How could we possibly think that keeping anim...

How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments, mostly for entertainment purposes, is fair and respectful?

Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.

Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range. The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusually and self-destructive behavior called zoo-chosis(圈禁性精神病). A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

1.How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?

A. Easy　　 B. Unhealthy

C. Unhappy　　 D. Dangerous.

2.In the state of zoochosis, animals usually_________.

A. remain in cages　　 B. behave strangely

C. attack other animals　　 D. enjoy moving around

3.What point of view does the author hold according to the text?

A. Zoos are not worth the public support.

B. Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C. Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D. Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

4.What can we infer from the text?

A. It’s acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats

B. Visitors can learn a lot about animals after visiting the zoo

C. Zoos often pay much attention to the animals’ natural lifestyle

D. Zoos can earn some money from their captive breeding programs

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments－mostly for entertainment purposes－is fair and respectful?

Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.

Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range. The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding (圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

1.In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.

A. remain in cages                B. behave strangely

C. attack other animals            D. enjoy moving around

2. What does the author try to argue in the passage?

A. Zoos are not worth the public support.

B. Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C. Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D. Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

3.The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _____.

A. discussing the advantages of natural habitats

B. using evidence he has collected at zoos

C. questioning the way animals are protected

D. pointing out the faults in what zoos do

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments－mostly for entertainment purposes－is fair and respectful?

Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. How ever, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats (栖息地). Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural bones.

Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species(物种), but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range(分布区). The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈养繁殖)of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted n their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

1.How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?

A．Dangerous.

B．Unhappy.

C．Natural.

D．Easy.

2.In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.

A．remain in cages

B．behave strangely

C．attack other animals

D．enjoy moving around

3.What does the author try to argue in the passage?

A．Zoos are not worth the public support.

B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

4.The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _____.

A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do

B．using evidence he has collected at zoos

C．questioning the way animals are protected

D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The only thing that we could do in the dilemma was ____ silence.

A. keep   B. to keeping   C. kept         D. being kept

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

In most people's opinion, the tiger is not an animal that we would ordinarily think of as being chicken. However, one tiger, which lives in an English zoo, turned out to be more cowardly（胆小的）than his keepers could ever have imagined.

Tanvir, a two-year-old Bengal tiger, got stuck at the top of a new 5m-high activity tower in the zoo, after climbing it for the first time.

The wooden tower had been designed to provide mental exercise for Tanvir by testing his ability of dealing with troublesome situations, but after climbing it in just a few seconds, he lost his courage when it came to coming back down. Tanvir went on to spend nearly two days at the top of the tower trying to collect the courage to attempt to get down.

A spokesperson for the zoo said that several days before Tanvir had taken half an hour to get down a lower tower only 1.5m high, and the taller tower had clearly been too much challenging for him.

"Every time he got to the edge, he looked out, put a paw over, and thought, ‘no, I cannot make it!" ’laughed Samantha Cordrey, Tanvir's keeper. In the end Tanvir's hunger defeated his fear, and after almost 48 hours he made his way down. Burying himself in a big meal just like a hungry pig, Tanvir seemed to forget such a shameful experience for a while.

It appears that his experience would not be the worst in Tanvir's life if he continued to act like a chicken. It is not known whether he will take courage to go back up his exercise tower again.

The whole episode（插曲）only serves to show the difficulties faced by zoo staff in creating environments that will improve animals' living ability in enclosed space.

1.When speaking of Tanvir's shameful experience, Samantha Cordrey might feel it was　　　　 .

A. funny　　 B. surprising　　 C. exciting　　 D. unbelievable

2.What made Tanvir get down the 5m-high activity tower at last?

A. The coldness of the weather.　　 B. The direction from his keepers.

C. The sufferings of being hungry.　　 D. The fear of being alone.

3.Why does the author say "this experience would not be the worst in Tanvir's life if..."(Paragraph 6)?

A. Because Tanvir's keepers will design more difficult exercise for him.

B. Because Tanvir is so cowardly that he has little courage to meet greater challenges.

C. Because Tanvir's bad health will bring him much trouble in practice.

D. Because Tanvir is always careless and often causes trouble by accident.

4.The zoo designed the 5m-high activity tower to　　　　 .

A. make Tanvir become brave　　 B. improve Tanvir's performance skills

C. let tourists watch Tanvir better　　 D. improve Tanvir's living ability

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It is hoped that one day all the wild animals shut up in the cages will be set free to 　　　　 nature and live happily in　　　　 wild.

A. / ; the　　 B. the; /　　 C. the; the　　　 D. a; /

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

As our coach often puts _______, everything is possible if we keep on.

A. it　　　　　　　　 B. himself　　　 C. that　　　　 　　 D. one

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Have you ever wished you could see in the dark as well as an animal? In action movies, we often see characters wearing special glasses that reveal（显示）things that can't be seen in darkness. Everything looks green, but we can see the shapes and outlines clearly. As a matter of fact, this is somewhat similar to the way animals' night vision (视力) works.

You may have noticed eyeshine in pictures of animals, or seen it for yourself when light hits an animal's eyes. Dogs, cats, and many other animals have tissue (组织) called the tapetum lucidum（光神经纤维层） in each eye. The purpose of this tissue is reflect (反射) light deeper into the eye. For many animals, it leads to their excellent night vision, and it helps them hunt.

