The Beagle Brigade
When returning to the United States from a trip abroad, passengers will have their baggage inspected at U.S. airports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beagle Brigade, a team of beagles and their human partners. Working with their human partners, the beagles search for agricultural products carrying diseases and pests which are likely to infect American agriculture.
An orange or apple, for example, might harbor a Mediterranean fruit fly. Ham could carry a disease such as cholera. These and other pests could do harm to farmers’ crops. “Once we introduce something that is not part of the environment, there may not be any controls for it in the environment,” notes USDA’s Lisa Davis at the National Dog Detector Training Center in Orlando, Florida. “The best thing for us to do is to prevent it from coming across the border and spreading.”
When a beagle smells food smells, it signals its partner by sitting there. The human partners then investigate. When the dog is right--which happens 90 percent of the time—it gets something to eat.
“The dog is not out there working,” explains Davis. “It’s out there playing. It’s a game to the dog.” The partners give the beagles plenty of food and loving. They make sure they get first-class medical attention, too. When the dogs finally retire after 9 to 11 years, the USDA finds caring homes for them. It’s a dog’s life indeed!
Their people partners work and study somewhat harder. As specialized quarantine(检疫) officers, most hold degrees in the biological sciences or related sciences.
How well does the Beagle Brigade do its job? “On the average,” notes Davis, “each year our 54 teams prevent around 75,000, restricted(限制的) items.” Since even one infected item could cause widespread destruction, that’s a great result for America’s agricultural environment.
1.The beagles at the airport in the USA are used to __________.
A. conduct the check on foreign passengers’ baggage
B. stop the local products from being taken abroad
C. help inspect the baggage brought from abroad
D. keep their people partners safe
2.What will the beagle do when it finds a possible food product?
A. Signal by sitting next to it.
B. Bark and run around it.
C. Draw it to its partner.
D. Play a game.
3.How is the last paragraph mainly developed?
A. By listing the restricted food.
B. By analyzing the result.
C. By providing the facts.
D. By using examples.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the use of beagles?
A. Curious. B. Uninterested.
C. Doubtful. D. Positive.
考前必练系列答案科目：高中英语 来源：2016届河北石家庄市高三复习教学质量检测（二）英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
You use her as a shoulder to cry on. She texts you back with casual jokes. But she, Xiaoice, is only a virtual chatbot.
Xiaoice, Microsoft's latest artificial intelligence robot, was briefly released in 2014, and returnen to WeChat in 2015, where she became a big hit. Millions of young Chinese now exchange messages with her daily, The New York Times reported. On WeChat, Xiaoice is an official account. After following it, users can start text-based conversations with Xiaoice.
"Her incredible learning ability was why people loved to talk with Xiaoice," Liu Jinchang, a researcher at High-tech Research and Development Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology, told China Daily. Apart from her ability to identify photos and send emojis（表情符号）m conversations, Xiaoice gains 45 percent of her knowledge from interacting with users, China Daily reported.
Chatbot programs first appeared in the mid-1960s in the US. Driven by top tech companies, they are becoming smarter and more common. For instance, IBM's latest artificial intelligence program served as an academic consultant at Australia's Deakin University, answering students' questions about course schedules and financial aid. Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa have been used as voice assistants who can read news, play music and even make jokes for their users.
These programs are expected to move beyond smartphones, into televisions, cars and living rooms, The New York Times pointed out. However, it may take decades before scientists develop a "Samantha", the advanced chatbot seen in the fiction film Her. In the film, Samantha sparks a romantic relationship with her user played by US actor Joaquin Phoenix. Many viewers were enthusiastic about this fan tasy of virtual soul mates.
1.What does the underlined part in paragraph two mean?
A. She became a best seller.
B. She became very powerful.
C. She became a money maker.
D. She became very popular.
2.Which of the following can Xiaoice do?
A. Do housework.
B. Spread messages.
C. Identify various photos.
D. Read news to its users.
3.Which company's chatbot program can act as an academic consultant?
A. Microsoft. B. IBM. C. Apple. D. Amazon.
4.What can be learned from the last paragraph?
A. Chatbots mainly run on smartphones now.
B. It'll take decades to apply chatbots to cars.
C. Samantha is played by a US actor in the film.
D. The film Her doesn't interest many audience.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年甘肃天水市高一下学期第一次阶段测英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单项填空
---Could I use your telephone?
--- Yes, of course you ________.
A. could B. will C. Might D. can
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届湖南衡阳县第一中学高三3月月考一模英语试卷（解析版） 题型：短文改错
短文改错
假如英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号∧，并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线＼划掉。
修改：在错词下面划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：
1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者从第11处不计分。
As is known by all, with the improvement of people’s living standards, cars have become a popular means of transport, bring great convenience to our life. However, they have also caused some problems such as air pollution and traffic jam.
How can we solve these problems then? As far as I am concerning, riding bicycles is a good solution. For one thing, bicycles don’t need any petrol but they are energy-saving. For another, bicycles are environmentally friendly because of they won’t give off waste gas. Beside, riding bicycles is a good way for us to exercise and it is beneficial to our healthy.
