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LONDON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A four-year-old child’s ability to draw could be an indicator of intelligence at age 14, according to a study published on Tuesday in the British journal Psychological Science.
The researchers from King’s College London (KCL) studied 7,752 pairs of identical and non-identical twins, and found that the link between drawing and later intelligence was influenced by genes.
At the age of 4, children were asked by their parents to complete a ‘Draw-a-Child’ test. Their drawings were rated from 0 to 12, based on the presence and correct number of body-parts, like arms, legs, head, eyes and nose.
The children were also given verbal and non-verbal intelligence tests at ages 4 and 14. According to researchers, the test was devised in the 1920’s to assess children’s intelligence, so it’s not surprising that the test correlated with intelligence at age 4.However, they found that higher scores on the test were also moderately associated with higher scores of intelligence at 14.
The researchers also measured the heritability of figure drawing. Identical twins share all their genes, whereas non-identical twins only share about 50 percent. Overall, at age 4, drawings from identical twin pairs were more similar to one another than drawings from non-identical twin pairs.
Therefore, the researchers concluded that differences in children’s drawings have an important genetic link. They also found that drawing at age 4 and intelligence at age 14 had a strong genetic link.
“Drawing is an ancient behaviour, dating back beyond 15,000 years ago,” Dr. Rosalind Arden, lead author of the paper from KCL, said that: “This capacity to reproduce figures is a uniquely human ability and a sign of cognitive ability, in a similar way to writing, which transformed the human species’ ability to store information, and build a civilisation.”
1.According to the passage, which of the following statement about ‘Draw-a-Child’ test is true?
A. The test was devised in the 1920’s.
B. 7,752 identical and non-identical twins took part in it.
C. The test was set to assess children’s intelligence.
D. The children took the test at four.
2.Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the underlined word “devised” in the 4th paragraph?
A. changed B. formed C. taken D. designed
3.What do we know about the twins from the passage?
A. Those who could draw better at 4 tend to be more intelligent at 14.
B. Twins who look similar to each other draw better pictures.
C. They were chosen to take the drawing test by the researchers.
D. They were tested on how smart they were once.
4.From the last paragraph, we can infer that ___________.
A. human society develops because of the ability to draw figures
B. drawing helps improve humans’ ability to study
C. one’s intelligence is related to his ability to draw pictures
D. only human beings are able to draw pictures
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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London, Dec.17 (Xinhua) “Drivers on London Underground trains have started reading out sayings from great thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi , Frindrich Engels, and Albert Einstein in a bid to cheer up passengers ,” officials said. As well as the usual announcements urging passengers to “mind the steps” and warning of delays, the sayings such as “ an ounce ( 盎司) of action is worth a ton of theory” have taken the place of commercial ad in the underground carriages .
New York, Oct.8 (Xinhua) Once as a famous actor, now the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to abandon textbooks in favor of digital ones. He plans to launch this program in August next year when California’s high-school pupils will have access to online math and science text. But some teachers wonder whether his idea of getting rid of textbooks might end up costing more not less, with digital textbook going for $300.
Amsterdam, Nov.30 (Xinhua) A few cups of coffee a day may not only help to put off the disease—dementia(痴呆) but also can treat it, according to Dr. Arendash, who led the research. After giving mice with memory damage water containing caffeine, he found the mice developed better memories and quick thinking. The reason is that caffeine is a safe drug for most people. It easily enters the brain and directly affects the disease process. He suggested people should drink five eight–ounce cups of ordinary coffee, two cups of strong ‘coffee shop’ coffee, 14 cups of tea, or 20 cola drinks to get the same amount of 500 milligrams of caffeine.
1.What’s the purpose of putting up sayings on the underground carriages in London?
A．to help passengers to kill time.
B．to encourage passengers to learn.
C．to lift the spirits of passengers.
D．to make money as a commercial ad.
2.What can we conclude from the second news?
A．digital textbooks will replace traditional textbooks.
B．online math is already available to high-school pupils .
C．digital textbooks are convenient to carry anywhere.
D．Not all the teachers support their governor’s idea.
