IV.閱讀理解（共17小題；每小題２分，滿(mǎn)分34分）
Like cats, geckos（壁虎）always land on their feet. If they happen to fall from a wall or leaf they’ve been climbing, a quick move of the tail makes sure that they always land on their feet first, a new study finds.
Geckos are truly built for climbing: their feet have hairy toes that can fix themselves to a wall or other vertical（豎直的）surfaces. However, geckos’ feet can’t always keep hold and they may fall to the ground. When geckos fall or jump off a wall, they always land stomach-side down. Geckos’ long tails become necessary during their falls, the new study shows.
Researchers did an experiment. They placed geckos up-side-down on the underside of a leaf. When they lost their foothold and fell, the geckos pitched （傾斜）their tails for balance. They then rotated（旋轉(zhuǎn)）their tails to make their bodies rotate. As soon as they were right-side up, they stopped rotating. On average, it only took the geckos about a tenth of a second to right themselves so that they would land on their feet.
Cats use a different way to land on their feet after a fall. As their tails don’t have the power like geckos’ tails, cats can’t use them to right themselves. Instead they twist their bodies around mid-air.
Engineers are trying to build a robot that imitates the geckos’ climbing ability. A tail will be fixed to the robot to allow it to keep balance.
54. What do we know about geckos?
A. Their toes make it possible for them to walk on walls.
B. Their tails can fix them to a wall or other vertical surfaces.
C. They often land on their backs when they jump off walls.
D. It takes them a second to right themselves in mid-air.
55. How do cats avoid their injury during a fall?
A. By twisting their bodies.                 B. By fixing their toes to the ground.
C. By using their tails to right themselves.        D. By landing upside-down.
56. Geckos’ special abilities have given engineers some new ideas to _________.
A. allow robots to climb vertical surfaces       
B. reproduce geckos like robots
C. invent robots that can rotate on the ground
D. invent robots that can balance themselves using their tails
57. What is the text mainly talking about?
A. The interesting living habits of geckos.   B. The differences between cats and geckos.
C. Why geckos always land on their feet.      D. How geckos climb up vertical walls.
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Birds that are half-asleep—with one brain hemisphere (半球) alert and the other sleeping—control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.
Earlier studies have documented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere’s eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.
Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily. Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction.
Also, birds napping at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in internal spots, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time.
“We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness at the same time in different regions of the brain,” the researchers say.
The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing assumption that single-hemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. He’s seen it in a pair of birds napping side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open.
Useful as half-sleeping might be, it’s only been found in birds and such water animals as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning.
Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds’ half-brain sleep “is just the tip of the iceberg.” He supposes that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.
72. According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ______.
A. they have to watch out for possible attacks
B. their brain hemispheres take turns to rest
C. the two halves of their brain are differently structured
D. they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions
73. What is implied about the example of a bird’s sleeping in front of a mirror?
A. An imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security.
B. Birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of their security.
C. The phenomenon of birds napping in pairs is widespread.
D. A single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror.
74. While sleeping, some water animals tend to keep half awake in order to ______.
A. alert themselves to the approaching enemy
B. emerge from water now and then to breathe
C. be sensitive to the ever-changing environment
D. avoid being swept away by rapid currents
75. By saying “just the tip of the iceberg”, Siegel suggests that ______.
A. half-brain sleep has something to do with icy weather
B. the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solved
C. most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers
D. half-brain sleep may exist among other species

