California condors are North America’s larges...

California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wing-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning (铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to save these big birds.

In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred (繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.

Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution (电死) if they touch two lines at once.

So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-free birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.

Lead poisoning has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they take in large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney (肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.

Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are important for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them.”

1.California condors attract researchers’ interest because they ______.

A.are active at night

B.had to be bred in the wild

C.are found on in California

D.almost died out in the 1980s

2.Researchers have found electrical lines are ______.

A.giving condors’ journey home

B.big killers of Califorbnia condoras

C.rest places for condors at night

D.used to keep condors away

3.According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning ______.

A.makes condors too nervous to fly

B.has little effect on condors’ kidneys

C.can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood

D.makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds

4.The passage shows that ______.

A.the average survival time of condors is satisfactory

B.Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering

C.the efforts to protect condors have brought good results

D.researchers have found the final answers to the problem

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

A.California Condor’s Shocking Recovery

B.Dangers California Condors Face

C.How to Protect California Condor

D.California Condors’ Future Life

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Birds in eastern North America are picking up the pace along their yearly migratory (迁移的) paths. The reason, according to researchers, is rising temperatures due to climate change.

Using migration information collected in eBird, a citizen science program database containing 10 years’ worth of observations from amateur birdwatchers, assistant professor of biology Allen Hurlbert, Ph.D., and his team analyzed when 18 different species of birds arrived at various points across their migration journeys.

Pushing migration earlier in the year could negatively affect birds over the long term, Hurlbert said. “Timing of bird migration is something critical for the overall health of bird species,” he said. “They have to time it right so they can balance arriving on breeding (繁殖) grounds after there’s no longer a risk of severe winter conditions. If they get it wrong, they may die or may not produce as many young.”

Hurlbert said, the speed at which a species migrates is the biggest influence on how strongly it responds to increasing temperatures. Slow migrators were the most adaptable to changes. Additionally, the length of the migration path affects how quickly birds move from one location to another.

“It makes sense that if you take your time to move north, you’re sort of checking out the surroundings around you,” he said. “If the conditions seem too cold, you can decide there’s no point in moving on that day. Species that tended to advance quickly, as well as those migrating from greater distances, such as Central or South America, were less able to adapt to temperature changes.”

However, being a slow traveler does not free a species from all climate change-induced migration challenges. Because they stay in one spot longer, such birds have heavier habitat and food requirements, making them more dependent upon the resources that are available along their paths. That reliance could become a greater problem if climate projections for the next 50 years to 75 years hold true, Hurlbert said. Climatologists predict the Northeast will continue to warm at a faster pace than the Southeast, potentially forcing slow migrators to move even slower and put greater difficulty on their migratory routes.

1.The rising temperatures led to _______________.

A.the speed-up of birds’ migration

B.the weakness of the birds’ physical health

C.the birds’ less demand for food

D.the variation of breeding grounds

2.According to Hurbert, wrong timing of bird migration can lead to ___________.

A.a risk of wrong migration paths B.change in life habit

C.a lack of natural resources D.decrease in bird population

3.What is the most important factor in adapting to climate change for birds?

A.The cycle of migration.

B.Migration speed.

C.Their local habitat.

D.The temperature along the migratory path.

4.What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A.Climatologists’ prediction.

B.Climate changes’ bad effects.

C.Challenges of slow migrators’ migration.

D.Changes of birds’ migratory routes.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

There are 115 distinct（独特的）species of pine trees with 35 native to North America. Pines are defined as evergreens with long, needle-like leaves and are only native to the northern hemisphere. Pine trees are an adaptable and tough species that can survive in many conditions where other plants cannot. The average pine is 45 to 60 feet tall, but some are nearly twice as high.

Western White Pine

The western white pine grows the tallest of any pine tree, reaching up to 110 feet in height. They have blue-green needles arranged in bundles（束）of five and produce a long cone（球果）.

Bristlecone Pine

The bristlecone pine grows slowly, reading about 20 feet tall. It is one of the oldest species of pine.

Mexican Pine

The Mexican pine can grow to 50 feet tall, with long, slender needles that drape（下垂）off it like a weeping willow（柳树）. Often nicknamed the “willow pine”, it is native to Mexico. Its leaves can droop up to 12 inches long.

Sugar Pine

The sugar pine is another of the large pine species, such as the bull pine, but it also has the largest cones of any pine species, at 10 to 20 inches long. It grows from Oregon to California and is often used for construction.