3.Which of the following statements is true from the third news?
A．The more coffee you drink, the less chance there will be for dementia.
B．Caffeine can make mice become more and more intelligent and energetic.
C．Caffeine can affect the process of the disease—dementia and treat it.
D．Caffeine is a safe drug for all the people for everyday use so enjoy it.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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LONDON, Feb. 18，2014 （Xinhua News agency） —Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards.
British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income.
Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths.
The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject.
"Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths—their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works—early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division（长除法）, for instance."
She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject to young people competing for good jobs in a global labor market and to the economy more generally.
An education and skills survey released by the Confederation of British Industry last year showed that 30 percent of employers reported dissatisfaction with the standard of school and college leavers' numeracy. More than two-thirds of employers said they wanted both maths and science promoted more in schools.
1.Why does the British government send a delegation of experts to Shanghai?
A. To see how children from rich families have become the best at maths.
B. To investigate why the performance of almost all children in China is high.
C. To get a first-hand look at science classes and teaching methods there.
D. To raise the teaching standards in maths in Britain.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the two international competition results?
A. British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012.
B. British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013.
C. The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany.
D. The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland.
3.What has made schools in Shanghai the most successful in teaching maths in the eye of Truss?
A. Curriculum and teaching methods.
B. Teaching practices and a positive mind.
C. Early learning of key arithmetic and times tables.
D. A focus on times tables and long division.
4.How will students’ poor performance in maths affect the country eventually?
A. By threatening the country's competitiveness of economy.
B. By weakening the country's political system.
C. By losing international competitions in education.
D. By failing to find jobs in a global labor market.
5.What can we infer from the news?
A. The students in Britain don’t work hard at Maths.
B. The students in shanghai are the smartest in the world.
C. The education of science in Britain is no better than that of maths.
D. Most British citizens are dissatisfied with teachers’ work.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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National Forecast
Fri, Aug 24,
LONDON —This Evening and Tonight:
Rain, locally heavy across northwest Scotland. Mostly cloudy but dry in other northern and western areas. Dry with clear spells(持续时间)in more central and eastern parts, but some low cloud and fog will develop. Generally mild with light winds.
Saturday:
Cloud and rain over western Scotland at the beginning will gradually push down over N.Ireland and northwest England. Largely dry, warm with sunny spells elsewhere, once early fog and low cloud clears.
http ://www. times online. co. uk/tol/news/weather/
The Nation's Weather
Fri, Aug 24,
NEW YORK—Heavy rain was forecast throughout Friday in parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rainfall was over northern Illinois, with more than 4 inches possible around Chicago.
Wet weather was also expected in the Plains as the same storm system tracks through the region.
Periods of heavy rain were also forecast for the Northeast as the remnant(剩余部分)of tropical storm Erin moves into the Canadian Maritimes.
Hot weather was expected to continue in the South and West.
http ://www. wunderground. com
Death toll rises to 36 in China typhoon
Wed, Aug 22,
BEIJING— At least 36 people were killed by Typhoon Sepat in four provinces in eastern and central China in widespread destruction that also forced the evacuation (撤退)of l.37 million people.
More than 60,000 homes in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan also were destroyed or damaged, Xinhua News Agency said.
Total economic losses in the provinces have reached $ 663 million.
Fujian was the worst-hit province, with 18 people killed, Xinhua said.
Earlier, the storm, named after a Malaysian fish, killed at least one person in Taiwan, and left three dead in the Philippines.
http ://news. yahoo. com/s/ap
1.On August 25, in N. Ireland and northwest England, there will be _____.
A. low cloud and fog B. typhoon and flood
C. cloud and rain D. sunshine and mild wind
2.What was the weather like in the south and west of the USA on Friday?
A. It was hot. B. It was rainy.
C. It was foggy. D. It was warm.
3.The storm named Sepat _____.
A. caused one death in the Philippines
B. killed 18 people in Taiwan
C. destroyed about 60,000 homes in Fujian
D. caused great economic losses
4.The name of Typhoon Sepat comes from _____.
