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On Tuesday, scientists announced that they have discovered the bones of four settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in what become the United States. The bones were unearthed under the floor of a Jamestown church which was discovered in 2010 and is considered as America，s first Protestant church.
The Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation at Historic Jamestowne and the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History announced that the settlers held high leadership positions. The men, Rev.Robert Hunt,Capt. Gabriel Archer,Sir Ferdinando Wainman,and Capt. William West, all played a role in the Jamestown settlement. After being lost to history for more than 400 years, the discovery of their remains provides new clues about their life and the importance of religion in the 1600s.
“This is a very important discovery,” Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation President James Horn said in a statement. “These men were among the first founders of English America."
About 100 people settled along the James River in what would become the first English settlement m 1607. During that time, settlers in Jamestown were faced with famine and disease The colony was nearly wiped out due to conflict with Native Americans in the area and with other English settlers.
"They lived and died at a hard time in the history of the settlement , when Jamestown almost ended in failure," Horn said. “The bones of these men help fill in the stories of their lives ”
The Smithsonian and the Rediscovery Foundation found the remains in November of 2013. Scientists used 3-D technology to locate the exact gravesites of the men. The team wanted to identify its findings before announcing the discovery. They identified the men using historical records and studied the chemicals of the bones to learn what the men ate and where they came from.
Findings from the burials will go on display within weeks at Historic Jamestowne. The site also plans to honor the men and will keep their bones in a safe place for future study.
1.The bones found in a Jamestown church_____________.
A. were first discovered in 2010
B. have been buried for over four centuries
C. have proved to be a family of four
D. are complete and easy to recognize
2.The underlined phrase ‘wiped out” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______________.
A. supported fully B. developed rapidly
C. destroyed completely D. protected successfully
3.What can we learn from Paragraph 6 ?
A. How scientists keep the bones in good shape.
B. Why the four leaders were buried in Jamestown.
C. Why the four leaders chose to settle in Jamestown.
D. How scientists identified the four leaders.
4.This text is most probably__________________.
A. a history paper B. a research paper
C. a newspaper report D. a warning message
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇 60 词左右的内容概要。
Scientists have announced that they have cloned the first human embryo. This has caused much debate round the world. On the one hand, some scientists point out that if you clone an embryo, you can produce valuable human tissues—such as bone or lung tissue—that could be used to save human lives. On the other hand, many people, including some scientists, disagree and are afraid that, if mankind toys with nature in this way, we may be on our way to producing a real-life Frankenstein’s monster.
Cloning is producing an exact copy of a plant or an animal using its cells. The first mammal to be cloned successfully from an adult cell was Dolly the sheep. She was born in 1996 and died in early 2003, at a much younger age than normal. When she was born, many people were worried that cloning would lead to more diseases in the animal world. However, in general the scientists were praised for their wonderful scientific advance.
Ian Wilmut, the Scottish scientist who created Dolly, is shocked that some scientists are now considering cloning human beings. Although he researches cloning, his intention has never been to create copies of humans. Instead, he thinks research efforts should concentrate on creating new tissues and organs that can be used to cure diseases like cancer. However, some people believe that cloning human embryos with the intention of destroying them shows no respect for human life.
Even though human cloning is causing a lot of anxiety, it is good news for Faye Wilson, a 41-year-old saleswoman who cannot have a baby. “I am anxious to have a child of my own,” she says. “I don’t want to adopt someone else’s child—if I had the chance, I would have a cloned baby right now.”
While cloning human embryos is not legal in many countries, some scientists are already pushing ahead with research in order to produce a cloned human baby. Severino Antinori, an Italian physician, has declared that he wants to be the first to clone a human being.
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高二英语概要写作中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Scientists announced that they had found the gravitational waves（引力波）that confirmed a prediction made by Albert Einstein a century ago.The discovery,made with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational—Wave Observatory, known as LIGO,is the milestone（里程碑）in a decades—long search for signs of this phenomenon."The discovery will open a new window onto the universe,"said David Reitze,executive director of LIGO.
Since humans first watched skyward,we have relied on light of all wavelengths to describe the universe.The light that could be seen first showed the starry heavens,while infrared（红外线的）waves allowed us to see older and more distant stars.
But now,researchers will be able to sense the universe in a whole new way: with their "ears"."We can hear gravitational waves.We can hear the universe,"Gabriela Gonzalez,LIGO's spokeswoman at Louisiana State University,said."That's one of the beautiful things about this: We are not only going to be seeing the universe,we are going to be listening to it."
