The human body is designed to move. But moder...

The human body is designed to move. But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. As we know，we're while we're eating; we sit in the car and we sit while we watch TV. And many of us sit for many hours at work.

New research shows that sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years. Peter Smith, a scientist at the University of Louisiana in the southern United States, says that sitting is ubiquitous in our lives, meaning it is something we do all the time, everywhere.

However, Mr. Smith says that does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. He also says you may exercise often, “We can't throw away physical activity. It's extremely important. We have 60 years of research showing us that.”

Mr. Smith and his colleagues are part of a new generation of researchers studying how sitting all day affects length of life. “Studies that have assessed the relationship between sitting and mortality(死亡率)or television viewing and mortality are very rare. There's only been a few of them, actually five or six now, in the last four or five years.” They found that cutting television time to less than two hours a day could add one－point four years to life.

Luckily, change is already coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A “standing desk” lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the “treadmill desk.”　 A treadmill is an exercise machine that lets you walk in one place. Even some U．S. schools are beginning to experiment with desks that are part bicycle to keep children moving. That's one of the strategies that many companies are using now.

Mr. Smith also says studying this problem has inspired his team to make a few changes in their own lives.

1.The underlined word “ubiquitous” is closest in meaning to________．

A．dangerous　　 　 B. awkward

C．comfortable　　 D. common

2.Which view agrees with the opinion of Mr. Smith?

A. Sitting too long may help increase one's life.

B．Exercise is important and don't sit too long.

C．Watching TV is bad, but can broaden one's horizons.

D．Stopping watching TV is a necessary but hard task.

3.What does Mr. Smith think of his study in Paragraph 4?

A．It's a relatively new area of study.

B．It's a hot subject studied by experts.

C．It's a study that begins too late.

D．It's not ignored by many experts.

4.Why are the desks of all kinds designed for those who sit more?

A．To give them more comfort.

B．To improve their work efficiency.

C．To offer them the chance to exercise.

D．To seek pleasure while working.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The human body is designed to move. But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. As we know, we’re sitting while we’re eating; we sit in the car and we sit while we watch TV. And many of us sit for many hours at work.

New research shows that sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years. Peter Katzmarzyk, a scientist at the University of Louisiana in the southern United States, says that sitting is ubiquitous in our lives, meaning it is something we do all the time, everywhere.

However, Mr. Katzmarzyk says that does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. He also says you may exercise often, “We can’t throw away physical activity. It’s extremely important. We have 60 years of research showing us that.”

Mr. Katzmarzyk and his colleagues are part of a new generation of researchers studying how sitting all day affects length of life. “Studies that have assessed the relationship between sitting and mortality (死亡率) or television viewing and mortality are very rare. There’s only been a few of them, actually five or six now, in the last four or five years.” They found that cutting television time to less than two hours a day could add one point four years to life.

Luckily, change is already coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A “standing desk” lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the “treadmill desk.” A treadmill is an exercise machine that lets you walk in one place. Even some U.S. schools are beginning to experiment with desks that are part bicycle to keep children moving. That’s one of the strategies that many companies are using now.

Mr. Katzmarzyk also says studying this problem has inspired his team to make a few changes in their own lives.

1.The underlined word “ubiquitous” is closest in meaning to ________．

A. dangerous　　 B. impressive

C. comfortable　　 D. common

2.Which view agrees with the opinion of Mr. Katzmarzyk?

A. Sitting long may help people live longer.

B. Exercise is important and don’t sit too long.

C. People are unaware of the harm of sitting too long.

D. Stopping watching TV is a necessary but hard task.

3.What does Mr. Katzmarzyk think of his study in Paragraph 4?

A. It’s been ignored by many scientists.　　 B. It’s a study that begins too late.

C. It’s an entirely new area of study.　　 D. It’s been a hot subject for scientists.

4.Why are the desks of all kinds designed for those who sit more?

A. To give them more comfort.　　 B. To improve their work efficiency.

C. To offer them the chance to exercise.　　 D. To seek pleasure while working.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A lazy Susan is an addition to a table, which is designed to assist in moving food from one person to another while dining. This is accomplished through the use of a turntable(转盘), which usually moves the food in a circle when pushed by those at table. In this way, the food never has to be picked up and passed around the table. Instead, it remains in place as the lazy Susan is turned about.

A lazy Susan may also be a part of a kitchen cabinet. One may spin the lazy Susan in order to find certain goods stored in it. From the outside, a lazy Susan appears to be two cabinets. When one of these cabinets is pushed, however, both doors move and the lazy Susan is revealed inside.

