Very few animals except dolphins, chimpanzees...

Very few animals except dolphins, chimpanzees (黑猩猩)，and elephants have ever passed the mirror test for self-recognition. Scientists believe they have found a fish able recognize itself in a mirror. The result is surprising because this ability is usually only found in animals with bigger brains. Even humans don't usually pass the mirror test until they are about a year and a half old.

To test the wrasse (隆头鱼), a small fish in the sea, scientists put each wrasse in a tank with a mirror. They gave the fish a chance to get used to the mirror and watched their reactions. At first, the wrasses challenged the "other fish" by swimming up to the mirror and "fighting" them with the mouth. But soon the wrasses seemed to understand that something funny was happening. They began to swim toward the mirror upside down or in other unusual ways. It was like they were testing whether the fish in the mirror were really themselves.

Once the wrasses seemed used to the mirror, the scientists gave the wrasses a mark by putting the fish to sleep and injecting something under their skin. Some of the fish got a brown mark. Other fish got a clear "mark" that didn't have a color and couldn't be seen in a mirror.

After looking in the mirror, the wrasses with the brown marks would rub the area with the mark against the sand in the bottom of the tank. Then they would go back and look in the mirror again, as if checking if the mark was still there. But when wrasses with brown marks were put in tanks without mirrors, they didn't try to rub their marks away. And wrasses with clear "marks" didn't either, even when they could see themselves in the mirror.

The unexpected results are making some people look hard for other ways to explain how the wrasses reacted. So even though the wrasses seem to have passed the mirror test, the scientists will need some time to reflect on exactly what that means.

1.Why do the scientists feel surprised about the result?

A.The fish has a big brain.

B.Elephants failed to pass the mirror test.

C.Chimpanzees are as clever as dolphins.

D.The fish succeeded in passing the mirror test.

2.What did the scientists take notice of about the wrasses at first?

A.They swam in unusual ways.

B.They were unaware of themselves in the mirror.

C.They thought the mirror interesting.

D.They wanted to challenge themselves.

3.How did the fish with brown marks react in the mirror test?

A.They would rub the area with the mark against sand.

B.They would pay no attention to marks.

C.They would rest in the bottom of the tank.

D.They would swim upside down to the mirror.

4.Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A.Why Are Fish Smarter than Expected?

B.Do Colors Affect the Experiment?

C.How Is the Mirror Test Conducted?

D.Can Fish Recognize Themselves in the Mirror?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists at Harvard University and Bates College find female chimpanzees (黑猩猩) appear to treat sticks as dolls, carrying them around until they have children of their own. Young males engage in such behavior much less frequently.

The new work by Sonya M. Kahlenberg and Richard W. Wrangham, described this week in the journal Current Biology, provides the first evidence of a wild non­human species playing with dolls, as well as the first known sex difference in a wild animal’s choice of playthings.

The two researchers say their work adds to a growing body of evidence that human children are probably born with their own ideas of how they want to behave, rather than simply mirroring other girls who play with dolls and boys who play with trucks. Doll play among humans could have its origins in object—carrying by earlier apes (猿类), they say, suggesting that toy selection is probably not due entirely to socialization.

“In humans, there are obvious sex differences in children’s toy play, and these are remarkably similar across cultures,” says Kahlenberg. “While socialization by elders and peers has been the primary explanation, our work suggests that biology may also have an important role to play in activity preferences.”

In 14 years of data on chimpanzee behavior at the Kibale National Park in Uganda, Kahlenberg and Wrangham counted more than 100 examples of stick­carrying. Some young chimpanzees carried sticks into the nest to sleep with them and on one occasion built a separate nest for the stick. “We have seen juveniles occasionally carrying sticks for many years, and because they sometimes treated them rather like dolls, we wanted to know if in general this behavior tended to represent something like playing with dolls,” says Wrangham, a Professor at Harvard. “If the doll hypothesis (假设) was right, we thought that females should carry sticks more than males do, and that the chimpanzees should stop carrying sticks when they had their first child. We have now watched enough young chimpanzees to prove both points.”

1.What does a female chimpanzee do with sticks?

