The arm bones of women who lived 7,000 years ago show a surprising level of strength--even higher than today's professional athletes. That's according to a first-ever study comparing prehistoric(史前的) bones to those of living people. The finding suggests a revision of history- the everyday lives of prehistoric women were filled with hard labor, rather than just sitting at home doing lighter tasks while the men struggled and fought for life.
“Before the study, there are no clear records describing how our ancient ancestors lived. It can be easy to forget that bone is a living tissue, one that responds to the difficulties we put our bodies through,” said lead author Alison Macintosh. “Physical force and muscle activity both put pressure on the bone. The bone reacts by changing in shape, thickness and other aspects over time.”
Previous studies only compared female bones to contemporary male bones, the researchers said-and that's a problem, because the response of male bones to stress and change is much bigger than that of women. For instance, as humans moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle constantly on the move to a more settled agrarian(农耕的) one, changes can be observed in the structure of the shinbone(胫骨)- and these changes were much more evident in men.
However, a comparison of the bones of prehistoric women to the bones of living female athletes can help us work out a more accurate picture of what those prehistoric women were doing. "By analyzing the bones of living people and comparing them to the ancient bones, we can start to explain the kinds of labor our ancestors were reforming, Macintosh said. What they found was that women's leg strength hasn't changed a great deal, but their arms used to be very powerful. Prehistoric women, the researchers found, had arm strength 11-16 percent stronger than those of modern rowers(桨手), and 30 percent stronger than those of non-athletes.
1.What does the study tell about prehistoric women?
A. They were stronger than men. B. They had lighter bones than men.
C. They did tough tasks as the men. D. They spent most time staying at home.
2.What problem did previous studies on prehistoric bones have?
A. They lacked enough comparison. B. They only studied men' s bones.
C. They focused little on bones. D. They ignored the lifestyles.
3.What does the underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Bones’ structure. B. Bones' thickness.
C. Bones’ response to stress. D. Bones’ stress from hard labor.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. It's still hard to explain our ancestors' lifestyle.
B. Prehistoric women went through much suffering.
C. Women's arms have become much stronger over time.
D. Prehistoric women are stronger than contemporary females.
高二英语阅读理解困难题
The arm bones of women who lived 7,000 years ago show a surprising level of strength--even higher than today's professional athletes. That's according to a first-ever study comparing prehistoric(史前的) bones to those of living people. The finding suggests a revision of history- the everyday lives of prehistoric women were filled with hard labor, rather than just sitting at home doing lighter tasks while the men struggled and fought for life.
“Before the study, there are no clear records describing how our ancient ancestors lived. It can be easy to forget that bone is a living tissue, one that responds to the difficulties we put our bodies through,” said lead author Alison Macintosh. “Physical force and muscle activity both put pressure on the bone. The bone reacts by changing in shape, thickness and other aspects over time.”
Previous studies only compared female bones to contemporary male bones, the researchers said-and that's a problem, because the response of male bones to stress and change is much bigger than that of women. For instance, as humans moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle constantly on the move to a more settled agrarian(农耕的) one, changes can be observed in the structure of the shinbone(胫骨)- and these changes were much more evident in men.
However, a comparison of the bones of prehistoric women to the bones of living female athletes can help us work out a more accurate picture of what those prehistoric women were doing. "By analyzing the bones of living people and comparing them to the ancient bones, we can start to explain the kinds of labor our ancestors were reforming, Macintosh said. What they found was that women's leg strength hasn't changed a great deal, but their arms used to be very powerful. Prehistoric women, the researchers found, had arm strength 11-16 percent stronger than those of modern rowers(桨手), and 30 percent stronger than those of non-athletes.
1.What does the study tell about prehistoric women?
A. They were stronger than men. B. They had lighter bones than men.
C. They did tough tasks as the men. D. They spent most time staying at home.
2.What problem did previous studies on prehistoric bones have?
A. They lacked enough comparison. B. They only studied men' s bones.
C. They focused little on bones. D. They ignored the lifestyles.
3.What does the underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Bones’ structure. B. Bones' thickness.
