Fish species are expected to shrink in size by up to 24% because of global warming, say scientists.
The scientists argue that failure to control greenhouse gas emissions will have a greater effect on marine ecosystems than previously thought. Previous research has suggested that changing ocean temperatures would affect both the distribution and the reproductive abilities of many species of fish. This new work suggests that fish size would also be heavily affected.
The researchers built a model to see how fish would react to lower levels of oxygen in the water. As ocean temperatures increase, so do the body temperatures of fish. But, according to lead author, Dr William Cheung, from the University of British Columbia, the lower level of oxygen in the water is key. Warmer waters could decrease ocean oxygen levels and greatly reduce fish body weight. On the other hand, rising temperatures directly increase the metabolic rate of the fish's body function. This leads to an increase in oxygen demand for normal body activities. So the fish will run out of oxygen for growth at a smaller body size.
The research team also used its model to predict fish movements as a result of warming waters. The group believes that most fish populations will move towards the Earth's poles at a rate of up to 35km per decade. "So in, say, the North Sea," says Dr Cheung," one would expect to see more smaller-body fish from tropical waters in the future."
Taking these factors into consideration, the research team concludes that fish body size will shrink between 14% and 24%, with the largest decreases in the Indian and Atlantic oceans.
When compared with actual observations of fish sizes, the model seems to underestimate what's actually happening in the seas. The researchers looked at two case studies involving North Atlantic cod and haddock. They found that recorded data on these fish showed greater decreases in body size than the models had predicted.
Dr Alan Baudron, from the University of Aberdeen, UK, believes smaller-sized fish could seriously affect the ability of fish to reproduce. "Smaller fish produce fewer and smaller eggs which could affect the reproductive potential of fish stocks," he said.
1.What's the main idea of the passage?
A. Global warming makes fish smaller.
B. Global warming makes fish decrease in numbers.
C. Global warming affects the fish distribution.
D. Global warming affects the ability of fish to reproduce.
2.What is the key factor making the fish smaller now?
A. The rising body temperatures.
B. The lower level of oxygen in the water.
C. The increasing metabolic rate.
D. The normal body activities.
3.We can infer that as ocean temperatures increase .
A. more big fish will be born in the sea
B. fish tend to swim towards the shore
C. fish tend to move towards the warm areas
D. fish tend to move towards the colder areas
4.What does the underlined word "underestimate" mean?
A. make an exact prediction of B. make too low an estimate of
C. make too high an estimate of D. make a careful study of
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题
Fish species are expected to shrink in size by up to 24% because of global warming, say scientists.
The scientists argue that failure to control greenhouse gas emissions will have a greater effect on marine ecosystems than previously thought. Previous research has suggested that changing ocean temperatures would affect both the distribution and the reproductive abilities of many species of fish. This new work suggests that fish size would also be heavily affected.
The researchers built a model to see how fish would react to lower levels of oxygen in the water. As ocean temperatures increase, so do the body temperatures of fish. But, according to lead author, Dr William Cheung, from the University of British Columbia, the lower level of oxygen in the water is key. Warmer waters could decrease ocean oxygen levels and greatly reduce fish body weight. On the other hand, rising temperatures directly increase the metabolic rate of the fish's body function. This leads to an increase in oxygen demand for normal body activities. So the fish will run out of oxygen for growth at a smaller body size.
The research team also used its model to predict fish movements as a result of warming waters. The group believes that most fish populations will move towards the Earth's poles at a rate of up to 35km per decade. "So in, say, the North Sea," says Dr Cheung," one would expect to see more smaller-body fish from tropical waters in the future."
Taking these factors into consideration, the research team concludes that fish body size will shrink between 14% and 24%, with the largest decreases in the Indian and Atlantic oceans.
When compared with actual observations of fish sizes, the model seems to underestimate what's actually happening in the seas. The researchers looked at two case studies involving North Atlantic cod and haddock. They found that recorded data on these fish showed greater decreases in body size than the models had predicted.
Dr Alan Baudron, from the University of Aberdeen, UK, believes smaller-sized fish could seriously affect the ability of fish to reproduce. "Smaller fish produce fewer and smaller eggs which could affect the reproductive potential of fish stocks," he said.
1.What's the main idea of the passage?
A. Global warming makes fish smaller.
B. Global warming makes fish decrease in numbers.
C. Global warming affects the fish distribution.
D. Global warming affects the ability of fish to reproduce.
2.What is the key factor making the fish smaller now?
A. The rising body temperatures.
B. The lower level of oxygen in the water.
C. The increasing metabolic rate.
D. The normal body activities.
3.We can infer that as ocean temperatures increase .
A. more big fish will be born in the sea
B. fish tend to swim towards the shore
C. fish tend to move towards the warm areas
D. fish tend to move towards the colder areas
4.What does the underlined word "underestimate" mean?
