Humans’ invention of zero was vital for modern mathematics and science, but we’re not the only species to consider “nothing” a number. Parrots and monkeys understand the concept of zero, and now bees have joined the club, too.
Honey bees are known to have some numerical skills such as the ability to count to four, which may come in handy when keeping track of landmarks in their environment. To see whether these abilities extended to understanding zero, researchers trained 10 bees to identify the smaller of two numbers. Across a series of trials, they showed the insects two different pictures displaying a few black shapes on a white background. If the bees flew to the picture with the smaller number of shapes, they were given delicious sugar water, but if they flew toward the larger number, they were punished with bitter-tasting food.
Once the bees had learned to consistently make the correct choice, the researchers gave them a new choice: a white background containing no shapes at all. Even though the bees had never seen an empty picture before, 64% of the time they chose it rather than a picture containing two or three shapes, the authors report today in Science. This suggests that the insects understood that “zero” is less than two or three. And they weren’t just going for the empty picture because it was new and interesting. Another group of bees trained to always choose the larger number tended to pick the nonzero image in this test.
In further experiments, the researchers showed that bees’ understanding of zero was even more complex: for example, they were able to distinguish between one and zero-a challenge even for some other members of the zero club. Advanced numerical abilities like this could give animals an evolutionary advantage, helping them keep track of predators（捕食者）and food sources. And if an insect can display such a thorough grasp of the number zero, write the researchers, then this ability may be more common in the animal kingdom than we think.
1.According to the trials, the researchers have found that bees ________.
A. have the same intelligence as parrots and monkeys
B. can count many numbers after being trained
C. can identify the smaller number quickly
D. understand the concept of zero
2.The researchers trained another group of bees to ________ .
A. confirm the bees are able to identify the smaller number
B. find the big difference between the two groups of bees
C. prove the bees are interested in new things
D. show the bees can be distinguished easily
3.What do the researchers suggest in further experiments?
A. Bees should be trained more.
B. Numerical abilities could help predators find bees.
C. Insects are better at understanding zero than animals.
D. Animals may display a thorough grasp of the number zero.
4.What is the best the title for the text?
A. New Findings About Bees’ Concept of Zero
B. Experients on Bees’ Numerical Skills
C. Complex Trials About the Zero Club
D. A Science Report of the Species of Bees
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Humans’ invention of zero was vital for modern mathematics and science, but we’re not the only species to consider “nothing” a number. Parrots and monkeys understand the concept of zero, and now bees have joined the club, too.
Honey bees are known to have some numerical skills such as the ability to count to four, which may come in handy when keeping track of landmarks in their environment. To see whether these abilities extended to understanding zero, researchers trained 10 bees to identify the smaller of two numbers. Across a series of trials, they showed the insects two different pictures displaying a few black shapes on a white background. If the bees flew to the picture with the smaller number of shapes, they were given delicious sugar water, but if they flew toward the larger number, they were punished with bitter-tasting food.
Once the bees had learned to consistently make the correct choice, the researchers gave them a new choice: a white background containing no shapes at all. Even though the bees had never seen an empty picture before, 64% of the time they chose it rather than a picture containing two or three shapes, the authors report today in Science. This suggests that the insects understood that “zero” is less than two or three. And they weren’t just going for the empty picture because it was new and interesting. Another group of bees trained to always choose the larger number tended to pick the nonzero image in this test.
In further experiments, the researchers showed that bees’ understanding of zero was even more complex: for example, they were able to distinguish between one and zero-a challenge even for some other members of the zero club. Advanced numerical abilities like this could give animals an evolutionary advantage, helping them keep track of predators（捕食者）and food sources. And if an insect can display such a thorough grasp of the number zero, write the researchers, then this ability may be more common in the animal kingdom than we think.
1.According to the trials, the researchers have found that bees ________.
A. have the same intelligence as parrots and monkeys
B. can count many numbers after being trained
C. can identify the smaller number quickly
D. understand the concept of zero
2.The researchers trained another group of bees to ________ .
A. confirm the bees are able to identify the smaller number
B. find the big difference between the two groups of bees
C. prove the bees are interested in new things
D. show the bees can be distinguished easily
3.What do the researchers suggest in further experiments?
A. Bees should be trained more.
B. Numerical abilities could help predators find bees.
C. Insects are better at understanding zero than animals.
D. Animals may display a thorough grasp of the number zero.
4.What is the best the title for the text?
A. New Findings About Bees’ Concept of Zero
B. Experients on Bees’ Numerical Skills
C. Complex Trials About the Zero Club
D. A Science Report of the Species of Bees
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Printed circuit boards are vital components of modern electronics. However, once they have served their purpose, they are often burned or buried in landfills, polluting the air, soil and water. Most concerning are the flame retardants （阻燃剂）added to printed circuit boards to keep them from catching fire. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering have developed a ball-milling method to break down these potentially harmful compounds enabling safer disposal （处理）.
