An article published recently in the scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but so far little has been appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article, Professors Dennis Bramble, and Daniel Lieberman suggest that the ability to run was a decisive factor in the development of our species. According to the two scientists, humans possess a number of anatomical（人体结构的）features that make them surprisingly good runners. “We are very confident that strong selection for running，which came at the expense of the historical ability to live in trees-was helpful in the origin of the modern human body form,” says Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah.
Traditional thinking up to now has been that the upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or antelopes. However, this is only true if we consider fast running over short distances. Even Olympic athlete can hardly run as fast as a horse can gallop, and can only keep up a top speed for fifteen seconds or so. Horses and antelopes, on the other hand, can run at top speed for several minutes, clearly outperforming us in this respect. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can maintain a steady pace for miles, and their overall speed compares favorably with that of horses or dogs.
Bramble and Lieberman examined twenty-six anatomical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament（颈背的韧带）. When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates（灵长类动物）, although the fossil（化石）record shows that Homo erectus, an early human species that walked upright, much as we do, also had one. Then there are our Achilles tendons（跟腱）at the backs of our legs, which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to push us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders, virtually disconnected from our skulls (the bony part of the head), another anatomical adaptation which allows us to run more efficiently.
But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One assumption is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. “What these features and fossil facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other carnivores (animals that eat meat) for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today.” says Lieberman.
1.We can learn from the passage that the human ability to run _______.
A. was only recently described in a scientific journal
B. played an important part in human evolution
C. was considered more natural than the ability to live in trees
D. contributed to the form of human language
2.According to the second paragraph, humans _______
A. are better runners than most other animals
B. are not good at running short distances
C. compare unfavorably with horses and dogs
D. are poor long-distance runners
3.It appears that the nuchal ligament _______.
A. enables us to run with steady heads
B. is found in modern primates only
C. prevents the head from being held high
D. is a unique feature of carnivores
4.The passage does NOT tell us that _______
A. early humans had an advantage in obtaining food thanks to the running ability
B. fossils help us better understand human evolution.
C. our Achilles tendons are an adaptation for running efficiently
D. big brains may have been evolved for running long-distance
高三英语阅读理解困难题
An article published recently in the scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but so far little has been appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article, Professors Dennis Bramble, and Daniel Lieberman suggest that the ability to run was a decisive factor in the development of our species. According to the two scientists, humans possess a number of anatomical（人体结构的）features that make them surprisingly good runners. “We are very confident that strong selection for running，which came at the expense of the historical ability to live in trees-was helpful in the origin of the modern human body form,” says Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah.
Traditional thinking up to now has been that the upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or antelopes. However, this is only true if we consider fast running over short distances. Even Olympic athlete can hardly run as fast as a horse can gallop, and can only keep up a top speed for fifteen seconds or so. Horses and antelopes, on the other hand, can run at top speed for several minutes, clearly outperforming us in this respect. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can maintain a steady pace for miles, and their overall speed compares favorably with that of horses or dogs.
Bramble and Lieberman examined twenty-six anatomical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament（颈背的韧带）. When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates（灵长类动物）, although the fossil（化石）record shows that Homo erectus, an early human species that walked upright, much as we do, also had one. Then there are our Achilles tendons（跟腱）at the backs of our legs, which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to push us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders, virtually disconnected from our skulls (the bony part of the head), another anatomical adaptation which allows us to run more efficiently.
But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One assumption is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. “What these features and fossil facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other carnivores (animals that eat meat) for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today.” says Lieberman.
1.We can learn from the passage that the human ability to run _______.
A. was only recently described in a scientific journal
B. played an important part in human evolution
C. was considered more natural than the ability to live in trees
D. contributed to the form of human language
2.According to the second paragraph, humans _______
A. are better runners than most other animals
B. are not good at running short distances
C. compare unfavorably with horses and dogs
D. are poor long-distance runners
3.It appears that the nuchal ligament _______.