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


U.S. airlines are seeing a major interruption because of hundreds of flights canceled due to the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano, but European flight companies will face the biggest losses.
The airline business has been tough: The decline dramatically slowed traffic; February heavy snow forced U.S. airlines to cancel thousands of flights; and now the ashes from the volcano stopped all traffic in and out of northern Europe for days.
"For U.S. flight companies, it'll be a relatively short-term hit," said Michael Boyd, president of Boyd Group International, an aviation (航空學(xué)) consulting firm. "We think right now they're down about $80 million in terms of lost income, and they're down domestically about 80,000 passengers that would have been flying domestically but aren't because they can't get here."
Delta announced that volcano-related interruption grounded about 400 flights until Monday at a cost of $20 million in lost revenues. But compare that to the recent snowstorms, when the airline canceled 7,000 flights and lost $65 million in revenue.
The disruption has created uncertainty for customers, but analysts say U.S. airlines won't face as many costs as you might think. They are not flying in extra planes to handle the passengers in trouble because, airline analyst Robert Mann said, companies simply don't have them.
"Airlines run a very lean operation now," Mann said. "So, since there are no spare aircraft or crews, the airlines will attempt to maximize loads on every one of their aircraft that do fly. But it may take days, or in some cases a week or so, to get some of these customers to where they want to go."
46. Which negative consequences mentioned in the passage did the disasters cause?
A. coldness, pollution and airlines’ losses    
B. airport damage, pollution and slow traffic
C. passenger delay, coldness and airport damage   
D. passenger delay, airlines’ losses and slow traffic
47. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The fewest airplanes will fly the trapped passengers to their destinations.
B. All the customers are sure to be sent to their destinations in time.
C. The U.S. and U.K. airlines suffered the same losses in the natural disasters.
D. The volcano eruption reduced the traffic to and from northern Europe.  
48. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
A. the troubles that the airlines will face after the ash cloud disappears
B. the measures that the airlines will take to maximize their profit
C. the present situation of the airlines and their plan to deliver the passengers
D. the reasons why the airlines run a fine operation
49. Why will it take a long time for airlines to send the passengers to their different destinations?
A. Because the passengers enjoy staying in airports to talk with one another.
B. Because the airlines don’t have spare planes or employees to serve.
C. Because the airlines don't have enough financial support after the disaster.
D. Because the passengers are asking for full refund from the airlines.
50. The passage is most probably from_______.
A．a(chǎn) novel                                  B．a(chǎn) news report        
C．a(chǎn) magazine                               D．a(chǎn) thesis

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

 If you are in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to want to help you. As a director, I point, I suggest. I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go. In the 1986 movie, “Nothing in Common”, Jackie Gleason’s character, Max Basner, gets fired from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot on a boat, shows Max’s despair about being out of work. I was looking for some gesture that would allow Max to show his feelings.
Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell “The Great One” about acting? Finally I decided to direct by suggestion, and sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene. “So Max is sad, right?” I said.
Gleason nodded.
“And he’s probably still carrying his pens with name on them—the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?”
Gleason nodded.
“So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?”
He was silent for a moment. “Why don’t I throw them overboard?”
I stood up and turned up and turned toward the crew. “Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let’s shoot it.”
After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and said with a smile. “Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?”
You and your team can discover the answers to problems together. When there are no prizes or gold stars for who gets the solution first, you’ll all benefit when everything turns out right.
61.According to the writer, to succeed in a project you are in charge of , you should______.
A. make everyone work for you          B. get everyone willing to help 
C. let people know you have the idea     D. keep talking to them
62. “The Great One” in Paragraph 2 refers to______.
A. Gleason     B. the director himself    C. Max   D. Max’s boss
63. After filming the scene, Gleason called the director over and smiled at him. That’s because Gleason________.
A. thought the director gave him a good idea 
B. formed the habit of thinking of ideas while talking
C. was not confident about his acting
D. appreciated the director’s directing skill
64. The most suitable title for the passage is “_______”.
A. Directing a Film              B. The Key to Success
C. A Wonderful Experience        D. Working with Film  