C. Bones’ response to stress. D. Bones’ stress from hard labor.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. It's still hard to explain our ancestors' lifestyle.
B. Prehistoric women went through much suffering.
C. Women's arms have become much stronger over time.
D. Prehistoric women are stronger than contemporary females.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Some 30,000 years ago, artists who lived in caves in Europe painted pictures of the animals around them: panthers, hyenas, rhinos, cave lions, mammoths and other creatures which have been extinct for a long time. The paintings were highly realistic. Some even showed movement.
The artwork, more than a thousand drawings, is considered the oldest group of human cave drawings which have ever been discovered. They were preserved because the cave was sealed---closed off--for more or less 23,000 years.
Fast forward to December 18, 1994, a group of French cave scientists were exploring caves in southern France. Jean Marie Chauvet, who led the group then, describes the process of discovering the cave paintings. “At that time I was in the front, Eliette just walked behind me, Christian behind. Eliette said she saw two marks with red ochre and she said, ‘They came here.’ And at this very moment everything began. The drawings and everything linked to the parietal art(壁画). That is where it is tarted.”
Cave art expert Jean Clotttes reviewed the paintings. “I was amazed at the number of paintings there were and paintings of their quality and particularly in front of the panel of the horses.”
Scientific analysis confirmed the prehistoric date of the artwork. Studies showed the drawings were created tens of thousands of years ago, before human history was written. The United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO lists the cave as a World Heritage Site. They say that the drawings form a remarkable expression of early human artistic creation of grand excellence and variety.
The Chauvet Cave has been named after the explorer who first entered it. However, its environment and drawings are too fragile to be visited by human beings. So the cave is closed, and only people there for scientific purposes can go inside and see the artwork.
However, French authorities asked experts to create an exact copy of the cave, called Pont d’Arc Cavern. The copy, which we also called replica, cost more than 59 million dollars to build. It opened at the end of April in France.
Pascal Terrasse is the president of the cavern. He says everyone will be able to experience the thrill of looking at drawings made by the first humans in Europe. He says the place is magic because it is done so well. Authorities say they think as many as 400,000 people will be allowed to visit Pont d’Arc Cavern every year.
1.According to Jean Clottes’ words in Paragraph 4, the paintings in the cave were .
A.abstract B. superior C. creative D. inspiring
2.Which of the follow statements is TRUE about the Chauvet Cave?
A.It was closed off for more than 30,000 years.
B.It is thought to be the origin of modern parietal art.
C.The environment and artwork there are very easy to damage.
D.The majority of drawings there are about the extinct animals.
3.The purpose of creating Pndt d’Arc Cavern is to .
A.show admiration for the earliest artists in Europe
B.arouse visitors’ awareness of protecting ancient art
C.offer visitors chances to view the wonderful artwork
D.collect money for the perseverance of the Chauvet Cave
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some 30,000 years ago, artists who lived in caves in Europe painted pictures of the animals around them: panthers, hyenas, rhinos, cave lions, mammoths and other creatures which have been extinct for a long time.
The artwork, more than a thousand drawings, is considered the oldest group of human cave drawings which have ever been discovered. They were preserved because the cave was sealed---closed off--for more or less 23,000 years.
Fast forward to December 18, 1994, a group of French cave scientists were exploring caves in southern France. Jean Marie Chauvet, who led the group then, describes the process of discovering the cave paintings. “At that time I was in the front, Eliette just walked behind me, Christian behind. Eliette said she saw two marks with red ochre(赭石) and she said, ‘They came here.’ And at this very moment everything began. The drawings and everything linked to the parietal art(壁画). That is where it started.”
Cave art expert Jean Clotttes reviewed the paintings. “I was amazed at the number of paintings there were and paintings of their quality and particularly in front of the panel of the horses.”
Scientific analysis confirmed the prehistoric date of the artwork. Studies showed the drawings were created tens of thousands of years ago, before human history was written. The United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO lists the cave as a World Heritage Site. They say that the drawings form a remarkable expression of early human artistic creation of grand excellence and variety.
