It seems hard to watch someone yawn（打哈欠）and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force.
Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don’t develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism (自闭症) are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect.
“Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together,” said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. “Yawning may be part of that.” Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did.
“The fact that autistic kids don’t do it might mean they’re really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them,” she said. “The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others’,” she added. “Autistic people never seem to understand that.”
Like infectious（有感染力的）laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group.
1.According to the first two paragraphs, what does the new study suggest?
A. It is easy to stop yawning when you see others yawn.
B. Yawning is a form of communication.
C. Children follow others in yawning just after they are born.
D. Yawning has some mysterious force which is related to God.
2.According to Molly Helt, _________.
A. yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans
B. humans differ from animals because they communicate with others
C. emotions are infectious, but yawning is not
D. yawning helps clear ears on planes
3.Which of the following is NOT true about yawning?
A. It is natural to yawn back if people around you yawn.
B. Some kids are too young to yawn after others.
C. Kids with autism yawn easily when others yawn.
D. Yawning can be used to test children’s development.
4.The author implies in the last paragraph that ________.
A. it is bad manners to yawn on some social occasions
B. yawning can make people feel relaxed
C. the more you yawn, the happier you will be
D. yawning is different from infectious laughter and crying in theory
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
It seems hard to watch someone yawn（打哈欠）and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force.
Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don’t develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism (自闭症) are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect.
“Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together,” said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. “Yawning may be part of that.” Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did.
“The fact that autistic kids don’t do it might mean they’re really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them,” she said. “The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others’,” she added. “Autistic people never seem to understand that.”
Like infectious（有感染力的）laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group.
1.According to the first two paragraphs, what does the new study suggest?
A. It is easy to stop yawning when you see others yawn.
B. Yawning is a form of communication.
C. Children follow others in yawning just after they are born.
D. Yawning has some mysterious force which is related to God.
2.According to Molly Helt, _________.
A. yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans
B. humans differ from animals because they communicate with others
C. emotions are infectious, but yawning is not
D. yawning helps clear ears on planes
3.Which of the following is NOT true about yawning?
A. It is natural to yawn back if people around you yawn.
B. Some kids are too young to yawn after others.
C. Kids with autism yawn easily when others yawn.
D. Yawning can be used to test children’s development.
4.The author implies in the last paragraph that ________.
A. it is bad manners to yawn on some social occasions
B. yawning can make people feel relaxed
C. the more you yawn, the happier you will be
D. yawning is different from infectious laughter and crying in theory
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It seems hard to watch someone yawn（打哈欠） and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force.
Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don’t develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism (自闭症) are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect.
"Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together," said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. "Yawning may be part of that." Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did.
"The fact that autistic kids don’t do it might mean they’re really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them," she said. "The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others’," she added. "Autistic people never seem to understand that."
Like infectious （有感染力的）laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group.
1.What does the new study suggest, according to the first two paragraphs?
A. Yawning is a form of communication.
B. It is easy to stop yawning when you see others yawn.
C. Children follow others in yawning just after they are born.
D. Yawning has some mysterious force which is related to God.
2.According to Molly Helt, _________.
A. humans differ from animals because they communicate with others
B. yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans
C. emotions are infectious, but yawning is not
D. yawning helps clear ears on planes
3.Which of the following is NOT true about yawning?
A. It is natural to yawn back if people around you yawn.
B. Some kids are too young to yawn after others.
C. Yawning can be used to test children’s development.
D. Kids with autism yawn easily when others yawn.
4.The author implies in the last paragraph that ________.
A. yawning is different from infectious laughter and crying in theory
B. it is bad manners to yawn on some social occasions
C. the more you yawn, the happier you will be
D. yawning can make people feel relaxed
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Sleepiness and boredom lead to yawning (打哈欠), so it has long been believed that the action makes us feel more awake by stretching the muscles surrounding the lungs, or by bringing more oxygen to the blood and the brain. Yet in tests, breathing air with high levels of carbon dioxide or even pure oxygen made no difference to the frequency of yawns.
Another theory, proposed by the French physician Olivier, is that yawning improves the circulation of the fluid (液体) that surrounds the brain. As a result, we can focus better on a task. This might explain why athletes often yawn naturally before they compete.
