Tiny microbes(微生物) are at the heart of a new agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide into soil-enriching limestone(石灰石), with the help of a type of tree that grows in tropical areas, such as West Africa.
Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungi(霉菌) and other bacteria, not only does the tree grow well, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its root.
The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining Ca from the earth with CO2 from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a new way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In addition to storing carbon in the trees’ leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.
The discovery could lead to reforestation(重新造林) projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.
The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Delft University of Technology. The project examined several microbiological methods of locking CO2 as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria way showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future&Emerging Technologies(FET) scheme.
Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, who led the research, said:“By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily operating way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while improving farming conditions in tropical countries.”
1.The passage is mainly introducing .
A. some useful natural fungi and bacteria
B. a new way to deal with greenhouse gas
C. a newly-found tree in West Africa
D. the soil-enriching limestone created by scientists
2.Which of the following is True about tiny microbes?
A. Most tiny microbes like living in dry, acidic soil.
B. CO2 can be broken down by natural fungi and bacteria.
C. The more greenhouse gas is, the more active tiny microbes become.
D. Tiny microbes get along well with the Iroko tree in special soil.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A. Carbon dioxide.
B. Carbon.
C. Soil.
D. Limestone.
4.According to the passage, what can we infer?
A. The action of the tiny microbes can increase the oxygen in the earth.
B. Researchers have done the experiment on trees in Africa for three years.
C. Researchers tend to use natural power to solve their problem.
D. West Africa is one of the most polluted areas all over the world.
5.According to the passage, the Iroko-bacteria method .
A. can be used to improve the farming land
B. can save a lot of seriously destroyed woods
C. has been popularized in Bolivia, Haiti and India
D. should be spread all around the world in the future
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Tiny microbes (微生物) are at the heart of a new agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide into soil-enriching limestone (石灰石), with the help of a type of tree that grows in tropical areas, such as West Africa.
Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungi (霉菌) and other bacteria, not only does the tree grow well, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its root.
The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining Ca from the earth with CO2 from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a new way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In addition to storing carbon in the trees' leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.
The discovery could lead to reforestation projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.
The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Delft University of Technology. The project examined several microbiological methods of locking CO2 as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria way showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future&Emerging Technologies(FET)scheme.
Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the research, said："By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily operating way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while improving farming conditions in tropical countries."
1.The passage is mainly introducing ______ .
A.some useful natural fungi and bacteria
B.the soil-enriching limestone created by scientists
C.a newly-found tree in West Africa
D.a new way to deal with greenhouse gas
2.Which of the following is True about tiny microbes?
A.Tiny microbes get along well with the Iroko tree in special soil.
B.CO2 can be broken down by natural fungi and bacteria.
C.The more greenhouse gas is, the more active tiny microbes become.
D.Most tiny microbes like living in dry, acidic soil.
3.What does the underlined word "it" in paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A.Carbon dioxide. B.Soil.
C.Carbon. D.Limestone.
4.According to the passage, what can we infer?
A.The action of the tiny microbes can increase the oxygen in the earth.
B.Researchers tend to use natural power to solve their problem.
C.Researchers have done the experiment on trees in Africa for three years.
D.West Africa is one of the most polluted areas all over the world.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Tiny microbes(微生物) are at the heart of a new agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide into soil-enriching limestone(石灰石), with the help of a type of tree that grows in tropical areas, such as West Africa.
Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungi(霉菌) and other bacteria, not only does the tree grow well, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its root.
The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining Ca from the earth with CO2 from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a new way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In addition to storing carbon in the trees’ leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.
The discovery could lead to reforestation(重新造林) projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.
The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Delft University of Technology. The project examined several microbiological methods of locking CO2 as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria way showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future&Emerging Technologies(FET) scheme.
Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, who led the research, said:“By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily operating way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while improving farming conditions in tropical countries.”
1.The passage is mainly introducing .
A. some useful natural fungi and bacteria
B. a new way to deal with greenhouse gas
C. a newly-found tree in West Africa
D. the soil-enriching limestone created by scientists
2.Which of the following is True about tiny microbes?
A. Most tiny microbes like living in dry, acidic soil.
B. CO2 can be broken down by natural fungi and bacteria.
C. The more greenhouse gas is, the more active tiny microbes become.
D. Tiny microbes get along well with the Iroko tree in special soil.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A. Carbon dioxide.
B. Carbon.
C. Soil.
D. Limestone.
4.According to the passage, what can we infer?
