Why would an animal kill itself? It seems a strange question, and yet it is one that has made some scientists curious for a long time. For there is a kind of animal called lemming(旅鼠), that periodically killed themselves together, and no one knows just why!
The small creatures which live in the Scandinavian mountains, feed on a diet of roots and special insects and live in nests they dig underground. When their food supply is large, the lemmings live a normal and undisturbed life.
However, when the lemmings’ food supply becomes too low to support the population, a singular migration(遷徙)begins. The lemmings leave their nests in groups. Great numbers of them begin to travel across the Scandinavian plains, a journey that may last weeks. The lemmings eat everything in their path, continuing their long march until they reach the sea.
The reason for what follows remains unbelievable to naturalists. Upon reaching the coast, the lemmings do not stop but swim by the thousands into the sea. Most stay afloat only a short time before they tire, sink and drown.
A common theory for this mass self-killing is that the lemmings do not realize that the ocean is such a huge body of water in their cross-country journey, the animals must cross many smaller bodies of water, such as rivers and small lakes. They may think that the sea is just another such swimmable path to go through. But no final answer has been found to the strange happening.
【小題1】The passage is mainly about______.
A.how lemmings find food |
B.why animals kill themselves |
C.the lemmings’ self-killing |
D.the food supply in the Scandinavian mountains |
A.go mad from a lack of food |
B.hope to find fish for food |
C.decide to reduce the population |
D.think they can cross the sea |
A.Because they are the only animals that live in Scandinavia. |
B.Because it is very unusual for animals to kill themselves. |
C.Because of the amount of food they can eat on their march to the sea. |
D.Because they can gather together in such huge numbers. |
A.unusual | B.single | C.wonderful | D.common |
【小題1】C
【小題2】D
【小題3】B
【小題4】A
解析試題分析:文章大意:介紹奇異的旅鼠集體自殺現(xiàn)象及對(duì)其原因的推測(cè)。
【小題1】主旨大意題第一段引出旅鼠定期集體自殺的話題,然后介紹他們的習(xí)性,接下來(lái)因?yàn)槭澄锕⿷?yīng)不足而進(jìn)行遷徙,到達(dá)海邊,然后集體渡海,體力不支死亡。最后一段是人們對(duì)于這種現(xiàn)象的推測(cè)。文章主要介紹的是旅鼠的自殺現(xiàn)象。選C
【小題2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題:根據(jù)最后一段:旅鼠可能沒(méi)有意識(shí)到海洋那么廣闊,他們可能認(rèn)為大海不過(guò)是可以游過(guò)去的。選D
【小題3】推理判斷題根據(jù)文章最后一句:But no final answer has been found to the strange happening.但是對(duì)于這種奇特現(xiàn)象至今還沒(méi)有最終的解答,導(dǎo)致科學(xué)家們對(duì)于旅鼠的異常行為非常好奇。選B。
【小題4】詞義猜測(cè)題旅鼠的這次遷徙導(dǎo)致了不同于尋常動(dòng)物遷徙的結(jié)果,所以這是unusual: 不同尋常的;非同尋常的。single: 單一的;單身的;單程的;wonderful: 奇妙的;極好的;common: 共同的;一般的;普通的。選A
考點(diǎn):考查科普類文章閱讀。
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
The smallest animal with a backbone(脊椎) known to science, a fish from the carp family, has been discovered in the peat swamps (沼澤)of Indonesia. Mature(成熟的)females of the fish species (種類)Paedocypris reach just 7.9mm in length.
The species was discovered in the highly acidic (酸性的) peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra by a team led by Ralf Britz, a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London.
“This is one of the strangest fish that I’ve seen in my whole career,” Dr Britz said. “It’s tiny, and it lives in acid. I hope that we’ll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears completely.”
The species lives in dark tea-colored swamp waters, which are 100 times more acidic than rainwater. Although these swamps were once thought to be inhabited by very few animals, recent research has shown that they are home to a highly different range of species that occur nowhere else.
The peat swamps were damaged by forest fires in 1997, and are also threatened by agriculture. The scientists behind the discovery said that several populations of Paedocypris had already been lost.
“Many of the peat swamps we surveyed(調(diào)查)throughout South-East Asia no longer exist,” Dr Britz said. “Populations of all the miniature(微型的)fish of peat swamps have decreased or disappeared.”
Details of the discovery are published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B.
【小題1】64.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Strangest Fish |
B.Acidic Peat Swamps |
C.Strange Species |
D.The Smallest Backbone Animal |
A.It lives in highly acidic rainwater. |
B.The species lives in the acidic waters of dark tea-coloured swamps. |
C.It was put in the Natural History Museum in London. |
D.Its habitat disappears completely. |
A.many places where these animals lived have been damaged |
B.the population of the specieshas increased |
C.there are many animals in the acidic peat swamps today |
D.a(chǎn)griculture doesn’t affect the living space of these animals |
A.the habitat will be more after a period of time |
B.many peat swamps that they surveyed have already survived |
C.he wants to find more miniature fishes before their habitat disappears |
D.he wants to have further research |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
The octopus’s(章魚(yú))reputation as a human-killer isn’t simply an exaggeration(夸張)—it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural victims. Some shellfish(殼類動(dòng)物)and an occasional sick or incautious fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed hunter, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even the largest among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to swallow a ship, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopus, found on the Pacific coast, weighs around 110 pounds and grows to no more than ten feet in width.
