We might not be alone in the universe. Actually, it may be confirmed as a very crowded place by new computer models developed to help identify habitable planets.
Estimates of places where life can exist have been based on the possibility of them having surface water. But software recently developed by the Aberdeen University allows researchers to identify planets with underground water kept liquid by heat from planets.
Water is fundamental for life and planets too close to the sun lose water to the atmosphere through evaporation. On the other hand, planets located in distant reaches from their star have their surface water locked away as ice.
Sean McMahon, who is carrying out the work, explained: "Traditionally people have said that if a planet is in this Goldilocks zone—not too hot and not too cold—then it can have liquid water on its surface and be habitable."
But this concept might change when considering that planets can receive two sources of heat—heat direct from the star and heat generated deep inside the planet.
It is easy to observe it in our own planet. As you go down through the crust (殼) of the Earth, the temperature gets higher and higher. Even when the surface is frozen, water can exist below ground.
There could be immense quantities of water in fact—full of primitive life.
Professor John Parnell, also from Aberdeen University said: "There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres".
"And some believe that the majority of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere."
So the Aberdeen team are developing models to predict which distant planets might harbour underground reservoirs of liquid water with the possibility of alien life.
【小題1】What is considered as the symbol of life existence traditionally?

A.Solid water on its surface.B.Solid water below ground.
C.Liquid water below ground.D.Liquid water on its surface.
【小題2】Why did John Parnell mention the fact about Earth?
A.To prove that there is majority of life on Earth.
B.To prove that life may also exist in other planets.
C.To prove that there is primitive life down through Earth.
D.To prove that there is a habitat for microorganisms below Earth.
【小題3】What theory is the Aberdeen team’s study based on?
A.Planets can lose water through evaporation.
B.Planets can receive heat direct from the star.
C.Planets can have their surface water locked away as ice.
D.Planets can receive heat generated deep inside the planet.
【小題4】What can we know about the computer models?
A.They will help identify planets where there is life.
B.They will help researchers find Goldilocks zones.
C.They have helped find some significant discoveries.
D.They have already located some habitats for life.


【小題1】D
【小題2】B
【小題3】D
【小題4】A

解析試題分析:文章報(bào)道了在其他星球可能會(huì)存在生命。
【小題1】細(xì)節(jié)題:根據(jù)Water is fundamental for life and planets too close to the sun lose water to the atmosphere through evaporation.故選D。
【小題2】細(xì)節(jié)題:根據(jù)Professor John Parnell, also from Aberdeen University said: "There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres"."And some believe that the majority of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere."可知John Parnel提到地球的這個(gè)事實(shí)是為了證明在其他星球可能會(huì)存在生命。故選B。
【小題3】細(xì)節(jié)題:根據(jù)But this concept might change when considering that planets can receive two sources of heat—heat direct from the star and heat generated deep inside the planet.[故選D。
【小題4】推理題:根據(jù)We might not be alone in the universe. Actually, it may be confirmed as a very crowded place by new computer models developed to help identify habitable planets.以及So the Aberdeen team are developing models to predict which distant planets might harbour underground reservoirs of liquid water with the possibility of alien life.。故選A。
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

The slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first movie from a black director to win the film industry’s highest honor in 86 years of the Oscars. British director Steve McQueen’s brave portrayal of pre-Civil War American slavery won two other Oscars, including best supporting actress for newcomer Lupita Nyong’o and best adapted screenplay based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free man tricked and sold into slavery in Louisiana. “Everyone deserves not just to survive but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup,” said McQueen in his acceptance speech.
“12 Years a Slave” was better over space thriller “Gravity” from Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, which nevertheless got the most Oscars of the night with seven, including the best director honor for Cuaron, a first for a Latin American director.The film starring Sandra Bullock as an astronaut lost in space swept the technical awards like visual effects and cinematography, a reward for its groundbreaking work on conveying space and weightlessness. Referring to the “transformative” experience he and others undertook in the four-plus years spent making “Gravity”, Cuaron, whose hair is graying, said, “For a lot of these people, that transformation was wisdom. For me, it was just the color of my hair.”
In one of the strongest years for film in recent memory, the 6,000-plus voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences scattered golden Oscar statuettes among the many acclaimed movies in contention.
It was a good night for the scrappy, low-budget film “Dallas Buyers Club”, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, a biopic of an early AIDS activist two decades in the making that won three Oscars, including the two male acting awards.
Matthew McConaughey, in a validation of a remarkable career turnaround, won best actor for his portrayal of the homophobe who turned AIDS victim and then turned treatment crusader Ron Woodroof, a role for which he lost 50 pounds (23 kg). His co-star, Jared Leto, won best supporting actor for his role as Woodroof’s unlikely business partner, the transgender woman Rayon, for which he also slimmed down drastically.
Australia’s Cate Blanchett won the best actress Oscar for her acclaimed role as the socialite unhinged by her husband’s financial crimes in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” “As random and subjective as this award is, it means a great deal in a year of, yet again, extraordinary performances by women,” said Blanchett, who beat out previous Oscar winners Bullock, Amy Adams, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.
【小題1】The film which won the largest number of Oscar awards this year is ______.

A.12 Years a Slave B.Gravity 
C.Dallas Buyers Club D.Blue Jasmine 
【小題2】Which director spent the least money in making the film?
A.Steve McQueen. B.Alfonso Cuaron. 
C.Jean-Marc Vallee. D.Woody Allen. 
【小題3】How many Oscar best actresses are mentioned in this passage?
A.One. B.Three. C.Five. D.Six. 
【小題4】Which of the following statements is WRONG?
A.“12 Years a Slave” won two Oscar awards altogether. 
B.The director of “Gravity” is from Latin America. 
C.The character Rayon is played by Jared Leto. 
D.The woman film star Cate Blanchett comes from Oceania. 

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Ocean Park Hong Kong is a theme park in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. The park was built with donations from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (now Hong Kong Jockey Club) and opened on 10 January 1977. Today it offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organization for commercial purpose.
In the early operation of the park, the main sources of income for the park were the ticket prices and the funding from the Jockey Club. Since the ticket price was low, most of the time Ocean Park was operating under deficit(財(cái)政赤字). In July 1987, the government established a 200 million trust(信托基金) from the funding of Jockey Club, under the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance. This separated Ocean Park from Jockey Club and became a non-profit organization; it needs to be responsible for its own income and was allowed to use commercial means to operate the park.
Since it was permitted to use commercial means to operate, it gradually raised its ticket price and the deficit turned into profit. In 1992, 3 million visitors visited the park. Since 1998, the East Asian financial crisis(經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)), aging attractions, and the passing away of the killer whale,  the park recorded a deficit for a couple years. Although it was allowed to host 2 pandas in 1999, the number of visitors did not go up and Ocean Park was forced to close its water attractions and the "Old Village" attraction and turned to bring in more rides in an attempt to capture the youth demand. Together with the opening up of mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme, Ocean Park recorded an astonishing 4 million visitors in the year 2004-2005, the highest since the park opened.
In March 2005, Ocean Park made its redevelopment plan. On 23 November 2006, Ocean Park held a groundbreaking ceremony for its redevelopment.
【小題1】At the beginning, Ocean Park Hong Kong _________.

A.was built with the money from the government
B.sold its tickets at a high price
C.was a great success once it was opened
D.mainly got income from the ticket prices and donations
【小題2】According to the passage, Ocean Park Corporation _________.
A.belongs to Hong Kong Jockey Club
B.is an official organization
C.operates successfully partly because the opening up of mainland visitors
D.can not use commercial means to operate
【小題3】Ocean Park Corporation took all of the measures to overcome the deficits except _________.
A.raise ticket price B.close some attractions
C.try to attract young customers D.host 2 pandas
【小題4】Which of the following statements is Wrong?
A.Ocean Park Hong Kong is a theme park.
B.Ocean Park Hong Kong has taken on a new look since 2006.
C.The East Asian financial crisis didn’t have any influence on Ocean Park.
D.At present, Ocean Park Hong Kong also attracts many mainland customers.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.
The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home.
Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide.
In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books.
"I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said.
【小題1】 What is JK Rowling famous for?