A. The action of the tiny microbes can increase the oxygen in the earth.
B. Researchers have done the experiment on trees in Africa for three years.
C. Researchers tend to use natural power to solve their problem.
D. West Africa is one of the most polluted areas all over the world.
5.According to the passage, the Iroko-bacteria method .
A. can be used to improve the farming land
B. can save a lot of seriously destroyed woods
C. has been popularized in Bolivia, Haiti and India
D. should be spread all around the world in the future
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The American public overwhelmingly thinks they’re bad. Yet the agreement among most economists is that immigration, both legal and illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the perception of immigrants’ impact on the economy and the reality?
There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others highlight the stress that undocumented immigrants place on public services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation's fears and insecurities. There’s some truth to all these explanations, but they aren’t quite sufficient.
To get a better understanding of what’s going on, consider the way immigration’s impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive, its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an economist at UC Berkeley, notes that the ones who profit most directly from immigrants’ low-cost labor are businesses and employers —meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, these producers’ savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Borjas, a Harvard economist, immigration has reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9%.
Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the financial burden of immigration. That conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition appeared to soften when that financial burden decreased, as occurred with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants’ access to certain benefits.
The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected — say, low-skilled workers, or California residents — the impact isn’t all that dramatic. “The unpleasant voices have tended to dominate our perceptions,” says Daniel Tichenor, a professor at the University of Oregon. “But when all those factors are put together and the economists calculate the numbers, it ends up being a net positive, but a small one.” Too bad most people don’t realize it.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A．Whether immigrants are good or bad for the economy has been puzzling economists.
B．The American economy used to thrive on immigration but now it’s a different story.
C．The agreement among economists is that immigration should not be encouraged.
D．The general public thinks differently from most economists on the impact of immigration.
2.What is the chief concern of native high-skilled, better-educated employees about the inflow of immigrants?
A．It may change the existing social structure.
B．It may pose a threat to their economic status.
C．It may decrease .their financial burden.
D．It may place a great pressure on the state budget.
3.What is the irony about the debate over immigration?
A．Even economists can’t reach an agreement about its impact.
B．Those who are opposed to it turn out to benefit most from it.
C．People are making too big a fuss about something of small impact.
D．There is no essential difference between seemingly opposite opinions.
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A．A debate about whether to immigrate.
B．A debate about the impact of illegal immigrants.
C．The great impact of immigrants on the economy.
D．Opposition to illegal immigration.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scholarships are at the very heart of Eton College.Henry I created the school for his 70 King’s Scholars in 1440 and they still exist nearly six hundred years later.1. .
Scholarships differ from bursaries，which are given to help support families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford some，or all of the school fees. 2. ，it is still possible to apply for a bursary for the remainder of the fees，but the awarding of a scholarship does not guarantee that a bursary application will be successful.
3. .
◆King’s Scholarships，based on academic ability for boys entering the school at age 13.Around 14 are awarded each year.
◆New Foundation Scholarships，awarded to boys at UK state schools joining Eton at age 13.
◆ 4..These are usually for entry at 13，but a few are for Sixth Form school pupils.
◆Sixth Form Scholarships，usually awarded to boys who have been attending a UK state school for at least the last three years.
◆The Michael Meredith Award，given to a boy joining the school who will make a significant contribution to drama，either on stage，as a crew technician，playwright or director.
5. ，regardless of their family’s financial background.For further information，please contact the School Fees and Bursaries Accountant.
A.Thanks to the generosity of our supporters，we offer a broad range of scholarships
B.When a boy is awarded a scholarship
C.Because there is a wide range of scholarships
D.Scholarships secure a fee decrease of 10％
E.We try to ensure that any boy offered a scholarship can join us
F.Today there are around 140 scholarship boys here at any one time
G.Music Awards，designed to recognize and support talented musicians
高三英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared.
Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the education system. In spite of his reading skills, Steve had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve-year-old, yet, Steve went unnoticed…until Miss White.
Miss White was a young and beautiful lady with a smile. For the first time in his young life, he couldn't take his eyes of his teacher. Yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. When he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.
In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things. One day, Miss White's impatient voice broke into his daydreams.
“Steve! Pay attention!” Frightened, he turned to look at her.
Steve locked his gaze on Miss White, as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.
“You boys all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but…” She hesitated.
“…The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!”
She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.
“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.
“You're smart enough! You'll see a change!” Nothing touched him.
“Give yourself a chance! Don't give up on your life!” Nothing.
“Steve! Please! I care about you!”
Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!
That afternoon, Steve stayed at home, thoughtful. And then he quickly gathered up his camping gear, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.
注意:1. 所续写的短文词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为二段，每段的开头语已经为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
After checking through his quiz paper, Miss White's face was in total shock!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
高三英语读后续写中等难度题查看答案及解析
The happy new mother asked eagerly to see her baby. However, when she looked at his tiny face, she was _______. The baby had been born without _______.
Fortunately, time _______ that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his ruined appearance. He grew up, _______ if there were not his misfortune. As a favorite with his classmates, he might have been class president, _______ the misfortune. He developed a talent for literature and music. His parents _______hoped that he had a perfect life.
One day, his father spoke with the doctor, “Could _______ be done？”“I believe I could _______ a pair of outer ears _______ they could be accessible.” The doctor decided. Therefore the ________ began for a person who would make such a sacrifice.
Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’re going to the ________， son. We have someone who will ________ the ears you need. But the identity of the donor is a secret.”
The operation was a brilliant ________, and a new person turned up. His talents blossomed into genius. Later, he married and entered the Diplomatic Service. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do ________ for him or her.” “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not ________...not yet.”
The secret was ________ for years, but the day did come. He stood with his father beside his mother’s casket(棺材). Slowly, ________, the father reached out his hand and raised the thick, reddishbrown ________ to find that the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was ________ she never had her hair cut,” his father whispered, “and nobody ever thought Mother less ________, did they?”
1.A.angry B.embarrassed C.shocked D.curious
2.A.eyes B.feet C.fingers D.ears
3.A.proved B.lasted C.flew D.ignored
4.A.tall B.handsome C.short D.badlooking
5.A.with B.in spite of C.for D.but for
6.A.still B.hardly C.almost D.ever
7.A.somebody B.everything C.nobody D.nothing
8.A.operate B.destroy C.transplant D.repair
9.A.if B.while C.although D.since
10.A.experiment B.search C.analysis D.operation
11.A.school B.library C.hospital D.bedroom
12.A.donate B.repair C.make D.sell
13.A.failure B.success C.honor D.damage
14.A.harm B.enough C.bad D.good
15.A.signed B.realized C.understood D.allowed
16.A.changed B.discussed C.spread D.kept
17.A.carelessly B.gently C.excitedly D.gradually
18.A.skirt B.hand C.hair D.quilt
19.A.depressed B.worried C.glad D.regretful
20.A.beautiful B.ugly C.respectable D.fashionable
高三英语完形填空简单题查看答案及解析
In the tiny village of Angelica, New York, the post office is more than a place to get mail or send packages. There you’ll find the heart of this lovely community. It’s where villagers meet and greet friends.
When Angelica’s post office was threatened with being closed in the 1980s，a villager，Pat, came up with a plan to save it. “At Christmas time I would hear on the news about towns named Snow or Bethlehem having celebrations,” says Pat, “Why couldn’t we do the same thing with Angelica?”
Pat, who is an artist，created a postal cancellation (邮戳) design featuring an Angelica angel.
She drew her angels in a traditional fashion and submitted her suggestion to the U.S. Postal Service. Once approved, the drawing was carved into a cancellation stamp that could be used for one day only. The postmistress (女邮局局长) then had another idea to make the day even more special calling the post office Angel Station.
The large increase in mail amount saved Angelica’s post office from being closed and keeps the doors open today.
Now it’s tradition that on the first Friday in December，people come to Angelica to mail their Christmas cards. Each year the amount of mail going through the Angelica Post Office increases during late November and early December. Stamp collectors from around the world have accepted the Angel Station cancellation, some sending mail from as far away as France.
Because the stamp is destroyed each season, Pat draws a new angel that conveys season’s greetings from Angel Station every year. Post offices may close in other parts of the country, but this tiny one continues.
1.What did Pat do to save the post office?
A. She invented a new cancellation. B. She hosted Christmas celebrations.
C. She gave the office a better name. D. She designed a special set of stamps.
2.Which of the following can best describe Pat?
A. Stubborn and determined. B. Humorous and intelligent.
C. Curious and friendly. D. Creative and warm-hearted.
3.What can we learn about Angelica’s post office from the passage?
