The fiddler crab (蟹) is a living clock. It shows the time of day by the colour of its skin, which is dark by day and pale by night. The crab’s changing colour follows a regular twenty—four hour plan that exactly matches the daily rhythm of the sun.
Does the crab actually keep time, or does its skin simply answer to the sun’s rays, changing colour according to the amount of light strikes it? To find out, biologists kept crabs in a dark room for two months. Even without daylight, the crab’s skin colour continued to change exactly on time.
This characteristic probably developed gradually in answer to the daily rising and setting of the sun, to help protect the crab from sunlight and enemies. After millions of years it has become completely regulated (受控制) inside the living body of the crab.
The biologists noticed that once each day the colour of the fiddler crab is especially dark, and that each day this happens fifty minutes later than on the day before. From this they discovered that each crab follows not only the rhythm of the sun but also that of the tides (潮水). The crab’s period of greatest darkening is exactly the time of low tide on the beach where it was caught!
1.The fiddler crab is like a clock because it changes colour ______.
A in a regular 24—hour rhythm B. in answer to the sun’s rays
C. at low tide D. every fifty minutes
2.The crab’s changing colour ______.
A. tells the crab what time it is B. protects the crab from the sunlight and enemies
C. keeps the crab warm D. is of no real use
3. When the fiddler crabs were kept in the dark , they ______.
A. did not change colour B. changed colour more quickly
C. changed colour more slowly D. changed colour on the same timetable
4.The crab’s colour—changing ability was probably developed ______.
A. in the process of evolution (进化) B. over millions of years
C. by the work of biologists D. both A and B
5.The best title for this selection would be ______.
A. The Sun and the Tides B. Discoveries in Biology
C. A scientific Study D. A Living Clock
暑假接力赛新疆青少年出版社系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：054
One British school is finding that allowing children to listen to music or even to have the TV on while studying is helping improve grades. __(1)__your teenager starts a family quarrel by sitting in an armchair listening to music while doing his homework, why not __(2)__a simple experiment? __(3)__taking the heavy-handed （严厉的）line of __(4)__him to his bedroom to get on with it __(5)__, let him do the homework the __(6)__he wants. You might well find that his essay is more sparkling（有文采的）than __(7)__he's done before.
According to the research of Millfield prep school, around 20% of youngsters __(8)__best with background music. 10% excel（突出）when allowed to __(9)__their work with short walks around the room while up to 80% can concentrate（集中注意力）__(10)__if allowed to fiddle（用手拨弄）with a small object.
The research has advised the school to adopt（采取）a complete __(11)__approach（措施）analyzing pupils to discover which learning style __(12)__them best--then letting them do their homework listening to music or __(13)__lying down. __(14)__parents at first regarded the __(15)__as a layabout's deed but many are now applying it at __(16)__where children are also allowed to do their work __(17)__the television on.
“I __(18)__to work on the floor with music on low,”admits Susan, 13, a day girl（走读女生）.“At first my parents thought I was skiving（逃避）, but my __(19)__persuaded them to look at my homework and when they saw it was okay, they __(20)__.”
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Every Sunday morning, as most people line up outside neighborhood breakfast spots, watch TV news shows, or head for church, Chloris Noelke－Olson is tuning up her fiddle. She's preparing to enjoy bluegrass music the old－fashioned way: with friends, at home, for free.
“To be able to play with other people face to face and have that sort of connection, it's spiritual，” Ms. Noelke－Olson said of the weekly house concerts in Chicago she participates in. “It's like a good conversation with instruments—something that doesn't seem to happen much anymore because everyone is blabbering(饶舌) on their cell phones.”
She is among a growing group of Americans who are finding it pleasant to unplug from the digital grid, at least temporarily. While there is no exact data to track how many people are forming knitting groups, hosting house concerts, or organizing family game nights, it is possible to connect the dots between the rising price of entertainment and the rising sales of board games (棋类游戏) and craft supplies.
Between 2007 and 2008, the prices for restaurant meals, concert tickets, and movie tickets all increased. At the same time, board games sales rose 6 percent, while total toy sales decreased 3 percent.
These trends are expected to continue because of the struggling economy. Instead of outfitting their homes with expensive home entertainment systems, consumers are more likely to be interfacing the old－fashioned way: eye－to－eye. Families are rediscovering ways to come together that have nothing to do with high tech.
“People are turning inward to build in enjoyment time for family and home”， said Linda Bettencourt, an interior designer in San Francisco whose clients typically live in million－dollar homes. Over the past six months, Ms. Bettencourt has been hired to redesign living spaces to foster the kind of connectivity that doesn't involve wires. “The big game table is back，” she says. “People want to sit around and see each other's faces rather than facing a flat－screen TV.”