Jack Pine

The jack pine is one of the smallest species of pine with rare leaves. Compared with the pines mentioned above, it doesn’t seem to belong to the family. It is considered a member of the scrub-pine family; it prefers sandy soil.

1.From the first paragraph, we know that pines _______.

A. are native to North America

B. are very adaptable

C. can grow to 60 feet tall at most

D. usually grow in tough conditions

2.Which of the following pines is often used as a building material?

A. The Mexican pine.　　　　　　 B. The bristlecone pine.

C. The sugar pine.　　　　　　　 D. The jack pine.

3. The Mexican pine ______.

A. is the oldest species of pine.

B. produces a long cone

C. has willow-like needles

D. prefers sandy soil

4.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. the Mexican pine has the longest leaves

B. the Jack pine doesn’t seem to belong to the same family as the other pine trees

C. the bull pine is a kind of little pine tree

D. all the pine trees mentioned have a great number of leaves

5.This text is most probably taken from ______.

A. a celebrity（名人）magazine　　 B. a nature magazine

C. a fashion magazine　　　　　　　　 D. a history magazine

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

World Wrestling Entertainment is the largest professional wrestling organization in North America. It was called World Wrestling Federation until it changed its name because of a legal dispute. Its more than one hundred wrestlers fight each other in competitive matches that are written and practiced before they are performed.

Professional wrestlers are athletes but act as entertainers. They are not seeking athletic records, but instead want to excite an audience. To do this, they use unusual names and wear special clothing during wrestling matches. These wrestlers include the Stone Cold Stunner and the Undertaker.

Most professional wrestling matches are between two men or two women. They fight inside an area called a ring that is separated from the audience by ropes. Each match continues until one wrestler forces the other's shoulders to the floor and holds them there for a count of three. Most World Wrestling Entertainment matches continue for only about four to seven minutes.

An organization official called a promoter decides before the match who will win. But who wins and who loses is not the important thing in professional wrestling. The important thing is that the audience enjoys the pretend fight. Some wrestlers rarely win, but continue to be popular.

Not all wrestling matches are between two people. Some are called tag team matches and involve teams of two, three or four wrestlers. Another kind of match is called a battle royal. It involves thirty to sixty wrestlers competing against each other. A wrestler loses when he or she is thrown out of the ring. The winner is the last wrestler still standing.

1.Why did World Wrestling Federation change its name?

2. Professional wrestlers’ main aim is to _______.

3. As a whole, the third paragraph is _______.

4. Which of the following statements is right according to the passage?

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Vancouver’s Chinatown—Canada’s largest Chinatown

Vancouver’s Chinatown is North America’s second biggest Chinatown, after San Francisco’s. Mandarin(普通话)and Cantonese are the mother tongues in 30% of Vancouver homes, which makes Chinese the largest “minority” ethnic group(少数民族).

Vancouver’s Chinatown is the place to visit for a taste of Chinese culture.

In Chinatown, there are a lot of traditional products and buildings, such as the stone lions which represent for the prestige(名声;声望),many red lanterns which stands for the happiness. What’s more interesting, in Chinatown, a typical Suzhou garden can be found. Chinatown not only expresses the culture of China to the other cultures, but also one part shows that Vancouver is the multicultural society. Chinatown which carries many Chinese cultures is built by Chinese in Vancouver. In the beginning, Chinatown was the community only for Chinese people, but nowadays, more and more other people from different countries are willing to know the Chinatown. It is the part of the Vancouver’s society, and Chinatown is also changing gradually in order to adjust to Vancouver.

There are lots of interesting markets with many varieties of fresh and dried seafood and mushrooms in the Chinatown. You’ll also find cheap and fine house ware and traditional Chinese medicine. During the summer, on weekend evenings, Keefer and Pender Streets become a busy open-air night market. If you have enough time for a meal, try at one of the many small restaurants. It is not an expensive, multi-course culinary(烹调的)adventure. Relax in the peaceful Dr. Sun Yat-Sen（孙中山）Classical Chinese Garden, or just steps on Pender Street. Visit the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, or participate in one of its many activities.

1.In Vancouver’s Chinatown you can see all the things EXCEPT　　 .

A. a typical Suzhou garden

B. the stone lions

C. the Chinese History Museum

D. red lanterns

2.From the third paragraph, we can infer that 　　 .

A. Canadians helped to build Vancouver’s Chinatown

B. only the Chinese people live in Vancouver’s Chinatown

C. in Vancouver’s Chinatown you can appreciate the culture of Vancouver

D. an increasing number of people come to Vancouver’s Chinatown

3.If you are tired you should have a rest in 　　 .

A. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

B. the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum

C. an interesting market on the Pender Street

D. one of the many small restaurants

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California，the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle，a big city，on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco，also on the Pacific coast，are larger than Seattle. Henry’s cousin，Susan，lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington，D. C. It is the capital，but it is much smaller than New York.

1.How many states are there in the U. S. A. ？

A. Five B. Forty- Five C. Fifty D. Fifteen

2.Which state is the largest in population？

A. California B. Rhode-Island

C. Alaska D. Los Angeles

3.Which state is the coldest，the newest，and the smallest in population？

A. Rhode Island. B. Seattle.

C. San Francisco. D. Alaska.

4.Which of the following is true？

A. The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast.

B. Washington is the most important and the largest city.

C. New York is the largest city in the United States.

D. Henry’s cousin lives in the Seattle.

5.Why is Washington, D. C. the most important American city？

Because _________.

A. it is the largest city

B. it is the largest in population

C. it is the most beautiful city

D. it is the capital of the United States

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

课文填空（每空至多三个词）

California is the third largest state in the USA but has the largest population. It also has the1.　　 of being the most multicultural state in the USA, 2.　　 people from all over the world. The customs and languages of the immigrants live on in their new home. This diversity of culture is not　 3.　 when you know the history of California.

People from different parts of the world, attracted by the climate and the lifestyle, still immigrate to California. It is believed that before long the mix of nationalities will be 4.　　 great that there will be no distinct major　 5.　 or cultural groups, but simply a mixture of many races and cultures.

Although at present human egg cells and embryos　 6. for cloning research are difficult to obtain, newspapers wrote of evil leaders　 7.　 to clone themselves to attain their ambitions. Religious leaders also raised moral questions. Governments became nervous and more conservative. Some began to reform their legal systems and　 8.　 research into human cloning, but other countries like China and the UK, continued to accumulate evidence of the　 9.　 medical aid that cloning could provide. However, scientists still wonder whether cloning will help or harm us and　 10.　　 it is leading us.

高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Birds that are half-asleep — with one brain hemisphere (半球) alert(警觉) and the other sleeping — control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.

Earlier studies have recorded half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere’s eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.

Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily. Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze(注视) direction.

Also, birds napping (打盹) at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in inner spots, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time.

“We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness at the same time in different regions of the brain,” the researchers say.

The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing assumption that single-hemisphere sleep developed over time as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. He’s seen it in a pair of birds napping side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open.

Useful as half-sleeping might be, it’s only been found in birds and such water animals as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning.

Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds’ half-brain sleep “is just the tip of the iceberg.” He supposes that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.

1.According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ______.

A. they have to watch out for possible attacks

B. their brain hemispheres take turns to rest

C. the two halves of their brain are differently organized

D. they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions

2.What is implied about the example of a bird’s sleeping in front of a mirror?

A. An imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security.

B. Birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of their security.

C. The phenomenon of birds napping in pairs is widespread.

D. A single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror.

3.It can be inferred that _______.

A. Birds never sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.

B. Inner ducks depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, as often as birds napping at the end of the line do

C. It is not the first time for scientists to research on birds’ half-brain sleep

D. Birds hardly sleep without a companion

4.By saying “just the tip of the iceberg”, Siegel suggests that _______.

A. half-brain sleep has something to do with icy weather

B. the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solved

C. most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers

D. half-brain sleep may exist among other species

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

On a road trip to California’s breathtaking North Coast region, my husband Ken and I, my teenage daughter Lahre, and my nine-year-old son Shawn, stopped to have lunch and stretch our legs a bit.

As we walked toward the ______ entrance, a man with an untidy beard and dirty hair jumped up from a nearby bench and opened the door for us. An old bike ______ with a sleeping bag and the rest of his ______ rested against the bench, it was obvious that he was ______. But regardless of his ______, he greeted us as if we were his best friends, “Today’s soup and sandwich special’s a great deal.”

Once inside, my teenager whispered to me, “Mom, he ______.” And Shawn asked questions about him, not quite understanding the ______ of a homeless person. Ken and I explained the best we could, telling the kids to look to the person underneath and within ______ the dirt and smell.

With the windiest part of our trip just ______ us, the kids needed to take car-sick pills so I went back to the car to fetch them. As I ______ the front door, the “doorman” was opening it for an older couple, who rushed past him and didn’t even acknowledge his ______. I let the couple ______ first and then said a loud and gracious “thank you” to the doorman.