Whether the lazy Susan is on a tabletop or within a cabinet, it can be made of a variety of materials. Most commonly, a lazy Susan is made of either plastic, wood or glass. Some people believe that Thomas Jefferson invented the lazy Susan, though it was referred to as a dumb waiter(上菜升降架) at that time. It is said that Jefferson invented the lazy Susan because his daughter complained she was always served last at table and, as a result, never found herself full when leaving the table. Others believe that Thomas Edison was the inventor, as he is believed to have invented the turntable for his phonograph(留声机), which later developed into the lazy Susan.

Regardless of who invented it, it wasn’t until 1917 that the term lazy Susan was created in an advertisement for the invention. In Britain, however, the term dumb waiter is still used rather than the term lazy Susan. The reason for the name lazy Susan remains a mystery. One theory is that it was named after either Jefferson’s or Edison’s daughter, both of whom were named Susan.

1. According to the passage, a lazy Susan _____.

A. is a person who serves food at table

B. is a waitress who helps move dinner tables

C. is an additional round table in a dining room

D. is a turntable that passes food around the table

2.Which of the following is NOT true of the lazy Susan?

A. On a tabletop, it is convenient for people to have dinner.

B. Within a cupboard, it is easy for people to see what is inside.

C. The turntable was invented in 1917.

D. It can be made of many kinds of materials.

3.Why did Jefferson’s daughter complain she was served last when having meals?

A. Because she was too lazy.

B. Because she was the youngest.

C. Because the table was too tall for her.

D. Because the table couldn’t move food for her.

4. From the passage, we can know that _____.

A. the lazy Susan was invented earlier than the phonograph

B. Susan was the name of Jefferson’s and Edison’s daughter

C. Jefferson and Edison invented the lazy Susan at the same time

D. When people talk about a lazy waitress they use the term “Susan”

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. What is a lazy Susan?

B. When was the lazy Susan created?

C. Why do inventions come from the daily life?

D. How was “dumb waiter” replaced by “lazy Susan”?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

The human body is a living machine , and , like all machines , it needs “fuel” (燃料) to supply it with energy . This is provided by the food we eat . But how much do we need to stay healthy ?

The energy value of food is usually measured in calories . A calorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1℃. The number of calories people need per day is different , as the pictures show . Also , the number of calories you use at any one moment normally depends on the activity you are in . For example , you need more calories for standing than for sitting , more for running than for walking , and so on .

The energy in food is in the form of three kinds of chemical materials-carbohydrate （碳水化合物）, protein（蛋白质）and fat . Carbohydrate provides 3.8 Cal/gm , protein4.0 Cal/gm , and fat 8.8 Cal/gm . Each food contains different amount of these materials , as the round pictures show .

1．The amount of calories supplied by equal amounts of milk , rice , and peanuts is the largest in the case of          .

A．milk B．rice   C．peanuts    D．rice or peanuts

2．Choose one statement from among A-D that agrees with the passage and the pictures above .

A．You need more calories for swimming than for mountain climbing .

B．Food contains energy in the form of carbohydres , proteins and fuel .

C．Different people need different amounts of energy depending on their age , sex and the activities they are in .

D．3 grams of milk provides 16.6 calories because carbohydrate provides 3.8 Cal/gm , protein 4.0 Cal/gm and fat 8.8 Cal/gm .

3．This article mainly tells us ________________.

A．all the energy is in food

B．the human body needs energy

C．the number of calories depends on your activity

D．we must only eat peanuts to get calories

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Human’s invention of zero was very important for modern mathematics and science, but we’re not the only 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 number skills such as the ability to count to four, which may occur when following landmarks in their environment To se 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 quinine（奎宁）.

Once the bees had learned to consistently make the correct choice, the researchers gave them a new option: 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 this option rather than a picture containing two or three shapes. 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 number abilities like this could give animals an evolutionary（进化的）advantage, helping them find food sources. And if an insect can display such a thorough grasp of the number zero, then this ability may be more common in the animal kingdom than we think.

1.Why did the researchers do the experiments on bees?

A. To test bees’ abilities of understanding the concept of zero.

B. To see the different abilities between bees and other insects.

C. To help bees join the club of distinguishing smaller numbers.

D. To train the bees to help people collect much more honey.

2.What did trained bees probably choose in the experiment?

A. A picture with black shapes.　　 B. A picture with no shapes.

C. A picture with black background.　　 D. A picture with white shapes.

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. Bees are cleverer than other animals

B. Researchers find secrets in animals.

C. Animals have grasped the secret of zero.

D. Advanced number abilities may help animals survive.

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

A. Bees master the number skills

B. Bees join the club of smart animals

C. Bees understand the concept of zero

D. Bees have complex distinguishing system

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back. Plants certainly cannot run away, and they lack teeth and claws. But plants can defend themselves by using both physical and chemical means.

