WASHINGTON—Two-thirds of the world’s polar bear population could be gone by 2050 if predictions of melting sea ice hold true, the US Geological Survey reported on Friday.
The fate of polar bears could be even worse than that estimate, because sea ice in the Arctic might be disappearing faster than the available computer models predict, the geological survey said in a report aimed at determining whether the big white bear should be listed as a threatened species.
“There is a definite link between changes in the sea ice and the welfare of polar bears,” said Steve Amstrup, who led the research team. He says Arctic sea ice is already at the lowest this year and is expected to retreat(退却) farther this month.
That means that polar bears—some 16,000 of them -- will disappear by 2050 from parts of the Arctic where sea ice is melting most rapidly, along the north coasts of Alaska and Russia, researchers said in a telephone briefing(简报).
Other polar bears could survive beyond that date but many of those could be gone by 2100, Amstrup said. By this century’s end, the only polar bears left might live in the Canadian Arctic islands and along the west coast of Greenland.
“It is likely to result in loss of approximately two-thirds of the world’s current polar bear population by the mid 21st century,” the report’s executive summary said.
“Because the observed trajectory(轨迹)of Arctic sea ice decline appears to be underestimated by currently available models, this assessment of future polar bear status may be conservative(保守的).”
In January, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the polar bear as a threatened species, noting polar bears depend on sea ice as a platform to hunt seals, their main food.
Without enough sea ice, polar bears would be forced onto land, but they are poor hunters once they get out of the water and ice, the researchers said. The bears’ disappearance would probably take place as young cubs(幼兽)failed to survive to adulthood and females were unable to reproduce successfully.
【小题1】What was the US Geological Survey intended to do?
| A．To determine whether the polar bear was in danger. |
| B．To measure how fast the sea ice melts in the Arctic. |
| C．To check the predictions of the computer models. |
| D．To find out the exact number of the polar bear. |
| A．The pollution of the Arctic region. | B．The sea ice melting at high speed |
| C．Fewer food sources being left. | D．The temperature getting colder. |
| A．help young polar bears to survive the cold winter |
| B．have large number of seals living in the oceans |
| C．make sure there is enough sea ice in the Arctic |
| D．provide chances for adult polar bears to reproduce |
【小题1】A
【小题2】B
【小题3】C
解析试题分析：本文叙述了由于现在气温升高以致于北极的冰以很快的速度在融化，研究人员发现冰的融化严重影响了北极熊的生活，如果再这样继续下去很有可能北极熊出现频临灭绝的危险之中，呼吁人们要注意对北极熊的保护。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据the geological survey said in a report aimed at determining whether the big white bear should be listed as a threatened species.是否北极熊是处于危险之中，故选A。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据because sea ice in the Arctic might be disappearing faster than the available computer models predict,因为北极冰的快速地融化，故选B。
【小题3】推理判断题。根据短文的内容可知只有保住北极有足够的冰，才能防止北极熊的灭绝，故选C。
考点：环保类阅读短文。
点评：细节理解题是阅读理解题中必考的一种题型，其解题依据主要在阅读材料中找。笔者发现，这种题型可以用“重现”的方法来解答。所谓“重现”，就是指某一个单词或短语的同义、反义、上下义、同根词或原词在文中重复出现的现象。这种方法常用于解答完形填空，但用来解答阅读理解细节题也同样管用。细节理解题的重现指的是：正确答案选项语句中的单词或短语与阅读材料中的单词或短语构成一种重复出现的关系。它同样可以分为：同义、反义、上下义、同根词或原词。
每日10分钟口算心算速算天天练系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A research found that people shown silent videos of piano competitions could pick out the winners more often than those who could also hear the music. It underlines the importance of our sense of vision, say scientists. Their study concludes that the best predictor of a winner’s musical performance was the visible passion they displayed, followed closely by their uniqueness and creativity.
Chia-Jung Tsay, from University College London, UK, is the study’s author and herself a concert pianist. She was interested in how music was judged and found that even professional musicians were unaware of how much they were using visual information over sound. “For the last two decades, I’ve taken part in various competitions. Through this experience, I found that depending on what type of evaluations were used, the results might vary widely. This led me to wonder about how much visual information really affects these important decisions,” she explained.
