As the population of the planet increases, so...

As the population of the planet increases, so does the number of homes, businesses, parking lots, schools, airports and roadways. All these structures use electricity and need to be lighted. Humans demand these lights. They want their homes more comfortable and they want their streets sage. The problem is that researchers are finding that all the light is having a negative effect on humans and wildlife as well.

Less than 10 years ago I drove to a thinly populated section of my town, lay down in the middle of the road and watched an attracted meteor shower(流星雨). The area was short of homes, street lights and traffic. If I did that today, I wouldn’t be able to see the meteor shower as well, and I would surely be run over by a car.

Nowadays scientists are finding light pollution can be almost as bad as carbon dioxide pollution. If you’ve ever taken a flight at night, the view is beautiful, but you must remember that all the light you see is wasted electricity. The crew of the space shuttles see an even bigger picture of how extensive the wasted electricity is worldwide.

Additionally, electricity needs to be generated, and the generation of electricity creates pollution by giving off greenhouse gases. This affects the air we breathe and our quality of life.

Scientists are also studying the effects of light pollution on wildlife. Thousands of birds die each year when they crash into highly lighted buildings, as they become puzzled by the light. It has been long known that tiny sea turtle hatchlings become lost and follow lights on the shore instead of heading towards the sea.

Fortunately, light pollution is one of the easiest sources of pollution that can be corrected without a negative effect. Following some guidelines and a little searching on Google can give you many ideas on how to reduce your contribution to light pollution.

1.The author tells the story in the second paragraph mainly to _________.

A. remember the past beauty of the town.

B. stress the advantages of less pollution

C. show the great changes of the town

D. prove the bad effects of light pollution

2.In the passage the author advises people _________.

A. to try to reduce unnecessary light.

B. not to ignore the beauty around.

C. to set proper light for animals

D. not to destroy the animal’s living conditions.

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Light pollution is difficult to deal with.

B. Light pollution is a threat to some animals.

C. Light pollution has nothing to do with global warming

D. Astronauts can’t see clearly in space due to light pollution.

4.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph which follows the last paragraph?

A. The author’s contribution to light pollution

B. Other sources of light pollution

C. Ways of reducing light pollution

D. More bad effects of light pollution

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

As the world’s population continues to increase, so does the amount of global waste people produce. According to data collected by the World Bank Group, nations will generate 4 billion tons of waste annually by the year 2100. The pollution from trash is not only ruining the world’s oceans, air and soil but endangering all living creatures.

For years government agencies have been telling citizens to live a zero-waste lifestyle. Traditionally, manufacturers would make a product to be used and thrown by consumers. This linear model of production offered no help in the fight against global waste. Alternatively, a circular economy has been introduced. This is a system which aims to minimize waste and restore used materials. Once a product’s value is exhausted, the materials are recycled and returned to manufactures. The outcome is less waste.

In 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported on the Taiwan island’s recycling success rate in an article titled The World’s Geniuses of Garbage Disposal. In 1997, Taiwan established its signature 4-in-l Recycling Program, consisting of communities, recycling enterprises, government cleaning teams and the Recycling Fund. Residents separate their recyclable waste and bring it to their community’s recycling locations. The local government collection teams and private collectors collect it. Recycling companies buy waste materials from them to generate profits. Importers and manufacturers who are responsible for the recyclable products pay a fee into the Recycling Fund. The Recycling Fund is an essential aspect of the program used to subsidize (资助) the recycling disposal system, support education and research and development as well as finance recycling efforts in the future.

By following a circular system, more products than ever are being manufactured using recycled materials. For example, used tires can be recovered to pave roads, while plastic is reused to make new plastic products. And it also helps to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, save landfill space and even create new job opportunities.

1.Why has a circular economy been introduced?

A.The population is on the rise.

B.It can help handle global waste.

C.The living creatures on earth are getting less diverse.

D.Traditional products are not environmentally friendly.

2.What can we learn about 4-in-l Recycle Program?

A.The recyclable materials can be collected officially or privately.

B.The importers and manufactures cover the costs of the program.

C.Recycling companies buy waste materials from the residents.

D.The government invests money as the recycling fund.

3.What’s the effect of the circular system?

A.It will cause no waste or pollution. B.It reduces the costs of the products.

C.It helps lower the unemployment rate. D.All the materials can be recycled again.

4.Which of the following does the text suggest?

A.Do nothing by halves. B.All that glisters isn’t gold.

C.Actions speak louder than words. D.One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

(2012·常州高二检测) _______ the rapid growth of short messages sent by mobile phones, the increasing number of criminal cases appeared through short messages.

