Scientists use a test called Digit Symbol Sub...

Scientists use a test called Digit Symbol Substitution to assess everything from dementia(痴呆) to brain damage. Hartshorne, the lead author of the study, employed the test in his study of how intelligence changes over time. 1.

Most adults are bad at memorizing bits of information without context. A classic example is that you’ll have an easier time remembering a story about someone who bakes than a person with the last name Baker. 2.A 2011 study found humans are best at learning new names in our early 20s.

The human brain has a remarkable capacity to identify faces, and scientists are just beginning to learn why. On average, our ability to learn and remember new faces appears to peak shortly after our 30th birthday.

3. Don’t worry. A 2015 study suggests that our ability to sustain attention improves with age, reaching its peak around age 43.

Dating is tough. One of the reasons could be that we’re generally bad at reading other people’s emotions until we reach our late 40s. 4.Performance peaked for people aged around 48.

Ever wonder why you always lose at Scrabble(拼字游戏)? 5.According to people’s scores on multiple-choice vocabulary tests, most of us don’t reach our peak wordsmith(词语大师) abilities until we’re in our late 60s or early 70s.

A. Having trouble focusing?

B. Good news: Your best days may be ahead.

C. Young people don’t appear to be as burdened by this issue, though.

D. He found that participants’ performance generally peaked in their late teens.

E. Participants were asked to describe the emotion the person in the photo felt.

F. Adults approaching mid-years may have the greatest capacity to remain focused.

G. The results suggest that no matter what your age is, there’s always a new peak on the horizon.

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

For several years, scientists have been testing a substance called interferon(干扰素), a possible wonder drug that is proving to be effective in treating a variety of diseases, including virus infections, bacterial infections, and cancers. To date, the new drug has no side effect of great influence to discourage its use.  But in spite of its success, last year only one gram was produced in the entire world.

The reason for the shortage lies in the structure of interferon. A special protein, the interferon produced from one animal species cannot be used in treating another animal species. In other words, to treat human beings, only interferon produced by human beings may be used. The drug is produced by infecting white blood cells with a virus. Fortunately, it is so effective that the amount given to each patient each time is very small.

Unlike antibiotics (抗生素), interferon does not attack germs directly. Instead, it protects healthy cells from being infected, and prevents the reproduction of viruses within cells.

As you might conclude, one of the most special uses of interferon has been in the treatment of cancer. Dr. Hans Strander, a research physician at Sweden’s famous Karolinska Institute, has treated more than one hundred cancer patients with the new drug. Among a group of selected patients who had received operations for advanced cancer, half were given  traditional treatments and the other half were given interferon. Among those treated with interferon 70 percent of them remained alive over three years, as compared with only 10 to 30 percent among those who had received the traditional treatments.

In the United States, a large-scale project supported by the American Cancer Society is now under way. If the experiment were successful, interferon could become one of the greatest medical discoveries of our time.

1.What is the difference between antibiotics and interferon?

A. Interferon has serious side effects, while antibiotics do not.

B. Antibiotics kill germs by attacking them directly, while interferon does not.

C. Antibiotics are very effective, while the effect of interferon is limited.

D. They are different in structure, although they are both proteins.

2. According to the passage, if 170 cancer patients received interferon treatment, how many of them would remain alive over three years?

A. About 30.

B. About 50.

C. About 120.

D. About 70.

3. The passage tells us that ________.

A. it is difficult to produce interferon in large quantities because of its special structure.

B. interferon is produced widely in lots of countries.

C. few of the patients who had received traditional treatments remained alive.

D. most of the patients who received interferon also needed traditional treatments.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Tiny as they are, bats have the ability to “see” in the dark by using a special skill called echolocation(回声定位法). They make noises and wait for sound waves, or an echo, to bounce(反弹) back off objects. They can tell the distance of various objects by how quickly the sound waves bounce back off them. If no sound bounces back, they can then fly forward.

This special ability has been simulated in the human world for a long time, such as in submarines and planes, whose sonar(声呐) systems are somewhat similar to echolocation. But apart from helping vehicles “see” where they are, what if blind people could use echolocation for themselves? It turns out, some already are.

American Daniel Kish, who is blind, is known as “Batman”. This isn’t because he walks around in a cape and a mask, but because he has a bat-like ability to locate where he is through sharp clicks he makes by moving his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Kish is so skilled at echolocating that he can ride a bike and hike on his own.

