Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.
Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.
The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.
As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.
【小题1】The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.
| A．fitting rooms |
| B．trading fairs |
| C．business talks |
| D．group meetings |
| A．what caused the shipping accident |
| B．when and where the shoes went missing |
| C．whether it was all right to use their shoes |
| D．how much they lost in the shipping accident |
| A．By collecting information from beachcombers. |
| B．By studying the shoes found by beachcomber. |
| C．By searching the web for ocean currents models. |
| D．By researching ocean currents data in the library. |
| A．traveling widely the coastal cities of the world |
| B．making records for any lost objects on the sea |
| C．running a global currents research association |
| D．phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea |
| A．To call people's attention to ocean pollution. |
| B．To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean. |
| C．To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents. |
| D．To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach. |
【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】A
【小题4】D
【小题5】C
解析试题分析：本文是一篇说明文。文中介绍了海洋科学家Curtis Ebbesmeyer的一种独特研究洋流的方法——根据海上的漂浮物来研究洋流。他通过寻问海洋搜寻，请他们帮忙来收集漂浮物的信息，用这些信息资料他做实验和研究，不断完善洋流模型的电脑程序设计，然后出版他的研究结果。
【小题1】B.考查词义猜测。和第一段画线短语swap meets的意思更接近的词是什么？根据try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.可知人们要试穿或卖这些鞋，故推测这是在进行一个交易会。故选B。
【小题2】C.考查推理判断。 Ebbesmeyer给这些鞋的公司打电话是为了确定什么？根据As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.可知他打电话问公司要不要这些鞋，公司说不要。他觉得这可能是一个巨大的实验。如果他能知道这些鞋是何时下水的，何时登陆的，那他就可以推断洋流的形式。这样，打电话最根本的目的是确定“能用你们的鞋子吗？能用我就用来实验了。”故选C。
【小题3】A.考查细节理解。 Ebbesmeyer如何证明他的假设的？根据Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. 可知Ebbesmeyer通过寻问海洋搜寻，请他们帮忙来收集信息，证明他的假设。故选A。选项B, 通过研究海洋搜寻发现的鞋。根据In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and 可知他用这些鞋的信息做实验，故排除B项。选项C,通过上网搜寻洋流的模型。根据improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents,可知他自己不断完善洋流模型的电脑程序设计，不是在网上搜的洋流模型，故与原文不符。选项D,通过在图书馆研究洋流资料。文中没有提到他在图书馆的学习研究，故排除D项。
【小题4】D.考查细节理解。Ebbesmeyer以什么最出名？根据Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. 可知Ebbesmeyer是个著名的科学家，专门打电话寻问罕见的海上漂流物。故选D。
【小题5】C.考查推理判断。作者下这篇文章的目的是什么？根据However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. 可知本文介绍了一种独特的研究洋流的方法——通过研究海洋上的漂流物。故选C。
考查：科普类短文阅读。
名校课堂系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
I guess I always knew about the little fish treat, but this past summer it was all I could see. Pipin and Nemo were balancing on one front flipper(鳍), flying through hoops, dancing with the trainer, and we were all applauding — the little kids screaming with delight. That’s when the trainer, who wore a little treat bag on her belt, slipped Pipin and Nemo a fish. Each time they successfully performed a trick, they’d get an immediate reward.
These creatures weren’t really dancing, of course. They were performing a series of movements that they knew would produce a fish. It’s such a good show because the sea lions look like they’re having such fun. These talented performers who love to be in front of an audience seem almost human.
Somewhere in our faith journey, we all have a sea lion moment. You see how you’ve spent years jumping through hoops, balancing a ball on your nose, not because it’s really who you are, but because you’ve always done it and the system rewarded you for your performance. But when you’ve done that for ten or twenty years, you start to ask yourself, “Whose approval am I working for? What do I really believe?” Suddenly you see it: you’ve spent most all your life taking direction from other people. They’ve told you what to believe in, what to work for, what to value, how to live your life. You don’t want to end your life like Sinclair Lewis’s George Babbitt, the middle-aged real-estate broker(经纪人) who has everything and reached the top. But on the last page of Babbitt, George is speaking to his son Ted, who cannot follow in his father’s steps. He wants to leave college and head off on his own way. “Dad, I can’t stand it any more,” the boy says. “Maybe it’s all right for some fellows. Maybe I’ll want to go back some day, but now, I want to get into mechanics.” Babbitt, seeming old and subdued, says, “I’ve never done a single thing I’ve wanted to in my whole life!”