A. enables us to run with steady heads
B. is found in modern primates only
C. prevents the head from being held high
D. is a unique feature of carnivores
4.The passage does NOT tell us that _______
A. early humans had an advantage in obtaining food thanks to the running ability
B. fossils help us better understand human evolution.
C. our Achilles tendons are an adaptation for running efficiently
D. big brains may have been evolved for running long-distance
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
An article published in the prestigious (有威望的) scientific journal Nature sheds new light on an important, but up-to-now little appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article Professors Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman suggest that being able to run was the necessary condition for the development of our species which enabled us to come down from the trees. This challenges traditional scientific thinking, which claims that the distinctive, upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or deer. However, this is only true if we consider running at high speed, especially over short distances. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can keep a steady pace for many kilometres, and their overall speed is at least the same as that of horses or dogs.
Bramble and Lieberman examined 26 physical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament(项韧带). When we run, this ligament prevents our head from moving back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates, such as apes and monkeys. Then there are our Achilles tendons (跟腱) at the backs of our legs, which connect our calf (小腿肚) muscles to our heel bones — and which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to push us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders virtually disconnected from our skulls(颅骨), a physical development which allows us to run more efficiently.
But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? Perhaps it permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. "What these features and facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other meat-eating animals for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today," says Lieberman. Some scientists put forward the theory that early humans chased animals for great distances in order to exhaust them before killing them.
"Research on the history of humans' ability to move has traditionally been controversial," says Lieberman. "At the very least, I believe this theory will motivate many researchers to reevaluate and further investigate how humans learned to run and walk and why we are built the way we are. "
1.In paragraph 1, what do the two professors suggest about humans' ability to run?
A.It is an evolutionary by-product of walking.
B.It helps to form people's ability to climb trees.
C.It has played an important role in human evolution.
D.It has not been adequately studied by scientists before.
2.What is true about the physical characteristics examined by the professors?
A.Achilles tendons assist people to walk long distances.
B.The human skull helps people to run more efficiently.
C.people's shoulders allow them to look from side to side.
D.The nuchal ligament enables people to hold their head steady.
3.According to paragraph 3, scientists believe that early humans_________.
A.always came across dangerous situations in life
B.ran after animals for long distances when hunting
C.often failed to find food because they couldn't run fast
D.developed their hunting skills by running long distances
4.Professor Lieberman thinks the new theory will _________.
A.completely explain how running developed
B.revolutionize the theory of human evolution
C.encourage more in-depth studies on the topic
D.be widely supported within the scientific community
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Learning to Run
An article published in the scientific journal Nature discusses an important aspect of human evolution. According to Bramble and Lieberman, Professors at the University of Utah, humans possess a number of features that make them surprisingly good runners. “We are confident that the selection for running was important in the origin of the human body form,” says Bramble.
Traditional thinking has been that humans are poor runners compared to such animals as horses. However, this is only true if we consider running at high speed, especially over short distances. Even an athlete can hardly run as quickly as a horse does, and can only keep up a top speed for 15 seconds or so. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans will do astonishingly well. They can keep a steady pace for many kilometres, and their speed is at least at the same level with that of horses.
Bramble and Lieberman examined 26 parts of human bodies. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament (韧带). When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from moving back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads, held high. Then there are Achilles tendons at the backs of our legs, forming the mechanical links between the muscles to the bones. They act like strong strings and help to push us forward when we run. Besides, we have low, wide shoulders, a development which allows us to run more effectively. Add to this our light forearms, which swing in co-operation with the movement of our legs to assist balance, and one begins to appreciate the point that Bramble and Lieberman are trying to make.
But what advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One theory is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. Some scientists guess that early humans may have run after animals for great distances to make them tired before killing them. Running would also have shown another advantage: early humans might have eaten the meat left over from a kill by other large animals. They may have been warned of the existence of a freshly killed animal by vultures (秃鹰), and the faster they got to the scene of the kill, the better.
“Research on the history of human ability of running has traditionally been controversial,” says Lieberman. “At the very least, I hope this theory will make many people have second thoughts about how humans learned to run and why we are built the way we are.”
1.In Paragraph 2, the author mainly tells us that .
A. humans are poor runners compared to horses
B. humans are good runners over long distances
C. humans may run at high speed for a short time
D. humans can keep a constant pace when running
2.We can learn from Paragraph 3 that .
