Goldfish have pretty boring lives, so maybe it’s a good thing they can only concentrate for nine seconds! But according to new research, humans are becoming like goldfish. Our attention span (时长) is getting shorter...and it’s all because of technology.
“We move quickly from one site to another on the web, ”says Doctor Ted Selker, a computer scientist from Massachusetts, “and we are losing the ability to concentrate.” With millions of websites to choose from, the attention span of the average internet user is just seconds. There are other digital distractions (分心) too: email, instant messaging and quickie movies on websites. Some people are worried about the effect on young people. “You need time to understand and think about what you read,” says Julia Wood, from London. “Young people search the net all the time and their brains become full of useless information but there is no time to make sense of it. I am trying to persuade my pupils to read more books, so that they concentrate on one subject for longer.”
Other teachers are trying more unusual methods to improve students’ concentration. Anne Savan, from Wales, was so worried about her students that she started playing Mozart during her science lessons. She says that it had an amazing effect: “The music made them calmer, and their concentration was much better.”
But not everyone believes that there is a problem. Ray Cole, an educational psychologist says: “On the web, young people learn to make quick decisions about what is and isn’t worth reading.
They might look at five unhelpful websites very quickly, before stopping and reading a sixth useful website more carefully. In a world with so much information available, this is an important skill.”
1.Why does the writer mention “goldfish”?
A.To analyze data. B.To introduce a topic.
C.To settle problems. D.To suggest a way out.
2.What may cause a shorter attention span according to Dr. Ted Selker?
A.Skipping around the internet. B.Time to digest information.
C.Traditional methods of reading. D.Making decisions.
3.What will help students overcome a short attention span?
A.Receiving emails. B.Texting messages.
C.Reading more books. D.Watching quickie movies.
4.What is Ray Cole’s attitude towards looking through websites quickly?
A.Cautious. B.Unfavorable.
C.Skeptical. D.Supportive.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Goldfish have pretty boring lives, so maybe it’s a good thing they can only concentrate for nine seconds! But according to new research, humans are becoming like goldfish. Our attention span (时长) is getting shorter...and it’s all because of technology.
“We move quickly from one site to another on the web, ”says Doctor Ted Selker, a computer scientist from Massachusetts, “and we are losing the ability to concentrate.” With millions of websites to choose from, the attention span of the average internet user is just seconds. There are other digital distractions (分心) too: email, instant messaging and quickie movies on websites. Some people are worried about the effect on young people. “You need time to understand and think about what you read,” says Julia Wood, from London. “Young people search the net all the time and their brains become full of useless information but there is no time to make sense of it. I am trying to persuade my pupils to read more books, so that they concentrate on one subject for longer.”
Other teachers are trying more unusual methods to improve students’ concentration. Anne Savan, from Wales, was so worried about her students that she started playing Mozart during her science lessons. She says that it had an amazing effect: “The music made them calmer, and their concentration was much better.”
But not everyone believes that there is a problem. Ray Cole, an educational psychologist says: “On the web, young people learn to make quick decisions about what is and isn’t worth reading.
They might look at five unhelpful websites very quickly, before stopping and reading a sixth useful website more carefully. In a world with so much information available, this is an important skill.”
1.Why does the writer mention “goldfish”?
A.To analyze data. B.To introduce a topic.
C.To settle problems. D.To suggest a way out.
2.What may cause a shorter attention span according to Dr. Ted Selker?
A.Skipping around the internet. B.Time to digest information.
C.Traditional methods of reading. D.Making decisions.
3.What will help students overcome a short attention span?
A.Receiving emails. B.Texting messages.
C.Reading more books. D.Watching quickie movies.
4.What is Ray Cole’s attitude towards looking through websites quickly?
A.Cautious. B.Unfavorable.
C.Skeptical. D.Supportive.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A pretty face is never forgotten. Do you believe so? But maybe it is untrue! Psychologists believe beautiful people are less likely to be recognized. A new study suggests that attractiveness can actually prevent the recognition of faces, unless a pretty face has particularly distinctive features, such as Angelina Jolie’s.
German psychologists think the recognition of pretty faces is distorted (扭曲) by emotions. Researchers Holger Wiese, Carolin Altmann and Stefan Schweinberger at the University of Jena, Germany, discovered in a study that photos of unattractive people were more easily remembered than pretty ones when they showed them to a group of people.
For the study, which was published in science magazine Neuropsychologia, the psychologists showed photos of faces to test subjects. Half of the faces were considered to be more attractive and the other half as less attractive, but all of them were being thought of as similarly distinctive looking. The test subjects were shown the faces for just a few seconds to memorize them and were shown them again during the test so that they could decide if they recognized them or not.