Recently, though, a new explanation has appeared: Yawning is a way to cool the brain. Experiments led by Gordon Gallup at the University at Albany showed that people yawned far less when their head was cooled by a cold pack compared with holding a heated pack to their forehead The temperature of the brain rises when we are tired, so it is possible that yawning is a way to protect the brain from overheating due to tiredness.
But a strange thing is that when we see another person yawn, we catch it too. In other words, yawning is contagious.
How can we make sense of these different types of yawning? It’s possible that contagious yawning is something different, and might have a social purpose. Steven Palek and his colleagues at the University at Albany say that contagious yawning may be linked to our ability to understand what others want to do. If you are good at reading others’ facial expressions you are more likely to “catch” a yawn. Therefore, lonely people tend to be less affected by yawing, according to research by Atsushi Senju, now at Birkbeck, University of London.
So the simple act of yawning tursout to be surprisingly complex Has this research made you yawn yet?
1.Based on the theory of Olivier, yawning ________.
A.is caused by lack of sleep
B.contributes to concentration
C.is a way to bring more oxygen to the blood
D.increases the circulation of the fluid in lungs
2.The underlined word “contagious” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.
A.Infectious B.Influential
C. Attractive D.Comfortable
3.How is the passage mainly developed?
A.By making comparisons.
B.By listing different figures.
C.By providing explanations.
D.By telling personal experiences.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Have you ever considered why you begin yawning too when you see someone yawn? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元）in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate it whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how, we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to ( for example: “The hand took hold of the ball” ) , the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with even more information regarding how humans behave and interact. Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物）for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does — well, perhaps you'll understand why.
1.Mirror neurons can explain _____
A. why we smile when we see someone else smile
B. why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late
C. why we cry when we are hurt
D. why we cough when we suffer from a cold
2.The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “_____’’.
A. built up B. broken up
C. set off D. cut off
3.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _____.
A. determine our knowledge and language abilities
B. control human physical actions and feelings
C. result in bad behavior and social disorders
D. relate to human behavior and interaction
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Ways to find mirror neurons.
B. Problems of mirror neurons.
C. Functions of mirror neurons.
D. Existence of mirror neurons.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
I used to hate running. It seemed too hard, and expanding my comfort zone was not something I like. In fact, I wouldn’t have become a runner if it weren’t for my husband Charles. He had been a serious competitive ______ for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he ______ it. So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to ______ him at the track. Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us ______ up for a five-kilometer race. I ______ about doing it because it was too soon.
The ______ sent a signal. Thousands of runners pushed forward. The first kilometer was ______. I was already breathing heavily and painfully aware of the group of runners ______ me. Charles was trying to ______ me, to get me focused on something _______my discomfort.
After another minute I saw the three-kilometer ______. “Painful” couldn’t _____describe how I felt. And there was pain, so much pain. I rounded a ______, and saw both sides of the street ______ with people watching the race, all ______ the runners up. I tried to keep my ______ going. I knew that if I actually ______ this race I would have achieved something. So, I ______ up and went on.
Finally I passed through the finish line. A volunteer put a medal around my neck. I ______ held my medal, walking to the post-race celebrations with Charles. My lungs and my ______ zone both expanded.
1.A. walker B. runner C. climber D. swimmer
2.A. missed B. regretted C. forbade D. selected
3.A. upset B. tolerate C. join D. encourage
4.A. either B. none C. both D. all
5.A. worried B. complained C. wondered D. hesitated
6.A. gun B. watch C. player D. candidate
7.A. unbelievable B. easy C. extraordinary D. difficult
8.A. falling behind B. passing by C. laughing at D. looking after
9.A. impress B. encourage C. comfort D. upset
10.A. except B. besides C. including D. like
11.A. line B. notice C. mark D. end
12.A. once B. ever C. sometimes D. even
13.A. corner B. field C. playground D. river
14.A. crowded B. covered C. carried D. faced
15.A. pushing B. holding C. cheering D. turning
16.A. heads B. eyes C. legs D. back
17.A. stopped B. lost C. failed D. finished
18.A. came B. straightened C. gave D. broke
19.A. carelessly B. proudly C. unwillingly D. foolishly
20.A. sports B. energy C. health D. comfort
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Our car _________ on the highway and we had a hard time trying to find someone who could get it ________.
| A．broke up; working | B．broke down; to start |
| C．broke up; worked | D．broke down; starting |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项。
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it’s because we have mirror neurons (镜像神经元) in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains copy it, whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: The hand took hold of the ball), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and communicate. Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物) for neuroscience of what Einstein’s theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does—well, perhaps you’ll understand why.
