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 reflect animal migration seasons. D.They differ in language backgrounds.
2.What is the purpose of writing Paragraph 3?
A.To further support the research findings.
B.To show the variety of species searches.
C.To summarize the research process.
D.To present researchers’ heavy work load.
3.How does Mittermeier feel about the search results?
A.Sad about people’s not getting close to nature.
B.Worried about Wikipedia behavior.
C.Amazed at people’s care about nature.
D.Satisfied with Wikipedia’s service.
4.From which is the text probably taken?
A.A scientific magazine. B.A biology textbook.
C.A biography. D.A travel brochure .
高二英语阅读理解困难题
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 reflect animal migration seasons. D.They differ in language backgrounds.
2.What is the purpose of writing Paragraph 3?
A.To further support the research findings.
B.To show the variety of species searches.
C.To summarize the research process.
D.To present researchers’ heavy work load.
3.How does Mittermeier feel about the search results?
A.Sad about people’s not getting close to nature.
B.Worried about Wikipedia behavior.
C.Amazed at people’s care about nature.
D.Satisfied with Wikipedia’s service.
4.From which is the text probably taken?
A.A scientific magazine. B.A biology textbook.
C.A biography. D.A travel brochure .
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, led the international team that did the study. Professor Worm says species have recently been disappearing from oceans at increasing speed. At this rate, he says, all seafood species could collapse by 2048 and seafood supplies from the world’s ocean could be almost gone by then.
Other studies have also warned about the dangers of overfishing and the effects on ocean environments. But not everyone thinks the oceans are likely to be empty in fifty years. Some scientists said parts of the world do have problems, but others are doing a good job of protecting fish populations. Government officials in several countries with large fishing industries also questioned the research.
The study appeared earlier this month in Science magazine.
The researchers say damage to oceans affects not only fish populations but also the productivity of ecosystems. These complex systems help control water quality. The scientists say the loss of different kinds of sea life appeared to increase the risk of fish kills and beach closures from harmful algae growth.
The scientists examined the results of thirty-two experiments and observed forty-eight protected areas. They also looked at records of catches worldwide. They studied records from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for nineteen fifty to two thousand three. And they examined archeological information and other historical records for twelve coastal areas. That research reached back over a thousand years.
Boris Worm says the findings were, in his words, "beyond anything we suspected." But he also said the situation is not too late to correct. He said that with good fisheries management, some species could completely recover in three to ten years.
1.Which of the following isn’t the damage to the ocean?
A. The species of fish in the ocean are reducing.
B. Sea water is polluted.
C. Sea water quality is improved.
D. Less productivity of ecosystem.
2.The conclusion of the research led by Boris Worm is _________.
A. unbearable B. unbelievable
C. doubtful D. Convincing
3.The research led by Boris Worm _________.
A. was conducted by scientists from Canada
B. referred to information of many countries
C. lasted from 1950 to 2003
D. referred to records dating back to over 1,000 years ago.
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. It’s too late to take action to improve the situation.
B. Some species will recover with efforts.
C. Boris Worm hopes that people take the warning serious.
D. Boris Worm shows great concern about ecosystem.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A latest research led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found a clear link between the color of a taxi and its accident rate. An analysis of 36 months of detailed taxi, driver and accident data from two fleets of yellow and blue taxis in Singapore suggested that yellow taxis have fewer accidents than blue taxis. The higher visibility of yellow makes it less difficult for drivers to avoid getting into accidents with yellow taxis, leading to a lower accident rate.
The study was led by Prof Hou. To test whether there was a relationship between the color of a taxi and the number of accidents the taxi had, the research team analyzed data collected by the largest taxi company in Singapore. The researchers found that yellow taxis have about 6.1 fewer accidents per 1,000 taxis per month.
They also studied the economic effect of changing the color of the entire fleet of taxis to yellow. The Singapore taxi company involved in the study owns about 16,700 taxis in a ratio (比例) of one yellow to three blue taxis. If a commercial decision is made to switch from blue to yellow taxis, 76.6 fewer accidents will occur per month or 917 fewer accidents per year.
Assuming an average repair cost of $1,000 per car and a downtime of six days, the color of all taxis to yellow could produce an annual saving of $2 million.
