Are we alone in the universe? A team of scien...

Are we alone in the universe? A team of scientists announced on January 6, 2015 that they had identified eight planets beyond our solar system, three or four of which orbit in their stars’ “Goldilocks Zone” --- the region where temperatures are not too hot or too cold for water, which is a necessary ingredient for life as we know it, to exist liquid form.This may be good news for people hoping that Earth is not the only inhabited world in the universe.

The scientists, led by Dr. Guilermo Torres of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, made the discoveries using data collected by the planet-seeking Kepler telescope.

NASA launched Kepler in 2009. Since then, the telescope has identified more than 1,000 planets outside of our solar system. Torres and his team analyzed the data about the eight newly discovered world to determine which ones are most likely to be similar to our Earth.

Among the new discoveries, the scientists say the planets called Kepler438b and 442b are the closest to Earth. Kepler 438b is just about 10% larger than our planet, and gets 40% more of its energy from its star than Earth receives from the Sun. Temperatures there would be about 140 degrees. Kepler 442b is about 33% larger than Earth, but receives 30% less energy from its star. That would make it a potentially chillier world than our own.Torres says it is possible for life to exist and survive in either of those temperatures, but for that to happen, these planets would need to have another key ingredient for life: a heat-trapping atmosphere like Earth’s.

While these findings add to the possibility that life exists beyond Earth, Torres cautions against drawing conclusions, “We are not claiming they are inhabited,” he says. In fact, these planets are so far away that the scientists cannot observe them directly, which can be explanation for why for now it remains unknown whether these planets contain life. But the discovery of planets in their stars’ habitable zones suggests that somewhere out there, some form of alien life may have taken hold.

1.The scientists have identified eight planets,　 .

A. which are suitable for humans to live on

B. some of which are possible for life to exist on

C. some of which have the same situations as Earth

D. which are not too hot or too cold for water to exist on

2.Which statement about the discovery of Torres and his team is TRUE?

A. Kepler 438b is too hot for any life to exist on

B. Kepler 438b and 442b are the farthest to Earth

C. They have made the discoveries through Kepler

D. They have discovered over 1000 planets in 7 years

3.What is the possible thing that Kepler 442b lacks for life to exist on?

A. The water B. The sunlight

C. The soil D. The atmosphere

4.About their exploration, Torres wants to indicate that　 .

A. there is a lot left to learn

B. they have had decisive gains

C. it is the first in human history

D. it is certain for life on the planets

5.Which can be the best title for this passage?

A. Are We Alone?

B. Eye on the Stars

C. Discover Another Earth

D. Discovery of New Stars to Live on

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A team of scientists from University of Freiburg in Germany are developing a shoe with a sensor to automatically tie its laces(鞋带)that could be taken off when users click their heels together．

It’s been 26 years since we saw them magically tightening Marty McFly’s Nike boots in the film Back to The Future．

Now，self-tying shoelaces could actually become a reality this year，proving right one of the film’s fantastical predictions for what 2015 would be like．

Engineers have designed a shoe that can automatically lace up，adjusting itself to the shape of your foot．

Simply slip the controller on and pressure sensors will tell the ‘smart shoe’ when your foot is in position，triggering(触发)a tiny motor in the heel that pulls the laces tight.

When you want to take off the shoes，you click your heels together twice and the motor will release a spring(弹簧)in the shoe’s tongue，which loosens the laces enough for you to slip them off．

And the invention doesn’t even need to be plugged in to charge or have its battery replaced because it runs on power generated by the swing of your foot as you walk.

Engineer K1evis Ylli，of the Institute for Micromachining and Information Technology in southern Gemany，said the shoes could help a variety of different people.

“One focus is that it could be used in shoes for elderly people who have mobility problems，”he said．“But it could also work for children，or as a lifestyle product．”．

The design，which is still in a prototype(雏形)stage，cleverly gets the energy of the foot’s swing when opposing magnets in each shoe move past each other. It then uses that power to charge a battery．An hour of walking is enough to tighten the laces once，and it requires no energy to undo the shoes because that relies on the spring alone.

1.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?

A．A fantastical prediction

B．A great invention in Germany

C．A shoe with self-tying laces

D．A popular lifestyle product

2.What can we learn about the shoes?