The Chauvet Cave has been named after the explorer who first entered it. However, its environment and drawings are too fragile to be visited by human beings. So the cave is closed, and only people there for scientific purposes can go inside and see the artwork.
However, French authorities asked experts to create an exact copy of the cave, called Pont d’Arc Cavern. The copy, which we also called replica, cost more than 59 million dollars to build. It opened at the end of April in France.
Pascal Terrasse is the president of the cavern. He says everyone will be able to experience the thrill of looking at drawings made by the first humans in Europe. He says the place is magic because it is done so well. Authorities say they think as many as 400,000 people will be allowed to visit Pont d’Arc Cavern every year.
1.According to Jean Clottes’ words in Paragraph 4, the paintings in the cave were .
A. abstract B. superior C. creative D. inspiring
2.Which of the follow statements is TRUE about the Chauvet Cave?
A. It was closed off for more than 30,000 years.
B. It is thought to be the origin of modern parietal art.
C. The environment and artwork there are very easy to damage.
D. The majority of drawings there are about the extinct animals.
3.The purpose of creating Pndt d’Arc Cavern is to .
A. show admiration for the earliest artists in Europe
B. arouse visitors’ awareness of protecting ancient art
C. offer visitors chances to view the wonderful artwork
D. collect money for the perseverance of the Chauvet Cave
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Five years after a donor's bone marrow (骨髓)saved a pair of twin girls’ lives, the girls , Elizabeth and Kathryn ,from Minnesota got the chance to thank the man face to face.
The girls’ mother, Michele, said, “To think that somebody who didn’t know your children was selfless enough to give bone marrow to save them is amazing. They gave him giant hugs and danced the night away with him like they had known him before.”
The meeting came together thanks to Be the Match, a community of donors, volunteers, health care professionals and researchers.
The girl were born with a rare disorder that left them without any blood platelets(血小板).The bone marrow transplant was needed to change their DNA to avoid their organs shutting down.
Michele, her husband, and their son, tested negative when it came to being a match for the girls. They were put on the Be the Match list, which finally found Gruda.
“I become breathless,'' Michele said about finding a match. " because there are still so many things that could go wrong even though you have a donor."
Due to the uncertain result, the girls had to have their transplants done separately. Elizabeth’s was in 2011, and Kathryn’s was in 2012. The two girls also had to undergo chemotherapy(化疗).
The family was finally able to express their gratitude in person after Be the Match flew Gruda to Minnesota from Germany.
Gruda, who has three children of his own, tried to donate to a local girl in his town nearly 30 years ago but was not a match. Five years ago, he received a phone call that he was a match for the sisters and didn't hesitate to donate. His bone marrow was flown from Germany to use in the transplant.” “My three children rejoiced(高兴) that I came through as the best donor for the girls,'' he told Be the Match.
Both sisters are now completely healthy and 100 percent cured.
1.Why did Michele say “I become breathless” when I they found a match?
A. They hadn’t found a match till then.
B. They still feared something bad would happen.
C. All of their family members failed to pass the test.
D. The good news made them very excited.
2.Why did the girls have their transplants done separately?
A. Kathryn was then receiving chemotherapy.
B. Not all the bone marrow had arrived.
C. Because of the uncertain result.
D. The doctors were too busy to do two operations.
3.What do you know about Gruda?
A. He is always ready to donate his bone marrow.
B. He stayed at the twins home till the next day.
C. He has succeeded in helping two German patients.
D. He knew who his bone marrow was donated to well.
4.We can infer from the passage that the twins_____.
A. continue to undergo chemotherapy
B. went to Germany to thank Gruda.
C. go to hospital to get re-examined frequently.
D. have completely recovered from their disease
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Pregnancy(妊娠) and childbirth kill more than 536,000 women a year. More than half of the cases happened in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. In fact, most of the deaths are preventable with basic medical care.
The five leading causes are bleeding, infection, high blood pressure, longtime labor and bad abortions (流产). Mothers' deaths from such causes were largely reduced nearly a century ago in developed countries.
