Bananas are one of the world’s most important food crops. They are also one of the most valuable exports. Bananas do not grow from seeds. Instead, they grow from existing plants. Bananas are threatened by disease because all the plants on a farm are copies of each other. They all share the same genetic weaknesses. For example, the Cavendish banana is most popular in North American and European markets. However, some kinds of fungus organisms easily infect the Cavendish. Black Sigatoka disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants. The disease is controlled on large farms by putting chemicals on the plants’ leaves. Farmers put anti-fungal chemicals on their crops up to once a week.
Another fungal disease is more serious. Panama disease attacks the roots of the banana plants. There is no chemical treatment for this disease. Infected plants must be destroyed. Panama disease has affected crops in Southeast Asia, Australia and South Africa. There is concern that it may spread to bananas grown in the Americas. This could threaten an important export product for Central and South America.
The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain supports research on bananas. The group has headquarters in France and other offices in the major banana-growing areas of the world. The group says that more research must be done to develop improved kinds of bananas. The group says that fungal diseases mainly affect only one kind of banana. In fact, there are five hundred different kinds of bananas. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has said that the Cavendish banana represents only 10% of world production.
The U. N. agency says farmers should grow different kinds of bananas. This protects against diseases that affect only one kind. Experts warn that disease may cause the Cavendish banana to disappear. This happened earlier to another popular banana because of its genetic weakness against disease.
【小题1】What does this passage mainly tell us?
A.Bananas are the world’s most important food crops. |
B.The risk to a popular banana shows need to grow other kinds. |
C.There are five hundred different kinds of bananas. |
D.How to grow bananas in different countries. |
A.they grow from seeds |
B.they are one of the most valuable exports |
C.the only way to prevent it is to put chemicals on their leaves |
D.they have genetic weaknesses against disease |
A.doesn’t belong to fungal disease |
B.affects the leaves of banana plants |
C.destroys bananas more seriously than Black Sigatoka disease |
D.has spread to bananas all over the world |
A.the center of the group is in the US |
B.the Cavendish banana covers only a small part of the yield of bananas |
C.the key to solving the disease is to research all kinds of bananas |
D.each fungal disease affects five hundred different kinds of bananas |
【小题1】B
【小题2】D
【小题3】C
【小题4】B
解析【文章大意】香蕉由于遗传性的抗病弱点, 在不久的将来有的品种可能会消失。文章列举了两种威胁Cavendish香蕉的真菌病, 国际组织建议农民种植更多种类的香蕉。
【小题1】选B。主旨大意题。根据全文内容和结构判断, 文章主要介绍威胁Cavendish香蕉的真菌类疾病, 进而显示出种植其他种类香蕉的必要性。故答案为B。
【小题2】选D。细节理解题。根据第一段内容可知, 香蕉易受病害威胁是因为其遗传上的抗病弱点。后文也有叙述。
【小题3】选C。细节理解题。根据第二段前两句可知A项错误; 根据第二段第二句可知这种疾病威胁香蕉作物的根部, B项错误; 根据第二段后三句可知, 这种香蕉疾病已影响到东南亚、澳大利亚和南非, 有可能传播到美洲, D项错误。由文章前两段分别对两种真菌病的描述可知, C项正确。
【小题4】选B。推理判断题。根据第三段中“The group has headquarters in France”可知其中心位于法国, A项错误; 根据第三段第三句可知, 应对这种疾病的办法是培育改良品种, 而不是研究所有的品种, C项错误; 根据第三段第四句可知D项错误。由第三段最后一句可判断B项正确。
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
High-tech machines have made life easier for millions around the world.However, some people still prefer low-tech ways of doing things.Here’s an example of why this is happening.You can microwave a frozen hamburger in 60 seconds.However, it won’t taste as good as one you cook on the stove.And if you’re in that much of a hurry, you probably won’t take time to toast the bun.High-tech cooking saves time, but it doesn’t make for better-tasting meals.
Most people get their news from high-tech sources like television or the Internet.This has many advantages.For example, electronic news is more up to date than newspapers or magazines.It’s also more exciting to see live and videotaped news events than photographs.However, newspapers and magazines have some important advantages.They give more background and details.They also let you read the parts that are important to you and skip the rest.
Other high-tech timesavers have similar disadvantages.For example, most people use the phone or e-mail to stay in touch with friends and family members who live in other places.But when you use the Internet or the phone, you won’t always think carefully about what you are saying, and sometimes you forget the important things you want to communicate.Similarly, when you word-process a homework assignment instead of handwriting it, you can check your spelling electronically and put in fancy headings.However, some students are so busy with the computer that they don’t pay enough attention to the actual words they are writing.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?
