Mar Levine, ____ scientist at University of P...

Mar Levine, ____ scientist at University of Pennsylvania, US, has found that competitive eaters have stomachs that can expand like ____ balloon.

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Seth DeBolt is a plant scientist at the University of Kentucky US. He and other scientists wanted to find a source of fuel that poor people in rural areas of developing countries could use to make electricity.

The United Nations Development Program says a billion and a half people have no electricity. A billion others have an undependable supply.

Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural Indonesia. He saw that there was very little waste in the use of agricultural products. Everything that farmers grew was used for something. Even the remains of fruit that people did not eat were fed to chickens.

Little waste meant there was little that could be used for fuel. Growing a separate fuel crop would take land away from food crops. That was something Professor DeBolt did not want to do.

DeBOLT said, "The people at most risk with respect to energy poverty, typically they're the same people who have food insecurity issues as it is. And then any change in availability would be most damaging to that group of people."

But he found one item that was in plentiful supply and would not create competition between food and fuel. Coconut shells are generally thrown out. Yet Professor DeBolt says it has an "excellent" heating value. All someone needs is a way to release that energy.

DeBolt says he and his team see possibilities for coconut power. "Coconuts are growing here and these are the areas where there is possibility for energy poverty to be eased at least in part by these small-scale production systems."

The researchers say these systems could provide as much as thirteen percent of the energy needs of a country like Indonesia. Other tropical countries with large crops of coconuts and similar fruit could benefit, as well.

But DeBolt says this is not a perfect solution. There are technical questions, like how to safely deal with the dangerous waste produced in the process. And there needs to be money to get these projects started.

1.Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural areas of developing countries to________.

A. help farmers make full use of waste

B. seek certain materials to make electricity

C. persuade farmers to grow more coconuts

D. find a suitable place to carry out the experiment

2.DeBolt thought it was not a good idea to grow fuel crops because________.

A. there are plenty of coconuts

B. local farmers have no interest in it

C. it would make food problems worse

D. fuel crop has little use for local farmers

3.The last two paragraphs mainly tell us that coconut power________.

A. needs further experiments and efforts

B. can help solve energy problem perfectly

C. will cause technique and money problems

D. has drawn Indonesia's government attention

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Make Full Use Of Coconuts            B. Make Power From Coconuts

C. A Perfect Solution                            D. Food And Energy Problems

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa studied a huge area in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion－Clipperton Zone，or CCZ to find and study new sea species.

Diva Amon，a researcher at the University says usually deep sea biologists think there is not a lot living in the deep sea.

“But we found that actually there is quite a lot living there，and so that was really exciting. . . ” she says.

The group is studying the area because the CCZ，a huge and flat area of seabed，is known to have valuable minerals. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is allowing the company UK Seabed Resources Ltd. to explore the area on the Pacific Ocean floor for mining. However，the ISA said the company must first complete a biological study of the area before it can begin mining for metals. So，the company employed Amon and her group.

Amon says that more than half of the animals they collected were completely new to science. Her group discovered not only new species，but new genera (动植物的属) of animals.

Biological oceanographer Paul Snelgrove says that finding new species in the deep ocean is common. But，he said，finding a new genus “is really great”.

Amon warns that if mining happens across the whole area，the ecosystem would be largely destroyed. But，she says，we will find the least damaging way to make mining possible.

“There is a sort of scientific push to try and slow things down a bit so that the science can be done before. . . so it can be done with the least influence possible. . . ” she says.

“It’s likely we are going to develop at least some parts of these deep ocean environments and do it in a way that’s going to minimize (最小化) our influence，”says Paul.

1.What did scientists try to find out in the CCZ?

A.Whether there is life.

B.Whether there are valuable minerals.

C.What sea life exists there.

D.What metals lie under the sea floor.

2.What does Paul say about finding new sea species?

A.It’s something unusual.

B.It’s nothing to be surprised at.

C.It has a far－reaching effect on science.

D.It proves common species will change.

3.What is Amon’s attitude towards mining the CCZ?

A.Careful. B.Doubtful.

