Jealousy is such a powerful emotion that at l...

Jealousy is such a powerful emotion that at least one study has characterized it as the third leading cause of non-accidental homicide(杀人) in all cultures. In a recently published study, researchers experimented with dogs to see whether they, like humans, have the nature of jealousy.

In an experiment, the authors took 36 dogs---along with their owners---and observed the dogs’ behavior as their masters interacted with three non-living objects. One object was a children’s book, which they read aloud; another object was a plastic pumpkin lantern; and the third was a mechanical stuffed dog that gave out a bark when the owner pressed a button.

Former studies concluded that babies were probably capable of jealousy. In the experiment, their mothers showed attention to a life-like doll instead of their child, and other objects. The babies were reportedly more likely to respond with “negative” behavior if their mother turned to pay her attention to the doll.

In the dog experiment, authors instructed the dog owners to push the bark button on the stuffed dog’s head, and then speak to it sweetly, while ignoring their own dog. After that, they showed attention to the pumpkin lantern, and read the children’s book, while also ignoring their dog.

It is interesting to see the dogs were far more likely to act aggressively when their owners spoke to the stuffed dog than when they paid attention to the other objects. One-fourth of the dogs snapped at the stuffed dog, while only one dog snapped at the lantern or the book. The dogs were also more likely to push or touch their owners as they interacted with the mechanical dogs, and tried to get in between the owner and the stuffed dog more frequently than the other objects.

“One possibility is that jealousy developed in species of many young relying on the parents, the young compete for parental resources such as food, attention, care, and affection,” the authors wrote.

1.Why does the author include the experiment with babies in the passage?

A. To tell us that the babies are also jealousy.

B. To show that the experiment was scientific.

C. To draw the conclusion through comparison.

D. To show us that the babies are very clever.

2.What behavior probably shows that the babies have the emotion of jealousy?

A. Smiling at the doll.

B. Struggling and crying.

C. Always keeping quiet

D. Appearing scared

3.How did most of the dogs react when the owners interacted with the mechanical dog?

A. They pushed or touched the owners.

B. They snapped at the mechanical dog.

C. They disturbed the owners and the mechanical dog.

D. They acted aggressively to their owners.

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

A. Development of jealousy in species

B. Jealousy leads to terrible results

C. Analysis of jealousy in species

D. Research proves dogs’ jealousy

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Most nations have at least one type of food that people from other countries think is unusual or unacceptable to eat. In France, people eat horse meat and frog legs. In South Korea and parts of China, restaurants serve dog meat. And in Australia, it’s common to cook kangaroo meat on the barbecue and use emu eggs to make pancakes.

The kangaroo and emu are native to Australia. Both animals are important to the national image of Australia and appear on the Australian coat of arms. They’re also central figures in the history of the native Australians. However, they still hunt these animals for their meat, fur and fat.

Today, Australian people continue to eat these animals. One of the reasons people eat kangaroo meat is that it’s high in protein and low in fat, so eating kangaroo is a good option for anyone on a diet. It’s also cheaper to eat kangaroo meat than other red meats. Because of this, a lot of university students choose to buy kangaroo meat. BBC News also reported that Australian scientists believe that eating kangaroo meat is good for the environment— kangaroos have different digestive systems than cows and sheep, meaning they produce less methane, the second biggest contributor to global warming.

While emu meat is high in iron and vitamin C, most people don’t think it tastes good. For this reason, they prefer emu eggs. One egg is large enough to make seven omelettes (煎蛋). And while ifs illegal to collect emu eggs from the wild, they can be bought from emu farms. Rather than cracking the beautiful dark shell, it’s better to dry it by putting a small hole at each end and blowing. Afterwards, you can even carve a design into the eggshell.

1.What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A. To introduce the topic of the article.

B. To tell us the cultural differences of eating.

C. To suggest that different countries have different habits.

D. To indicate that people try to adapt to other countries’ diets.

2.According to the article, the kangaroo ________.

A. dies out due to hunting by Aboriginal tribes.

B. is full of large amounts of iron and vitamins in its meat.

C. is not considered healthy and environmentally friendly to eat.

D. is considered important in the history of the native Australians.

3.What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

A. Report the contributor to global warming.

B. Analyze the reasons why people eat kangaroo meat.

C. Tell people the fact that people like eating kangaroo.

D. Explain the benefits of eating kangaroo meat on the environment.

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE about emu eggs?

