（江西省九江一中2010届高三上学期第三次月考）

Ｂ

 Animals and the places where they live are getting pushed aside as households(家庭) decrease in size and increase in number.

Smaller numbers of people per household on average use more energy and goods per person. Greater numbers of households require more natural resources for construction. The possible result of the double problems may be that there are not enough natural resources to meet consumers’ demand without endangering habitats important to biodiversity.

Personal freedom and social choice may come at a huge environmental cost. Direct costs include visible damage to animal habitats and plant life. Indirect costs include the release of more greenhouse gases.

The effects of such“personal freedom and social choice” have already surfaced in southwest China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. In Wolong they found that a reduced average household size was directly tied to an increase in homes, and thus an increase in the amount of firewood used for cooking and heating. The rise in wood fuel use has led to the disappearance of forests and to the loss of habitats for giant pandas.

Curious about whether other parts of the world were experiencing a similar situation, they enlisted a team of researchers including Stanford’s Paul Ehrlich, well-known for his population studies, to find out the household dynamics in 141 countries-between 1985 and 2000. Their study proved that the Wolong problem is part of a global trend.

In the 76 countries considered biodiversity “hot spots”, such as the United Stated, Brazil, Australia and Kenya, the number of households grew yearly by 3.1%, while the population increased just 1.8%. Meanwhile, the number of people per home dropped from 4.7 to 4.0. The decrease in household size has resulted in 155 million additional households in hot-spot countries, almost always limiting biodiversity.

In the 65 non-hot-spot countries-those without high-density areas of animals and plant species-similar results were found, though to a lesser degree. Even in countries experiencing population decrease, such as New Zealand, the number of households still increased because of a reduction in household size.

60. What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A. Reduction in household size and increase in household numbers is a danger to nature.

B. Reduced household size leads to an increase in household numbers.

C. Modern homes consume more natural resources.

D. How to meet consumers’ demand without endangering animals and their habitats.

61. It can be learned from the passage that China’s Wolong Nature Reserve______.

A. is a place where giant pandas and their habitats are not affected.

B. is a place where animals and their habitats are seriously damaged.

C. sets a good example of protecting animals.

D. is facing the same threat as many other parts of the world.

62. Which of the following is best supported by the last two paragraphs?

A. The threat to nature from reduction in household size is a worldwide problem.

B. Biodiversity is better kept in countries with smaller populations.

C. Biodiversity better kept in hot-spot countries doesn’t face threat.

D. Both hot-spot countries and non-hot-spot countries face threat of the same percentage.

63. Which of the following can best describe the feeling of the author?

A. Disappointed                    B. Hopeful                    C. Worried                    D. Angry

（河南省实验中学2010届高三上学期第二次月考）

A

Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.

By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power”.

Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas, the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.

Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem—why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.

Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.

56．According to the passage, writing can help you a lot EXCEPT______.

A．to increase your brain power.

B．to improve the ability to remember.

C．to develop your interest in study.

D．to strengthen the understanding of a topic.

57．The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fourth paragraph means that______.

A．you are already successful

B．there’s a long way for you to go to reach your goal.

C．you are left wondering what to do

D．you have been on the way to success

58．What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A Way on How to Write.

B．A More Powerful Mind Through Writing.

C．Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing.

D．How to Start Your Writing.

59．Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Writing can cure people of their brain disease.

B．People who can keep all thoughts in mind are more likely to succeed.

C．Writing a book about one topic is the only way to understand it.

D．The more you write, the more logical you will be.

（贵州省兴义九中09-10学年高三上学期期中考试）

D

Do you want to live forever? By the year 2050, you might actually get your wish--if you are willing to leave your biological body and live in silicon circuits. But long before then, perhaps as early as 2010, some measures will begin offering a semblance of immortality(虚拟的永生).

Researchers are confident that technology will soon be able to track every waking moment of your life. Whatever you see and hear, all that you say and write, can be recorded, analyzed and added to your personal chronicles (履历). By the year 2030, it may be possible to catch your nervous systems electrical activities, which would also keep you thoughts and emotions. Researchers at the laboratories of British Telecommunications have given the name of this idea as Soul Catcher.

Small electronic equipment will make preparations for Soul Catcher. it would use a wearable supercomputer, perhaps in a wristwatch, with wireless links to micro sensors under your scalp(头皮) and in the nerves that carry all five sensory signals. So wearing a video camera would no longer be required.