1.Mirror neurons can explain _________.
A. why we cry when we are hurt
B. why we cough when we suffer from a cold
C. why we smile when we see someone else smile
D. why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late
2.The underlined word “triggered” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_________”.
A. broken up B. set off
C. built up D. cut off
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about mirror neurons?
A. They result in bad behavior and social disorders
B. They control human physical actions and feelings
C. They determine our knowledge and language abilities
D. They relate to human behavior and communication
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Existence of mirror neurons.
B. Functions of mirror neurons.
C. Ways to find mirror neurons.
D. Problems of mirror neurons.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Worth the pain in the end
I used to hate running. It seemed too hard and pushing outside my comfort zone was not something I was raised to do.
In fact, I wouldn’t have become a_____if it weren’t for my husband Charles. He had been a serious competitive runner for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he missed it.
“So start running again, why don’t you?” I was getting _____ of hearing about it.
So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to join him at the track (跑道). Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us both up for a five-kilometer race. I ____about doing it. It was too soon.
But on _____ day, there I was.
The gun went ____.Thousands of runners pushed forward.
The first kilometer was ____.
“I don’t think I’m going to make it.” I was already breathing heavily and painfully aware of the group of runners _____ past me.
“No, you’re doing ____”, said Charles. He was trying to encourage me, to get me focused on something other than my ____.
“I can’t,” I said,_____ audibly (听得见地).
He tried a different way to _____ me. “Just make it to that house and let’s see how you feel.”
After another minute I saw the three-kilometer ____. All I could think of was that I was dying and that my husband was torturing (折磨) me.
Miserable doesn’t even begin to describe _____ I felt. And there was so much _____.
“You’ll be fine. You’ve got less than a kilometer to go.”
I rounded a corner and saw both sides of the street thick with people watching the race, all cheering the runners on. I _____ my legs to keep going.
Then I looked up and saw the clock. The seconds ticking away (一分一秒地过去) gave me an incentive (助力). I knew that if I finished this race, I would have achieved something. So, I straightened up, and kicked it.
I had my arms held higher when I passed ____the finish line. A volunteer put a _____ around my neck.
“You did great! I’m so _____ of you!” Charles was thrilled that I’d _____ it.
“That was AMAZING! I want to do another race. This running stuff is amazing!” I proudly hugged my medal as we started to walk to the post-race festivities.
My lungs and my comfort zone both ____.
1.A.runner B.traveler C.racer D.cheerleader
2.A.afraid B.tired C.aware D.confident
3.A.thought B.dreamed C.hesitated D.cared
4.A.race B.sport C.show D.task
5.A.on B.off C.up D.down
6.A.long B.short C.easy D.tough
7.A.brushing B.walking C.pounding D.sliding
8.A.wrong B.right C.great D.bad
9.A.disability B.dishonor C.disgrace D.discomfort
10.A.barely B.nearly C.merely D.roughly
11.A.advise B.persuade C.order D.force
12.A.signal B.symbol C.point D.mark
13.A.how B.what C.when D.why
14.A.sweat B.anger C.pain D.pleasure
15.A.willed B.dragged C.pulled D.supported
16.A.by B.over C.at D.through
17.A.ring B.necklace C.medal D.scarf
18.A.ashamed B.guilty C.sure D.proud
19.A.done B.made C.taken D.caught
20.A.developed B.expanded C.changed D.progressed
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Imagine a cat that does not need someone to clean up after it keeps an older person company and help them remember to take their medicine. That is the shared dream of the toy maker Hasbro and scientists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The researchers received a $3-million-dollar award from the National Science Foundation for a special project. They want to find ways to add artificial intelligence, or A.I., to Hasbro’s “Joy for All” robotic cat.
