Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims as its own .Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language all their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.
【小题1】What is a bird‘s “territory”？
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other. |
| D．An area which a bird considers to be its own |
| A．Because they want to invite more friends. |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around. |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
| A．By comparing birds with human beings. | B．By reporting experiment results. |
| C．By describing birds’ daily life. | D．By telling |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】A
解析试题分析：文章介绍了鸟为什么会唱歌，大部分鸟的歌声是一种警告，为了保护自己的领地不被外来者侵犯。
【小题1】猜词题：从第二段的句子：A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称) as its own.可知这个单词是“领地”的意思。选D
【小题2】细节题：从文章最后一段的句子：This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.可知在筑巢的时候鸟的歌唱是为了赶走外来者。选B
【小题3】细节题：从第一段的句子：After all, you probably sing when you are happy. Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason.可知作者解释鸟的歌唱是把它和人相比较。选A
考点：考查科普类短文
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A farm planted levels or floors is called a vertical(垂直的)farm. A skyscraper type building can house a vertical farm. Since the garden is built upwards，rather than outwards，it requires much less space than a conventional farm.
The world is quickly running out of room for conventional farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. An 18story vertical farm could feed as many as 50,000 people，all in an area which is the size of the average city block. Vertical farms in the city could cut down on transportation costs as well. Think about the amount of fuel it takes to transport food from farmland to city. The resources saved would be surprising. Besides saving travel time，food would be delivered in fresher condition and with less damage.
There is a growing concern about the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in agriculture today. But the vertical farm would be a greenhouse type environment, avoiding the need for a large number of pesticides. Vertical farms can be built in a contained space，therefore they are an excellent solution for living well in an environment far different from our own. Hydroponics(水耕法) could be a big part of vertical gardening. This would reduce the amount of soil needed to grow food. Of course，not all food does well with this type of planting，but there are many crops that actually seem to do better.
In some climates，a lack of sunlight creates a short growing season. The solar power option may not work as well here. The addition of grow lights would make it possible to grow crops in vertical gardens in these areas .In other words，we could grow crops in areas where we never could before.
Vertical farms may just be a concept for now，but they are a concept that will solve many of our problems in the future.
【小题1】According to the passage, a vertical farm ________.
| A．is mainly built outwards |
| B．is dependent on solar power |
| C．is planted on levels upwards |
| D．is only an environmental friendly farm |
| A．depend far less on sunlight |
| B．greatly increase the use of soil |
| C．help to protect the limited gardens |
| D．reduce the harmful effect of pesticides |
| A．have already been put into use |
| B．only use hydroponics to grow food |
| C．need less room than conventional farms |
| D．may increase the transportation costs |
| A．Vertical farms for our future |
| B．Ways to deal with future problems |
| C．Vertical farms and green skyscrapers |
| D．Making full use of our limited land |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
BEIJING—As China scrambles to respond to the choking smog that has blanketed Beijing in recent weeks, authorities in several major cities are experimenting with carbon trading platforms. The schemes are one effort to get control over greenhouse gases in an economy still hungry for cheap energy.
It has been a persistent concern in recent years, but the spiking pollution levels in January are sparking a public outcry.
Emissions from coal-fired electricity plants and busy factories are part of the problem that officials hope to get control over through carbon trading platforms. Seven cities are expected to open carbon markets later this year, including Tianjin.
“The government has decided to start with programs because the carbon trading is something new to China,” said David Tang, secretary of the board of the Tianjin Carbon Exchange. “So we want to have a number of programs to explore the use of the market.” said Tang.
China wants to launch a national carbon trading program by 2016. If it is successful, analysts say, the program would be one of the largest in the world and would help the country meet its target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 45 percent within seven years.
The platforms allow companies to earn credits for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, which can then be traded. If it works, it would encourage for-profit businesses to invest in green technology.
As public concern builds pressure for the government to find a solution, Wu Changhua, greater China director of the Climate Group, says there is a broad shift under way in how Chinese weigh their quality of life.
