Even after centuries of exploration(探险), the ocean still holds its mysteries. Although we know more today about the world’s oceans and creatures living in them than ever before, every once in a while the sea brings up something so strange, so unexpected, that makes the world wonder what it could be.
Such was the case when the currents (水流) of the Mediterranean Ocean recently washed a 13-foot-long, smelly body onto the shores of the village of Villaricos in Andalusia, Spain. An early report in the Spanish publication Lavante described the strange, horned (带角的) body as what might seem like a big fish, but it was already in pieces. Locals joked that it was some kind of Loch Ness Monster.
The media jumped right on the creature, of course. Some sites called it a horned sea monster. The popular newspaper Boing Boing called it a dragon. Some people guessed that it might be an oarfish(皇带鱼), which is actually a rarely seen kind of big fish that can grow up to 55 feet long.
But now the experts have weighed in and we’re sorry to report that it’s not a dragon, a Loch Ness Monster, or even an oarfish. “That is actually a shark skeleton (骨架),” Professor Grubbs from Florida State University told NBC News. “The parts toward the back were confusing me, but those are the lower caudal fin (尾鳍) supports. The “horns” are the scapulocoracoids which support the pectoral fins(胸鳍).” Scapulocoracoids are backbones common to many animals.
So there we go, another mystery solved. Well, the ancient maps that once described areas of the ocean as places of dragons have yet to be proven true. But it’s good to know that the ocean still has a few surprises for us, even in cases where they’re just dead, smelly bodies.
1.The creature mentioned in the text _____.
A. was about 15 feet long with a horn
B. could probably grow up to 55 feet long
C. was already in pieces but it was still alive
D. was found on the shores of a village in Spain
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 really refer to?
A. A dragon. B. A shark skeleton.
C. An oarfish. D. A horned sea monster.
3.The third paragraph is mainly about _____.
A. how the creature was found
B. the characteristics of an oarfish
C. people’s guesses about the creature
D. Boing Boing’s opinion of the creature
4.The main purpose of the text is to _____.
A. show the mystery of the ocean
B. ask people to protect sea animals
C. introduce a rarely seen kind of fish
D. show how to find surprises in the sea
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Even after centuries of exploration(探险), the ocean still holds its mysteries. Although we know more today about the world’s oceans and creatures living in them than ever before, every once in a while the sea brings up something so strange, so unexpected, that makes the world wonder what it could be.
Such was the case when the currents (水流) of the Mediterranean Ocean recently washed a 13-foot-long, smelly body onto the shores of the village of Villaricos in Andalusia, Spain. An early report in the Spanish publication Lavante described the strange, horned (带角的) body as what might seem like a big fish, but it was already in pieces. Locals joked that it was some kind of Loch Ness Monster.
The media jumped right on the creature, of course. Some sites called it a horned sea monster. The popular newspaper Boing Boing called it a dragon. Some people guessed that it might be an oarfish(皇带鱼), which is actually a rarely seen kind of big fish that can grow up to 55 feet long.
But now the experts have weighed in and we’re sorry to report that it’s not a dragon, a Loch Ness Monster, or even an oarfish. “That is actually a shark skeleton (骨架),” Professor Grubbs from Florida State University told NBC News. “The parts toward the back were confusing me, but those are the lower caudal fin (尾鳍) supports. The “horns” are the scapulocoracoids which support the pectoral fins(胸鳍).” Scapulocoracoids are backbones common to many animals.
So there we go, another mystery solved. Well, the ancient maps that once described areas of the ocean as places of dragons have yet to be proven true. But it’s good to know that the ocean still has a few surprises for us, even in cases where they’re just dead, smelly bodies.
1.The creature mentioned in the text _____.
A. was about 15 feet long with a horn
B. could probably grow up to 55 feet long
C. was already in pieces but it was still alive
D. was found on the shores of a village in Spain
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 really refer to?
A. A dragon. B. A shark skeleton.
C. An oarfish. D. A horned sea monster.
3.The third paragraph is mainly about _____.
A. how the creature was found
B. the characteristics of an oarfish
C. people’s guesses about the creature
D. Boing Boing’s opinion of the creature
4.The main purpose of the text is to _____.
A. show the mystery of the ocean
B. ask people to protect sea animals
C. introduce a rarely seen kind of fish
D. show how to find surprises in the sea
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists used to explore探测on the surface of the ocean. Now they are exploring below the surface, too. They want to know about ocean water and the plant and animal life deep in the ocean.
