We know more about the surface of the planet Mars than we know about what is at the bottom of Earth’s oceans.
Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20 percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers, industry and governments.
The new map is twice as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean. He spoke to VOA on SKYPE.
“The way we’re doing that is to use a satellite altimeter (高度计), a radar to map the topography (地貌) of the ocean surface. Now that seems sort of strange that you’d map the topography of the ocean surface when you really want to get at the sea floor. But, the ocean surface topography has these bumps and dips due to gravitational effects that mimic what’s on the sea floor.”
The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth’s orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency’s Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar ( 声呐：利用声波探测水下物体的装置或系统) equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed.
“That enables us to look at smaller-scale features and also features that are buried by sediments in the ocean basins.”
The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor.
In one place, three mountain ridges join at the same area. Huge tectonic (构造的) plates can be seen clearly there.
1.The passage is likely to _____.
A. be an advertisement B. appear on VOA
C. make a comment on radar D. appear on SKYPE
2.What will be mentioned in the following paragraph, according to the last paragraph? _____.
A. The detailed information about the place.
B. The more important thing in the ocean.
C. The things buried in the ocean.
D. Scientists told SKYPE they will explore at the same area.
3.Scientists collected and studied information by _____.
A. the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite
B. the American space agency’s Jason-1
C. sonar equipment on ships
D. the Cryo-2 and the Jason-1
4. What’s the best title of the passage? _____.
A. Scientists Create New Maps of Ocean Floor
B. Scientists Knows More Oceans Than Mars
C. Oceans Will Provide Us With Maps
D. People Knows Easily About Mars
高三英语阅读理解困难题
We know more about the surface of the planet Mars than we know about what is at the bottom of Earth’s oceans.
Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20 percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers, industry and governments.
The new map is twice as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean. He spoke to VOA on SKYPE.
“The way we’re doing that is to use a satellite altimeter (高度计), a radar to map the topography (地貌) of the ocean surface. Now that seems sort of strange that you’d map the topography of the ocean surface when you really want to get at the sea floor. But, the ocean surface topography has these bumps and dips due to gravitational effects that mimic what’s on the sea floor.”
The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth’s orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency’s Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar ( 声呐：利用声波探测水下物体的装置或系统) equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed.
“That enables us to look at smaller-scale features and also features that are buried by sediments in the ocean basins.”
The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor.
In one place, three mountain ridges join at the same area. Huge tectonic (构造的) plates can be seen clearly there.
1.The passage is likely to _____.
A. be an advertisement B. appear on VOA
C. make a comment on radar D. appear on SKYPE
2.What will be mentioned in the following paragraph, according to the last paragraph? _____.
A. The detailed information about the place.
B. The more important thing in the ocean.
C. The things buried in the ocean.
D. Scientists told SKYPE they will explore at the same area.
3.Scientists collected and studied information by _____.
A. the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite
B. the American space agency’s Jason-1
C. sonar equipment on ships
D. the Cryo-2 and the Jason-1
4. What’s the best title of the passage? _____.
A. Scientists Create New Maps of Ocean Floor
B. Scientists Knows More Oceans Than Mars
C. Oceans Will Provide Us With Maps
D. People Knows Easily About Mars
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Climate change has already begun to impact our planet in more ways than we can think.
1. Saving the environment starts with us and it is our responsibility to act against these terrible changes to preserve the planet for future generations.
Make your commute green. Millions of people drive to work every day. 2. However, the downside to this is that millions of cars emit greenhouse gases that destroy our atmosphere. There are always other options that you can utilize to make your commute to work eco-friendly. For starters, taking public transportation to work is a great way to cut out emissions. Riding your bike to work is also incredibly helpful to the environment and is a great method to get exercise.
Be more conservative with energy usage. Becoming more energy efficient is a great way to prevent pollution. 3. Make sure to turn off lights and unplug devices that you are not using anymore when you are done with them. Replace your light bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs to help you save electricity too.
Recycle. Manufacturing plants emit a large number of greenhouse gasses per year. It is unavoidable in the production of goods that we use on a regular basis. However, a cleaner alternative would be to invest in recycling. 4. The professionals will take these items to a processing plant where they will be remade into other recyclable materials again.
5. Focusing your efforts to spread awareness about renewable energy is the best way to create a positive impact in your community. By informing others about how renewable energy is better than fossil fuels (化石燃料), you will persuade others into investing in the idea.
