Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers.It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages. Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts than areas with more rainfall，but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live，but there's a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home.To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
【小题1】Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. | B．Throwing batteries away. |
| C．Paving parking lots. | D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
| D．suggest what we do to save water at home |
| A．why paving roads reduces our water |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．how human activity affects our water supply |
【小题1】C
【小题2】B
【小题3】D
【小题4】D
解析试题分析：这是一篇关于用水问题的议论文。本文告诉我们，尽管大量用水和污染水源使人类用水处于危险境地，但是人类一些小型的活动也对用水问题有着巨大的影响。本文详细描写了生活中容易造成浪费的一些用水问题，并提出了相应的建议。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater可知铺设停车场会导致地下水更少，选C
【小题2】细节理解题。根据第一段话good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs及下文描述，可知要满足我们的用水需求需要很大的努力，故选B
【小题3】段落大意题。根据最后一段的句子：You can take steps to save water in your home及本段描述，可知本段主要是针对如何节水提出建议，选D
【小题4】主旨题：这篇文章主要描述了人类活动与水资源的关系，告诉我们如何节约用水，故选D，人类活动如何影响我们的用水供应。选D。
考点：考查环保类短文
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid --- we simply weigh too much, and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink.
However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard（蜥蜴）native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water’s surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we’ll need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate “hitting.”
But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a “non-Newtonian” liquid that doesn’t behave like normal water. Now if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles（粒子）in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick liquid of cornflour.
Fun though all this may sound, it’s still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink --- and take a shower afterward!
【小题1】Walking on water hasn’t become a reality mainly because humans _______.
| A．are not interested in it |
| B．have biological limitations |
| C．have not invented proper tools |
| D．are afraid to make an attempt |
| A．It is light enough to walk on water. |
| B．Its huge feet enable it to stay above water. |
| C．It can run across water at a certain speed |
| D．Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water |
| A．To create a thick liquid. |
| B．To turn the water into solid. |
| C．To help the liquid behave normally. |
| D．To enable the water to move rapidly. |
| A．It is risky but beneficial. |
| B．It is interesting and worth trying |
| C．It is crazy and cannot become a reality |
| D．It is impractical; though theoretically possible |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
New findings from Queen’s University biologists show that in the plant world, bigger isn’t necessarily better.
“Until now most of the thinking has suggested that to be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a big plant,” says Queen’s Biology professor Lonnie Aarssen. “But our research shows it’s virtually the other way around.”
Previous studies showed that larger plant species monopolize(垄断) sunlight, water and other resources, limiting the number of smaller plant species that can exist around them. But the research has proved that this is not generally the case in natural vegetation.
In the Queen’s project, PhD student Laura Keating targeted the largest “host plants” of 16 woody plant species growing in the Okanogan Valley, British Columbia. The research team calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant. They then randomly selected plots without host plants and calculated the plant species there as well. The research showed that the massive trees have no effect on the number of species with which they coexist.
Smaller plants have many advantages over their overbearing neighbors, Professor Aarssen notes. Larger species generate physical space niches under their shelters where smaller species grow well. Smaller plants are much more effective than large trees at using available resources. They also produce seeds at a much younger age and higher rate than their bigger counterparts, and settle down much more quickly—thuscompeting with the newly-born plants of larger species.
【小题1】 What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Smaller plants may have many advantages over their neighbors. |
| B．In the plant world, the bigger is better than the smaller one. |
| C．To be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a small plant. |
| D．Queen’s University’s students made a new research. |
| A．large and small plants can grow together in harmony |
| B．larger plant species limit their smaller neighbors’ growth |
| C．small plant species have their own advantages |
| D．large and small plant species can never coexist |
| A．Larger plant species limit the number of smaller ones around them. |
| B．Smaller plants can limit the number of plant species around them. |
| C．Smaller plants produce seeds at a higher rate than their bigger counterparts. |
| D．Larger trees are more effective than small plants at using available resources. |
| A．a, b, c | B．c, b, a |
| C．b, c, a | D．a, c, b |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
ARE you a dog person or a cat person?
With so many photos and videos of cats and dogs doing cute things online, it’s easier than ever to answer which of these furry friends you like more. There are many reasons why people prefer one type of pet over the other. So, have you ever wondered what your preference for cats or dogs says about you?
In fact, a 2010 study done by Sam Gosling , a psychologist at the University of Texas, US, and his graduate student Carson Sandy found that dog people are more extroverted（外向的）agreeable and serious than cat people.
“Cats will occasionally engage in social activities, but usually after only a few minutes they will abandon the game. Dogs, on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown lull, for hours at a lime," said Modem Dog magazine.
Just on the basis of dogs' nature being more sociable than cats’, you may expect that the personalities of dog people also reflect higher sociability. And Cosling’s study found that dog people are generally about 15 percent more extroverted and 13 percent more agreeable, both of which are associated with social altitude.