A. make an exact prediction of B. make too low an estimate of
C. make too high an estimate of D. make a careful study of
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The US plans to extend its endangered species protection to lions in Africa. US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will classify lions in southern and eastern Africa as threatened. The move will place tighter restrictions on the import of lion “trophies(纪念品)”, such as paws or heads.
While the US cannot regulate hunting in other countries the move is significant because around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans. According to FWS data, more than 5, 600 lions have been killed and imported by American hunters over the past decade.
Under the new FWS rules, bringing lion parts to the US will be banned(禁止) in most circumstances if the animal is from a country where lions are endangered. Hunters will have to show the trophies were “legally obtained” from countries that have a scientifically sound management program that benefits the subspecies in the wild.
This regulation is expected to place a far greater burden of proof upon hunters who claim that the money from lion hunting has been used to help communities in Africa and the overall conservation of lions. The persistent downward trend in lion numbers, due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists, suggests there has been little conservation(保护) benefit from organized hunts.
An international study, published in September, found African lion numbers have decreased by half since 1993, with a further 50% decline expected over the next 20 years for populations in west, central and east Africa.
“The lion is one of the planet’s most beloved species and an irreplaceable part of our shared global heritage,” said Dan Ashe, director of the FWS. “If we want to ensure that healthy lion populations continue to wander around the African savannas(大草原) and forests of India, it’s up to all of us—not just the people of Africa and India--to take action.”
1. Why is the move of US significant?
A. The lions have been killed and imported by American hunters.
B. That is due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists.
C. Around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans.
D. The money from lion hunting has been used to help communities in Africa .
2. Where do most of the lion hunters come from?
A. Southern Africa. B. America.
C. Eastern Africa. D. India.
3. What may be the result of the move?
A. The import of lion parts will be strictly limited.
B. Lion-hunting will be illegal all over the world.
C. communities in Africa will benefit a lot.
D. Lion parts will never be legally obtained.
4. What does Dan Ashe really want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Almost everybody loves lions.
B. It’s everyone’s duty to protect lions.
C. Lion populations will increase rapidly.
D. Measures must be taken to keep lions fit.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The US plans to extend its endangered species protection to lions in Africa. US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will classify lions in southern and eastern Africa as threatened. The move will place tighter restrictions on the import of lion “trophies(纪念品)”, such as paws or heads.
While the US cannot regulate hunting in other countries the move is significant because around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans. According to FWS data, more than 5, 600 lions have been killed and imported by American hunters over the past decade.
Under the new FWS rules, bringing lion parts to the US will be banned(禁止) in most circumstances if the animal is from a country where lions are endangered. Hunters will have to show the trophies were “legally obtained” from countries that have a scientifically sound management program that benefits the subspecies in the wild.
This regulation is expected to place a far greater burden of proof upon hunters who claim that the money from lion hunting has been used to help communities in Africa and the overall conservation of lions. The persistent downward trend in lion numbers, due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists, suggests there has been little conservation(保护) benefit from organized hunts.
An international study, published in September, found African lion numbers have decreased by half since 1993, with a further 50% decline expected over the next 20 years for populations in west, central and east Africa.
“The lion is one of the planet’s most beloved species and an irreplaceable part of our shared global heritage,” said Dan Ashe, director of the FWS. “If we want to ensure that healthy lion populations continue to wander around the African savannas(大草原) and forests of India, it’s up to all of us—not just the people of Africa and India--to take action.”
1.Why is the move of US significant?
A. The lions have been killed and imported by American hunters.
B. That is due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists.
C. Around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans.
D. The money from lion hunting has been used to help communities in Africa .
2.Where do most of the lion hunters come from?
A. Southern Africa. B. America.
C. Eastern Africa. D. India.
3.What may be the result of the move?
A. The import of lion parts will be strictly limited.
B. Lion-hunting will be illegal all over the world.
C. communities in Africa will benefit a lot.
D. Lion parts will never be legally obtained.
4.What does Dan Ashe really want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Almost everybody loves lions.
B. It’s everyone’s duty to protect lions.
C. Lion populations will increase rapidly.
D. Measures must be taken to keep lions fit.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
His injuries are serious but he is expected to _______.
A. pull out B. pull in C. pull up D. pull through
高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
In recent years, little free libraries of all shapes and sizes have popped up. Often built by community members, they could be found on street corners and the sidewalks across the United States, hoping to share their book collections with their neighbors. Minneapolis, Minnesota, even hosted the first Little Free Library Festival, where book fans came together to promote literacy (读写能力)in their communities．
For the most part, little free libraries have more in common with book sharing shelves in hotels, local parks, coffee shops and other public spaces than the traditional public library. Based on the rule of "take a book, leave a book," these little libraries can take many forms from birdhouse-like wooden structures to redesigned newspaper selling machines, Robert Wirsing writes for the Bronx Times.
