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North America's birds are disappearing from the skies at a rate that's shocking even to ornithologists （鸟类学家）.Since the 1970s, the continent has lost 3 billion birds, nearly 30% of the total, and even common birds such as sparrows and blackbirds are in decline, U.S. and Canadian researchers report this week online in Science. The findings raise fears that some familiar species could go the way of the passenger pigeon, a species once so abundant that its extinction in the early 1900s seemed unthinkable.
The results, ever done to North American birds, point to ecosystems in disorder because of habitat loss and other factors, researchers say. Yet ecologist Paul Ehrlich at Stanford University, California sees some hope in this new bad news: “ It might encourage needed action in view of the public interest in our feathered friends. ”
In past decades, Ehrlich and others have recorded the decline of particular bird groups, including migratory songbirds. All together, they studied 529 bird species, about three-quarters of all species in North America, accounting for more than 90% of the entire bird population. Rosenberg and his colleagues report Grassland birds have declined by 53% since 1970—a loss of 700 million adults in the 31 species studied. Habitat loss may be to blame.
The familiar birds that flock by the thousands in suburbs were not exempt（例外）. “There's a decline of the numbers of common birds,” Rosenberg says. His team determined that 19 common species have each lost more than 50 million birds since 1970. Twelve groups, including sparrows, warblers, finches, and blackbirds, were particularly hard hit. Even introduced species that have increased in North America, such as starlings and house sparrows, are losing ground.
1.What is happening to North America's birds?
A.Most of them are dying out. B.Some of them are decreasing.
C.They are disappearing quickly. D.They are raising fears to humans.
2.What does Paul Ehrlich mean?
A.The bad news will bring interest to the birds.
B.The bad news might alarm people to take action.
C.North America's birds need our help.
D.North America's birds suffered great loss.
3.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.Some common birds are also decreasing.
B.Some birds die from losing their habitat.
C.The research team found some unusual things.
D.The research team studied birds in North America.
4.In which section of a website may this text appear?
A.Environment. B.Health.
C.Education. D.Science.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-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 rescue 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-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb 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 vital 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 only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
2.Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
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.This 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
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-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 rescue 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-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb 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 vital 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 only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
2.Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
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.This 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
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-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 rescue 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-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb 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 vital 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 only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
2.Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
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. This 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
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
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 rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from 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-freed condors died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb 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 vital 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.blocking 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 Paraghaph 5 ,lead poisoning.
A.makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of form condors’ blood
D. makes it different 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
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Beyond the lake _____ quantities of birds coming from the North every winter.
A. flies B. flying C. flied D. fly
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Some kinds of birds in winter fly to the south to ______ the cold in the north．
A．get away from B．come up with
C．break away from D．put up with
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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As skies are filled with millions of migrating（迁徙） birds, European scientists say the seasonal wonder appears to be strange. The fatter the bird, the better it flies.
The results of their study led to a theory opposite to a central one of aerodynamics(空气动力学), which says that the power needed to fly increases with weight.
For birds, obviously, the cost of flying with heavy fat is much smaller than we used to think. Researchers found that red knot wading birds double their normal body weight of 100 grams before making their twice-a-year nonstop flight between the British Isles and the Russian Arctic.Distance;5,000 kilometers.
Another study in the magazine Nature measured the advantage of flying in an aerodynamic group which allows birds to save energy by flying smoothly and quietly in the lead bird’s air stream.
Flying in groups, their heart rates were 14.5 percent lower than flying alone, according to Henri, a French scientist. The findings help explain how birds complete difficult migrations. Researchers had thought stronger birds would have the best chance to survive.
The first study suggests that building up fat to be burnt as fuel during the migration is worth more than the energy it take to carry the additional weight.
In the study, researchers said their team studied the birds flown at different body weights during 28 simulated(模拟的)flights. They forced a small amount of special water into the birds’ bodies so that they could measure the amount of energy burnt during the flight.
1.A red knot wading bird of 100 grams will probably weigh ________before making its nonstop migrating flight.
A.50 grams B.100 grams C.150 grams D.200 grams
2.During their migrating flight, red knot wading birds can save energy by flying________.
A. separately B. alone C. in groups D. in pairs
3.A ________red knot wading bird has a better chance to survive during its migrating flight.
A. stronger B. weaker C. thinner D. fatter
4.The best title for this passage may probably be ________ .
A. Birds Thin Down For Journey B. Birds Fatten Up For Journey
C. How Birds Build Up Fat For Journey D. How Birds Burn Energy For Journey
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Today tropical rainforests are disappearing from the face of the globe. Despite growing international concern, rainforests continue to be destroyed at a pace over 80,000 acres per day. World rainforest cover now stands at around 2.5million square miles. Human activities have had an effect on much of this remaining area.
