Two heads are better than one. After all, whe...

Two heads are better than one. After all, when trying to make decisions, it's good to have a second opinion. But what about a third, fourth — even twelfth? What group size is best for making decisions quickly? For ants, four to six heads surpass one ― and also outperform 12 or 24. That's what Sylvia Zamescu now reports.

The 18-year-old senior at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Arizona isn't generally into ants. She's interested in decision-making, especially by people. Last summer, Sylvia read that social insects such as ants and bees can be used to model decision-making. Ants, for example, forage for food. When an ant finds it, it takes a bite and heads back to the nest. On the way; the ant leaves a scented trail for other ants to pick up. Back at the nest, the ant vomits up its meal into the mouth of other ants. Those nest-mates then decide with the first ant whether the food is good enough to deserve a trip back for more. If it is, they follow the first ant's scented trail to lunch.

When there are too few ants, it could take a long time for one ant to spread the word If there are too many, it's hard to “tell" each about the find. What's the right number for foraging success? Sylvia decided to find out. She contacted professors at the University of Arizona in Tucson to look for someone who would let her study decision-making by ants in their lab. Professor Wulfila Gronenberg answered her email.

Working with one of Wulfila's graduate students, Sylvia set up an experiment She tested the behavior of one, two, four, six, twelve and twenty-four ants. Each group was placed in a large box al taped "starting line". At the other end of the box were two bricks of sweetened gelatin （动物胶） one contained only 3 per cent sugar, and the other 30 per cent. Sylvia timed how long it took each group of ants to find the food. She also measured how much time they spent around each sweet treat.

When there were just one or two ants, the discovery was slow. The same was true when she set twelve or twenty-four ants loose. But four to six ants? Perfect! These medium-size groups found the food forest. They also figured out quickly that the sweeter food was better.

Similar work has been done on bighorn sheep, fish and fruit flies. "It may not be four to six animals, but it's the same principle," Sylvia says. A medium-size group "is optimal". So when faced with a new decision, two heads are better than one. But too many heads are too much. Like the ants, a good decision may just require a happy medium.

1.What gave Sylvia the idea for her research?

A.Her interest in social insects.

B.An article about social animals.

C.A university professor's invitation.

D.Her doubt about a science report.

2.What do we know about Sylvia's experiment?

A.She set it up with Professor Wulfila Gronenberg.

B.There were two large boxes at the "starting line".

C.There were several kinds of foods for the ants.

D.She divided the ants into six different groups.

3.What did Sylvia find out about ants?

A.They make decisions faster in medium-sized groups.

B.They are better at finding food in smaller groups.

C.They perform much more smartly in larger groups.

D.They make better decisions when working together.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

As a saying goes, “two heads are better than one.”______, teamwork has greater power.

A. In other words　　 B. On the other hand

C. On the contrary　　　 D. In addition

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

As the famous saying _______, two heads are better than one.

A. mentions         B. goes             C. tells            D. instructs

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

As the famous saying _______, two heads are better than one.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Rather than rolling your eyes when it’s your turn to bow your head and give thanks, try being grateful. The result just might be good for you, from improving your feeling to your relationships. If you don’t want to voice your gratitude, writing a letter may work, according to various studies by Steve Toepfer of Kent State University and his colleagues.

Toepfer and his colleagues had 219 students with an average age of 25 fill out questionnaires（问卷）to measure their happiness. They returned to the lab to fill out the survey three more times, with each visit about a week apart. Some of the students wrote a letter of gratitude each time they returned to the lab, while the control group didn’t write about being thankful.

“The letter writers were instructed to write a letter of gratitude to anyone they wanted, however, the letter couldn’t be a‘thank you’note for a gift,” Toepfer said. “The participants had to write about something that was important to them.”

The results showed that their levels of happiness and life satisfaction improved after each letter they wrote. In addition, depressive symptoms decreased over time with the letter writing.

Gratitude doesn’t just cheer you up—it can improve your health and energy levels as well. A 2007 study conducted by researchers found that organ-transplant(器官移植) receivers who kept “gratitude journals” listing five things or people that they were grateful for each day scored better on measures of general health, and mental health than those who only made routine notes about their days.

A successful relationship may depend on your gratitude. Research reported in 2011 looking at more than 65 couples who were in satisfying relationships showed that each couple’s relationship quality corresponded with one partner’s feelings of gratitude. Researchers show that one partner expressed feelings of gratitude; both partners experienced a positive emotional response.

1.According to the passage, if you want to get along well with others, you’d better________.

A. write letters to them frequently

B. pay more attention to their feelings

C. show your thanks from time to time

D. take care of them when they are in need

2.The underlined phrase “the control group” in Paragraph 2 refers to the group that _________.

A. is cold to others’ kindness

B. is not good at writing letters

C. is unwilling to express their feelings

D. is not allowed to write thank-you letters

3.From the passage we can infer that people who often show gratitude are less likely to be __________.

A. nervous　　 B. careless

C. depressed　　 D. optimistic

4.From the passage, we can learn that _________.

A. it’s better to write a thank-you letter than to say gratitude with words

B. the results of different ways of showing gratitude are all the same

C. the good relationship of each couple is based on trust

D. gratitude is beneficial to health

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

A. Why you should be grateful

B. Ways of changing your feeling

C. How to show your gratitude to others

D. Thank-you letters’ role to human relations

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The people below are all trying to choose which TV programme to watch.  After the description of these people, there is information about six TV programmes A-F. Decide which programme would be most suitable for the person mentioned in questions 1-5 and then mark the correct letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one programme which you do not need to use.