More than 1,000 participants in the study were given samples of either audio, silent video or video with sound, and asked to rate the top three finalists from 10 international classical music competitions. The actual competition winners were only correctly identified by those who were randomly assigned(分配) the silent videos.
Dr Tasy said the findings were quite surprising, especially because both trained musicians and those without training had stated that sound was most important for their evaluation. “Regardless of levels of expertise, we still seem to be led primarily by visual information, even in this field of music,” she said. “Classical music training is often focused on improving the quality of the sound, but this research is about getting to the bottom of what is really being evaluated at the highest levels of competitive performance. She added, “We must be more mindful of our inclination(倾向) to depend on visual information at the expense of the content that we actually value as more relevant to our decisions.”
【小题1】According to the study, who would most probably win a piano competition?
| A．One who plays with great passion. |
| B．One who plays unique music. |
| C．One who plays creatively. |
| D．One who has a sense of vision. |
| A．watch classical music competitions |
| B．assign the silent videos |
| C．pick out the best three competitors |
| D．decide who the winner is |
| A．Her love for music. |
| B．Her desire to explore. |
| C．Her experience as a competitor. |
| D．Her curiosity in musical education. |
| A．A text book. | B．A sports magazine. |
| C．A story book. | D．A science website. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
For years we have been told that encouraging a child’s self-respect is important to his or her success in life. But child experts are now learning that too much praise can lead to the opposite effect. Praise-aholic kids who expect it at every turn may become teens who seek the same kind of approval from their friends when asked if they want to go in the backseat of the car.
The implication(含义) of saying “You are the prettiest girl in class,” or talking about the goals she scored but not her overall effort, is that you love her only when she looks the best, scores the highest, achieves the most. And this carries over to the classroom.
Social psychologist Carol Dweck, PHD, tested the effects of over-praise on 400 fifth graders while she was at Columbia University. She found that kids praised for “trying hard” did better on tests and were more likely to take on difficult assignments than those praised for being “smart”.
“Praising attributes(品质) or abilities makes a false promise that success will come to you because you have that quality, and it devalues effort, so children are afraid to take on challenges,” says Dweck, now at Stanford University, “They figure they’d better quit while they’re ahead.”
【小题1】The underlined words “Praise-aholic kids” refer to kids who are ______.
| A．tired of being praised | B．worthy of being praised |
| C．very proud of being praised | D．extremely fond of being praised |
| A．better-known | B．better-organized |
| C．more persuasive | D．more interesting |
| A．praise for efforts should be more encouraged |
| B．praise for results works better than praise for efforts |
| C．praising a child’s achievements benefits his or her success in life |
| D．praising a child’s abilities encourages him or her to take on challenges |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
People diet to look more attractive．Fish diet to avoid being beaten up，thrown out of their social group，and getting eaten as a result．That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists．
The research team have discovered that subordinate(低一等的) fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors．"In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals，a male and female，had breeding（繁殖）rights within the group，" explains Marian Wong．"All other group members are nonbreeding females，each being 5-10% smaller than its next largest competitor．We wanted to find out how they maintain this precise size separation．"
The reason for the size difference was easy to see．Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor，it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group．More often than not，the evicted fish is then eaten up．
It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish．Whether they did so voluntarily，by restraining how much they ate，was not clear．The research team decided to do an experiment．They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened．To their surprise，the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered，clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights，over having a feast．
The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group．Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves，so keeping their competitors small．
While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious，Dr．Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understand how hierarchical（等级的）societies remain stable．
The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive to humans．"As yet，we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature，" the researchers comment．"Data on human dieting suggests that，while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness，rarely does it improve long-term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females' own ideal．"
【小题1】When a goby grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor，it _________．
| A．leaves the group itself | B．has breeding rights |
| C．eats its competitor | D．faces danger |
| A．the fish beaten up | B．the fish driven away |
| C．the fish found out | D．the fish fattened up |
| A．fought over a feast | B．preferred some extra food |
| C．challenged the boss fish | D．went on diet willingly |
| A．Fish dieting and human dieting． | B．Dieting and health． |
| C．Human dieting． | D．Fish dieting． |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Google, the Internet search and mapping company, has developed a car that can steer without a driver.
Sometimes the reality is stranger than science fiction: Google is road-testing cars that steer, stop and start without a human driver. The goal is to “help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions.” says Sebastian Thrun, who is the project leader for the driverless car, or Carbot.