A. tendons are a successful adaptation for running
B. strong muscles and bones keep running effective
C. the shape of shoulders affects the position of heads
D. humans can run faster if they have longer forearms
3.What conclusion is drawn about early humans?
A. They followed birds to avoid danger.
B. They were unable to kill large animals.
C. They developed their big brains for running.
D. They evolved running due to the need for hunting.
4.What does Lieberman mean by saying the underlined sentence?
A. Proving that humans run in a comfortable position.
B. Informing people of the reasons why humans may run.
C. Expressing appreciation of the theory of human evolution.
D. Making people reconsider the idea about our body structure.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The Wall Street Journal recently published an excellent article penned by Wendy Bounds on a hot topic here at MNN: the air-purifying qualities of the common house plant. Given that the air inside your home can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside of it, making it clean with plants like peace lily (百合花) and asparagus fern (芦笋蕨) is an economical. artistically pleasing alternative to air purifiers. So it’s been acknowledged that a bunch of pretty putted houseplants can help you maintain a healthier home, but a smarter home?
That' s the question in light of a recent study published by the Journal of Environmental Psychology showing that the presence of plants in a room, particularly in an office environment, can shrink attention span (范围). Struggling directive attention (the kind of attention that takes effort) can be refreshed through exposure ho to naturalistic environments. Basically, taking a walk through the park can clear one’s head. But can a head be refreshed simply by being surrounded by houseplants?
To test their theory, the study’s authors rounded up a bunch of participants, put some of them in a mom with no plants and put others in a room with our plants placed around a desk, and put them all to the same series of tests. First was a Rearing Span Teat which involves reading a series of sentences aloud and remembering the Last word in each sentence. This task requires that you fluently switch between attention demanding tasks: from rending and memorizing at one moment. to writing and recalling at the next. Next came a proofreading task fallowed by another Reading Span Test.
The results? Participants working in the room with the plants improved their performance from the first Reading Span Test to the second while those working in the room lacking in greenery did not. Consequently, the benefits of working among plants is indeed evident.
1.What do we know from the first paragraph?
A.Staying indoors can help avoid the poorer air outdoors.
B.Houseplants can Function as beautiful cheap air purifiers.
C.Planting polled flowers as decorations is very interesting.
D.Air purifiers are the most effective to create a healthy home.
2.What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
A.Focus one’s attention. B.Disturb one’s attention.
C.weaken one’s attention. D.Turn one’s attention away.
3.What does the test prove?
A.Working in nature helps increase productivity.
B.Houseplants will be in great demand in our life.
C.Greenery creates healthier naturalistic atmosphere indoors.
D.Working among houseplants improves mental functioning.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Flowers: Grand Feast to Eyes B.Greenery: Effective Air-purifier
C.Houseplants: Visual Brain Food D.Potted Plants: Great! House-beautifier
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Wall Street Journal recently published an excellent article penned by Wendy Bounds on a hot topic here at MNN: the air-purifying qualities of the common houseplant. Given that the air inside your home can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside of it, making it clean with plants like peace lily(百合花)and asparagus fern(芦笋蕨)is an economical, artistically pleasing alternative to air purifiers. So, it's been acknowledged that a bunch of pretty potted houseplants can help you maintain a healthier home, but a smarter home?
That's the question in light of a recent study published by the Journal of Environmental Psychology showing that the presence of plants in a room, particularly in an office environment, can shrink attention span(范围). Struggling directive attention (the kind of attention that takes effort) can be refreshed through exposure to naturalistic environments. Basically, taking a walk through the park can clear one's head. But can a head be refreshed simply by being surrounded by houseplants?
To test their theory, the study's authors rounded up a bunch of participants, put some of them in a room with no plants and put others in a room with four plants placed around a desk, and put them all to the same series of tests. First was a Reading Span Test, which involves reading a series of sentences aloud and remembering the last word in each sentence. This task requires that you fluently switch between attention demanding tasks: from reading and memorizing at one moment, to writing and recalling at the next. Next came a proof-reading task followed by another Reading Span Test.
The results? Participants working in the room with the plants improved their performance from the first Reading Span Test to the second while those working in the room lacking in greenery did not. Consequently, the benefits of working among plants is indeed evident.
1.What do we know from the first paragraph?
A.Staying indoors can help avoid the poorer air outdoors.