Recently, research carried out at the University of Durham in England shed some light on the power of human echolocation.

Kish worked with a group of scientists who studied the way blind people listen to the echoes that they produce from clicks.

The team, which conducted experiments with other volunteers, found that people were capable of hearing even very faint echoes, ones far fainter than had been previously thought.

Speaking to The Independent, Lore Thaler, lead scientist of the group, said, “We found that in some conditions, they were really faint – about 95 percent softer than the actual clicks, but the echolocators were still able to sense this.”

Andrew Kolarik of the University of Cambridge is another expert in echolocation. Reacting to the Durham study, he told BBC News that echolocation “can be very useful at providing information at face or chest height” and could help people “avoid objects like low hanging branches that might not get detected by the cane or a guide dog”.

Although Kish’s skill is remarkable, there’s hope for other blind people who want to use echolocation. According to BBC News, echolocation is a skill blind people can acquire and develop, just like learning a language. As Kolarik said: “Teaching echolocation skills could provide blind people with the means of exploring new places.”

1.The underlined word “simulated” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.

A. discovered　　 B. copied

C. improved　　 D. challenged

2.How does Kish locate where he is?

A. By using his great sense of hearing.

B. By listening to the echoes produced by his cane.

C. Via the echoes from the clicks he makes with his tongue.

D. Via the sonar system attached to his body.

3.What did Lore Thaler’s team find from their studies?

A. It is hard for echolocators to sense faint echoes.

B. Humans can echolocate better than we thought we could.

C. Echolocators can pick up all types of echoes.

D. Blind people are better echolocators than those who can see.

4.According to the article, teaching echolocation to blind people _______.

A. will enable them to get rid of their cane

B. will improve their ability to learn a new language

C. will open up new possibilities for them

D. is not easy to put into practice

5.What is the article mainly about?

A. Studies on blind people using echolocation.

B. Different types of human echolocation.

C. The importance of human echolocation.

D. Why bats’ echolocation could be used by humans.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Skyscrapers are the symbol of Urban life.City people are used to seeing tall buildings and apartments. Farms，on the other hand,are associated with rural(农村的)life.However，there are experts who think skyscrapers should become farms to meet the increasing food needs.

By the middle of this century, some scientists suggest，almost 80% of the earth's population could live in cities. In addition，the population could increase to 9.1 billion people during that time yet the amount of　 land available for farming will be the same.If current farming practices don't change，we will need an area of new land to produce enough food for the planet.

Vertical farms, where urban farmers could grow crops in environmentally friendly skyscrapers, could be the solution. In spite of concerns over high costs, experts want to make it a reality and use these skyscrapers to grow crops.

Vertical farms would have many advantages, supporters say. Unlike traditional farming, vertical farming could be free of chemicals and diseases. Besides, crops would not suffer from problems like flooding. Finally，vertical farms would reduce the cost and negative effects of transporting food over long distances.

Some argue that although crops growing in a tall glass building would get natural sunlight during the day，it wouldn't be enough. For this reason，vertical farms would need additional light sources(来源), such as artificial light.

Another way of growing fresh food is to build urban farms on rooftops. This more practical approach may be more achievable than the idea of farms in skyscrapers, researchers suggest. Experts agree that innovative(革新的)farming practices are needed to support the need for more food at affordable costs, both to the farmer and to the consumer,but the best ideas could be yet to come.

1.What primary problem could vertical farming settle？

A. Poor state of rural life.

B. Shortage of food supply.

C. High cost for transporting crops.

D. Environmental pollution by transitional farmings

2.What is the advantage of vertical farming?

A. It can produce organic food.

B. It requires little care.

C. It can benefit transport industry.

D. It needs very low cost.

3.What is a big challenge to make vertical farming a reality?

A. Farmable land. B. Crop diseases

C. Light sources. D. Climate conditions.

4.What can be the best title of the test?

A. Future Food Needs

B. Symbol of Urban Life

C. Farming on Rooftops

D. Farms of the Future

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Scientists in Israel have discovered a new way to test for water pollution by “listening” to what the plants growing in water have to say.

By shining a laser beam (激光束) on the tiny pieces of algae floating in the water，the researchers said they hear sound waves that tell them the type and amount of contamination (致污物) in the water.

“It is a red light，telling us that something is beginning to go wrong with the quality of water，” said Zvy Dubinsky，an aquatic biologist at Israel’s Bar Ilan University.“Algae is the first thing to be affected by a change in water quality.”“The secret，” he said，“is to measure the rate of photosynthesis (光合作用) in the algae，meaning the plant’s ability to transform light into energy.” During photosynthesis，plants also release oxygen into the air.

