[1]Global difference in intelligence is a sensitive topic, long filled with

题型：福建省期末题难度：来源：

     [1]Global difference in intelligence is a sensitive topic, long filled with a large number of different
opinions. But recent data has indeed shown cognitive (认知的) ability to be higher in some countries
than in others. What"s more, IQ scores have risen as nations develop—a phenomenon known as the
"Flynn effect". Many causes have been put forward for both the intelligence difference and the Flynn
effect, including education, income, and even non-agricultural labor. Now, a new study from researchers
at the University of New Mexico offers another interesting theory: intelligence may be linked to
infectious-disease rates.
     [2]The brain, say author Christopher Eppig and his colleagues, is the "most costly organ in the human
body". Brainpower consumes almost up to 90 percent of a newborn"s energy. It"s clear that if something
affects energy intake while the brain is growing, the impact could be long and serious. And for vast parts
of the globe, the biggest threat to a child"s body -- and therefore brain—is parasitic (由寄生虫引起的)
infection. These illnesses threaten brain development __________. They can directly attack live tissue,
which the body must then try every means to replace. They can invade the digestive pipe and block
nutritional intake. They can rob the body"s cells for their own reproduction. And then there"s the energy
channeled (输送) to the immune system to fight the infection.
     [3] Using data on national "disease burdens" (life years lost due to infectious diseases) and average
intelligence scores, the authors found they are closely associated. The countries with the lowest average
IQ scores have the highest disease burdens without exception. On the contrary, nations with low disease
burdens top the IQ list.
     [4]If the study holds water, it could be revolutionary for our understanding of the still-confusing
variation in national intelligence scores.
1. What is the main idea of the text? (no more than 10 words)
  ____________________________________________________________________
2. Complete the following statement with proper words. (no more than 4 words)
Those countries that have the___________ are always at the bottom of the IQ list.
3. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)

4. What can cause intelligence difference? (no more than 8 words)

5. What does the word "they" (Line 3, Paragraph 3) probably refer to? (no more than 8 words)

答案

1. Why do IQ scores vary by nation? / Why do IQ scores vary from nation to nation? / Different IQ
between nations may result from infectious diseases.
2. highest disease burdens
3. in several ways
4. Education, income and non-agricultural labor.
5. national disease burdens and average intelligence scores

举一反三

阅读理解     The plan: turn Mars into a blue world with streams and green fields, and then fill it with creatures(生物) from the earth.This idea may sound like something from a science fiction (科幻小说), but it is actually
being taken seriously by many researchers.
     This suggested future for the "red planet" will be the main topic for discussion at an international
conference hosted by NASA (美国宇航局) this week. Leading researchers as well as science fiction
writers will attend the event. It comes as NASA is preparing a multibilliondollar Mars research
programme. "Turning Mars into a little earth has long been a topic in science fiction," said Dr Michael
Meyer, NASA"s senior scientist for astrobiology (太空生物学). "Now, with scientists exploring the
reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities of changing Mars."
     Most scientists agree that Mars could be turned into a little earth, although much time and money
would be needed to achieve this goal.
     But many experts are shocked by the idea.“We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable
speed and now we are talking about ruining another planet, ” said Paul Murdin, of the Institute of
Astronomy, Cambridge, UK. Over the past months, scientists have become increasingly confident they
will find Martian life forms.Europe and America"s robot explorers have found proof that water, mixed
with soil, exists in large amounts on the planet.
     In addition, two different groups of scientistsannounced on March 28 that they had found signs of
methane (甲烷) in the Martian atmosphere (大气). The gas is a waste product of living creatures and
could be produced by microbes (微生物) living in the red planet"s soil.
     But scientists such as Dr Lisa Pratt, a biologist at Indiana University, say that these microbes will be
put in danger by the little earth project. "Before we have even discovered if there is life on Mars, we are
talking about carrying out projects that would destroy all these native life forms, all the strange microbes
that we hope to find buried in the soil," said Dr Pratt.This view is shared by Monica Grady, a planetary
scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. "We cannot risk starting a global experiment that would wipe out the precious information we are looking for." she said, "This is just wrong."1. The passage is about________.A. a plan turning Mars into a little earth
B. the necessity of changing Mars
C. Mars supporting life
D. finding water in the Mars2. Which of the following is NOT the reason why some scientists are against the plan?A. The project would wipe out all the native life forms on the Mars.
B. The project will cost too much money and work.
C. We would ruin Mars.
D. We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed.3. We can infer from the passage that________.A. water is a crucial factor for life
B. the project will have little effect on the native life forms supposed to live on the Mars
C. Monica Grady is in favour of carrying out the little earth project
D. the idea turning Mars into a little earth is nothing but a science fiction4. Which of the following supports the conclusion of microbes living in the Mars soil?A. Scientists found liquid water in the Mars.
B. Scientists found signs of methane in the Martian atmosphere.
C. Scientists found a lot of good soil on the Mars.
D. Scientists found some creatures living on the Mars.