After going back inside, I asked our waitress, who was bringing the kids their dessert, to ______ one soup and sandwich special to our bill. Both the kids looked at me ______ ---as we had already eaten but Ken knew exactly what I was doing.

By this time, we had to get back on the road to stay on schedule. As we rounded the comer of the very full restaurant, the “doorman” was sitting at a table enjoying his ______. When seeing me, he jumped up and ______ his hand for a handshake. It was then that I ______ he had tears in his eyes—tears of gratitude.

____ we can’t choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude, and I was doing just that. Hopefully, when someone opens a door for Lahre and Shawn during their ______ through life, they will remember to say “______“ and have a great soup and sandwich special on the menu, too.

1.A. hotel’s　　 B. restaurant’s　　 C. shop’s　　 D. supermarket s

2.A. connected　　 B. burdened　　 C. loaded　　 D. crowded

3.A. belongings　　 B. gatherings　　 C. findings　　 D. savings

4.A. hopeless　　 B. helpless　　 C. homeless　　 D. harmless

5.A. appearance　　 B. identity　　 C. age　　 D. behavior

6.A. smiles　　 B. smells　　 C. shakes　　 D. sighs

7.A. description　　 B. desire　　 C. concern　　 D. concept

8.A. beyond　　 B. above　　 C. over　　 D. in

9.A. regardless of　　 B. instead of　　 C. ahead of　　 D. free of

10.A. noticed　　 B. ignored　　 C. followed　　 D. neared

11.A. patience　　 B. presence　　 C. tiredness　　 D. selflessness

12.A. come around　　 B. come about　　 C. come through　　 D. come to

13.A. add　　 B. admit　　 C. adjust　　 D. adapt

14.A. frightened　　 B. disappointed　　 C. excited　　 D. confused

15.A. meal　　 B. stay　　 C. drink　　 D. time

16.A. laid　　 B. extended　　 C. raised　　 D. waved

17.A. realized　　 B. assumed　　 C. valued　　 D. considered

18.A. Unless　　 B. While　　 C. Since　　 D. When

19.A. progress　　 B. opportunity　　 C. journey　　 D. performance

20.A. Thank you　　 B. Excuse me　　 C. I’m sorry　　 D. See you

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Birds are not as loyal to their partners as you might think, with divorce, child abandonment and remarriage a common part of birds’ life,” a new book has shown. Author and biology professor Bridge Stutchbury, dispels the love-bird belief that birds pair up for life. “In terms of the top 10 beliefs about birds, the lasting pair bonds that we think about, do occur in some birds, but in most of the little songbirds that we studied, no,” the professor from York University in Toronto said. The divorce rate among greater flamingos is 99 percent.

Stutchbury’s book, The Private Lives of Birds, based on 20 years of research from radio filming and DNA testing shows male Acadian flycatchers fertilize(使受孕) females far away from their home nests, “ The main discovery is that so many birds do divorce for what humans would describe as selfish reasons,” Professor Stutchbury said. She noted that females may seek out males that are more colorful and better singers, or look to “step up in the world” and move to areas that are safer and have more food. “Females are looking for the highest quality male so that their children will be of high quality,” she added.

Professor Stutchbury said shorter summers may drive females to leave their nests before their young are fully grown up so they can quickly find new mates（配偶） and lay more eggs, leaving the males to feed the hungry chicks on their own.

Males can double their success in producing children by fertilizing neighboring females, but only “mates” care for the young, and some are none the wiser. “  They can’t tell when the egg comes out and whether it’s theirs or not,” She said. “They have no way to know.”

Divorce is surprisingly common among birds, and most live with one partner for only a few months or years. Divorce rates range from 99 percent in the greater flamingo to zero in the wandering albatross(信天翁).

1.What does the underline word “dispels” mean?

A. States                      B. Doubts             C. Confirms          D. Removes

2.The book The Private Lives of Birds_____.

A. shows the kind of male birds females seek out.

B. indicates the wandering albatross is the most faithful.

C. is based on Professor Stutchbury’s 20 years’ research.

D. suggests that female birds select males near their home.

3.According to the passage, we can infer that________.

A. young birds’ quality depends on their feather.

B. some male birds care for others’ young as their own.

C. female birds go to find males as soon as autumn comes.

D. female birds are responsible for feeding the hungry babies.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A. A book about love-birds.

B. Birds’ living habits and love life

C. The fact that birds don’t love their mates forever.

D. The factors that influence birds to look for another mate.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析