At first, the Soul Catcher' s companion system—the Soul Reader—might have trouble copying your thoughts in complete details.  Even in 2030, we may still be struggling to understand how the brain is working inside, so reading your thoughts and understanding your emotions might not be possible. But these signals could be kept for the day when they can be transferred to silicon circuits to revitalize minds everlasting entities (实体). Researchers can only wonder what it will be like to wake up one day and find yourself alive inside a machine.

For people who choose not to live in silicon, semblance of immortality would not be as useless as they thought. People would know their lives would not be forgotten, but would be kept a record of the human race forever. And future generations would have a much fuller understanding of the past. History would not be controlled by just the rich and powerful, Hollywood stars, and a few thinkers in the upper society.

72. The main idea of this passage is that                    .

A. human beings long for living forever

B. there are many difficulties in making the Soul Catcher

C. people can live forever as technology develops

D. the invention of Soul Catcher has great significance

73. According to this passage, a Soul Catcher will be                .

A. a new machine on which research measures have already made

B. a new invention in order to catch and keep human's thoughts

C. made by British scientists to offer something that looks like living forever

D. made of silicon circuits which can catch people's nervous activity

74. We can infer from the passage that semblance of immortality is          .

A. to be a reality sooner or later                         B. far from certain

C. just an idea that couldn’t t be realized at all             D. a fading hope

75. The meaning of the underlined word "rejuvenate" in the fourth paragraph is close to      

A. make dead         B. make famous            C. make known             D. make active

（贵州省兴义九中09-10学年高三上学期期中考试）

C

From the coldest arctic ice to the hottest deserts you will find mammals living and thriving（兴旺）. There seems to be no climate that they can’t adapt to , however changeable it may be. Why can mammals adapt to so many different habitats? There is a good reason for this – mammals have the ability to keep their body at a constant temperature whatever the weather. They are “warm-blooded”

Mammals achieve this by chemically “burning” their food as fuel inside their bodies. This is kept under tight control by a region of the brain that acts like a thermostat（恒温器）, and this makes sure that the mammal’s body temperature stays about the same.

A constant body temperature is a great advantage for mammals because all the chemical processes that go on inside a living body are likely to happen more slowly at low temperatures and faster at higher temperatures. Mammals can regulate their temperature at the best condition for all these processes, allowing them to be active at very cold or very hot periods and to keep up tiring activity for a long time. Animals such as lizards（蜥蜴）rely on moving in and out of the warm sunlight to regulate their body temperature. They slow down when they can’t warm up and may die if they can’t get away from heat. They also tend to overheat quickly when they are active as their muscles produce warmth.

Using food energy to keep body temperature constant is expensive, and since mammals need to be efficient at keeping to warmth they create inside themselves, they often have fur and a cover of fat under their skin to prevent heat from escaping. To help lose heat when they are too hot, they have sweat glands（汗腺）that take the heat away from the skin through evaporating（蒸发）water. This means, though, that they need to drink more than other animals.

64．Mammals can adapt to so many habitats because          .

       A．the climate is unchangeable                  

B．they can regulate their body temperature

       C．they are “warm-blooded”                     

D．their muscles produce warmth

65．When mammals keep their body at a constant temperature,          .

       A．the chemical processes happen more slowly in their bodies

       B．the chemical processes happen faster in their bodies

       C．they will use less fuel inside their bodies

       D．they can live an active life

66．We can infer from the last paragraph that mammals         .

       A．need to drink more than other animals

       B．have different ways of keeping their body temperature

       C．often have fur and fat to prevent heat from escaping

       D．have sweat glands that take the heat away from the skin

67．The writer answers the question raised in the first paragraph with          .