C.Unsupportive. D.Uninterested.

4.What does the underlined word “it” in the text refer to?

A.Mining.

B.A scientific push.

C.Finding the least damaging way.

D.Developing the ocean environments.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence software to recognize the faces of chimpanzees in the wild. The new software will allow researchers to significantly cut back on time and resources spent analyzing video footage.

“For species like chimpanzees, which have complex social lives and live for many years, recording their behavior from short-term field research can only tell us so much.” says Dan Schofield, researcher and DPhil student at Oxford University’s Primate Models Lab. “By using the power of machine learning to unlock large video footage, it makes it feasible to measure behavior over the long term. Observing how the social lives of a group change over several generations become possible as well.”

The computer model was trained using over 10 million images from Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute (PRI) video footage of wild chimpanzees in West Africa. The new software is the first to recognize individuals in a wide range of poses, performing with high accuracy in difficult conditions such as low lighting, poor image quality and movement blur (模糊).

“Access to this large video footage has allowed us to use cutting edge deep neural networks to train models at a scale that was previously not possible.” says Arsha Nagrani, co-author of the study and DPhil student in University of Oxford. “Additionally, our method differs from previous primate face recognition software in that it can be applied to raw video footage with limited manual intervention (人工干预) or pre-processing, saving hours of time and resources.”

The technology has potential for many uses, such as monitoring species for protection. Although the current application focused on chimpanzees, the software provided could be applied to other species, and help drive the adoption of artificial intelligence systems to solve a range of problems in the wildlife sciences.

“All our software is available open-source for the research community.” says Nagrani. “We hope that this will help researchers across other parts of the world apply the same cutting-edge techniques to their unique animal data sets. As a computer vision researcher, it is extremely satisfying to see these methods applied to solve real, challenging biodiversity (生物多样性) problems.”

“With an increasing biodiversity crisis and many of the world’s ecosystems under threat, the ability to closely monitor different species and populations using systems will be important for protection efforts, as well as animal behavior research.” adds Schofield. “Interdisciplinary cooperation like this have huge potential to make an impact, by finding solutions for old problems, and asking biological questions which were previously not available on a large scale.”

1.What’s the function of the new artificial intelligence software?

A.Analyzing video footage in difficult conditions.

B.Recognizing the faces of chimpanzees in the wild.

C.Cutting edge deep neural networks to train models at a scale.

D.Saving hours of time and resources without manual intervention.

2.What does the underlined word “feasible” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A.possible B.important

C.natural D.official

3.From the passage, we know that the artificial intelligence software could ________.

A.recognize individuals but not clearly

B.save time and resources only

C.help to protect different species

D.hardly solve biodiversity problems

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.To introduce a new software.

B.To explain a measure.

C.To assess a project.

D.To describe a procedure.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mya Le Thai is a scientist studying at the University of California, Irvine. She recently discovered a process that may result in batteries that last forever. Thai said she had been discouraged that the batteries for her wireless devices degrade. Over time, they fail to charge fully.

Thai did not like to have keep her wireless laptop connected to an electrical outlet. She decided to do something about that problem.

At first, she and her team thought about inventing a new battery. But as they experimented, Thai discovered something that might permit lithium-ion(锂离子) batteries to last forever. Lithium-ion batteries power most wireless devices. Over time, the batteries lose the ability to hold a charge. Most of these batteries have a life span of about 7,000 charging cycles before they die.

One of the reasons lithium-ion batteries degrade is their use of nanowires(纳米线) to carry electricity. Nanowires are extremely thin. A human hair is thousands of times thicker, for example. Nanowires are extremely efficient carriers of electricity, which makes them useful in batteries. But Thai said their thinness also makes them weak. "Nanowires break over time," she said. "That's why they lose capacity."

But, Thai had a theory: The nanowires might last longer if covered with a material. She and the team tested her theory. The team tried many coverings for the wires. PMMA was one of them. The nanowires were coated with PMMA and cycled through charges 200,000 times. The PMMA coated nanowires showed no evidence of damage. The results suggest that batteries could last forever, without losing charging ability.