In addition, dog people are 11 percent more conscientious than cat people.
“Conscientiousness" is a tendency In show self-discipline（自律）,to complete tasks and aim for achievement. This quality also shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous （一时冲动的） behavior.
In comparison, cat people an; about 12 percent more anxious, but they are also 11 percent more “open” than dog people, due to a general appreciation for art, emotion, imagination, curiosity, adventure, unusual ideas and variety of experience. And people high on openness are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs.
Despite vast differences, there an some things that cat people and dog people have in common. “Both types of people consider themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing and generally optimists. ” noted Mother Nature Network.
【小题1】What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．Differences between dogs and cats in their personality qualities. |
| B．Factors that influence people’s preference for dogs or cats. |
| C．How raising a pet helps shape your personality. |
| D．What your preference for dogs or cats reveals about you. |
| A．get involved in | B．benefit from |
| C．take little interest in | D．perform well in |
| A．be more imaginative and creative |
| B．live a more organized life |
| C．love to get close to nature more |
| D．be more easygoing and adventurous |
| A．are generally self-disciplined |
| B．are usually positive and care about nature |
| C．are likely to hold unconventional beliefs |
| D．like to wear animal-print clothing; |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Smart home applications can share all kinds of helpful information with homeowners. There appears a new housing platform which can detect the stress on electricity — and the stress on the heart.
“There is a growing population of elderly people, and there are statistics to show that more and more of them are going to live alone in the home,” said Johann Siau, a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., who was leading the InterHome project.
The system was originally designed to provide remote access (远程访问) to a house so owners could be more energy-efficient. In a small type of the system, set-in controller devices connect securely to the Internet. The owner can then monitor them with a cell phone or computer. User feedback helps the system adapt to routines, saving on electricity.
While thinking about responding to user behavior and an increasingly elderly population, the researchers decided to add wristband (手腕带) technology that senses important organs of the body such as body temperature and pulse, Siau said. “If someone were to fall, it would detect the fall and it would immediately start the monitor of the pulse to see if the person has gone into shock (休克),” he said.
The wristband communicates with the home system wirelessly. Data from the band can be securely transmitted to the home network and accessed by authorized users. “We’re working on trying to reduce it to a level where it could potentially be a wrist-sized product,” Siau said.
But he warned that the technology presented new challenges. “When you start using that on a larger scale, you have issues of privacy or security,” he said. Siau said the InterHome home system isn’t intended to invade privacy. “We’re thinking about the elderly people who are living alone with no one looking after them,” he said. “Hopefully this will be able to decrease some concerns and possibly save a few lives.”
【小题1】The system was first designed for a house owner to .
| A．keep watch on his house |
| B．keep his house safe |
| C．monitor the elderly people inside |
| D．save electricity |
| A．sense important organs of a person |
| B．keep an old man from falling |
| C．get the medical information of a sick person |
| D．record a person’s daily activities |
| A．more sensitive |
| B．be connected with the Internet |
| C．available for common people |
| D．suitable to wear on the wrist |
| A．The wristband can be large and expensive. |
| B．The wristband will get false information of a person. |
| C．It will not be used in the proper way. |
| D．It will bring inconvenience to the old people. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
EVERYONE has those nights – you lie in your bed for hours, tossing and turning, totally unable to fall asleep. You wish you could just turn your brain off as if it were a light. That would make things much easier, wouldn’t it?
Now it looks like you are one step closer to this wild dream of yours – scientists from Oxford University, UK have just discovered the “switch” that tells the brain to go to sleep, reported Forbes.
To understand the study, you first need to know that there are two mechanisms (机能) that regulate sleep. There’s one that we’re already familiar with – our body clock, which works in a 24-hour cycle based on the light changes throughout the day.
The other one is what scientists call the sleep “homeostat (动态平衡系统)”. This mechanism has nothing to do with daylight. Instead, it keeps track of the brain’s waking hours and urges it to rest if it has been awake for a long time. “It is similar to the thermostat (自动调温器) in your home. A thermostat measures temperature and switches on the heating if it’s too cold,” Professor Gero Miesenböck, who led the study, told The Telegraph.
Our bodies use both of the mechanisms to regulate sleep. “The body clock says it’s the right time, and the sleep thermostat has built up pressure during a long waking day,” explained Miesenböck.
There is no way that scientists can trick the body clock. But with the sleep homeostat, there might be something they can do.
The researchers found that the sleep homeostat works by activating a specific group of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. They tested their theory on fruit flies by removing the neurons from the insects’ brains. And as expected, they found that the flies without the homeostat neurons did not keep a regular sleep pattern anymore.
Now that scientists have pinpointed (定位) the exact place in the brain – or, the “switch” – that regulates sleep, they can begin investigating (研究) how to activate these cells at any given time so that people can be sent to sleep instantly.
