精英家教网 > 高中英语 > 题目详情

Concepts from science and nature are filled with our language’s common phrases , idioms and spoken expressions. The unbelieving expression “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle” has its origin in bitter disbelief over Darwin’s writings on evolution. These colourful expressions bring spice(趣味) to our language.

Yet certain well-used phrases from science are just plain wrong! Some are obvious, yet we use them anyhow. For example, a person who acutely shakes her head and says “ A watched pot never boils” while you are waiting second after tiring second for test results to arrive or job offers to come in knows that if she sat down and watched a pot containing water on a stove over high heat for long enough, the water will eventually boil.

However, a few phrases have less obvious scientific inaccuracies. Here are a few for you to consider.

Once in a blue moon: This poetic phrase refers to something that occurs extremely rarely. A blue moon is the term commonly used for a second full moon that occasionally appears in a single month of our solar-based calendars. The problem with the phrase, however, is that blue moons are not so rare. They happen every few years at least, and can even happen within months of each other when the 29.5-day lunar cycle puts the full moon at the beginning of any month but February. The usage of “blue moon” as the second full moon in a month dates back to a 1937 Marine Farmer’s Almanac . But before that, blue moons meant something slightly different. Typically, 12 full moons occur from winter solstice to the next winter solstice, but occasionally a fourth full moon in a season could be observed . In such a case, one of the four full moons in that season was known as “blue”

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire: The phrase means that if something looks wrong, it likely is wrong. But let’s step back. Do you always have to have fire if you see smoke? Answering that first requires defining ‘fire” , Merriam—Webster’s first definition of fire is “ the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame and heat”. Combustion is the chemical reaction that occurs when fuel is burned in the presence of oxygen---denying a fire any of these three things will stop the fire; attempting to start a fire without any one of the three things will be impossible. In complete combustion---what occurs when you light a gas stove--- the fire produces no smoke. However, when most materials are burned, they have incomplete combustion, which means that the fire isn’t able to completely burn all of the fuel . Smoke, then, can be considered to be a product of pyrolysis (高温分解) rather than of fire itself. You’re probably thinking---so what? To get the smoke, a fire needed to be present at some point, right? Not always.

Diamonds are forever: Thanks to the DeBeers slogan , decorating your honey’s neck, wrists and fingers with diamonds means true and timeless love. Of course, no object that you can hold in your hand can last forever. But diamonds have a special reason for being incapable of timelessness. Without the extreme pressures of the deep Earth where they formed, a diamond will slowly turn back into graphite(石墨), which is why the older a diamond is, the more inclusions it’s likely to have.

What common phrases push your buttons when viewed under the microscope of science? Are you curious about the hidden knowledge of some “ big” phrases ? Or perhaps you have the ability to uncover the secret of some unscientific phrases? Let us know!

1.According to the passage, the blue moon _________.

A. appears at the beginning of a month

B. gains its modern meaning before 1937

C. presents itself quite frequently sometimes

D. can never be seen by people in February

2.What can be concluded from the passage?

A. the older a diamond is, the more valuable it’s likely to be.

B. Fire is not necessarily causing smoke

C. Smoke is a product of complete combustion

D. the less obvious scientific inaccuracies of some phrases make them more useful

3. The underlined phrase “push your buttons” in the last paragraph means “_______”.

A. impress you a lot B. frighten you much.

C. surprise you greatly D. make you lose your interest

4. The author’s attitude towards the scientific inaccuracies of the phrases is ________.

A. indifferent B. objective

C. critical D. favourable

练习册系列答案
相关习题

科目:高中英语 来源:2016届辽宁大连市高三12月月考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解

I wish there would be a way to describe China in simple terms but that’s impossible. For the most part, Chinese people are friendly, easy-going and optimistic. They are curious and unusually patient and they are also the hardest-working people I have ever met.

In China, family is everything. In my English classes when the students were asked what they would do if they only had a few hours to live, most students told me how they would spend their last few hours with their families and parents. Many times the subjects in the classes center on families and friends. I teach many students a year, talking to them freely.

The cost of living here is very low compared with that of the US. The city of Xiang Fan I live in isn’t large and I live better. Non-imported(非出口的) foods are very cheap, so are clothing and articles of everyday use. The cost of public transportation is very low, too. Chinese value education. However, it is reported that many children can’t afford the expenses of schooling and are forced to leave school in some poor areas in China. But they organized Project Hope many years ago. It creates conditions for the poor children to go back to school. In my opinion, Project Hope is of great importance to the development of the rural education.