Gravitational waves,which Einstein predicted as part of his general theory of relativity,occur as objects accelerate or decelerate through space,much the way a boat moving on a lake sends waves across the water's surface. But they're so tiny that until now it's been nearly impossible to find them,even those caused by something as large as a planet moving around the sun.
To pick up this signal,scientists have to look for violent events in the universe.This particular signal appears to have been caused by a collision.That occurred about 1.3 billion years ago between two black holes,holding 29 and 36 solar masses（太阳质量）.
Fiona Harrison,chair of Caltesh's division of physics,mathematics and astronomy,guessed that hundreds of new events would be found over the next few years,allowing scientists to perform a range of different types of studies. "There are probably many events we haven't dreamed of and this is just the beginning,"she said.
1.Why did Gabriela Gonzalez think LIGO's discovery important?
A. It confirmed Einstein's scientific prediction.
B. It allowed scientists to see more distant stars.
C. It changed traditional ideas about the universe.
D. It offered different way to study the universe.
2.It's hard to find gravitational waves because they .
A. are too far to be felt
B. are too weak to be observed
C. are disturbed bu other planets
D. disappear soon after they happen
3.Which of the following would scientists consider to be a violent event?
A. Hearing the universe.
B. Searching for infrared waves.
C. A collision between black waves.
D. A planet moving around the sun.
4.It can be concluded that .
A. gravitational waves also exist in objects at rest
B. there's a long way to go in studying the universe.
C. gravitational waves show the beginning of the universe.
D. scientists began studying gravitational waves in recent years.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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US scientists say they have poured cold water on the theory that washing hands with hot water kills more germs (细菌) than unheated water. The small study of 20 people found using water at 15℃ (59F) left hands as clean as water heated to 38℃ (100F).
National Health Service (NHS) recommends that people wash their hands in either cold or warm water. In this study, scientists at Rutgers University — New Brunswick wanted to find out if popular assumptions about the benefits of warm or hot water and official guidance on hot water — given to the food industry in the US — held true. They asked 20 people to wash their hands 20 times each with water that was 15℃ (59F), 26℃ (79F) or 38 degrees (100F). Volunteers were also asked to experiment with varying amounts of soap. Before they started the tests, their hands were covered in harmless bugs. Researchers say there was no difference in the amount of bugs removed as the temperature of the water or the amount of soap changed.
Prof Donald Schaffner said, “People need to feel comfortable when they are washing their hands but as far as effectiveness goes, this study shows us that the temperature of the water used did not matter.”
However, the researchers accept their study is small and say more extensive work is needed to determine the best ways to remove harmful bacteria.
In the UK, NHS experts say people can use cold or hot water to wash their hands. They say hands should be washed for at least 20 seconds and stress the importance of using enough soap to cover the whole surface of the hands. Their guidance focuses on rubbing hands together in various ways to make sure each surface of each hand is clean.
1.What does the underlined phrase “poured cold water” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Proved.
B. Contradicted.
C. Created.
D. Accepted.
2.After they washed their hands with either hot or cold water, _______.
A. volunteers all didn't feel very comfortable
B. volunteers all talked about American food industry
C. volunteers still had much germ on their hands
D. volunteers nearly had the same amount of germ removed
3.How do researchers feel about their study?
A. It is popular.
B. It is convincing.
C. It is incomplete.
D. It is abstract.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. Using Cold Water Instead of Hot Water
B. How to Use Cold Water to Wash Hands
C. It’s Better to Wash Hands in Cold Water
D. Washing Hands in Cold Water as Good as in Hot Water
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Now scientists have discovered the first evidence that the animals actually behave like their masters. Just like children, they adopt a “look and learn” approach which means they can mimic (模仿) human's actions when going about their tasks.
Biologists and psychologists at the universities of Vienna and Oxford designed an experiment to test the theory that dogs do have the ability to copy what they see, using a simple wooden box. In the study, ten owners showed their dogs how to open the wooden box, sometimes using their heads to push a handle and sometimes using their hands.
In the first part of the test, five dogs were rewarded with a piece of sausage for copying their owners' actions. The other five were rewarded with food for not copying, and using other methods. With each dog the experiment was repeated hundreds of times, and the time taken for a dog to get it “right” on 85 percent of attempts (17 goes out of 20) was recorded. The dogs encouraged to mirror their owners reached this point almost three times sooner on average than those rewarded for not copying them. In the second part of the test, all the dogs were only rewarded for copying the method their owners used. The five dogs previously rewarded for copying their owners reached the 85 percent mark more than twice as the other five.