The cat has already been for sale for two years. Though priced over 1000 dollars, it sold quite well. It was meant to act as a “companion” for older people. Now the project is aimed at developing additional abilities for the cat. Researchers at Brown’s Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative are working to decide which activities older adults may need the most. They hope to make the cat perform a small number of activities very well. Such activities include
finding lost objects and reminding the person to take medicine or visit their doctor. They also want to keep the cost down to just a few hundred dollars.
It is an idea that has appealed to Jeanne Elliott. Her 93-year-old mother Mary Derr lives with her in South Kingstown. Derr has dementia (痴呆). The Joy for All cat that Elliott bought this year has become a true companion for Derr. The cat stays with Derr and keeps her calm while Eliot is at work. Elliott said a robotic cat that helps her mother to remember to take her medicine and be careful when she walks would be greater.
The researchers are trying to learn how the improved cats will complete helpful activities and how they will communicate. They say that they do not want a talking cat, however. Instead they are trying to design a cat that can move its head in a special way to successfully communicate its message. In the end, they hope to create an exchange between the human and the cat in which the human feels the cat needs them. By doing so, the researchers hope they can even help prevent feelings of loneliness and sadness among elderly people.
1.What’s the purpose of the project?
A. To relieve the pain of the elderly.
B. To promote the sales of a medicine.
C. To help make the robotic cat smarter.
D. To invent a robotic cat for the elderly.
2.Compared with the old model, the new robotic cat will be ________.
A. cheaper
B. smaller
C. more talkative
D. more expensive
3.What does Paragraph 3 intend to tell us?
A. The more functions of the cat, the better.
B. The cat gives much help to the elderly.
C. There is no cure for dementia at present.
D. Mary Derr would have died without the cat.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. A talking cat is quite popular among the elderly.
B. Feelings of sadness among the elderly are unavoidable.
C. Each family can afford such a cat in the future.
D. The feeling of being needed is vital to the elderly.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Cheating happens a lot in our city. It can be hard to know who is really in 1 and who is trying to take advantage of other people's 2.
Recently, I was finishing my work at home 3 the dog barked letting me know that 4 was at the gate. I rushed to see who it was and there I saw a 5 weak woman in her late fifties. I said to her, "May I ask you what you 6?" She 7 , "Hello, my name is Mary. My husband and I live in the slum nearby. We earn our living 8 working at construction sites. A few days ago my 9 tripped on the stairs while
10 a heavy load. He is 11 hurt and hasn't been able to12for the past five days, so we have no food. Now he is at home in bed with a high fever. Please help me! I need to take my husband to a doctor!"
"Oh!" I said. "Please13 here." I went into the room. I felt really bad about her14 but--- Was she telling me the 15 or trying to cheat me out of my money?
Finally, I 16to help her. But first I said a simple prayer, "Dear Lord, you know17 I earn my pennies, so please make sure that my hard earned money helps those who18need it. Amen." I went out with a fifty note and
19it to her. The moment she got the money she broke down in tears. She took my hand and said, "May god bless you, my dear! Thank you so much!"
I was so 20, and turned back to my work smiling.
1. A．need B．case C．use D．Control
2.A. braveness B. kindness C. interest D envy
3. A．since B．until C．when D．after
4. A．somebody B．anybody C．everybody D．nobody
5. A．popular B．proud C．poor D．busy
6. A．want B．notice C．enjoy D．recognise
7. A．refused B．expressed C．showed D．replied
8. A．by B．to C．in D．for
9. A．son B．father C．brother D．husband
10. A．gathering B．dropping C．carrying D．choosing
11. A．hardly B．badly C．probably D．actually
12. A．work B．drive C．remove D．operate
13. A．stop B．rest C．come D．wait
14. A．solution B．situation C．action D．position
15. A．hope B．news C．truth D．result
16. A．decided B．agreed C．tried D．expected
17. A．when B．whether C．how D．what
18. A．only B．naturally C．really D．formally
19. A．handed B．put C．reminded D．ordered
20. A．worried B．moved C．tired D．frightened
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析