题型：同步题难度：| 查看答案

阅读理解。     The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely
accomplished is not IQ, a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it"s purposeful
practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. If you wanted to
picture how a typical genius might develop, you"d take a girl who possessed a slightly
above average language ability. It wouldn"t have to be a big talent, just enough so that
she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a
novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from
the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday.
     This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would give her some
idea of a fascinating circle she might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents
died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fuelling a desperate need
for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers
without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She"d be able to see
new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings.
     Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and errorfocused.
By practising in this way, she delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious,
newly learned skills into unconscious, automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by
breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better
pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream
of feedback, viewing her performance from the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing
her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems-how do I get characters into
a room-dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order
to understand or solve future problems.
     The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It"s the ability to
develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine. The latest research takes some of the
magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is
affected by genetics and what we"re "hardwired" to do. And it"s true that genes play a role in our
capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour.1．The passage mainly deals with ________.A．the function of IQ in cultivating a writer
B．the relationship between genius and success
C．the decisive factor in making a genius
D．the way of gaining some sense of distinction2．By reading novels and writers" stories, the girl could________.A．come to understand the inner structure of writing
B．join a fascinating circle of writers someday
C．share with a novelist her likes and dislikes
D．learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security3．In the girl"s long painstaking training process, ________.A．her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success
B．her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance
C．she acquires the magic of some great achievement
D．she comes to realize she is "hardwired" to write4．What can be concluded from the passage?A．A fuelling ambition plays a leading role in one"s success.
B．A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.
C．As to the growth of a genius, IQ doesn"t matter, but just his/her effort.
D．What really matters is what you do rather than who you are.

题型：同步题难度：| 查看答案

阅读理解。     A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or
changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
     Grimsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom
different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川) of ice up to 12 meters thick. The hot volcano
heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层)of water between the glacier and the volcano.
This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under
the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is
exactly what happened today.
     Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic
ash. According to KLM,one of Europe"s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over
it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane"s engines, causing damage to
the plane.
     The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp
glasslike rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from
eating ashcovered grass or the sharp object.   1．What makes Grimsvom different from other volcanoes?  A．It is below ice.
B．It lies under the sea.
C．It is the largest volcano.
D．Its lava affects the airlines.  2．What keeps Grimsvom still?  A．The slow flow of water.
B．The low water temperature.
C．The thick glacier.
D．The water pressure.  3．Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption? A．People stop traveling in Europe.
B．Airlines suffer from the loss of planes.
C．It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside.
D．Farmers have lost many of their animals.  4．This text is most probably taken from________.A．a research paper
B．a newspaper report
C．a class presentation
D．a geography textbook

