One day, “supercharged plants” may help feed ...

One day, “supercharged plants” may help feed people around the world. Supercharged plants are ones that grow faster than normal plant life. Scientists can speed up the growth by modifying, or changing, the structure of plants’ genes. The modifications make them react quickly to changes in light. This all has to do with photosynthesis（光合作用）, the process in which plants turn sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into food.

Plants grow fastest in the sun. That is when they make the most food for themselves. But their rate of growth can slow when things like clouds or trees block sunlight. But when the sun returns, it can take many minutes for growth to speed up again. This can be a problem because it means some of our most important crop plants are not as productive as they could be.

Steve Long, a plant biologist with the University of Illinois, wanted to find a way to help plants get back up to speed quickly after a period of darkness. So he and his team added genes that shortened the recovery time. It also increased the speed at which the plants grew. His modified plants grew up to 20 percent more than untreated ones.

"This finding, where we've just made one modification that has boosted crop yield, is really a boost to the whole area, because everyone else working on photosynthesis can now see that if we can improve photosynthetic efficiency in crops, we will get more yield.” Long wrote in a magazine article.

In Long's study, his group used a form of genetic engineering called transgenics. It means taking genes from one plant, then putting them into another. There is a scientific debate about whether transgenics is a good idea or not.

Matthew Reynolds from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center spoke to VOA on Skype. “The increased rates of production noted by Long's team are impressive.” He has some hope about the process. But he also has questions. "What is the downside? Why have the plants not done that before? And we always ask those questions when we see something that looks a bit too good to be true..."

Long's group worked with tobacco plants because they are easy to study. Now they are experimenting with rice, soybeans, cowpeas, and cassava – four important food crops. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided money for the study. The organization says any new technology approved from this research will be made freely available to farmers in Africa and South Asia.

1.What’s the purpose of Steve Long’s experiment with tobacco?

A.To make plants healthier and more productive than before.

B.To help plants grow quickly after the sun returns.

C.To shorten the time that plants adapt themselves to light.

D.To increase crop yield through modifying plants’ genes.

2.Which of the following is not included in the process of Long’s experiment?

A.genes are added to some tobacco plants.

B.Experiments are being conducted with rice and soybeans.

C.Some crop plants are not as productive as they could be.

D.Improved photosynthetic efficiency means more yield.

3.What can we learn about Long’s group and his study from the passage?

A.The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has financed Longs group.

B.VOA interviewed Steve Long on Skype about his group and his study.

C.The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center approved of his study.

D.Matthew Reynolds didn’t believe the production rates noted by Long’s group.

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A.Transgenics May Cause a Scientific Debate

B.Photosynthesis May Improve Crop Production

C.Supercharged Plants May Mean More Crop Yield

D.Genetic Modifications May Help Plants Grow Better

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

One day, “supercharged plants” may help feed people around the world. Supercharged plants are ones that grow faster than normal plant life. Scientists can speed up the growth by modifying, or changing, the structure of plants' genes. The modifications make them react quickly to changes in light. This all has to do with photosynthesis(光合作用), the process in which plants turn sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into food.

Plants grow fastest in the sun. That is when they make the most food for themselves. But their rate of growth can slow when things like clouds or trees block sunlight. But when the sun returns, it can take many minutes for growth to speed up again.

This can be a problem because it means some of our most important crop plants are not as productive as they could be. Researchers say demand for food is expected to increase up to 70 percent by the middle of the century. They also note rising temperatures on Earth's surface. That is why they are looking for ways to improve photosynthesis and make plants more productive.

Steve Long is a plant biologist at the University of Illinois. He wanted to find a way to help plants get back up to speed quickly after a period of darkness. So he and his team added genes that shortened the recovery time. It also increased the speed at which the plants grew. His modified plants grew up to 20 percent more than untreated ones.

In Long's study, his group used a form of genetic engineering called transgenics (转基因). It means taking genes from one plant, then putting them into another. Now they are experimenting soybeans, rice, cowpeas and cassavas.

1.What is the advantage of supercharged plants?