A.Educate yourself and others.
B.Encourage the use of renewable energies.
C.It’s simply unavoidable in our modern-day society.
D.Be sure to collect your abandoned paper, plastic and electronics.
E.Fortunately, there are always things we can do to fight against it.
F.This requires you to cut down on energy usage in your household.
G.Recycling is a cost-effective and eco-friendly process that eliminates waste.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
As we all know, two thirds of the earth’s surface is water, ___ a lot of fish.
| A．provided | B．providing | C．which provides | D．it provides |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Last week, we explained that the planet Mars had passed “opposition.” It passed a point opposite the Sun. This week, we tell about the planet’s surprising motion among the stars.
For thousands of years, people have recognized that planets travel among the stars. The planets generally follow the path taken by the Sun through the sky. The Sun’s path is called the ecliptic. The groups of stars along the ecliptic are called the Zodiac(黄道带).
The motion of the planets can be confusing at times. Everyone knows the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But this is caused by the turning motion of the Earth. Planets generally move from west to east.
However, Mars will appear to move backward for about two months this year. This happens because the Earth is overtaking Mars on its way around the Sun. Mars began its backward, or westward, motion on May 11th. It will start moving eastward again on July 19th.
Mars’ apparent motion has been a mystery to astronomers for hundreds of years. Most early theories of tilt solar system argued that the Sun and planets turned around the Earth. But the sudden westward motion of Mars presented problem. Why would Mars move west for two months when it nears “opposition”?
In 1543, a Polish church worker named Nicolas Copernicus published a different theory. His theory said the Earth and planets moved around the Sun in perfectly circular orbits. Copernicus’ theory was simpler. But his Sun-centered system still did not explain the observed motion of Mars very well.
Finally, a German mathematician named Johannes Kepler published a complete theory of the motion of the planets in 1619. He had carefully studied the motion of Mars for many years.
Johannes Kepler discovered that the planets do not move in circular orbits around the Sun. Instead, they travel in flattened orbits called ellipses(椭圆). Mars’ elliptical orbit is the cause of its unusual brightening this year and its apparent large size.
During the next several weeks, you can see for yourself why the mysterious motion of Mars has caused so many people to wonder.
1.From the passage we can learn that _________.
A. the sun and planets generally travel westward
B. Kepler studied the orbit of the planets in 1619
C. Copernicus’ theory well explained the motion of Mars
D. the Earth’s turning motion causes the sun to rise in the east
2.On July 19th Mars _______.
A. will pass the “opposition”
B. appears to change its direction again
C. will begin to move westward
D. appears to change its orbit again
3.Why does Mars appear to be bigger and brighter when it passes “opposition”?
A. It is overtaking the earth B. It follows the path of the sun
C. It moves in an elliptical orbit D. It travels in a circular orbit.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Recent Research into Mars B. The Surprising Motion of Mars
C. The Great Discovery on Mars D. The Wonderful Mystery of Mars
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The latest IPCC report does not mince words(直言不讳地) about the state of our planet: we must act now to achieve global change at a scale that has “no documented historical precedent(先例)” in order to avoid the climate disaster that would result from a 2 degree C rise in average global temperature. Climate change already affects the world's most helpless people including poor rural communities that depend on the land for their livings and coastal communities. Indeed, we have already seen the clear asymmetry(不对称) of suffering resulting from extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires and more.
So far, advocates and politicians have tended to focus on reducing fossil fuel(矿物燃料) consumption through technology and/or policy, such as a sharp carbon tax, as climate solutions. These proposals are, of course, essential to reducing manmade carbon emissions(排放)-71 percent of which are produced by just 100 fossil fuel companies.
Yet the international focus on fossil fuels has overshadowed(使......显得不重要) the most powerful and cost-efficient carbon-capture technology the world has yet seen: forests. Recent scientific research confirms that forests and other “natural climate solutions” are absolutely essential in reducing climate change. In fact, natural climate solutions can help us achieve 37 percent of our climate target, even though they currently receive only 2.5 percent of public climate financing.
Forests' power to store carbon dioxide through the simple process of tree growth is staggering:_one tree can even store an average of about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide in one year. Recent research show undamaged forests are capable of storing the same amount of the carbon dioxide emissions of entire countries such as Peru and Colombia.