__________1.Although Rob lead a quiet life in a small village, that doesn’t stop him from wanting to find out about the latest scientific development.

__________2.Bella enjoys eating out but can’t afford to spend very much at the moment as she is saving for a holiday. She has never learnt how to cook, so now might be quite a good time to find out！

____________3. Dan is interested in taking wildlife photographs and enjoys the kind of programme which gives him a chance to see a professional photographer at work.

_____________4. Gina is a music teacher. Although she prefers  classical music, she likes to follow the kind of music that interests the teenagers she teaches.

____________5.Ron’s wife is in hospital. He wants to finds a programme suitable for his three-year-old son while he gets on with the housework and prepares a meal.

TODAYS  TELEVISION  PROGRAMME  PREVIEW

A.TV1 7:20 p.m. Find out more about Australia’s animal life. This film was made last year by one of Australia’s best-known cameramen,  Dougie Bond. He spent over 200 hours filming the birds, animals and fish that inhabit this beautiful continent and for the first time brings some of these unusual animals to our TV screens.

B.TV3 9:00p.m. The popular science programme is back with the latest in technology and medicine. This week, cars that run on sunlight and the story of one baby’s fight to live.

C.TV2 8:10p.m. Do you think what goes into the food most of us eat every day of the week? Tonight’s programme takes a serious scientific look at the bread industry. Whether you bake your own bread or just enjoy buying it, this programme will give you an interesting insight into something most of us eat every day of the week.

D.TV1  5:15p.m. Busy parents? Bored children? Do you want something educational to entertain your children while you do something else? This popular magazine programme is for the under-fives. More music, fun, songs and games with Carla and Larry.

E.TV3  8:45p.m. If you’ve always wanted to cook, now’s your chance to learn. In the studio are two chefs who will take you through some simple recipes step by step. This is a repeat of the popular series shown last year, and available from good bookshops.

F.TV3   7:40p.m. The latest new music. Pete Hogg looks at the best of the current rap, raga and new jack swing plus new video releases. This is the programme that tells you all about what’s happening on the music scene and brings you interviews with tomorrow’s young artists.

高三英语信息匹配简单题查看答案及解析

What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.

Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.

Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic(认错的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

2.The writer thinks that a student to have a part-time job is probably ___.

3.From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he ___________.

4.From the last paragraph we know one should _________.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any especially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.

Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.

Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic(认错的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The importance of working hard at school.

B. Choosing a career according to one’s strengths.

C. How to face one’s weakness.

D. The value of school work.

2.The writer thinks that a student have a part-time job is probably ______.

A. a good way to find out his weak points

B. one of the best ways of earning extra money

C. of great use for his work in the future

D. a waste of time he could have spent on study

3.From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he _______.

A. should pay more attention to learning skills and developing abilities

B. will be regretful about his bad results

C. may also do well in his future work

D. should restart his study in school

4.The underlined phrase “be all thumbs” (in Para 3) probably means “_______”.

A. be clumsy at doing things            B. be skillful in doing things

C. be not interested in certain things  D. be easily bored in doing things

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Workers are returning to their careers, or starting new ones after age 65.

More than ever, work is where many of us get our sense of purpose. That doesn’t end at age 65. After being retired for only three months, Sue Ellen King returned to work at the University of Florida Health in Jacksonville, Florida, where she had been a care nurse and nursing educator for 38 years. She is now working part-time in a position created just for her. “It’s perfect,” she told The New York Times. “I get the satisfaction of having people appreciate what I do.” With the average life span for those who reach age 64 now getting all the way to 84 years old, those who reach retirement age still have many potential years of work to go.

Job sites connected toward part-timers, temporary positions, and some can also turn up opportunities that may lead to longer-term work. Fred Dodd tried a part-time job after his unemployment as a clerk for large banks at age 63. He’d thought about retiring then. “But part of me just wanted to keep working partly for the money, but more just because I felt I wanted to do more in my career,” he said.

The retired have the advantage of not needing to focus on the earnings potential of whatever jobs they take on, so these older workers are attracted to more meaningful work. And since they are voluntarily putting their skills and experience to good use, they may well have more flexibility than mid-career people. Two-thirds of retirees who’d come back to the work world were doing meaningful work they enjoyed. Legal work and community service were popular choices, as was teaching—all areas in which older workers might have an opportunity to make their own schedules.

Earning more money rarely seems like a bad idea, but it can cause issues for retirees, including effects when they claim Social Security (申请社会保障) benefits early.

1.How does Sue Ellen King like her work?

A.Interesting. B.Satisfying.

C.Boring. D.Encouraging.

2.What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A.Giving an example of successful returning to work after retirement.

B.Why Sue Ellen King found a nursing job.

C.What is Sue Ellen King’s work.

D.Giving an example of working full-time in a university.

3.What was the main reason for Fred to have a part-time job?

A.He was out of work. B.He could help large banks.

C.He had personal crisis. D.He liked continuing working.

4.Why do the retired like meaningful jobs?

A.These jobs have more flexibility.

B.These jobs have lots of potential.

C.They don’t care much for salary.

D.They can’t do very hard jobs.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

----He thinks that girls are smarter than boys when it comes to learning English.

----But two years ago he thought_______.

A. so                             B. otherwise               C. opposite                 D. different

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析