How do the world’s only flying mammals communicate? Researchers have observed young bats adopting new “dialects” simply by hearing them repeatedly, making them one of the few animals known to have a capacity for vocal (声音的) learning. “These bats may help us clarify the evolution of speech acquisition (习得) skills,” says Yosef Prat, a PhD at Tel Aviv University (TAU).
For one year, researchers raised 14 Egyptian fruit bat pups with their mothers in controlled area, exposing each young bat to two different vocalizations: the natural call of its mother and a separate recording that varied in pitch (音高) or frequency. They found that the pups in each group developed a dialect like the recording. “The general assumption in this field is that most animals develop their born vocalizations regardless of what they hear, and that human vocal learning abilities have developed during evolution,” says Mr Prat. “The finding that bats learn the common dialect in their rest place was unusual.”
Scientists know little about the origin of spoken language, which is believed to have appeared in humans within the past 500,000 years. Dozens of theories attempt to explain the complexity of this skill, but none have done so conclusively.
“Studying vocal communication and vocal learning in animal models is a very useful way to approach the problem,” says Olga Feher, an assistant professor at the University of Warwick in England.
But animal vocalizations and human speech are very different things, says Jamin Pelkey, a professor at Ryerson University. “All species communicate. Unlike other animals, though, human beings are able to use sound patterns for functions that are far stranger—functions that are imaginative, theoretical, and critical. When speech is involved in these stranger functions, that is what we mean by spoken ‘language’.”
1.How do young bats acquire their “language” according to the research?
A.Flying in the air slowly.
B.Hearing it again and again.
C.Communicating with partners.
D.Repeating it with their mothers.
2.What was the general view about animal vocalization?
A.Most animals are born with it
B.Its process was unusual.
C.It is easier than human speech.
D.What animals heard doesn’t affect their learning.
3.What does the underlined word “problem” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.The difference between animals and humans.
B.The complexity of spoken language.
C.The origin of spoken language.
D.The study of animal models.
4.What does professor Pelkey think of researching young bats?
A.It is far from the fact
B.Its result is beyond doubt.
C.It is of great scientific value.
D.It doesn’t relate to human speech much.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
How do the world’s only flying mammals communicate? Researchers have observed young bats adopting new “dialects” simply by hearing them repeatedly, making them one of the few animals known to have a capacity for vocal (声音的) learning. “These bats may help us clarify the evolution of speech acquisition (习得) skills,” says Yosef Prat, a PhD at Tel Aviv University (TAU).
For one year, researchers raised 14 Egyptian fruit bat pups with their mothers in controlled area, exposing each young bat to two different vocalizations: the natural call of its mother and a separate recording that varied in pitch (音高) or frequency. They found that the pups in each group developed a dialect like the recording. “The general assumption in this field is that most animals develop their born vocalizations regardless of what they hear, and that human vocal learning abilities have developed during evolution,” says Mr Prat. “The finding that bats learn the common dialect in their rest place was unusual.”
Scientists know little about the origin of spoken language, which is believed to have appeared in humans within the past 500,000 years. Dozens of theories attempt to explain the complexity of this skill, but none have done so conclusively.
“Studying vocal communication and vocal learning in animal models is a very useful way to approach the problem,” says Olga Feher, an assistant professor at the University of Warwick in England.
But animal vocalizations and human speech are very different things, says Jamin Pelkey, a professor at Ryerson University. “All species communicate. Unlike other animals, though, human beings are able to use sound patterns for functions that are far stranger—functions that are imaginative, theoretical, and critical. When speech is involved in these stranger functions, that is what we mean by spoken ‘language’.”
1.How do young bats acquire their “language” according to the research?
A.Flying in the air slowly.
B.Hearing it again and again.
C.Communicating with partners.
D.Repeating it with their mothers.
2.What was the general view about animal vocalization?
A.Most animals are born with it
B.Its process was unusual.
C.It is easier than human speech.
D.What animals heard doesn’t affect their learning.
3.What does the underlined word “problem” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.The difference between animals and humans.
B.The complexity of spoken language.
C.The origin of spoken language.