China has long put economic growth ahead of environmental concerns, making it the world’s biggest polluter. Carbon trading supporters hope that the markets could be one way to curb pollution and keep the economy growing.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE about carbon trading platforms?
| A．They are used to trade various resources. |
| B．They caused the choking smog in China. |
| C．They have been in existence for many years in China. |
| D．The choking smog may promote their development. |
| A．to make blanket | B．to cover something | C．to make something empty | D．to be like a blanket |
| A．unknown | B．indifferent | C．optimistic | D．pessimistic |
| A．China will have built a national carbon trading program by 2016. |
| B．Chinese have lived a life of high quality in all aspects. |
| C．The markets could slow the development of economy. |
| D．Standards of life will be changed in China. |
| A．The choking smoke in China. | B．The urge for carbon trading platforms. |
| C．Greenhouse gases. | D．The world’s biggest polluter. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Sigmund Freud was one of the first scientists to make serious research of the mind. The mind is the collection of activities based in the brain that involve how we act, think, feel and reason.
He used long talks with patients and the study of dreams to search for the causes of mental and emotional problems. He also tried hypnosis(催眠术). He wanted to see whether putting patients into a sleep-like condition would help ease troubled minds. In most cases he found the effects only temporary.
Freud worked hard, although what he did might sound easy. His method involved sitting with his patients and listening to them talk. He had them talk about whatever they were thinking. All ideas, thoughts and anything that entered their mind had to be expressed. There could be no holding back because of fear or guilt.
Freud believed that all the painful memories of childhood lay buried in the unconscious self. This part of the mind he said contains wishes, desires and experiences too frightening to recognize.
He thought that if these memories could somehow be brought into the conscious mind, the patient would again feel the pain. But this time, the person would experience them as an adult. The patient would feel them, be able to examine them and, if successful, finally understand them.
Using this way, Freud reasoned, the pain and emotional pressure of the past would be greatly weakened. They would lose their hold over the person's physical health. Soon the patient would get better.
Many of Freud's theories about how the mind works also had strong sexual connections. These included what he saw as the repressed feelings of sons toward their mothers and daughters toward their fathers.
If nothing else, Freud's ideas were revolutionary. Some people rejected them. Many others came to accept them. But no one disputes his great influence on the science of mental health.
【小题1】How many methods did Sigmund Freud use to study the mind?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．he had to work hard and have patients talk freely |
| B．he had to live with people who had troubled minds |
| C．he had to listen to unhappy stories of different people |
| D．he had to give his patients a sense of security |
| A．could be forgotten forever |
| B．could have a life-long influence |
| C．could become wises and desires |
| D．could be understood unconsciously |
| A．have physical and mental problems |
| B．be greatly influenced by them |
| C．have a better understanding of life |
| D．have a healthier and happier life |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in four weeks has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory (呼吸的) illnesses and led to calls for laws to control the pollution.
Pan Shiyi, a celebrity, said he is planning to propose a Clean Air Act to the local government. As a representative to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, he started an online survey at 9:20 a.m. Within three hours, more than 25,000 web users, or 99 percent of total respondents (应答者) , welcomed his proposal.
They have good reasons to stand alongside Pan. The latest round of haze（雾霾）reduced visibility to under 500 meters in many parts of the city. The smog has also led to a great increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly. Anxious parents and doctors almost all blame the smoggy air for the illnesses. Though most schoolchildren are home for the winter holidays, the bad air can easily move indoors. Besides, ordinary medical masks fail to provide enough protection, so some people have turned to gas masks.
The causes of the frightening smog are rather mysterious, though experts blame too much emissions (排放) and the mountains around Beijing that trap pollution in winter, unless there is enough wind to clear it away. Some critics blamed China’s top two oil firms, China National Petroleum Corp and China Petrochemical Corporation, saying the companies’ outdated production technologies produce large quantities of high-polluting gas fuel.[来源:学|科|网]
Meanwhile, some Beijingers have moved their brainstorming discussion to computers. If Pan’s proposal for a Clean Air Act is adopted, netizens say the new law should include items providing for “car-free days” in times of smog, higher standards for vehicle fuel, stricter limit to industrial and engine gas emissions, and more effective protection for the public.
