Do you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since researches have shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes.
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空间的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries—why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses(胎儿) are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障碍物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research. www. .com
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.” says a biologist.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
| A．Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s |
| B．Grey matter plays the same role as white matter. |
| C．Grey matter controls thinking in the brain. |
| D．Both sexes have the same amount of white matter. |
| A．Women prefer doing many things at a time. |
| B．Men do better dealing with one job at a time. |
| C．Women do not need to tell directions. |
| D．Men have weaker spatial abilities. |
| A．Young boys may be stronger than young girls. |
| B．More women take up jobs requiring speech skills. |
| C．Women may have stronger feelings than men. |
| D．Our ancestors needed more spatial skills. |
| A．Defensive. | B．Persuasive. | C．Supportive. | D．Objective. |
【小题1】C
【小题2】B
【小题3】B
【小题4】D
解析试题分析：文章分析了男女脑量的不同，以及男女所擅长的不同方面和不同的特点。
【小题1】推理题。根据第一段最后一句The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes.可知男性的white matter更多，而grey matter男女几乎一致，而这一部分正是控制思维的。故C正确。
【小题2】推理题。根据第二段最后When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.可知女性可以同时兼顾好几项工作，可以推断出男性一次做一份工作可能会更好一点，故B正确。
【小题3】推理题。根据第4段These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills.可知女性更擅长语言技能，故选B。
【小题4】观点态度题。通读全文可知作者是以一种客观的态度阐述事实，并没有太多的个人倾向，故D正确。
考点：考查科普类短文
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The January fashion show, called Future Fashion, exemplified how far green design has come. Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, the show inspired many top designers to work with sustainable fabrics for the first time. Several have since made pledges to include organic fabrics in their lines.
The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges. Scott Hahn, a cofounder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality sustainable materials can still be tough to find. “Most designers with existing labels are finding there aren’t comparable materials that can just replace what you’re doing and what your customers are used to,” he says. For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable once woven into a dress. But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equivalents(等同物).
Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support. Last year the influential trade show Designers & Agents stopped charging its participation fee for young green entrepreneurs who attend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special recognition to designers whose collections are at least 25% sustainable. It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago. This week Wal-Mart is set to announce a major initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional cotton at higher prices, thus helping to expand the supply of a key sustainable material. “Main-stream is about to occur,” says Hahn.
Some analysts are less sure. Among consumers, only 18% are even aware that eco-fashion exists, up from 6% four years ago. Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example of the unconverted consumer. When asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied, “Not that I’m aware of.” Like most consumers, she finds little time to shop, and when she does, she’s on the hunt for “cute stuff that isn’t too expensive.” By her own admission, green just isn’t yet on her mind. But thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliers—one day it will be.
【小题1】What is said about Future Fashion?
| A．It inspired leading designers to start going green. |
| B．It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far. |
| C．It served as an example of how fashion shows should be organized. |
| D．It convinced the public that fashionable clothes should be made durable. |
| A．much more time is needed to finish a dress using sustainable materials |
| B．they have to create new brands for clothes made of organic materials |
| C．customers have difficulty telling organic from non-organic materials |
| D．quality organic replacements for synthetics are not readily available |
| A．can attend various trade shows for free |
| B．are readily recognized by the fashion world |
| C．can buy organic cotton at favorable prices |
| D．are gaining more and more support |
| A．She doesn’t seem to care about it. |
| B．She doesn’t think it is sustainable. |
| C．She is doubtful of its practical value. |
| D．She is opposed to the idea very much. |
| A．Green products will soon go main stream. |
| B．It has a very promising future. |
| C．Consumers have the final say. |
| D．It will appeal more to young people. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Growers around the world are using new methods to grow grapes to make wine. They use natural and organic methods to control harmful insects and weeds instead of using chemicals. Now, a winery in Canada has adopted a natural way to control its grapevines (葡萄藤).The Featherstone Winery is in southern Ontario. The grapevines, like other plants, need to be cut every year.