Thai hopes to continue her research to understand why this material works so well and to see if any other material could create better results.

"It's kind of cool," she said. "I'm really glad people are showing interest in my work and not just in the work itself, but also in technology and energy."

1.What caused Thai to do research on the batteries?

A. Weak power of the batteries　　 B. Her preference for batteries

C. Inconvenient use of batteries　　 D. Her habit to use her computer

2.What’s the disadvantage of lithium-ion batteries?

A. They have a certain service life　　 B. They need charging very often

C. They are not quite dependable　　 D. They are easy to break down

3.Why did Thai try covering the nanowires with a certain material?

A. To make them thicker　　 B. To carry more electricity

C. To make them safer to use　　 D. To protect them from being damaged

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. All Batteries Would Be Replaced By Long-Last Ones

B. Lithium-ion Batteries Might Come to an End

C. Batteries That Last Forever Could Be Near

D. Batteries Would Work Without Recharging

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Michelle was a student at University of California, Los Angeles. She is here to tell us how she feels about the city.

What were the best things about Los Angeles?

One of my favorite things about Los Angeles is the weather. I hate the cold and it never really gets that cold there. Plus, most of the time it’s usually sunny, which is good because I love going to the beach during the summer. There’s so much to do at the beach, but my favorite thing in L.A. was having a picnic on the sand with my friends.

What were the worst things about being there?

I disliked having to drive everywhere to get around because the city is so spread out. Los Angeles has a lot of traffic and sometimes it takes a long time to get somewhere close by just because the streets are so crowded. Also, a lot of people complain about the pollution.

Did you have any problems there?

Just the normal problems of living in any city, like watching out for pickpockets. Some people think Los Angeles has a lot of crime, but I think it’s as safe as any other city. Also, many people think driving is difficult because there is a lot of traffic and road rage (路怒症), but it just takes a little practice and a lot of patience.

What are the people like in Los Angeles?

There are all types of people in Los Angeles since the city is pretty diverse. For the most part, though, most of the people are friendly, calm and relaxed. Some people say that everyone in Los Angeles is beautiful, but I think that’s just a stereotype.

Would you go back to Los Angeles?

Certainly. Los Angeles is one of my favorite cities in the world. I love the fact that it has all the nightlife and shopping of a big city, but also has access to beaches, parks, mountains and other places you can’t usually find in large cities. Between the weather and the beaches and all the fun things to do, it’s a great place to be.

1.We can learn from the text that Michelle _____.

A. hates the heavy traffic in Los Angeles

B. dislikes the cold weather in Los Angeles

C. thinks Los Angeles is small and crowded

D. enjoys driving everywhere in Los Angeles

2.What’s Michelle’s impression of the people in Los Angeles?

A. They get angry easily.

B. All sorts of people live there.

C. They are patient and amusing.

D. Everyone is kind and beautiful.

3.How does Michelle find Los Angeles?

A. Safe but noisy.

B. Relaxing but busy.

C. Polluted and dangerous.

D. Diverse and interesting.

4.We learn from the text that _____.

A. Michelle was born in Los Angeles

B. Michelle loved the life in Los Angeles

C. Los Angeles has many traffic accidents

D. Michelle has no plan to return to Los Angeles

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Michelle was a student at University of California, Los Angeles. She is here to tell us how she feels about the city.

What were the best things about Los Angeles?

One of my favorite things about Los Angeles is the weather. I hate the cold and it never really gets that cold there. Plus, most of the time it’s usually sunny, which is good because I love going to the beach during the summer. There’s so much to do at the beach, but my favorite thing in L.A. was having a picnic on the sand with my friends.

What were the worst things about being there?

I disliked having to drive everywhere to get around because the city is so spread out. Los Angeles has a lot of traffic and sometimes it takes a long time to get somewhere close by just because the streets are so crowded. Also, a lot of people complain about the pollution.

Did you have any problems there?