Experts say that what kill many women are “the three delays”— the woman's delay in deciding to go to the hospital, the time she loses traveling there and the hospital's delay in starting treatment. Only about 15 percent of births have dangerous complications(并发症).
Women lack education and information about birth control. Husbands and inlaws, may decide where a woman gives birth and insist that she stay at home to save money. However, there is no single solution to a problem with so many factors—shortages of doctors, nurses, drugs, equipment, roads and transportation—though hospital officials are trying many things now.
One stopgap measure to solve the problem for the present has been to train assistant medical officers, to perform certain operations. Some African countries are now struggling to train more assistants and midwives (接生婆) , and provide places for pregnant women to stay near hospitals.
But there is a long way to go. Only 20 percent of women in the continent give birth at the hospital. More than 50 percent stay at home to give birth, and the rest go to local clinics that cannot handle emergencies.
1.Which is not included in the five leading causes of women's deaths during pregnancy and childbirth?
A. Infection. B. High blood pressure.
C. Traveling long distances. D. Bleeding.
2.The underlined word “stopgap” probably means “________ ”in the passage.
A. final B. temporary C. effective D. instant
3.What can we learn from this passage?
A. The governments of African countries have to take more effective measures to save pregnant women.
B. Developed countries should help African countries reduce mothers'deaths.
C. The husbands in poor countries should take responsibility for their wives'deaths.
D. Most problems that cause women's deaths during pregnancy and childbirth can be treated or prevented.
4.What is the author's attitude towards the future of preventing women's deaths during pregnancy and childbirth?
A. Positive. B. Negative. C. Objective. D. Subjective.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The study of nearly 10,000 people showed that those who drank more than two cups of coffee or tea per day developed the disease at half the rate of those who drank _________ than one cup each day.
A.little | B.less | C.more | D.fewer |
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Millions of years ago dinosaurs (恐龙) lived on the earth. In the days of dinosaurs the whole earth was warm and wet. There were green forests and they could find enough to eat. Later, parts of the earth became cold and dry. and the forests there died. Then dinosaurs could not find enough to cat. This must be one reason why dinosaurs died out.
We can guess another reason. New kinds of animals came on the earth. Some had big brains and were fast and strong. They could kill dinosaurs. There may be other reasons that we don’t know about yet. Scientists are trying to make more discoveries about dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs were of many sizes and shapes (形状). Some were as small as chickens, while some were about 90 feet long.
There were also terrible fights between dinosaurs. They might have happened more than 100 million years ago. Though there was no man to see any of the fights, we can be told by the animal’s footprints (足迹) that fight did take place.
1.According to the passage, dinosaurs did exist only ______on the earth.
A. for millions of years
B. millions of years ago
C. more than 100 millions years ago
D. when it was warm and wet somewhere
2. One reason why dinosaurs died out is that______.
A. there were too many dinosaurs
B. parts of the earth became cold and dry
C. the dead forests there could not supply them with enough food
D. they couldn’t find enough to eat
3.. One more reason may be that ______.
A. new kinds of animals came on the earth
B. some fast and strong animals with big brains could kill them
C. some dinosaurs were as small as chickens
D. some big dinosaurs died in the fights
4.We can see from this passage ______.
A. scientists are trying to make some dinosaurs
B. dinosaurs are dangerous enough
C. dinosaurs are worth studying
D. scientists know nothing about dinosaurs
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Millions of years ago dinosaurs (恐龙) lived on the earth. In the days of dinosaurs the whole earth was warm and wet. There were green forests and they could find enough to eat. Later, parts of the earth became cold and dry. and the forests there died. Then dinosaurs could not find enough to cat. This must be one reason why dinosaurs died out.
We can guess another reason. New kinds of animals came on the earth. Some had big brains and were fast and strong. They could kill dinosaurs. There may be other reasons that we don’t know about yet. Scientists are trying to make more discoveries about dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs were of many sizes and shapes (形状). Some were as small as chickens, while some were about 90 feet long.
There were also terrible fights between dinosaurs. They might have happened more than 100 million years ago. Though there was no man to see any of the fights, we can be told by the animal’s footprints (足迹) that fight did take place.