A. Emu eggs are all very small.

B. Emu eggs taste delicious and nutritious.

C. Emu egg shells can be used to create art.

D. It’s common for Australians to collect emu eggs from the wild.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The United States estimates that about one out of every 10 people on the planet today is at least 60 years old. By 2050, it’s projected to be one out of 5. This means that not only will there be more old people, but there will be relatively fewer young people to support them.

Professor Richard Lee of the University of California at Berkeley says this aging of the world has a great effect on economics. “Population aging increases the concentration of population in the older ages and therefore it is costly,” he said.

Aging populations consume (消耗) more and produce less. With more people living longer, it could get expensive. But Mr. Lee says with continuing increases in worker productivity and smart planning, it can be manageable.

Societies have different methods for caring for the elderly, but each carries a cost. Generally, there are three types of support. Seniors can live off the wealth they gained when they were younger. They can rely on their family to take care of them, or they can rely on the government.

In industrialized nations, governments created publicly-funded (公共资助的) support systems. These worked relatively well until recent years, when aging population growth in places like the United States and Western Europe began to gradually weaken the systems finances. These nations now face some tough choices. Mr. Lee says the elderly in some of these countries must either receive less money, retire later or increase taxes to make the system continuable.

Most developing nations haven’t built this type of government-funded support, but have instead relied on families to care for their elderly. These nations also generally have a much younger population, which means their situation is not as urgent as more developed nations. But Mr. Lee says that doesn’t mean they can ignore the issue. “Third World countries should give very careful thought to this process, to population aging and how it may affect their economies — now, before population aging even becomes an issue,” he explained.

1.“Aging” in this text means .

A. there are more young people than old people

B. an increasing number of old people are dying

C. more and more young people are growing old

D. the percentage of old people in the world is increasing

2.What is Professor Richard Lee’s attitude towards population aging?

A. Indifferent.　　 B. Optimistic.

C. Negative.　　 　　 D. Worried.

3.The publicly-funded support systems in industrialized nations.

A. are facing the risk of failing

B. have failed to provide support for the old

C. will be replaced by other support systems

D. have greatly affected the nations’ economies

4.We can infer from the text that developing nations.

A. should prepare for population aging

B. don’t see population aging as an issue

C. are facing urgent situations of population aging

D. have better ways to deal with population aging

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

As a nation of animal lovers, Britain has been rocked by a study that at least ten million pets suffer mental or physical stress.

Two million dogs are left alone daily for longer than recommended and 750,000 rabbits are fed too little grass, at least three million dogs and cats have never been vaccinated(接种疫苗), the research indicates. Shocked animal welfare campaigners are calling on owners to give their pets urgent attention.

A spokesman for animal charity said, “We know that owners love their pets, but many do not understand what their pets need.”

The charity’s survey is the first to measure the well-being of Britain’s 12 million cats, eight million dogs and 1.7 million pet rabbits. It found that five million cats, four million dogs and more than 700000 rabbits would be suffering mental or physical stress because their owners do not look after them properly. About 2.4 million dogs are mainly fed on leftovers(剩饭), rather than nutritionally balanced dog food.

About 1.9 million dogs are left alone each day for more than four hours, even though vets say four hours should be the maximum. Around 15 percent of owners believe it is acceptable to leave a dog for eight hours without attention while four percent say dogs can be abandoned for more than ten hours without suffering.

The survey also showed the Britain’s cats are overfed, with more than half of owners admitting their cats are overweight. Rabbits are also neglected. In the wild they live in large groups, but 67 percent of pet rabbits live on their own, which creates the risk of boredom and stress.

Another spokesman said, “Our report reveals that there is much work to do to raise awareness of what pets need to live healthy and happy lives.”

1.The author has written this article to______.

A. explain what pets should eat to keep healthy

B. show the present physical and mental situation of pets

C. call on people to take good care of their pets

D. tell readers what is a good happy life for pets

2.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?

A. Dogs should be left alone for more than eight hours without suffering.

B. About 2.4 million dogs are fed on nutritionally balanced dog food.

C. Pet rabbits living together creates the risk of boredom and stress.

D. More than half of cats in Britain are overfed and overweight.

3.You can read this article in a _______.

A. health magazine　　 B. biology textbook　　 C. newspaper advertisement　　 D. book review

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Everyone should visit a lighthouse at least once.

The most important reason for such a visit is to realize how our ancestors (祖先) battled nature with the basic tools they had . They had only basic ways of creating light , and yet they found a way of using this simple technology in isolated (孤零零的) places to save ships from hitting rocks .