Deforestation(森林滥伐) of tropical rainforests has a global effect through species extinction, the loss of important ecosystem services and renewable resources, and the reduction of carbon sinks. However, this destruction can be slowed, stopped, and in some cases even reversed(逆转). Most people agree that the problem must be solved, but the means are not as simple as building fences around the remaining rainforests or banning the wood trade. Economic, political, and social pressures will not allow rainforests to continue to exist if they are completely closed off from use and development.
So, what should be done? The solution must be based on what is practical, not completely idealistic and depends on developing a conservation approach built on the principle of sustainable(可持续的) use and development of rainforests. Beyond the responsible development of rainforests, efforts to restore damaged forest lands along with the establishment of protected areas are key to securing rainforests for the long-term benefits they can provide for mankind.
Historic approaches to rainforest conservation have failed, as shown by the increased rate of deforestation. In many regions, closing off forests as untouchable parks and reserves has neither improved the quality of living or economic opportunities for the rural poor, nor stopped forest clearing by illegal woodcutters and developers.
The problem with this traditional approach to preserving wildlands in developing countries is that it fails to develop proper economic motives for preserving the forest. Local people and the government itself must see financial returns to prove the costs of maintaining parks from economic activities.
1.What has caused some species extinction in the tropical rainforests?
A. Humans' destroying the trees.
B. Carbon sinks being reduced.
C. Lacking renewable resources.
D. Fences not being built around the rainforests.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Tropical rainforests can be easily preserved.
B. Rainforests must be closed off to be better protected.
C. Human activities have had an effect on tropical rainforests.
D. Economic returns can make some difference in protecting tropical rainforests.
3.What is the author's attitude to tropical rainforest protection?
A. Indifferent.
B. Concerned.
C. Doubtful.
D. Puzzled.
4.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To show the bad effects of deforestation.
B. To stress the importance of the rainforests.
C. To appeal for right ways to save the rainforests.
D. To introduce the fact of forests disappearing.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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Though there are about 400 languages from all over the world that are in danger of disappearing completely, Zoque-Ayapaneco, a native Mexican language is considered the most likely to become extinct, because the only two people in the world that speak it fluently do not talk to each other!
And, it's not because they live in different countries, states or even villages. In fact, Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez, both in their 70s, live within 500 yards of each other, in the village of Ayapa in the Southern Mexican State of Tabasco. They, however, refuse to communicate because they simply don't have much in common. Segovia is apparently a little flank in nature while Velazquez is described as shy.
Segovia was at least able to talk in Zoque-Ayapanece with his brother until he passed away about 12 years ago, and still manages to practice it with his family, especially his son Manuel, who for the last five years has been trying to learn it and hopes to become fluent enough to teach it to the next generation. Velazquez on the other hand, has not been heard speaking in the language with anybody.
The two men say the language used to be widely spoken in the village, but the younger generation shunned it for fear of being laughed at, and it therefore began to die a slow death, as the elders passed away.
Unless the two men get their acts together, the only way to hear the language will be to either listen to Manuel's not-so-fluent statement or see them talk in a documentary entitled “Lengua Muerta” (Dead Language) that is being filmed to capture Zoque Ayapaneco and 364 other native Mexican languages that are in a similar state.
We sure hope Segovia and Velazquez soon find something common to talk about. Maybe the fact is that the language is dying and that they should start encouraging and teaching the next generation together.
1.The reason why Segovia and Velazquez don't talk to each other is that ________.
A. they both are too shy
B. they live in different villages
C. they are too familiar to talk
D. they have no similarity in their character
2.What do we know about Zoque-Ayapaneco?
A. It was widely used twelve years ago.
B. It will be dying out if no effective measures are taken.
C. It will be popular in Mexico in the near future.
D. It is a Southern American language.
3.The underlined word “shunned” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”.
A. favored B. identified
C. were unwilling to learn D. protected
4.From the passage, we can conclude that ________.
A. altogether 365 languages are becoming extinct in the world
B. Segovia and Velazquez will communicate with each other soon
C. the government cares a lot about the protection of Zoque-Ayapaneco
D. we can hear the language from Manuel or documentary “Lengua Muerta”
5.What's the main idea of the passage?
A. World's endangered languages are being filmed.
B. Villagers are trying to protect their old language.
C. An endangered language is spoken by only two people.
D. There are a lot of languages in Mexico.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析