阅读理解。 In the summer of 1978 an English farmer was driving his tractor throug
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阅读理解。 |
In the summer of 1978 an English farmer was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered that some of his wheat was lying flat on the ground. The flattened wheat formed a circle about six meters across. Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat. The five circles were in a formation like five dots. During the following years, farmers in England found the strange circles in their fields more and more often. The circles are called "crop circles" because they appear in the fields of grain ? usually wheat or corn. The grain in the circles lies flat on the ground but is never broken; it continues to grow, and farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September. At first, people thought that the circles were a hoax. Probably young people were making them as a joke, or farmers were making them to attract tourists. To prove that the circles were a hoax, people tried to make circles exactly like the ones that farmers had found. They couldn"t do it. They couldn"t enter a field of grain without leaving tracks, and they couldn"t flatten the grain without breaking it. Many people believe that beings from outer space are making the circles to communicate with us from far away and that the crop circles are messages from them. Scientists who have studied the crop circles suggested several possibilities. Some scientists say that a downward rush of wind leads to the formation of the circles - the same downward lash of air that sometimes causes an airplane to crash. Other scientists say that forces within the earth cause the circles to appear. There is one problem with all these scientific explanations: crop circles often appear in formations, like the five-dot formation. It is hard to believe that any natural force could form those. |
1. In the summer of 1978, an English farmer discovered in his field that ______. |
A. some of his wheat had been damaged B. some of his wheat had fallen onto the ground C. his grain was growing up in circles D. his grain was moved into several circles |
2. The underlined word "hoax" in Paragraph 3 is probably ______. |
A. an attempt made to fool people B. a special way to plant crops C. an experiment for the protection of crops D. a research on the force of winds |
3. Which of the following may prove that the crop circles are not made by man? |
A. The farmers couldn"t step out of the field. B. The farmers couldn"t make the circles round. C. The farmers couldn"t leave without footprints. D. The farmers couldn"t keep the wheat straight up. |
4. One explanation given by scientists for the crop circles is that they are made by _____. |
A. airplane crashes B. air movement C. unknown flying objects D. new farming techniques |
答案
1-4: BACB |
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阅读理解。 |
Education is an expensive part of American life. Its size is matched by its variety. Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyone. Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child, regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself. This means that public schools offer more than academic subjects. It surprises many people when they come here to find high schools offering such courses as typing, sewing, radio repair, computer programming or driver training, along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics, history, and languages. Students choose their courses depending on their interests, future goals, and level of ability. The basic goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her own possibilities, and to give each one a sense of community. Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and "Americanizing" the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many different backgrounds and origins. Schools still play a large role in the community, especially in the small towns. The teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts. Instead, Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities. Students spend much time learning how to use materials, libraries, statistics, and computers. Americans believe that if children are taught to reason well and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives. Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation (积累) of facts. This is America"s answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time, "How can one prepare today"s child for a tomorrow that one can neither predict nor understand?" |
1. The underlined words "reason well" probably means _____ |
A. persuade firmly B. list the reasons clearly C. think logically D. conclude immediately |
2. It is implied in the passage that _____. |
A. all high-school students take the same courses B. every student must take practical ability training courses C. every public school offers the same academic subjects D. the subjects every student takes may vary |
3. American schools place great emphasis on the learners" _____. |
A. knowledge B. accumulation of facts C. creativity D. ability to work with hands |
4. What makes American education different from others"? |
A. The large number of schools. B. The variety of the courses. C. Its consideration for immigrants. D. The basic goal of the education. |
阅读理解。 |
In meditation (冥想), people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds, they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go. According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a marked change in how the brain allocates (分配) attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast—changing stimuli (刺激), like facial expressions. The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice, everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain. It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being. In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded. Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number, as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number. This shows that attention can change with practice. Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study. "I am a much better listener," he said. "I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying." |
1. The underlined word "them" in Paragraph 1 refers to _____ . |
A. feelings B. minds C. people D. thoughts |
2. Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they _____ . |
A. are given less pressure B. allocate their attention better C. have more stimuli for life D. practice them more frequently |
3. In the experiment, volunteers doing meditation for longer hours _____. |
A. were more likely to catch both of the members. B. were used to memorizing numbers in groups. C. usually ignored the first number observed. D. paid more attention to numbers than to letters. |
4. The study proves that _____ . |
A. meditation improves one"s health B. brain activity can be recorded C. human attention can be trained D. mediators have a good sense of hearing |
阅读理解。 根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项,选项中有两项 为多余选项。 |