       A．stories and explanation                         B．examples and conclusion

       C．evidence and argument                         D．explanation and comparison

（贵州省乌沙中学09-10学年高三上学期期中考试）

C

Winter’s short days are more than cold．For many people, winter depression, the most common type of Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD), is as much a part of the reason as hats and scarves(围巾)．

Winter serious SAD sufferers may need medical treatment．Those feeling a little blue can help themselves by sticking to a healthy lifestyle．Here are some tips:

Pace yourself．Don’t expect to do everything you normally can．Set a realistic schedule．Don’t listen to negative thinking, like blaming yourself or expecting to fail．

Get involved in activities that make you feel good or feel like you’ve achieved something．For example, play table tennis or badminton．

If you are feeling depressed, you may feel like staying away from friends．Yet this is a time when a friend’s support can be helpful．Call them regularly．Remember, the more we put off calling or visiting a friend, the harder it is to rebuild a friendship．

Think clearly about what’s wrong or right．Instead of giving in to vague feelings of sadness, look at your problems objectively．Break down problems into specific issues that you can work on．

Regular exercise helps to prevent and ease depression．

Eat well．Studies show that a healthy diet can help to maintain(keep) a healthy body and mind．The vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients found in a balanced diet may help our bodies to produce feel-good hormones(荷尔蒙)．Foods containing chemicals to help produce feel-good hormones include bananas, turkey, nuts and seeds．Eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day．

P．S．Symptoms(症状) of SAD:

No interests or pleasure in things you used to enjoy

Increased need for sleep

A change in eating habits, especially an appetite for sweet or starchy(含淀粉的) foods

Weight gain

A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

A drop in energy level

Difficulty in concentrating

Overly emotional

Avoidance of friends and social situations

Frequent feelings of guilt

Long-term feelings of hopelessness, and physical problems, such as headaches

69．The writer of the passage agrees that ______．

A．the cold in winter makes us suffer from SAD

     B．hats and scarves are as important as SAD

      C．everyone of us meets SAD in winter

     D．we are blue mainly because of short days in winter

70．It can be inferred that ______．

     A．a more darkness will make us sad

     B．we should wear hats and scarves in winter

     C．a healthy lifestyle prevents us from serious SAD

     D．staying away from friends makes us depressed

71．When we pace ourselves, we ______．

     A．don’t do anything we can                    B．make a practical plan

     C．expect to succeed in nothing                 D．think something of guilt

72．The passage includes the following EXCEPT _____．

     A．the earlier we meet friends, the easier it is to rebuild a friendship

     B．if we give up to unclear feelings of sadness, we’ll be caught in the SAD

      C．playing table tennis helps us achieve whatever we want

      D．feel-good hormones from a balanced diet can help keep a healthy body

（甘肃省天水一中2010届高三上学期第三阶段考试）

E

    Every year in the first week of English class, some students inform me that writing is too hard. They never write, unless homework requires it. They find the writing process painful and difficult.

How awful it is to be able to speak in a language. But not to write in it, especially with its rich vocabulary. Being able to speak but not write is like living in an enormous mansion and never leaving one small room. When I meet students who think they can’t write, I know, as a teacher my duty is to show them the rest of the rooms. My task is to build fluency and accuracy while providing the opportunity in any writing activity to enhance（增强）the moral and emotional development of my students.

One great way to do this is by having students write in a journal in class every day.

Writing ability is like strength training. Writing needs to be done just like exercise; just as muscles grow stronger with exercise, writing skills improve quickly with writing practice daily. I often see a rise in student confidence and performance after only a few weeks of journal writing.

Expressing oneself in writing is one of the most important skills I teach to strengthen the whole students. When my students practice journal writing, they are practicing for their future academic, political, and emotional lives. They build skills so that some say they might write a great novel, a piece of sorely needed legislation（法规）, or the perfect love letter. That they write in their journals every day puts them a step closer to fluency, eloquence（雄辩）and command of the language.

58．What is the purpose of the passage?

       A．To encourage students to keep a journal every day.

       B．To analyze students’ problems in learning languages.

       C．To stress the importance of writing in language learning.

       D．To introduce an effective way of improving students’ writing.

59．The underlined phrase “an enormous mansion” in Paragraph 2 refers to students’       .

       A．writing opportunity    B．large house   C．large vocabulary    D．emotional life

60．In the author’s view, what can students benefit from the journal writing?

       A．It is beneficial to students’ future career.                                B．It can make students more emotional.

       C．It is helpful to students’ homework.     D．It can enlarge students’ vocabulary.