When we read news of China in the west, rarely, if ever, will we see anything mentioned of the positive changes China has gone through. While it is true that economic miracles have not reached many areas of China, but we also have the same problems.

When I am asked which country I consider better. China or the US, my answer has always been the same, “We are not worse or better than each other, we are only different.”

1. How does the author find Chinese people ?

A.He thinks most Chinese people hardly work.

B.He praises most Chinese people a lot.

C.He thinks most Chinese people are proud.

D.He dislikes most Chinese people.

2.What are not cheap in China in the author’s opinion?

A.Imported foods

B.Local foods

C.Public transportation tickets.

D.Clothes and shoes made in China.

3.We can infer from the passage that the author thinks________.

A.the westerners have got to know China well

B.China’s economic miracles have appeared everywhere

C.the education in rural areas is never cared about in China

D.the progress of China is seldom reported in the US

4. In the author’ eyes,________.

A.China is better than the US

B.China is different from the US

C.Americans are richer than Chinese

D.China bears great similarities to the US

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2016届浙江三校等高三第一次五校联考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空

An ideal job should be one that _____ what you are good at with what you are interested in.

A. combines B. connects

C. contacts D. concentrates

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2016届山东师大附中高三上第三次模拟英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解

What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed(展示)at the entrance? Or the soft background music?

But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad,the answer is likely to be no.But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds,it is certainly there.And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.

A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance,via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air.One sports goods company once reposed that when it first introduced scent into its stores,customers’intension to purchase increased by 80 percent.

When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs,scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on sales.That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be.

Some years ago,the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants’disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t afford displays.Now the rise of electronic commerce(e-commerce)has opened up famous brands to a wider audience.But while e-shops can use sights and sounds,only bricks-and-mortar stores(实体店)can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave.Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop,but rather a destination.And scent is just one way to achieve this.

Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department,and coconut(椰子)scent in the swimsuit section.A department store has even opened a new lab,inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books,pots and drawers,in search of their perfect scent.

1.According to the passage,what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store?

A.Friendly assistant. B. Unique scents.

C.Soft background music D.attractive window display.

2.E-shops are mentioned in the passage to_____.

A.show the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores

B.urge shop assistants to change their attitude

C.push stores to use sights and sounds

D.introduce the rise of e-commerce

3.The underlined word“destination”in Paragraph 5 means_____.

A.a platform that exhibits goods

B.a spot where travelers like to stay

C. a place where customers love to go

D.a target that a store expects to meet

4.The main purpose of the passage is to________.

A.compare and evaluate B.examine and assess

C.argue and discuss D.inform and explain

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2016届辽宁省大连市高三12月月考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:语法填空

阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Scientists have discovered that__1. _(stay) in the cold could help us lose weight. Researchers at the University of California found that exposure to the cold increases levels of a protein that helps form brown fat-the type of fat that produces heat and keeps us warm. Brown fat burns energy, ___2.__ helps us lose weight. White fat stores extra energy, which results 3. weight gain. The researchers said that because air conditioning and heating give us constant, __4. _(comfort) temperatures, our body's need for brown fat has decreased. They found that:“Outdoor workers in northern Finland who___ 5. __(expose) to cold temperature have__ 6._ significant amount of brown fat when___7. __(compare) to same - aged indoor workers.”

The research was conducted on two different control groups of mice.__ 8. __group was injected with the protein that helps create brown fat. This group later gained 30% less weight after both groups were fed high - fat diets. The researchers say this could be good news in the fight against obesity. People who are obese have ___9.__(low) levels of brown fat than thinner people. Head researcher Hei Sook Sul said: "This protein could become an important target for research into the treatment and prevention of obesity and obesity - related diseases.” She added: "If you can somehow increase levels of this protein, you could__10.__(possible) lose more weight even if eating the same amount of food.”

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2016届江苏省常州市两校高三联考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空

Since the 18th national congress of the Party in 2012, 79 senior officials, including five members of the Party’s central committee who once __________, have been investigated.