As result, let’s take the responsibility to build up a low-carbon city by riding bicycles. Come on and join them.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届湖南衡阳县第一中学高三3月月考一模英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
When 12-year-old Taylor Smith wrote a special letter to herself last spring, to be read in 10 years’ time, she didn’t know it would be opened before even a year had passed— and that it wouldn’t be her eyes reading the words.
“She had told me that she had written a letter to herself, and that she was excited that she was going to open it when she was older,”said Taylor’s mother, Mary Ellen Smith.
Instead, it was opened by Taylor’s parents after she died last spring. They posted the letter to Facebook, hoping it would inspire others.
It has. “We’ve gotten letters from lots of parents who have said it has encouraged them to love their kids and love each other,” said Mary Ellen Smith.
In the letter, Taylor congratulated herself on graduating from high school and asked, “Are you in college?”
She also wanted to know if she had been on a plane yet and if the show “Doctor Who” was still on the air.
Taylor also had some words for her future kids. After considering the idea of selling her iPad and getting an iPad mini instead, she told her future self to mention to her kids that “We’re older than the tablet.” She included a drawing of an iPad for them to see.
Taylor died suddenly of pneumonia (肺炎), leaving behind both her parents and an older brother.
“I just want people to know just what an awesome, awesome person she was,” her father, Tim Smith said.
Her mother said, “I can’t bring her back, but I’m so grateful people have been inspired by her story.”
Taylor’s father read the closing g words of her letter, which said, “It’s been years since I wrote this. Stuff has happened, good and bad. That’s just how life works, and you have to go with it.”
1.Taylor Smith decided to open her letter when she was ________.
A. 18 years old B. 20 years old
C. 22 years old D. 24 years old
2.Why did Taylor’s parents post her letter to facebook?
A. To show Taylor Smith’s deep love for her parents.
B. To encourage parents and kids to love each other.
C. To make themselves well-known and make money.
D. To prove Taylor Smith was good at writing.
3.We can learn from the passage that Taylor Smith ________.
A. was a college student
B. had never got an iPad
C. had never taken a plane
D. wanted to join “Doctor Who”.
4.What is the message conveyed at the end of Taylor Smith’s letter?
A. We should develop the habit of keeping a diary.
B. We should accept everything that happens in life.
C. We should stop bad things from happening.
D. We should show our love for our parents in time.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年北京东城区高二上学期期末考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单项填空
The teacher along with her students _________ the Palace Museum when we came across her.
A. were visiting B. was visiting
C. has visited D. have visited
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年北京东城区高二上学期期末考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单项填空
When I opened the door, I found the ground _________ by fallen leaves.
A. having covered B. to cover
C. covered D. cover
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届吉林第一中学校高三质量检测六英语试卷（解析版） 题型：七选五
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填人空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Home on the Way
People need homes: children assume their parents' place as home; boarders call school "home" on weekdays; married couples work together to build new homes; and travelers … have no place to call "home", at least for a few nights. ____1.___? Don’t they have the right to a home? Of course they do.
Some regular travelers take their own belongings: like bed sheets, pillowcases and family photos to make them feel like home no matter where they are; some stay for long periods in the same hotel and as a result become very familiar with service and attendants; ____2. ____. Furthermore, driving a camping car during one’s travels and sleeping in the vehicle at night is just like home -- only mobile!
And how about keeping relationships while in transit? _____3.____ ; some send letters and postcards, or even photos; others may just call and say hi, just to let their friends know that they're still alive and well. People find ways to keep in touch. Making friends on the way helps travelers feel more or less at home. _____4._____.
Nowadays, fewer people are working in their local towns, so how do they develop a sense of belonging? Whenever we step out of our local boundaries, there is always another "home" waiting to be found. ____5._____, we can make the place we stay "home".
A. Hostels provide a clean safe place to stay while you are travelling the world
B. others may simply put some flowers by the hotel window to make things more homely
C. Backpackers in youth hostels may become very good friends, even closer than siblings（手足）
D. So how about people who have to travel for extended periods of time
E. No matter where you go to in the world, hotels are there, too
F. Some keep contact with their friends via internet
G. Wherever we are, with just a little bit of effort and imagination
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年陕西西安长安区一中高二上期末英语卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Your house may have an effect on your figure. Experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. You can make your environment work for you instead of against you. Here are some ways to turn your home into part of diet plan.
Open the curtains and turn up the lights. Dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less self-conscious(难为情)when they’ re in poorly lit places----and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn’t have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.
Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us feel less hungry. So when it’s time to repaint, go blue.
Don’ t forget the clock----or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories (卡路里) per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes. And while you’ re at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.
Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one ,total intake (摄入) jumps by 14 percent. And we’ ll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.
1.The text is especially helpful for those who care about_______.
A. healthy diets B. house buying
C. their body shape D. their home comforts
2.A home environment in blue can help people_________.
A. reduce food intake B. digest food better
C. regain their appetites D. burn more calories
3.What are people advised to do at mealtimes?
A. Use smaller spoons. B. Turn down the lights.
C. Eat quickly. D. Play fast music.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Is Your Home Environment Relaxing?
B. Is Your House Making You Fat?
C. Ways of Serving Dinner
D. Effects of Self-Consciousness
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