A. It was complately closed in the 1980s.
B. Its name has been changed many times.
C. Its stamp remains the same each season.
D. It is also the centre of local social life.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
____ we are developing new technology at such a high pace ,the true challenge is to find new ways of using it.
A. Although B. After C. As soon as D. Now that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Courses Available at North Coast College Campuses
Agriculture
Specialist agriculture centres of the North Coast College offer courses ranging from agricultural skills to beef production, horse studies and rural management. The Wollongbar Campus is famous for its Tropical(热 带的) Fruit Growing program and has introduced courses on bush foods and coffee production. Taree offers the Veterinary(兽医的) Assistant program and has introduced “Agristudy”, which enables students to learn flexibly and by correspondence( 函 授 ), using a mixture of student learning guides, telephone tutorials, information sessions and workshops. Mullumbimby has the popular Rural Business Management program, which can also be studied by correspondence. Grafton, meanwhile, offers traineeships in agriculture including beef and dairy.
Health Programs
The continued improvement of healthier living within the community has seen an increase in fitness awareness and a need for trained staff in the Fitness and Sport industries. Fitness Instruction courses are offered at Tweed Heads and teach students how to keep healthy and lead a safe fitness program.
Lismore offers the Aged Support program and Port Macquarie offers the Early Childhood Nursing program. These courses give you the theoretical skills, knowledge and practical experience needed to work in a variety of residential and community-based health care institutions. For students interested in working in the Medical Health Care industry, Kingscliff is a specialist centre for the Natural Therapy Diploma and has a health clinic on campus.
Environmental Studies
The Environmental Studies courses offered by the North Coast College have been developed to help students increase their awareness and understanding of environmental issues and to enable them to determine their environmental impact. The Environmental Practice course, which includes Coastal Management, is offered through the Ballina Campus.
For people interested in working to protect natural forests, the North Coast College offers the Forest Protection course at Casino. This course can provide a pathway for students into the Natural Resource Management Diploma at university.
1.Which of the following can students probably learn at Wollongbar?
A. Cow farming. B. Banana growing.
C. Business management. D. Electronic information technology.
2.What can we learn about the course offered by Kingscliff?
A. It is held in a local hospital. B. It includes a safe fitness program.
C. It is designed for medical students. D. It can be studied by correspondence.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
The future of agriculture must achieve several goals at the same time.
First, it now appears that we will have to double world food production in the next 40 years due to population growth, increasing meat consumption and pressure from biofuels (生物燃料). We will also have to reduce the environmental impacts from our farming practices, which have caused widespread damage to soils, ecosystems, waters and even the atmosphere. In fact, agriculture’s impacts are as bad as climate change as an environmental concern. Besides, we will have to improve food security for the world’s poor. While the Green Revolution of the 1960s made it possible to feed hundreds of millions more people than in earlier eras, the number of the under-nourished in the world has started to rise again. Finally, we will have to increase the recovering ability of agriculture from shocks. Today, our high-efficiency, globalized world has many benefits, but it is vulnerable (易受伤的) to destruction, whether from droughts, diseases or sudden price rises. We must start building better food systems to better keep us away from future shocks.
Currently, there are two models of agriculture: local and organic agriculture vs. globalized and industrialized agriculture. Each has been strongly supported and severely criticized, but neither of these models, standing alone, can fully meet our needs.
Organic agriculture teaches us important lessons about soils, nutrition and pest management. Unfortunately, organic food provides less than 1% of the world’s calories, mostly to the wealthy. It is hard to imagine organic farming developing to feed 9 billion. Globalized and industrialized agriculture has benefits of high output and low labor demands. Without it, billions of people would have starved. However, it has come with enormous environmental and social costs, which cannot be sustained.
Rather than voting for just one solution, we need a third way to solve the crisis. Let’s take ideas from both sides, creating new, hybrid solutions that increase production, save resources and build a more sustainable agriculture.
There are many promising avenues to pursue. A new “third way” for agriculture is not only possible but also necessary. Our problems are huge, and they will require everyone at the table, working together toward solutions.
1.How many goals of agriculture are mentioned in the passage?
A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six
2.Which is true according to the passage?
A. Organic agriculture can feed most people in the world now.
B. Industrialized agriculture does no harm to our environment.
C. Modern farming is criticized while organic farming is not.
D. The future agriculture can’t only depend on organic agriculture.
3.We can learn from the passage that _______.
A. everyone can afford to enjoy organic food at will
B. we will vote to decide which farming system to take
C. the writer is quite optimistic about future agriculture
D. only experts can find a better agricultural solution
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Organic Agriculture Vs. Industrialized Agriculture.
B. The Goals of Future Agriculture and Its Way Out.
C. A Third Possible and Necessary Way for Agriculture.
D. Modern Globalized and Industrialized Agriculture.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析