Beijing is not the only city that has ever lost the blue sky. Five days of thick fog caused thousands of deaths in Britain in December 1952, urging the government to pass the first Clean Air Act in 1956, which introduced smokeless zones and cleaner fuels to reduce pollution. That may provide some experience for Beijing to refer to.
【小题1】Why did Pan Shiyi started an online survey?
| A．To know the public’s opinions on pollution |
| B．To tell people the danger of the smoggy weather |
| C．To call on people to support his proposal |
| D．To collect supporting evidence for his proposal |
| A．People are clear about the causes of the smoggy weather. |
| B．Children staying indoors will not get respiratory illnesses. |
| C．Smog is worse for people with lower resistance to diseases. |
| D．Masks can give people protection against the smoggy weather. |
| A．suggest Beijing should learn from other countries |
| B．let people know many places have this problem |
| C．tell people the situation in Britain is worse |
| D．call on the government to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act |
| A．The Use of Gas masks and Engines |
| B．Beijingers Call for Clean Air Act |
| C．Effective Protection for Blue Sky |
| D．The Mysterious Causes of the Scary Smog |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
About seven years ago, whenever I notice someone looked nice, I started telling them they looked nice. Shortly afterwards, I came up with an observation: If you tell five people during the day that they look nice, at the end of the day, six people feel great. Here are some fruitful experiences I have with this.
One day, I was riding with a friend when we rolled to a stop at the traffic light. As we waited for the light to turn green, a man walked across the crosswalk. He looked very together, so I called out, “Hey, you look sharp today!” Pointing towards a building, he said, “Thanks, but I was sharper there.” His comment puzzled me. But before I could ask about it, the light turned green, and we drove on. I asked my friend what he meant. My friend informed me that we were at the corner of a radio station and the man was the voice on the radio. Then I understood. But no matter who he was the biggest thing for me was that he was smiling when he accepted my compliment (赞扬).
Later that day, there was a woman standing on the corner where we were turning, and I yelled (大喊) the compliment again, “You look nice!” She was just taking a sip of a bottle of water and started to laugh. I felt good to get a laugh.
Another day, while seated in a restaurant, there was a lady sitting near me. I really did not care for her skirt, but she did look nice in it, so I told her, “You look nice today.” She looked at me and rolled her eyes a little. Well, her friend sitting next to her told her, “He just gave you a compliment. Say thank you.” I don’t remember whether she said “thank you” or not, but what I did notice was that her friend was smiling at my “You look nice today” compliment.
【小题1】The underlined word “sharp” in Paragraph 2 probably means_________.
| A．attractive | B．sudden |
| C．strict | D．mild |
| A．The first man the author praised accepted his compliment. |
| B．The first man the author praised worked at a radio station. |
| C．The woman standing on the corner didn’t like the compliment |
| D．The friend of the lady in the restaurant felt happy about the compliment. |
| A．Fruitful Experiences |
| B．Help Others, Help Yourself |
| C．Learn to compliment. |
| D．“You Look Nice Today” |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The home computer industry has been growing rapidly in the United States for the last ten years . Computers used to be large, expensive machines that were very difficult to use . But scientists and technicians have been making them smaller and cheaper while at the same time they have been made easier to use. As a result, their popularity has been increasing as more people have been buying computers for their homes and businesses. Computers have been designed to store information and compute problems that are difficult for human beings to work out. Some have voices that speak with the operators. Stores use computers to keep records of their inventories(库存货物) and to send bills to their customers(顾客) . Offices use computers to copy letters, record business and keep in touch with other offices. People have been using computers in their homes to keep track of the money they spend.
One important new use for computers is for entertainment(娱乐). Many new games have been designed to be played on the computers. People of all ages have been playing these games, People also have been buying home computers to play computer games, watch movies and listen to concerts at home. They have become very popular indeed.
【小题1】 Computers used to _____.
| A．work rapidly | B．be large and expensive |
| C．be easy to use | D．be used for fun |
| A．larger and more expensive | B．smaller and cheaper |
| C．more difficult to use | D．to work more slowly |
| A．writing letters | B．playing games |
| C．doing business | D．all of the above |
| A．check the list of goods and materials that are kept in the store house |
| B．play games for pleasure |
| C．talk with their friends |
| D．write letters |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Researchers found that walking around with a forced smile and fake (假的) happiness simply leads to people feeling unhappier. So, putting a brave face on your sadness could be harmful. The research also found that women suffered more than men when pretending to be happy.