2. What causes the different toy selection of chimpanzees, according to the passage?

3.We can infer from the fourth paragraph that ________.

4.It can be concluded from the passage that ________.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Dolphins, African gray parrots and some other animals understand the idea of “zero,” but researchers were surprised to find that honeybees also comprehend this abstract concept, considering the insects’ tiny brains, according to a new study. Honeybees have fewer than one million neurons (神经元), compared with the 86 billion neurons in humans—and yet, they grasp a concept that humans, by some measures, don’t start to understand before preschool.

The researchers set up two cards, each of which had a set of symbols on them, like triangles or circles. Then, they trained a group of the bees to fly to the card with the lower number of symbols. The bees quickly learned what the humans wanted them to do to get their delicious, sweet rewards. The trained bees were then shown a card that was empty and one that had symbols on it. There is no need for the bees to be trained to fly more often to the empty card—thus showing that they understood that “zero” was a number less than the others.

Although they flew more often to an empty card than to one that had one symbol on it, it became easier for them to distinguish when the symbols on the card increased in number. For example, they more often flew to the zero when the other card had four symbols than when it had one.

Perhaps these findings will explain the brain mechanism (机制) behind what allows us to understand the concept of “nothing,” Adrian Dyer, a researcher said. This understanding, in turn, could help in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) that also understands this concept. “If bees can understand ‘zero’ with a brain of less than a million neurons, it suggests there are simple, efficient ways to teach AI new tricks,” Dyer said in the statement.

1.What is a surprising finding for the researchers?

A. Many animals also comprehend the meaning of “zero”.

B. The number of neurons of honeybees is much smaller.

C. Honeybees can understand “zero” with their tiny brains.

D. Humans fail to recognize abstract ideas before preschool.

2.What can the bees do without further training?

A. Fly directly to the card with more symbols on it.

B. Fly less often to the card with fewer symbols on it.

C. Fly quite slowly to the card without anything on it.

D. Fly more often to the card without any symbol on it.

3.What does Adrian Dyer say about these findings?

A. They offer inspiration to the development of technology.

B. They enable people to understand more abstract concepts.

C. They suggest ways to teach humans some complex tricks.

D. They allow people to set a new type of brain mechanism.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Honeybees know about the concept of “zero”.

B. Honeybees can understand much as humans do.

C. Honeybees will help to improve AI in the future.

D. Honeybees can be trained to comprehend “zero”.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Dolphins (海豚) are not fish, but warm-blooded animals. They live in groups, and speak to each other in their own language. In this way they are like other animals, such as bees and birds. But dolphins are very different from almost all land animals. Their brain is nearly the same size as our own, and they live a long time --- at least twenty or thirty years.

Like some animals, dolphins use sound to help them find their way around. They also make these sounds to talk to each other and to help them find food. We now know they do not use their ears to receive these sounds, but the lower part of the mouth, called the jaw.

Strangely, dolphins seem to like man, and for thousands of years there have been stories about the dolphin and its friendship with people.

There is a story about sailors in the 19th century. In a dangerous part of the sea off the coast of New Zealand, they learnt to look for a dolphin called Jack. From 1871 to 1903 Jack met every boat in the area and showed it the way. Then in 1903 a passenger on a boat called The Penguin shot and wounded Jack. He recovered and for nine years more continued to guide all ships through the area－except for The Penguin.

Today, some people continue to kill dolphins, but many countries of the world now protect them and in these places it is against the law to kill them.

1.By telling the story of Jack the writer wanted to show that _____.

A. people are cruel to animals

B. dolphins are friendly and clever

C. Jack is different from other dolphins

D. dolphins should be protected by law

2.Dolphins are different from many other animals in that they _____.

A. live in groups　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. have their own language

C. are warm-blooded　 　　　　　　　　 D. have large brains

3.Which of the following does the dolphin use to help it find its way around?

A. Its mouth.　 　　　　　　　　 B. Its ears.

C. Its nose.　　 　　　　　　 D. Its eyes.

4.Why did the sailors off the coast of New Zealand look for Jack?