In 1934 the scientist William Beebe dived 3 000 feet below the surface in a hollow steel ball. In 1935 August Piccard dived 10330 feet. In 1960 his son Jean dived to a depth of 35 800 feet. All these early dives were deep. But the divers could not stay down for very long. They had to come back up to the surface after a few seconds. Scientists needed to stay down longer to study life below surface. Gradually they succeeded. Cousteau, a Frenchman, was able to keep men down to a depth of 90 feet for a week.
Now scientists are developing even better equipment. With this new equipment,men can stay below the surface for days or even weeks. In 1962 Cousteau set up a research station 35 feet below the surface. Then,in 1964,he set up another station on the ocean floor of the Red Sea. This was the first undersea station to operate without help from the surface.
Many countries are now studying undersea living. The former Soviet Union has an undersea laboratory in the Crimean Sea. The United States has a laboratory 50 feet down on the ocean floor off the Virgin Islands. In 1970 five men lived there for two weeks. Then a team of five women scientists stayed in the laboratory. Next came other teams of men. All were there to explore the ocean depths and to make plans for the use of its resources. Scientists hope to find enough mineral,vegetable,and animal wealth there to provide food for the entire world.
1.In order to______ ,scientists are exploring below the surface of the ocean.
A. know about the ocean water deep in the ocean
B. stay down longer to study life of the plant and animal below the surface
C. know about the plant and animal life deep in the ocean
D. both A and C
2.Who made the deepest dive______
A. William Beebe.
B. August Piccard.
C. Jean Piccard.
D. Cousteau.
3.Which of the following statements is true____
A. The early divers could not stay down for very long.
B. Up to now only five women scientists have stayed in the undersea laboratory.
C. The purpose of setting up the undersea laboratories is to make plans for the use of the resources in the ocean.
D. None of the above is true.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The explorer could not even strike a match, ________ after the long journey on the freezing day.
A. to freeze B. freezing C. frozen D. to be frozen
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
A 16-year-old boy finds himself on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after escaping a shipwreck(海难). Even worse, he is left with a huge tiger for company. But he manages to survive after 227 days of fighting against all the hardships of the sea.
Pi, the lead character in Oscar-winning Ang Lee’s new movie Life of Pi, went through an inspiring journey of growth and self-discovery. So did 19-year-old Suraj Sharma, the Indian actor who plays him.
But it was a lucky chance that opened up the opportunity for the new star. Sharma was a regular student who lived with his mathematician parents in Delhi, India. As the director traveled to Mumbai to find his Pi, the teenager went along with his younger brother, who had acted in a couple of movies, to audition(试镜). But little did Sharma know that he would end up winning the role from 3, 000 hopefuls.
Lee said he saw Pi in Sharma: “Not only does he have a compelling and wise look. He has this rare talent.” The director said that in the final round, Sharma gave one of the “most compelling readings we had. In the end, he was in tears.” Understandably, Sharma didn’t want to let Lee down. “He (Lee) had given me this opportunity. I had to give it my best,” Sharma told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Sharma swam for four or five hours a day until he was completely comfortable with the water. He also worked on his body because he had to first gain weight and then quickly lose weight as the story developed. He even had rats run all over him to prepare for his role. Lee was impressed by the teenager, especially his endurance and patience in staying in a water tank for many hours each day. Sharma was only 16 when Lee signed him. After three years of shooting, Sharma said he had matured with Pi’s journey.
1.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. To introduce the topic of the passage.
B. To appeal to readers to watch a movie.
C. To attract readers to continue reading.
D. To suggest the theme of this passage.
2.We can know from the passage that ________.
A. Sharma wanted to become a mathematician
B. Sharma had acted in a couple of movies
C. Sharma was sure to win in the audition
D. Many teenagers wanted to act the role Pi
3.What does the phrase “to let somebody down” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. To make somebody disappointed.
B. To seat somebody down.
C. To reject somebody’s requirement.
D. To take down somebody’s information.
4.Which of the following words can be used to describe Sharma?
A. Confident and passionate.
B. Talented and diligent.
C. Strong and courageous.
D. Endurable and easily-excited.
5.The passage is intended to introduce ________.
A. the thrilling escape from a shipwreck
B. how an Oscar-winning movie attracts audience
C. a young actor became matured when acting in a movie
D. the difficulty in winning a role in a movie
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A 16-year-old boy finds himself on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after escaping a shipwreck(海难). Even worse, he is left with a huge tiger for company. But he manages to survive after 227 days of fighting against all the hardships of the sea.
Pi, the lead character in Oscar-winning Ang Lee’s new movie Life of Pi, went through an inspiring journey of growth and self-discovery. So did 19-year-old Suraj Sharma, the Indian actor who plays him.