“We are eager to continue to validate(证实) the findings of our study by looking at the use of yellow in other types of public transport, such as school buses. For example, we hope to compare the accident rates of yellow school buses against those of other colors to find out if yellow is indeed a safer color for school buses. Besides, we’re also interested to look at private-hire vehicles and do a comparison of the accident rates of vehicles that are of different colors, ”explained Prof Hou.
1.Why do yellow taxis result in fewer accidents?
A. Because yellow can be seen more easily.
B. Because yellow signals a warning of danger.
C. Because drivers tend to be more careful in yellow taxis.
D. Because people act more quickly in yellow surroundings.
2.What’s Prof Hou’s study based on?
A. Physical risks of taxi passengers’ experience.
B. The economic effect of changing taxi color.
C. Personal reports from taxi drivers worldwide.
D. Data from Singapore's largest taxi company.
3.What do Prof Hou’s words in the last paragraph suggest?
A. School buses should be painted yellow. B. Their findings are worth popularizing.
C. Their study will be furthered. D. Yellow should be widely used in public transport.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Safer to ride in yellow taxis B. Caution: yellow taxis ahead
C. Why are yellow Taxis preferred? D. How can colors help prevent accidents?
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In a report from Psychological Science, researchers at the University of Lyon report sleeping between two learning sessions improve your learning.
In this study, 40 French adults were randomly assigned to a “sleep” or “wake” group. They all were given 16 French-Swahili words in pairs in random order. After studying a pair for seven seconds, the Swahili word appeared on a screen and the participants were asked to type the French translation. If they made a mistake, the words appeared again until every word-pair was correctly translated. Twelve hours later, they did it again. The wake group did their tests first in the morning and then in the evening so they had no time to sleep in between. The sleep group members did their first session in the evening and the second came the next morning, after a good night’s sleep.
The sleep group members did much better at recalling the correct translations and were quicker to learn when they make a mistake. Both groups were eventually able to learn all the word-pairs but getting some sleep allowed the sleep group to learn in less time and with less effort. A follow-up showed that the sleep group still did better than the wake group a week later and even six months later.
So, if you have to learn something, study and then get a good night’s sleep.
1.What is the difference of the two groups’ tasks?
A. Who to learn. B. What to learn.
C. When to learn the words. D. How to learn the words.
2.How did the participants deal with a typing mistake they made?
A. Translating the same word again. B. Leaving the wrong word alone.
C. Asking for a correct answer. D. Redoing the typing twelve hours later.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Para. 2 refer to?
A. Correcting the mistakes.
B. Typing the Swahili words.
C. Typing the French translation.
D. Showing the Swahili word on the screen.
4.Compared to the wake group, those in the sleep group _________.
A. typed more quickly
B. learned all the word-pairs
C. learnt with more effort
D. made fewer translation mistakes
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers from the University of Newcastle are leading a worldfirst study which builds on earlier unpublished research that children are most likely to be guided by their father's eating and exercise habits.
The new study “Healthy Dads，Healthy Kids”，led by Associate Professor Philip Morgan from the University's Faculty of Education and Arts，is designed to help fathers promote and demonstrate to their children positive behaviors related to physical activity and healthy eating.
“The earlier findings showed that children are more likely to follow the example set by their father than their mother when it comes to eating and exercise，”said Morgan.Morgan saw striking results in a previous trial involving 165 overweight children．He found children who lost the most weight had fathers who were engaged in the new eating and exercise plan.
“We might think mothers are the main influence on children's diet and health，but the reality may be different，”said Morgan．“The roles of fathers are changing．More families have two parents working and more fathers are involved with food preparation and food shopping than in the past.”
“Fathers influence the food and physical activity habits in the home through their behaviours，attitudes and approach to food and eating，and act as a role model to their children，”said Morgan.
Researchers are inviting fathers who would like to reduce their weight to join the “Healthy Dads，Healthy Kids” program．Participation involves attending eight sessions （讲习班） at the University of Newcastle over six months where the men will receive information，have weightrelated measurements recorded and complete questionnaires.
Cooking healthy food with the kids and creating a backyard fitness circuit （循环训练场） are among the assignments （课外作业） for fathers taking part in the study.
1.What do we learn about the “Healthy Dads，Healthy Kids” program？
A．It aims to build close family relationships.
B．It involves fathers who want to lose weight.
C．It will last more than eight months.
D．It offers free online courses for parents.
2.Morgan finds a link between children's weight loss and .
A．their parents' efforts
B．their father's influence
C．balanced diets
D．regular sports training
3.Which of the following facts causes the change of fathers' roles？
A．That kids have more time to spend with family.