Different types of animals have different colors of eyeshine. The light reflecting back from the eyes of dogs and cat is likely to be yellow. Rats and birds usually have eyes that shine red. Other animals’ eyes may reflect white, yellow, green, or pink light. In each case, the color is related to the type of cells that make up the tapetum lucidum, as well as the chemicals inside the cells.

Eyeshine has the function of improving animals' night vision, but humans have found other uses for it. For example, when people are searching for certain types of animals, their eyeshine may be helpful in recognizing or discovering them. Also, eyeshine has inspired humans to invent substance (物质) that reflect light at night. Strips containing this substance are used to warn us of safety risks such as　 raised parts of roads. Even though humans cannot see so well at night, we have still found ways to benefit from this amazing animal feature.

1.How does the tapetum lucidum help animals' night vision?

A. It sends out light in the dark.　　 B. It makes everything appear green.

C. It reflects light back into the eyes.　　 D. It enables them to see colors at night.

2.How does the author mainly develop Paragraph 3?

A. By providing reasons.　　 B. By giving examples.

C. By following space order.　　 D. By doing experiments.

3.What can we learn about scientists' research on eyeshine?

A. They've put it to practical uses.

B. They're using it to protect some animals.

C. They're trying to include more animal types.

D. They've invented special glasses based on it.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. How humans' night vision works.　　 B. Different colors of animals' eyes.

C. How animals see in the dark.　　 D. Eyeshine and its benefits.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When many people in the west think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell how dragons have killed brave knights and eaten beautiful young girls.

For Chinese people, however, the dragon is not an evil monster. It’s a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual (仪式).

China isn’t the only country to have the dragon as its symbol. Wales in the UK, has a red dragon proudly displayed on its flag. Another country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan, a tiny country between China and India.

Almost all countries in the world have an animal symbol representing their countries. This is particularly obvious during sports. The English think lions to be brave and proud animal and the English football teams have three lions on their football shirts.

Australia is famous for kangaroos, of course. The national rugby team is more commonly known as the Wallabies, a type of small kangaroo.The South African team is known as the Springboks, a type of African antelope. Likewise the New Zealanders, whether playing sports or not, are commonly known as kiwis. A kiwi is a native New Zealand bird that can’t fly.

All countries are proud of their symbols, which they feel reflect national characteristics or the beauty and variety of their natural environments. Recently, a Shang hai professor claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make western countries have a negative view of China. But in an Internet survey 90% of Chinese people wanted to keep the dragon.

1.In the opinion of the west, the dragon is ______.

A．a terrible animal that is not popular

B．a cultural and spiritual symbol of good luck

C．a reflection of China’s national characteristics

D．an animal that can create harmony and bring rain

2.Which of the following does NOT use the dragon as its national symbol?

A．China.            B．Wales.            C．Bhutan.           D．India.

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The national rugby team from the South Africa is well known as the Wallabies.

B．The Australian team is known as Springboks, a type of kangaroo.

C．The New Zealanders are commonly known as kiwis only when playing sports.

D．The dragon is mentioned to have been used on the flag in two countries.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists think that growing garden grass could be the secret to solving our energy needs, and we may soon be able to replace our gasoline with “grassoline”.

The team, including experts from Cardiff University in Wales, has shown that hydrogen can be taken from grass in useful amounts with the help of sunlight and a cheap catalyst (催化剂) — something that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up.

It is the first time that this has been shown and it could lead to a sustainable (可持续的) way of making hydrogen, reported Asian News International. This could be an important kind of renewable energy because it is high in energy and it does not give out harmful gases when it is burned.

Study co-author Michael Bowker said, “This is really a green source of energy. Hydrogen is seen as an important future energy carrier as the world moves from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and our research has shown that even garden grass could be a good way of getting it.”

Cellulose (纤维素), which is a key part of plants and the biopolymer (生物聚合物) found in the largest numbers on the earth, could be a great source of hydrogen.

In its study, the team looked at the possibility of getting hydrogen from cellulose using sunlight and a simple catalyst.

This is called photocatalysis (光催化作用) and in it, the sunlight starts the catalyst, which then makes cellulose and water into hydrogen. The researchers studied the effectiveness of three metal-based catalysts, of which nickel (镍) especially interested the researchers, as it is a much more common metal than gold and palladium (钯) and it saves more money.

According to Bowker, producing hydrogen from cellulose using photocatalysis has not been studied in detail. The team’s research shows that large amounts of hydrogen can be produced using this method with the help of a bit of sunlight and a cheap catalyst.

The study shows that it is effective to use real grass taken from a garden. “This is important as it avoids the need to separate and clean up cellulose, which can be both difficult and costly,” said Bowker.

1.What are needed to get hydrogen from grass?

A.A catalyst and palladium. B.Water and cellulose.

C.Sunlight and a biopolymer. D.Sunlight and a catalyst.

2.Why is the new way of making hydrogen considered significant?

A.It is cheap, green and sustainable.

B.It is the best to produce the renewable energy.

C.It is more productive and efficient than other methods.

D.It can replace the way to make fossil fuels completely.

3.Why does nickel interest the researchers in making hydrogen from cellulose?

A.It can produce the largest amount of hydrogen.

B.It can avoid separating and cleaning up cellulose.

C.It is more common than other metals and costs less.

D.It works quicker than other metals during photocatalysis.

4.What does the author intend to tell us mainly in this passage?

A.Catalysts that could be taken from grass.

B.A new way of making hydrogen from cellulose.

C.The potential of hydrogen as a renewable energy.

D.The connection between hydrogen and photocatalysis.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析