A. They can grow more quickly.

B. They can grow in severe conditions.

C. They can offer high-quality grains.

D. They can replace normal plants.

2.What can make plant growth slow down?

A. Too hot weather. B. Old farming methods.

C. Lack of sunlight. D. Too much sunlight.

3.What was Steve Long's goal in his study?

A. To find out what makes plants grow slowly.

B. To create a new plant that can grow with weak sunlight.

C. To find another way to help plants benefit each other.

D. To make plants recover quickly when the sun returns.

4.How can researchers shorten the recovery time of plants?

A. By changing their nature. B. By adding new genes to them.

C. By developing new plants. D. By supplying more sunlight.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain(徒劳). Later, when the potatoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field always had Nancy’s ring in his mind.

Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.

1.How did Nancy come to lose her ring?

A. She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field

B. She lost it while working in the field.

C. She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field.

D. She lost it while watering the plants in the field.

2.Why did people keep looking for the ring even after the farm changed hands?

A. They all loved Nancy.

B. They all wanted to solve the mystery.

C. It was a very expensive ring

D. Everybody wanted to have this ring.

3.What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?

A. He picked it up and put it in his pocket.

B. He ran back to tell everybody in the village.

C. He placed it in a secret spot.

D. He returned it to the owner.

4.What can you infer from the story?

A. The ring was invaluable.

B. The ring’s disappearance was the work of supernatural power.

C. People on the farm were honest and helpful.

D. Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

He helps his neighbors, and _______ he gets much help from people around.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

One day around 5:30 pm, I was going home on a bus and everybody on the bus was quiet.  People had just 36  from work, students had just finished their 37class and everybody was a little 38from a long day. I was just looking outside of the 39 without any specific（具体的）thought in my mind. It was the same 40 I have seen many times before, people hurrying home.

In front of me, there was a guy who didn’t look very clean. 41 he was looking out of the window, he suddenly 42 to me and pointed at something outside. “Hey, look! ”He had a big smile on his face. I turned to the 43he was pointing in and there it was the beautiful Catalina mountains burning with a beautiful 44 . He turned to other people on the bus and told them to look at the mountains. He 45 “Wow” and “It’s so beautiful” again and again. Everybody on the bus 46 the view indeed.

The 47 view also helped me to 48 my long tiring day with a good feeling in my heart. But, more 49 , I was so inspired to see that this man wanted to50 the beautiful view with everybody on the bus, totally strangers. His 51 act made me accidentally find something that I had lost which I didn’t even know I had lost. He made me 52 that I had lost the feelings and the 53I used to have every day. In my daily life, many things had 54their color and movement, but he55me that things are still there—they never get lost.

1.A.  given up      B.  got off            C.  gone on                 D     stopped by

高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Around 5:30 p.m., I was on the bus one day and everybody on the bus was quiet. People had just 36 from work, students had just finished their 37 class and everybody was a little 38  from a long day. It wasn't a particularly good day for me  as I was feeling quite tired too. I was just looking outside of the 39 without any specific thought in my mind. It was the same 40I had seen many times before, people hurrying home.

In front of me, there was a guy sitting in the seat who didn't look too clean. 41  he was looking out of the window, the guy suddenly 42 to me and pointed at something outside. "Hey, look." He had a big smile on his face. I turned to the 43  he was pointing to and there it was ---- the beautiful Catalina mountains burning with a beautiful 44 . The mountains were coated with bright pink light and shadows. He turned to other people on the bus and told them to look at the mountains. He 45

" Wow" and " It's so beautiful" again and again. Everybody on the bus46the views indeed.

The 47 view also helped me to 48my long tiring day with a good feeling in my heart. But, more 49, I was so inspired to see that this man wanted to 50the beautiful view with everybody on the bus, total strangers. His 51 act made me accidentally find something that I had lost which I didn't even know I had lost. He made me 52 that I had lost the feelings and the excitement I53 have everyday. In my daily life, many things had 54  their color and movement. But he 55 me that things are still there ---- they never get lost.