Studying abroad 1._____ Semester, summer, and year-long programs allow you to attend school, take intensive language courses, or perform community service in another country. Read on to learn more about study abroad programs. Why Study Abroad? Besides the excitement of travel, one reason to study abroad is that you will experience new customs, holidays, foods, art, music, and politics firsthand. "Obviously, I learned the language and am now fluent. 2._____ " says Andrew, who studied in Poitiers, France. 3._____ Christina studied in Caracas, Venezuela, a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35,000! Christina says she learned how to better stand up for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that? Living away from home can also help you adjust in the transition to college and adulthood. Matthew says he returned from studying in Australia with confidence, social skills, and a genuine interest in international affairs that really set him apart from his peers. " 4._____ " And speaking of college, improving your language skills might help you get into choice colleges and even land future jobs. Colleges and employers know that studying abroad provides leadership skills in a world that is increasingly globally interconnected. 5._____ You"re not likely to suffer from disappointment, depression or general boredom while you"re studying in a different learning environment. |
A. Most of all, it"s fun! B. Finally, it is really a thrill to experience a different culture. C. Another reason for studying abroad is that you"ll gain self-confidence. D. But the most important is that you can visit so many world-famous attractions. E. But perhaps more important was how much I learned about cultures, people, and myself. F. After having gone abroad in high school, I found the transition to college to be a piece of cake. G. Join a study abroad program, where high school and college students live with a host family in a foreign country. |
阅读理解。 |
The best way to come first is to go last. An analysis of almost 50 years of competitions—including Eurovision Song Contests and world skating championships—has found that contestants are more likely to win if they are among the last to appear before the judges. The study by an American university appears to provide scientific proof that the best man, or woman, does not always win. It found that, on average, the last competitor to appear in the Eurovision Song Contest was more than twice as likely to win as the one who went on first. The first rounds of figure-skating championships, for which the running order is selected at random, showed more dramatic results. The final skater had a 14 percent chance of victory, making him or her more than four times as likely to win as the first skater. The study showed a gradual worsening of chances for competitors who appeared earlier in the running order. A contestant who appears first in a contest is two percent less likely to win than one who appears second. A contestant who appears second is two percent less likely to win than one who appears third, and so on. The findings are published in the March issue of Acta Psychologica, a scientific journal. Robert Hardman, a senior lecturer in psychology at London Metropolitan University who specializes in the science of decision-making, said that the results were interesting. He suggested that the effect was caused by the limitations of the human memory. "When people make comparisons, they aren"t really able to make a lot of fine-grade discrimination. When contestants appear at the beginning of a contest, judges have little to compare them to and are perhaps wary (谨慎的) of the scores they give," he said. "Later on, when judges are able to compare the contestants to those that have gone before, they might give more extreme marks because they feel more confident about their judgments." |
1. Robert Hardman"s words mainly tell about his _____. |
A. own achievement in the research B. explanation for the findings C. suggestion to solve the problem D. comments on the findings |
2. The first skater in the first round of figure skating championships had about a ____ percent chance of winning. |
A. two B. three C. four D. five |
3. According to the study, the best competitor does not always win possibly because he/she _____ . |
A. fails to show his/her very best B. is mistakenly put in the running order C. meets with unfair judges D. appears too early before the judges |
4. Judging from the context, the underlined word "worsening" in the 5th paragraph should mean _____ . |
A. decrease in number B. increase in degree C. reduction in possibility D. rising in quantity |
5. What may be a problem with the judges according to the article? |
A. They can"t remember things well enough. B. They believe the first is seldom the best. C. They don"t really know what is good. D. They show favor towards the contestants they like. |
阅读理解。 |
Meals at the family dinner table could be the key to preventing a generation of teenage girls from developing eating disorders (紊乱). New research shows girls who regularly have family meals are much less likely to adopt extreme weight-control behaviors such as vomiting, and using diet pills. The research, published in the international journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, surveyed students aged 13 to 17 in 2003 and followed them up five years later. Regular family meals were found to have a protective effect regardless of the age, weight, socioeconomic status, dieting habit or relationship with the family. Belinda Dalton, director of the eating disorder clinic The Oak House, said eating with family helped "normalize" young people"s relationship with food. "When teens are feeling that they are not managing, they turn to something that they can control and food is something available and accessible for them to control. Clearly, if they are sitting with their family on a regular basis, then their family can be more in control of their eating," Ms Dalton said. "It"s about young people feeling connected within their family, and that builds self-esteem and a sense of worth and works very actively against someone developing an eating disorder. An eating disorder expert, Kirsty Greenwood, said meal times were often difficult for sufferers. "It"s typical that they feel very ashamed of their eating habits and often won"t eat with other people. Perhaps it"s because they haven"t experienced the important of the family meal while growing up," she said. The study found eating regular family meals made no difference to the future eating habits of boys. |
1. The author writes this passage with the purpose of _______. |
A. stressing the necessity of family meals for the teenage girls B. showing the results of a research C. providing some suggestions on family dinner D. presenting the difference in eating habits between boys and girls |
2. Which of following is NOT a benefit of regular family meals? |
A. They decrease the trend towards extreme weight control behaviors B. They can help girls to have a better relationship with food C. They can help girls to work against the development of an eating disorder. D. They provide girls with the chance of getting control of food. |
3. What does the underlined "that" in Paragraph 6 refer to? |
A. Young people B. Having a good relationship with the family C. Feeling connected with the family D. Self-esteem and a sense of worth |
4. We can infer from the text that ______. |
A. Ms Dalton advises parents to get children under full control B. Kirsty Greenwood suggests that the time for meals be fixed C. the effect of regular family meals on boys differs from that on girls D. experience is more important than indirect knowledge |
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