B．That more kids need their father's help in learning.
C．That there are more working mothers than before.
D．That fathers become much busier than before.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A Robot Fish has been developed by National University of Singapore’s researchers from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering．This robot fish has movements which have been inspired by the movements of the carp（鲤鱼）．
There are various purposes that it can be used for．It can help in underwater archaeology （ 考古学 ）．For example, it can enter a sunken city where human divers cannot enter．Just like a fish , it can also look at all the comers of particular wreckage．This robot can also be used for general purposes such as detection of leakages in a pipeline or for laying down communication cables across oceans．It also has possible military uses．
In order to copy carp movements, Mr．Fan studied the movements of the fish for around 3 months．He studied all the different movements of carp using different cameras and then converted these movements mathematically to transfer this data to the robot using many actuators（驱动器）．
Professor Xu commented on the robot that the current models that copy fish movements are capable only of 2D movements which limits their capability as they are not able to dive into water．He said that his model is the first model with 3D movements which allows it to dive as well as float with the help of its fins, just as a normal fish would do．Hence, this fish model robot has much greater movement capability．It would be much harder for enemies to detect as compared to traditional ones when used for military purposes．
The researches want to make their robot fish even smaller, more realistic while adding more sensors such as GPS and video camera to it．This will improve its autonomous 3D movement．They are also planning to test the fish by giving it more difficult tasks such as detecting various objects．
1.The author gave an example in paragraph 2 _____．
A．to introduce the Robot Fish can help in underwater archaeology
B．to show the Robot Fish can be used for general purposes
C．to show the Robot Fish can lay down communication cables across oceans
D．to tell us the Robot Fish has possible military uses
2.Which is NOT true about the 3D Robot Fish?
A．It is capable of diving into water．
B．It cannot dive into water．
C．It can float using its fins．
D．It is difficult to detect．
3.What' s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A．The researchers will give the robot more difficult tasks．
B．The researches want to make their robot smaller．
C．The researchers are going to test the robot．
D．The researches plan to improve the robot．
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement used widely
B．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement treading the ocean
C．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement created in Singapore
D．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement's general purposes
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
According to new research from the University of Cambridge in England, sheep are able to recognize human faces from photographs. The farm animals, who are social and have large brains, were previously known to be able to recognize one another, as well as familiar humans. However, their ability to recognize human faces from photos alone is novel.
The recent study shows the woolly creatures could be trained to recognize still images of human faces, including those of former President Barack Obama and actress Emma Watson.
Initially, the sheep were trained to approach certain images by being given food rewards. Later, they were able to recognize the images for which they had been rewarded. The sheep could even recognize images of faces shown at an angle, though their ability to do so declined by about 15 percent—the same rate at which a humans ability to perform the same task declines.
“Anyone who has spent time working with sheep will know that they are intelligent, individual animals who are able to recognize their handlers,” said Professor Jenny Morton, who led the Cambridge study. “We’ve shown with our study that sheep have advanced face-recognition abilities, comparable with those of humans and monkeys.”
Recognizing faces is one of the most important social skills for human beings, and some disorders of the brain, including Huntington’s disease, affect this ability. “Sheep are long-lived and have brains that are similar in size and complexity to those of some monkeys. That means they can be useful models to help us understand disorders of the brain, such as Huntington’s disease, which develop over a long time and affect cognitive abilities. Our study gives us another way to monitor how these abilities change,” Morton said.
1.According to the new research, what’s unusual about sheep?
A.They have large brains.
B.They can recognize their owners.
C.They can tell animals from humans.
D.They can recognize human faces from photographs.
2.How did the researchers train the sheep?
A.By giving food rewards.
B.By showing photos of famous people.
C.By guiding them to follow their handlers.
D.By showing photos of humans and monkeys by turns.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Sheep have a higher face-recognition ability than monkeys.
B.Sheep recognize faces same well when shown photos at any angle.
C.The new discovery is beneficial to the study of cognitive ability changes.
D.The sheep’s face-recognition ability may prevent some disorders of the brain.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.A Wonderful Scientist
B.The Life of Sheep
C.The Sheep’s Recognition of Each Other
D.A New Discovery about Sheep
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found a clear link between the color of a taxi and its accident rate. An analysis of 36 months of detailed taxi, driver and accident data from two fleets of yellow and blue taxis in Singapore suggested that yellow taxis have fewer accidents than blue taxis. The higher visibility (能见度） of yellow makes it less difficult for drivers to avoid getting into accidents with yellow taxis, leading to a lower accident rate.