A. For                    B. By

C. As                    D. With

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Golden eagle populations in the UK are set to increase as some chicks are reintroduced to the north of England. Ten birds will be released(释放)from south of Edinburgh in summer 2018, with the hope of bringing the species back from disappearing in England. More eagles will be released in the summertime of the next five years.

The project received ￡ 1.3 million of lottery funding in March and has now been awarded a further ￡ 150,000 to employ workers to run the operation. Project manager Cat Barlow said: “This is a really exciting time as the project is now starting to happen and we will soon start to see its benefits. Work will start next summer, when we will collect a number of golden eagle chicks in the Highlands and bring them south to be reared and released from an already selected place.”

The birds will be released with satellite tracking tags that will allow the scientists to gather information about their behavior and find if they suddenly go offline.

Recently, golden eagles have died out in England as the last known individual is believed to have died. Due to the popularity of shooting birds of prey(食肉猛禽), those birds in the wild struggle to survive. Main causes of death are systematic poisoning, shooting and nest disturbance by gamekeepers.

It is hoped that the newly released birds will move further south in search of new living areas and food supplies. The project expects to see the number of wild birds in Scotland and England increase as the range of the animals develops. While the birds were gone in England, in the Highlands of Scotland the number of golden eagles rocketed. With up to 500 breeding pairs, the chicks will be sourced from here. It is hoped that golden eagles may finally return to the north of England, and if all goes well, numbers should grow steadily.

1.Why will some golden eagles be set free from south of Edinburgh?

A. To keep the balance of nature

B. To prevent eagles from dying out

C. To bring back the number of other species

D. To encourage more birds to live in the wild

2.Which word can replace the underlined word “reared” in Paragraph 2?

A. Raised　　 B. Stored

C. Sold　　 D. Exhibited

3.What does Paragraph 4 focus on ?

A. Harmful effects of shooting birds

B. Why animal hunting should be forbidden

C. Reasons for golden eagles’ dying out

D. The difficult situation golden eagles face

4.What is the author’s attitude towards the golden eagle project?

A. Ambiguous　　 B. Cautious

C. Doubtful　　 D. Hopeful

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.

Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(当代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.

When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.

1.The author believes that the population explosion results from _______.

A. an increase in birthrates                         B. the industrial development

C. a decrease in death rates                        D. human beings’ cultural advances

2.It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.

A. it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could    not work

B. the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation

C. old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations

D. death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the  United States is true?

A. Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough.

B. Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement.

C. When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial.

D. With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever.

4.The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A. prolonging the dying old people’s lives

B. reducing the problems caused by the retired people

C. making profits through caring for the sick or weak people

D. taking care of the sick or weak people

5.Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?

A. Sympathetic.        B. Approving.         C. Optimistic.        D. Critical.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.

Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(当代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.

When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.

1.The author believes that the population explosion results from _______.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the  United States is true?

4. The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

5.Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.

Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine (饥荒), infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies, people feel a moral obligation (责任) to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.

When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel (员工).

1.The author believes that the increased size of the human population results from _______.

A．an increase in birthrates                  B．the industrial development

C．a decrease in death rates                 D．childhood diseases

2.It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.

A．it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work

B．the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation

C．old people were given the task of imparting (传授) the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations

D．death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of (免除) the hardships of life

3.The phrase “this need” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．prolonging the dying old people’s lives

B．reducing the problems caused by the retired people

C．making profits through caring for the sick or weak people

D．taking care of the sick or weak people

4.According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?

A．Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough.

B．Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement.

C．Many nursing homes are sponsored by religious and nonprofit groups.

D．Older people have wealth or private insurance if they have a serious illness.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

With the country’s population increasing to 1.3 billion, many of China’s rivers, including the legendary Yellow River,       .

A．is drying up             B．will be drying up    C．had dried up           D．are drying up

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

语法填空。

If the population of the Earth keeps on increasing at its present rate, there will eventually not be enough resources 1.(leave) to support life on the planet. By the middle of the 26st century, if present trends continue, we 2.（use）up all the oil that drives our cars, for example. Even if scientists develop new ways of feeding the human race, the crowded conditions on the earth will make 3.necessary for us to look for open space somewhere else. But 4. of the other planets in our solar system are capable of supporting life at present. One possible solution 5. the problem, 6., has recently been suggested by an American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan. Sagan believes 7. before the Earth’s resources are 8.(complete) exhausted it will be possible to change the atmosphere of Venus and therefore create a new world almost as large as the Earth9..The difficulty is that Venus is much hotter than the Earth. 10., there is only a tiny amount of water there.

高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

______ the average age of the population increases, there are more and more old people to care for.

A. Unless　　　　　　　　 B. Until　　

C.As　　　　　　　　 　　 D. While

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析