The team of researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, is designing and building an app to help farmers in hot climates identify and record the spread of locusts(蝗虫) on their land.
By recognizing locusts through the smartphone’s camera, the app will be able to identify the stage of the insect's growth and record its location. This information can then be utilized so that the farmers can use pesticides(杀虫剂) more accurately in the early stages of their life time, greatly reducing the amount of crop damage.
This approach could also reduce remaining pesticide levels, leading to increased food safety while maintaining food security and protecting nearby water systems.
“Each year, approximately 18 million hectares of land are damaged by locusts, influencing hugely farmers and their productivity, explains Dr. Bashir Al-Diri from the School of Computer Science at the University of Lincoln.” Their monitoring techniques currently rely on field surveys by people through digging insect eggs, but this information only helps farmers to make mid and long-term forecasting decisions and can delay effective management measures. By digitally recording the exact number, age and location of locusts, we hope this new app will put more knowledge and more power into the hands of the farmers.
Dr. Al-Diri and his team of computer scientists work with the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology at the University of Lincoln, aiming to support and improve productivity, efficiency and farming through research, education and new technology.
With advanced technology, the developers hope that the app will also be used for a wide range in the future to capture and document information about the natural world. For example, it could easily be adapted to help individuals identify plant diseases or to digitally capture the number and type of birds and wildlife in specific locations as part of national and international surveys.
1.What do we know about the app mentioned in the passage?
A.It has helped farmers record the spread of locusts.
B.It will be of great use for farmers in hot climates.
C.It may cost the farmers more than they expect.
D.It will remind farmers of what the locusts look like.
2.Which can replace the underlined word "utilized” in the passage?
A.Accessed. B.Controlled.
C.Arranged. D.Progressed.
3.What can we know according to Dr. Bashir Al-Diri?
A.Farmers don't know how to deal with locusts.
B.Their techniques can be used to dig insect eggs.
C.Farmers suffer greatly because of locusts.
D.Some steps must be taken before using the app.
4.What is the purpose of Al-Diri and his team?
A.To check if the app is useful in killing locusts.
B.To educate farmers on how to protect themselves.
C.To assist in raising agricultural production level.
D.To direct farmers to change their farming methods.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
The team of researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, is designing and building an app to help farmers in hot climates identify and record the spread of locusts(蝗虫) on their land.
By recognizing locusts through the smartphone’s camera, the app will be able to identify the stage of the insect's growth and record its location. This information can then be utilized so that the farmers can use pesticides(杀虫剂) more accurately in the early stages of their life time, greatly reducing the amount of crop damage.
This approach could also reduce remaining pesticide levels, leading to increased food safety while maintaining food security and protecting nearby water systems.
“Each year, approximately 18 million hectares of land are damaged by locusts, influencing hugely farmers and their productivity, explains Dr. Bashir Al-Diri from the School of Computer Science at the University of Lincoln.” Their monitoring techniques currently rely on field surveys by people through digging insect eggs, but this information only helps farmers to make mid and long-term forecasting decisions and can delay effective management measures. By digitally recording the exact number, age and location of locusts, we hope this new app will put more knowledge and more power into the hands of the farmers.
Dr. Al-Diri and his team of computer scientists work with the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology at the University of Lincoln, aiming to support and improve productivity, efficiency and farming through research, education and new technology.
With advanced technology, the developers hope that the app will also be used for a wide range in the future to capture and document information about the natural world. For example, it could easily be adapted to help individuals identify plant diseases or to digitally capture the number and type of birds and wildlife in specific locations as part of national and international surveys.
1.What do we know about the app mentioned in the passage?
A.It has helped farmers record the spread of locusts.
B.It will be of great use for farmers in hot climates.
C.It may cost the farmers more than they expect.
D.It will remind farmers of what the locusts look like.
2.Which can replace the underlined word "utilized” in the passage?
A.Accessed. B.Controlled.