D.The study of animal models.
4.What does professor Pelkey think of researching young bats?
A.It is far from the fact
B.Its result is beyond doubt.
C.It is of great scientific value.
D.It doesn’t relate to human speech much.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Bats are the only mammals that can fly a great distance, but they have another ability. Many bats live a very long time for an animal of their size. European researchers are studying bats to understand why they live so long. They hope to make discoveries aimed at fighting the aging process in human beings.
Last week, the group of scientists said they had discovered important biological qualities in some bat species.The group studied bat chromosomes(染色体). The scientists were most interested in structures connected to the ends of the chromosomes. They are called telomeres(端粒)，which shorten each time a cell divides. Scientists believe this shortening process causes cells to break down. They say this is what causes aging.
The European researchers studied 493 bats from four bat species. The group used information that had been gathered over more than 60 years. Of these animals, the greater mouse-eared bat generally lived an average of 37 years.The scientists said it had telomeres that did not shorten with age. Another Myotis bat holds the record for oldest age, reaching 41 years.The scientists’ findings suggest that these bats’ cells have the ability to maintain and repair their telomeres. This, they said, helps guard against the aging process.
Based on its body size, a bat like the greater mouse-eared bat would be expected to live four years. But, these mammals have been found to live nearly 10 times longer than that. The scientists found that only 19 species of mammals live longer than humans when their body size is considered. Eighteen of these are bats. The only exception is an unusual African rat.
1.What decides bats’ aging process according to the text? .
A. The body size of the bat B. The type of chromosomes
C. The building of cell D. The length of telomeres
2.How long does a greater mouse-eared bat generally live?
A. 19 years. B. 41 years.
C. 37 years. D. 60 years.
3.We can learn from the text that _________ .
A. nineteen kinds of bats could live longer than humans
B. the scientists have studied bats for more than six decades
C. the bats studied in the research are of the same species
D. researchers focus on finding out why humans live long
4.In which column of a magazine can you read the text?
A. Science B. Lifestyle
C. Fashion D. Business
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Bats are the only mammals that can fly a great distance, but they have another ability. Many bats live a very long time for an animal of their size. European researchers are studying bats to understand why they live so long. They hope to make discoveries aimed at fighting the aging process in human beings.
Last week, the group of scientists said they had identified important biological qualities in some bat species. The group studied the bats’ chromosomes (染色体), a line of genes found in the nucleus of cells. The scientists were most interested in structures connected to the ends of the chromosomes. They are called telomeres (端粒), which protect the ends of chromosomes and shorten each time a cell divides. Scientists believe this shortening process causes cells to break down. They say this is what cause aging.
The European researchers studied 493 bats from four bat species. The group used information that had been gathered over more than 60 years. Of these animals, the greater mouse-eared bat generally lived the longest, an average of 37 years. The scientists said this and a related species, which are grouped together under the name Myotis, had telomeres that did not shorten with age. Another Myotis bat holds the record for the oldest age, reaching 41 years. The scientists’ findings suggest that these bats’ cells have the ability to maintain and repair their telomeres. This helps guard against the aging process.
Based on its body size, a bat like the greater mouse-eared bat would be expected to live four years. But, these mammals have been found to live nearly 10 times longer than that. The scientists found that only 19 species of mammals live longer than humans when their body size is considered. Eighteen of these are bats.
1.Why are European researchers studying bats?
A.To learn the similar habits between bats and human beings.
B.To find out why the greater mouse-eared bats live a long life.
C.To try to understand why bats prefer to fly during the night.
D.To discover a good way to prevent human beings from aging.
2.What does the second paragraph mainly explain to us?
A.The structures of the bats’ chromosomes. B.What causes aging biologically.
C.The functions of telomeres. D.What causes cells to break down.
3.Why do the greater mouse-eared bat and another Myotis bat live so long?
A.They are grouped together under the name Myotis.
B.Their telomeres are decreasing with age.
C.Their cells are able to keep up and fix their telomeres.
D.They have more telomeres than human beings do.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Bats live 10 times longer than other mammals.
B.Bats enjoy the longest life among mammals.