A. a tropical storm B. a Malaysian fish
C. a place D. a person
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Honesty ________ an important role in a child’s ability to succeed in school and later life.
A. played B. plays C. had played D. has played
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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On Nov.18th, 1908, three men went up in a balloon. They started early in London. The headman was Augusta Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way.
Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope, and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight. It was for use over the sea. They were also carrying some bags of sand.
After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 meters, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand, but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice.
At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed up to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 meters! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had travelled 1,797 kilometers from London!
【小题】The metal box was used for ________.
A. carrying the bags of sand
B. keeping drinking-water
C. carrying ropes of the basket
D. changing weight
1.The balloon landed ________.
A. in London B. on the sea
C. on a lake D. in a foreign country
2.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The three men started their journey before the sun rose.
B. The balloon began to go up when they threw bags of sand out of the basket.
C. When they pulled the box into the basket, the balloon began to climb up.
D. The three men had to land because they felt cold.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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How to deal successfully with a child showing outstanding musical ability? It’s not always clear how best to develop and encourage his gift. Many parents may even fail to recognize and respond to their children′s need until discouragement explodes into uncooperative(不合作的)behavior. And while most schools are equipped to deal with children who are especially able in academic subjects，the musically gifted require special understanding which may not always be available in an ordinary school. Such children may well benefit from the education offered by a specialist music school.
The five music schools in Britain aim to provide all environment where gifted children can develop their skills under the guidance of professional musicians. Children here spend about half of a day on musical activities，for example，individual lessons，orchestras，chamber(室内音乐的)groups，voice training，conducting and theory. They also spend several hours a day practicing in private rooms .The rest of their time is taken up with the subjects：English，maths and basic sciences.
What are the disadvantages? An obvious problem is that the fees are high .However, each school will often scholarships and other forms of financial aid. Secondly, not all parents want to send their children to boarding school, especially at an early age .Almost all the directors of the specialist schools express doubts about the wisdom of admitting children as young as seven into such a tense and disciplined（守纪律的)environment. They stress，however, that their main aim is to turn out “well-rounded and well—balanced individual.”
1.If a child’s musical ability is not recognized___________.
A. the child may behave badly
B. the ability may fade away
C. the child may lose interest
D. the parents may become anxious
2.What probably may musically gifted children face in ordinary schools?
A. Their academic work may suffer．
B. Schools lack musical equipment
C. Music is not seen as an important subject
D. Parents and teachers don’t work together．
3.What makes specialist music schools different from other schools?
A. Their working day is longer．
B. A range of musical training is offered
C. More than half the day is spent on music
D. The children have mostly one-to-one lessons
4.According to
school directors，what is a possible disadvantage for pupils?A. Poor children may not be included
B. They may lose their individuality
C. There may be a discipline problem
D. They may be too small on arrival
5.The passage mainly talks about__________.
A. education and development about children
B. disadvantages of music schools
C. music schools for children with music gift
D. how to deal with music talented children
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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How to deal successfully with a child who shows outstanding musical ability？It’s not always clear how best to develop and encourage his gift.Many parents may even fail to recognise and respond to their children’s need until frustration explodes into difficult or uncooperative(不合作的) behaviour.And while most schools are equipped to deal with children who are specially able in academic subjects，the musically gifted require special understanding which may not always be available in an ordinary school—especially one where music is regarded as a secondary activity.Such children may well benefit from the education offered by a specialist music school.
The five music schools in Britain are a relatively recent introduction.They aim to provide an environment in which gifted children aged between seven and eighteen can develop their skills to the full under the guidance of professional musicians.
Children at specialist music schools spend between one third and one half of an average day on musical activities，for example，individual lessons，orchestras，chamber(室内音乐的) groups，voice training，conducting and theory.They also spend several hours a day practising in properly equipped private rooms，sometimes with a teacher.The rest of their time is taken up with the subjects：English，maths，basic sciences and languages.All five British specialist schools are independent，classes are small by normal school standards，with a high teacher/pupil ratio(比率)．Most children attending specialist schools tend to be boarders，leaving home to live，eat and sleep fulltime at school.
