One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation(毁林) is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"
The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.
Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks, disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.
Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.
Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realise the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.
Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.
【小题1】The underlined word "synthetics" probably means_________.
A.natural rubber | B.tropical materials |
C.man-made material | D.commercial rubber |
A.The forests are losing their function in turning carbon dioxide into oxygen. |
B.Many of our daily uses are related to the tropical forests. |
C.Tropical plants can be used to make industrial products. |
D.High carbon dioxide levels will make the earth warmer. |
A.puzzling | B.cold | C.supporting | D.opposed |
A.Tropical Forests | B.The Value of Tropical Forests |
C.Tropical Forests and Our Life | D.The Greenhouse Effects |
【小题1】C
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】C
解析试题分析:文章用森林的过度砍伐对你的生活有影响吗这个问题开篇,讲述了森林的作用,生物学家说,每一分钟都有大片的热带雨林消失,里面大量的物种也随之消失,以橡胶为例,天然的橡胶是人工香蕉难以相比的。同时,大片森林的消失也导致了温室效应,气温的上升导致极地冰的融化,水平面上升使很多人无家可归等。
【小题1】C词义推测题。Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough.句意为:以橡胶为例,有太多的用途,是从树上得到的天然橡胶才能有的,所以后面应为,人造的是不足够好的。因此词意为“人造的”。
【小题2】A细节推断题。文章的第一自然段以问题开始,下文介绍了森林的作用,有很多日用品是来自于树的,温室效应的产生也与森林的锐减有关,故B是正确的;下文的以橡胶为例说明了热带雨林的作用,故C是正确的;到数第二自然段森林的减少,将二氧化碳转为氧气的功能降低,从而产生了温室效应,故D是正确的。森林本身没有失去将二氧化碳转化为氧气的功能,而是森林的破坏使功能降低,故答案A不是真实的,应排除。
【小题3】D细节理解题。文章说明了森林对我们生活的影响,从第一自然段提出的问题到最后一自然段的呼应,Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.热带雨林的破坏对我们的日常生活有影响吗?你应该知道答案了,可知作者是反对破坏森林的。
【小题4】C综合理解题。森林的过度砍伐对你的生活有影响吗这个问题开篇,主要讲述了森林的作用,生物学家说,每一分钟都有大片的热带雨林消失,里面大量的物种也随之消失,以橡胶为例,天然的橡胶是人工香蕉难以相比的。同时,大片森林的消失也导致了温室效应,气温的上升导致极地冰的融化,水平面上升使很多人无家可归等。所以答案应为C,热带森林与我们的生活。
【考点】考查科普环保类文章的阅读理解。
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
In most situations, light helps us see. But when it comes to looking at the night sky, light is actually a kind of pollution. It prevents our view of some of life’s most striking sights: stars, planets, and even galaxies(银河系).
“When I was a little boy, I loved the night sky. I remember looking up and the sky was filled with stars. I became an astronomer because I was amazed by their beauty,” says Robert Gent, “Now in most big cities kids can’t see the stars like I did.”
Normally, about 2,500 individual (单个的) stars are visible to the human eyes without using any special equipment. But because of light pollution, you actually see just 200 to 300 and fewer than a dozen from some cities. Only one in three Americans can see our own galaxy with the naked eyes. Those people live far away from the lights of big cities, office buildings, and shopping malls.
Fortunately, there’s an inexpensive and useful way. If we shine lights down at the ground instead of up into the sky, and use lower brightness levels, we can save big amounts of energy and keep the beauty of the night sky. Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night, making sure enough shine for safety without creating much light pollution.
Light pollution affects more than our view of the heavens and can harm wildlife. Migrating birds(候鸟) sometimes fly over cities and become confused by the brightness, flying in circles until they drop from exhaustion. Sea turtles need dark beaches for nesting and won’t approach bright lights. Too much light at night may even affect human health. For all these reasons, researchers are working on ways to use lights only when and where they are truly needed. Everyone deserves to look up at the sky.
【小题1】According to the text, using our naked eyes, ________.
A.people in remote areas can see more stars than those in big cities |
B.over one third Americans can see our own galaxy |
C.about one in three Americans in big cities can see our own galaxy |
D.Americans can only see 200 to 300 stars |
A.save the electricity |
B.make sure of migrating birds’ safety |
C.let you count the number of stars |
D.avoid much light pollution |
A.The cause of light pollution. |
B.The way to reduce light pollution. |
C.The effect of light pollution. |
D.People’s attitude towards light pollution. |
A.air pollution | B.tiredness | C.breath | D.brightness |
A.Light Pollution | B.Seeking the Sky | C.Stars in the Sky | D.City Pollution |
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world.But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism (双语能力) are even more important than being able to converse with a wider range of people.Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter.It can have a deep effect on your brain, improving skills not related to language and even protecting against a serious mental disorder in old age.
