Are we getting more stupid? According to Gerald Crabtree, a scientist at Stanford University in the US, we are.
You may not want to hear this, but Crabtree believes that human intelligence reached its peak more than 2,000 years ago and ever since then has been going downhill. “If an average Greek from 1,000 BC were transported to modern times, he or she would be one of the brightest among us,” Crabtree told The Guardian.
At the heart of Crabtree’s thinking is a simple idea. In the past, intelligence was critical for survival when our ancestors had to avoid dangerous animals and hunt for food. The difference of being smart or stupid is often life or death. However, after the spread of agriculture, when our ancestors began to live in dense farming communities, the need to keep their intelligence in peak condition gradually reduced.
This is not hard to understand. Most of the time, pressure is what keeps us going – you need the pressure from your teachers to finish your homework; the pressure of looking pretty prompts you to lose weight when summer comes. And the same is also true of our intelligence – if we think less, we become less smart.
These mutations(变异) are harmful to our intelligence and they were all developed in the past 3,000 years. The other evidence that Crabtree holds is in our genes. He found that among the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that we have that determine human intelligence, there are two or more mutations in each of us.
However, Crabtree’s theory has been criticized by some who say that early humans may have better hunting and surviving abilities, but people today have developed a more diverse intelligence. For example, spearing a tiger doesn’t necessarily require more brainpower than playing chess or writing a poem. Moreover, the power of modern education means a lot more people have the opportunity to learn nowadays.
“You wouldn’t get Stephen Hawking 2,000 years ago. He just wouldn’t exist,” Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick, UK, told Live Science. “But now we have people of his intellectual capacity doing things and making insights that we would never have achieved in our environment of evolutionary adaptation.”
1.What is Crabtree’s recent finding according to the article?
A. The Greeks from 1,000 BC could have been the smartest in human history.
B. Our ancient ancestors had no better surviving abilities than we do nowadays.
C. Humans have been getting steadily more intelligent since the invention of farming.
D. Mutations in genes that decide human intelligence have affected the development of intelligence.
2.According to Crabtree, ancient humans _______.
A. had much more genes that determine human intelligence
B. were forced to be smart due to natural selection pressures
C. relied more on group intelligence than individual intelligence
D. developed a diverse intelligence to adapt to the harsh realities
3.Some argue that Crabtree’s theory is false because they think _______.
A. people today are under much more pressure than early humans
B. it’s ridiculous to compare a hunter’s and a poet’s intelligence
C. modern education is far more advanced than ancient education
D. human intelligence nowadays is different from that of the distant past
4.What is Thomas Hills’ attitude toward Crabtree’s theory?
A. Supportive B. Unfavorable
C. Worried D. Confused.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Are we getting more stupid? According to Gerald Crabtree, a scientist at Stanford University in the US, we are.
You may not want to hear this, but Crabtree believes that human intelligence reached its peak more than 2,000 years ago and ever since then has been going downhill. “If an average Greek from 1,000 BC were transported to modern times, he or she would be one of the brightest among us,” Crabtree told The Guardian.
At the heart of Crabtree’s thinking is a simple idea. In the past, intelligence was critical for survival when our ancestors had to avoid dangerous animals and hunt for food. The difference of being smart or stupid is often life or death. However, after the spread of agriculture, when our ancestors began to live in dense farming communities, the need to keep their intelligence in peak condition gradually reduced.
This is not hard to understand. Most of the time, pressure is what keeps us going – you need the pressure from your teachers to finish your homework; the pressure of looking pretty prompts you to lose weight when summer comes. And the same is also true of our intelligence – if we think less, we become less smart.
These mutations(变异) are harmful to our intelligence and they were all developed in the past 3,000 years. The other evidence that Crabtree holds is in our genes. He found that among the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that we have that determine human intelligence, there are two or more mutations in each of us.