The researchers were surprised by the result. “Until now we assumed that it was generally easier to memorize faces which are being considered as attractive, just because we prefer looking at beautiful faces,” Dr. Wiese said. But the study showed that such a connection cannot be easily proven. He assumes that remembering pretty faces is distorted by emotional influences, which enhance the sense of recognition at a later time. The researchers’ idea is backed up by evidence from EEG-recordings (脑电图记录) they used during their experiment which show the brains’ electric activity.
The study also revealed that in the case of attractive faces, considerably more false positive results were detected. In other words, people thought they recognized a face without having seen it before. “We obviously tend to believe that we recognize a face just because we find it attractive.” Dr. Wiese said.
1.What do we know about the photos from Paragraph 3?
A. They were all of pretty faces.
B. They were selected at random.
C. They were not distinctive at all.
D. They were showed twice to the test subjects.
2.What does the underlined phrase “false positive results” in the last paragraph mean?
A. People actually only recognize few pretty faces.
B. People recognize more ugly faces than pretty ones.
C. People claim to recognize a face they have never seen.
D. People recognize fewer faces than they have thought.
3.What can be inferred from the new study?
A. People are reluctant to recognize ugly faces.
B. Beautiful people are particularly distinctive.
C. Attractiveness prevents the recognition of faces.
D. Attractive faces are always easy to be recognized.
4.Which word can show the author’s attitude towards the findings of the research?
A. Doubtful. B. Disapproving.
C. Favorable. D. Objective.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Every so often, mankind comes up with really good inventions that have changed our daily lives. However, the U.S. Patent Office has issued over 7. 5 million patents, and not all of them are quite so celebrated. Some good, some bad, and some crazy! The following lists some of the more unusual ideas that have come along.
Snake Leash
In 2002, a patent was issued for a snake-walking leash. There are at least two major problems with this idea. 1) Dog leashes fit securely between the head and shoulders. A snake does not have shoulders; so it might slither away. 2) Dogs are OK for public places because they are social animals, and people like them. Snakes are not OK for public places because they are not social, and some people are terrified of them.
Stadium Helmet
Americans are known for our love of sports. Unfortunately, good tickets to games are expensive, and some fans have to sit in the nosebleed sections. This invention, patented in 2000, is designed for these fans. Featuring a built-in radio, binoculars(望远镜) , a cooling fan, and a helmet for falling litter, this design transforms the stadium experience.
Bacon Alarm Clock
When you think about it, waking to the dreadful, blaring noise of an alarm clock is a terrible way to start the day. However; this clock could change that. You simply put a piece of frozen bacon in the alarm clock, set the alarm, and go to sleep. The clock gently wakes you up with the mouthwatering smell of bacon the next morning, just like waking up on a Sunday morning to the smell of Mom cooking breakfast. Who said there’s no time to eat breakfast?
Toilet Lock
In 1969, a patent was issued for a really bad idea – the toilet seat lock. First of all, fishing for your keys when you have to go seems very unpleasant. Then there is the possibility of losing the key altogether. What about guests? Just think that you would have to ask permission for the bathroom. Of course, there is the ultimate question: Why would you lock it in the first place?
Humana Bird Feeder
People have always admired the gracefulness and beauty of birds, and bird watching is a popular hobby. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal is a challenge. That is, until now. In 1999, a patent was issued for a helmet with birdfeeders attached to it. Although there may be a design flaw (缺陷) (turning the head to see the birds would probably frighten them), this invention could change the way of bird watching.
1.Snake Leash was designed to .
A. catch a snake B. keep off a snake
C. take a snake for a walk D. keep dogs and snakes together
2.What can be inferred about the nosebleed sections? .
A. They are for fans who have no tickets.
B. They are for fans who have poor eyesight.
C. They are close to the center of a stadium.
D. They are far from the center of a stadium.
3.What is the use of Human Bird Feeder?
A. To watch birds near enough. '
B. To feed birds personally.
C. To communicate with birds.
D. To hide from birds.
4.Which of the following inventions can help to save your time?
A. Toilet Lock. B. Stadium Helmt.
C. Snake Leash. D. Bacon Alarm Clock.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
How to Have a Good Weekend
People are pretty stressed out. 1.. Below are some relaxation tips and a few hints on how to have a good weekend.
2.. The rules for phone use over the weekend can be helpful. Maybe check your phone for texts or emails only once an hour, instead of all the time. Or turn off push notifications(通知) on your phone when you’re not working. If you want to be really daring, try leaving your phone at home during certain weekend activities, or even leaving it on airplane mode during brunch or a hang with friends.
Try treating your weekend like a mini-vacation. 3.. People who do this stay in bed a little longer, or hug their special someone a little more, or spend a little more time eating and less time on housework and job responsibilities. The weekend-as-vacation mindset helps you be more connected to the present moment.