A. They wanted his help.

B. They enjoyed playing with him.

C. He was seriously wounded.

D. He was lonely and liked to be with people

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some people think that all wild animals are very dangerous. Actually, very few of them will attack a man if he leaves them alone. If you met a lion or an elephant, suppose, you would run away, but even a lion will keep away from a man unless it is very hungry. Lions and tigers only kill and eat men when they have grown too old and too weak to catch their usual food, such as deer and other small animals. If you saw a wild elephant, perhaps you would be frightened. Elephants usually run away at once unless you attack them. Some animals get very frightened if they only smell a man; some take no notice at all but quietly walk in another direction. Wild animals only attack hunters when they are afraid that the hunters mean to harm their young ones, or then the hunters shoot at them and make them angry.

1.The word “attack” is closest in meaning to _____________ .

2.Lions and tigers will not kill or eat men ____________ .

3. Some wild animals will become very dangerous ______________ .

4.This passage is mainly about______________ .

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

“With depressingly few exceptions, performances are dull and lack vitality…

After years of trying to convince myself otherwise, I now feel sure that ballet is dying.”

-----Jennifer Homans, Apollo’s Angels

Is ballet dead? Has the art form evolved to depression? Jennifer Homans’s conclusion to her fascinating history of ballet, Apollo’s Angels, is worrying.

It appears that ballet’s pulse continues to beat strongly, however, especially with a Tchaikovsky defibrillator attached. So why are some dance commentators arguing that ballet is dying? And do they have a point?

“Ballet is dead”----“Ballet is dying” ---all ring tones of Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical claim: “God is dead.” Headline grabbling, certainly. Yet can ballet be defined in such black and white terms? Surely it is more abstract, filled with shades of popular grey. 　 ①

To start with, how do you define ballet? What is ballet today? Consider popular modern classics like Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, where dancers wear pointy shoes and sneakers, combining contemporary and classical vocabulary together. Or closer to home, there is Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake, which layers elements of Petipa’s choreography(编舞) with a contemporary theme and aesthetic. Many contemporary choreographers all embrace classical form and principles, then manipulate(操纵) the rules. 　 ②　 .

The line between contemporary dance and ballet is vague. In an interview with The Telegraph (2015), British choreographer Mattew Bourne acknowledges that this “cross-fertilisation” between contemporary dance and ballet continues to grow, as evidenced by the rise in new commissions from contemporary choreographers at the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. Referring to Homans’s book, Bourne believes what has changed is that “the dance forms are coming closer together”. Not dying, but merging. Reinventing. This has been the case amongst Australasian ballet companies for many years now. 　 ③　 .

Homans writes that ballet’s decline began after the passing of Ashton and Balanchine. Something ahs changed, certainly. A stylisic transition----from neo-classical to contemporary ballet----has occurred. 　 ④

Our art form’s evolution has always been with extinction. Prominent dance critic with The New York Times, Alastair Macaulay, says: “ballet has died again and again over the centuries,” and yet, “phoenix-like, rose again from its ashes”. History shows there were periods where ballet hibernated and lacked popularity. This coincided with the art form’s changing forums.

So here is the irony: what sells best, still, are reproductions of Petipa’s classics. A season without a Tchaikovsky score is a financial risk. And without Nutcracker(《胡桃夹子》), half the ballet companies in North America would not exist. Admittedly, as a dancer, my favourite roles---Albrecht, Prince Siegfried and Romeo----were from the classical canon; I am a traditionalist at heart (who loves to be challenged by good contemporary ballets). A part of the charm behind classical repertoire, for me, was in reproducing the glories of past greats. Classical ballet’s framework supports the modern process of bench-marking.

Perhaps Jennifer Homans’s thoughts are not completely unfounded. Perhaps ballet is dying for some. Ballet’s evolution has been delayed by its audiences. And as Homans suggests in her epilogue, perhaps also by its creatives.

Now here is a bold prediction. In line with the Royal Ballet’s programming in Brisbane this year----of Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale, and Wayne MacGregor’s Woolf Works----over the next 20 years, ballet’s reliance on Petipa will decrease. Contemporary ballets and merge-styled ballets will produce their box-office influence ever more.

Why?

It is simple: our audiences will be ready for ballet to change again.