C.The greater mouse-eared bat and other bats should have lived longer.
D.Many bats live longer than human beings considering their body size.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Bats are the only mammals(哺乳动物) that can fly a great distance, but they have another ability. Many bats live a very long time for an animal of their size. European researchers are studying bats to understand why they lives0 long. They hope to make discoveries aimed at fighting the aging process in human beings.
Last week, the group of scientists said they had identified important biological qualities in some bat species. The group studied bat chromosomes(染色体), a line of genes found in the nucleus(细胞核) of cells. The scientists were most interested in structures connected to the ends of the chromosomes. They are called telomeres(端粒), which protect the ends of chromosomes and shorten each time a cell divides. Scientists believe this shortening process causes cells to breakdown. They say this is what causes aging.
The European researchers studied 493 bats from four bat species. The group used information that had been gathered over more than 60 years. Of these animals ，the greater mouse-eared bat generally lived the longest, an average of 37 years. The scientists said this and a related species, which are grouped together under the name Myotis, had telomeres that did not shorten with age. Another Myotis bat holds the record for oldest age, reaching 41years. The scientists’ findings suggest that these bats cells have the ability to maintain and repair their telomeres. This, they said, helps guard against the aging process.
Based on its body size, a bat like the greater mouse-eared bat would be expected to live four years. But, these mammals have been found to live nearly 10 times longer than that. The scientists found that only 19 species of mammals live longer than humans when their body size is considered. Eighteen of these are bats.
1.European researchers are studying bats mainly hoping to .
A. learn the living habit of bats.
B. find out why bats enjoy a long life.
C. try to understand why bats can fly as a mammal
D. discover a good way to prevent human beings from aging.
2.What does the second paragraph mainly explain to us?
A. The structures of bats’ chromosomes.
B. What cause aging biologically.
C. The functions of telomeres.
D. What causes cells to break down.
3.The greater mouse-eared bat and Myotis bat live so long because .
A. they are grouped together under the name Myois
B. their telomeres are decreasing with age
C. their ells are able to keep up and fix their telomeres
D. their bodies produce more telomeres than human beings
4.From the last paragraph, we can infer that. .
A. bats live 10 times longer that human beings
B. bats enjoy the longest life among mammals
C. bats like the greater mouse-eared bat should have lived longer
D. Most bats live longer than human beings considering their body size
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle(口哨)language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley cannot easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of the telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera island you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.
1.If a person on Comera island is ill, .
A. others will phone the doctor in town
B. the whistle language will pass the news to the doctor
C. his family will take him to the doctor
D. people will take him to the hospital
2. From the passage we know radio and TV at that time.
A. killed the special ways of speaking
B. whistled all the news and opinions
C. helped Comera people to communicate
D. did not appear on Comera island yet
3. Comera island is special in that .
A. it attracts visitors every year
B. no visitors have ever been there
C. people there have special ears to hear whistles
D. people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other
4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle.
B. The whistle language can only be found on Comera island.
C. The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer.
D. The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
La Gomera is the only place in the world that has a whistle language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of a valley can not easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard. Some of the best whistlers can be heard from four miles away and the record is seven miles.
The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of telephone. If the sick person is quite far away from the town, people pass the message from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help one another in the same way when a car breaks down or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live on for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in different parts of a country. But on La Gomera you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.
1. If a person on La Gomera is ill, ______.
A. the whistle language will help pass the message to the doctor
B. people will take him to town by carriage
C. his family will take him to the hospital
D. others will phone the doctor in town
2. La Gomera is special because ______.
A. we don’t know its complete history
B. people have to shout if they want to communicate
C. people there have good teeth and ears
D. people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other
3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer.
B. The whistle language can only be found on La Gomera.
C. It is not easy for a person to live on La Gomera if he cannot whistle.
D. The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others from seven miles away.
4. Which of the following will be the best title of this passage?
A. The Secret Language
B. Do You Know the Whistle Language?
C. The Life of Islanders
D. La Gomera－a Mystery
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Bright Side did some research on many places throughout the world where you can buy a house for 1 dollar or for free!
