Scientists have been interested for years in ...

Scientists have been interested for years in the observation that ratios(比率）of finger lengths differ in men and women. In men, the ring (fourth) finger is usually longer than the index (second); their so-called 2D :4D ratio is lower than 1. In females, the two fingers are more likely to be the same length. Because of this sex differences, some scientists believe that a low ratio could be a marker for higher prenatal hormone(产前激素）levels, although it’s not clear how the hormone might influence finger development. The 2D : 4D ratio has also been fingered in connection with brain-related characteristics—most often in males--such as depression, left-handedness, musical ability, and homosexuality.

In the latest such study, psychologist Mark Brosnan and colleagues at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom photocopied the hands of 74 boys and girls aged 6 and 7.They compared the measurements of the second and fourth fingers with the children's scores on a standard UK test of math and literacy. In boys, the lower the ratio, the better their math score, the team reports in the May issue of the British Journal of Psychology, The boys with the lowest ratios also were the ones whose abilities were most skewed in the direction of math rather than literacy. These differences are small but significant, says Brosnan. With the girls, there was no correlation between finger ration and numeracy, but those with higher ratios—probably indicating low hormone levels—had better scores on verbal abilities.

These sex-specific correlations show how tricky it is to define the roles of sex hormones, says psychologist S .Marc Breedlove of Michigan State University in East Lansing. The range of normal levels of the hormone is different in males and females, so comparable levels would have very different meanings depending on the sex of the individual. And the timing of hormone surges is as important as levels.

Nevertheless, Brosnan believes finger measurements might be useful for predicting cognitive abilities—although he acknowledges that “we are not suggesting that finger length measurements could replace SAT tests”. Others are more cautious, pointing out that scientists still have not confirmed that finger ratio is a reliable marker for prenatal hormone levels.

1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Scientists never show interest in people's fingers.

B. Many women have different kinds of fingers.

C. In males, the ring finger may equal the index in length.

D. In females, the ring finger may equal the index in length.

2.What is the author's attitude to Brosnan's research?

A. Supportive.　　 B. Positive.

C. Neutral.　　 D. Indifferent.

3.We can infer from the passage that　　　　　 .

A. in girls, the higher the ratio, the better their maths scores

B. finger length contributes to people's academic abilities

C. it is easy to give a definition of the roles of sex hormones

D. Brosnan is serious about his research

4.What's the main idea of this passage?

A. Finger ratio is critical to people's future.

B. Finger length measurements may be useful

C. Finger length is related to children’s scores.

D. Finger ratio is a reliable maker for hormone levels.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Scientists have always been interested in the high level of organization in ant societies. American researchers have watched ants build life-saving rafts(筏子) to keep afloat during floods. They also have documented how ant colonies choose their next queen — the female whose job is to produce eggs rather than seek food for others.

New technology is helping to improve researchers’ understanding of the insects. But there is still a lot to be learned. Fire ants living in Brazilian forests are perfectly at home in an environment where flooding is common. To save themselves, the insects connect their legs together and create floating rafts. Some ant rafts can be up to 20 centimeters wide.

David Hu, who is a mechanical engineer with the Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, says, “If you have 100 ants, which means 600 legs, 99 percent of those legs will be connected to a neighbor. So they’re very, very good at maintaining this network.”

David Hu and other Georgia Tech researchers want to study ants and the secret of their engineering. They freeze ant rafts and then look at them with the help of computed technology, or CT, images. The pictures show that larger ants serve in central positions to which smaller ants hold. The larger ants form pockets of air that keep the insects afloat.

Scientists say small robots or materials that can change shape could be programmed in a similar way, working towards a shared goal.

Researchers at North Carolina State University are also studying ants. They examined how Indian jumping ants choose the leader of the colony when they lose their top female or queen.

1.The duty of the queen ants is to_____.

A. seek food　　 B. keep organized

C. lay eggs　　 D. keep guard

2.The author takes fire ants as an example to tell us _____.