1. According to the passage, dinosaurs did exist only ______on the earth.
A. for millions of years
B. millions of years ago
C. more than 100 millions years ago
D. when it was warm and wet somewhere
2. One reason why dinosaurs died out is that______.
A. there were too many dinosaurs
B. parts of the earth became cold and dry
C. the dead forests there could not supply them with enough food
D. they couldn’t find enough to eat
3. . One more reason may be that ______.
A. new kinds of animals came on the earth
B. some fast and strong animals with big brains could kill them
C. some dinosaurs were as small as chickens
D. some big dinosaurs died in the fights
4. We can see from this passage ______.
A. scientists are trying to make some dinosaurs
B. dinosaurs are dangerous enough
C. dinosaurs are worth studying
D. scientists know nothing about dinosaurs
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The search for beauty lasts centuries.Paintings of Egyptians1.(date) back to 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing make-up.In the 18th century,wealthy French noblemen2.(wear) wigs(假发)of long and white hair to make3.(them) attractive.Today people continue to devote a lot of time and money 4.their appearance.
But what exactly is beauty?It's difficult to describe it clearly,and we know it when we find it.Our5.(aware) of it may start from an early age.In a study,six-month-old babies6.(show)a series of photographs.The faces in the pictures had been rated by attractiveness.Babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
For better or worse,beauty plays7.role in our life.But it is8.(extreme)difficult to describe exactly what makes a person attractive to another.Although there are certain physical traits9.(consider) universally appealing,it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single standard.Beauty really is,10.the saying goes,in the eye of the beholder(旁观者).
高二英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Years ago I had the opportunity to meet a girl who reinforced my understanding of the power of belief. She was 36 the most powerful person I had ever met. I met Chris for the first time while taking the Dale Carnegie 37 in California.
Our class had already been going for quite some time when 38, supported by metal crutches(拐杖), 39 herself in. Chris had cerebral palsy(大脑性麻痹). She had many 40 in communicating with others. This was not due to 41 of desire, but because most of her twenty-one years of life she had been kept in a room with no more than Elvis records and tapes to 42 her. No one had taken the time to assist her in developing the ability to 43. It was Bonnie, her current caretaker, who 44 there was much more to Chris than anyone else gave her credit for.
When asked by the instructor what her goal 45 the twelve-week course was, Chris struggled to respond and became frustrated and 46 in the process. For most of her 47nobody would listen to her. The only way she knew to get someone to 48 was through temper outbursts. With Bonnie as her interpreter, Chris conveyed that her 49 was to be able to stand by herself in front of forty-five people and tell us about herself.
On the twelfth week, Chris stood in front of the room and 50 with us, in her own words, what her life had been like. It was one of the most beautiful and enlightening experiences I had ever 51. Though as a girl who had in many ways been 52, she believed that she could __53__ more in her life and she did. And she also had the love and support of forty-five friends, who, just weeks before, had been 54 strangers.
What we all witnessed through Chris’ courage is that life is 55 moment by moment, based on our beliefs, which are relevant to both our personal and professional direction and have the power to make our wildest dreams come true.
1. A.luckily B.probably C.formally D.naturally
2. A.break B.course C.house D.chance
3. A.someone B.he C.herself D.she
4. A.dragged B.rushed C.ran D.jumped
5. A.difficulties B.indications C.disagreements D.suggestions
6. A.notice B.need C.lack D.cheer
7. A.impress B.annoy C.love D.entertain
8. A.walk B.pronounce C.communicate D.write
9. A.knew B.asked C.spoke D.required
10. A.at B.for C.on D.in
11. A.grateful B.surprised C.angry D.noisy
12. A.way B.process C.operation D.life
13. A.listen B.smile C.watch D.understand
14. A.class B.goal C.ability D.reason
15. A.began B.agreed C.found D.shared
16. A.argued B.attended C.witnessed D.accepted
17. A.found out B.thrown away C.brought up D.held out
18. A.give B.accompany C.spend D.achieve
19. A.complete B.necessary C.enough D.typical
20. A.called B.carried C.created D.searched
高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析