【2011·江苏金沙中学模拟】 D

The people who built Stonehenge in Southern England thousands of years ago had wild parties, eating barbecued pigs and breaking pottery． This is according to recent work by archaeologists--history experts who investigate how human beings lived in the past．

Archaeologists digging near Stonehenge last year discovered the remains of a large prehistoric village where they think the builders of the mysterious stone circle used to live． The village is about 4,600 years old, the same age as Stonehenge and as old as the Pyramids in Egypt． It is less than two miles from the famous ancient landmark and lies inside a massive man-made circular dirt wall, or "henge", known as the Durrington Walls．

Remains found at the site included jewellry, stone arrowheads, tools made of deer antlers, wooden spears and huge amounts of animal bones and broken pottery'． "These finds suggest Stone Age people went to the village at special times of the year to feast and party", says Mike Parker-Pearson from Sheffield University in England．

He said many of the pig bones they found had been thrown away half-eaten． He also said the partygoers appeared to have shot some of the farm pigs with arrows,  possibly as a kind of sport before barbecuing them．

An ancient road which led from the village to the River Avon was also found． Here, the experts think, people came 'after their parties to throw dead relatives in the water so the bodies would be washed downstream to Stonehenge．

Parker-Pearson believes Stonehenge was like a cemetery where ancient Britons buried the dead and remembered their ancestors． "The theory is that Stonehenge is a kind of spirit home to the ancestors．"

The recent discovery of the village within the Durrington Walls shows that Stonehenge didn't stand alone but was part of a much bigger religious site, according to Parker-Pearson．. That small difference is enough that the fish can live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.

The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what kind of stuff in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their research led to some really mysterious stuff made up of a protein (蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When this stuff was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze character and a lowered freezing point.

49. Why have scientists waited so long to study the Antarctic cod?

A. Not enough scientists have been curious about the fish.  

B. Algae and tiny animals hide in the ocean floor.

C. The reason for the delay remains a secret.             

D. It is not easy to work in the Antarctic.

50. What is the main purpose of paragraph 3?

A. To describe the setting and the main topic of the article.

B. To catch the interest of the reader with simple, direct language.

C. To define important terms that will be used throughout the article.

D. To introduce the main characters and describe a problem that will be explored.

51. What keeps the Antarctic cod’s blood from freezing?

A. A protein in its blood.                         B. The layer of fat in its body.

C. A salt mixture in its blood.                   D. Ice crystals around its body.

52. What is the main purpose of this article?

A. To persuade readers to support scientific study of the Antarctic fish.

B. To entertain readers with a funny story about an unusual fish.

C. To explain how the Antarctic cod can live in freezing waters.

D. To describe what it is like to live in a freezing cold ocean.

【2011·江苏金坛一中模拟】D

The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.

Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid（电网）. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replace filters monthly or as needed.

For central air conditioning systems and room sir conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio（SEER）.

Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat（恒温器）and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave, turn off the ceiling fan.

Let a programmable thermostat  “remember for you” to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.

Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.

Cut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting leafy trees  around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.

Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid beat build-up.

Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs（荧光灯）, which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent Jess beat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs（白炽灯）.

Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 miles per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than $65 per year.

Carpool. The average U.S. commutes（乘车上班族）could save about $260 a year by sharing cars twice a Week with two other people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg—assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.

68.   According to the passage, the thermostat is used to         .

       A. make rooms quieter                                           B .control room temperature

       C. turn off the air conditioner                                   D. reduce room air pollution

69.   We can conclude from the passage that the author probably discourages          .

       A. planting leafy trees around your home

       B. turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house

       C. keeping your south-facing windows open during the day

       D. using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs

70.   This passage is mainly about            .

       A. energy-saving tips                                            B. fuel-saving tips         

C. do it yourself tips                                                D. environment-protecting

【2011·江苏溧阳中学模拟】D

       Ears are for hearing — everyone knows that. But for a creature called the Cuvier’s beaked whale, hearing starts in the throat, a new study found.

The observation might help explain how all whales hear. The work might also help scientists understand how animals are affected by underwater sonar (一种探测系统). This sonar, used by some ships, sends out sound waves to locate underwater objects.

The Cuvier’s beaked whale is a so-called toothed whale. Toothed whales dive deep into the ocean in search of food. As the whales hunt, they produce sounds that reach objects and then return to the whales. This allows the animals to “see” the shape, size, and location of objects, even when they’re 1,000 meters under the sea, where it is totally dark.

To better understand how the whale hears, researchers from San Diego State University in California took X-rays of two Cuvier’s beaked whales. The whales had died and washed up on the beach.