The little free library organization began when a citizen of Hudson, Wisconsin, named Todd Bol built a little one-room schoolhouse, filled it with books and placed it in his front yard to honor his mother who passed away in 2009. Together with a local educator named Rick Brooks, the two began placing little free libraries across Wisconsin and sharing the idea with people across the country.
"Something we are eager for in this information age is that connection between people," Bol tells Margret Aldrich for Book Riot. "I want to show how Little Free Library is about readers inspiring readers. It goes on and on."
While Little Free Libraries seem like a harmless means to promote literacy by sharing books with neighbors, a few of the roadside landing libraries have caused minor legal problems. officials in Los Angeles and Shreveport, Louisiana, have told some citizens that their homemade libraries broke city roles and that they would have to remove them to avoid being fined.
Still, little free libraries have been well accepted by their commnunities. For anyone interested in making their own at home, the organization has posted helpful tips and guides for building the little book lending boxes in their neighborhoods.
1.What can we know about the little free libraries in America?
A. They are state-owned.
B. They are popular nationally.
C. They are set up to sell books.
D. They help those with no books to read.
2.What is a common character of little free libraries?
A. They lie in many public places.
B. They share a large collection of books.
C. They compete with traditional public libraries.
D. They exist mainly in the form of wooden houses.
3.What is Todd Bol's primary aim of building, a library?
A. To remember his dead mother.
B. To help people form a habit of reading.
C. To set an example to other communities.
D. To share his knowledge, with other citizens.
4.What does Todd Bol think of the little free libraries?
A. They cause minor legal problems.
B. They should continue to exist.
C. They mean a lot to community members.
D. They should be supported by the government.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Cheer up! Don’t get beaten by difficulties. , we are new to the work.
A. In all B. At all C. Above all D. After all
高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
In many types of face-to-face retailing (零售), it pays to size up your customer and change your price accordingly. The Internet, by allowing nameless browsing and rapid price-comparing, was supposed to mean low and equal prices for all. Now, however, online retailers are being offered software that helps them detect shoppers who can afford to pay more or are in a hurry to buy, so as to present more expensive products to them or simply charge more for the same product.
Cookies stored in shoppers’ web browsers (浏览器) may show where else they have been looking, giving some clues as to their income and price-sensitivity. A shopper’s Internet address may be linked to his physical address, letting sellers offer, say, one price for a rich area, another for a poor area. Doug Bryan of iCrossing, a digital-marketing consultancy, explains that the most up-to-date “price customisation (定制化)” software can collate (对照) such clues with documents of individual shoppers that Internet sellers buy from online-data-aggregation firms. All this is fairly cheap, he says.
One of the few big online firms that admit to using such techniques is Orbitz, a travel website. Its software detects whether people browsing its site are using an Apple Mac or a Windows PC and, since it has found that Mac users tend to choose more expensive hotels, which are what it recommends to them. Orbitz stresses that it does not charge people different rates for the same rooms, but some online firms are believed to be doing just that, for example by charging full whack (份儿) for those who are willing and able to pay it, while offering discounts to the rest.
Allocating (配置) discounts with price-customisation software typically brings in two to four times as much money as offering the same discounts at random, claims Ravi Vijayaraghavan of [24]7, a Bangalore-based firm that develops and operates such software. One way to do this is to monitor how quickly shoppers click through towards the online seller’s payment page: those who already seem set on buying need not be attracted with a special offer.
Andrew Fano, a consultant in Accenture’s Chicago office, believes that at least six of America’s ten biggest web retailers are now customising prices in some way, but it is hard for shoppers to spot when this is going on. If they knew, many would feel that it is “pushing the boundaries” of fairness. Companies should be careful to escape the painful experience pioneered (率先做) by Amazon in the autumn of 2000. It was said that the Internet giant was selling DVDs at different prices, to see which browsers happened to be favored by shoppers least concerned about cost. The resulting backlash (激烈反应) prompted it to refund those who paid more.
Users of price-customisation software have so far been unwilling to monitor potential customers’ social media pages, for fear that this would cause a privacy backlash. But the operators at the call centres that [24]7 runs for its clients are beginning to scan Twitter for information on the shoppers they are talking to — and sometimes their tweets give useful clues about whether a discount is needed to make the sale.
1.According to Paragraph 1, online retailers are benefiting from _____.
A. knowing more about their customers
B. charging high prices for their goods
C. making their prices competitive
D. making price comparisons
2.Online retailers use price customisation software to _____.
A. locate customers’ addresses
B. guide customers to their products
C. create documents for old customers
D. judge customers’ purchasing power
3.The example of Amazon in Paragraph 5 is mentioned to show it _____.