Just the normal problems of living in any city, like watching out for pickpockets (扒手). Some people think Los Angeles has a lot of crime, but I think it’s as safe as any other city. Also, many people think driving is difficult because there is a lot of traffic and road rage (路怒症), but it just takes a little practice and a lot of patience.

What are the people like in Los Angeles?

There are all types of people in Los Angeles since the city is pretty diverse. For the most part, though, most of the people are friendly, calm and relaxed. Some people say that everyone in Los Angeles is beautiful, but I think that’s just a stereotype (模式化的印象).

Would you go back to Los Angeles?

Certainly. Los Angeles is one of my favorite cities in the world. I love the fact that it has all the nightlife and shopping of a big city, but also has access to beaches, parks, mountains and other places you can’t usually find in large cities. Between the weather and the beaches and all the fun things to do, it’s a great place to be.

1.We can learn from the text that Michelle _____.

A. hates the heavy traffic in Los Angeles

B. dislikes the cold weather in Los Angeles

C. thinks Los Angeles is small and crowded

D. enjoys driving everywhere in Los Angeles

2.What’s Michelle’s impression of the people in Los Angeles?

A. They get angry easily.

B. All sorts of people live there.

C. They are patient and amusing.

D. Everyone is kind and beautiful.

3.How does Michelle find Los Angeles?

A. Safe but noisy.　　　　　　　　 B. Relaxing but busy.

C. Polluted and dangerous.　　 D. Diverse and interesting.

4.We learn from the text that _____.

A. Michelle was born in Los Angeles

B. Michelle loved the life in Los Angeles

C. Los Angeles has many traffic accidents

D. Michelle has no plan to return to Los Angeles

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Michelle was a student at University of California, Los Angeles. She is here to tell us how she feels about the city.

What were the best things about Los Angeles?

One of my favorite things about Los Angeles is the weather. I hate the cold and it never really gets that cold there. Plus, most of the time it’s usually sunny, which is good because I love going to the beach during the summer. There’s so much to do at the beach, but my favorite thing in L.A. was having a picnic on the sand with my friends.

What were the worst things about being there?

I disliked having to drive everywhere to get around because the city is so spread out. Los Angeles has a lot of traffic and sometimes it takes a long time to get somewhere close by just because the streets are so crowded. Also, a lot of people complain about the pollution.

Did you have any problems there?

Just the normal problems of living in any city, like watching out for pickpockets (扒手). Some people think Los Angeles has a lot of crime, but I think it’s as safe as any other city. Also, many people think driving is difficult because there is a lot of traffic and road rage (路怒症), but it just takes a little practice and a lot of patience.

What are the people like in Los Angeles?

There are all types of people in Los Angeles since the city is pretty diverse. For the most part, though, most of the people are friendly, calm and relaxed. Some people say that everyone in Los Angeles is beautiful, but I think that’s just a stereotype (模式化的印象).

Would you go back to Los Angeles?

Certainly. Los Angeles is one of my favorite cities in the world. I love the fact that it has all the nightlife and shopping of a big city, but also has access to beaches, parks, mountains and other places you can’t usually find in large cities. Between the weather and the beaches and all the fun things to do, it’s a great place to be.

1.We can learn from the text that Michelle _____.

A. hates the heavy traffic in Los Angeles

B. dislikes the cold weather in Los Angeles

C. thinks Los Angeles is small and crowded

D. enjoys driving everywhere in Los Angeles

2.What’s Michelle’s impression of the people in Los Angeles?

A. They get angry easily.　　 B. All sorts of people live there.

C. They are patient and amusing.　　 D. Everyone is kind and beautiful.

3.How does Michelle find Los Angeles?

A. Safe but noisy.　　 B. Relaxing but busy.

C. Polluted and dangerous.　　 D. Diverse and interesting.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Hannah Levine decided she wanted to give hugs to all of the children and families in need at local hospitals.

Because she couldn’t give them one by one, Levine, then a sixth-grader, decided she would use her talents(才能) to do the next best thing. She began to knit(编织) hats, scarves, and blankets for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Her creations also went to Bundle of Joy, a program that provides newborn baby items for families in need, and to Knitting Pals by the Bay, a local organization that provides hand-knitted caps to cancer patients.