In a paper published in Proceeding of the Royal Society, they concluded, “Like humans, dogs can't help imitating actions they see.” Going further, they said, “The results suggest the imitative (模仿的) behavior of dogs is shaped more by their developmental interactions with humans than by their evolutionary (进化的) history of domestication (驯化).”
Caroline Kisko, from the Kennel club, said, “A dog's behavior is influenced much like that of a child learning right from wrong and adopting similar patterns of behavior. We hope that owners understand the importance of their actions and use this knowledge to set good examples and therefore positively influence the behavior of their pets.”
1.What's the best title of the passage?
A. Dogs Are Intelligent Animals
B. Dogs Are like Children Most
C. Dogs Behave like Their Masters
D. Dogs Can Complete Simple Tasks
2.The underlined part “they” in Paragraph 4 most probably refers to ________.
A. the dogs' masters
B. the magazine's publishers
C. all the people involved in the experiment
D. the biologists and psychologists
3.The researchers believe dogs' imitative behavior comes mainly from ______.
A. domestication B. human rewards
C. evolution D. human-dog interactions
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Masters should influence their dogs as early as possible.
B. A man's bad behavior may influence his dog.
C. Dogs can't be influenced by men easily.
D. Dogs always behave positively.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The fact that ants are fascinating insects has been known for some time. Now, scientists have discovered a large number of wood ants living in an abandoned underground storehouse in Templewo, Poland, despite having no obvious source of food.
Polish zoologist Wojciech Czechowski and his team began studying the underground colony in 2013. They found the ants built a 60-cm high nest in the soil directly over the storehouse vertical air pipe. As years passed, the metal covering on the pipe eroded, leaving behind a hole that thousands of worker ants accidentally slip into each day as they go about their daily chores. The scientists say that there are no sources of food in the storehouse. This means that the insects live in a state of near starvation.
In July 2015, the researchers disturbed part of the ant nest in search of larvae (幼虫), cocoons(茧), and queens. They found nothing, leading them to suspect that the lack of food and cold temperatures made reproduction impossible and that the group tending the nest is entirely made up of non-reproductive female workers. Their population is refilled every year, by a new rain of unfortunate ants that slide down the hole. The researchers say that when they returned in January 2016, the nest had been repaired. It appears that despite the terrible conditions, the worker ants do not stop constructing their nest.
Wood ants are known for their ability to adapt to bad living conditions. In this case, the millions of worker ants trapped in the storehouse have no choice. But instead of losing hope, they are making the best of the situation—a classic example of “when life gives you lesions make lemonade.”
1.How did the wood ants arrive in the storehouse?
A. They fell down there by accident.
B. The research team brought them there.
C. The storehouse builders left them there.
D. They were attracted by the environment.
2.What does the underlined word “eroded” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Expanded. B. Rotted.
C. Exploded. D. Melted.
3.What did the researchers find in the nest?
A. Larvae. B. Cocoons.
C. A queen. D. Worker ants.
4.Why did the population of wood ants remain steady?
A. They had enough food.
B. They were able to reproduce.
C. They adapted to the conditions.
D. They had new comers to join them.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面材料, 在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。
Scientists have discovered that_1. (stay) in the cold could help us lose weight. Researchers at the University of California found that exposure to the cold increases levels of a protein that helps form brown fat--the type of fat that produces heat and keeps us warm. Brown fat burns energy, 2. helps us lose weight. White fat stores extra energy, which results 3. weight gain. The researchers said that because air conditioning and heating give us constant, 4. (comfort) temperatures, our body’s need for brown fat has decreased. They found that: “Outdoor workers in northern Finland who 5. (expose) to cold temperature have 6. significant amount of brown fat when 7. (compare) to same-aged indoor workers.” The research was conducted on two different control groups of mice. 8. group was injected with the protein that helps create brown fat. This group later gained 30% less weight after both groups were fed high-fat diets. The researchers say this could be good news in the fight against obesity. People who are obese have 9. (low) levels of brown fat than thinner people. Head researcher Hei Sook Sul said, “This protein could become an important target for research into the treatment and prevention of obesity and obesity-related diseases.” She added, “If you can somehow increase levels of this protein, you could 10. (possible) lose more weight even if eating the same amount of food.”
高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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On Tuesday, Apple's CEO Tim Cook announced the Apple Watch. The new smart device, which is worn on the wrist, just like a normal watch, can do all the things a cell phone does--and more.
At $349, the Apple Watch is expensive. Some experts doubt that they will become as successful as smartphones. It does seem likely, though, that the device will open yet another door in personal computing. The watch is the smartest computer yet. It taps you on the wrist whenever a new message comes in. It prepares answers to questions you receive from friends. It reminds you where you parked your car. It tracks your health. It even allows you to send your heartbeat to others.