1.Why does the writer cite Jennifer Homans’s words at the beginning of the passage?

A. To support the writer’s viewpoint. B. To introduce the topic of the passage.

C. To highlight the theme of the passage D. To provide the background knowledge.

2.The sentence ‘Is this not ballet?” should be put in ______.

A. ① B. ②

C. ③ D. ④

3.Which of the following statements is a fact about ballet?

A. “Surely it is more abstract, filled with shades of popular grey.” (Para.3)

B. “The line between contemporary dance and ballet is vague.” (Para.5)

C. “Our art form’s evolution has always been with extinction.” (Para.7)

D. “What sells best, still, are reproductions of Petipa’s classics.” (Para.8).

4.According to Matthew Bourne, _____.

A. the dance forms remain unchanged

B. contemporary dance has reinvented classic ballet

C. ballet is experiencing growth and will continue to develop

D. a new form of ballet is widely accepted among Australians

5.The writer takes himself as an example in Paragraph 8 in order to show _____.

A. classics should be promoted

B. classics are still of great significance

C. classical ballet’s framework is out of date

D. contemporary ballets attract more audiences

6.What may be the audiences’ attitude to the change of ballet?

A. Supportive. B. Arbitrary.

C. Critical. D. Concerned

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从第36至第55小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Washoe is a young chimpanzee(黑猩猩). She is no 36 chimpanzee, though. Scientists are doing a research 37her. They want to see how civilized(驯化)she can 38 Already she does many things a human being can do.

　For example, she has been learning how to exchange 39with people. The scientists are teaching her 40language. When she wants to be picked 41, Washoe points up with one finger. She rubs her teeth with her finger 42she wants to brush her teeth. This is done after every meal.

　Washoe has also been 43to think out and find answers to problems. Once she was put in a 44with food hanging from the ceiling. It was too high to 45 . After she considered the 46 she got a tall box to stand 47The food was still too high to be reached.Washoe found a 48pole. Then she climbed onto the49, grasped the pole, and 50 down the food with the pole.

Washoe 51 like a human, too. The scientists keep her in a fully furnished(家具齐全的)house. After a hard 52in the laboratory, she goes home. 53 she plays with her toys. She 54 enjoys watching television before going to bed.

　Scientists hope to 55 more about people by studying our closest,relative(亲属)—chimpanzee.

1. A.foolish　　  B.ordinary　　  C.special　　   D.simple

2. A.for　　　　 B.by　　　　 C.to　　　  　 D.on

3.A.experience　   B.change　　　 C.develop　　  D.become

4. A.actions　　  B.views　　　  C.messages　　   D.feelings

5.A.sign　　　  B.human　　　 C.spoken　　   D.foreign

6.A.out　　　　 B.at　　　　 C.on　　　　  D.up

7.A.when　　　 B.until　　　   C.since　　　  D.while

8.A.raised　　  B.trained　　    C.ordered　　  D.led

9.A.cave　　　 B.zoo　　　　   C.room　　   D.museum

10.A.pull　　　  B.see　　　　  C.eat　　　   D.reach

11.A.problem　　B.position　　  C.food　　　  D.ceiling

12.A.by　　　　 B.on　　　　C.up　　　    D.with

13.A.straight　　   B.strong　　　 C.long　　　  D.big

14.A.wall　　　  B.box　　　　 C.ceiling　　  D.pole

15.A.knocked　　 B.picked　　　 C.took　　　  D.shook

16.A.lives　　　  B.acts　　　　 C.thinks　　   D.plays

17.A.task　　　  B.lesson　　　 C.day　　   　D.time

18.A.Here　　　 B.There　　　  C.So　　　    DThen

19.A.quite　　　 B.already　　   C.even　　　  D.still

20.A.observe　　B.discover　　   C.gain　　　  D.learn

高三英语完型填空简单题查看答案及解析

The giant panda is an animal unique to China, and Wolong in Sichuan Province is one of the few places in China where ______.