Roubaix, France
If you like France, Roubaix located in the north of France is just for you. The local authorities want it to be populated and attractive. You can buy a small house in the industrial district for just $1. The buyer is supposed to live in this house for 3 years.
Buffalo. USA
Buffalo offers whoever qualifies to buy a house for $1. All you need is to be a lawful citizen of the city and invest amount of money into its decoration. Doing this, the authorities are hoping to make the city beautiful again without spending money.
Liverpool, Great Britain
In Liverpool, most of houses were abandoned by the working class during the years of unemployment. The government is trying to sell the houses for just $1. If you want to buy such a house, it has to be your first deal on buying property (不动产).
Candela, Italy
If you still have any doubts about spending SI on a house, you should know: the government will pay you some money, if you move to Candela. In order to be paid, you need to become a permanent citizen and have an income of $7500 per year. If moving a, ne, you will get S800, and if you are going with your family, the pay can be four times as much as only one person.
For more information of other cities, please Click Here.
1.Why do the authorities of Buffalo provide a house for people with 1$?
A. To improve the lives of poor people.
B. To make the city attractive at no cost.
C. To solve the problems of employment.
D. To attract people to the industrial areas.
2.What is required to buy a house for 1 dollar in Liverpool?
A. You need to be an unemployed citizen.
B. You should live in the house for 3 years.
C. You must make the first house purchase.
D. You have to repair and decorate the house.
3.How much money can you get if moving to Candela with a whole family?
A. $3200 B. $1
C. $800 D. $7500
4.Where does this passage come from?
A. a textbook. B. a magazine.
C. the Internet. D. an announcement.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Bright Side did some research on many places throughout the world where you can buy a house for 1 dollar or for free!
Roubaix, France
If you like France, Roubaix located in the north of France is just for you. The local authorities want it to be populated and attractive. You can buy a small house in the industrial district for just $1. The buyer is supposed to live in this house for 3 years.
Buffalo. USA
Buffalo offers whoever qualifies to buy a house for $1. All you need is to be a lawful citizen of the city and invest amount of money into its decoration. Doing this, the authorities are hoping to make the city beautiful again without spending money.
Liverpool, Great Britain
In Liverpool, most of houses were abandoned (遗弃）by the working class during the years of unemployment. The government is trying to sell the houses for just $1. If you want to buy such a house, it has to be your first deal on buying property（房产）.
Candela, Italy
If you still have any doubts about spending $1 on a house, you should know: the government will pay you some money, if you move to Candela. In order to be paid, you need to become a permanent（永久的）citizen and have an income of $7500 per year. If moving alone, you will get $800, and if you are going with your family, the pay can be four times as much as only one person.
For more information of other cities, please Click Here.
1.Why do the authorities of Buffalo provide a house for people with 1$?
A.To improve the lives of poor people.
B.To make the city attractive at no cost.
C.To solve the problems of employment.
D.To attract people to the industrial areas.
2.What is required to buy a house for 1 dollar in Liverpool?
A.You need to be an unemployed citizen.
B.You should live in the house for 3 years.
C.It must be your first house purchase.
D.You have to repair and decorate the house.
3.How much money can you get if moving to Candela with a whole family?
A.$3200 B.$9600
C.$800 D.$7500
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
An absolute description of the threat hanging over the world’s mammals, reptiles, amphibians(不如、爬行、两栖动物) and other life forms has been published by the well-known scientific journal, Nature. A special analysis carried out by the journal indicates that an astonishing 41% of all amphibians on the planet now face extinction while 26% of mammal species and 13% of birds are similarly threatened.
Many species are already critically endangered and lose to extinction, including the Sumatran elephant, Amur leopard and mountain gorilla. But also in danger of vanishing for the wild, it now appears, are animals that are currently rated as merely being endangered.
In each case, the finger of blame points directly at human activites The continuing spread of agriculture is destroying million of hectares of wild habitats(栖息地)every year, leaving animals without homes, while the introduction of newly-come species, often helped by humans, is also damaging native populations. At the same time, pollution and overfishing are destroying ocean ecosystems.