Cutting grapevines must be done very carefully. Only a targeted area of leaves is removed from the lower part of the vines to help the grapes grow better. But at the Featherstone Winery, no man or machine does the cutting. Instead, the job is done by 40 little wooly lambs.www.zxxk.com
David Johnson owns the vineyard. He says he learned about using lambs while visiting wineries in New Zealand. The young lambs are perfectly designed to do the job. They eat the grape leaves on the lower parts of the vine. But they are not tall enough to reach the grapes. They only weigh about 22 kilograms, so they do not beat down the soil. And their waste makes good organic fertilizer. In addition, using the lambs costs much less than hiring workers to cut the vines for seven weeks in summer. And when the cutting is done in August, the lambs become tasty dishes.
Mr Johnson says he had a difficult time finding enough lambs to do the job. There are about 50 million lambs in New Zealand. But there are not nearly as many in Ontario. Also, some organic pesticides (杀虫剂) are harmful to lambs. And the lambs must be watched to make sure they do not eat too much of the grapevines.
David Johnson says the lambs help him carry out his environmental ideas about farming. They are lovely and peaceful and he likes having them in his vineyard. People visiting the vineyard also enjoy watching the lambs do their job.
【小题1】Farmers who grow grapes with natural and organic methods _____.
| A．don't cut grapevines every year |
| B．don't use chemicals to control harmful insects and weeds |
| C．don't need to control harmful insects and weeds |
| D．don't use organic fertilizer |
| A．only have to remove the dead leaves |
| B．need to remove a specific area of leaves |
| C．shouldn't remove any part of the plants |
| D．should let little lambs do the cutting |
| A．the future of getting lambs to do the cutting |
| B．the worries about using organic pesticides |
| C．the ways to get lambs to do the cutting |
| D．the problems related to lambs doing the cutting |
| A．owns several wineries in Canada |
| B．buys lambs from New Zealand |
| C．is concerned about protecting the environment |
| D．loves keeping lambs instead of farming |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Today is National Bike-to-Work Day. And on New York City’s jammed streets, people are cycling on hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. But New York’s widespread efforts to make streets safer for bikes have also left some locals complaining about the loss of parking spots and lanes for cars.
When the weather is good, Aaron Naparstek likes to pedal（用踏板踩）his two young kids to school on a special Dutch-made bicycle. Naparstek supports the new lane.
Aaron: The bike lane on Prospect Park West is really introducing a lot of new people to the idea that it’s possible to use a bike in New York City for transportation or to travel around. This is what 21st century New York City looks like.
Prospect Park West is still a one-way road, but where it used to have three lanes of car traffic, now it has two, plus a protected bike lane. Supporters say that makes the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, by slowing down cars and taking bikes off the sidewalk. But some longtime residents disagree. Lois Carswell is president of a group called Seniors for Safety. She says the two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents who are used to one-way traffic.
Lois: We wanted a lane — the right kind of lane that would keep everybody safe, that would keep the bikers safe. But we want it to be done the right way. And it has not been done the right way.
Craig Palmer builds bars and restaurants in Manhattan. I was interviewing him for a different story when he brought up the bike lanes all on his own.
Craig: I think the biggest problem is that Bloomberg put all these bike lanes in. You took what used to be a full street and you’re shrinking it.
Then there are the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who forced the city to remove a bike lane through their neighborhood. But polls show that the majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes by a margin of 56% to 39%. Bicycle advocate Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives calls that a mandate.
Caroline: If this was an election, we would have already had our victory. The public has spoken and they keep speaking. And I think, more importantly, the public is starting to vote with their pedals.
【小题1】What does Aaron mean by saying “This is what 21st century New York City looks like.”?
| A．There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in 21 st century New York City. |
| B．Drivers slow down their cars and bikes are taken off the sidewalk in New York. |
| C．Bikes are used as a means of transport in 21 st century New York City. |
| D．It’s possible to make the streets safe for pedestrians in New York. |
| A．Drivers lose parking spots and lanes for cars. |
| B．The two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents. |
| C．We took what used to be a full street so the road is broader than before. |
| D．The removal of one bike lane through a neighbourhood in Brooklyn was not supported by the majority of New Yorkers. |
| A．the authority | B．the public | C．the supporters | D．the government |
| A．Ride on National Bike-to-Work Day |
| B．A New Bike Lane Appears in New York |
| C．A Bike Lane Divides New Yorkers |
| D．Who Wins an Election |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years，and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future.Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.
London
London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水闸) has protected the city from the threat of flooding，but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 21 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed.