A.The writer likes high-tech cooking |
B.Low-tech cooking produces better-tasting meals. |
C.High-tech news programs always keeps you reading what is important to you. |
D.Handwritten homework is better than word-processed homework. |
A.Better late than never. | B.Easy come, easy go. |
C.Every coin has two sides. | D.Learn to walk before you run. |
A.High-tech vs low-tech. |
B.Advantages vs disadvantages. |
C.Newspapers and magazines vs television and the Internet. |
D.Word-processing vs handwriting. |
A.Main idea-Argument-Explanation |
B.Opinion-Discussion-Description |
C.Topic-Comparison-Supporting examples. |
D.Introduction-Supporting examples-Discussion. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Depression (抑郁症) is a serious problem today.Depression causes workers to be unproductive,causing companies and countries to lose billions of dollars.One expert says that depression is like cancer because it is “widespread,costly and deadly”.Depression hits one person in five around the world.
Although people have believed depression to be a problem among the rich and educated,studies show that depression is a problem among everyone.Over any sixmonth period,between five to seven percent of the world’s population will be suffering from a serious depression.Suicide rates among people suffering from the disease in its extreme,or clinical form were 80 percent higher than in the population at large,and sufferers were four times more likely to have heart attacks.People who suffer from depression often have problems sleeping,getting up on time,and doing work productively.
Depression,which researchers agree has its origin in the genes,brings loss of confidence and ability to concentrate—making it impossible for employees and managers to work efficiently.
Depression is made more serious in China by Chinese’s inability to face it.Many people believe that depressed people are either weak or lazy.Besides,there is no good treatment,with few specialists available.“Most patients in China just don’t get help,”a Chinese doctor says.“In my hospital,I have to see 30 or 40 patients in a morning,just have time to say ‘Hello,how do you feel?’”
In Western countries,people are not afraid to admit that they have depression,but most do not tell it to their boss,because they fear that they will be stricken_off_the_rolls.“In my experience,aging bosses are the most willing to admit they have it.Because they feel the most secure about themselves,” an American doctor says.
Hopefully,in the near future,people around the world will be able to admit that they have depression so that they can get the right treatment.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.It is widely believed that everyone may suffer from depression. |
B.Depression brings great problems to its sufferers in their life and work. |
C.Depression is a commonlyexisting problem only in rich countries. |
D.The poorer and the less educated a person is,the less he will suffer from depression. |
A.very unconfident and often absentminded |
B.easy to avoid being hit by heart attacks |
C.working efficiently and productively |
D.either weak or lazy |
A.the understanding of the problem |
B.the lack of treatment and doctors |
C.their unwillingness to tell it to their boss |
D.the doctors’ careless work |
A.People are suffering from depression because of the shortage of specialists. |
B.The aging bosses around the world dare to say they are depressed. |
C.More and more patients will turn to specialists for help. |
D.Western people are braver than Chinese people. |
A.Hired. | B.Dismissed. |
C.Promoted. | D.Recommended. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
(London)If it really is what's on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble.
Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the external fat which can be noticed more easily.
“Being thin doesn't surely mean you are not fat,” said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.
According to the result, people who keep their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are slim.
Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.
According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.
Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes. They want to prove that internal fat damages the body's communication systems.
The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. “If you want to be healthy, there is no short cut. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle,” Bell said.
【小题1】What is this piece of news mainly about?
A.Thin people also have troubles. |
B.Internal fat is of no importance. |
C.Internal fat leads to many diseases. |
D.Thin people may be fat inside. |
A.being slim doesn't mean you are not fat inside |
B.internal fat is the cause of heart disease and diabetes |
C.being slim is not dangerous at all |
D.the exact dangers of internal fat |
A.People with heart disease all have internal fat. |
B.People can get rid of internal fat by improving diet. |
C.Men are more likely to have too much internal fat. |
D.Exercise can help to reduce the internal fat. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London and Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that bees learn to fly the shortest possible route between flowers even if they discover the flowers in a different order. Bees are effectively solving the “traveling salesman problem”, and they are the first creatures found to do this.
The traveling salesman must find the shortest route that allows him to visit all locations on his route. Computers solve it by comparing the length of all possible routes and choosing the shortest, and it can keep computers busy for days. However, bees solve it without computer assistance using a brain the size of grass seed. Dr. Nigel Raine, from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway explains, “Bees solve traveling salesman problems every day. They visit flowers at multiple locations and because bees use lots of energy to fly, they find a route which keeps flying to a minimum. ”
The team used the computer to control artificial flowers to test whether bees would follow a route defined by the order in which they discovered the flowers or if they would find the shortest route. After exploring the location of the flowers, bees quickly learned to fly the shortest route.