The Good-Bye Gate brings us naturally to a second passage, leading from dependency to self-possession. As you start separating from the whole worn-out system, you discover that where there is supposed to be a self, there really isn’t.
【小题1】The sea lions were pleased to perform in front of the audience because they ____.
| A．will be punished if it refuses it |
| B．wants to win the trainer’s favor |
| C．wants to get audiences’ applauses |
| D．can get food as a reward that way |
| A．realized an important life philosophy |
| B．recalled the similar scene of last year |
| C．couldn’t help shouting and dancing |
| D．was happy to see them living freely |
| A．anyone can make it so long as they work hard |
| B．sometimes we don’t act following our own will |
| C．we can also get rewarded if we do something well |
| D．every human being also has his happy moment |
| A．He has been living a free life of his own. |
| B．His son ends up Babbitt family’s business. |
| C．He tends to agree to his son’s choice of life. |
| D．His son decides to follow his father’s steps. |
| A．Challenge Yourself | B．Summer Vacation Fun |
| C．No Pains, No Gains | D．Now I Become Myself |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Below is a selection from a popular science book.
If blood is red, why are veins（静脉）blue?
Actually, veins are not blue at all. They are more of a clear, yellowish colour. Although blood looks red when it’s outside the body, when it’s sitting in a vein near the surface of the skin, it’s more of a dark reddish purple colour. At the right depth, these blood-filled veins reflect less red light than the surrounding skin, making them look blue by comparison.
Which works harder, your heart or your brain?
That kind of depends on whether you’re busy thinking or busy exercising. Your heart works up to three times harder during exercise, and shifts enough blood over a lifetime to fill a supertanker. But, in the long run, your brain probably tips it, because even when you’re sitting still your brain is using twice as much as your heart, and it takes four to five times as much blood to feed it.
Why do teeth fall out, and why don’t they grow back in grown-up?
Baby (or “milk”) teeth do not last long; they fall out to make room for bigger, stronger adult teeth later on. Adult teeth fall out when they become damaged, decayed and infected by bacteria. Once this second set of teeth has grown in, you’re done. When they’re gone, they’re gone. This is because nature figures you’re set for life, and what controls regrowth of your teeth switches off.
Do old people shrink as they age?
Yes and no. Many people do get shorter as they age. But, when they do, it isn’t because they’re shrinking all over. They simply lose height as their spine(脊柱)becomes shorter and more curved due to disuse and the effects of gravity（重力）. Many (but not all) men and women do lose height as they get older. Men lose an average of 3—4 cm in height as they age, while women may lose 5 cm or more. If you live to be 200 years old, would you keep shrinking till you were, like 60 cm tall, like a little boy again? No, because old people don’t really shrink! It is not that they are growing backwards—their legs, arms and backbones getting shorter. When they do get shorter, it’s because the spine has shortened a little. Or, more often, become more bent and curved.
Why does spinning make you dizzy(眩晕的)?
Because your brain gets confused between what you’re seeing and what you’re feeling. The brain senses that you’re spinning using special gravity-and-motion-sensing organs in your inner ear, which work together with your eyes to keep your vision and balance stable. But, when you suddenly stop spinning the system goes out control, and your brain thinks you’re moving while you’re not!
Where do feelings and emotions come from?
Mostly from an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system. All mammals have this brain area—from mice to dogs, cats, and humans. So all mammals feel basic emotions like fear, pain and pleasure. But since human feelings also involve other, newer bits of the brain, we feel more complex emotions than any other animals on the planet.
If exercise wears you out, how can it be good for you?
Because our bodies adapt to everything we do to them. And as far as your body is concerned, it’s “use it, or lose it”! It’s not that exercise makes you healthy; it’s more that a lack of exercise leaves your body weak and easily affected by disease.
【小题1】What is the colour of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?
| A．Blue | B．Dark reddish purple |
| C．Red | D．Light yellow |
| A．Because their spine become more bent. |
| B．Because they are more easily affected by gravity. |
| C．Because they keep growing backwards. |
| D．Because their spine is in active use. |
| A．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans. |
| B．When our brain senses the spinning, we will feel dizzy. |
| C．In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart. |
| D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain. |
| A．it takes four to five times as much blood to feed our brain as to feed our heart. |
| B．when adult teeth are gone, they cannot grow back. |
| C．the reason why spinning make us dizzy. |
| D．how we can grow taller. |
| A．To give advice on how to stay healthy. |
| B．To report the latest discoveries in medical science. |
| C．To challenge new findings in medical research. |
| D．To provide information about our body. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Passenger pigeons（旅鸽）once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers. Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks（群）so large that they darkened the sky for hours.
