross(信天翁).

1.What does the underline word “dispels” mean?

A. States                      B. Doubts             C. Confirms          D. Removes

2.The book The Private Lives of Birds_____.

A. shows the kind of male birds females seek out.

B. indicates the wandering albatross is the most faithful.

C. is based on Professor Stutchbury’s 20 years’ research.

D. suggests that female birds select males near their home.

3.According to the passage, we can infer that________.

A. young birds’ quality depends on their feather.

B. some male birds care for others’ young as their own.

C. female birds go to find males as soon as autumn comes.

D. female birds are responsible for feeding the hungry babies.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A. A book about love-birds.

B. Birds’ living habits and love life

C. The fact that birds don’t love their mates forever.

D. The factors that influence birds to look for another mate.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

For most of us, there is no debate — bananas are yellow. Color isn’t as objective as you might think though. Our brain decides what color we are looking at based on the light that comes into our eyes, and how we see colors actually varies a lot.

There are many ways color can confuse our brains. Positioning and shading can change what we think we are looking at. Two people can see the same thing very differently because of how our brains deal with light.

How we see color, however, is governed by much more than just our bodies. Our emotions or even the time of year, can change how our eyes and brains react to what we see. Yellow looks different to us depending on the season, according to scientists at the University of York. In the summer yellow appears more “greenish” whereas in the winter yellow appears more “reddish”. This is the result of living in an environment where the level of green light increases in the summer. When the trees are full of leaves, our eyes need to adapt. With extra green all around us, our brain has to recheck its understanding of yellow.

Researchers in Rochester, New York have found that feeling sad can impact on your ability to identify (辨别) colors. Participants were shown some small pieces of cloth which had most, but not all, of the colors removed from them. Later, they were asked to identify what color they were looking at. A group who had watched the death of Mufasa in The Lion King found it harder to pick out blue and yellow than others who had not seen the film. Psychologists believe that dopamine — which controls our brain’s reward and pleasure centers — has an impact on how we identify these colors. So while color might seem to be one of the simplest things in our world, it is actually a mystery scientists are only just beginning to solve.

1.What does the passage mainly focus on?

A.Why we see colors differently. B.How our brains receive colors.

C.Why colors affect our emotions. D.How people can identify colors.

2.Which of the following is unable to affect people’s ability to identify colors?

A.Position. B.Intelligence.

C.Environment. D.Feeling.

3.Yellow looks different in summer and winter because of ___________.

A.people’s different sight B.the different temperatures

C.the different levels of green light D.people’s different body conditions

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A.The sad feeling weakens people’s ability to identify colors.

B.We can find out the secret of dopamine in some movies.

C.Scientists have found the answer to the color mystery.

D.There are many ways that color can entertain our brains.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Computers might not be clever enough to trick adults into thinking they are intelligent yet, but a new study, led by Javier' Movellan at the University of Califomia San Diego, shows that a giggling (咯咯笑的) robot is clever enough to get toddlers (初学走路者) to treat it as a peer (同龄人).

The researchers stationed a 2-foot-tall robot Called QRIO in a classroom of a dozen toddlers aged between 18 months and two years. QRIO stayed in the middle of the room using its sensors (传感器) to avoid bumping (碰撞) into the kids. It was programmed to giggle when the kids touched its head, to occasionally sit down, and to lie down when its batteries died.

"We expected that after a few hours, the magic was going to disappear," Movellan says.  "That's what was found with earlier robots." But, in fact, the kids remained interested in the robot over several weeks, eventually communicating with QRIO in much the same way they did with other toddlers.

The researchers measured the relationship between the children and the robot in several ways. Firstly, as with other toddlers,  they touched QRIO mostly on the arms and hands, rather than on the face or legs. For this age group, "the amount of touching is a good predictor of how you are doing as a social being," Movellan says.

The children helped the robot up when it fell, and when QRIO's batteries ran out and it lay down, a toddler would come up and cover it with a blanket and say "night, night". However, when QRIO was programmed to spend all its time dancing, the kids quickly lost interest. When the robot went back to its old self, the kids treated it like a peer again.

"The study shows that current technology is very close to being able to produce robots able to develop a special relationship with toddlers," says Movellan. But, he adds, it is not clear yet whether robots can interest older children or adults in the same way.

1.What does the underlined word  "stationed" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Hid.     B. Observed. C. Placed.   D. Named.

2.At the beginning of the experiment, researchers ________.