For this reason, policy makers and business leaders must create and strengthen ambitious policies to prevent deforestation, and support the sustainable management of standing forests in the fight against climate change. Protecting the world's forests ensures they can continue to provide essential functions aside from climate stability, including producing oxygen, filtering water and supporting biodiversity. Not only do all the world's people depend on forests to provide clean air, clean water，oxygen, and medicines, but 1.6 billion people rely on them directly for their livelihoods.
1.According to the passage, climate change ________.
A. will surely achieve at a scale that is more serious than ever before
B. will only affect people living in the poorest rural regions
C. is likely to lead to more frequent extreme weather events
D. is entirely determined by fossil fuel consumption
2.What's the finding of the new research?
A. Reducing fossil fuels is the most powerful and cost-efficient technology.
B. Forests are vital to reducing climate change due to their storage power.
C. Most of our climate targets can be accomplished with the help of natural climate solutions.
D. Natural climate solutions have proved less efficient than conventional solutions.
3.The underlined word “staggering” in Paragraph 4 means ________.
A. astonishing B. speeding C. embarrassing D. shrinking
4.What's the author's purpose of writing this article?
A. To compare two different approaches to dealing with climate change.
B. To argue against the view that focus on fossil fuels reduction counts.
C. To urge scientists to do more research into natural climate solutions.
D. To point out forests are the most powerful weapon for fighting climate change.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The world is more forgiving than commonly ______, so we should be optimistic about life.
A. declared B. promoted
C. supposed D. required
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is not until we know more about the situation ______ we are able to improve it.
A. that B．what C．when D．which
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
For most of us, work is the central, dominating fact of life. We spend more than half our conscious hours at work, preparing for work, traveling to and from work. What we do there largely determines our standard of living and our status to a considerable extent. It is sometimes said that because leisure has become more important, the injustices of work can be pushed into a corner, and that because most work is pretty intolerable, the people who do it should compensate for its boredom, frustrations and humiliations by concentrating their hopes on the other parts of their lives. For the foreseeable future, however, the material and psychological rewards which work can provide will continue to play a vital part in determining the satisfaction that life can offer.
Yet only a small minority can control the pace at which they work or the conditions where their work is done; only for a small minority does work offer scope for creativity, imagination or initiative.
Inequality at work is still one of the most glaring (明显的) forms of inequality in our society. We cannot hope to solve the more obvious problems of industrial life, many of which arise from the frustrations created by inequality at work, unless we handle it determinedly.
The most glaring inequality is that between managers and the rest. For most managers, work is an opportunity and a challenge. Their jobs engage their interest and allow them to develop their abilities. They are constantly learning. They are able to exercise responsibility. They have a considerable degree of control over their own and others’ working lives. Most important of all, they have opportunities to initiate. By contrast, for most manual workers, work is a boring, dull, even painful experience. They spend all their working lives in intolerable conditions. The majority have little control over their work. It provides them with no opportunity for personal development. Many jobs are so routine that workers feel themselves to be mere cogs (齿轮) in the bureaucratic machine. As a direct consequence of their work experience, many workers feel alienated (疏远) from their work and their firm.
1.In the writer’s opinion, people judge others mainly by ________.
A.the type of work they do B.the place where they work
C.the time they spend at work D.the amount of money they earn
2.According to the writer, to solve problems in an industrial society, we ________.
A.should create more working opportunities for the poor
B.have to get rid of the unequal aspects in work
C.had better cancel all managing positions in a company
D.should encourage the manual workers to promote efficiency
3.What advantage does the writer say managers have over workers?
A.They won’t be out of work.
B.They get time off to learn constantly.
C.They can work at what interests them.
D.They have complete control over themselves.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The effects of rapid travel on the body are actually far more disturbing than we realize. Jet Lag is not a psychological consequence of having to readjust to a different time zone. It is due to changes in the body’s physiological regulatory mechanisms, specifically the hormonal systems, in a different environment.
Now that we understand what Jet Lag is, we can go some way to overcome it. A great number of the body’s events are scheduled to occur at a certain time of day. Naturally these have to be regulated, and there are two regulatory systems which interact.
One timing system comes from the evidence of our senses and stomachs, and the periodicity we experience when living in a particular time zone. The other belongs in our internal clocks (the major one of which may be physically located in a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus) which, left alone, would tie the body to a 25-hour rhythm. Normally the two timers are in step, and the surroundings tend to regularize the internal clocks to the more convenient 24-hour period.
If, however, you move the whole body to a time zone which is four hours different, the two clocks will be out of step, like two alarm clocks which are normally set together, but which have been reset a few hours apart. Whereas the two clocks would normally sound their alarms together, now they ring at different times. Similarly, the body can be set for evening while the sun is rising.