A．They can automatically take off．

B．They can adjust themselves to your foot．

C．They need to be charged once．

D．They have been in design for 26 years．

3.From the last paragraph we can know ____________．

A．the shoes have been put into use

B．the shoes need power to take off

C．the shoes promise to be popular

D．how the shoes work to produce energy

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A team of scientists from University of Freiburg in Germany are developing a shoe with a sensor to automatically tie its laces(鞋带)that could be taken off when users click their heels together．

It’s been 26 years since we saw them magically tightening Marty McFly’s Nike boots in the film Back to The Future．

Now，self-tying shoelaces could actually become a reality this year，proving right one of the film’s fantastical predictions for what 2015 would be like．

Engineers have designed a shoe that can automatically lace up，adjusting itself to the shape of your foot．

Simply slip the controller on and pressure sensors will tell the ‘smart shoe’ when your foot is in position，triggering(触发)a tiny motor in the heel that pulls the laces tight.

When you want to take off the shoes，you click your heels together twice and the motor will release a spring(弹簧)in the shoe’s tongue，which loosens the laces enough for you to slip them off．

And the invention doesn’t even need to be plugged in to charge or have its battery replaced because it runs on power generated by the swing of your foot as you walk.

Engineer K1evis Ylli，of the Institute for Micromachining and Information Technology in southern Gemany，said the shoes could help a variety of different people.

“One focus is that it could be used in shoes for elderly people who have mobility problems，”he said．“But it could also work for children，or as a lifestyle product．”．

The design，which is still in a prototype(雏形)stage，cleverly gets the energy of the foot’s swing when opposing magnets in each shoe move past each other. It then uses that power to charge a battery．An hour of walking is enough to tighten the laces once，and it requires no energy to undo the shoes because that relies on the spring alone.

1.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?

A．A fantastical prediction

B．A great invention in Germany

C．A shoe with self-tying laces

D．A popular lifestyle product

2.What can we learn about the shoes?

A．They can automatically take off．

B．They can adjust themselves to your foot．

C．They need to be charged once．

D．They have been in design for 26 years．

3.From the last paragraph we can know ____________．

A．the shoes have been put into use

B．the shoes need power to take off

C．the shoes promise to be popular

D．how the shoes work to produce energy

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Are we getting more stupid? According to Gerald Crabtree, a scientist at Stanford University in the US, we are.

You may not want to hear this, but Crabtree believes that human intelligence reached its peak more than 2,000 years ago and ever since then has been going downhill. “If an average Greek from 1,000 BC were transported to modern times, he or she would be one of the brightest among us,” Crabtree told The Guardian.

At the heart of Crabtree’s thinking is a simple idea. In the past, intelligence was critical for survival when our ancestors had to avoid dangerous animals and hunt for food. The difference of being smart or stupid is often life or death. However, after the spread of agriculture, when our ancestors began to live in dense farming communities, the need to keep their intelligence in peak condition gradually reduced.

This is not hard to understand. Most of the time, pressure is what keeps us going – you need the pressure from your teachers to finish your homework; the pressure of looking pretty prompts you to lose weight when summer comes. And the same is also true of our intelligence – if we think less, we become less smart.

These mutations(变异) are harmful to our intelligence and they were all developed in the past 3,000 years. The other evidence that Crabtree holds is in our genes. He found that among the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that we have that determine human intelligence, there are two or more mutations in each of us.

However, Crabtree’s theory has been criticized by some who say that early humans may have better hunting and surviving abilities, but people today have developed a more diverse intelligence. For example, spearing a tiger doesn’t necessarily require more brainpower than playing chess or writing a poem. Moreover, the power of modern education means a lot more people have the opportunity to learn nowadays.

“You wouldn’t get Stephen Hawking 2,000 years ago. He just wouldn’t exist,” Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick, UK, told Live Science. “But now we have people of his intellectual capacity doing things and making insights that we would never have achieved in our environment of evolutionary adaptation.”

1.What is Crabtree’s recent finding according to the article?

A. The Greeks from 1,000 BC could have been the smartest in human history.

B. Our ancient ancestors had no better surviving abilities than we do nowadays.

C. Humans have been getting steadily more intelligent since the invention of farming.

D. Mutations in genes that decide human intelligence have affected the development of intelligence.

2.According to Crabtree, ancient humans _______.

A. had much more genes that determine human intelligence

B. were forced to be smart due to natural selection pressures

C. relied more on group intelligence than individual intelligence

D. developed a diverse intelligence to adapt to the harsh realities

3.Some argue that Crabtree’s theory is false because they think _______.

A. people today are under much more pressure than early humans

B. it’s ridiculous to compare a hunter’s and a poet’s intelligence

C. modern education is far more advanced than ancient education

D. human intelligence nowadays is different from that of the distant past

4.What is Thomas Hills’ attitude toward Crabtree’s theory?

A. Supportive　　　 B. Unfavorable

C. Worried　 　　　　 D. Confused.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For years, a question that human beings often ask about the universe is: “Are we alone here?” In January, 2019, the discovery of new fast radio bursts (FRBs,快速射电暴) from deep space got many to ask it again.