As well as improving our understanding of how bees move around the landscape pollinating(授粉)crops and wild flowers, this research, which is due to be published in The American Naturalist, has other applications. Our lifestyle relies on networks such as traffic on the roads, information flow on the Web and business supply chains. By understanding how bees can solve their problems with such a tiny brain, we can improve our management of these everyday networks without needing lots of computer time. Dr. Raine adds, “Despite their tiny brains, bees are capable of extraordinary feats of behavior. We need to understand how they can solve the traveling salesman problem without a computer. ”
【小题1】 What would be the best title of the passage?
A.Bees help salesmen travel |
B.Tiny-brained bees solve a complex mathematical problem |
C.How bees discover the flowers |
D.How to solve the “traveling salesman problem” |
A.can be solved by a computer easily |
B.can’t even be solved by a computer |
C.can puzzle both people and computers |
D.remains to be solved by scientists |
A.provide further proof for the research |
B.tell us how bees can fly the shortest route between flowers |
C.tell us how the research about bees’ flying route was conducted |
D.explain the importance of the research |
A.all creatures are smarter than computers |
B.the research about bees’ flying route can be applied to many fields |
C.our networks are more complex than bees’ ones |
D.with the help of the computer we can find out how bees can solve the “traveling salesman problem” |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
When another old cave is discovered in the south of France,it is not usual news.Rather,it is art ordinary event.Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them.However,when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940,the world was amazed.Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago.The scenes show people hunting animals,such as bison or wild cats.Other images show birds and,most noticeably,horses,which appear in more than 300 wall images,by far outnumbering all other animals.
Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task.They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex.
Unfortunately,the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes,which easily wear the images away.Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances,air movement has also damaged the images inside.
Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago,many of the images have been destroyed and are barely recognizable.To prevent further damage,the site was closed to tourists in 1963,23 years after it was discovered.
【小题1】What can be the best title for the text?
A.Wild Animals in Art | B.Hidden Prehistoric Paintings |
C.Exploring Caves Respectfully | D.Determining the Age of French Caves |
A.discovers | B.watches | C.notices | D.buys |
A.Birds | B.Bison | C.Horses | D.Wild cats |
A.It was completely dark inside. |
B.The caves were full of wild animals. |
C.Painting materials were hard to find. |
D.Many painting spaces were difficult to reach. |
A.temperature changes | B.air movement |
C.water | D.tourists |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
The £109 Nest Protect Smoke Alarm promises Internet alerts(警报)and an end to the low battery chirp(短而尖的叫声). Besides, it uses a voice to tell you where the fire is.
The alarm is the first UK product from Nest, which is run by iPod-inventor Tony Fadell. The company claims the device’s batteries will last for up to seven years. The device will offer a spoken warning before it sounds a major alarm. Also it will use text messages and apps on your phones to alert users to low-level risks.
The present smoke alarms constantly alert users to non-existent threats, which will make many users annoyed and finally remove their batteries altogether. “We’ve all experienced the smoke alarm going off while we’re cooking. Sometimes, we need to search for the source of that non-stop low-battery chirp at midnight,” said Fadell. “Therefore, every time a smoke alarm cries wolf, we trust it a little less, and then — in a moment of frustration — we take the batteries out to stop the beep(嘟嘟声). And that leaves us and our families at risk.”
If the Protect smoke alarms are used, they can be set up in up to ten zones, so that the clear warnings tell users where the risk has been detected.
“Safety shouldn’t be annoying,” said Matt Rogers, Nest founder and vice president of engineering. “It was unacceptable to us that one in eight houses in the UK has a non-functioning smoke alarm. These products are required by law and are supposed to keep us safe, yet people hate them. We wanted to change that.”
【小题1】For what purpose did Nest create the Protect Smoke Alarm?