This view of bilingualism is different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century.Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interruption that prevented a child's school work and ability to think and understand things.They were not wrong about the interruption: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual \s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system disturbs the other.But this interruption, researchers are finding out, isn't so much a disturbance.It forces the brain to solve inside conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its thinking muscles.
The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment."Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often—you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language," says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompea Fabra in Spain.
"It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving." In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr.Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, showing that they did better in it.
【小题1】From the passage we can learn that experts used to believe that ______.
A.interruption forced a bilingual's brain to strengthen its thinking ability |
B.a second language stopped children's studying as well as mental development |
C.using two languages annoyed the children who have trouble in learning skills |
D.language systems were busy in a bilingual's brain when he was using languages |
A.change | B.use | C.speak | D.study |
A.Cautious. | B.Doubtful. | C.Concerned. | D.Favourable. |
A.How Bilinguals Use Languages |
B.What Bilingualism Is Really about |
C.Why Bilinguals Are More Intelligent |
D.When People Learn a Second Language |
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Thoughts claim our attention continuously, and waste our time and energy on unimportant and useless matters. They actually rule our life. We have become so used to this slavery, that we take it for granted, and have become unconscious of this habit, except on certain occasions.
While breathing, we do not need to pay attention to each inhalation and exhalation. We become conscious of the process of breathing only when we have some difficulty with breathing, such as when our nose is blocked, due to a cold, or when we are in an unventilated(不通风的) room.
It is the same with thinking. We become conscious of the constant onslaught of our thoughts, and of our inability to calm them down, only when we need to concentrate, solve a problem or study. We are also aware of them when we have worries or fears.
Look at the following familiar situation. You need to study something for an exam. You sit comfortably on the sofa with the book in your hands and start reading. After a while you feel hungry and go to the kitchen to eat something.
You return to read, and then hear your people talking outside. You listen to them for several moments and then bring your attention back to the book.
After a while you feel restless and switch on the radio to listen to some music. You continue to read for a little while, and then remember something that happened yesterday, and you start thinking about it.
When you look at your watch, you are amazed to find out that one complete hour has passed and you have hardly read anything. And at this time, you feel you’re thinking.
This is what happens when one lacks concentration. Imagine what you could have accomplished if you could control your attention and focus your mind!
【小题1】When can you feel you are thinking?
A.While breathing. | B.While not reading. |
C.When you need to concentrate. | D.When you waste your time. |
A.To explain the course of thinking awareness. |
B.To show how to get ready for an exam. |
C.To present an example of concentration. |
D.To emphasize the importance of reading. |
A.In a guidebook of natural science. |
B.In the front page of a newspaper. |
C.In an advertisement part of a magazine. |
D.In the section of psychology of a magazine. |
A.the relationship between thoughts and breathing |
B.how people’s thought and mind work |
C.what happens when one wants to think |
D.the ways to increase your thought |
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Every time you go to the supermarket you come away with your purchases packed in plastic bags. But wouldn’t it be kinder to the environment if you asked for paper bags instead?
The answer is not as easy as it might seem. Environmentalists say there are drawbacks to using both plastic bags and paper bags.
80 percent of groceries in the US are packed in plastic bags and the numbers are becoming huge. Consumers use between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags per year worldwide.
Some experts believe that all these bags harm the environment. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and, as it does so, poisonous materials are released into the water and soil.
Further damage is caused if plastic bags enter the sea. For example, endangered sea turtles cannot tell the bags from jellyfish, their main source of food, and often choke on them.
However, this kind of bag does have its advantages.
Paper bags use more energy and create more waste than plastic bags. Plastic bags require 40 percent less energy to produce and cause 70 percent less air pollution. They also release as much as 94 percent less waste into the water than paper ones do.
But paper bags do break down more quickly than plastic bags. They don’t endanger wildlife, either.
So what should we do? One possible solution would be to use biodegradable plastic bags. “Biodegradable” means that the bags break down naturally just like a piece of banana peel when it is left outside.
But until biodegradable technology improves, it might be easier to pack things you buy in reusable cloth bags.
【小题1】Compared to paper bags, plastic bags ______.
A.produce 6 percent more waste |
B.can be made biodegradable more easily |
C.can be used as a source of food |
D.save 40 percent of the energy |
A.Paper bags | B.Plastic bags |
C.Biodegradable plastic bags. | D.Cloth bags. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Dogs wag(摇摆) their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back, a study has found.
Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behaviour of 30 dogs, catching their responses to a range of stimuli(刺激物) with video cameras. To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six years. The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Ban University. The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow for them to view various stimuli. They were tested one at a time.
The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners—a positive experience—their tails wagged energetically to the right side. When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag, although with less intensity again. The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog, similar to a German shepherd, changed the direction of tail wagging to the left. Researchers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back. When the dogs were not shown any stimuli they tended to wag their tails to the left, suggesting they preferred company. While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of video, it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood of dogs. Computer and video systems, for example, could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.
【小题1】.The video cameras were used to catch the dogs’ responses because ___________ .