Secondly , visiting lighthouses will help us to understand the lives of lighthouse keepers .By their very nature , lighthouses were built on some rocks or cliffs . Thus , the lighthouse keepers often lived lonely lives . To walk around their small home , and imagine the angry storm outside beating against the walls , is to take a step towards understanding the lives they had.

The reasons for a visit to a lighthouse are not all so backward-looking in time . It is true that lighthouses were built in out-of-the –way places . But on a pleasant sunny summer day. This very isolation has a natural beauty that many people will love to experience . Therefore, with the gentle waves touching all round the lighthouse . the visitor is likely to think it is a world preferable to the busy and noisy modern life.

Another reason for considering a visit is that the lighthouses themselves can be very attractive buildings . Mankind could often not be content just to put up a basic structure . but felt the need . even in such an isolated place , to build with an artistic touch . The result is a view for tired eyes to enjoy .

Finally , lighthouses have a romantic attraction , summed up by the image of the oil-skin coated keeper climbing his winding stairs to take care of the light to warn ships and save lives .

1.What is the reason to look back into the past of a lighthouse ?

2.The underlined phrase “out-of-the-way” in Paragraph of means ________ .

3.Lighthouses were often built with an artistic touch ________.

4.How many reasons are mentioned for a visit to a lighthouse ?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Guilt, a positive use for a negative emotion

Guilt is one the most painful emotions that humans experience but also one of the most common. Nobody enjoys feeling guilty, but this emotion serves an important purpose: it alerts a person when he or she has done something wrong. This makes it possible for the person to make amends and it can also motivate people to avoid making similar mistakes later.

Nevertheless, guilt can be destructive if not dealt with in the right way. It can cause people to avoid others because they are too embarrassed to apologize for their actions or inaction. Some try to avoid the pain of guilt by turning to other worse habits. Others try to cover up their guilt by blaming others or becoming angry.

What makes it more complicated is that sometimes people feel guilty about things that they can’t control. One example of this is survivors’ guilt, when people who survived a disaster feel guilty because they escaped death while others didn’t. Other people experience false guilt because of too high expectations for themselves.

The proper response to guilt depends on what kind of guilt you're dealing with. For false guilt, it’s important to recognize that guilt does not reflect an actual ethical failure. For example, some false guilt focuses on failing to meet expectations you had for yourself. In this case, it’s important to remind yourself that you have limits. No one is perfect, and no one can do everything, so admitting your limits is actually a sign of humility.

It’s also important to acknowledge what you are feeling. Even when you don’t need to feel guilty, these feelings are real and normal. Try to balance them with positive thoughts, but realize that it often takes time for feelings to change.

It’s possible that you feel guilty because you actually did something wrong—or didn’t do something you should have .If so, don’t try to hide it. Apologize and ask for forgiveness, working to heal relationships that were damaged by your actions, which will make your guilty feelings fade.

Guilt is painful, but it can serve a good purpose if you use it well.

高二英语任务型阅读困难题查看答案及解析

— The government requires that every primary school student do sports for at least one hour every day.

— _____. It is high time that students took exercise in order to build a strong body.

A. That’s what I don’t agree with　             B. That’s not the point

C. No wonder　　                             D. I can’t agree more

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

----- The cake is delicious.

------Well, at least it is ___________ the one I baked last week.

A．as bad as          B．no worse than      C．no better than      D．not better than.

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

–Mum, hurry up! The film is beginning soon.

- Just 　　　　　　 . We have at least one hour to spare.

A. stay away　　 　　　　　 B. take your time

C. don’t mention it　　　 D. forget it

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Basketball is a sport enjoyed by millions of people in at least 100 countries. It’s one of the 26  sports in the world. It began in 1891.

Dr. James A. Naismith, the father of basketball, was a teacher of YMCA training school. It trained the people to work in YMCAs. Officials at the school were 27 about the low attendance during the 28 months. They 29 that people didn’t attend then 30 the school did not have a good sports program in winter. So they asked Dr. Naismith for 31. He came up with a new indoor game.

Naismith studied games being played at that time. He found that all the most 32 games used a ball. So a ball would be part of his new game, he decided. But 33 the ball or hitting it would be too 34for indoors. So he put two 35 up on the poles. The players had to try to 36  a ball into them. Naismith then made thirteen 37 for the game. Twelve of them are still in 38 today. Just seven 39 after the game began professional basketball teams were 40. And that’s how basketball was born.

高二英语完型填空困难题查看答案及解析