Some people like to listen to the Beatles．whi...

Some people like to listen to the Beatles．while others prefer Gregorian chants．When it comes to music , scientists find that nurture can overpower nature．

A study shows musical preferences seem to be mainly shaped by a person’s cultural upbringing and experiences rather than biological factors．“Our results show that there is a profound cultural difference in the way people respond to consonant(和谐的)and dissonant(不和谐的)sounds，and this suggests that other cultures hear the world differently,” says Josh McDermott．a scientist in Cambridge．

Some scientists believe that the way people respond to music has a biological basis and that this would overpower any cultural shaping of musical preferences , effectively making them a universal phenomenon．Some musicians．by contrast , think that such preferences are more a product of one’s culture．If a person’s upbringing shapes their preferences，then they are not a universal phenomenon．

The trick to working out where musical preferences come from was to find and test people who hadn’t had much contact with Western music．McDermott and his team travelled by aeroplane，car and canoe to reach the remote villages of the Tsimane’ people，who are largely isolated from Western culture．

In their experiments，McDermott and his colleagues investigated responses to Western music by playing combinations of notes to three groups of people：the Tsimane’ and two other groups of Bolivians that had experienced increasing levels of exposure to Western music．The researchers recorded whether each group regarded the notes as pleasant or unpleasant．

The Tsimane’ are just as good at making acoustic(声响的)distinctions as the groups with more experience of other types of music，the scientists find．Most people prefer consonant tones，but the Tsimane’ have no preference between them．“This pretty convincingly rules out that the preferences are things we’re born with，’’ McDermott argues．

“Culture plays a role．We like the music we grew up with，”agrees Dale Purves，a scientist at Duke University．“Nature versus nurture is always a fool’s errand．’’It’s almost always a combination，he adds．

1.Why does the author mention Beatles in the first paragraph?

A．To arouse reader’s interest．

B．To stress the importance of music．

C．To introduce the topic to be discussed．

D．To encourage readers to listen to their music．

2.McDermott would most probably agree that __________．

A．people’s music preference is a universal phenomenon

B．Chinese and Japanese have different music preferences

C．the way people respond to music is biologically decided

D．parents have nothing to do with children’s music preference

3.What do we know about the Tsimane’ in the experiment?

A．They prefer consonant tones．

B．They are born with excellent music talent．

C．They do well in telling acoustic distinctions．

D．They have never had contact with Western music．

4.What does the underlined phrase “a fool’s errand” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Something meaningless．　 B．Something significant．

C．Something reliable．　　　 D．Something sensitive．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some people like modem art, while others say that is rubbish. But a cleaner who works in the Tate Gallery in London isn’t able to tell the difference. The woman, whose name isn’t known, mistook a work of art by the German painter Gustav Metzger for a bag of rubbish, and threw it out with other bags. The plastic bag, which contained pieces of paper and cardboard, was later recovered outside the gallery, but the artist thought that it was too damaged to be put on show again. 78-year-old Mr Metzger explained that the exhibit, which he said was a copy of a similar work he had created in 1960, was meant to show that all art is temporary and “finite” (有限的).

Embarrassed officials at the museum said that they had to call a meeting with cleaners to explain which things should not be touched. They would not say whether Mr Metzger would be paid any compensation for the incident. However, to make absolutely sure the same thing would not happen again, they decided to cover Mr Metzger’s work every evening with a colored cloth. In this way the cleaners arriving after the gallery had closed to the general public would realize they should not touch it.

This is not the first time that museum cleaners have had trouble distinguishing exhibits from rubbish. In 2001, in another London gallery, a cleaner threw away a work by the well-known British artist Damien Hirst. It was an arrangement of empty beer bottles, coffee cups, and overflowing ashtrays, which were meant to indicate the chaos in the life of an artist.

However, cleaners don’t always throw things away—sometimes they clean them! This was the case with a dirty bath, which was on show in a gallery in Germany. Without asking what the bath was doing in the gallery, the cleaners simply scrubbed it clean.