By developing the car and the software that drives it, Google wants to change how people get from place to p1ace. Eric Schmidt, one of the company’s top officials, said, “Your car should drive itself. It just makes sense.”
So far, the driverless autos have gone about 140,000 miles on California roads without people taking over the driving. Many of the roads are very busy or full of curves that challenge human drivers. The autos’ software makes it possible to know speed limits, traffic patterns and road maps. The vehicles use radar, lasers and video cameras to find other cars and avoid people crossing streets.
There has only been one accident during the testing. And in that case, the Carbot was hit from behind by a human driver when Goog1e’s car was stopped at a red light. Engineers say the driverless cars are safer than autos with people behind the wheel because the computers react much more quickly than humans.
The Carbot is still in very early testing stages. Experts agree that it will be years before you will be able to buy one. But it is likely that one day you will be sitting in the driver’s seat of a driverless car. When the auto was first invented it was called a “horseless carriage”. Now it seems that it is time for the “driverless carriage” to be part of our 1ives.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．An auto revolution is on its way. |
| B．Google has developed a driverless car. |
| C．The Carbot has passed its early testing stages. |
| D．Science fiction has turned into reality. |
| A．it uses radar, lasers and video cameras |
| B．it knows speed limits, traffic patterns and road maps |
| C．the computer has a better sense of direction than drivers |
| D．the software responds to emergencies faster than a human driver |
| A．it can drive all by itself |
| B．it can avoid any traffic accident |
| C．it doesn’t pollute the environment |
| D．it is the most fashionable car nowadays |
| A．unfriendly | B．desperate | C．critical | D．optimistic |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：单选题
An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.
In Chicago, the mayor appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York , where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
As Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?
| A．To invite authors to guide readers |
| B．To encourage people to read and share. |
| C．To involve people in community service |
| D．To promote the friendship between cities. |
| A．They had little interest in reading. |
| B．They were too busy to read a book. |
| C．They came from many different backgrounds. |
| D．They lacked support from the local government. |
| A．In large communities with little sense of unity |
| B．In large cities where libraries are far from home |
| C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population |
| D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached |
| A．exchanged ideas with each other |
| B．discussed the meaning of a word |
| C．gained life experience |
| D．used the same language |
| A．the careful selection of a proper book |
| B．the growing popularity of the writers |
| C．the number of people who benefit from reading |
| D．the number of books that each person reads |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Feeling blue about the world? “Cheer up,” says science writer Matt Ridley. “The world has never been a better place to live in, and it will keep on getting better both for humans and for nature.”
Ridley calls himself a rational optimist—rational, because he’s carefully weighed the evidence; optimistic, because that evidence shows human progress to be both unavoidable and good. And this is what he’s set out to prove from a unique point of view in his most recent book, The Rational Optimist . He views mankind as grand enterprise that, on the whole, has done little but progress for 100,000 years. He backs his findings with hard facts gathered through years of research.
Here’s how he explains his views.
1）Shopping fuels invention
It is reported that there are more than ten billion different products for sale in London alone. Even allowing for the many people who still live in poverty, our own generation has access to more nutritious food, more convenient transport, bigger houses, better cars, and, of course, more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us. This will continue as long as we use these things to make other things. The more we specialize and exchange, the better off we’ll be.
2) Brilliant advances
One reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer-lived and freer than ever before is that the four most basic human needs—food, clothing, fuel and shelter—have grown a lot cheaper. Take one example. In 1800 a candle providing one hour’s light cost six hours’ work. In the 1880s the same light from an oil lamp took 15 minutes’ work to pay for. In 1950 it was eight seconds. Today it’s half second.
3) Let’s not kill ourselves for climate change
Mitigating(减轻) climate change could prove just as damaging to human welfare as climate change itself. A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fossil-fuel(化石燃料) electricity is forbidden by well- meaning members of green political movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that dies in a flood caused by climate change. If climate change proves to be mild, but cutting carbon causes real pain, we may well find that we have stopped a nose-bleed by putting a tourniquet(止血带) around our necks.