A. practices price customisation successfully
B. gets into trouble for unfair pricing
C. pioneers the use of pricing software
D. finds out the browsers favoured most by shoppers
4.Why weren’t social media pages monitored by online retailers?
A. [24] 7 has occupied the market.
B. Social networks block pricing software.
C. Online retailers are afraid of causing angry reaction.
D. Social media users are not interested in discounts.
5.The author’s attitude towards price customisation software is _____.
A. positive B. negative
C. objective D. unconcerned
6.Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. Online price competition
B. Personalizing online prices
C. Problems of price facing online retailers
D. Online retailers’ pricing methods
高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
I was used to carrying a penknife in my pocket， and over the years I moved up in size from a small single knife to a Swiss Army knife and then eventually to a Leatherman multi-tool （多刃刀具）．
This wasn't a problem for many years． However， after the 9/11， the world changed． I was traveling from JFK to LAX， so I took the knife out of my pocket and put it in my bag． But when I got to the airport， I had completely forgotten about it， so I just quickly went through safety check． This was not long after 9/11， so safety check was extremely strict． But somehow， the X-ray screener missed the knife in the bag， and I walked on through．
I was sitting in the gate area waiting for boarding， when I noticed a second security screening process right next to the gate， with another X-ray machine and what looked like anti-terrorist soldiers． I suddenly remembered that I had this knife in my bag! I really didn't know what I should do． If I did nothing and they caught the knife during the second security screening， I'd be dead； if I told them I accidentally got the knife through the first screening， they would certainly re-screen every passenger on the plane； if I dropped it in a garbage can， it would be found by a cleaner in a secure area （警戒区），and probably result in something scary! I was anxious and like a cat on hot bricks． Suddenly， I noticed a skycap， someone whose job is to carry passengers' bags at an airport． I had an idea． I then began to ask every skycap I saw， "Hey， how would you like a ﹩60 multi-tool as a present？"
Finally， a guy looking happy but confused took it off my hands． I then went through the second safety check with no knife．
1.The author carried a knife in his pocket ______ ．
A. out of habit B. B． as a present
C. out of self-protection D. as a souvenir （纪念品）
2.In the end， how did the author deal with the knife？ ______
A. He put it in the bag． B. He gave it to others．
C. He threw it away secretly． D. He handed it to a policeman．
3.The passage is mainly about ______ ．
A. the history of penknives
B. the strict safety check in JFK
C. a meaningful gift from the airport
D. an embarrassing experience in the airport
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some people would like to do shopping on Sundays since they expect to pick up wonderful __________in the market.
A. bargains B. batteries
C. baskets D. barrels
高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Robots come in many shapes and sizes. But most have one thing in common. They are built to help people. Lately engineers have been developing new kinds of humanoid robots. These high-tech machines are designed to lend a hand everywhere from hotels to disaster areas.
"Robots help people by making their lives easier, safer, and more fun," says engineer Omar Abdelwahed.
Since November, a robot named pepper has been on the job at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. When guests have questions or need directions, they can ask Pepper. They can also use the robot's touch screen to find the information they need. Pepper is able to talk with guests and entertain them with stories too. It can even tell what kind of mood they are in.
"Pepper provides our guests with information in an exciting and new way," says hotel manager Donald Bowman.
For a kid, being in the hospital can be boring and even scary. But a small robot called NAO is helping to make hospital stays easier. It was designed to keep people company.
A Tennessee doctor named Phil Parker bought a NAO robot three years ago. He programmed it to talk to and play with young patients. He brings it to hospitals to help sick kids. When kids get medical tests, NAO explains what is going on. The robots also reads to kids and plays games with them like rock, paper, scissors.
"The robot gets many kids to smile for the first time since they've been in the hospital," Parker says.
Other robots are being developed to help in places where it's hard or risky for people to go. For example, disaster areas can be full of rubble and other dangers. Engineers in Japan are building a robot called E2-DR to go into those areas and search for people who are hurt.
1.In Mandarin Oriental hotel, guests can____________.
A. only get information simply by touching the robot's screen
B. feel entertained with the stories about Pepper.
C. experience an exciting and new way to get the information
D. know whether the robot is in high spirits or not.
2.According to Phil Parker, the robot NAO in hospital____________.
A. is intended to help doctors treat patients
B. brings much comfort and happiness to many young patients
C. gives young patients some medical examination
D. is not actually as useful as expected
3.From the last paragraph, we leam that____________.
A. robots will play a vital role in every aspect in our life
B. E2-DR proves to be very useful in rescue practice
C. human rescue workers will no Ionger be needed
D. rescue work in dangerous areas will become easier
4.Which ofthe following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Robots: The Future World Master
B. Intelligent Robots
C. Robots: Human Helpers
D. Robots: Our Best Friend
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析