Beat the “Sunday fears” by planning something fun. A lot of us fall into the trap of saving weekend work we have to complete for Sunday evening, which means the last part of our weekends can be pretty stressful and feel a lot like, well, Monday. To avoid those “Sunday fears,” maybe get those few hours of work done at some other point during the weekend, so that the last thing you do during your weekend can be something actually fun. 4..
Focus on making new memories, rather than just discussing the workweek again. We should stop viewing it as opportunities to talk about old days, but instead as opportunities to make new memories and learn things about the people you care about that you didn’t know before. Ask questions that go beyond “how was your week?” Maybe ask your friends to tell you a memory of their first date, 5., or what superhero they’d be and why. Anything is Ok but work.
A.Use your phone as you like
B.This actually changes our behaviors
C.Take some time away from your phone
D.or you quitted the job last week and why
E.But they don’t know how to relax themselves
F.It will make the start of the next week much better
G.or the story of their favorite song and why they love it
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
Once, in a lovely garden, lived the most beautiful butterfly in the world. She was so pretty, and had won so many beauty competitions 1 she had become very proud. One day, a naughty cockroach (蟑螂) got fed up with her showing off, and decided 2 (teach) her a lesson.
She went to see the butterfly, and in front of everyone she told her that she wasn’t really that beautiful, and that the butterfly only won the competitions 3 the judges had been paid. In 4 (real), the cockroach was the most beautiful.
The butterfly was angry and told the cockroach, “I 5 (beat) you in a beauty competition, with whichever judges you choose.” “OK, I accept. See you on Saturday,” answered the cockroach, and left 6 waiting for a reply.
That Saturday everyone went to 7 beauty competition. The butterfly arrived completely confident of victory until she saw 8 the judges were: cockroaches, worms, beetles. All of 9 preferred the ugliness and bad smell of the cockroach.
The butterfly was left 10 (sob) and disappointed, wanting never to enter another beauty competition in her life. Fortunately, the cockroach forgave the butterfly for her pride and they became friends.
高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析
— Would you care for a cup of tea? It tastes pretty good.
— I one. Thank you just the same.
A. have had B. had C. would have D. will have
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
I'm not sure where my necklace is, but I have a pretty good idea who________it．
A．take B．took
C．had taken D．will take
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The professor was so ______, hardly anyone came to class.
A．popular B．boring C．friendly D．lively
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
People feel good about recycling, maybe even more so when it comes to electronics. While electronics recycling isn't bad, making it a panacea(万能药) for the e-waste problem we currently have certainly is. Unfortunately, that's how we think of recycling — and companies to jump on that trend to appear more “green”.
A case in point: Apple. In 2016, there was lots of report on Liam, a robot able to dismantle(拆卸) an iPhone in just 11 seconds — a good way to recycle 1.2 million units a year. That sounds amazing until you take into account the fact that Apple had actually sold 231 million new iPhones the year before. Liam, actually, is the perfect symbol for recycling in the field of high-tech: a drop of green water in an ocean of pollution.
According to a recent UN report, the US produces about 6.3 million tons or 14% of the world's electronic waste. Worldwide, almost 45 million tons of electronic waste were produced in 2016. Among them, only 20% had been recycled in some shape or form. The remaining 80% made its way to a more environmentally damaging end at the landfill(垃圾填埋场).
Of course, we can say it's time to double our recycling efforts. However, the huge amount of e-waste is impossible to cope with. The UN report points out that while there is an increased focus on recycling today compared to the past, the effort to reuse used devices simply can't keep pace with the high consumption rates for new devices.
In their environmental responsibility report, Apple admits that 77% of the carbon footprint of their electronics comes from their manufacture, versus(相对于) 17% comes from its actual use. The environmental effect of replacing a device, even if it is recycled after, remains significant.
1.Which of the following can best describe Liam?
A.It's useful but can't make a big difference.
B.It's energy-saving but too expensive.
C.It's well-made but won't become popular.
D.It's advanced but impractical.
2.What caused the e-waste recycling problem?
A.Few high-tech companies.
B.Not enough recycling efforts.
C.High demand for new electronics.
D.Difficult recycling processes.
3.What does the author think of the electronics recycling?
A.It is very effective.
B.It is quite good.
C.It is environmentally damaging.
D.It is far from “green” recycling.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.A Recent UN Report on E-Waste Problem
B.The Limitation of Electronics Recycling
C.A Good Way to Cope With E-Waste
D.The Responsibility for Apple to Decrease E-Waste
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The meal itself was not so good—______ was boringly brown including vegetables.
A. nothing B. everything
C. anything D. something
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析