C.Arranged. D.Progressed.
3.What can we know according to Dr. Bashir Al-Diri?
A.Farmers don't know how to deal with locusts.
B.Their techniques can be used to dig insect eggs.
C.Farmers suffer greatly because of locusts.
D.Some steps must be taken before using the app.
4.What is the purpose of Al-Diri and his team?
A.To check if the app is useful in killing locusts.
B.To educate farmers on how to protect themselves.
C.To assist in raising agricultural production level.
D.To direct farmers to change their farming methods.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
An international team of researchers from the University of Oxford have found that the way people use the Internet is closely tied to the seasonal movements in the natural world. Their online species searches follow the patterns of seasonal animal migrations (迁徙).
Migratory birds (候鸟) flood back to where they reproduce every spring. That migratory behavior is accompanied by some human behavior. “In English-language Wikipedia (维基百科), the online searches for migratory species tend to increase in spring when those birds arrive in the United States,” said the lead author John Mittermeier.
And not just birds. Mittermeier and his team surveyed nearly 2.5 billion Wikipedia search records, for 32,000 species, across 245 languages. They also saw variable search rates for insects, horsetails and flowering plants. Seasonal trends seemed to be widespread in Wikipedia behavior for many species of plants and animals.
This finding suggests new ways to monitor changes in the world’s biological diversity. It also shows new ways to see how much people care about nature, and which species and areas might be the most effective targets for conservation.
Mittermeier is encouraged by the search results. He commented, “I think there’s a concern among conservationists (生态环境保护者) that people are losing touch with the natural world and that they’re not interacting with native species anymore. And so in that sense, it was really exciting and quite unexpected for me to see people’s Wikipedia interest closely related to changes in nature.”
Richard Grenyer, Associate Professor from the University of Oxford, says search data is useful to conservation biologists, “By using these big data approaches, we can direct our attention towards the difficult questions in modern conservation: which species and areas are changing, and where are the people who care the most and can do the most to help.”
1.What have researchers found about species searches?
A. They strengthen ties among people.
B. They affect the animal movements.
C. They differ in language backgrounds.
D. They reflect animal migration seasons.
2.What is the purpose of writing Paragraph 3?
A. To summarize the research process.
B. To further support the research findings.
C. To show the variety of species searches.
D. To present researchers’ heavy work load.
3.How does Mittermeier feel about the search results?
A. Satisfied with Wikipedia’s service.
B. Worried about Wikipedia behavior.
C. Amazed at people’s care about nature.
D. Sad about people’s not getting close to nature.
4.Why does Richard think such search data is useful?
A. It helps to aim at conservation targets.
B. It increases interest in big data approaches.
C. It keeps track of trends in biologists’work.
D. It pushes people to solve difficult problems.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A team of researchers in the UK has shown that children who were taken to the library more often and owned more books at two years old achieved higher scores in school tests when they began primary school. The research also showed that although social background has a noticeable effect on a child’s readiness for school, attending pre-school and having their parents teach them a wide range of activities have a positive effect---while extended exposure to television lowers their scores.
“One message coming through loud and clear is that how a child learns in his very early years is critical (至关重要的) for a smooth transition into the educational system,” said Professor James Law. “This is a very positive message, as it gets us away from the belief that a child’s educational future is pre-determined by standard measures of socio-economic disadvantage, such as income, housing, or the mother’s education.”
Data from the study shows that children from a positive communication environment had a better expressive vocabulary by their second birthday. These children went on to achieve higher scores in language, reading and maths tests when they entered school. In the early years, the communication environment was a better predictor of children’s success with language than their general social background.
Most children develop speech and language effortlessly, but some are slow to acquire these skills and go on to struggle with literacy (读写能力) and academic skills throughout their schooling. This project set out to uncover what factors contributed to these problems.