A.it was easier to catch the dogs’response changes in the tail wagging |
B.the dogs were put in the wooden boxes and tested one at a time. |
C.they enabled the dogs’owners to know about their dogs’habit |
D.the dogs wagged their tails in different directions when they were in different moods |
A.surprise | B.worry | C.excitement | D.interest |
A.wag to the left | B.wag to the right |
C.not wag at all | D.wag to the left and then to the right |
A.the dogs | B.the trainers | C.the systems | D.the rescarchers |
A.to train dogs for their owners | B.to help people judge the mood of dogs |
C.to help dogs find company | D.to help people choose their pet dogs |
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different sense, to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses. while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. The giant panda (大熊猫) eats only one particular type of bamboo (竹子). Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly (蝴蝶) will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet (多样化饮食). The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health, Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life.
【小题1】We can infer from the text that humans and animals - —.
A.depend on one sense in choosing food |
B.are not satisfied with their food |
C.eat entirely different food |
D.choose food in similar ways |
A.The small bird. | B.The bear. | C.The fox. | D.The white butterfly. |
A.the food color changes |
B.the season changes |
C.they move to different places |
D.they are attracted by different smells |
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Everyone may all have the experience of feeling anxious and stressed when having a rough day or having some troubles. Different people may choose different ways to deal with it, and for most people a break for a 10-minute walk may be quite useful.www.zxxk.com
Anyway, here is another way around: to get a piece of chewing gum, and chew it. According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to “relieve anxiety, improve alertness(机敏性) and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.”
Some may argue that a laboratory is not the same as an office. But check out the conditions of the study: individuals were monitored while performing “a group of ‘multi-tasking’ activities.” Doesn’t it sound like the situation in the office?www.zxxk.com
Here’s a summary of some of the study’s findings:
Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in appropriate stress.
Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.
Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a big improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.
Although these aren’t major improvements, every little bit works and chewing a piece of gum is a lot quicker and easier than slipping outside for a 10-minute walk. So, how does gum work this magic? In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol(皮质醇)—a steroid(类固醇) hormone that is released in response to stress in your system.
A few words of advice before you reach for the gum: don’t crack your gum, and be sure to chew it with your mouth closed. In fact, I’d say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you.
【小题1】From the study in the text we know that_________________.
A.gum chewers may lack alertness |
B.gum chewers tend to be less stressed |
C.gum chewers can finish many jobs perfectly |
D.gum chewers can reduce their anxiety and anger easily |
A.It works by improving alertness. |
B.It works by allowing a 10-minute walk. |
C.It works by reducing one’s level of cortisol. |
D.It works by being chewed in a laboratory setting. |
A.People should chew gum with their mouths closed in a meeting. |
B.It is impolite to chew gum in a meeting with people around you. |
C.People can crack gum freely when meeting friends. |
D.People should be careful when chewing gum at home. |
A.How to chew gum. | B.How to relieve stress. |
C.Why people love chewing gum. | D.Chewing gum can relieve stress. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
When my brother and I were young, my mom would take us on Transportation Days.
It goes like this: You can't take any means of transportation more than once. We would start from home, walking two blocks to the rail station. We'd take the train into the city center, then a bus, switching to the train, then maybe a taxi. We always considered taking a horse carriage in the historic district, but we didn't like the way the horses were treated, so we never did. At the end of the day, we took the subway to our closest station, where Mom's friend was waiting to give us a ride home—our first car ride of the day.
The good thing about Transportation Days is not only that Mom taught us how to get around. She was born to be multimodal (多方式的). She understood that depending on cars only was a failure of imagination and, above all, a failure of confidence—the product of a childhood not spent exploring subway tunnels.
Once you learn the route map and step with certainty over the gap between the train and the platform, nothing is frightening anymore. New cities are just lightrail lines to be explored. And your personal car, if you have one, becomes just one more tool in the toolbox—and often an inadequate one, limiting both your mobility and your wallet.
On Transportation Days, we might stop for lunch on Chestrut Street or buy a new book or toy, but the transportation was the point. First, it was exciting enough to watch the world speed by from the train window. As I got older, my mom helped me unlock the mysteries that would otherwise have paralyzed my first attempts to do it myself: How do I know where to get off? How do I know how much it costs? How do I know when I need tickets, and where to get them? What track, what line, which direction, where's the stop, and will I get wet when we go under the river?
I'm writing this right now on an airplane, a means we didn't try on our Transportation Days and, we now know, the dirtiest and most polluting of them all. My flight routed me through Philadelphia. My multimodal mom met me for dinner in the airport. She took a train to meet me.
【小题1】 According to the writer, what was the greatest benefit of her Transportation Days?
A.Building confidence in herself. |
B.Reducing her use of private cars. |
C.Developing her sense of direction. |
D.Giving her knowledge about vehicles. |
A.displayed | B.justified | C.ignored | D.ruined |
A.Airplane. | B.Subway. | C.Train. | D.Car. |
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