1.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Cleaners mistake modem art for rubbish

B. Modem art shouldn’t be cleaned

C. What makes a great work of art

D. Cleaners don’t always throw things away

2.The officials of the museum covered Mr Metzger’s work so that 　　　　 .

A. the visitors couldn’t get close in the evening

B. they could get recovered soon

C. the cleaners wouldn’t make the same mistake

D. they would return to normal

3.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. People have different opinions on modem art

B. Mr Metzger would be paid much compensation

C. A work of Damien Hirst was thrown away by a cleaner in 2001

D. Some modem work is about artists’ chaos of their life

4.The last paragraph is written to show that 　　　　 .

A. cleaners often make exhibits as clean as possible

B. cleaners can’t always differ exhibits from rubbish

C. exhibits are usually difficult to clean

D. exhibits are not always so beautiful

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读理解。

Some people like modern art, while others say that is rubbish.But a cleaner who works in the Tate Gallery in London isn't able to tell the difference.The woman, whose name isn't known, mistook a work of art by the German painter Gustav Metzger for a bag of rubbish, and threw it out with other bags. The plastic bag, which contained pieces of paper and cardboard, was later recovered outside the gallery, but the artist thought that it was too damaged to be put on show again. 78­year­old Mr Metzger explained that the exhibit, which he said was a copy of a similar work he had created in 1960, was meant to show that all art is temporary and “finite (有限的)”．

Embarrassed officials at the museum said that they had had to call a meeting with cleaners to explain which things should not be touched. They would not say whether Mr Metzger would be paid any compensation for the incident. However, to make absolutely sure the same thing would not happen again, they decided to cover Mr Metzger's work every evening with a coloured cloth. In this way the cleaners arriving after the gallery had been closed to the general public would realize they should not touch it.

This is not the first time that museum cleaners have had trouble distinguishing exhibits from rubbish. In 2001, in another London gallery, a cleaner threw away a work by the well­known British artist Damien Hirst. It was an arrangement of empty beer bottles, coffee cups, and overflowing ashtrays, which were meant to indicate the chaos in the life of an artist.

However, cleaners don't always throw things away — sometimes they clean them!　 This was the case with a dirty bath, which was on show in a gallery in Germany. Without asking what the bath was doing in the gallery, the cleaners simply scrubbed it clean.

1.The officials of the museum covered Mr Metzger's work so that ________.

A．the visitors couldn't get close in the evening

B．they could get recovered soon

C．the cleaners wouldn't make the same mistake

D．they would return to normal

2.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．People have different opinions on modern art.

B．Mr Metzger would be paid much compensation.

C．A work of Damien Hirst was thrown away by a cleaner in 2001.

D．Some modern work is about the chaos of an artist's life.

3.The last paragraph is written to show that________.

A．cleaners often make exhibits as clean as possible

B．cleaners can't always differ exhibits from rubbish

C．exhibits are usually difficult to clean

D．exhibits are not always so beautiful

4.What's the best title of the passage?

A．Cleaners mistake modern art for rubbish

B．Modern art shouldn't be cleaned

C．What makes a great work of art

D．Cleaners don't always throw things away

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some people live to climb the highest mountains. Some people live only dreaming about it while others live to avoid ever climbing at all. But one thing is certain, all people encounter mountains in their life.

When I was a little girl, my family moved to a tiny town at the bottom of a big mountain. One day after school, while exploring the green woods of this magnificent mountain, I almost fell on a set of stairs. What could these steps lead to? Curiosity got the best of me as I knew it would be starting to get dark soon. I started climbing up those strangely mysterious steps.

I climbed and climbed. There was nothing but just green bushes and these steps. I had to reach the top! But it was now getting real dark. If I kept going I might not be able to see my way back. My mom would be worried sick if I didn’t come home soon. So I ran back home almost in the dark while trying not to get too scared.