In time the physiological system will reset itself, but it does take time. One easily monitored rhythm is palm sweating. A man flown to a time zone different by 10 hours will take eight days to readjust his palm sweat. Blood pressure, which is also rhythmical, takes four days to readjust.
What can we do about it? It is not feasible to wait four days until the body is used to the new time zone. Fortunately there is a short cut. It relies on two things-the power of the stomach to regulate the timing of other events, and the pharmacological actions of coffee. The basic assumptions are:
Coffee delays the body clock in the morning, and advances it at night. Coffee at mid-afternoon is neutral. Protein in meals stimulates wakefulness, while carbohydrates promote sleep. Putting food into an empty stomach helps synchronize the body clock.
46. What is jet lag associated with?
A. Psychological change. B. Physiological change.
C. Inexperience of rapid travel. D. Unfamiliar environment.
47. What helps us to adjust to a 24-hour rhythm?
A. Alarm clock. B. Suprachiasmatic nucleus in our brain.
C. Signals from outside of the body. D. Our senses and stomachs.
48. What do we know from the fifth paragraph?
A. A person moving to a different time zone will suffer from high blood pressure.
B. A person moving to a different time zone will sweat a lot.
C. Moving to a different time zone will affect both palm sweat and blood pressure.
D. If the rhythm of blood pressure and palm sweat are not in step, there will be jet lag.
49. What should we do if we want to stay awake?
A. To take coffee at three o’clock in the afternoon.
B. To have meals that contain lots of protein.
C. To have some carbohydrate drinks.
D. To stop putting food into our stomach.
50. How can we cure jet lag?
A. To sleep for days. B. To wait for self-recovery.
C. To drink tea. D. To get something to eat.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
It’s funny how readily we “take the advice of complete strangers” when shopping online. More than 80 percent of Americans say they read online reviews at least some of the time. But on sites such as Amazon and Yelp, businesses have learnt to “making the most of the rating system to the seller’s or the platform’s advantage”, eventually “making the star-rating scale useless”. Even in the case of confirmed reviews, it can be hard to know what the stars mean.
Amazon has stepped up the effort to provide transparency said Louise Matsakis in Wired.com. Its “Vine voices” program sends free products for testing to an invite-only community of “trusted reviewers”. Amazon has also started ranking its Top 10,000 Contributors on a daily leaderboard not “just by the number of reviews a person has but also by how many customers found their feedback to be helpful”. The current No.1 reviewer, a 45-year-old from North Dakota who has posted nearly 2,500 comments since 2002, has owned a bakery in Oregon, worked for a small newspaper, and had a 10-year stretch in the Navy as a nuclear welding inspector. Now he spends his time testing everything from fryers to popcorn makers, though he exceeded its weight limit by 70 pounds.
But sellers are still finding ways to deceive prospective buyers, said a reviewer. He said, “I identified more than 150 private Facebook groups where sellers openly exchange free products for five-star reviews. I joined four of them and was annoyed with a flurry of private messages from sellers. One offered to pay me $10 for a splendid review of what was already ‘one of the highest-ranked iPhone chargers’, with 3,971 five-star reviews and a trusted ‘Amazon choice’ label. When it arrived, the charger broke within minutes. I reached out to Amazon and those thousands of five-star reviews for the charger disappeared.”
The product now has 11 reviews and holds a rating of 2.5 stars. But before all those five-star reviews disappeared, how many shoppers spotted this $ 13.99 charger pack on Amazon’s first-page results and fell for the trick?
1.What action has Amazon taken to make the star-rating scale useful?
A.Provide effectively checked comments for consumers.
B.Give priority to the advantage of customers.
C.Decide on contributors’ rank by the quantity of reviews.
D.Get reliable reviewers to test products before their release.
2.What does the underlined word “deceive” in the third paragraph most probably mean?
A.Persuade. B.Instruct.
C.Interest. D.Cheat.
3.What do we know about the charger seller in the last two paragraphs?
A.He convinced buyers to obtain free products.
B.He attempted to obtain excellent reviews by purchase.
C.He was in hot water and deleted all untrusted reviews.
D.He tricked buyers and disappeared from Amazon.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Efforts of Amazon
B.The Application of Rating System
C.Not Every Star Shines So Bright
D.Don’t Fall for the Trick of Sellers
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析