According to Mirror, a Canadian led team of scientists found 13 FRBs with the help of a radio telescope. First discovered in 2007, FRBs are short bursts of radio waves coming from far outside the Milky Way(银河). Scientists have found over 60 FRBs so far. They last only a few milliseconds but release the same energy as the sun gives off in a day.

Among the 13 FRBs, a very unusual repeating signal was found, which came six times from the same location about l.5 billion light-years away. Such an event has only been reported once before, back in 2012. It may help scientists understand where FRBs are from and what causes them. More importantly, the new FRBs were recorded at unusually low radio frequencies. Most of those previously found have had frequencies of around l,400 megahertz (MHz), but new bursts are found at even 400MHz - the lowest frequency the telescope can discover. According to the BBC, the low frequency means that the sources of the bursts have changed. It also suggests humans can learn more about the environment where the bursts come from.

Avid Loeb, a professor from Harvard University, believes the radio waves may be evidence of alien technology. They may be “leakage from a huge, light-powered ship deep in space,” Loeb told The Independent. And even some Chinese internet users joked we shouldn't respond to them. However, most researchers believe that FRBs are formed due to the death of a star or the merging　　 (合并) of two black holes.

“Science isn't a matter of belief, it's a matter of evidence,” claimed Loeb. So only more advanced technology and more collected data will reveal the truth about FRBs. Time will be the judge.

1.What can we learn about the 13 FRBs from the text?

A.They release less energy than the sun does.

B.They are from somewhere in the Milky Way.

C.They cover l.5 billion light-years in a second.

D.The 400MHz FRBs may help man know more.

2.What does the underlined “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A.The year of 2012. B.The same location.

C.The radio telescope. D.The repeating signal.

3.Which statement might Loeb agree with?

A.More is needed to explore FRBs.

B.We shouldn’t respond to the FRBS.

C.FRBs are from sun-powered ships in space.

D.FRBs are formed due to the death of a star.

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

A.What Causes FRBs? B.Where Are FRBs From?

C.Are Aliens Signaling to Us? D.Is Science a Matter of Belief?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.

They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour (肿瘤）and making them behave like brain cells.

Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia (痴呆)."

The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said，"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research."

1.UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to ______.

A. study the structure of human brain         B. make use of living human cell system

C. discover how human brain really works     D. separate cells from a cancer tumour

2. According to Neil Hunt, research into brain cells ______.

A. will get finished as early as possible        B. will make people discover dementia

C. will affect the brain growth in many ways

D. will help to treat some diseases in nerve system

3. From the last paragraph，we can know that ______

A. the technique provided by HRT is immature

B. animal tests are no longer allowed by law

C. a million people suffer from brain diseases

D. the research program lacks financial support

4. The text is intended to ______.

A. tell us about a breakthrough in medical research

B. introduce a research program in human's brain

C. introduce the progress of drugs for dementia

D. tell us about health problem in nerve system

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.

They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour (肿瘤）and making them behave like brain cells.

Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia (痴呆)."

The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said，"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research."

1.UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to ______.

A. study the structure of human brain

B. make use of living human cell system

C. discover how human brain really works

D. separate cells from a cancer tumour

2.According to Neil Hunt, research into brain cells ______.

A. will get finished as early as possible

B. will make people discover dementia

C. will affect the brain growth in many ways

D. will help to treat some diseases in nerve system

3.From the last paragraph，we can know that ______

A. the technique provided by HRT is immature

B. animal tests are no longer allowed by law

C. a million people suffer from brain diseases

D. the research program lacks financial support

4.The text is intended to ______.

A. tell us about a breakthrough in medical research

B. introduce a research program in human's brain

C. introduce the progress of drugs for dementia

D. tell us about health problem in nerve system

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Many of us put real effort in when we cook for others but when we are alone, we reach for the takeaway menu. Somehow it just doesn’t seem worth bothering if no one else is going to eat it.

That’s the attitude Signe Johansen wants to change and it’s the inspiration behind her new book Solo: The Joy of Cooking for One.

“Cooking for yourself is an acceptance of your self-worth, ” Signe says. “I think it’s important that you recognize your worth all the time, not just if you live alone, but on the weekend if your partner is away or whatever. If you take the time to look after yourself, you are essentially saying you are worth the effort. ”

With nearly a third of UK households containing just one person, Signe believes it’s time to overturn the idea for solo dining. “When I’ve told people I’m writing a book on solo cooking, they’ve interpreted it as recipes for sad people, ”she says. “But for me , and for many, some of the happiest times I’ve had cooking have been when I’ve been by myself.”