Professor Sue Roulstone said, “These findings are an encouragement to all parents to provide a positive communication environment for their children from the very start of their lives. The project did identify particular aspects of the communication environment, such as having children’s books around and not having the television on too much. But the main message is that, as parents, we can have an impact on how our children learn to talk by providing a range of communication experiences. And the better our children are at talking by the age of two years, the better they will do when they start school.”
1.According to the passage, what is the most important factor contributing to children’s success at school? _____.
A. Their general social background.
B. Being taken to a library as early as possible.
C. Being involved in various activities.
D. Their communication environment.
2.From the research, Professor James Law concluded that _____.
A. children could naturally have a smooth transition into the educational system
B. the very early years had a big effect on children’s school performance
C. communication with children after they were over two years old was more effective
D. children’s educational future was pre-determined by their parents’ social position
3.The study shows that two-year-old children who have a positive communication environment do better in _____.
A. maths B. reading
C. writing D. speaking
4.What is implied in the passage? _____.
A. The research could help children who suffer from learning difficulties.
B. Parents should take their children to school as early as possible.
C. Teachers should teach children how to communicate with their parents.
D. Children who have good language abilities will not have difficulties in class.
5. People can most probably find this passage in the _____section of a website.
A. environment B. education
C. lifestyle D. Science
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.
Shakespeare uses a linguistic（语言的）technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb．Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence．This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）together．If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game．But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited．By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”
Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak．The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.
1．The research conducted by the professors has showed that ___________.
A．Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers
B．Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.
C．Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.
D．Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable
2．Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?
A．technique B．word C．brain C．sentence
3．In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state___________.
A．the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique
B．a sense of drama created by playing the game
C．the Shakespeare’s thinking process
D．the brain’s reaction to reading a book
4．Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in_______.
A．language used in plays B．characters showed in works
C．brain activity increased in reading D．thinking process when writing
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.
Shakespeare uses a linguistic（语言的）technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb. Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence. This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）together. If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game. But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited. By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”
Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak. The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.
1.The research conducted by the professors has showed that ________.
A. Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers
B. Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.
C. Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.
D. Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable
2.Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?
A. technique B. word C. brain C. sentence
3.In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state________.
A. the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique
B. a sense of drama created by playing the game
C. the Shakespeare’s thinking process
D. the brain’s reaction to reading a book
4.Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in ________.
A. language used in plays B. characters showed in works
C. brain activity increased in reading D. thinking process when writing
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A team of farmers, university researchers and environmentalists is busy at work in the wetlands of eastern England. They are digging into the area’s wheat fields, looking for wet earth that could hide lost ponds underneath. It takes the group of diggers just a few hours to revive (使复活) one dying pond. It’s near Hindolveston, a thousand-year-old village close to the North Sea.
“As soon as the buried ponds get water and light, they just spring to life,” says Nick Anema, a farmer in nearby Dereham. He’s brought seven ponds on his farm back to life. “Frogs and all the insects like dragonflies can be seen here again,” he said.
But the battle for the wetlands is a struggle. While efforts to stop losses are continuing, wetlands around the world are still being filled in and covered up. Over the past three centuries, almost 90% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared. The loss rate has increased since the 1970s, with wetlands now disappearing three times faster than, the world’s forests.
Some 5,000 wetland-dependent animal species could die out because of such losses. Wetland loss can also affect human beings. Wetlands act as natural storage areas for water. Losing those areas could lead to more severe flooding in many parts of the world. And the act of removing water from wetlands can release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to climate change.
Human-made wetlands, however, aren’t decreasing in number. Rice fields, water reservoirs and agricultural stock ponds have all increased since the 1970s. Yet scientists are concerned about this phenomenon. “People brag (自夸) about the fact that there’s been no net loss (净损失) of wetlands. But what they’ve done is destroy natural wetlands and create artificial ones,” says Stuart Pimm, a Duke University professor. “It makes it look like you’re doing no harm when the reality is very different.”
1.What’s the team’s work in eastern England intended for?
A.Digging wet earth for research. B.Researching into an old village.