But it was a lucky chance that opened up the opportunity for the new star. Sharma was a regular student who lived with his mathematician parents in Delhi, India. As the director traveled to Mumbai to find his Pi, the teenager went along with his younger brother, who had acted in a couple of movies, to audition(试镜). But little did Sharma know that he would end up winning the role from 3, 000 hopefuls.
Lee said he saw Pi in Sharma: “Not only does he have a compelling and wise look. He has this rare talent.” The director said that in the final round, Sharma gave one of the “most compelling readings we had. In the end, he was in tears.” Understandably, Sharma didn’t want to let Lee down. “He (Lee) had given me this opportunity. I had to give it my best,” Sharma told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Sharma swam for four or five hours a day until he was completely comfortable with the water. He also worked on his body because he had to first gain weight and then quickly lose weight as the story developed. He even had rats run all over him to prepare for his role. Lee was impressed by the teenager, especially his endurance and patience in staying in a water tank for many hours each day. Sharma was only 16 when Lee signed him. After three years of shooting, Sharma said he had matured with Pi’s journey.
1.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. To introduce the topic of the passage.
B. To appeal to readers to watch a movie.
C. To attract readers to continue reading.
D. To suggest the theme of this passage.
2.We can know from the passage that ________.
A. Sharma wanted to become a mathematician
B. Sharma had acted in a couple of movies
C. Sharma was sure to win in the audition
D. Many teenagers wanted to act the role Pi
3.What does the phrase “to let somebody down” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. To make somebody disappointed.
B. To seat somebody down.
C. To reject somebody’s requirement.
D. To take down somebody’s information.
4.Which of the following words can be used to describe Sharma?
A. Confident and passionate.
B. Talented and diligent.
C. Strong and courageous.
D. Endurable and easily-excited.
5.The passage is intended to introduce ________.
A. the thrilling escape from a shipwreck
B. how an Oscar-winning movie attracts audience
C. a young actor became matured when acting in a movie
D. the difficulty in winning a role in a movie
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Edmund Percival Hillary was one of the greatest explorers of the twentieth century. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1919. He discovered an interest in mountain climbing while he was still in high school and began climbing New Zealand's Southern Alps.
Like his father, Hillary earned his living as a beekeeper. However, he continued to climb mountains. His goal was to climb Mt. Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world. By the early 1950s, several expeditions(探险队)had attempted to reach the summit of Everest, but all had failed. Then, in 1953, Hillary and a Nepalese climber named Tenzing Norgay became the first two people to reach the top of the world.
Hillary's spirit of exploration was not satisfied. He joined an expedition to Antarctica and reached the South Pole in 1958. He also made an expedition up the Ganges River to its source in the Himalayas. Sir Edmund Hillary was a brave adventurer. He went where no man or woman had gone before.
Although Hillary was best known as the young man who climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest in the 1950s, he continued his journeys to far-off places into his senior years. For instance, in his mid-sixties Hillary flew to the North Pole with Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Moreover, Hillary authored many books. However, his most lasting gift, perhaps, was the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust(信托基金). It raised millions of dollars and contributed to schools, hospitals and many other public improvements in the Sherpa villages of Nepal. In January 2008, Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88.
Despite being a great adventurer and known for the treasure he left Sir Edmund Hillary always modestly referred to himself as a simple beekeeper from New Zealand.
1.Hillary was interested in ________ when he was in high school.
A. mountain-climbing B. bee-keeping
C. money-raising D. story-writing
2.Hillary became well-known because ________.
A. he reached both the South Pole and the North Pole
B. he was the first to reach the top of Mt. Everest
C. he lived in places where no humans had gone
D. he made a lot of money as a beekeeper
3.We can learn from the passage that Hillary is ________.
A. outgoing and fearless
B. talented and honest
C. determined and caring
D. hardworking and careful
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Helen Thayer,one of the greatest explorers of the 20th century,loves challenges. She says,"I like to see what's on the other side of the hill." She has gone almost everywhere to do that.
In 1988,at the age of 50,she became the first woman to travel alone to the North Pole. She pulled her own sled (雪橇) piled with 160 pounds of supplies,and during her trip no one brought her fresh supplies. Accompanied (陪伴) only by her dog Charlie,she survived cold weather and meetings with polar bears. In fact,Charlie saved her life when one of them attacked her. Near the end of her trip,a forceful wind blew away the majority of her supplies. The last week of the trip,she survived on a handful of nuts and a little water each day.
Helen goes to challenging places not only for adventure,but also for education. Before her Arctic journey,she started a website called Adventure Classroom. On the site,she shares her adventures in order to motivate (激发) students. She explains,"Although kids often see the world in a negative way,without hope for their future,we work to inspire them to set goals,plan for success and never give up..."