There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London's flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.
Paris
Over a sixweek period in July and August 2008，more than 11400 — mainly elderly people — died in France from dehydration (脱水) and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity (强度) are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?
One solution is to have airconditioners installed in elderly care homes. But this is considered a shortterm solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions.
In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower”, which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural airconditioner.
Shanghai
Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.
An estimated 250,000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption. China relies heavily on coalfired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.
【小题1】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Big Cities Facing Big Disasters | B．Big Disasters in the Future |
| C．The Increase of Natural Disasters | D．Solutions to Natural Disasters |
| A．How to protect the city’s property. |
| B．Where to build its flood defences. |
| C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city. |
| D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences. |
| A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo. |
| B．Having airconditioners installed in elderly care homes. |
| C．Forbidding the city to build “Flower Tower”. |
| D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings. |
| A．increasing population and coalfired power stations |
| B．rising sea levels and typhoons |
| C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels |
| D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons |
| A．to tell us how to protect the big cities |
| B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters |
| C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves |
| D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Sooner or later, many families will face the situation of moving. The experience can be very bad for kids, who may not be a part of the decision to move and may not understand it. You can take steps to make the entire process (过程) easier for everyone.
Many kids like to stay in familiar places. So as you consider a move, weigh the benefits (好处) of that change against the comfort that neighborhood, school, and social life give your kids. If your family has recently dealt with a big life change, such as death, you may want to put off a move to give your children time to accept the fact.
The decision to move may be out of your hands, perhaps because of a new job or money problems. Even if you’re not happy about the move, try to keep a positive (积极的)attitude to it. During the move, a parent’s attitude can greatly influence kids.
No matter what the results are, the most important way to prepare kids to move is to talk about it. Try to give your children as much information about the move as possible. You can ask kids to join in the planning such as house-hunting or the search for a new school. This can make the change feel less like it’s being forced on them. If you’re moving across town, try to take your children to visit the new house and the new neighborhood.
A move can have many problems, but good things also come from this kind of change. Your family might grow closer and you may learn more about each other by going through it together.
【小题1】According to the text, a move can be a bad experience for kids because ______.
| A．they may feel they’re forced to do so |
| B．they often feel lonely in a new school |
| C．they are ignored by their busy parents |
| D．they are tired of the moving process |
| A．Allowing them to choose a school by themselves. |
| B．Trying not to show them the bad parts of a move. |
| C．Offering them as much information as possible. |
| D．Promising to choose a new house with them. |
| A．what we should do before a move |
| B．how to prepare children for a move |
| C．how a move can change the family |
| D．why parents should talk to children often. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The next time your face turns red after tripping(绊倒) over your own feet in public, don’t try to hide it—a new study finds that showing your embarrassment actually makes other people view you as more reliable.
Researchers at the University of California have carried out the study and found that embarrassment is a good signature of a person to whom you can entrust valuable resources.
Not only are the findings useful for people seeking cooperative and reliable team members and business partners, but they also make for helpful dating advice.“Moderate(适度的) levels of embarrassment are signs of virtue. Our data suggests embarrassment is a good thing, not something you should fight.”said Matthew Feinberg, who led the study.
While the most typical gesture of embarrassment is a downward gaze to one side while partly covering the face, a person who feels shame, as distinguished(区别) from embarrassment, will typically cover the whole face, Feinberg said.
The results were got from a series of experiments. In the first experiment, 60 college students were videotaped describing embarrassing moments, such as making incorrect assumptions(假想) based on appearances. The college students also participated in the “Dictator Game” which is used in economics research to measure altruism(利己主义). For example, each was given 10 raffle tickets(奖券) and asked to keep a share of the tickets and give the reminder(提示物) to a partner.
The findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, showed that those who showed greater levels of embarrassment tended to give away more of their raffle tickets, indicating(﹦showing) greater generosity.