It was calculated that when its population reach its highest point, there were more than 3 billion passenger pigeons – a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant birds in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.
Sadly, the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing. Where the birds were abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands. Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.
By the closing decades of the 19th century, the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans’ need for wood, which scattered（驱散）the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and spring storms contributed to their decline. Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again.
In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons, but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900. For a time, a few birds survived under human care. The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden in September 1, 1914.
【小题1】In the 18th and early 19th centuries, passenger pigeons _______.
| A．were the biggest bird in the world |
| B．lived mainly in the south of America |
| C．did great harm to the natural environment |
| D．Were the largest population in the US |
| A．escape | B．ruin | C．liberation | D．evolution |
| A．To seek pleasure. | B．To save other birds. |
| C．To make money. | D．To protect crops. |
| A．It was ignored by the public. | B．It was declared too late. |
| C．It was unfair. | D．It was strict. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Astronomy is the oldest science known to man. Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about the heavens. But man was limited by what he could see with his eyes alone.
The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago. They could see the size, color, and brightness of a star. They could see its place in the sky. They watched the stars move as the seasons changed. But the Greeks had no tools to help themselves study the heavens.
Each new tool added to the field of astronomy helped man reach out into space. They did not know that the planet called Saturn(土星) had rings around it. Their sight was so limited that they could not see all the planets. In the early 1700s, people thought there were only six planets. Nepture(海王星), the last of eight planets to be discovered, was not seen until 1846.
Before the spectroscope(分光镜), man did not know what kind of gases was in the sun or other stars. Without the radio telescope, we didn’t know that radio noises came from far out in space.
Today, astronomy is a growing science. We had learned more in the last fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy.
【小题1】. Thousands of years ago, people observed the stars with the limitation of their _____.
| A．eyesight | B．land |
| C．wealth | D．knowledge |
| A．know what the stars were made of |
| B．not see their places in the sky |
| C．help themselves study the heavens |
| D．watch the stars move as the seasons changed |
| A．telescopes | B．spectroscopes |
| C．radio telescopes | D．spaceships |
| A．Astronomy is the oldest science that humans have known. |
| B．Astronomy is developing fast with the help of technology. |
| C．In the early 1700s, people didn’t know the existence of Neptune. |
| D．Over 2,000 years ago, the Greeks knew the planet Saturn had rings around it. |
| A．tools used in astronomy |
| B．the development of astronomy in the last 50 years |
| C．Greeks’ achievements in astronomy |
| D．new tools and the development of astronomy |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
How fit are your teeth? Are you lazy about brushing them? Never fear: An inventor is on the case. An electric toothbrush senses how long and how well you brush, and it lets you track your performance on your phone.
The Kolibree toothbrush was exhibited at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. It senses how it is moved and can send the information to an Android phone or iPhone via a Bluetooth wireless connection.
The toothbrush will be able to teach you to brush right (don’t forget the insides of the teeth!) and make sure you’re brushing long enough. “It’s kind of like having a dentist actually watch your brushing on a day-to-day basis,” says Thomas Serval, the French inventor.
The toothbrush will also be able to talk to other applications on your phone, so developers could, for instance, create a game controlled by your toothbrush. You could score points for beating monsters among your teeth. “We try to make it smart but also fun,” Several says.
Serval says he was inspired by his experience as a father. He would come home from work and ask his kids if they had brushed their teeth. They said “yes,” but Serval would find their toothbrush heads dry. He decided he needed a brush that really told him how well his children brushed.
The company says the Kolibree will go on sale this summer, for $99 to $199, developing on features. The U.S. is the first target market.
Serval says that one day, it’ll be possible to replace the brush on the handle with a brushing unit that also has a camera. The camera can even examine holes in your teeth while you brush.