Helen grew up in New Zealand. Her parents were athletes and mountain climbers. Following her parents' example,she climbed her first mountain at 9. Later,she climbed the highest mountains in North and South America,the former USSR and New Zealand.
In 1996,she took on another challenge--the Sahara Desert. She and her husband,Bill,walked 2,400 miles across it!In 2001,she and Bill traveled on foot from west to east through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. They hope to travel in mainland China into Sichuan and Tibet to study pandas this year.
Helen plans to continue taking trips. She'll use her explorations,writing,photography and environmental work to create programs for her Adventure Classroom website. She wants to inspire her students never to stop facing challenges!
1.We learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.
A. Helen Thayer is the first person to reach the North Pole
B. Helen Thayer ate nothing during the last week of her trip
C. Charlie prevented Helen being attacked by polar bears
D. Helen Thayer traveled to the North Pole together with her husband
2.Why does Helen travel to different places worldwide?
A. For education. B. For fun.
C. For money. D. For fame.
3.Which is the best title for the text?
A. The Woman Who Loves Adventure B. A Famous Woman
C. A Woman Mountain Climber D. The Owner of Adventure Classroom
4.Which of the following places has Helen not visited yet?
A. The North Pole B. The Sahara Desert
C. The Gobi Desert D. Sichuan and Tibet
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Although they plant trees in this area every year, the tops of hills are still ______.
A.blank | B.hollow | C.vacant | D.bare |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
By the end of the century, if not sooner, oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物)called phytoplankton. Owing to the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colorful patterns on the ocean surface. Ocean color varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, resulting in changes in the ocean’s appearance.
Living on the ocean surface, Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When they die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, and help to adjust the global climate. But phytoplankton are allergic to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes essential characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃, it found that multiple changes to the ocean color would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, a warming will make conditions suitable for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing,” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”
And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. “If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean,” Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.
Whatever color changes the ocean may experience in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “but the change in the color of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have transformed our planet.”
1.What is the major cause that directly results in changes in the ocean’s color?
A.The temperature of sea water.
B.The type and concentration of phytoplankton.
C.The oxygen given off by phytoplankton.
D.The amount of carbon dioxide in the area.
2.What can be learned from the passage?
A.Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate.
B.Phytoplankton are of little significance in Dutkiewicz’s research.
C.Phytoplankton are not sensitive to the warming trend in the ocean.
D.A warming trend helps phytoplankton grow and oceans may appear greener.
3.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To describe the importance of phytoplankton.
B.To explain the effects of climate change on oceans.
C.To introduce a new approach to phytoplankton study.
D.To assess the consequences of changes in ocean color.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The ocean bottom, a region nearly 2.5 times greater than the total land area of the earth, is even today largely unexplored. Until about a century ago, the deep ocean floor was completely inaccessible and hidden beneath waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep. Totally without light and in the case of intense pressures hundreds of times greater than at the earth’s surface, the deep-ocean bottom is a strange environment to humans, in some way, as fighting and remote as the outer space.
Although researchers have taken samples of deep-ocean rocks for over a century, the first detailed global study of the ocean bottom did not actually start until 1969, with the beginning of the National Science Foundation’s Deep Sea Drilling Project(DSDP). Using techniques first developed for the offshore oil and gas industry, the DSDP’s drill ship, the Glomar Challenger, was able to maintain a steady position on the ocean’s surface and drill very deep waters, taking samples of rocks from the ocean floor.
The Glomar Challenger completed 96 voyages in a 15-year research program that ended in November 1983. During this time, it sailed 600,000 kilometers and took almost 20,000 samples of rocks around the world. Those samples have allowed geologists to reconstruct what the planet looked like hundreds of millions of years ago and to make out what it will probably look like millions of years in the future. Today, largely on the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Challenger’s voyages, nearly all earth scientists agree on the theories of plate tectonics (构造学) and continental drift that explain many of the geological processes.
The sample of rocks drilled by the Glomar Challenger has also provided a climatic record stretching back hundreds of millions of years. The information of past climatic change can be used to predict the future climate.
1.What does the underlined word “inaccessible” in paragraph1 mean?
A. unrecognizable. B. unreachable.
C. unusable. D. unreasonable
2.The Deep Sea Drilling Project was significant because it was _____.
A. an attempt to find new sources of oil and gas
B. supported entirely by the gas and oil industry
C. conducted by geologists from all over the world
D. the first detailed exploration of the ocean bottom
3.What can we know about the Glomar Challenger?
A. It provided a record of past climatic change.
B. It took almost 600,000 samples of rocks
C. It made its first DSDP voyage in 1968.
D. It has gone on over 100 voyages.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析