The study was led by Prof Ho. To test whether there was a relationship between the color of a taxi and the number of accidents the taxi had, the research team analysed data collected by the largest taxi company in Singapore. The researchers found that yellow taxis have about 6. 1 fewer accidents per 1,000 taxis per month.
They also studied the economic effect of changing the color of the entire fleet of taxis to yellow. The Singapore taxi company involved in the study owns about 16,700 taxis in a ratio (比例) of one yellow to three blue taxis. If a commercial decision is made to switch from blue to yellow taxis, 76. 6 fewer accidents will occur per month or 917 fewer accidents per year.
Assuming an average repair cost of $1,000 per car and a downtime of six days, the color of all taxis to yellow could produce an annual saving of $2 million.
“We are eager to continue to validate (证实) the findings of our study by looking at the use of yellow in other types of public transport, such as school buses. For example, we hope to compare the accident rates of yellow school buses against those of other colors to find out if yellow is indeed a safer color for school buses. Besides, we’ re also interested to look at private-hire vehicles and do a comparison of the accident rates of vehicles that are of different colors explained Prof Ho.
1.Why do yellow taxis result in fewer accidents?
A. Because yellow signals a warning of danger.
B. Because yellow can be seen more easily.
C. Because drivers tend to he more careful in yellow taxis.
D. Because people act more quickly in yellow surroundings.
2.What’ s Prof Ho’s study based on?
A. Physical risks taxi passengers experience.
B. The economic effect of changing taxi color.
C. Personal reports from taxi drivers worldwide.
D. Data from Singapore's largest taxi company.
3.What do Prof Ho’s words in the last paragraph suggest?
A. School buses should be painted yellow.
B. Their findings are worth popularizing.
C. Their study will be furthered.
D. Yellow should be widely used in public transport,
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Safer to ride in yellow taxis B. Caution: yellow taxis ahead
C. Why are yellow Taxis preferred? D. How can colors help prevent accidents?
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The Homeless World Cup is an international football event, where teams made up entirely of people who are homeless compete. The event has been held annually since 2003.
It was at the end of 2001 that Mel Young, a famous expert in the media industry, came up with the idea of the Homeless World Cup. 18 months later the first event took place in Austria. It was such a success that people decided to do more.
There are some interesting and special rules of the event. For example, players (male or female at least 16 years old) must have been homeless at some time after the previous year’s World Cup or make their main living income by selling newspapers in the street or be asylum (政治避难) seekers . Anyone can take part, regardless of his or her abilities.
There are at most 4 players per team to compete in the field. Games are 14 minutes long.
In 2007, 48 nations, 500 players took a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their countries for true spirit and glory in Copenhagen, Denmark. The winner in 2007 was Scotland. The 2008 Homeless World Cup took place in Melbourne, Australia. And in 2009 it was held in Milan. The latest Homeless World Cup was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in September 2010. Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup takes place August followed by the México City 2012 Homeless World Cup.
The success of the competition has been in two aspects — to attract the world’s attention to the problems of homelessness and also to help participants live a better life.
According to a survey by the Homeless World Cup Organization after 2006 Homeless World Cup, 92% of the players had a new motivation for life, 93 players successfully got rid of their dependency on drugs and alcohol, 44% improved their housing situation and 72% continued to play football.
1.The aim of the Homeless World Cup is to __________.
A. promote the cause of football
B. help the homeless live a better life
C. draw attention to those living in poverty
D. call on homeless people to unite and compete for honor
2.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Most players moved out of poverty.
B. Homeless players became professional footballers.
C. 93% of the players were independent of drugs and alcohol.
D. The Homeless World Cup helped homeless people change their lives.
3.What would be the best title for this passage?
A. To End Homelessness.
B. Football For Everyone.
C. Hope For The Homeless.
D. Beating Homelessness Through Football.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
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. _1.__ 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. __2._
There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples. Humans are socially related by nature. __3._ 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. _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. Everyone is different, and levels of empathy differ from person to person.
B. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time, the researchers said.
C. “One doesn’t develop empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking,” Freed says.
D. Humans learn by example—and most of the examples on it are anything but empathetic.
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. Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human—and having empathy is decisive to those relationships.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析