However, Crabtree’s theory has been criticized by some who say that early humans may have better hunting and surviving abilities, but people today have developed a more diverse intelligence. For example, spearing a tiger doesn’t necessarily require more brainpower than playing chess or writing a poem. Moreover, the power of modern education means a lot more people have the opportunity to learn nowadays.
“You wouldn’t get Stephen Hawking 2,000 years ago. He just wouldn’t exist,” Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick, UK, told Live Science. “But now we have people of his intellectual capacity doing things and making insights that we would never have achieved in our environment of evolutionary adaptation.”
1.What is Crabtree’s recent finding according to the article?
A. The Greeks from 1,000 BC could have been the smartest in human history.
B. Our ancient ancestors had no better surviving abilities than we do nowadays.
C. Humans have been getting steadily more intelligent since the invention of farming.
D. Mutations in genes that decide human intelligence have affected the development of intelligence.
2.According to Crabtree, ancient humans _______.
A. had much more genes that determine human intelligence
B. were forced to be smart due to natural selection pressures
C. relied more on group intelligence than individual intelligence
D. developed a diverse intelligence to adapt to the harsh realities
3.Some argue that Crabtree’s theory is false because they think _______.
A. people today are under much more pressure than early humans
B. it’s ridiculous to compare a hunter’s and a poet’s intelligence
C. modern education is far more advanced than ancient education
D. human intelligence nowadays is different from that of the distant past
4.What is Thomas Hills’ attitude toward Crabtree’s theory?
A. Supportive B. Unfavorable
C. Worried D. Confused.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
According to our teacher, we should take detailed notes in class because they are more __________ than our memory.
A. reliable B. ridiculous C. enthusiastic D. stubborn
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
How do we find happiness every single day? How do we get more out of life to the fullest? There are 3 easy ways to enjoy life in daily life.
One way to find happiness within you is to show your appreciation to others. Appreciation not only gives happiness to others but we also receive happiness in return first for writing a letter of appreciation and second for the response we get. I encourage you to take 3 Post-it notes and write one Post-it of appreciation for your classmate, one for your friend and one for your parents and see the happiness you feel within and the joy you receive in return. It doesn’t cost any money; it’s simple and very rewarding.
Often we are too tough on ourselves by telling us we could have done things better. Have a look at your life and evaluate where you are today and what you have achieved. Often we tend to forget the achievements during the journey of our life and we need to be reminded. Take 5 minutes right now to write down what you have achieved in life and what you are proud of. Go over the list and tell yourself what a wond]erful person you are and what a great job you have done.
Have you ever kept a journal? Sometimes writing things down will give us clarity and awareness. When you write down in a journal, you have the ability to express yourself as you truly would like to be. Writing is part of inner peace, which is a road towards happiness. Take 5 minutes every day to write down your ideas and thoughts in your journal. By doing so, you will find inner peace and a sense of happiness.
The 3 easy steps above take only 15 minutes. Not only will it bring happiness to you but also to others.
How to1.. |
Show your appreciation to others | ● Write an 2. to give happiness to others and receive happiness in return. ● Send a Post-it note to your classmate, 3. . ● It costs 4. , but benefits you a lot. |
5.. | ● Write down your 6. and your proud things. ● Keep the list as a reminder that you are a successful person. |
Keep a journal | ● It will give you 7. . ● It will help you find 8. and happiness. |
9.. | If you follow 10. , you will find happiness and bring it to others. |
高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析
The language we use affects the decisions we make, according to a new study. Participants made more reasonable decisions when money-related choices were given in a foreign language that they had learned in a classroom setting than when they were asked in a native tongue.
To study how language affects reasoning, University of Chicago psychologists looked at a well-known phenomenon: people are more risk-taking when a decision irrelevant to their own feelings (such as which medicine to give to a sick elephant) is presented in terms of a potential gain than when it is framed as a potential loss even when the outcomes are the same. In the study, native English speakers who had learned Japanese, native Korean speakers who had learned English and native English speakers studying French in Paris all showed the expected tendency when they were asked the question in their native tongue. In their foreign language, however, the tendency disappeared.
