In 1961, scientist set up gigantic, sensitive instruments to collect radio waves from the far reaches of space, hoping to discover in them some mathematical pattern indicating that the waves were sent out by other intelligent beings. The first attempt failed, but someday the experiment may succeed.
What reason is there to think that we may actually detect intelligent life in outer space?To begin with, modern theories of the development of stars suggest that almost every star has some sort of family of planets. So any star like our own sun (and there are billions of such stars in the universe) is likely to have a planet situated at such a distance that it would receive about the same amount of radiation as the earth.
Furthermore, such a planet would probably have the same general composition as our planet; so, allowing a billion years or two or three, there would be a very good chance for life to develop, if current theories of the origin of life are correct.
But intelligent life?Life that has reached the stage of being able to send radio waves out into space in a deliberate pattern?Our own planet may have been in existence for five billion years and may have had life on it for two billion, but it is only in the last fifty years that intelligent life capable of sending radio waves into space has lived on earth. From this it might seem that even if there were no technical problems involved, the chance of receiving signals from any particular earth-type planet would be extremely small.
This does not mean that intelligent life at our level does not exist somewhere. There are such an unimaginable number of stars that, even at such miserable possibility, it seems certain that there are millions of intelligent life forms scattered through space. The only trouble is, none may be within easy distance of us. Perhaps none ever will be; perhaps the distances that separate us from our fellow “creatures” of this universe will forever remain too great to be conquered. And yet it is conceivable that someday we may come across one of them or, frighteningly, one of them may come across us. What would they be like, these outside-the-earth creatures?
1.What point is the author making by stating that almost every star has some sort of family of planets?
A. Sooner or later intelligent beings will be found on one of the stars.
B. There must be one or two of the planets on which there are no intelligent beings.
C. There are sufficient planets for there to be one that enjoys the same conditions as the earth does.
D. One or two billion years later intelligent beings will generate on those planets.
2.What is the main topic of the passage?
A. Some probable intelligent life forms on other planets.
B. Various stages undergone by the intelligent life on other planets.
C. Grounds for probable existence of intelligent life on other planets.
D. The possibility of intelligent life existing on our planet.
3.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. An encounter is probable between people from the earth and intelligent beings from another planet.
B. Though the first attempt failed, scientists did discover the radio waves sent out by other intelligent beings.
C. Other intelligent beings were able to send our radio waves into space well before the last fifty years.
D. It is certain that there are millions of intelligent beings scattered in space but only too far away.
4.According to the author, what is the difference between “we may come across one of them” and “one of them may come across us”?
A. The earth would be dangerously disadvantaged if it is sought after by possibly much more developed creatures.
B. It would prove that there are too many outside-the-earth creatures if “one of them comes across us”.
C. The history of the development of the earth would be proved to be shorter than that of “them” if “they” come across us.
D. it would prove that the distance in between is not so great as we think if “we come across one of them” someday.
高三英语阅读理解简单题
In 1961, scientist set up gigantic, sensitive instruments to collect radio waves from the far reaches of space, hoping to discover in them some mathematical pattern indicating that the waves were sent out by other intelligent beings. The first attempt failed, but someday the experiment may succeed.
What reason is there to think that we may actually detect intelligent life in outer space?To begin with, modern theories of the development of stars suggest that almost every star has some sort of family of planets. So any star like our own sun (and there are billions of such stars in the universe) is likely to have a planet situated at such a distance that it would receive about the same amount of radiation as the earth.
Furthermore, such a planet would probably have the same general composition as our planet; so, allowing a billion years or two or three, there would be a very good chance for life to develop, if current theories of the origin of life are correct.
But intelligent life?Life that has reached the stage of being able to send radio waves out into space in a deliberate pattern?Our own planet may have been in existence for five billion years and may have had life on it for two billion, but it is only in the last fifty years that intelligent life capable of sending radio waves into space has lived on earth. From this it might seem that even if there were no technical problems involved, the chance of receiving signals from any particular earth-type planet would be extremely small.
This does not mean that intelligent life at our level does not exist somewhere. There are such an unimaginable number of stars that, even at such miserable possibility, it seems certain that there are millions of intelligent life forms scattered through space. The only trouble is, none may be within easy distance of us. Perhaps none ever will be; perhaps the distances that separate us from our fellow “creatures” of this universe will forever remain too great to be conquered. And yet it is conceivable that someday we may come across one of them or, frighteningly, one of them may come across us. What would they be like, these outside-the-earth creatures?