【小题1】What is the theme of Ridley’s most recent book?
| A．Weakness of human nature. |
| B．Concern about climate change. |
| C．Importance of practical thinking. |
| D．Optimism about human progress. |
| A．It encourages the creation of things. |
| B．It results in shortage of goods. |
| C．It demands more fossil fuels. |
| D．It causes a poverty problem. |
| A．oil lamps give off more light than candles |
| B．shortening working time brings about a happier life. |
| C．advanced technology helps to produce better candles. |
| D．increased production rate leads to lower cost of goods. |
| A．Cutting carbon is necessary in spite of the huge cost. |
| B．Overreaction to climate change may be dangerous. |
| C．People’s health is closely related to climate change. |
| D．Careless medical treatment may cause great pain. |
| A．Matt Ridley doesn’t think the world is a good place to live in. |
| B．Climate change won’t cause a child’s death. |
| C．Matt Ridley based his unique point of view on his long-term research. |
| D．People will have more freedom for the development of the world. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
WASHINGTON The head of the World Bank says for the first time in human history, it is possible to end poverty around the world. Jim Yong Kim told a Washington audience Tuesday, he wants to make ending world poverty by 2030 a top goal for the bank and governments around the world.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says that the problems of poverty, hunger and inequality are wide, urgent and a matter of survival of millions.
“We know that despite the great successes of the last decade, there are still about 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty, 870 million who go hungry every day, and 6.9 million children under five dying every year,” he said.
But Kim told a Washington audience that the previous successful efforts to cut the number of people living in extreme poverty by half give them hope.
“We are at an auspicious moment in history, when the successes of past decades and an increasingly favourable economic outlook combine to give developing countries a chance－for the first time ever－to end extreme poverty within a generation,” he said in a speech at Georgetown University. “Our duty now must be to ensure that these favourable circumstances are matched with deliberate decisions to realize this historic opportunity.”
Kim says success will require increasing the speed of economic growth, particularly in South Africa and South Asia.
But he warned that civil unrest could happen if economic growth does not help people at all income levels, and also include women and youth．
Kim says that the World Bank and other development agencies will have more resources to get this job done right. “Meeting this 2030 goal will take extraordinary effort,” he said.
However, Kim warned that all the progress in fighting poverty could be destroyed by climate disasters unless the nations of the world do more to prevent climate change.
【小题1】In the opinion of Jim Yong Kim, world poverty _____．
| A．is difficult but hopeful to end by 2030 |
| B．exists only in Africa and Asia |
| C．is not quite hard to end by 2030 |
| D．will be sure to disappear by 2030 |
| A．Economic growth is increasing in developing countries． |
| B．Great successes have been achieved in science and technology． |
| C．A decreasing number of people are living in poverty． |
| D．All countries have started to fight poverty． |
| A．unforgettable | B．lucky |
| C．disappearing | D．important |
| A．The key of ending world poverty is preventing climate change. |
| B．A top goal－ending world poverty will possibly be achieved by 2030. |
| C．The success of ending poverty－economic growth. |
| D．The progress in fighting poverty. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In English the spelling of words does not always represent the sound. So people say /rait/ but spell it right or write, or even rite. Combinations of letters may be pronounced in many ways. And some words just seem to have too many letters.
For Americans things are a little bit easier, thanks to the work of Noah Webster, a teacher who graduated from Yale University in 1778. As a young man, he had fought against the British in the American War of Independence, and he felt that written English in the newly independent United States should have a distinctive American look.
So he began his work on American English. His first book, The Elementary Spelling Book, suggested simplifying the spelling of English words. The book was extremely popular. By the 1850s, it was selling one million copies a year, making it one of the most popular school books ever.
Many of the suggestions were quickly adopted. Center instead of centre, program instead of programme, and flavor instead of flavour. Others, however, such as removing silent letters like s in island or the final e in examine, were not .
Webster is best known for his American Dictionary of the English language, which first appeared in 1828. It introduced lots of new American words, with information about their pronunciation and use, and, of course, the new spelling. The British criticized the dictionary, but it quickly became a standard reference book in the States. Today, Webster's dictionary is still the number one dictionary for American students.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?
| A．Webster and his best sellers. |
| B．British and American English. |
| C．The history of American English. |
| D．The man who made spelling simple. |
| A．②①③④ | B．③①②④ | C．④①③② | D．①②③④ |
| A．They thought highly of it. |
| B．They found fault with it. |
| C．They argued bitterly about it. |
| D．They followed the examples of it. |
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