A. got their way B. got away with

C. got away from D. had power over

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2016届黑龙江大庆铁人中学高三上学期期中英语试卷(解析版) 题型:语法填空

语法填空,阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

A 24-year-old Long Island man was charged early Thursday morning after crashing his car and killing his girlfriend while driving over the speed limit. Kevin Daly 1. (sentence) to nearly three years in prison after losing control of 2. partner Alice Hicks’ car on a country road 3. 80mph. She was a passenger in the Mini-cooper and was thrown from the car 4. he crashed into another vehicle 5. (move) in the opposite direction. Daly, 24, denied causing 6. (die) by dangerous driving and was found guilty by a jury (陪审团) at Taunton Crown Court. The court heard that neither Daly 7. Miss Hicks, 22, was wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision that happened on November 17, 2011. NBC New York reports Kevin Daly, was driving on County Road 83, when the road was blocked by a truck that was waiting 8. (turn) right. Witnesses described 9. Daly had little or no chance of stopping behind the still traffic and he turned to avoid the van 10. hit a Mazda on the other side of the road.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2016届安徽蚌埠市高三12月月考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解

Nowadays, more and more teenagers use smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices more than ever before. And the amount of time they spend on these devices is only likely to increase in the future. But are all these changes good?

We sometimes call children who are able to use mobile devices and technology easily digital natives. They can text, email, get Wi-Fi, and download. Some experts say that long periods of time spent chatting to friends online, playing video games and listening to mp3s, for example, may possibly change how their brains work.

Then there is the question of privacy. All this online activity creates a digital footprint. Every time we share a photo or a post on social media, and every time we search for something on the Internet, information about our activity is stored somewhere.

Our inability to control what happens to our children's digital footprint and their personal privacy has big possibilities. It might become normal for companies to ask their employees for their social media qualifications. We are also becoming more aware that companies and governments may be able to 'listen in' on our communications. So it is important to make our children aware of the possible results of over sharing.

Another area where the digital world may have a big effect is in education. One worry is that kids who spend a lot of time online at home are sometimes unable to socialize properly with other children when they are at school. Other experts point out that, when it comes to children and technology, the children are the experts, not the teachers. They say that we should stop seeing online as 'bad' and offline as 'good' and there is evidence of innovative work in some schools.

So, do we really need to rescue our children from the dangers of the digital world?

1. Which of the following can summarize the main idea of the text?

A. Do we need to rescue our kids from the digital world?

B. Should children learn to use digital technology?

C. Are there changes in children’s school life?

D. Should teachers accept changes in our life?

2.According to the second paragraph, what is the possible effect of digital childhood?

A. Children can grow up quickly.

B. Children can read texts fluently.

C. Children’s way of thinking may be changed.

D. Children may become mentally disabled.

3.All the following may happen to our digital footprints EXCEPT________

A. When surfing the Internet, our digital footprints are saved.

B. Some business societies may take advantage of the information.

C. Government may look into our communication through the Internet.

D. Digital pictures may be printed by our computer automatically.

4.Why are many teachers doubtful about digital technology?

A. Because some students can not do well in studies.

B. Because some teachers haven’t changed for years.

C. Because some students addicted to digital technology can not socialize well.

D. Because some teachers addicted to tradition technology cannot teach well.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2015-2016学年山西大同一中高二12月单元测英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解

The Museum of Childhood is Australia’s most comprehensive collection of childhood items including toys , dolls , infant and school material .

Housed in a modern facility , the displays reflect Australian childhood experience over time including play , child rearing , orphanage childhood , and home , school , and war time experience .

There are many hands –on exhibits and education sessions including the famous ‘lesson’ in the 1920s One Teacher Bush Classroom .

The Museum also hosts national touring exhibitions and conducts special activities on Sundays and school holidays(ring for details ).

Open: Tuesday- Friday 10am – 4pm , Sunday 10am – 4:30 pm , or by arrangement .

Special activities on Sundays as advertise .

Closed: Public holidays ,16 December-18 January .

Location: Edith Cowan University campus , Bay Road , Claremont (take bus 208 and alight at the Bay Road and Princess Road intersection . The Museum is 15 minutes’ walk from Claremont train station )

Tel :(08) 9442 1373 ; Fax ; (08 ) 9442 1314

1.On you can stay at the Museum until half past four .

A.Wednesday B.Friday C.Sunday D.Monday

2.If you want to attend a special activity , you’d better come on .

A.Monday B.Tuesday C.Saturday D.Sunday

3.When you come on December 20th , Friday ,you will find the Museum .

A.closed

B.holding special activities

C.not closed until 4:00

D.not closed until 4:30

4.The main purpose of the Museum of Childhood is to .

A.display toys , dolls , infant and school material

B.reflect Australian childhood experience over time

C.host national touring exhibition

D.tell you the famous ‘lesson’ in the 1920s

查看答案和解析>>

同步练习册答案