1.What point is the author making by stating that almost every star has some sort of family of planets?
A. Sooner or later intelligent beings will be found on one of the stars.
B. There must be one or two of the planets on which there are no intelligent beings.
C. There are sufficient planets for there to be one that enjoys the same conditions as the earth does.
D. One or two billion years later intelligent beings will generate on those planets.
2.What is the main topic of the passage?
A. Some probable intelligent life forms on other planets.
B. Various stages undergone by the intelligent life on other planets.
C. Grounds for probable existence of intelligent life on other planets.
D. The possibility of intelligent life existing on our planet.
3.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. An encounter is probable between people from the earth and intelligent beings from another planet.
B. Though the first attempt failed, scientists did discover the radio waves sent out by other intelligent beings.
C. Other intelligent beings were able to send our radio waves into space well before the last fifty years.
D. It is certain that there are millions of intelligent beings scattered in space but only too far away.
4.According to the author, what is the difference between “we may come across one of them” and “one of them may come across us”?
A. The earth would be dangerously disadvantaged if it is sought after by possibly much more developed creatures.
B. It would prove that there are too many outside-the-earth creatures if “one of them comes across us”.
C. The history of the development of the earth would be proved to be shorter than that of “them” if “they” come across us.
D. it would prove that the distance in between is not so great as we think if “we come across one of them” someday.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In 1961, a group of scientists set up a permanent camp on Possession Island, a bit of land located in the Crozet Archipelago, about halfway between Madagascar and Antarctica in the Indian Ocean. Their goal was a long-term study of king penguins, and scientists have continued that study for more than 50 years, sometimes accompanied by a small number of tourists. The penguins appear to be habituated to the presence of humans, but a new study in BMC Ecology finds that even this limited human contact may be negatively affecting them.
A team of researchers from France and Switzerland compared 15 king penguins from the areas regularly disturbed by scientists and tourists with 18 birds that bred in an undisturbed area, recording the penguins' heart rates in response to three potential human stressors—loud noise, approaches by humans and capture.
With both loud noise and human approach, the penguins from the disturbed area were far less stressed than their companions from the undisturbed area. All the birds, however, found capture to be a stressful experience. It's possible that these penguins have grown used to the presence of humans in their breeding area. Over time, the population would evolve to handle this disturbance(干扰) better and better. That may seem like a good thing, the scientists say.
This is hardly the first time that researchers have found that their methods have had unexpected consequences for the animals they study. A central question for experts is the extent to which human's disturbances (such as tourism) might impact wildlife and affect the systems under study. One of the major mistakes of such research is in forgetting that, from the idea of the wildlife studied, tourism and scientific research are not two worlds apart.
1.Why did scientists set up a permanent camp on Possession Island?
A. Because they want to attract more tourists.
B. Because they want to study king penguins.
C. Because they want to raise more penguins.
D. Because they want to link Madagascar with Antarctica.
2.According to the passage, penguins seldom get pressure from ________.
A. approaches by humans B. loud noise
C. scientists' capture D. other penguins' company
3.The underlined word "evolve" in Paragraph 3 means ________.
A. Develop gradually B. Disobey gradually
C. Discount gradually D. Display gradually
4.What's the best title of the passage?
A. King Penguins Inspire the Development of Tourism
B. King Penguins Develop Well with Humans' Disturbances
C. King Penguins Live a Happy Life in Antarctica
D. King Penguins Stressed out by Scientists and Tourists
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-----You ______ it up during the meeting
------I_______ know it was so sensitive an issue.
A.might not have brought ;don’t
B.needn’t have brought;don’t
C.shouldn’t have taken,didn’t
D.shouldn’t have brought ,didn’t
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
After so many hardships, the scientist ________ his motherland at last.
A. set on his foot B. set foot on C. set feet on D. set his feet on
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists have exactly discovered the set of brain cells involved in making risky decisions, and have been able to control them in rats using targeted light. By changing the activity of the cells they were able to change the behaviour of risk-taking rats to avoid risk, hinting the approach could in future be used to treat people with impulse (冲动) control problems.