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following is thought to be reliable?
| A．A person who feels shame. |
| B．A person who hides his embarrassment. |
| C．A person who shows his embarrassment. |
| D．A person who gives away more raffle tickets. |
| A．it’s useless to fight our embarrassment |
| B．people should try to overcome their embarrassment |
| C．embarrassed people are not good at doing business |
| D．people who show embarrassment can be good business partners |
| A．measure the students’ economic status |
| B．test whether a student is generous or not |
| C．determine the different levels of embarrassment |
| D．record how each student reacts during embarrassing moments |
| A．proved to be more generous | B．kept more of the raffle tickets |
| C．didn’t care for raffle tickets | D．were less reliable |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything．In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine(涡轮机) , which supplies 5% of the store's electricity．It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant．
The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods．It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing．"One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees," says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott．"If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference．"
Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too．He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions （排放） over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient．He wants Wal-Mart's fleet (车队) of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015．Factories that show Wal-Mart they're cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it's working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so．
Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart's controversial labor and health-insurance practices．But it's not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits in going green．Scott says, "This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy．We don't go where we don't think there's a great interest in change．"
Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart's image at a time when his company's reputation is declining．He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield （保护，庇护） Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming．" By doing what we're doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything," he says．"At some point businesses will be held responsible for the actions they take．" Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed at shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit．
【小题1】We can infer from the passage that ______．
| A．Lee Scott is Wal-Mart's CEO |
| B．there are 5, 200 stores in the world |
| C．Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market |
| D．Wal-Mart has more than 7, 000 trucks all over the world |
| A．Wal-Mart predicts huge profits in its green activity． |
| B．Wal-Mart's green activity is just window dressing． |
| C．Wal-Mart aims to solve its health-insurance practices． |
| D．Wal-Mart doesn't have any social responsibility at all． |
| A．Reduce air pollution in its present stores． |
| B．Give favorable treatment to its consumers． |
| C．Ask the factories to reduce their packaging． |
| D．Demand the fleet of trucks to use more fuel than before． |
| A．Provide the background of the green plan． |
| B．Stress the purpose of Wal-Mart's green plan． |
| C．Present the risk that Wal-Mart is facing nowadays． |
| D．Analyze the similarity between Bill Gates and Scott. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Looking back on China’s road to outer space, people can easily find it has not been very smooth. In the past years, Chinese people have made hard and determined efforts to realize the dream their ancestors had for thousands of years.
After China’s first satellite into the Earth’s orbit in 1970 came four flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions(飞行) from 1999 to 2002. The country carried out its first one-piloted space flight in October, 2003, making China the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight ability after the Soviet Union and the United States. Then came another breakthrough on October 12, 2005, when Shenzhou 6, China’s second human spaceflight, was launched, with a crew of two astronauts. What’s more, the landmark spacewalk done by Zhai Zhigang, one of the three boarding Shenzhou 7, launched on Sept. 25, 2008, leads the country further in its space exploration.
Meanwhile, China’s moon exploration project, started in 2004, has also been progressing satisfactorily. Fifty years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first man-made satellite, China’s first circumlunar(绕月的)satellite Chang’e 1 took off on Oct.24, 2007, which became another milestone(里程碑) in China’s space achievements after the above-mentioned manned flights. Chang’e 1 was expected to fulfill four scientific goals, one of which was to probe（勘探）mineral elements on the moon, especially those not existent on Earth. It’s said that the lunar regolith(月壤) is abundant in helium-3, a clean fuel that may support the Earth’s energy demands for more than a century. Nearly 3 years later, Oct. 1, 2010 witnessed the blasting off of Chang’e 2, China’s 2nd unmanned lunar probe, marking another step forward in moon exploration. This time the aim is to test the key techniques of Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future.
With great expectations, people all over the world are looking forward to China’s greater space achievements.
【小题1】Altogether how many astronauts have made successful spaceflight by Shenzhou spaceship by now?
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
| A．China sent its first satellite into the Moon’s orbit in 1970. |
| B．China is the third country in Asia to make human spaceflight. |
| C．China has blasted off 4 unmanned lunar probes. |
| D．The launching of Chang’e 1 became the third milestone in China’s space achievements. |
| A．China’s road to outer space has not been very smooth for a long time |
| B．the lunar regolith is believed to be rich in a clean fuel called helium-3 |
| C．China’s lunar exploration project was started in 2004 and completed in 2007 |
| D．China’s scientists are researching into techniques for soft lunar landing |
| A．Ancient Chinese’s Dream | B．China’s Major Space Achievements |
| C．China’s Moon Exploration | D．The World’s Great Expectations |
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