More importantly, figuring out how sleep mechanisms work may also help us to one day unravel one of the oldest mysteries of all: why do we need to sleep in the first place?
【小题1】What is the article mainly about?
| A．A new way to treat sleep disorders. |
| B．The discovery of the sleep “homeostat”. |
| C．Advice on what to do when you fail to fall asleep. |
| D．A comparison of the two mechanisms that regulate sleep. |
| A．Through examples. |
| B．With comparisons. |
| C．Through cause and effect analysis. |
| D．By presenting research findings. |
| A．Generally, the sleep homeostat has less effect on people during the day than at night. |
| B．There is little scientists can do to affect the way the sleep homeostat works. |
| C．What makes us go to sleep at night is probably a combination of the two mechanisms. |
| D．The more homeostat neurons there are in one’s brain, the more easily one can fall asleep. |
| A．put up with | B．figure out | C．keep track of | D．take notice of |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It is unusual for what it contains: the news from local crime to international politics, from sports to business to fashion to science, and the comments and special features(特写)as well, from editorial page to feature articles, from interviews to criticism of books, art, theatre, and music. A newspaper is even more unusual for the way one reads it never completely, never straight through, but always by jumping from here to there, in and out, glancing at one piece, reading another article all the way through, reading just a few paragraphs of the next.
A good modern newspaper offers a variety to attract many different readers, but far more than any one reader is interested in. What brings this variety together in one place is its topicality, that is, its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now. But this immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it also mean that much of what appears in a newspaper has no more than temporary value. For all these reasons, no two people really read the same paper: what each person does is to put together, out of the pages of that day’s paper, his own selection and order, his own newspaper. For all these reasons, reading newspapers efficiently which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need but without wasting time, demands skill and self-awareness(意识) as you change and apply the techniques of reading.
【小题1】What does the underlined word in the second paragraph mean ?
| A．wide coverage | B．speed in reporting news |
| C．various style | D．popularity among readers |
| A．people are interested in the same kind of news |
| B．different people prefer different newspapers |
| C．people scan for the news they are interested in |
| D．people have different views about what a good newspaper is |
| A．readers like to read different newspapers |
| B．it has to cover things that happen in a certain locality |
| C．readers are difficult to please |
| D．it tries to serve different readers |
| A．The Characteristics of a Good Newspaper |
| B．The Importance of a good Newspaper |
| C．Good Newspapers and Bad Newspapers |
| D．Some Advice on How to Read a Newspaper |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
If English means endless new words，difficult gramrnar and sometimes strange pronunciation，you are wrong．Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university，learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power，Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter．This is the area of the brain which processes information．It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles．
The study also found the effect is greater，the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli，from University College London，took a group of Britons who only spoke English．They were compared with a goup of “early bilinguals．’’who had learnt a second language before the age of five，as well as a number of later learners．
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language．But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language，the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language，”said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn．
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. ‘‘Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible，”he said．“You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas．”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading，writing，and comprehension were all tested．The results showed，that the younger they started to learn，the better．“Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world，’’explained the scientists．
【小题1】The main subject talked about in this passage is
| A．language can help brain power |
| B．man's ability of learning a second language |
| C．science on learning a second language |
| D．language learning and maths study |
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| C．show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．prove that one needs more practice when he(she)is learning a language |
| A．people who can speak two languages |
| B．second language learners |
| C．researchers on language learning |
| D．active language learners |
| A．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people’s brain |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language |
| C．the earlier you start to learn a second language，the higher the grey matter density is |
| D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
| A．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| B．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| C．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
| D．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is clean and cool. Fox Point is a very new47-unit living building in South Bronx, one of the city’s poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly (以前) homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families. The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions(碳排放)while also cutting costs.
Fox Point is operated by Palladian, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy, people. Palladian received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers.
ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally (环境方面) clever and affordable homes which are called, the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy.
Michael. Bloomberg, New York's mayor, plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for500,000 New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City’s greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40% of those are caused, by housing. So he recently announced that the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD) , whose duty is to develop and keep the city’s supply of affordable housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP’s green standards.
Similar measures have been taken by other cities such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York’s DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.
【小题1】 What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph? 
| A．To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people. |
| B．To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas. |
| C．To show how the environment-friendly building works. |
| D．To compare old and new boiler rooms. |
| A．Lower running costs. |
| B．Costing less in construction. |
| C．Less air to be lost in hot days. |
| D．Better prices for homeless people. |
| A．New York City is seriously polluted |
| B．people’s daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City |
| C．a great number of people in New York City don't have houses to live in |
| D．some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City |
| A．To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems. |
| B．To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing. |
| C．To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families. |
| D．To introduce healthy, environmentally clever-and affordable housing. |
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