A. how ants seek food perfectly　　 B. How ants save themselves from floods

C. how ants communicate　　 D. How ants connect their legs together

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Ants know the way to form a harmonious society.

B. The Georgia Tech researchers first discovered Indian jumping ants.

C. All the worker ants in the colony are physically larger.

D. Small and shaped-changeable things might work just like ants do.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

For years, scientists and others concerned about climate change have been talking about the need for carbon capture and storage (CCS).

That is the term for removing carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) from, say, a coal-burning power plant’s smokestack and pumping it deep underground to keep it out of the atmosphere, where it would otherwise contribute to global warming.

However, currently, only one power plant in Canada captures and stores carbon on a commercial scale (and it has been having problems). Among the concerns about storage is that carbon dioxide in gaseous or liquid form that is pumped underground might escape back to the atmosphere. So storage sites would have to be monitored, potentially for decades or centuries.

But scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and other institutions have come up with a different way to store CO2 that might eliminate that problem. Their approach involves dissolving the gas with water and pumping the resulting mixture — soda water, essentially — down into certain kinds of rocks, where the CO2 reacts with the rock to form a mineral called calcite(方解石). By turning the gas into stone, scientists can lock it away permanently. Volcanic rocks called basalts(玄武岩) are excellent for this process, because they are rich in calcium, magnesium and iron, which react with CO2.

The project called CarbFix started in Iceland, 2012, when the scientists pumped about 250 tons of carbon dioxide, mixed with water, about 1,500 feet down into porous basalt. Early signs were encouraging: The scientists found that about 95 percent of the carbon dioxide was changed into calcite. And even more importantly, they wrote, the change happened relatively quickly — in less than two years.

“It’s beyond all our expectations,” said Edda Aradottir, who manages the project. Rapid change of the CO2 means that a project would probably have to be monitored for a far shorter time than a more conventional storage site.

There are still concerns about whether the technology will prove useful in the fight against global warming. For one thing, it would have to be scaled up enormously. For another, a lot of water is needed — 25 tons of it for every ton of CO2 — along with the right kind of rock.

But the researchers say that there is enough porous basaltic rock in Iceland, including in the ocean floors and along the margins of continents. And sitting a storage project in or near the ocean could potentially solve the water problem at the same time, as the researchers say seawater would work just fine.

1.What can we learn about CCS in Paragraphs 2 and 3?

A. Scientists believe global warming will be avoided if CO2 is pumped underground.

B. It’s been a common practice in many plants to capture and store CO2 underground.

C. There is no guarantee that CO2 will not escape even if pumped underground.

D. It requires decades to turn CO2 into liquid form and be locked underground.

2.What materials should be involved in the project CarbFix?

A. Water, CO2, soda water and basalts.

B. Water, CO2, a pump and basalts.

C. CO2, basalts, a pump and calcite.

D. Water, soda water, a pump and calcite.

3.According to Edda Aradottir, the result of the project was beyond the researchers’ expectations, because ________.

A. it’s disappointing to discover new problems caused by rapid change

B. it’s exciting to sense the problem of storing CO2 likely to be solved

C. it’s puzzling to find the encouraging but unexpected result of the project

D. it’s amazing to see 95% of the carbon dioxide turn into calcite that fast

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To show the different ways to fight against CO2.

B. To praise the efforts of scientists in storing CO2.

C. To inform us of a breakthrough in storing CO2.

D. To urge people to produce the least possible CO2.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Birds have been observed to sleep while in flight for the first time ever. Because of some flights that can often last several days, weeks, or even longer, some sea birds have long been thought of being able to fall fully asleep while “on the wing”, though it was not proven.

Now researchers say they have evidence which shows birds can sleep in flight. Scientists from Max Planck Institute used a sample of 15 adult female frigate birds (军舰鸟) to test the sleep patterns. Each bird had a small electroencephalogram (EEG脑电图) sensor fitted to record changes in the animals’ brain activity as they flew for up to 10 days and over 3,000 kilometres.