【小题1】Which is one of the feature of the Kolibree toothbrush?
| A．It can sense how users brush their teeth. |
| B．It can track users’ school performance. |
| C．It can detect users’ fear of seeing a dentist. |
| D．It can help users find their phones. |
| A．You will find it enjoyable to see a dentist. |
| B．You should see your dentist on a day-to –day basis. |
| C．You can brush with the Kolibree as if guided by a dentist. |
| D．You’d like a dentist to watch you brush your teeth every day. |
| A．It can be used to update mobile phones. |
| B．It can be used to play mobile phone games |
| C．It can send messages to other users |
| D．It can talk to its developers. |
| A．How Serval found out his kids lied to him. |
| B．Why Serval thought brushing teeth was necessary. |
| C．How Serval taught his kids to brush their teeth. |
| D．What inspired Serval to invent the toothbrush |
| A．They were unwilling to brush their teeth |
| B．They often failed to clean their toothbrushes. |
| C．They preferred to use a toothbrush with a dry head. |
| D．They liked brushing their teeth after Serval came home. |
| A．The brush handle will be removed. |
| B．A mobile phone will be built into it. |
| C．It will be used to fill holes in teeth |
| D．It will be able to check users’ teeth |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The forces that make Japan one of the world’s most earthquakeprone (有地震倾向的) countries could become part of its longterm energy solution.
Water from deep below the ground at Japan’s tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity.
Although Japanese hightech companies are leaders in geothermal (地热的) technology and export it，its use is limited in the nation.
“Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy，” said Yoshiyasu Takefuji，a leading researcher of thermalelectric power production.
The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11,2011 caused a reaction against atomic power，which previously made up 30 percent of Japan’s energy needs，and increased interest in alternative energies，which accounted for only 8 percent.
Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy，following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs.
For now，geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan，which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power.
The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories.Another problem is that Japan’s potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden.
“We can’t even dig 10 cm inside national parks.” said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric，adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow.
Researcher Hideaki Matsui said，“Producing electricity using hot springs is a decadeslong project.We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decline in the short term.”
The Earth Policy Institute in Washington，US，believed Japan could produce 80 000 megawatts (兆瓦) and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology.
Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology，with a 70 percent market share.In 2010，Fuji Electric built the world’s largest geothermal factory in New Zealand.
【小题1】What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alternative energies in Japan |
| B．World’s largest geothermal plant |
| C．Japan takes the lead in geothermal technology |
| D．Japan thinks of geothermal energy |
| A．About 8%. | B．Below 1%. |
| C．Around 30%. | D．Over 80%. |
| A．a change of rules | B．financial support |
| C．local people’s help | D．high technology |
| A．Yoshiyasu Takefuji | B．Hideaki Matsui |
| C．Shigeto Yamada | D．Yoko Ono |
| A．the world’s biggest geothermal plant was built by America |
| B．Japan will not export its geothermal technology |
| C．the potential of Japan’s geothermal energy is great |
| D．it is hard to find geothermal energy in Japan |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!
For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or whether people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.
Robot Helpers
Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other manufacturing environments.
Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.
So why hasn’t it happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.
Telephones of Tomorrow
In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.
Why? The technology worked fine, but it over-looked something obvious: people’s desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just step out of the shower? Probably not—it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news, or perhaps the sky outside your window, to see what the future will bring.
【小题1】The whole passage is mainly about .
| A．predictions that have come true |
| B．predictions that haven’t come true |
| C．why predictions don’t come true easily |
| D．what technology will bring about |
| A．predictions needn’t consider people’s practical use of technology |
| B．the future isn’t always easy to guess |
| C．not all past predictions have come true |
| D．many of the high-tech things our parents thought we’d be using by now simply never appeared |
| A．wonderful | B．stupid |
| C．practical | D．strange |
| A．It is too difficult to imagine. |
| B．It is too crazy an idea. |
| C．It is likely to be made. |
| D．It is often reported in the news. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. “We’ve been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO2 levels. And we’ve been able to record this increasing quantity of atmosphere CO2 into the ocean.”
Scientists expected that as atmosphere CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
“As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid,” Dore explains. “And therefore, as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic.”
The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO2 and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
“It’s important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”
【小题1】What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Scientist Researching Seawater |
| B．Sea Life Facing Danger |
| C．Oceans Becoming More Acidic |
| D．Climate Change Affecting Seawater |
| A．more corals will appear in the sea |
| B．the chemical balance of the seawater is affected |
| C．the surface water is becoming warmer |
| D．the pH of the ocean out here has been increasing |
| A．a→b→c→d→e | B．e→b→c→d→a |
| C．a→e→b→c→d | D．e→d→c→b→a |
| A．the expectation of other scientists |
| B．some former theory |
| C．his research and analysis |
| D．a major cause of climate change |
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互联网违法和不良信息举报平台 | 网上有害信息举报专区 | 电信诈骗举报专区 | 涉历史虚无主义有害信息举报专区 | 涉企侵权举报专区
违法和不良信息举报电话：027-86699610 举报邮箱：58377363@163.com