Ted Cranford and his colleagues used the images to make a computer model of a Cuvier’s beaked whale’s head. Then, they modeled the process of sound traveling through the head.

The researchers knew that some sounds get to the ears of a toothed whale through a structure  called “the window for sound”. Found on the lower jaw, this structure is very thin on the outside and has a large pad (垫) of fat on the inside.

When the researchers used their computer model to work out how sound waves travel in the whale’s head, they were surprised to find that sounds coming from right in front of the whale actually travel under the animal’s jaw. From there, sound waves move through the throat, into a hole in the back of the jaw, and finally to the pad of fat near the animal’s ears.

Cranford guesses that other types of whales may hear through their throats. Further testing is needed to be sure. Eventually, the insight into how whales hear might explain whether sonar testing by military ships is causing the animals to wind up on beaches.

67. Toothed whales look for food under the sea by ______.

  A. watching the shape and size of their objects    B. diving deep into the sea

  C. sending and receiving sounds                        D. making lots of noises     

68. Researchers took X-rays of two Cuvier’s beaked whales in order to ______.

  A. find out why they had died and washed up on the beach

  B. make a computer model of a Cuvier’s beaked whale’s head

  C. make sure that sound travels through the head

  D. know more about the way the whale hears   

69. Which of the following describes the way taken by sound waves through a Cuvier’s beaked whale?

  A. A hole in the back of the jaw → the ears → the jaw → the throat.   

  B. The jaw → the throat → a hole in the back of the jaw → the ears.

  C. The throat → the jaw → the ears → a hole in the back of the jaw.   

  D. The ears → the throat → a hole in the back of the jaw → the jaw.

70. What can be inferred from the last sentence of the passage?

  A. Ears are useless to the Cuvier’s beaked whale.

  B. Military ships send out sounds like a Cuvier’s beaked whale.

C. The whale’s unusual acts have nothing to do with human activities.

  D. Further research might show human activities can influence whale’s activities.

【2011·江南十校二模冲刺卷】

D

Sharks have gained unfair reputation for being large fierce sea animals. Human beings’s unfounded fear and hatred of these ancient creatures are leading to a worldwide slaughter （大屠杀）, which may result in the extinction （绝种） of many larger, coastal shark species. The shark is the victim of a warped （有偏见的） attitude of wildlife protection; we fight only to protect the beautiful, non-threatening parts of our environment. And, in our efforts to bring back only non-threat parts of our earth, we ignore other important parts.

A perfect illustration of this attitude is the contrasting attitude towards another large sea animal, the dolphin. During the 1980s, environmentalists in the Linked States objected to the practice of hunting tuna （金枪鱼） in the Pacific Ocean since these nets also caught dolphins. The environmentalists place enough political and economic pressure to prevent tuna companies from buying tuna that had been caught in drift nets. In contrast to this effort, the populations of sharks in the Pacific Ocean have decreased to the point of extinction and there has been very little effort by the same environmentalism to save this important species of wildlife in water.  Sharks are among the oldest creatures on earth, having survived in the seas for more than 350 million years. They are feeding on wounded or dying animals, thus performing an important role in nature of knocking out the weaker animals in a species. Just the fact that species such as the Great White Shark have managed to live in the oceans for so many millions of years is enough proof of their efficiency and adaptability to changing environment. It is time for humans, who may not survive another 1,000 years at the rate they are damaging the planet, to cast away their fears and begin considering the protection of sharks as creatures that may provide us with an understanding of our own survival.

68. How did the environmentalists manage to protect dolphins?

       A. They prevented the fishermen from selling them at markets.

       B. They only permitted the fishermen to catch them using nets.

       C. They created some shelters where dolphins could be protected.

       D. They used political and economic means to achieve their aim.

69. The underlined word "unfounded’ in Paragraph 1 probably means __    __.

       A. not found in life                          B. not possessed in mind

       C. not based on fact                       D. not likely to be started

70. Which of the following best describes the organization of this text?

       A. Cause and effect.                            B. Time and space order.

       C. Specific to general.                           D. Statement and example.

71. The text mainly tells us ___    _.

       A. sharks have a bad reputation                   B. what are the oldest creatures

       C. sharks need human protection                  D. humans prefer tuna to sharks