题型：同步题难度：| 查看答案

阅读理解。     Quickly, the picture comes alive with hyperlinks (超链接), offering the names of the buildings,
towers and street features that appear in the photo.The hyperlinks lead to information about the
history, services and context of all the features in the photo.You have just hyperlinked your reality.
     That might be a little unbelievable, but the technology exists and is no fevered imagination.This
is not a cool small machine invented for the next James Bond movie; this is a working technology
just developed by European researchers.It could be coming to a phone near you, and soon.
     This, as the marketing types say, is a game changer.It develops a completely new interface
(界面) that combines webtechnology with the real world.It is big and fresh, but it goes much further
and has much greater influence.
     The development of the system is most outstanding because image recognition technology has
long been pregnant with promise, but seemed to suffer from an unending labour.
     Now MOBVIS has not only developed image recognition; it has also developed more applications
for the technology; and it has adapted it to the world"s most popular technology: the mobile phone.
     The MOBVIS system completely rewrites the rules for exploration and interaction with your physical
environment.The system begins with panoramas (一连串景象)．These panoramas form the basis of a
city database.It can match buildings, towers, banners and even logos that appear in the panoramas. A
user simply takes a picture of the street feature, MOBVIS compares the user"s photograph to the
panoramas and then identifies the buildings from the picture you take and the relevant links are returned.
     Then you simply click on the links, using a touchscreen phone, and the MOBVIS system will provide
information on the history, art, architecture or even the menu, if it is a restaurant, of the building in question.1．Which is introduced in the passage?A．A new game software.
B．A popular mobile phone.
C．A cool small machine.
D．An image recognition system.2．What can we learn about the new technology?A．It can only be put into use on mobile phones.
B．It is a little unbelievable and just a fevered imagination.
C．It has taken an unending labour to bring the technology into our lives.
D．It will encourage the users to take more pictures of the street features.3．What is the right order of the operation of MOBVIS?a．A city database forms in the system.
b．MOBVIS recognizes the picture and links are returned.
c．A user touches the links on the phone screen.
d．A user takes a picture of the street feature.
e．MOBVIS provides information in question.
A．a; e; c; d; b
B．a; d; b; c; e
C．d; c; e; a; b
D．c; a; e; b; d4．From the passage, we can infer that________.A．MOBVIS has already been widely used all over the world
B．the writer is trying to promote the sales of the MOBVIS system
C．this new technology will soon be very popular in our lives
D．the sales of mobile phones will decrease as MOBVIS comes on market

题型：同步题难度：| 查看答案

阅读理解。     Scientists have created a way to control a robot with signals from a human brain.
     By generating the proper brainwaves-picked up by a cap with electrodes(电极)that
sense the signals and reflect a person"s instructions-scientists can instruct a humanoid
robot to move to specific locations and pick up certain objects.
     The commands are limited to moving forward, picking up one of two objects and
bringing it to one of two locations.The researchers have achieved 94 percent accuracy
between the thought commands and the robot"s movements.
     "This is really a proofofconcept demonstration,"said Rajesh Rao,a researcher from
the University of Washington who leads the project."It suggests that one day we might
be able to use semiautonomous robots for such jobs as helping disabled people or
performing routine tasks in a person"s home."
     The person wearing the electrode cap watches the robot"s movement on a computer
screen through two cameras installed on and above the robot.
     When the robot"s cameras see the objects that are to be picked up they pass on the
information to the user"s computer screen.Each object lights up randomly on the computer
screen.When a person wants something to be picked up and it happens to light up,the brain
registers surprise and sends this brain activity to the computer and then to the robot as the
choice object.The robot then proceeds to pick up the object.
     A similar program is used to decide where the robot will go.
     "One of the important things about this demonstration is that we"re using a "noisy" brain
signal to control the robot,"Rao said."That means we can only obtain brain signals indirectly
from sensors on the surface of the head,and not where they are generated deep in the brain.
As a result,the user can only generate highlevel commands such as indication which object to
pick up or which location to go to,and the robot needs to be autonomous enough to be able
to execute such commands."
     In the future,the researchers hope to make the robot more adaptive to the environment by
having them carry out more complex commands.1．What is special about the robot introduced in the passage?A．It is controlled by human thoughts.
B．It can be made humanoid.
C．It can be used to help the disabled.
D．It has high intelligence itself.2．Which of the following is TRUE about the robot?A．It can move forward and backward and pick up two objects at the same time.
B．It can move forward, pick up both objects and bring them to either location.
C．It can only move forward,pick up one object and put it in one location.
D．It can read all human thoughts and do as instructed.3．What Rao says in the eighth paragraph suggests that the new robot________.A．is still at its early stage of development
B．will be widely used in our daily routines soon
C．is autonomous enough to complete complex commands
D．is only limited to doing routine work at home4．The sixth paragraph mainly describes________.A．how the robot controls a person"s action
B．how the robot picks up the right object
C．how the person controls the robot
D．how the robot finds out where to go

题型：同步题难度：| 查看答案