Some plants have their own ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines(刺) that discourage grass-eating animals. Holly leaves on lower branches have more spines than leaves on upper branches. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach.

Some plants , such as the oak trees, have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may contain a sandy material; eating such grasses wears down the animal’s teeth.

Many plants also have chemical defenses. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar(毛虫)bites a tobacco leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine. The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar.

Many plants depends on both physical and chemical defenses. A certain plant in China , for instance, has prickly(多刺的) leaves, and each prickle contains poisonous venom(毒液). A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future.

1.The holly plant has more spines on the lower leaves because most animals ________.

2.To defend themselves , oak trees use ________.

3. How does tobacco protect itself against an attack from a caterpillar?

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back. Plants certainly cannot run away, and they lack teeth and claws. But plants can defend themselves by using both physical and chemical means.

Some plants have their own ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines (刺) that discourage grass-eating animals. Holly leaves on lower branches have more spines than leaves on upper branches. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach.

Some plants, such as the oak tree, have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may contain a sandy material; eating such grasses wears down the animal’s teeth.

Many plants also have chemical defenses. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar (毛虫) bites a tobacco leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine. The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar.

Many plants depend on both physical and chemical defenses. A certain plant in China, for instance, has prickly (多刺的) leaves, and each prickle contains poisonous venom (毒液). A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future.

1.The holly plant has more spines on the lower leaves because most animals________.

A．are not tall enough             B．like the lower leaves only

C．are not clever enough           D．can get the lower leaves easily

2.To defend themselves, oak trees use________.

A．chemical means B．physical means

C．bitter chemicals                 D．sandy materials

3.How does tobacco protect itself against an attack from a caterpillar?

A．Its leaves fight against the attack by physical means.

B．Its roots send a messenger to discourage the caterpillar.

C．Its roots increase the production of nicotine when it is attacked.

D．Its leaves produce poisonous sand to drive the caterpillar away.

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Plants and Animals           B．How Plants Defend Themselves

C．Attacks and Defenses       D．How Animals Eat Plant Leaves

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The building, ______ in the shape of an egg, is now just for tourists.

A. designing                         B. designed                          C. to be designed     D. having designed

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

-How about his design?

-Well, to tell the truth, it is______ but satisfactory.

A. something                   B. anything                       C. everything                   D. nothing

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It is all very well to blame traffic jams, the cost of petrol and the quick pace of modern life, but manners on the roads are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men become monsters behind the wheel. It is very well, again, to have a tiger in the tank, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter altogether. You might tolerate the odd road-hog, the rude and inconsiderate driver, but nowadays the well-mannered motorist is the exception to the rule. Perhaps the situation calls for a “Be Kind to Other Drivers” campaign, otherwise it may get completely out of control.

Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most cool-headed and good-tempered drivers to resist the temptation to revenge when subjected to uncivilized behavior. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards relieving the tensions of motoring. A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgement in response to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of goodwill and tolerance so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such acknowledgements of politeness are all too rare today. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.

However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous. Typical examples are the driver who brakes violently to allow a car to emerge from a side street at some hazard to following traffic, when a few seconds later the road would be clear anyway; or the man who waves a child across a zebra crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles that may be unable to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to. It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies.

A veteran (资深的) driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if motorists learnt to filter correctly into traffic streams one at a time without causing the total blockages that give rise to bad temper. Unfortunately, modern motorists can’t even learn to drive, let alone master the subtler aspects of boatmanship. Years ago the experts warned us that the car-ownership explosion would demand a lot more give-and-take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.

1.According to this passage, troubles on the road are primarily caused by ________.

A. people’s attitude towards the road-hog

B. the rhythm of modern life

C. the behavior of the driver

D. traffic conditions

2.The sentence “You might tolerate the odd road-hog... the rule.” (Para. 1) implies that ________.

A our society is unjust towards well-mannered motorists

B. rude drivers can be met only occasionally

C. the well-mannered motorist cannot tolerate the road-hog

D. nowadays impolite drivers make up the majority of motorists

3.In the writer’s opinion, which is “misplaced politeness”?

A. Revenge when subjected to uncivilized behavior.

B. Encouraging old ladies to cross the road as long as they want to.

C. A wave of acknowledgement in response to an act of politeness.

D. Waving a child across a zebra crossing.

4.In the writer’s opinion, ________.

A. strict traffic regulations are badly needed

B. drivers should apply road politeness properly

C. rude drivers should be punished

D. drivers should avoid traffic jams

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析