A. feared that the robot would harm the toddlers

B. programmed the robot to move freely about the classroom

C. expected the robot to communicate with the toddlers

D. thought the toddlers' interest in the robot wouldn't  last long

3.Kids aged between 18 months and two years behave

as social beings by.

A. giggling  B: touching  C. toddling  D. dancing

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

A. Giggling robot becomes one of the kids

B. Giggling robot used as a classroom assistant

C. Giggling robot makes kids more active in class

D. Giggling robot attracts more attention from kids

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Computers might not be clever enough to trick adults into thinking they are intelligent yet, but a new study, led by Javier' Movellan at the University of Califomia San Diego, shows that a giggling (咯咯笑的) robot is clever enough to get toddlers (初学走路者) to treat it as a peer (同龄人).

The researchers stationed a 2-foot-tall robot Called QRIO in a classroom of a dozen toddlers aged between 18 months and two years. QRIO stayed in the middle of the room using its sensors (传感器) to avoid bumping (碰撞) into the kids. It was programmed to giggle when the kids touched its head, to occasionally sit down, and to lie down when its batteries died.

"We expected that after a few hours, the magic was going to disappear," Movellan says.  "That's what was found with earlier robots." But, in fact, the kids remained interested in the robot over several weeks, eventually communicating with QRIO in much the same way they did with other toddlers.

The researchers measured the relationship between the children and the robot in several ways. Firstly, as with other toddlers,  they touched QRIO mostly on the arms and hands, rather than on the face or legs. For this age group, "the amount of touching is a good predictor of how you are doing as a social being," Movellan says.

The children helped the robot up when it fell, and when QRIO's batteries ran out and it lay down, a toddler would come up and cover it with a blanket and say "night, night". However, when QRIO was programmed to spend all its time dancing, the kids quickly lost interest. When the robot went back to its old self, the kids treated it like a peer again.

"The study shows that current technology is very close to being able to produce robots able to develop a special relationship with toddlers," says Movellan. But, he adds, it is not clear yet whether robots can interest older children or adults in the same way.

1. What does the underlined word  "stationed" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Hid.     B. Observed. C. Placed.   D. Named.

2. At the beginning of the experiment, researchers          .

A. feared that the robot would harm the toddlers

B. programmed the robot to move freely about the classroom

C. expected the robot to communicate with the toddlers

D. thought the toddlers' interest in the robot wouldn't  last long

3. Kids aged between 18 months and two years behave

as social beings by.

A. giggling  B: touching  C. toddling  D. dancing

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

A. Giggling robot becomes one of the kids

B. Giggling robot used as a classroom assistant

C. Giggling robot makes kids more active in class

D. Giggling robot attracts more attention from kids

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

If your mother wants to tell you something, she uses words. Birds can not talk as we do. But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger. They have their own ways to make the young birds do certain things.

The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe. Jackdaws live together in flocks(群). Young jackdaws do not know their enemies.When an older jackdaw see a dog, it makes a loud tattling(格格响的) sound. The young birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby.The sounds warn them to know their enemy.

If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind. The parent bird flies low over the young bird’s back, the parents’ tail feathers move quickly from side to side. It is trying to say, “Follow me.”

At the same time,the parent calls out, “Key-aw, Key-aw.” The parent means, “Fly home with me.” The young bird then follows the older one home.

Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch.

1.The jackdaw lives in ______.

A. Europe       B. Australia                C. America                 D. Africa

2.When an old jackdaw sees a dog, it ______.

A. calls out “Follow me.”        B. makes a loud sound

C. flies away                  D. fights the dog

3.parent jackdaw can use their tail feathers to ______.

A. ask their young to follow them       B. play a game with the young

C. tell the meal time                  D. give a warning of a fire

4. The story tells much about ______

A. the danger of jackdaws

B. in which mother can talk to their children

C. the way jackdaws warn their young of danger

D. how the jackdaws are living

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If your mother wants to tell you something, she uses words. Birds can not talk as we do. But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger. They have their own ways to make the young birds do certain thing.

The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe. Jackdaws live together in flocks. ( 群) Yong jackdaws do not know their enemies. When an older jackdaw sees a dog , it makes a loud tattling (格格响的)sound.The young birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby.  The sounds warns them to know their enemy.

If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind.The parent bird flies low over the young bird’s back, the parents’ tail feathers move quickly from side to side, It is trying to say, “ Follow me.”

At the same time , the parent calls out, “ Key-aw ,Key-aw.” The parent means, “ Fly home with me.” The young bird then follows the older one home.

Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean.They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch.

1.The jackdaw lives in _____ .