A second set of experiments tested another cognitive (认知的) prejudice –we expect a personal loss will be more painful than the same amount of gain will be pleasant, so the benefit of winning must be disproportionately large for us to take a bet(打赌) (such as gambling with our own money). Again, the foreign-language effect was obvious in two different experiments, one with native Korean speakers and one with native English speakers. The Koreans took more theoretical bets in English than Korean, and the native English speakers took more real bets in Spanish than they did in English.
“When people use a foreign language, their decisions tend to be less prejudiced, more analytic, more systematic, because the foreign language provides psychological distance,” lead author Boaz Keysar suggests. Cognitive prejudices are rooted in emotional reactions, and thinking in a foreign language helps us disconnect from these emotions and make decisions in a more economically reasonable way. This study did not consider, however, the cases in which emotional engagement improves, rather than prevents, our choices: “We have an emotional system for a good reason,” Keysar says.
1.What is the foreign language effect discussed in this passage?
A. People make more reasonable decisions in a foreign language than in their native tongues.
B. Foreign languages play more important roles in making decisions than native languages do.
C. Emotional engagement can prevent reasonable decision makings but improve them as well.
D. Cognitive prejudices are more likely to appear in a foreign language than in a native tongue.
2.What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. People need to win a large sum of money before they decide to take a bet.
B. People are advised not to take a bet if they are not ready for the pain of losing.
C. People don’t take a bet unless they would win much more than they would lose.
D. People will feel more pleasant winning a bet than winning a large sum of money.
3.According to Keysar, what is the reason of the foreign language effect in this research?
A. Foreign languages have great effect on decision makings.
B. People are less prejudiced when thinking in a foreign language.
C. People are more risk-taking in a foreign language environment.
D. Personal feelings have little influence in foreign language thinking.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
GUANGZHOU:Young migrant workers(民工)left home alone are more likely to commit crimes,according to a recent survey. Up to 90 percent of migrant workers serving sentences in southern Guangdong province are younger than 26,according to the survey conducted by the human rights research center of Guangzhou University.
“Most young migrant workers who commit crimes were left alone in their hometowns during their childhood,”said Xie Jianshe,deputy director of the research center. The survey polled 72 criminals of the so-called young generation of migrant workers in prisons and found about 80 percent experienced a “lonely childhood,” without parental care.
Xie attributed their crimes to inadequate education from families in their chil- dhood.“They usually don’t receive higher education.Inadequate education and less care from parents greatly harmed them,”Xie said.
Among those polled,up to 76 percent said they went to cities for “better life” right. After quitting school.“Their parents,also working in cities,don’t know how to care for and educate their children,”Xie said. Young migrant workers are usually involved in robbery,gang-related crime,according to the survey.
Up to 81 percent of young criminals are involved in property crimes.The new generation of migrant workers usually refers to those born after 1980 who work In cities.
“Unlike their older counterparts,the flew generation of migrant workers begin working in cities fight after quitting school,without qualified technical training or higher education,”said Wang Chunguang,a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Commonly,they have a hard-time integrating into the urban lifestyle and work environment, but ale unwilling to return home,Wang said.
“In terms of work and lifestyle,they should be treated the way young,urban workers are usually treated,”Wang said.
A fair policy for employment,living education and social security will play a key role to help younger migrant workers integrate(融入) better, Wang said.
1.The best title for the paragraph would be________.
A.Young migrant workers B.Crimes out of lonely childhood
C.Leftover children D.A key role of policy
2.What is the message conveyed in the paragraph?
A.The young are more likely to commit crimes.
B.Most young migrant workers live alone.
C.Inadequate education and less parental care do great harm to the young migrant workers.
D.The young migrant workers are hard to integrate with the urban inhabitants.
3.Which section of the newspaper is this paragraph taken from?
A.Social Culture and Arts. B.Science and Nature.