What are the disadvantages？An obvious problem is the cost；the fees are high(￡12,000￡17,000 a year for boarders)．However，each school will make every effort with scholarships and other forms of financial assistance，to help parents of outstandingly gifted children to find the necessary fees.Secondly，not all parents want to send their children to boarding school，especially at a very early age.Almost all the directors of the specialist schools express doubts about the wisdom of admitting children as young as seven into such an intense and disciplined(守纪律的) environment.They stress，however，that their main aim is to turn out “rounded and wellbalanced” individuals.
There is little doubt that setting musically gifted children apart from an early age can cause stress.Early signs of musical ability may disappear in their teenage years，while natural competitiveness and the pressure to succeed can lead to a deep sense of failure.But all specialist schools do keep a close watch on the progress of individual pupils，and offer help and advice if needed.
1.If a child’s musical ability is not recognized，________.
A．the child may misbehave
B．the ability may fade away
C．the child may lose interest
D．the parents may become anxious
2.What problem may musically gifted children face in ordinary schools?
A．Their academic work may suffer.
B．Schools lack musical equipment.
C．Music is not seen as an important subject.
D．Parents and teachers do not work together.
3.What makes specialist music schools different from other schools?
A．Their working day is longer.
B．A range of musical training is offered.
C．More than half the day is spent on music.
D．The children have mostly onetoone lessons.
4.What do most school directors see as a possible disadvantage for pupils?
A．Poor children may not be included.
B．They may lose their individuality.
C．There may be a discipline problem.
D．They may not be mature enough on arrival.
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 child who suffers bullying(霸凌) usually has low self-esteem and their ability to learn and be successful at school is greatly lessened. Therefore, bullying must be stopped.
The best and most obvious way to stop bullying in schools is for parents to change the way they raise their children at home. Of course, this is much easier said than done and everyone raises their children differently. Bullies, however, come from homes where physical punishment is used and children have been taught that physical violence is the way to handle problems and “get their way”. Bullies usually also come from homes where the parents fight a lot, so children have been modeled on such violence. Parental involvement is often lacking in bullies’ lives and there seems to be little warmth.
Early intervention (干预) is truly the best way to stop bullying, but parents of the victims or therapists(治疗师) can’t alter the bully’s home environment. Some things can be done at the school level, however. Most school programs that address bullying apply a multi-faceted(多层面的) method to the problem.
Hand out questionnaires to all students and teachers and discuss if bullying is occurring. Define exactly what constitutes(构成) bullying at school. The questionnaire is a wonderful tool that allows the school to see how widespread bullying is and what forms it is taking. It is a good way to start to solve the problem.
Get the children’s parents involved in a bullying program. If parents of the bullies and the victims are not aware of what is going on at school, then the whole bullying program will not be effective. Stopping bullying in school takes teamwork and concentrated effort on everyone’s part. Bullying also should be discussed during parent-teacher conferences and PTA meetings. Parental awareness is the key.
In the classroom setting, all teachers should work with the students on bullying. Oftentimes even the teacher is being bullied in the classroom and a program should be set up to teach about bullying. Children understand modeling behaviors and role-play and acting out bullying situations is a very effective tool. Have students role-play a bullying situation.
1.In the author’s opinion, bullies usually _____________.
A.have extremely high self-esteem
B.know little of the harm of violence
C.look forward to parental involvement
D.experience or witness violence at home
2.What does the underlined word “alter” in paragraph 3 mean?
A.understand B.change
C.remove D.approach
3.Paragraph 5 suggests that it’s important to ______________.
A.make a punishment program effective
B.let parents know their children are bullies
C.find the key to improving security at school
D.make parents conscious of bullying at school
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to stop bullying in school. B.What leads to violence in schools.
C.What parents can do to stop bullying. D.How to comfort those who are bullied.
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 child, if brought up in ______ large family, is more likely to develop______ ability to share with ________others.
A．/; an; the B．a; the; / C．the; an; the D．a; the; the
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
school directors，what is a possible disadvantage for pupils?