C.Bringing dying ponds back to life. D.Finding wetlands created by people.
2.What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
A.Various functions of wetlands. B.Serious consequences of wetland loss.
C.Wetlands’ key role in climate change. D.Wetlands’ importance to living things.
3.Which of the following reflects Stuart Purim’s opinion?
A.Artificial wetlands can’t replace natural ones.
B.Creating artificial wetlands upsets the balance of nature.
C.Keeping the total number of various kinds of wetlands is important.
D.It’s important to balance the numbers of natural wetlands and artificial ones.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Seeking for More Wetlands B.Saving the World’s Wetlands
C.Causes of Wetlands’ Disappearance D.Natural Wetlands vs. Artificial Wetlands
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new study, a project of the researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, finds the fitness tracker probably does not help with weight loss.
The devices are designed to record your physical activity. They are usually worn around the wrist, where they measure a person’s heart rate. The research team looked at two groups of individuals. The first wore a fitness tracker and took part in health counseling (咨询) with experts to consider the best weight-loss plan. The researchers compared this group with people who only got health counseling.
The study found that those only speaking with the health experts lost nearly 6 kilograms, but those using a fitness tracker lost only 3.5 kilograms. John Jakicic, the lead researcher, questioned the use of electronic devices for weight control in place of “effective behavioral counseling for physical activity and diet. ”
The study involved 470 subjects aged between 18 and 35. Some of them were overweight, while others were considered obese (肥胖的). Over three fourths of the subjects were women. All the subjects were told to increase physical activity and start on a low-calorie diet. They had their weight measured once every six months. After six months, researchers divided the group into two parts: one continued with monthly counseling, while members of the other group were given a fitness tracker. Eighteen months later, both groups “showed significant improvements in fitness, physical activity, and diet,” with no major difference between groups. However, when it came to losing weight, the people who only spoke with experts lost nearly twice as much weight.
Jakicic said, “the study’s findings are important because effective long-term treatments are needed to address America’s obesity. ” More information is needed, he added, to learn how to best use these devices to change “physical activity and diet behaviors” in adults who want to lose weight.
1.All the subjects in the study were asked to ________.
A. start on a high-calorie diet B. wear a fitness tracker
C. increase physical activities D. record their heart rates
2.Why does Jakicic think the findings are important?
A. Wearing fitness trackers hardly helps people lose weight.
B. Physical activity and diet have no effect on weight loss.
C. Handling obesity requires effective long-term treatments.
D. There are great differences in fitness between both groups.
3.What can we infer about the study mentioned in the text?
A. The study went on for about two years.
B. More than 120 men took part in the study.
C. Health counseling helps lose almost 6 kilograms.
D. Wearing a fitness tracker is useful for keeping slim.
4.The purpose of the text is to ________.
A. describe how the researchers were conducting the study
B. indicate regular counseling for weight control is necessary
C. convince readers to wear fitness trackers for weight control
D. warn women are more likely to suffer from weight problems
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Empathy
Last year, researchers from the University of Michigan reported that empathy, the ability to understand other people, among college students had dropped sharply over the past 10 years. __71__ Today, people spend more time alone and are less likely to join groups and clubs.
Jennifer Freed, a co-director of a teen program, has another explanation. Turn on the TV, and you’re showered with news and reality shows full of people fighting, competing, and generally treating one another with no respect. __72__
There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples. Humans are socially related by nature. __73__ Researchers have also found that empathetic teenagers are more likely to have high self-respect. Besides, empathy can be a cure for loneliness, sadness, anxiety, and fear.
Empathy is also an indication of a good leader. In fact, Freed says, many top companies report that empathy is one of the most important things they look for in new managers. __74__ “Academics are important. But if you don’t have emotional intelligence, you won’t be as successful in work or in your love life,” she says.