A. Europe     B . Australia    C. America   D .Africa

2.When an old jackdaw sees a dog , it _____ .

A. calls out “Follow me .”    B . makes a loud sound

C. flies away               D. fights the dog .

3. Parent jackdaw can use their tail feathers to ______ .

A . ask their young to follow them      B . play a game with the young

C. tell the meal time                 D.give a warning of a fire

4.The story tells much about _____ .

A.the danger of jackdaws.

B .in which mother can talk to their children.

C. the way jackdaws warn their young of danger.

D. how the jackdaws are living.

5. Which of the following does this story lead you to believe ?

A. All animal parents can talk to their young.

B . Dogs are the most dangerous enemies for jackdaws.

C. Young jackdaws know the meaning of their parents’ sound when they grow older .

D. Some birds can give certain information to one another.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Have you ever tried to write a poem? It’s easier than you might think. Poems are a lot like song lyrics. A good poem reveals an honest feeling about something. Follow these steps to write a poem.

First, pay attention to the world around you — little things, big things, people, animals, buildings, events, etc. 1. You can do just about anything in a poem. That’s why poetry writing is so wild and free: there are no rules.

2. What would you like your poem to be about? Your poem will be more powerful if you choose a topic you feel strongly about.

Now freely write for five minutes about your topic. Then go back and read it. 3. Circle these to use in your poem.

Write your poem. Remember, a poem doesn’t have to rhyme (押韵). It doesn’t have to use sentences. 4. And it should sound nice to you.

Have a friend read your poem aloud to you. Do you like the way it sounds? 5.

I believe that poetry is the most exquisite (优美的) form of writing. And anyone can write a poem if they want to.

A. Then, choose your topic.

B. Explore different types of poems.

C. Do any words or phrases stand out?

D. What do you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel?

E. But it should show your feelings about the topic.

F. If not, go back and rewrite the parts you don’t like.

G. Choose a paragraph from a favourite book and turn it into a poem.

高二英语七选五简单题查看答案及解析

Have you ever tried to write a poem? It’s easier than you might think. Poems are a lot like song lyrics(歌词). A good poem conveys an honest feeling about something. Follow these steps to write a poem.

First, pay attention to the world around you-----little things, big things, people, animals, buildings, events, etc.1.You can do just about anything in a poem. That’s why poetry writing is so wild and free: there are no rules.

2.What would you like your poem to be about? Your poem will be more powerful if you choose a topic you feel strongly about.

Now free-write for 5 minutes about your topic. Then go back and read it.3.Circle these to use in your poem.

Write your poem. Remember, a poem doesn’t have to rhyme. It doesn’t have to use sentences. 4.　 And it should sound nice to you.

Have a friend read your poem aloud to you. Do you like the way it sounds?5.

I believe that poetry is the most exquisite(优美的) form of writing. And anyone can write a poem if they want to.

A. Then, choose your topic.

B. Explore different types of poems.

C. Do any words or phrases stand out?

D. What do you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel?

E. But it should show your feelings about the topic.

F. If not, go back and rewrite the parts you don’t like.

G. Choose a paragraph from a favorite book and turn it into a poem

高二英语七选五简单题查看答案及解析

　　　　 , you need to be failing more if you are expected to succeed in the end.

A. Strange as might it seem　　 B. As it might seem strange

C. As strange it might seem　　 D. Strange as it might seem

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand(品牌) of product on the shelf.

Colouring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packaged(包装) in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colours. Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.

When some kind of pain killer was brought out recently, researchers found that the colours turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.

The size of a product can attract a shopper. But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.

It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!

The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote (推销) their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius(天才) to sell it.”

1.Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?

A．The cost of its package.                   B．The price of the product.

C．The colour of its package.                 D．The brand name of the product.

2.The underlined part “the colours turned the customers off” (in Para.3) means that the colours _________.

A．attracted the customers strongly

B．caused the customers to lose interest

C．tricked the customers into shopping

D．had weak effects on the customers

3.Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?

A．The way to promote goods.

B．The discovery of a genius.

C．The team to produce a good product.

D．The brand name used by successful producers.

4.According to the passage, we know that _________.

A．making soap is so easy that any fool in the world can make it.

B．greens, yellows or silver are considered to be healthy colours.

C．25 years ago, the founder of Pears soap was a pretty girl herself.

D．the size of a product can have an effect on the shoppers.

5.Which of the following would be the best title for this text?

A．Choice of Good Products

B．Disadvantages of Products

C．Effect of Packaging on Shopping

D．Brand Names and Shopping Tricks

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析