Food has always been a big part of Signe’s life. Growing up in Norway, much of her childhood was spent on her grandparents’ farm, picking produce and learning to cook, before going on to study at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London.

But it’s the recent trend for self-sufficiency that motivates her to champion the idea of enjoying a more selfish approach to food preparation. “You can just make whatever you want, which is really liberating.” Besides, cooking for yourself is one of the fundamental things we should start with in life.

1.What attitude does Signe want to change in her new book?

A.Cooking only for others. B.Being selfish in the kitchen.

C.Willingness to cook when alone. D.Hesitation to order takeout food.

2.How do British people find solo dining in a traditional way?

A.It offers a way of self-care. B.It communicates a sense of joy.

C.It means recognition of self-worth. D.It indicates a feeling of unhappiness.

3.According to Signe, which of the following benefits does solo cooking include?

A.No food going to waste. B.Sadness coming to an end.

C.Enjoying the sense of freedom. D.Cooking meals with separate tastes.

4.Who would like Signe’s new book most?

A.A hostess. B.A single lady.

C.A housekeeper. D.A travelling salesperson.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics is shared by three scientists, the Royal Academy of Sciences announced in Stockholm on Tuesday. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2016 was divided, with one half awarded to David J. Thouless, the other half to F. Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz “for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter(物质拓扑相变和拓扑相).”

Haldane said he was “very surprised” at the news, adding that he was glad that their discoveries found something previously unnoticed by many, and that they revealed “more possibilities for looking for new materials.” He particularly pointed out that a lot of work was still ongoing.

The year’s prize amount is 8 million Swedish krona(0.93 million US dollars), and will be split properly between the three winners.

The winners are given a sum of money when they receive their prizes, in the form of a document confirming the amount awarded. The amount of prize money depends upon how much money the Nobel Foundation can award each year. The purse has increased since the 1980s, when the prize money was 880,000 SEK per prize. In 2009, the monetary award was 10 million SEK (US$1.4 million; €950,000). In June 2012, it was lowered to 8 million SEK.

If there are two winners of a particular prize, the award money is divided equally between the winners. If there are three, the awarding committee can choose to divide the money equally, or award one-half to one winner and one-quarter to each of the others. It is common for winners to donate prize money to benefit scientific, cultural, or charities.

1.How much price money does Thouless get?

A. 8 million Swedish krona.

B. 6 million Swedish krona.

C. 4 million Swedish krona.

D. 2 million Swedish krona.

2.According to the passage, Haldane thought that his work_________

A. was far from ending

B. was based on many previous studies

C. had perfectly been completed

D. had surprised the whole world

3.The amount of prize money _________.　　 .

A. has been ever increasing since the 1980s

B. has been ever decreasing since the 1980s

C. remains 880,000 SEK each year after 2012

D. differs according to the Nobel Foundation’s affordability

4.What does the last paragraph talk about?

A. The purpose of the award money.

B. How the award money is dealt with.

C. How the laureates are selected.

D. The number of laureates per prize.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

US universities are among the best in the world. Since World War Ⅱ, American scientists --- mostly working in universties or colleges --- have won more than half of all Nobel Prizes in physics and medicine. Foreign students rush to the United States by the tens of thousands. Last year they earned more than one quarter of the doctoral degrees awarded in the country. Yet while American universities produce the great research and great graduate program, they sometimes pay little attention to the task that lies at their very core: the teaching of undergraduate students.

With the increase in fees, educators feel obliged to improve undergraduate teaching. In speeches and interviews the nation’s higher educators have rediscovered teaching. Robert Rosenzweig, president of the Association of American Universities,  said,  “Our organization was never very concerned about teaching. In the last 18 months, we have spent more time on undergraduate education than on any other subject.”

Despite such promising efforts, no one doubts that research still outranks teaching at some of the leading universities, not least because it is a surer and faster way to earn status. Some people don’t think it has to be that way. They argue that the reward system for college faculty can be changed, so that professors will be encouraged to devote more time and effort to teaching. They say that they are beginning to believe that the first ten years of the 21st century may come to be remembered as the decade of the undergraduate.

That would bring it full circle. For more than two centuries after the founding of Harvard College in 1636, the instruction of undergraduate students was an essential condition of American higher education.

1.According to the passage, at some of the leading American universities ________.

A．research is declining in importance          B．teaching now ranks above research

C．teaching is a sure way to gain position        D．research still ranks above teaching

2.It is implied in the passage that about 200 years ago undergraduate instruction ________.

A．began to change all of a sudden

B．was already threatened by research work

C．was the central part of higher education

D．began to be neglected in most universities

3.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．University education in the US             B．University education challenged

C．Teaching and research in universities        D．Undergraduate teaching rediscovered

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析