Composed of 30% metallic and 70% nonmetallic particles, printed circuit boards support and connect all of the electrical components of a device. Metallic components can be recovered from circuit boards easily using traditional methods leaving behind nonmetallic particles including those flame retardants and other additives. Scientists have found that compounds in those flame retardants can do harm to people's health, especially to those women who are pregnant. Therefore researchers have been wanting to develop a new method to remove the flame retardants from waste printed circuit boards so that they wouldn't do harm to people and the environment.
The researchers broke down printed circuit boards and removed the metallic components. Then，they put the nonmetallic particles into a ball mill — a rotating （旋转的）machine that uses hard stone balls to make materials into very small pieces. They also added iron powder, which prior studies had shown was helpful for removing chemicals from organic compounds. After ball-milling, the harmful chemicals on the surface of the particles had decreased by 50%・ The researchers determined that during the ball-milling process, iron transferred electrons to flame retardant compounds causing the internal structure to stretch and break.
The authors acknowledge funding from the 111 Project, the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China and the Pearl River Star of Science and Technology.
1.People are concerned most about the flame retardants because
A.they are harmful and hard to remove B.they keep circuit boards from catching fire
C.they make up the largest part in electronics D.they are mixed up with other components
2.What is the function of the printed circuit board?
A.Making electronics small and light. B.Preventing electronics catching fire.
C.Connecting all electrical components, D.Allowing easy disposal after being used,
3.What does the author mainly intend to tell us in paragraph 3?
A.How to operate the ball milk B.The ball-milling process and its result.
C.The high efficiency of the new method. D.Why iron powder is added to the process.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.The authors are short of money.
B.Over 100 projects support the authors,
C.The researchers will make much money.
D.The ball-milling method is promising.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
___ the invention of the steam engine, the industrial revolution played a vital role in human history．
A．Originating in B．Originated in
C．To originate in D．Being originated in
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (缝合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection. Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(脚踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement（侵犯）. Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties（版税）. In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.
1.Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________.
A. people did not know how to put out the fire
B. Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention
C. the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally
D. workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire
2.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer.
B. The Singer sewing company became more practical.
C. The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free.
D. Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines.
3.Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elisa Howe a lifetime of royalties?
A. Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude.
B. Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.
C. Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.
D. Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
B. The Case between Howe and Singer
C. Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine
D. The Early History of the Sewing Machine
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
China has been the birthplace of many of the world's greatest inventions. It was, for example, the first country to produce paper money. Before the invention of paper money and coins, people used many different kinds of things for buying and selling. 1. This exchange of goods and services for other goods and services is called bartering.
2. In 1200 BC, people in China began to use shells (贝壳) as money. Usually the shells used as money were very small. This made it easier for people to carry money over long distances, and allowed for trade to develop between different parts of the country.
In the years which followed this invention, many other countries around the world began to do the same. 3.
The next development was in 1000 BC, when China started making bronze and copper shells. It wasn't long before the Chinese made round coins out of metal. 4. By 500 BC, metal coins had begun to appear in countries like Persia and Greece, and later in the Roman Empire.
About 1,000 years later, leather was used as money in China, and in 806 AD, the first paper banknotes were produced by the Chinese people. 5.
A.People also began collecting foreign coins as souvenirs.
B.During that time, for example, buying a chicken might cost several potatoes.
C.It was still many years before paper currency appeared in Europe.
D.However, as economies developed, such exchanges became impractical.
E.They also used tiny shells as money for buying and selling.
F.As time went by, trade between countries increased.
G.The first coins often had holes in them so that people could string them together.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
Put on new set of gasses for a new view
Today I visited San Francisco’s modern-art museum. I was there to see a new exhibit about spaceflight.1.I like to “visit” this particular painting every time I go to the museum not only because it evokes（唤起）strong feelings, but because I always find something new.
There's real pleasure to be found in revisiting a museum replaying a game or rewatching a movie. Some of that enjoyment comes from the feeling of familiarity of course.2..There’s always plenty more to see, hear, taste, smell, feel, of understand the second or third time around. But how do you discover the exciting new thing in the familiar?
One way is approaching whatever task is at hand by searching for the things that you didn't see in the first time around. First, recognize that everything is always changing.3.Second, remove judgment from the experience, if possible, and just observe what's new. For example, look for the ways in which a change in your neighborhood is interesting or exciting.
4.That could mean removing sugar, coffee, a certain kind of media from your life for a specified time. Once the break is over, that same thing will have more of its former interest or excitement.5.So is true that novelty is fun, but given enough of a break in between, repeated experiences regain that initial excitement.