The hard, parrot-like beak(喙)of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open shellfish. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. Instead, it feeds by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A shellfish that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to go close enough to these careful creatures to get a good look at them.
【小題1】This passage is mainly about .
A.the horrors of the octopus |
B.the largest octopus in the world |
C.octopi and their behavior |
D.the octopus’s deadly hunting method |
A.people have unreasonable fears about the octopus |
B.the octopus is not interested in human beings |
C.the octopus is afraid of human beings |
D.the octopus is a very cruel sea animal |
A.Octopi. | B.Shellfish. | C.Fish. | D.The victims. |
A.a(chǎn)ttacking deep-sea divers | B.cutting up large pieces of meat |
C.cutting open its victims | D.defending itself |
A.the octopus is not dangerous to man |
B.people often fear creatures that are not dangerous to them |
C.the octopus only hunts its natural victims |
D.things described in movies are not to be believed |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
Scientists Alan M.Goldberg and Thomas Hartung describe recent advances in replacing the use of animals in toxicology(毒物學(xué))testing.Improvements in cell and tissue culture technologies,for example,allow a growing number of tests to be performed on human cells alone.Computer models are becoming increasingly complex and many could one day become more accurate than trials in living animals.
Since the late 1990s,Huntingdon Life Sciences--a company that conducts testing of substances on animals conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration—has become a proving ground for aggressive strategies by animal-rights militants (好戰(zhàn)分子).At a hearing,a Senate.committee listened to testimony(證詞) against Huntingdon employees and financial institutions providing services to the company.One experimentation witness at the hearing insisted that any means necessary were justified(辯護(hù)) to spare animals’ lives;he has previously accepted the idea of murder to that end.
Use of animals in testing and in biomedical research continues to be necessary in many instances and is ethically(倫理道德地)preferable to experimenting on humans or giving up cures that could save human lives.But for the sake of people and animals alike,the development and acceptance of animal substitutes deserve enthusiastic support.
In some instances, substitutes are already thought as good or better than animals,but supervising agencies(監(jiān)督機(jī)構(gòu))have yet to catch up.In both the European Union and the U.S.,scientists and companies wanting to use the new alternative tests complain that regulatory standards for proving a drug or chemical to be safe for humans force the continued use of animals.Thus,animal-loving Americans might turn to persuading the EPA and the FDA to speed validation(確認(rèn))of new methods so that they can be more widely employed.And animal advocates(保護(hù)者) who want to influence business could consider investing in the small biotech’s and large pharmaceutical(藥品的) companies that are working to develop alternatives to animals in research.
【小題1】_____ plays a leading role in replacing the use of animals in testing.
A.Huntingdon Life Sciences | B.Improvement in technologies |
C.Animal-fights militants | D.Scientists Alan and Thomas |
A.a(chǎn)nimals shouldn’t be used in toxicology testing |
B.a(chǎn)nimals should enjoy equal rights with human beings |
C.a(chǎn)nimals should live wildly and freely |
D.we should protect animals from being killed casually |
A.the use of animals in testing has been stopped abruptly |
B.a(chǎn)nimal substitutes are not preferable |
C.supervising standards contribute to the continued use of animals in testing |
D.only Huntingdon Life Sciences is accused |
A.Saving animals and people. |
B.The new trend in toxicology testing |
C.The use of animals in testing is against human nature |
D.New technology changes the fate of animals |
A.a(chǎn)rbitrary(武斷的,隨意的) | B.pessimistic |
C.indifferent(不關(guān)心的 ) | D.optimistic |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loves experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out,” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his father’s warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colours, shifting and changing, and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead!” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGE 1
VOYAGE 2
Mark’s finger flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED.
START TRANSPORT PROGRAM.
AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED(自動(dòng)回收程序已啟動(dòng)).”
The screen turn even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled out in terror, reaching for the power switch. A beam(光束) of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow(光芒),until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed:
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL.
DESTINATION: MARS.
RETRIEVE DATE: 2025
【小題1】Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?
A.He wanted to take a voyage. |
B.He wanted to practice his skills. |
C.He was so much attracted by it. |
D.He was eager to do an experiment. |
A.In an electronic factory |
B.In a computer company |
C.In a scientific research center. |
D.In an information processing center. |
A.a(chǎn) computer game | B.a(chǎn) company website |
C.a(chǎn) software producer | D.a(chǎn)n astronomy program |
A.He was afraid of being scolded. |
B.He didn’t like the loud noise and light. |
C.He didn’t want to play games. |
D.He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
A.They were blown into the air. |
B.They were sent to another planet. |
C.They were hidden in the strong light. |
D.They were carried away to another country. |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技術(shù)). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart diseases, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memory.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells(細(xì)胞) are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on---in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic conditional human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
【小題1】According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by _______.