1.A. gone by         B. got off        C. given up      D. taken up

2.A morning         B. important      C. last           D. boring

3.A. excited          B. tired          C. puzzled       D. disappointed

4.A. window         B. classroom     C. mountain     D. city

5.A. people          B. bus           C. trouble       D. view

6. A. So             B. Once          C. As          D. If

7.A. referred         B. attended       C. turned       D. objected

8.A. finger          B. driver          C. direction     D. sky

9.A. sunset .         B. memory        C. sunrise       D. journey

10. A. wrote          B. followed        C. discussed     D. repeated

11.A. enjoyed        B. impressed       C. described      D. recorded

12. A. amazing        B. full            C. same         D. simple

13. A. save           B. hate            C. challenge      D. end

14. A. fortunately      B. naturally        C. beautifully     D. importantly

15. A. share          B. connect          C. compare      D. comment

16. A. final           B. kind            C. violent        D. direct

17.A. decide         B. believe          C. realize        D. learn

18. A. used to         B. was used to      C. got used to     D. used

19.A. increased       B. showed         C. faded         D. lost

20. A. warned         B. reminded        C. advised       D. persuaded

高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Unexpected things may happen every day but no one can tell when and where. People usually get surprised or frightened by such things.

One day I 36 a taxi to go to a meeting. As it came near the corner, the taxi stopped suddenly.The 37   got out looking very puzzled(迷惑). A big 38which had been following the taxi stopped, too. The taxi driver was now 39at the corner looking up 40 the sky and the truck driver got out and 41  him. A number of cars behind them were 42to stop as well and a large crowd of people had 43at the corner.

The cause of all this 44was a very strange noise. It 45as if thousands and thousands of 46were chirping（鸣叫）.The sound of so 47 birds toghter was quite surprising and many people looked 48 . The most extraordinary thing was that,except one or two 49 , there was not a bird in 50 . No one was able to know why — 51 two policemen arrived on the scene. They walked all around the area for a while and then went over near the railroad tracks beside a big board advertisement(广告)for a 52. Since the noise seemed to be coming from around there, they climbed up and found that two loudspeakers had been 53 behind the advertisement.The bird noises were being broadcast to 54  attention to the film advertisement.

The cinema that made this advertisement was 55 to take the loudspeakers away, because they caused trouble and people were tired of them.

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5.

6.

7.

8.

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11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

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17.

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.

高二英语完型填空简单题查看答案及解析

Putting more green space around an elementary school may help students develop some mental abilities, a study suggests.

Researchers tested students repeatedly over the course of a year on attentiveness and working memory, which is the ability to keep something in mind temporarily for performing a task. The study tracked more than 2,000 students in 36 primary schools in Barcelona, Spain. The pupils were in the second to fourth grade when the study began. Overall, students whose schools are surrounded by more green space improve more pupils from schools with less green space.

“Policy makers should know that more green space around the school is better for cognitive (认知的) development and that they should make sure that kids can see and play in green areas,” one author, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen of the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, said in an email. “Existing urban schools should think about replacing concrete or other hard surfaces with green space, and even a few trees may help,” he suggested.

The researchers used satellite images to group schools according to how much green space appeared on the school ground and within about 55 yards of the school’s surrounding property. Their analysis indicated that differences in socioeconomic factors between schools did not account for the study outcome.

Sally Augustin, a psychologist in La Grange Park, Illinois, who used research on how people react to their surroundings to consult on design of buildings, products and services, said the results make sense to her. Augustin, who did not participate in the new study, said the results fit with previous findings that views of nature help children and adults lower stress and perform mental tasks better.

1.What do we know about the findings of the study?

A. Attentiveness (专注) is the most important quality for students.

B. A good memory enables students to perform a task better.

C. More green space may help the mental development of students.

D. Schools surrounded by more green space are favored by parents.

2.According to Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, policy makers should _______.

A. reduce the noise near the school

B. reduce air pollution from vehicles

C. provide more green space for kids

D. encourage kids to play more sports

3.How are the schools classified by the researchers?