B.Houseplants can function as beautiful cheap air purifiers.
C.Planting potted flowers as decorations is very interesting.
D.Air purifiers are the most effective to create a healthy home.
2.What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
A.Focus one's attention. B.Disturb one's attention.
C.Weaken one's attention. D.Turn one's attention away.
3.What does the test prove?
A.Working in nature helps increase productivity.
B.Houseplants will be in great demand in our life.
C.Greenery creates healthier naturalistic atmosphere indoors.
D.Working among houseplants improves mental functioning.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Flowers: Grand Feast to Eyes B.Greenery: Effective Air-purifier
C.Houseplants: Visual Brain Food D.Potted Plants: Great House-beautifier
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
He has written two articles for the journal，one to be published in this issue，the other to___________ in the next.
A. turn out B. come out
C. bring out. D. leave out
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the long dispute over whether dogs are smarter than cats, a recent study published in the journal Learning & Behavior suggests that dogs are no more exceptional than other animals when it comes to smartness and intelligence.
The news is sure to cause the debate among dog owners and scientists who study dog behaviors. The authors reviewed existing studies and data on animal cognition (认知) and found that while dogs are smart and trainable, they are not “super smart”, despite what most dog owners will tell you. Dog research was quite popular in the 1990s and continues to be so. When it came to other animals, though, scientific studies on intelligence were barely involved in, despite evidence to suggest that horses, chimpanzees ( 黑猩猩 ) and cats had tricks of their own. Almost everything a dog claimed to do, other animals could do too.
Researchers set out to test the supposition (假设，猜想). They compared dog cognition with members of three similar groups: meat-eating animals, social hunters and farm animals. Among the animals they studied were wolves, cats, chimpanzees, dolphins, horses and pigeons. What they found was that “dog cognition does not look exceptional”. Dogs can not use tools, unlike dolphins, New Caledonian crows and chimpanzees, which have been observed using plant stems to hunt for termites (白蚁). Homing pigeons are trained to fly home, sometimes crossing hundreds of miles of unfamiliar area. At the same time, farm animals share similar characters with their dog partners. Horses, like dogs, perform complex tasks. And cats? They have more in common with dogs than one might think. Still it is much easier to show intelligence in dogs because they like to be trained. Dogs are not smarter than they are supposed to be, given what they are.
1.What opinion does the recent study hold about dogs?
A.They can be trained to do many things.
B.They don’t have any intelligent advantage.
C.They’re lazy compared with chimpanzees.
D.They show exceptional smartness when trained.
2.How did the researchers conduct the study?
A.By referring to existing studies and data.
B.By comparing animals’ cognition ability.
C.By questionnaire surveys on dog owners.
D.By observing different animals’ behaviors.
3.What do we infer about cats from the last paragraph?
A.Cats can use tools to fish.
B.Cats can go home from far away.
C.Cats can learn to do complex tasks.
D.Cats are more unwilling to be trained.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Cats are smarter than they were.
B.Dogs aren’t so clever as we think.
C.Any animal is smart and trainable.
D.All animals should be treated equally.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In a study recently published in the journal Neuron, researchers found that super memorizers don’t have unusually large brain regions that allow them to remember a lot of information. 1. Here are a few of their favorite tricks that can help you to remember things in your everyday life.
To Remember: New words
Technique: Change routine
In a study, a group of students studied a list of words in two separate sessions. Some studied in a messy room ant some in a neat space. One group of students spent both sessions in the same room, while the other split the sessions between the two environments. During a test, the students who studied in multiple places remembered much more. 2. That includes the time of day, the music in the background, whether you sit or stand, etc.
To Remember: Your PIN
Technique: Count it out
You could use your birthday, or your phone number, but identity thieves have a way of figuring those numbers out. 3. Write a four- wort sentence. Then count the number of letters in each word. For instance, “This is my PIN” =4223.
To Remember: Faces
Technique: Focus on noses
White some super memorizes specialize in associating names with faces, the memory-palace technique doesn’t work as well if the image of the face is changed in any way. Rather than focusing on eyes, as most people do, focus on the centre or to the left of a person’s nose. 4.
To Remember: Facts & figures
Technique: 5.