“I love to knit, and I thought it would be a great idea to make all these handmade items for kids and adults who need them. It would be like a hug for them,” Levine explained.

Levine started the project about a year ago. “I think it’s just really fun to do, and it keeps me busy,” said Levine, now 13.

Once she got started, Levine realized that her project could be much bigger than the goods she was able to produce with just her own hands. So she sent emails to her school and communities(社区), asking for knitted donations(捐赠物) to the project she named “Hannah’s Warm Hugs”. She also posted advertisements at Starbucks and other locations in her area. The warm goods began to gush in.

“It was amazing; more strangers than people she knew started dropping donations at our door,” said Levine’s mother, Laura Levine. “We ended up with this huge box of items she was donating.”

The knitted items numbered in the hundreds. Levine made her first round of donations around Hanukkah (an eight-day Jewish holiday in November or December) and later received thank-you letters from the organizations. Levine is still knitting, and she said the project will continue.

“It has turned into a bigger thing than she had thought,” her mom said. “It made her feel pretty good; it made us feel pretty good.”

1.Hannah Levine knitted hats and scarves ________.

A. for children and families in difficulty

B. to raise money for cancer patients

C. to earn some pocket money

D. for the homeless in her neighborhood

2.The underlined part “gush in” in paragraph 5 can best be replaced by “________”.

A. take off            B. run out            C. flood in            D. break in

3.What would be Laura Levine’s attitude toward Hannah Levine’s project?

A. Optimistic but worried.

B. Proud and supportive.

C. Concerned but doubtful.

D. Unfavorable and uncaring.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Be ready to lend a helping hand

B. Start a project to show your support

C. Teen turns knitting hobby into heartwarming project

D. 13-year-old girl becomes US best knitter

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Josh Hill, a biology teacher at Mar Vista High School in California, US, often gets sick after swimming in the ocean at Imperial Beach in California.

He and a group of students are raising awareness(意识)about water pollution by taking weekly water samples(样本)of the ocean and publishing their results online.

Every Thursday, Hill and his students collect water from the ocean. Students then take the samples to their school and test them for levels of bacteria. Usually, samples closer to the border have higher levels of bacteria, Hill said.

“Water quality is usually the worst at the southern end and it increasingly gets better,” he said.

Hill collects the samples on Thursdays so that students can publish the results on the Surfrider Foundation’s website in time for the weekend. The Surfrider Foundation has give Mar Vista lab equipment and promote the students’ results on its site.

Most of Hill’s students grew up in Imperial Beach. Many have gotten sick from the water or know someone who has.

Cameron Bell, 17, who is currently applying to college, wants to pursue a STEM career. He appreciates the fact the he can get lab experience at school. “Our research really impacts our community because it’s keeping people safe,” he said.

On a recent Thursday morning, Anthony Gass, 15, collected some samples. Before he got into the water, his classmates helped him put on waterproof(防水的)clothes and tie a rope around his waist to protect him from the onrush of water.

Hill said the protection probably wasn’t necessary, but that it was better to be safe than to be sorry. “We just want to make sure we protect the students,” he said.

1.What did Josh Hill and his students discover after checking the water samples?

A. Water quality at the northern end isn’t poluted.

B. Water nearer to the border is bless polluted.

C. Water pollution is getting worse and worse.

D. Different levels of bacteria are found in the water.

2.What can we learn about Bell?

A. He is now applying for a job in college.　　 B. He doesn’t want to have a career in STEM.

C. He thinks that their research is meaningful.　　 D. He isn’t grateful for his research experience.

3.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. The results of the students’ research are not published online.

B. Many students in Imperial Beach get sick due to the water pollution.

C. Very few safety measures are adopted in students’ research work.

D. Mar Vista High School is not equipped with modern science labs.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. US students’ research on water pollution.　　 B. Severe ocean water pollution in the US.

C. US students’ tests for water resources.　　 D. Tips on how to reduce water pollution.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析