Risk-taking is a key part of survival, knowing when to take a chance could pay off—such as moving to a new area to look for food when pickings are slim.
While all animals need an element of risk, the preference towards it varies between individuals. Researchers found this variation, which determines how risk-averse an individual is, is regulated by brain cells in a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This cluster of neurons releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which regulates the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.
Previous studies have shown that in patients with Parkinson’s disease, taking medication which blocks specific dopamine receptors (DR2) (受体) leads to increased gambling (赌博) behaviour and risk taking behaviour. In studies with rats, researchers were able to use a technique called optogenetics (光遗传学)—which uses light sensitive proteins to change the activity of cells—to modify cells with DR2 in the nucleus accumbens.
Rats were trained to choose one of two levers, offering them a choice between a “safe” or “risky” choice. The safe option resulted in a small, but consistent amount of a sugar water treat. But the risky choice consistently delivered smaller amounts of sugar water, with the occasional large pay off—essentially encouraging the animals to gamble for a bigger prize. Around two-thirds of the animals weren’t keen on risk, opting for the safe option, but the remaining third were risk-seekers. Brain scans of the animals showed that those with low levels of DR2 consistently went for the gamble.
But using pulses of light to stimulate (刺激) the DR2 cells and improve their activity could cause the risk-takers to play it safe and opt for the guaranteed but less rewarding option. Once the light-pulses stopped, the risk-takers returned to their gambling strategy.
In the risk-averse animals, stimulating the same cells had little to no effect.
Professor Karl Deisseroth, of Stanford University in California, said: “Humans and rats have similar brain structures involved.”And we found a drug known to increase risk preference in people had the same effect on the rats. So every indication is that these findings are relevant to humans. “Risky behavior has its moments where it’ s valuable. As a species, we wouldn’t have come as far as we have without it.”
1.The variation in people’s preference towards risks is directly regulated by ________.
A. nucleus accumbens B. light sensitive proteins
C. neurons D. dopamine
2.From the experiment with rats, we can conclude that ________.
A. the lack of DR2 cells results in a safe option
B. the levels of DR2 have little to do with their choices
C. the high levels of DR2 can make animals avoid risks
D. the risky choice is a less rewarding option
3.The underlined words in Paragraph 7 most likely mean the animals that are ________.
A. willing to take big risks
B. reluctant to take risks
C. fond of gambling strategy
D. afraid of receiving stimulation
4.What can be inferred from what Professor Karl Deisseroth said?
A. Humans and rats differ in their preference for risk-taking.
B. Too much risk-taking can do more harm than good.
C. Risk-taking can be used to treat people with impulse control problems.
D. Risk-taking is a means of survival and brings higher returns to humans.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists have exactly discovered the set of brain cells involved in making risky decisions, and have been able to control them in rats using targeted light. By changing the activity of the cells they were able to change the behaviour of risk-taking rats to avoid risk, hinting the approach could in future be used to treat people with impulse (冲动) control problems.
Risk-taking is a key part of survival, knowing when to take a chance could pay off—such as moving to a new area to look for food when pickings are slim.
While all animals need an element of risk, the preference towards it varies between individuals. Researchers found this variation, which determines how risk-averse an individual is, is regulated by brain cells in a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This cluster of neurons releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which regulates the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.
Previous studies have shown that in patients with Parkinson’s disease, taking medication which blocks specific dopamine receptors (DR2) (受体) leads to increased gambling (赌博) behaviour and risk taking behaviour. In studies with rats, researchers were able to use a technique called optogenetics (光遗传学)—which uses light sensitive proteins to change the activity of cells—to modify cells with DR2 in the nucleus accumbens.
Rats were trained to choose one of two levers, offering them a choice between a “safe” or “risky” choice. The safe option resulted in a small, but consistent amount of a sugar water treat. But the risky choice consistently delivered smaller amounts of sugar water, with the occasional large pay off—essentially encouraging the animals to gamble for a bigger prize. Around two-thirds of the animals weren’t keen on risk, opting for the safe option, but the remaining third were risk-seekers. Brain scans of the animals showed that those with low levels of DR2 consistently went for the gamble.