Anxiously I went to bed dreaming about what I would find at the top of this magical mountain. Could there be a castle up there? Maybe I would find a monster(怪物). Maybe I was taking the risk of never coming back home. Or, maybe all I would find was absolutely nothing! But something inside me was going to climb that mountain at all cost. I could hardly wait to try this adventure again.

Now we live in a world surrounded by the "can’t do" attitudes. We all fall down. We all have doubts and regrets. Still we must climb and dream about what’s at the top of our mountain. Monsters may appear or the night will fall. But never ever give up on your dream! Never let anyone tell you, "You can’t." Dream big and climb high!

1.What made the author start to climb up the stairs to the mountain top? (no more than 5 words)

2.Why did the author hurry back home without reaching the top of the mountain? Give two reasons. (no more than 15 words)

3.How would you describe the author in terms of personalities according to Paragraph 4? (no more than 10 words)

4.How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph? (no more than 5 words)

5.What’s your attitude towards the "mountain" in your life? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)

高三英语阅读表达困难题查看答案及解析

Some people always seem to have sunny outlooks, while others never stop complaining. Naturally, scientists have asked why

In a study, University of Minnesota researchers David Lykken and Auke Tellegen analysed well-being questionnaires answered by 254 twins over a 10-year period. They found that identical twins' （同卵双胞胎）happiness was much closely paired over time than that of fraternal twins （异卵 双胞胎）.In a smaller sample of twins separated in infancy （婴儿期）and raised apart—removing the influence of a shared environment—the effect was slightly more pronounced. The authors went on to calculate that about 50 per cent of happiness genetic. The scientific community is still arguing about the exact number; but the basic finding is widely accepted.

If a large part of happiness is genetic, does that mean the rest can be acquired by upgrading your job, your house or where you live?

Decades of research support the theory of hedonic adaptation （享乐适应），sometimes called "happiness treadmill （快乐水车理论）"：after negative and positive life changes, individuals tend to return to a baseline level of well-being. One study examined 3,658 Germans who moved into new houses because they were frustrated with their old ones. Housing satisfaction generally rose in the first year and then began falling, though remained higher than before the move. But life satisfaction remained unchanged. Other studies have found that spikes in well-being after marriage, or a job promotion tend to fade within months. On the flip side, even after calamitous changes like widowhood, disability, and job loss, happiness usually trend upward again （although slowly and with more variability）.

In other words, chasing material life changes doesn’t offer much joy. Does that mean happiness is out of our control? Not at all, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside and the author of The Myths of Happiness. After conducting a review of 51 "happiness interventions"—including writing letters of gratitude, counting one's blessings and practicing random acts of kindness—Lyubomirsky and her co-author, Nancy L. Sin, found that these simple activities had a significance effect on well-being. In addition, enjoying positive experiences tended to increase appreciation of them.

"Happiness is not something where you either have it or you don't. You definitely can do something about it," says Lyubomirsky.

1.What does the theory of Hedonic adaptation refer to?

A.A person's happiness grows over time.

B.A person, tend to be happier when positive changes occur.

C.A person tends to be less happy when negative changes occur.

D.A person's long term happiness is not significantly affected by any event.

2.What does the underlined word “calamitous” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.significant. B.disastrous

C.gradual. D.constant

3.Which of the following may Soja Lyubomirsky agree with?

A.He who makes others happy is truly happy.

B.Joy and sorrow are next-door neighbors.

C.Man is the master of his happiness.

D.Joys shared with others are more enjoyed.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some people have travelled to Canada while others may have just heard of it . As is known to all, the Canadian red and white maple leaf flag is officially called The National Flag of Canada. The Canadian flag shows a stylized red maple leaf with 11 points on a white background, with red borders down each side. The Canadian flag is twice as long as its width. The white square containing the red maple leaf is the same width as the flag. Canada is a very large country, too. It is the second largest country in the world.By contrast, it has a very small population. There are only about 29 millinon people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official language as well English. About 45 % of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc, come from Britain. Nearly 30 % are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of quebec. Over the years people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are mostly from European countries and also from China, as well as other Asian countries.

However , Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian-Indian lived along the coast, bythe rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only 350,000 Canadian-Indians in the whole country, with their own language. In the far north live the Inuits. There are only 27, 000 Canadian-Inuits. Their life is hard in such a harsh climate.

1.What is the populatin of Quebec?

A. More than 29, 000.000

B. About 30% of the total population.

C. Over 45% of th etotal population

D. Less than 30% of the French-Canadians.

2.Which of the following stands for Canada?

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A. The Canadian flag I stwice as wide as its length.

B. Most Indians are now forced to live along the coast.

C. Nowadays Inuit still have difficult living conditions.

D. Nobody existed when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada.

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，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Some popular places to visit are built by people while other famous places are the 1. (create) of nature. In the northeast of the US, there was a famous rock on a high mountain that looked just like 2. old man. 3. (locate) in the town of Franconia, New Hampshire, he had thick hair, a big nose and a beard. People called him“The Old Man of the Mountain”, which was also known 4. the Great Stone Face and it measured forty 5. (foot) tall. Scientists thought that the stone face6. (possible) dated back to 17,000 years ago.

In May 2003, there was very bad weather near the Old Man of the Mountain. The sky was so 7. (cloud) that people couldn’t see the stone face for many days. As soon as the storm was over, people looked for the Old Man. They discovered that he

8. (fall) apart. A number of scientists climbed up, 9. (hope) to repair the stone face. But they were disappointed at 10. they saw -- the damage from the weather was just too bad.

高三英语语法填空简单题查看答案及解析

. Some people say more but do less ______ others do the opposite.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the future we might live somewhere other than Earth, like Mars. Some people ask how this will be possible. Well, Mars is in fact a lot the same as the earth. The days are almost the same as those on the earth. However, the two planets vary in temperature.

Since there is mostly carbon dioxide on Mars, it would be quite difficult for a human to just land on it. So, special types of homes and space suits have to be designed. The space suits should be almost like the ones astronauts use now, and except that they have to be warmer so that the astronauts can survive the cold temperatures. The space suits must also be able to withstand (承受) high pressure and potentially dangerous radiation that can kill.

The houses should be similar to our homes today with a slight difference. All of the houses and other buildings should be built inside a large dome (圆顶状物) or bubble. The domes should be made out of glass, and would also be able to prevent radiation from affecting the people inside. The domes will be connected to a machine (like plants which turn carbon dioxide into oxygen).

With Mars’ population growing, how would the people on its surface get fresh food and water? Just like humans use domes, they can also use domes to grow plants. However, the domes where the plants are grown must be built to expand. Once we upgrade the domes to a larger size then we can grow more food by cultivating (种植) more plants. To get the food or come in connect with other domes, there will be long narrow tunnels like roads that connect to each dome separating them by several doors so that the pressure in each dome can remain the same.

On Mars, so many other things are available to us. As humans, we can have access to rare and fairly expensive metals that aren’t very easy to get hold of on Earth, and a colony on Mars enhances (提高) our chances of finding these metals. So when someone here on Earth says that going to Mars is impossible, please tell them that they’ll never know it until they try and they may try very soon. After all it’s our future. Why not make it on Mars?

1.It is difficult for humans to live on Mars because of all the following EXCEPT _________.

A. too much radiation　　 B. cold temperature

C. lack of enough oxygen　　 D. lack of houses

2.One of the reasons why we are eager to explore Mars may be that _________.

A. we can find rare and expensive metals there easily

B. we’ll get too bored to live on the earth in the future

C. our technology will become much advanced

D. we want to know more about the unknown world

3.What is the author’s attitude towards living on Mars? _________.

A. Pessimistic　　 B. Uncertain　　 C. Optimistic　　 D. Opposed

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

As for the plan some agree while others don’t. I’m one of _____ opposed to it.

A. whom　　　　　　　　 B. those

C. those who　　 　 D. who is

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析