A.diseases and aging | B.a(chǎn)ccidents and war |
C.a(chǎn)ccidents and aging | D.heart diseases and war |
A.medicine | B.the internet |
C.brain cells | D.human organs |
A.heart disease will be far away from us |
B.human brains can decide the final death |
C.the basic materials of cells will last forever |
D.human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
A.human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
B.human have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
C.much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
D.we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells. |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
It is thought that crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tear, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears (落淚者) is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive (適得其反).
Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance (increase) survival.
Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves.
Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.
Other researchers are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of “dry eye” syndrome(綜合癥)and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.
【小題1】What does the phrase “both those responses” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?
A.Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness. |
B.The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers. |
C.The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying. |
D.Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears. |
A.it is unnatural for people to shed tears |
B.we can reduce our stress by shedding tears |
C.shedders of tears can’t get help by crying loudly |
D.unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival |
A.Roles of emotional tears. |
B.functions of shedding tears. |
C.Unwelcome shedders of tears. |
D.Research on the effects of tears. |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
Can people change their skin colour without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin colour. The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the colour of a dark-striped zebra fish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebra fish skin colour is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes (黑色素體). The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin colour.
It appears that, like the golden zebra fish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (突變)in the gene for melanosome production. This results in less pigmented skin. However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebra fish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun, which can cause skin cancer. But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng. Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin colours, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin colour without damaging it like chemical treatment done on Michael Jackson.
【小題1】According to the passage, scientists have found .
A.people living in northern latitudes need more sunlight |
B.the reason why people change their skin colour |
C.the reason why people get skin cancer |
D.the gene that determines skin colour |
A.people like to change their skin colour |
B.a(chǎn) mutation in the gene for melanosome production is different in human and zebra fish gene |
C.people will be able to change their skin colour without chemical treatment in the future |
D.skin cancer can be cured now |
A.The version of the pigment gene of Asians and that of Africans are the same. |
B.Scientists have succeeded in turning the colour of a dark-striped zebra fish into uniform gold. |
C.Dark skin can protect bodies from utral-violet rays of the sun. |
D.People like pop king Michael Jackson. |
A.a(chǎn) novel | B.a(chǎn) science report |
C.a(chǎn) story book | D.a(chǎn) science fiction |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解
We know that sugary sodas aren’t good for our bodies. Now it turns out that they may not be good for our minds, either. A new study of more than 260,000 people has found a link between sweetened soft-drinks and depression, and diet sodas may be making matters worse.
Americans drink far more sodas than people in other countries— as much as 170 liters per person per year. But the impact of this study isn’t limited to the United States. “Sweetened drinks, coffee and tea are commonly consumed worldwide and have important physical consequences. And they may have important mental-health consequences as well,” study author Dr Honglei Chen said in a statement.
The study studied 263,925 people between the ages of 50 and 71. Researchers followed their consumption of drinks like soda, tea coffee, and other soft drinks from 1995 to 1996 and then. 10 years later, asked them if they had been diagnosed with depression since the year 2000. More than 11,3000 of them had.
Participants who drank more than four servings of sodas per day were 30 percent more likely to develop depression than participants who did not drink sodas at all. People who stuck with fruit punch(雞尾酒), had a 38 percent higher risk than people who didn’t drink sweetened drinks. And all that extra sugar isn’t the actual problem. Researchers say that the artificial sweetener aspartame may be to blame.
The study found a link but could not surely determine whether sodas and other sweet soft drinks cause depression. Still, the results “are consistent with a small but growing body of evidence suggesting that artificially sweetened beverages may be linked to poor health outcomes.”
But there’s a bright side for those who can’t live without their daily sodas. Adults who drank coffee had a 10 percent lower risk of depression compared to people who didn’t drink any coffee, according to the study. “Our research suggests that cutting out or down on sweetened diet drinks or replacing them with unsweetened coffee may naturally help lower your depression risk,” said Chen.
【小題1】What has the new study of more than 260,000 people found?
A.Sugary sodas aren’t good for the physical health of old people. |
B.Americans have a special tooth for sweet foods. |
C.Sweetened soft-drinks may increase the risk of depression. |
D.Sweetened soft-drinks have important physical consequences. |
A.About twenty-six thousand people participated in it. |
B.The oldest participants were below 80 when the study was over. |
C.Most of the participants had depression when the study was over. |
D.The study lasted more than ten years from the beginning to the end. |
A.can reduce the harm of sweetened drinks |
B.is used to reduce the risk of depression |
C.is mainly used to make fruit punch |
D.is used to make something .sweet |
A.more research is needed to confirm the new findings |
B.the new findings aren’t consistent with any previous findings |
C.cutting one’s sodas intake will surely reduce one’s depression |
D.the new findings won’t have an impact on people’s drinking habits |
A.Sodas. |
B.Unsweetened coffee. |
C.Sugary coffee. |
D.Fruit punch. |
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