But using pulses of light to stimulate (刺激) the DR2 cells and improve their activity could cause the risk-takers to play it safe and opt for the guaranteed but less rewarding option. Once the light-pulses stopped, the risk-takers returned to their gambling strategy.
In the risk-averse animals, stimulating the same cells had little to no effect.
Professor Karl Deisseroth, of Stanford University in California, said: “Humans and rats have similar brain structures involved.”And we found a drug known to increase risk preference in people had the same effect on the rats. So every indication is that these findings are relevant to humans. “Risky behavior has its moments where it’ s valuable. As a species, we wouldn’t have come as far as we have without it.”
1.The variation in people’s preference towards risks is directly regulated by ________.
A. nucleus accumbens B. light sensitive proteins
C. neurons D. dopamine
2.From the experiment with rats, we can conclude that ________.
A. the lack of DR2 cells results in a safe option
B. the levels of DR2 have little to do with their choices
C. the high levels of DR2 can make animals avoid risks
D. the risky choice is a less rewarding option
3.The underlined words in Paragraph 7 most likely mean the animals that are ________.
A. willing to take big risks
B. reluctant to take risks
C. fond of gambling strategy
D. afraid of receiving stimulation
4.What can be inferred from what Professor Karl Deisseroth said?
A. Humans and rats differ in their preference for risk-taking.
B. Too much risk-taking can do more harm than good.
C. Risk-taking can be used to treat people with impulse control problems.
D. Risk-taking is a means of survival and brings higher returns to humans.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For the first time ever scientists prepare to set about a 3-year-long project,the Nekton Mission,to explore the Indian Ocean and document changes taking place beneath the waves that could affect the surrounding region over the coming decades.
The ambitious exploration team will reach one of the last major unexplored frontiers on the planet,a vast body of water that’s already feeling the effects of global warming with rising water temperatures damaging its coral reefs(珊瑚礁).Understanding the Indian Ocean’s ecosystem is important not just for the species that live in it,but also for the 2.5 billion people living in the region.
The Nekton Mission is supported by more than 40 organizations.Researchers will spend seven weeks surveying underwater life,map the sea floor,and drop sensors(传感器)to depths of up to 6,560 feet in the seas around the Seychelles.
The Seychelles aims to become a leader in the development of a“blue economy”that draws on the resources of the ocean.It relies on fishing and tourism,but has lately also been exploiting oil and gas from beneath the sea floor.“Our ocean is undergoing rapid ecological transformation by human activities.The Nekton Mission is vital to help us better know our ocean space and resources to make wise decisions.Only when we know what we have in the ocean and what is its value call we properly decide what to exploit and what to leave untouched,”said Jumeau,the Seychelles’ambassador to the UN.
The mission will conduct further dives in other parts of the Indian Ocean over three years.The researchers expect to discover new species and send videos to the world by satellite.The research will provide information for a summit(峰会)about the Indian Ocean planned for late 2021.
1.Why do the scientists plan to explore the Indian Ocean?
A. To save the endangered creatures living in the sea.
B. To discover the damage mankind has done to the ocean.
C. To make the best use of the natural resources in the sea.
D. To protect its species and people living around the region.
2.Which is not included in the tasks to be carried out around the Seychelles?
A. Drawing maps of the sea floor. B. Finding treasures under the sea.
C. Putting sensors into the deep sea. D. Studying underwater life.
3.What can be learned about the Nek-ton Mission?
A. It will extend beyond the Indian Ocean.
B. It will benefit a lot from“blue economy”.
C. It will contribute to the 2021 conference.
D. It will find solutions to global warming.
4.What can be a suitable title fur the text?
A. Scientists Are to Explore the Indian Ocean
B. The Seychelles Aims to Build a“Blue Economy”
C. Effects of Global Warming on Marine Ecosystem
D. Indian Ocean:the Last Unexplored Frontier on the Planet
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Most scientists seem to agree that ______ certain limit should be set on _______ consumption of cars to ease air pollution.
A. a; the B. /; the C. the; / D. the; the
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Most scientists seem to agree that ____certain limit should be set on ______consumption of cars to ease air pollution.
A.a;the B./;the C.the;/ D.the;the
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Most scientists seem to agree that _______ certain limit should be set on _______consumption of cars to ease air pollution.
A.a; the B./;the C.the; / D.the; the
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析