A. By green space.　　 B. By test scores.

C. By size.　　 D. By position.

4.Why is Augustin mentioned in the passage?

A. To introduce another interesting study.

B. To make the findings of the study more convincing.

C. To present new evidence for the study.

D. To show a different viewpoint.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Bamboo is one of the nature’s most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains.

Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.

Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables(绳索) that hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong.

In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills(钻) can help to make the poor thirsty fields to be watered.

1.How is bamboo like grass?

A．It is thin and easy to cut.                  B．It grows everywhere.

C．It grows quickly after its cut short.           D．It is short and green.

2.The underlined sentence “while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across.” means “Some other bamboo plants may grow to be very _______.”

A．short             B．strong            C．thick             D．tall

3.From the text we know ______.

A．most people call bamboo plant trees

B．a bamboo plant may grow 4.5 meters in three days

C．the bamboo plant changes its colors when it grows

D．a bridge held by bamboo cable was built thousands of years ago

4.Why did the engineers teach the poor farmers in Africa to make use of bamboo?

A．Because it is cheap.                      B．Because it is colorful.

C．Because it drills fast.                     D．Because it is used by Asians.

5.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．There are many different kinds of bamboo with different colors.

B．Cables made of bamboo can last for over a thousand years.

C．Bamboo can be used for buildings, bridges and watering projects.

D．Bamboo plants are able to grow well in any part of the world.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Sometimes people around you can change your life. The change may not be sudden or_______, but little habits can produce big _______that make you think about what is important in your life. The person who changed my life is Julia Masi. She has_______ me so many things that I will carry with me_______my life.

One thing I've learned from Julia is how to balance_______. Julia has shown me how to _______ahead so that I can finish all my school work, enjoy sports and_______ have time for my friends. She has taught me that you can do anything if you are_______ and if you never give up. I've also learned that you can find anything fun or _______if you connect it with something that you enjoy.

Last year I hated studying vocabulary, but I loved playing on my computer. Julia ________the two and showed me a website called “freerice.com” where you can________a word game that gives you 5 grains of rice to donate to the poor with every correct word. She ________me to learn a hundred new ________by filling up the rice bowl. I liked playing the game so much that I ________about 1,000 words in just one month.

Julia has always _________me to try new hobbies. She showed me that going to the theater could help me become a better writer.__________, she taught me that discussing a play can excite an interest in reading.

________it wasn't for Julia I probably wouldn't have________how easy it is to help the poor. There are so many ways that one person can ________. I've learned to be more appreciative of what I own. I am ________for the opportunities that I have been given. I will continue to think of ways to help those less fortunate for the rest of my life.

1.A. impressive　　 B. simple　　 C. necessary　　 D. slight

2.A. results　　 B. ideas　　 C. problems　　 D. decisions

3.A. bought　　 B. served　　 C. offered　　 D. taught

4.A. throughout　　 B. of　　 C. for　　 D. into

5.A. work　　 B. money　　 C. time　　 D. career

6.A. plan　　 B. get　　 C. move　　 D. stay

7.A. never　　 B. seldom　　 C. still　　 D. yet

8.A. excited　　 B. careful　　 C. determined　　 D. patient

9.A. interesting　　 B. easy　　 C. possible　　 D. important

10.A. shared　　 B. combined　　 C. remembered　　 D. separated

11.A. watch　　 B. improve　　 C. raise　　 D. play

12.A. reminded　　 B. invited　　 C. permitted　　 D. challenged

13.A. words　　 B. skills　　 C. lessons　　 D. stories

14.A. used　　 B. read　　 C. learned　　 D. spelled

15.A. encouraged　　 B. warned　　 C. forced　　 D. allowed

16.A. Therefore　　 B. Besides　　 C. However　　 D. Otherwise

17.A. If　　 B. Since　　 C. Although　　 D. Unless

18.A. imagined　　 B. noticed　　 C. realized　　 D. dreamed

19.A. make a difference　　 B. turn away　　 C. show off　　 D. make a mistake

20.A. ready　　 B. thankful　　 C. sorry　　 D. anxious

高二英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析