What’s the best way to up your EQ (情商）? For starters, let down your guard and really listen to others. __75__
To really develop empathy, you’d better volunteer at a nursing home or a hospital, join a club or a team that has a diverse membership, have a “sharing circle” with your family, or spend time caring for pets at an animal shelter.
| A．Everyone is different, and levels of empathy differ from person to person. |
| B．Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human—and having empathy is decisive to those relationships. |
| C．Humans learn by example—and most of the examples on it are anything but empathetic. |
| D．“One doesn’t develop empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking,” Freed says. |
E. Empathy is a matter of learning how to understand someone else—both what they think and how they feel.
F. Good social skills—including empathy—are a kind of “emotional intelligence” that will help you succeed in many areas of life.
G. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time, the researchers said.
高三英语信息匹配中等难度题查看答案及解析
Empathy
Last year, researchers from the University of Michigan reported that empathy, the ability to understand other people, among college students had dropped sharply over the past 10 years. __71__ Today, people spend more time alone and are less likely to join groups and clubs.
Jennifer Freed, a co-director of a teen program, has another explanation. Turn on the TV, and you’re showered with news and reality shows full of people fighting, competing, and generally treating one another with no respect. __72__
There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples. Humans are socially related by nature. __73__ Researchers have also found that empathetic teenagers are more likely to have high self-respect. Besides, empathy can be a cure for loneliness, sadness, anxiety, and fear.
Empathy is also an indication of a good leader. In fact, Freed says, many top companies report that empathy is one of the most important things they look for in new managers. __74__ “Academics are important. But if you don’t have emotional intelligence, you won’t be as successful in work or in your love life,” she says.
What’s the best way to up your EQ (情商）? For starters, let down your guard and really listen to others. __75__
To really develop empathy, you’d better volunteer at a nursing home or a hospital, join a club or a team that has a diverse membership, have a “sharing circle” with your family, or spend time caring for pets at an animal shelter.
| A．Everyone is different, and levels of empathy differ from person to person. |
| B．Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human—and having empathy is decisive to those relationships. |
| C．Humans learn by example—and most of the examples on it are anything but empathetic. |
| D．“One doesn’t develop empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking,” Freed says. |
E. Empathy is a matter of learning how to understand someone else—both what they think and how they feel.
F. Good social skills—including empathy—are a kind of “emotional intelligence” that will help you succeed in many areas of life.
G. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time, the researchers said.
高三英语信息匹配困难题查看答案及解析
七选五。
Last year，researchers from the University of Michigan reported that empathy，the ability to understand other people，among college students had dropped sharply over the past 10 years. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time，the researchers said.
1. Jennifer Freed，a co-director of a teen program，has another explanation. Turn on the TV，and you're showered with news and reality shows full of people fighting，competing，and generally treating one another with no respect. 2.
There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples.Humans are socially related by nature. Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human — and having empathy is decisive to those relationships. Research ers have also found that empathetic teenagers are more likely to have high self-respect. 3.
Empathy is also an indication of a good leader.In fact，Freed says，many top companies report that empathy is one of the most important things they look for in new managers. 4. “Academics are important.But if you don't have emotional （情感的） intelligence，you won't be as successful in work or in your love life，” she says.
What's the best way to up your EQ （情商）? For starters，let down your guard and really listen to others. 5.
To really develop empathy，you'd better volunteer at a nursing home or a hospital，join a club or a team that has a diverse membership，have a “sharing circle” with your family，or spend time caring for pets at an animal shelter.
A. Today，people spend more time alone and are less likely to join groups and clubs.
B. “One doesn't develo p empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking，” Freed
says.
C. Humans learn by example and most of the examples on it are anything but empathetic.
D. Empathy is a matter of learning how to understand someone else — both what they think and
how they feel.
E. Good social skills, including empathy, are a kind of “emotional intelligence” that will help
you succeed in many areas of life.
F. Besides，empathy can be a cure for loneliness，sadness，anxiety，and fear.
G. Everyone is different，and levels of empathy differ from person to person.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析