Dr. Brent Scott, who led the study, said employers should take note because forcing workers to smile when dealing with the public can result in bad outcomes. He said, “Smiling for the sake of smiling can lead to emotional tiredness, and that’s bad for the organization.” He also said the research showed customer-service workers who had “fake smiles” throughout the day fell into a bad mood and didn’t want to work, so their productivity dropped.
The study is one of the first of its kind to examine emotional expressions over a period of time and compare the different effects on men and women. Dr. Scott’s team examined the effects of “surface acting”, or fake smiling, compared to “deep acting”, or making people smile by thinking of pleasant memories.
Dr. Scott said, “Women were harmed more by surface acting, meaning their moods worsened even more than men’s. However, they were helped more by deep acting, which means their moods improved more by thinking of pleasant memories. ”
According to Dr. Scott, women tend to suffer more when pretending to be happy because they are expected to be more emotionally expressive than men. Therefore, forcing a smile while feeling down is more likely to go against their normal behavior and cause more harmful feelings.
Although deep acting can improve moods a little in the short term, Dr. Scott says, it’s not a long-term solution to feeling unhappy. “There have been some suggestions that if you do this over a long period you start to feel unreal. You’re trying to develop positive emotions, but at the end of the day you may not feel like yourself any more.”
【小题1】According to the passage, Dr. Scott’s study ______.
| A．is supported by some big employers in the USA |
| B．is meaningful as there haven’t been many similar ones |
| C．examined more women than men for a long time |
| D．aimed to make the employees more productive |
| A．they usually become shy in public places |
| B．they are supposed to be more emotionally expressive |
| C．they are often treated in a terrible way |
| D．they like thinking of pleasant memories |
| A．doesn’t have any effect on men |
| B．cannot improve our moods in any case |
| C．harms our feelings in the long run |
| D．pleases people by feeling like another person |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The olinguito（小尖吻浣熊）is new to science. Although lt has been living in the cloud forests of South Amcrica for some time.
Scientists say the olinguito is the first new carnivore（食肉动物）discovered In the Americas in more than 30 years. It is a hairy orange-brown creature with a sweet face and big eyes The animal has small. rounded ears and lives in the trees An adult weighs one kilogram and measures about 75 centimeters. with half of those centimeters taken up by its ringed tail Most of the time. it likes to eat fruit, although it also eats meat. Active at night, the animal has lived in Colombia and Ecuador for a long time. But the olinguito did not exist in science books before now.
Kristofer Helgen, director at the National Museum in Washington, led the research team that confirmed the existence of the olinguito. It had been mistaken more than a century ago for a look-alike animal -- a similar but larger olingo(尖吻浣熊). Mr. Helgen had been studying olingos in a museum for ten years. At that time. he observed a difference in the size and shape of the heads and teeth. That led him on an effort to prove he was looking at an animal never before described by science. He got lucky when he communicated with a zoologist in Ecuador. The animal expert there made a short video that shows an olinguito in the trees. The video confirms that the oiinguito is different from the olingo Mr. Helgen says tens of thousands of olinguitos live in the wild and are not in danger of disappearing forever. Human beings, however, are moving closer to the olinguito habitat in the Andean cloud forests. The research team estimates that 42 percent of historic olinguiio habitat has been removed
【小题1】Comparcd with most carnivores. the olinguito may seem more _____.
| A．terrble | B．fierce | C．clever | D．lovely |
| A．it was mistaken for another species |
| B．it was active in the eveing |
| C．it was too small to be seen clearly |
| D．it covered itself by its long tail |
| A．Having been studying olingos for ten years. |
| B．The short video the animal expert made. |
| C．His communication with an expert in Ecuador. |
| D．Differences between olingos and olinguitos. |
| A．the olinguito could be made full use of |
| B．the number of olinguitos is in the conutrol |
| C．the clinguito is a completely new species up to now |
| D．people know more and more about animals |
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