The readings showed that during flight the birds could sleep using one hemisphere of the brain, or both together. It was known that frigate birds could sleep with one “half” of the brain, which allows them to keep one eye open and “connected” to the awake half.

According to the research, it is sleeping technique used by birds for finding directions. “Frigatebirds sleep mostly while circling in rising air and keep the eye connected to the awake hemisphere facing the direction of flight, suggesting that they watch where they are going,” says the study.

Despite the ability to fall “fully” asleep, the birds were found to do it less in the air compared to one land. They slept “very little and less deeply while in flight. This suggests that though it is possible, falling totally asleep is not very good during flight which will need the bird’s attention.

The researchers said the short sleep could be serving as “power naps” to keep the birds going until they return to land. Further study could help us understand why lack of sleep affects humans so badly.

1.The phrase “on the wing” in the first paragraph may mean __________.

A. flying.　　 B. fighting.

C. sleeping.　　 D. thinking.

2.How do the sleeping birds find the directions?

A. They sleep less when they are circling in rising air.

B. They keep one eye connected to the awake part.

C. They pay special attention to the way.

D. They have a good sleep before they start flying.

3.What is the best title of the text?

A. A Study on Birds in Flight　　 B. Flying Birds’ Brain Activity

C. Birds Can Sleep in Flight　　 D. Sleep With Half of the Brain

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.

Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to suffer eye pain, headache and other problems. Some pollutants（污染物）can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer. Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution.

People have paid more attention to the problem now. It is true that when builders began making houses and offices they did not waste energy. To do this they build buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using man-made building materials. These materials are now known to let out harmful gases.

As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building—green plants. Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe that a plant’s leaves absorb or take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square meters of space. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and more healthy place.

1. Generally speaking, indoor air pollution may be more harmful than the air outside because _　　　　　　　　 .

A．indoor air pollution can often make people seriously ill

B．there may be more harmful gases outside the buildings

C．man-made building materials give off dangerous gases

D．the air indoors is polluted, which is very harmful

2. Some kind of indoor pollution can be found in _______.

A．every old house　　　 B．every modern house

C．all kinds of houses D．all kinds of offices

3. The indoor air pollution is caused by ______.

A．the man-made building materials and the limit of air-flow

B．the building way that the builders want to save energy

C．the building things that are made of man-made materials

D．the limit of the flow of air between inside and outside

4. The reason why we should use different kinds of plants to clean the air is that ______.

A．plants can let out all kinds of pollutants indoors

B．plants may take in more oxygen which people need

C．plants can make our houses prettier and more healthy

D．plants can absorb all kinds of harmful indoor chemicals

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.

Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to suffer eye pain, headache and other problems. Some pollutants(污染物) can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer. Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution.

People have paid more attention to the problem now. It is true that when builders began making houses and offices they did not waste energy. To do this they build buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using man-made building materials. These materials are now known to let out harmful gases.

As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building--green plants. Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe that a plant’s leaves absorb or take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square meters of space. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and more healthy place.

1.Generally speaking, indoor air pollution may be more harmful than the air outside because________.

A. indoor air pollution can often make people seriously ill

B. there may be more harmful gases outside the buildings

C. the air indoors is polluted, which is very harmful

D. man-made building materials give off dangerous gases

2.Some kind of indoor pollution can be found in _______.

A. every modern house 　　 B. every old house

C. all kinds of houses　　　 D. all kinds of offices

3.The indoor air pollution is caused by ______.

A. the building way that the builders want to save energy

B. the man-made building materials and the limit of air-flow

C. the building things that are made of man-made materials

D. the limit of the flow of air between inside and outside

4.The reason why we should use different kinds of plants to clean the air is that ______.

A. plants can let out all kinds of pollutants indoors

B. plants may take in more oxygen which people need

C. plants can absorb all kinds of harmful indoor chemicals

D. plants can make our houses prettier and more healthy

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For years scientists have been concerned about the effects of air pollution on the earth's natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.

Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired,to suffer eye pain, headache and other problems.Some pollutants(污染物)can cause breathing disorders,diseases of blood and even cancer. Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution.People began to notice the problem in the early 1970s.It is said that when builders began making houses and offices they did not want to waste energy.To do this,they built buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside.They also began using man-made building materials.These materials are now known to let out harmful gases.As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it.They discovered a natural pollution control system for building－green plants.Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution.They believe that a plant's leaves absorb or take in the pollutants.In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and through its tiny organizations on its roots.Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square metres of space.Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals.So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants.Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and healthier place.

77.What is the topic of the passage?

A.Air pollution.

B.Green plants indoors.

C.Indoor air pollution.

D.Environment protecting.

78.What makes indoor air pollution more harmful than that of the air outside?

A.The limited flow of air indoors.

B.Man-made building materials.

C.Fewer green plants inside houses.

D.The energy-saving materials indoors.

79.The most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants because______.

A.they can make houses pettier and healthier

B.they may let out oxygen which people need

C.they can take in all kinds of indoor pollutants

D.they can absorb different harmful indoor chemicals

80.Which of the following is implied but NOT stated?

A.keep windows open and let fresh air in.

B.Scientists have a clear idea how plants control air pollution.

C.Oxygen is let out through the leaves and roots of the plants.

D.Green plants are a natural pollution control system for building.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

They are_________ to eat Chinese food though they have been in America for years.

A.    interested          B.please　 C.　 content         D.fond

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the last 20 years of my life, I have been interested in self-improvement and applying it to myself in many ways. And of course all through that time I have learnt a lot and made it much　　　　 .

So in the last 3 months I seem to have reached this　　　　 high level. I feel a miracle has happened to me, in fact the other day I couldn’t stop staring at myself in the　　　　 making sure all these wonderful things were happening to me! Then I cried a small　　　　 , not because of what I looked like, but because I was so　　　　 for the person I had become.

Several things have happened to make me　　　　　 ensure that my track in life has truly　　　　 . I moved back to my hometown after being away a decade and was astonished that so many people　　　　 my name in a nice way, greeted me and　　　　 me back. And over the next 3 months they were excited for my growth. At the　　　　 where I exhibit today, people come over and greet me, I see the　　　　 on their faces when they talk to me frankly and　　　　 . Thus I think they are　　　　 my expression or style. I know I give them a good feeling at the fairs not just from keeping my expression open, understanding, kind but with a　　　　 smile in all the right places. But now I do feel that what I have done for the people may bring them a bit of sympathy.

And most of all I believe in the mirror　　　　 I have ever been doing the hard work, improving myself and now I feel it’s coming back to me in absolute roads and I am considered to be a man of great future.

1.A. easier　　　　 B. healthier　　 C. happier　　　 D. better

2.A. wonderful　　 B. helpful　　　　 C. useful　　　　 D. harmful

3.A. window　　　　 B. mirror　　　　 C. area　　　　　 D. road

4.A. sorrow　　　　 B. fear　　　　　　 C. tear　　　　　 D. voice

5.A. hopeful　　　　 B. anxious　　　　 C. grateful　　 D. proud

6.A. nearly　　　　 B. really　　 　　 C. hardly　　　　 D. equally

7.A. appeared　　　 B. improved　　　 C. moved　　　　 D. changed

8.A. remembered　　 B. recognized　　 C. called　　　　 D. reminded

9.A. took　　　　　　 B. welcomed　　　 C. turned　　　　 D. got

10.A. markets　　　 B. trades　　　　 C. halls　 　　 　 D. fairs

11.A. Expression　 B. impression　　 C. Confusion　　 D. emotion

12.A. Slowly　　　　 B. sincerely　　 C. loudly　　 　 D. annually

13.A. Copying　　　 B. shaping　　　　 C. Showing　　　 D. learning

14.A. Brave　　　　 B. quiet　 　　　　 C. sweet　　 　　 D. simple

15.A. value　　　　 B. reflection　 C. effect　　 D. function

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

For forty years scientists have been 　　　　　　　　 (好奇的) about that fish.

高三英语单词拼写简单题查看答案及解析