When it goes on sale early next year, it will be Apple's first item in a new category of technology--wearable computers. If the Apple Watch becomes popular, it will change the way the world interacts with computers. People may depend on the smart jewelry even more than they already depend on their phones. "It might not only be a game changer for Apple, but for the entire industry." says technology expert Daniel Ives. "A lot of major technology players around the globe are taking notes on what Apple is trying to do here."
The Apple watch is specially designed for a smaller device. An entire computer fits onto a single chip(芯片). Users will be able to scroll(滚屏)just like they would do on an iPhone. It will have a built-in speaker for alarms that users can both hear and feel. Pressing the side button brings up contacts so you can communicate with people quickly and easily. Apple Watch also introduces health and fitness apps that can help people lead healthier lives. The built- in heart rate sensor (传感器) and GPS will track calories burned and workouts.
According to Matt Vella, a writer for TIME magazine, the watch is the most exciting device since the iPad. After actually trying the watch, he says, “It sits on the wrist very naturally. You could easily forget you are wearing the Apple Watch, and you will."
1.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A.Apple Watch will include many new games.
B.Many game developers will pay attention to Apple Watch.
C.Apple plays an important part in the personal computing field.
D.Apple Watch will greatly influence the personal computing field.
2.The fourth paragraph mainly tells us .
A.how the Apple Watch works
B.the small size of the Apple Watch
C.what information we can get from the Apple Watch
D.the difference between the Apple Watch and the iPhone
3.The side button on the Apple Watch is used to .
A.sound the alarm B.adjust the built-in speaker
C.build the man-machine communication D.make the health and fitness apps start working
4.What is Matt Vella's attitude towards the Apple Watch?
A.Doubtful. B.Favorable. C.Objective. D.Unbelievable.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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On Tuesday, Apple’ CEO, Tim Cook, announced the Apple Watch. It is like a normal watch, but it can do all the things a mobile phone does — and more.
At US $349, the Apple Watch is expensive. Some people doubt that they will become as successful as smartphones. However, it seems that it will open another door for the use of computers. The watch taps you whenever a new message comes in. It prepares answers to questions you receive from friends. It checks your health. “It’s the most personal product we’ve ever made,” Cook said.
If the Apple Watch becomes popular, it will change the way the world communicates with computers. “It might not only be a change for Apple, but for the whole industry,” says technology expert, Daniel Ives.
How does it work?
The Apple Watch has a speaker that users can both hear and feel. You can press the side button to communicate with people quickly and easily. The Apple Watch also introduces health and fitness apps(应用程序)that can help people lead healthier lives.
You can try it.
According to Matt Vella, a writer for TIME magazine, the watch is “the most thrilling product since the iPad.”
After actually trying the watch, he says: “ There’s a lot we don’t know about the Apple Watch. How long will its battery last? How exactly will it connect with the iPhone? But wearing the watch answers some other questions. It is very comfortable. You can easily forget you are wearing the Apple Watch.”
1.What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
A. The Apple Watch will be successful as the Smartphone.
B. Contrary to popular belief, many people dislike the Apple Watch.
C. Some people don’t think the Apple Watch will be as popular as smartphones.
D. Some people think the Apple Watch will be more popular than smartphones.
2.Who is Tim Cook according to the passage?
A. An officer . B. An editor.
C. A writer. D. A teacher.
3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. The Apple Watch has a speaker.
B. The Apple Watch can check your health.
C. You can send messages with the Apple Watch.
D. The Apple Watch doesn’t need a battery.
4.What does Matt Vella think about the Apple Watch?
A. Beautiful. B. Exciting.
C. normal D. Expensive.
5.This passage is about ________.
A. how to choose the Apple Watch
B. why people buy the Apple Watch
C. a new product
D. a new method
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars, and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’.” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves.
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How the caves were formed on Mars.
B. How scientists found these caves on Mars.
C. Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life.
D. Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.
2.What can the “cave” be used for according to the scientists?
A. They can protect life from the planet’s terrible environment.
B. They can provide energy for people’s life.
C. They can be used to prevent space radiation
D. Both A and C.
3.We can learn from the passage that .
A. water has already been found on Mars
B. the scientists found all the caves at night
C. it is certain that there is life in these caves
D. the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry
4.According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .
A. such caves could provide energy for life
B. they had finally found the caves on Mars
C. such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life
D. scientists had long been looking for these caves
5.Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .
A. lave and energy
B. water and radiation from space
C. gases and lave
D. water and protection from radiation
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析