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


If you’re planning on traveling, there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.
First of all, always check and double-check departure (行程) time. It is amazing how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50. When I arrived at the airport, the clerk at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.
The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards, it is still important to have at least a little of the local currency (貨幣) with you when you arrive in a country. This can be necessary if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. A few years ago I was sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I flew there from London via (經(jīng)由) Dallas, with very little time to change planes in between. I arrived there at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi and because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead.
“Listen! I only take real money!” the driver said angrily. Luckily I was able to borrow a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was very embarrassing (令人難堪的).
The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.
40. According to the passage, it’s obvious that ______.
A. the author learns some rules of traveling from his own experience
B. the author doesn’t plan his trips or journeys carefully
C. Englishmen like to wear heavy suits wherever they travel
D. the American taxi driver never travels to England
41. What should you make sure first before setting off?
A. When you will leave.      B. Where you will go.
C. How you will travel.        D. Whom you will go with.
42. What does the underlined word “there” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. London.            B. Manchester.            C. Tulsa.        D. Dallas.
43. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The author tells people to choose warm places as their travel destinations.
B. You should remember to take credit cards when traveling.
C. You should know more about the weather of the place you’ll visit.
D. You should take enough change when you travel to another country.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Communication technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth．The first study to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails．The fact that emails are automatically recorded—and can come back to haunt（困擾） you—appears to be the key to the finding．
Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, asked 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week．In it they noted the number of conversations or email exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told．Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation for each medium．He found that lies made up 14 percent of emails, 21 percent of instant messages, 27 percent of face-to-face interactions and an astonishing 37 percent of phone calls．
His results, to be presented at the conference on human-computer interaction in Vienna, Austria, in April, have surprised psychologists．Some expected emailers to be the biggest liars, reasoning that because deception makes people uncomfortable, the detachment（非直接接觸） of emailing would make it easier to lie．Others expected people to lie more in face-to-face exchanges because we are most practiced at that form of communication．
But Hancock says it is also crucial whether a conversation is being recorded and could be reread, and whether it occurs in real time．People appear to be afraid to lie when they know the communication could later be used to hold them to account, he says．This is why fewer lies appear in email than on the phone．
People are also more likely to lie in real time—in an instant message or phone call, say—than if they have time to think of a response, says Hancock．He found many lies are spontaneous（脫口而出的） responses to an unexpected demand, such as: “Do you like my dress?”
Hancock hopes his research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees to communicate．For instance, the phone might be the best medium for sales where employees are encouraged to stretch the truth．But given his result, work assessment, where honesty is a priority, might be best done using email．
57．Hancock’s study focuses on ________．
A．the consequences of lying in various communications media
B．the success of communications technologies in conveying ideas
C．people’s preference in selecting communications technologies
D．people’s honesty levels across a range of communications media
58．Hancock’s research finding surprised those who believed that ________．
A．people are less likely to lie in instant messages
B．people are unlikely to lie in face-to-face interactions
C．people are most likely to lie in email communication
D．people are twice as likely to lie in phone conversations
59．According to the passage, why are people more likely to tell the truth through certain media of communication?
A．They are afraid of leaving behind traces of their lies
B．They believe that honesty is the best policy
C．They tend to be relaxed when using those media
D．They are most practiced at those forms of communication
60．According to Hancock, the telephone is a preferable medium for promoting sales because ________．
A．salesmen can talk directly to their customers
B．salesmen may feel less restrained to exaggerate
C．salesmen can impress customers as being trustworthy
D．salesmen may pass on instant messages effectively

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Major Cities Take Steps to Protect Water Resources
Faced with the threat of water shortages, Beijing and Shanghai will take effective measures to save water and protect water resources.
Beijing will stick more strictly to water-saving policies through the readjustment of industrial structures. Beijing is expected to be short of 1.185 billion cubic meters of water by 2020. Beijing will shut down factories with high water consumption and pollution including electric power, steel and paper manufacturing equipments. Advanced water-saving technology will be introduced to new industrial projects in the capital city.
Grain-growing areas will be reduced to save ground water and more trees will be planted. Animal breeding and other “highly efficient” agriculture with modern water-saving irrigation methods will be developed.
It is said that water used in agriculture will drop to 35 percent of the city’s water consumption in 2010 from 43 percent in 1998, and the figure will continue to drop to 28-30 percent in 2020. Beijing will increase the speed of renovation of its urban water supply equipments. It’s reported that more than 15 percent of water is lost during distribution(分發(fā)). Water-saving equipment and efficient management can save Beijing more than 537 million cubic meters by 2010.
Shanghai still faces key problems connected with its water resources and environment. Since 1998, the city has invested nearly US$169 million to treat its rivers, especially Suzhou Creek. The city’s rivers have become noticeably clearer since putting it into action.
The government will provide a further US$24 million for the treatment of rivers and US$12 million to treat sewage(污物).
This year’s task is to improve the water quality at the three ports of Longhua, Yang-shupu and Hongkou. Another emphasis to raise the water system in Songjiang New Area with a project worth US$4.8 million. Efforts will be made to improve public awareness about the need to protect water resources.
53. How many measures has Beijing taken to save water and protect water resources?
A. three   B. four   C. five   D. six
54.Grain-growing areas in Beijing will be reduced because _____.
A. grains can’t fetch a good price in China.
B. a lot of ground water will be saved by this area.
C. Beijing helps to develop advanced technology.
D. highly effective agriculture needs fewer farmland.
55. From the passage, we know Shanghai will invest _____ million dollars on the treatment of river and sewage.
A. 169   B. 36   C. 40.8   D. 201.7
56. The author wrote the passage to tell us _____.
A. Beijing and Shanghai are short of water
B. to save every drop of water in our daily life
C. big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are trying their best to protect water resources
D. water shortages have become one of the most important problems that China has to deal with