Dubinsky’s technique is easy to perform because of the over­abundance of algae in the planet’s water.Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from algae.A prototype tester that occupies about one square meter of a laboratory desktop，shoots a laser beam at water samples to stimulate photosynthesis in the algae.But not all of the laser’s heat is used.Depending on the condition of the algae and the rate of photosynthesis，some of the heat is shot back into the water，creating sound waves，Dubinsky said.With a special underwater microphone，researchers are able to analyze the strength of the sound waves and determine the health of the algae and the condition of the surrounding water.

“Algae suffering from lead poisoning，like waste discharged from battery and paint manufacturing plants，will produce a different sound than those suffering from lack of iron or exposure to other toxins，” said researcher Yulia Pinchasov.She said that testing algae photosynthesis can determine water quality more accurately and easily than labor­intensive methods now used like chemical and radioactive carbon testing.

1.The underlined word “algae” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to a kind of________.

A．instrument　                         B．plant

C．wood　                             D．pollutant

2.Why is the algae tested?

A．Because it floats on the water.

B．Because it can have photosynthesis.

C．Because it is the first to be polluted.

D．Because it can produce different sounds.

3.We can infer from the passage that________.

A．algae can produce a loud sound when polluted

B．algae can die easily from pollution

C．photosynthesis of the algae can only be caused by sunlight

D．photosynthesis of the algae is related to water quality

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Scientists Listen to Plants to Find Water Pollution

B．A Prototype Tester Is Used to Determine Water Pollution

C．The Importance of Photosynthesis of the Algae

D．The Problem of Chemical and Radioactive Carbon Testing

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For years, the automobile industry has been testing vehicles that use hydrogen as fuel. Now, people across the United States have had a chance to see and even drive cars that get power from hydrogen fuel cells (燃料电池).

But the hydrogen fuel cell is not a new idea. The fuel cell was first invented by Sir William Grove of Britain in 1839. Since then, many different designs, have been invented. There is one place where fuel cells are a proven technology: in space. The American space agency used fuel cells in its Apollo spaceships in the twentieth century.

The most useful fuel cell for transportation purposes is the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane, or P.E.M. fuel cell. It is simple and can operate at temperatures of sixty to eighty degrees Celsius. That is much lower than other fuel cell designs. A P.E.M. fuel cell has two sides divided by a thin membrane (膜). Hydrogen gas is forced through one side where it comes in contact with a reactive material containing the metal platinum(铂). The membrane separates the electrons(电子) from the protons(质子) in the hydrogen atoms. The protons pass through it to the other side of the fuel cell. But the electrons are captured to do work; like powering a motor. Oxygen from the air is forced into the other side of the fuel cell. There, the gas meets the protons that have passed through the membrane. They combine to form water and heat. A single fuel cell does not produce a lot of electricity. But when many fuel cells are combined, they can produce enough electricity to power a vehicle. The product of the chemical reaction that powers fuel cells is water. This makes fuel cells a very clean technology.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars have been slow to develop because of many technical problems that have to be solved. For example, it is unclear how long the membranes in P.E.M. fuel cells will last. Also, fuel cells need water for their chemical reactions. They must be designed to start easily at low temperatures and in dry climates. And smaller, less costly fuel cells must be designed before they can truly take the place of gasoline engines. Now more models of fuel cell vehicles are being tested than ever before. The threat of climate change and the high cost of oil have increased interest in these vehicles that do not cause pollution.

高三英语填空题中等难度题查看答案及解析

As there is less coal and oil, scientists are exploring new ways of making use of _____ energy, such as sunlight, wind, and water for power and fuel.

A. primary　　　　　　 B. alternative

C. instant　　　　 D. unique

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

As there is less coal and oil, scientists are exploring new ways of making use of _____ energy, such as sunlight, wind, and water for power and fuel.

A. primary　　　　　　 B. alternative　　　　　　 C. instant　　　　　 D. unique

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

. As there is less and less coal and oil, scientists are exploring new ways of making use of ______ energy, such as sunlight, wind and water for power and fuel.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

As there is less and less coal and oil, scientists are exploring new ways of making use of _____ energy, such as sunlight, wind and water for power and fuel.

A.primary B.instant C.unique D.alternative

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析