A.To predict low-level fire risks. | B.To experiment with a new battery. |
C.To improve present smoke alarms. | D.To avoid the low-battery chirp. |
A.One of his cooking experiences. |
B.Disadvantages of present smoke alarms. |
C.His growing distrust of smoke alarms. |
D.His source of annoyance to crying wolf. |
A.a, b, c | B.c, d, e | C.a, c, e | D.b, c, e |
A.In the UK people seldom set up smoke alarms. |
B.Matt Rogers didn’t like the safety requirements. |
C.Non-functioning smoke alarms make people annoyed. |
D.The government should pay attention to safety issues. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Back in the early 1900s, American physician Byron Robinson wrote a book proposing an interesting theory: humans actually have two brains --- one in our heads and the other in our stomachs, and the two “communicate” all the time. Interestingly, in Chinese culture, thoughts are also related to the belly in phrases and idioms like fugao (腹稿, a draft), manfu jinglun (满腹经纶, a bellyful of ideas), and yiduzi weiqu (一肚子委屈, a bellyful of complaints).
This may sound a little ridiculous at first. But try to think of a time when you were extremely nervous. Chances are that you also felt uncomfortable in your stomach, didn’t you? This is probably why people use the idiom “butterflies in one’s stomach” to refer to being nervous.
Now scientists from Canada and the US have found that our guts (肠道), if not as bright as our actual brains, are much more than just where we digest the food we eat. They also affect our emotions and even behavior, all thanks to the bacteria in them, reported Scientific American.
In the study, scientists fed timid mice stomach bacteria from mice that were more active and daring. After eating the bacteria, the timid mice grew more energetic and fearless. Sure enough, when bold mice got the bacteria from timid ones, they became more anxious. The mice’s behavior also changed when scientists disturbed the bacteria in their guts by changing their diets and feeding them antibiotics (抗生素).
“If something goes wrong in the gut, that change is reflected in the brain,” Emeran Mayer, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, told The Huffington Post.
The brain-and-gut connection also works in the opposite way. Scientists studied children with autism (自闭症) --- a mental illness that makes people unable to socialize with others --- and found that they also have a lot of stomach problems. They have fewer types of stomach bacteria and lower totals of a few key bacteria than healthy children.
This research raises the possibility that scientists could treat patients with brain problems simply by feeding them the right food, which would be much more efficient than providing psychological therapy (疗法).
According to CBC News, you can get “good” bacteria that lift your spirits from food like yogurt while “bad” bacteria are usually in high fat and high sugar foods.
【小题1】What is the author’s attitude toward Byron Robinson’s theory of two human brains?
A.Unsatisfied. | B.Doubtful. | C.Positive. | D.Negative. |
A.describe the symptoms of nervousness |
B.suggest a connection between our stomach and our emotions |
C.hint at the danger of nervous feelings |
D.encourage people to calm down and relax |
A.anxious | B.fearless | C.energetic | D.sharp |
A.people with mental illnesses are more likely to have stomach problems |
B.the use of antibiotics can turn timid mice into daring ones |
C.timid mice have fewer types of stomach bacteria than daring mice |
D.people must consider changing their diets when they feel anxious |
A.psychological therapy has never worked before for autistic children |
B.yogurt is the best solution for anxiety problems |
C.high fat and high sugar foods are responsible for many mental diseases |
D.diet changes can lead to mood changes |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
The extraordinary Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, is said to be the only one in the world to use the same cooling and heating principles as the termite mound(白蚁堆).
Architect Mick Pearce used precisely the same strategy when designing the Eastgate Building, which has no air-conditioning and almost no heating. The building—the country’s largest commercial and shopping complex—uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building of its size. The Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning plant didn’t have to be imported.
The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium(天井) open to the air. Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents(通风口). As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exists through forty-eight brick chimneys.
During summer’s cool nights, big fans blow air through the building seven times an hour to cool the empty floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, to circulate the air which has been in contact with the cool floors. For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.
This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little dampness and rapid temperature swings—days as warm as 31℃ commonly drop to 14℃ at night. “You couldn’t do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters,” Pearce said.
The engineering firm of Ove Arup&Partners monitors daily temperatures. It is found that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23℃ and 25℃, with the exception of the annual hot period just before the summer rains in October and three days in November, when a doorkeeper accidentally switched off the fans at night. And the air is fresh—far more so than in air-conditioned buildings, where up to 30% of the air is recycled.
【小题1】Why was Eastgate cheaper to be built than a conventional building?
A.It was designed in a smaller size. |
B.No air conditioners were fixed in. |
C.Its heating system was less advanced. |
D.It used rather different building materials. |
A.Fresh air from outside. | B.Heat in the building. |
C.Hollow space. | D.Baseboard vent. |
A.New York has less clear skies as Harare. |
B.Its dampness affects the circulation of air. |
C.New York covers a larger area than Harare. |
D.Its temperature changes seasonally rather than daily. |
A.allows a wide range of temperatures |
B.functions well for most of the year |
C.can recycle up to 30% of the air |
D.works better in hot seasons |
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