C.Business and Money D.Sports and Entertainment
4.According to the passage,most young migrant workers committing crimes________.
A.had a difficult time
B.were disappointed with their lifestyle
C.were satisfied with their life in the city
D.were lacking in care from their parents
5.In this paragraph the author’s attitude towards the young migrant workers is________.
A.critical B. favorable C.objective D.cold
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
The Chinese are more likely to shop online than consumers from any other country, according to the latest survey by the International Post Corporation, a Brussels-headquartered association on postal services.
In the second annual study of 24,000 respondents in 26 markets across North America, the Asia-Pacific and Europe, the IPC found that 36 percent of Chinese buy from digital sites at least once a week, a frequency far outstripping peer buyers.
China is also the most popular market for consumers around the world to shop from, accounting for 26 percent of most recent cross-border purchases, followed by the United States with 16 percent, Germany’s 15 percent and the United Kingdom’s 15 percent.
Purchases from China are more popular with younger people and women, while purchases from Germany receive warmer welcome by men and the elderly, the international study found.
Online marketplaces such as Amazon.com Inc, eBay Inc and Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd were the most sought-after avenues for buyers from almost all countries, accounting for around two-thirds of all cross-border purchases, the study said.
The survey also indicated that clear information about delivery charges, free returns and free delivery over a particular value, were the most important drivers for cross-border online shoppers.
It found that consumers were more likely to pay a premium for tracking rather than for speed of delivery. They preferred to pay for delivery of a tracked item that took five to eight days for delivery than an untracked item that took three to four days.
About 70 percent of cross-border online shoppers were offered tracking and 88 percent used it, mostly in the interim stage, to check on delivery progress.
Almost three-quarters of shoppers used the post for their most recent cross-border purchases. Overall, 87 percent were satisfied with their delivery experience. Only 6 percent returned their cross-border purchase, mostly using the post for the return.
The survey also looked at consumer delivery experiences, finding that most cross-border purchases had free shipping.
1.Which of the following statements is Not true according to the survey?
A. Younger people and women from Germany are superior to men and the elderly in purchasing.
B. America is the second most popular market for worldwide consumers.
C. The Chinese consumers like shopping online best in the world.
D. The majority of cross-border purchases can enjoy free shipping.
2.The following items are the most important drivers for cross-border online shopping Except ________.
A. delivery charges B. the speed of delivery
C. free returns D. free delivery over a particular value
3.Which can be the most suitable title for the passage?
A. Global Online Shopping
B. China, the Most Popular Purchasing Market
C. Chinese Top World’s Online Shoppers
D. Cross-border Purchases
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
[1] Boys whose fathers work very long hours are more likely to be aggressive, according to a new research. A study of more than 1,400 children found those boys, whose fathers worked more than 55 hours a week, were more aggressive than their peers, yet the same thing didn’t happen to daughters. What’s more, mothers’ working hours did not seem to affect it.
[2] Now, further research needs to be carried out to find out why this happens in males, and to look for ways to tackle it. In Germany, 15 percent of fathers of children, aged three and four, worked 55 or more hours a week. Dr. Jianghong Li said, “It is possible when fathers work very long hours, children are less well monitored after school, especially if mothers also work full time hours. There is some evidence young boys are less well monitored than girls, when fathers have high work related demands. As a result, it will cause more problems.
[3] The average amount of time parents spend with their children has increased in recent years, but the quantity and quality of parent-child time is still raised as a concern. Studies in the US and Australia point to a desire among parents to work fewer hours and spend more time with their children. A wish among children is that parents would come home from work less tired and stressed.
[4] The finding provides evidence to support equal opportunities for mothers and fathers to share parenting and work responsibilities. Instead of focusing on negative effects of mothers’ working hours, policy makers should pay attention to negative results of fathers’ long working hours for children’s emotional well being. Fathers should be urged not to work long hours, but to have a greater share of parenting responsibilities.