To learn and remember statistics, reviewing the material repeatedly over a longer time is far more effective than repeating it in a shorter one. If your exam is in a week, study today and then again in a day or two. If it’s a month away, study today and then wait a week before your second session.
A. value exams
B. Give yourself time
C. This allows you to take in their whole face.
D. Their brain structures are in fact the same as the rest of ours.
E. Instead, try this tip from Dominic, an eight-time World Memory Champion.
F. The theory is that your brain links the words to the environment around you.
G. Studies showed that varying other aspects of your environment can also help.
高三英语七选五简单题查看答案及解析
A recent study, published in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how risky it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to have a fatal accident as a teenager driving alone. By contrast, the risk of death for drivers between 30 and 59 decreases with each additional passenger.
The author also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased dramatically after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight, with passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with “really stupid behavior” than with just a lack of driving experience. “The basic issue.” he says, “is that adults who are responsible for issuing licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled a task driving is.”
Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate (使……缓解)the problem is to have states institute so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a multistage process. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself capable of driving in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night of passenger restrictions, before graduating to full driving privileges.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies, About half of the states now have some sort of graduated licensing system in place, but only 10 of those states have restrictions on passengers, California is the strictest, with a novice (新手)driver prohibited from carrying any passenger under 20(without the presence of an adult over 25)for the first six months.
1.Which of the following situations is most dangerous according to the passage?
A．Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m.
B．A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight.
C．Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night.
D．A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car.
2.According to Robert Foss, the high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly due to ________.
A．their frequent driving at night
B．their lack of driving experience
C．their improper way of driving
D．their driving with passengers
3.According to Paragraph 3．which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．The licensing authorities are partly responsible for teenagers' driving accidents.
B．Driving is a skill too complicated for teenagers to learn.
C．Restrictions should be imposed on teenagers applying to take driving lessons.
D．Teenagers should spend more time learning to drive.
4.The most suitable measure to be taken to reduce teenagers' driving accidents is that ________ .
A．driving in the presence of an adult should be made a rule
B．they should be prohibited from taking on passengers
C．the licensing system should be improved
D．they should not be allowed to drive after 10 p.m.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, we might all be braggarts(大话王) in this competitive society addicted to social networking.
Take a close look at your socialnetworking sites. Do you like to post photos of yourself in restaurants to show others what an exciting life you have? Or do you like to write about how happily in love you are? Or perhaps you are of the subtle type who constantly complain about jobs but really just want to impress others with your important position.
According to the results of a series of experiments conducted by Harvard University neuroscientists(神经科学家), the reward areas of our brain——the same areas that respond to “primary rewards” such as food ——are activated when we talk about ourselves. We devote between 30 to 40 percent of our conversation time to doing just that. Unfortunately, Bernstein says, some people can't tell the difference between sharing positive information that others might actually want to know and direct bragging. She suggests that bragging involves comparison, whether stated or implied.
“We are expected to be perfect all the time. The result is that more and more people are carefully managing their online images”. says Elizabeth Bernstein, a columnist with the Wall Street Journal.
But the issue is not limited to the Internet. In a fiercely competitive job market we must sell ourselves on multiple platforms and show that we are better than others. In fact, we have become so accustomed to bragging that we don't even realize we are doing it, says Bernstein. This is harmful to our relationships and puts people off.
Bernstein talked to some experts who said that people brag for all sorts of reasons: to appear worthy of attention; to prove to ourselves we are doing fine and that people who said we would fail are wrong; or simply because we're excited when good things happen to us.
“Feel sorry for them, because they're doing this unconscious, destructive thing that won't help them in the long run，” said Professor Simian Valier, a research psychologist at Washington University.
1.The underlined word “subtle” in Para.2 is closest in meaning to “________”．
A．hidden B．apparent
C．outstanding D．simple
2.Which of the following is one of the features of braggarts?
A．They control conversation and only talk about themselves.
B．They know well how to share positive information.
C．They selfpromote to stand out in their career.
D．They don't pay much attention to their online image.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A．Braggarts make a good first impression but the effect decreases over time.
B．People who like bragging know what they are doing.
C．Braggarts always adopt comparison directly to show they are excellent.
D．They care much about the feelings of others when talking.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析