A. Repeated experiences like this are valuable.
B. Visiting a new country brings fresh experience.
C. Coffee will never taste better if you quit it for a month.
D. But the piece of art that made me cry was a familiar one.
E. But it also comes from noticing new things in what is so familiar.
F. So the second experience is never exactly the same as the first one.
G. Another way is changing your routine and taking a break of some kind.
高三英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
The modern plane is not the machine _____ it was when first invented.
| A．than | B．as | C．that | D．what |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The first year of college is vital for setting students up for success, laying a strong foundation for the rest of college and beyond. Research shows that if you finish your first year and sign up for the second, you're far more likely to get that degree. 1. Here's what the experts recommend.
Go to college on purpose. 2. It means spending as long as four years and taking up
a large amount of your family's income. Simply going because everyone told you so puts you more at risk of having Just some college and no degree."Don't just go to college because your school counselor or your parents told you to go," says Yolanda Watson Spiva, who runs the non-profit organization Complete College America." 3."
Make a connection with a staff member. You can lean on any college staff member connected with the college to learn the ropes of the institution. 4.. Research has shown that having one strong connection with staff members can make you feel engagednand supported throughout college. They can also result in strategic career advice and networking opportunities.
5.Start with your classes work on assignments together or form a study group. Join clubs and organizations-let the organizational framework of those meetings ease the awkwardness of scheduling the first friend date. Don’t beat yourself up if it doesn,'t happen right away. Keep reaching out. If someone else says hi, respond!
A.So how do you get through the first year ?
B.Pick your classes wisely and map out your path.
C.Going to college takes time and money.
D.Find a group of friends who support you.
E.You actually go to college because you have an agenda.
F.You can also ask them about things unrelated to the class.
G.It can be an adviser, a financial aid officer, even a librarian.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
One day, I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physical problem, while the student claimed a perfect score. I was elected as their arbiter (仲裁人). I read the examination problem: “Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer (气压计).” The student had answered, “Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of it is the height of the building.”
The student had really answered the question completely, but the answer didn’t confirm his competence in physics. I suggested the student try again. I gave him six minutes to answer the question, warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. Five minutes later, he said he had many answers and dashed off one, which read “Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, use the physical formula (公式) to calculate the height of the building.”
At this point, my colleague had to accept it, and then the student made almost full marks. I couldn’t help asking the student what the other answers were. He listed many others and then added, “Probably the best is to take the barometer to the administrator and said to him, ‘Sir, here is a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of the building, 1 will give it to you.”‘
Then, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did, but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.
The name of the student was Bohr who later was famous all over the world. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.
1.The student got a zero at the beginning because .
A. the teacher wasn’t satisfied with him.
B. his answer wasn’t complete or correct
C. his answer didn’t show his knowledge of physics
D. the teacher didn’t fully understand his answer
2.We know from the passage that .
A. the administrator told Bohr the height
B. the student knew the expected answer
C. the author preferred Bohr’s last answer
D. the teacher was a very stubborn person
3.We can learn from the passage that .
A. instructors can teach students how to think
B. arbiters can help students to get high scores
C. teachers should make students use physical formulas
D. students should be given more freedom in thinking
4.What was Bohr’s attitude toward his schooling?
A. Critical B. Optimistic
C. Objective D. Ambiguous
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
One day, I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physical problem ，while the student claimed a perfect score. I was elected as their arbiter( 仲裁人).I read the examination problem： “Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer(气压计).” The student had answered： “Take the barometer to the top of the building，attach a long rope to it，lower it to the street，and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of it is the height of the building. ”
The student had really answered the question completely ，but the answer didn’t confirm his competence in physics. I suggested the student try again. I gave him six minutes to answer the question, warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. Five minutes later, he said he had many answers and clashed off one, which read： “Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, use the physical formula (公式）to calculate the height of the building. ”
At this point, my colleague had to accept it, and then the student made almost full marks. I couldn’t help asking the student what the other answers were. He listed many others ，and then added5 “Probably the best is to take the barometer to the. administrator and said to him，' Sir, here is a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of the building, I will give it to you.，”
Then, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did ，but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.
The name of the student was Bohr who later was famous all over ,the world. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.
1.The student got a zero at the beginning because_______.
A．the teacher wasn’t satisfied with him
B．his answer wasn't complete or correct
C．the teacher clicln5t fully understand his answer
D．his answer didn’t show his knowledge of physics
2.We know from the passage that______
A．the student knew the expected answer
B．the administrator told Bohr the height
C．the author preferred Bohr s last answer
D．the teacher was a very stubborn person
3.We can learn from the passage that______.
A．instructors can teach students how to think
B．arbiters can help students to get high scores
C．students should be given more freedom in thinking
D．teachers should make students use physical formulas
4.What was Bohr’s attitude toward his schooling?
A．Optimistic. B．Critical. C．Approving. D．Ambiguous.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析