1. Why is Chloris Noelke－Olson enjoying bluegrass music the old－fashioned way?
A. Because she likes playing musical instruments.
B. Because she wants to provide free music for her friends.
C. Because she doesn't like talking on the cell phone.
D. Because she likes to form a close connectivity with people.
2. Ms. Bettencourt has been hired to ________.
A. connect the rich people with others
B. redesign living space for the rich people
C. give some advice to people on connectivity
D. help people to save money
3. We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A. home designing has become a big business
B. rich people usually pay more attention to their living space
C. even rich people are changing their ways of entertainment
D. rich people spend more on home entertainment
4. This passage is about ________.
A. a new trend in people's entertainment in America
B. the present economic situation in America
C. the modern family life in America
D. the change of people's interest in America
5. If this passage is posted on the web, it most probably appears in the section of ________.
A. people B. travel
C. environment D. lifestyle
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年吉林省龙井市三中高二下学期第一次月考英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
Rooster Morris is an author, entertainer, storyteller, musician, and composer. He has performed for over 4.5 million students in elementary schools, public libraries and museums. Rooster shares with the audience some of the stories in children’s books. Kids walk away from his performances, believing they can write, draw, perform, sing, or play a musical instrument. Most importantly, students walk away, believing reading will open the doors to every opportunity in life.
Everyone knows authors write books, but how many students actually have the opportunity to watch a published author read from their books? When a student has the advantage of meeting an author and has the opportunity to ask questions, they realize authors are people from far-away places. Rooster points out these misunderstandings and explains how he started writing.
Rooster talks of habits being one of the most important things in a person’s life. If people develop good habits, they will achieve their goals and be ready for anything. Rooster talks about how he wanted to play the fiddle（小提琴）when he was a young boy. He learns to make a habit of practicing the fundamentals. Rooster shows the kids the pay-off — he plays a song in front of the audience and brings the excitement to a new level.
Rooster will educate and entertain the audience. Many students begin writing after having seen Rooster’s program. When children hear someone they admire say, “You can do anything if you want to do it,” it motivates them into action.
Laid-Back West, Inc. has been booking authors for schools for over 13 years. We know the value of a successful author visit and can invite Rooster and other authors to visit your school.
【小题1】After attending Rooster Morris’ performances, kids _____.
| A．are asked to write an article |
| B．are able to play an instrument |
| C．are well prepared to start school |
| D．become more confident about themselves |
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．③④ | D．②⑤ |
| A．writing needs creativity |
| B．forming good habits is important |
| C．learning to play an instrument is not easy |
| D．people should take action to achieve their goals |
| A．sell Rooster Morris’ children’s books |
| B．persuade kids to attend Rooster Morris’ school |
| C．encourage children to write |
| D．attract customers for Laid-Back West, Inc. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2014届吉林省龙井市高二下学期第一次月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Rooster Morris is an author, entertainer, storyteller, musician, and composer. He has performed for over 4.5 million students in elementary schools, public libraries and museums. Rooster shares with the audience some of the stories in children’s books. Kids walk away from his performances, believing they can write, draw, perform, sing, or play a musical instrument. Most importantly, students walk away, believing reading will open the doors to every opportunity in life.
Everyone knows authors write books, but how many students actually have the opportunity to watch a published author read from their books? When a student has the advantage of meeting an author and has the opportunity to ask questions, they realize authors are people from far-away places. Rooster points out these misunderstandings and explains how he started writing.
Rooster talks of habits being one of the most important things in a person’s life. If people develop good habits, they will achieve their goals and be ready for anything. Rooster talks about how he wanted to play the fiddle（小提琴）when he was a young boy. He learns to make a habit of practicing the fundamentals. Rooster shows the kids the pay-off — he plays a song in front of the audience and brings the excitement to a new level.
Rooster will educate and entertain the audience. Many students begin writing after having seen Rooster’s program. When children hear someone they admire say, “You can do anything if you want to do it,” it motivates them into action.
Laid-Back West, Inc. has been booking authors for schools for over 13 years. We know the value of a successful author visit and can invite Rooster and other authors to visit your school.
1.After attending Rooster Morris’ performances, kids _____.
A．are asked to write an article
B．are able to play an instrument
C．are well prepared to start school
D．become more confident about themselves
2.What does Rooster Morris do during his performances?
① Read books.
② Play an instrument.
③ Give out books.
④ Teach the audience how to draw.
⑤ Perform a play.
A．①② B．①③ C．③④ D．②⑤
3.Rooster talks about how he learnt to play the fiddle in order to prove that _________．
A．writing needs creativity
B．forming good habits is important
C．learning to play an instrument is not easy
D．people should take action to achieve their goals
4.The main purpose of the passage is to .
A．sell Rooster Morris’ children’s books
B．persuade kids to attend Rooster Morris’ school
C．encourage children to write
D．attract customers for Laid-Back West, Inc.
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
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