“Habitat destruction, pollution or overfishing either skill off wild creatures and plants or leaves them badly weakened,” said Derek Tittensor, an ocean ecologist at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge. “The trouble is that in coming decades, the additional threat of worsening climate change will become more and more common and could then kill off these survivors.”
The problem, according to Nature, is worsened because of the huge gaps in scientists knowledge about the planet’s biodiversity. Evaluations of the total number of species of animals and plants alive vary from 2 million to 50 million. In addition, evaluations of current rates of species’ disappearances vary from 500 to 36, 000 a year. “That is the real problem we face,” added Tittensor. “The scale of uncertainty is huge.”
In the end, however, the data indicate that the world is heading cruelty towards a mass extinction-which is defined as one involving a loss of 75% of species or more. This could arrive in less than a hundred years or could take a thousand, depending on extinction rates.
1.What’s the main idea of the first two paragraphs?
A. Figures about some wild animals are astonishing.
B. “Nature” is the famous journal around the world.
C. Many endangered species are close to extinction.
D. Some rare species have appeared around the world.
2.The direct reason for the extinction of some species is _____.
A. continuous appearance of new species
B. destructive activities of human beings
C. more and more homeless animals
D. the great change of ocean ecosystem
3.From paragraph 4 we know that another future threat is ______.
A. destruction of habitats
B. overfishing and pollution
C. the worsening climate change
D. killing off wild creatures and plants
4.What is the real problem we are facing now according to paragraph 5?
A. The killing of wild creatures and cutting of trees.
B. The global warming caused by human beings.
C. The destruction of ocean ecosystem by pollution.
D. Evaluation of current rates of species’ disappearances.
5.What does “This” in the last sentence refer to _____?
A. mass extinction
B. extinction rates
C. extinction time
D. 75% of species or more
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The annual Canadian commercial seal hunt is the world's largest hunt of marine mammals. A few weeks old, the seal cubs are prized primarily for their skins and also for the omega-3-rich oil used in food supplements--products that are shipped around the world.
This month, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, is expected to announce whether products from commercial seal hunting can be marketed in Europe. At present, they cannot. Such products have been banned by the European Union (EU) since 2009 to protect ‘public morals’. Canada and Norway have asked the WTO to overturn the ban - the first of its kind -- and the trade body will soon deliver its final decision.
As an official observer, I have seen the hunt from the ice and from helicopters. The details are grisly. That is why the WTO originally agreed that the EU could act to limit trade on the grounds of public morals - the first time that such a restriction had been put in place.
When they are born, seal cubs have white fur. They are abandoned by their mothers at about 12 days of age. Stranded on the unstable ice, they remain alone and unfed for up to six weeks, and during this time their fur changes from white to grey --and the hunters arrive.
The cubs are either shot from boats, or clubbed with a wooden bat or an iron-tipped pole called a hakapik. Some shot and injured seals slide into the water and are lost. Many shot and injured animals could potentially suffer for several minutes while the hunters drive their boats close enough to club them unconscious. If the ice is too unstable for the hunters to cross, shot and injured but conscious and reactive seals can be dragged into the boats with long hooked gaffs (鱼叉) before being clubbed.
As a human and as a scientist I consider the hunt to present real and significant welfare concerns. The available scientific evidence supports that opinion. But science, of course, is only one of the factors at play. Perhaps the final word should go to a statement attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
1.Why is WTO’s ban introduced in the passage “the first of its kind”?
A.It is the first to take little notice of the economic results.
B.It is the first to take moral standards into account.
C.It is the first to have been overturned in history.
D.It is the first to put animals’ welfare in place.
2.The underlined word “grisly” most probably means .
A.accurate B.unpleasant C.vague D.available
3.The writer describes the process of seal hunting in detail in paragraph 5 in order to .
A.prove it requires much experience B.introduce what tools are needed
C.show readers how violent it is D.stress how helpless seals are
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.WTO is going to lift the ban on seal hunting
B.Canada decreases its commercial seal hunting
C.The moral problem with commercial seal hunting
D.How animals are treated vary from country to country
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析