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


B
Whether rich or poor, we all have problems: that unfaithful mate, that annoying colleague, that persistent(持久的) disease, and the investment that is turning into a huge loss.
How can we remain calm, positive and even elegant in the face of all these difficulties of
life?
The following suggestions may help.
It comes with the pay. I have a friend who used to complain about her dead-end job and
unreasonable boss. Sounds familiar? One day I told her, "Look at it this way. You are getting
paid for the annoyance as well as the work. It comes with the pay. "
This has become my favorite saying for work-related frustrations. "Take every day as a bo-
nus. " When we learn to treasure every moment of what we have, we begin to see life in a whole
new attitude.
It's all in the mind. Sure, the psychologists tell us it is important that we work at resol-
ving problems. But they also say if you try to resolve a problem that would not go away, it would
only compound(使更復(fù)雜) the frustration.
If you tell yourself there isn' t a problem, there won' t be one. It is all in the mind.
Stop thinking about your own problem-help others instead. A lady who is struggling a
life-threatening disease showed she coped with her illness by making herself useful, by offering
help to others in a similar situation.
She has spoken to at least five other women with breast cancer. She says that the sharing
has helped her to find fresh meaning in her own life.
Never give up on your dream. Why do we give in or give up when we meet difficulities?
ls it because we have no confidenee in our cause and no commitment (承擔(dān)義務(wù))for what we
pursue?
One strong-hearted lady was the late head of the tragic Kennedy family, Rose Kennedy.
She said this on nationwide television one week after losing yet another son to assassin's( 暗殺者) bullet--Boddy Kennedy:"And we go on our way with no regrets not looking backwards to
the past, but we shall carry on with courage. "
Not the end of the world. Do you know something else? I' ve learned that care as you
might, love as,you might, some people don't care back.
And it is not the end of the world. After all, it's not the event that makes a person, is it?
It's what we do about what happens to us.
It was said that Albert Einstein' s last request on his death bed was to be given his equa-
tions(方程式) and his unfinished statement. Einstein first picked up his equations and lament-
ed(悲嘆) to his son, "if only I had more mathematics!" What a great persistent spirit!
45. All of the followings are wrong EXCEPT_____.
A. some people have many problems while some have none
B. Albert Einstein pursued his dream till the last minute of his life
C. Rose Kennedy must be a timid (缺乏自信的) woman
D. we shouldn' t love those who don' t care about us
46. The passage is intended to inform the readers_____ .
A. how to face problems                       B. how to resolve problems
C. how to hold on to your dreams              D. how to help others
47. By saying "Take every day as a bonus", the author is trying to tell us __.
A. we should get a bonus every day     B. we should treasure every day in our life
C. we should make advances every day  D. we should enjoy ourselves every day
48. The last paragraph of the passage is out of place; it should be put under the subtitle of_____.
A. It comes with the pay                      B. It' s all in the mind
C. Never give up on your dream               D. Not the end of the world

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When you take a walk in any city, you often see a lot of people walking dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful and faithful animal in the world, but the reason why people keep a dog has changed. In the old days people used to train dogs to protect(保護(hù)) themselves against attacks by other beasts. Later they came to realize that a dog was not only useful for protection but willing to obey his master. For example, when people used dogs for hunting, the dogs would not eat what was caught without permission.
These days people in the city need not protect themselves against attacks from animals. Why do they keep dogs, then? Some people keep dogs to protect themselves from robbery（搶劫）. But the most important reason is for companionship. For a child, a dog is a best friend when there are no friends to play with. For young couples, a dog is their child when they have no children. For old couples, a dog is also their child when their natural children have grown up. So the main reason why people keep dogs has changed from protection to friendship.
67. According to the passage, in the old days people trained dogs ______ .
for protection against robbery
just for fun
for companionship
for protection against other animals
68. The word "companionship" may mean ______ .
A. native     B. advice     C. friendly relationship（關(guān)系） D. usage
69. The dogs were used for hunting because ______ .
A. they were good hunters
B. they obeyed their masters
C. they were useful for protection
D. they did not eat other animals
70. The most important reason for people to keep dogs now is they ______ .
A. need companion
B. like children
C. enjoy hunting
D .want to protect themselves
71. We can infer from the passage that ______ .
A. dogs can be helpful to those who need company
B. city people always feel lonely
C. dogs can be boring （厭煩的）
D. the city can be a very dangerous place

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