1.What’s the main idea of the passage? (no more than 11 words)
2.How much time should fathers work a week at most according to the passage? (no more than 5 words)
3.What would happen if fathers work too long hours? (no more than 10 words)
4.What’s the desire among children according to the passage? (no more than 10 words)
5.What does the text suggest to us? (no more than 10 words)
高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析
According to Japanese media, about eight thousand people are dead and more than twelve thousand people are missing . More than 300-thousand people have been forced to leave their homes and more than 200 thousand are staying in public shelters.
According to Japan's nuclear safety agency up to 190 people may have been exposed to radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant(核电站).
According to Kyodo News Agency, more than 34-hundred buildings have been destroyed and at least 200 fires have broken out in cities across the country.
In northeastern Japan, power has been cut off in at least 5.5 million households, a million families are without water, and gas supplies have been cut off in nearly half a million homes. It is expected to be about 2 weeks before normal daily supply can be resumed.
China delivered 10 tons of bottled drinking water to Japan's earthquake-hit areas on Thursday in the country's latest round of relief donations sent to assist Japan's rescue and recovery efforts. The water, packaged in 800 boxes, was air-lifted from China's northeastern city of Changchun, Jilin Province, to Niigata in northeastern Japan on Thursday before it was taken by road to devastated Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, said Duan Yingli, a foreign affairs official with Jilin provincial government.
Funds and other forms of aid have flowed from the Chinese government and the public after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit off Japan's northeast coast and triggered an array of disasters, including a massive tsunami, last Friday.
China sent a 15-member international rescue team to Japan, while the Ministry of Commerce said it is providing 30 million yuan worth of emergency humanitarian assistance.
The first relief package -- 2,000 blankets, 900 cotton tents and 200 emergency lights -- was delivered early this week.
On Wednesday, Beijing boosted aid to Japan by pledging 20,000 tons of fuel -- 10,000 tons of gasoline and 10,000 tons of diesel.
1.How many parts can be divided according to the main idea of the passage ?
A.1 | B.2 | C.3 | D.4 |
2.How many people may have died in this disaster on March 11 ?
A.about 8000 | B.more than 12000 | C.about 20000 | D.over 500,000 |
3.What kind of forms does China aid to Japan ?
A. Funds and a rescue team
B. 30million yuan , a team of scientists and many goods
C. Water , food ,package , gasoline and diesel
高三英语阅读理解极难题查看答案及解析
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded (包围) by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food.What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.
1.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
A.Those who often take exercise. |
B.Those who often watch television. |
C.Those who often have meals at home. |
D.Those who often walk to school. |
2.The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because
A.their parents often cook meals for them |
B.they are too busy to go out and play |
C.they can' t choose what to eat |
D.there are too many fast food shops around |
3.The word "steering" underlined in the last sentence most probably means _______.
A.forcing | B.guiding | C.driving | D.moving |
4.The main purpose of the text is to _________.
A.tell a story | B.provide facts | C.give advice | D.compare opinions |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse,according to the doctors.I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded(包围)by shops selling unhealthy,fatty foods,such as fried chicken and ice cream,at low prices.This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves.If there were fewer of these restaurants,then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight.I agree with this,because good eating habits begin early in life,long before children start to visit fast food shops.If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food,or are always allowed to choose what they eat,they will go for sweet and salty foods every time,and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation.Children these days take very little exercise.They do not walk to school.When they get home,they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games.Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣),it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food.What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem,and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active,as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.
1.According to the text,what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
A.Those who often take exercise. |
B.Those who often watch television. |
C.Those who often have meals at home. |
D.Those who often walk to school. |
2.The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because ________.
A.their parents often cook meals for them |
B.they are too busy to go out and play |
C.they can’t choose what to eat |
D.there are too many fast food shops around |
3.The word“steering”underlined in the last sentence most probably means ________.
A.forcing | B.guiding |
C.driving | D.moving |
4.The main purpose of the text is to ________.
A.tell a story | B.provide facts |
C.give advice | D.compare opinions |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析