A. the giant panda live                B. lives the giant panda

C. does the giant live                   C. the giant panda is living

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

One moment it was quiet and calm in the forest, the next, the air was charged with tension. The elephant had heard the distant alarm calls of animals and her mood suddenly changed. I urged the elephant deeper into the forest. We sounded like a forest fire-crackling, snapping, trailblazing. But through all the noise came a sharp warning cry. The elephant stopped and we heard it again — the tell-tale call of a spotted deer.

I looked quickly around the shadows of the forest. Rays of sunlight shone through tree branches, beneath which the patchwork (交错) of green plants and shadows-within-shadows would make tiger stripes (条纹) look more attractive. Apart from an occasional noise from the elephant’s stomach, the forest was silent.

Gradually, the tension slipped from our bodies. The elephant seized a nearby branch and put it into her mouth. I reached forward and gently moved my hand over the elephant’s neck; there was a soft part, free of wrinkles and hairs, behind her ear.

This was my fourth time to sense the aura of the forest in Corbett, although I saw no tigers in the end. Located at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, Corbett is home to about 135 Bengal tigers, but the forest seemed to be guarding their whereabouts(出没处), a silent reminder of their secrecy and rarity. Still, I was happy enough touching the elephant behind the ear. If I had so desperately wanted to see a tiger, I could have gone to a zoo. After all, spotting tigers merely confirms their beauty; tracking them can make you aware of something more.

1.Which of the following was a clear signal of alarm?

A. The elephant stopped.

B. A spotted deer called.

C. The elephant seized a branch.

D. The forest was silent for a while.

2.The author begins his account of the tour in the forest mainly by ____________.

A. describing various sounds

B. comparing different animals

C. listing different activities

D. introducing various plants

3.What does the underlined part ＂to sense the aura＂ most probably mean?

A. To see the diversity.

B. To enjoy the scenery.

C. To feel the atmosphere.

D. To experience the freedom.

4.How does the author feel after several visits to Corbett?

A. Seeing a Bengal tiger is quite thrilling.

B. It is very time-consuming to travel in Corbett.

C. It is really worthwhile to study the animals in Corbett.

D. The process of finding Bengal tigers is most appealing.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One moment it was quiet and calm in the forest, the next, the air was charged with tension. The elephant had heard the distant alarm calls of animals and her mood suddenly changed. I urged the elephant deeper into the forest. We sounded like a forest fire --- cracking, snapping, trailblazing. But through all the noise came a sharp warning cry. The elephant stopped and we heard it again --- the tell-tale call of a spotted deer.

I looked quickly around the shadows of the forest. Rays of sunlight shone through tree branches, beneath which the patchwork（交错）of green plants and shadows-within-shadows would make tiger stripes（条纹）look more attractive. Apart from an occasional noise from the elephant’s stomach, the forest was silent.

Gradually, the tension slipped from our bodies. The elephant seized a nearby branch and put it into its mouth. I reached forward and gently moved my hand over the elephant’s neck; there was a soft part, free of wrinkles and hairs, behind her ear.

This was my fourth time to sense the aura of the forest in Corbett, although I saw no tigers in the end. Located at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, Corbett is home to about 135 Bengal tigers, but the forest seemed to be guarding their whereabouts（出没处）, a silent reminder of their secrecy and rarity. Still, I was happy enough touching the elephant behind the ear. If I had so desperately wanted to see a tiger, I could have gone to a zoo. After all, spotting tigers merely confirms their beauty; tracking them can make you aware of something more.

1.Which of the following was a clear signal of alarm?

A. The elephant stopped.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

B. A spotted deer called.

C. The elephant seized a branch.　　　　　　　　　　

D. The forest was silent for a while.

2.The author begins his account of the tour in the forest mainly by _______.

A. describing various sounds　　　　　　　　　　　　

B. comparing different animals

C. listing different activities　　　　　　　　　　　　

D. introducing various plants

3.What does the underlined part “to sense the aura” most probably mean?

A. To see the diversity.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

B. To enjoy the scenery.

C. To feel the atmosphere.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

D. To experience the freedom.

4.How does the author feel after several visits to Corbett?

A. Seeing a Bengal tiger is quite thrilling.

B. It is very time-consuming to travel in Corbett.

C. It is really worthwhile to study the animals in Corbett.

D. The process of finding Bengal tigers is most appealing.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析