A. detective novels
 
B. crime fiction
 
C. Harry Potter books
 
D. love stories
 
【小題2】 Which of the following is Not rue about Ian Rankin?
A. He is a writer famous for police novels.
 
B. Most of the stories in his novels happened in the historic Scottish city.
 
C. It was Rankin himself who witnessed JK Rowing writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novels.
 
D. He told the British newspaper The Sunday Times about JK Rowling’s novels.
 
【小題3】 Why did Rowling like to write the “Harry Potter stories” in the cafes?
A. Because she was a romantic woman and the atmosphere in the cafes gave her lots of inspiration.
 
B. Because she was a single mother at that time and she wanted to find a husband there.
 
C. Because her children were so naughty at home and she had to go to a quiet place for her writing.
 
D. Because she thought that writing in a cafes could help her save some money.
 
【小題4】 What can we learn from the passage?
A. The seven Harry Potter series made JK Rowling a success.
 
B. JK Rowling had made enough money so she decided to stop writing.
 
C. Rowling planned to write new books because Harry Potter was not exactly what she wanted.
 
D. Ian Rankin and his wife earned money by telling reporters news about JK Rowling.
 
【小題5】  What is the best title for the passage?
A. Harry Potter and JK Rowing
 
B. Ian Rankin, A Neighbour of JK Rowling
 
C. A Successful Woman JK Rowling
 
D. JK Rowling writing Detective Novels
 

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

The pound new Library of Birmingham(LoB)will be the most visible sign of the way the city is accepting the digitalization(數(shù)字化)of everyday life.
Set to open in 2013, the £188 m LoB is already beginning to tale shape next to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with which it will share some equipment.
As digital media(媒介)is important to its idea. the project is already providing chances for some of the many small new local companies working at the new technologies.
Brian Gambles, the LoB project director, says it is about giving people the right tools for learning, “The aim is to mix the physical with the digital. Providing 24-hour services which can be used through many different ways. It is important to enable us to reach more people, more effectively.”
The digital library will, he says, be as important as the physical one, allowing the distant use of the services, making sure that it is never closed to the public.
Even before the LoB is complete, the public has been able to go online to visit the Virtual(虛擬的)LoB, designed by Baden, the Birmingham virtual worlds specialists. Not only have the public been able to learn about LoB, but the virtual one has also enabled those working on the LoB to understand the building and how it will work before it even opens.
Two other small Birmingham-based digital companies are working on the LoB projects. Substrat, a digital design company, is developing what it calls “enlarge reality” project. It is about the use of an exciting smart phone, an important part of the LoB which is in the early stages of development is an online library of figures of the city being built by a digital content company in Cahoots, in which users will be encouraged to add to and comment on the material.
Gambles says: “Technology will enable us to make the library’s content and services open to citizens as sever before.”
【小題1】The underline part “its idea” in Paragraph 3 refers to the idea of____.

A.the equipmentB.the project
C.the digital mediaD. the physical library
【小題2】While visiting the Virtual LoB, the public can_____. 
A.get a general idea of the LoB
B.meet many world-famous experts
C.learn how to put up a library building
D.understand how the specialists work on the project
【小題3】Which of the following is true of the LoB when it opens?
a. It offers better learning tools
b. It reaches users in different ways  
c. It provides users with smart phone
d. It allows users to enrich its material
e. It gives non-stop physical and digital services
A. a, b, d           B. a, c, e            C. b, c, d             D. b, d, e
【小題4】This text is most probably taken from                 .
A.a(chǎn) put bookB.a(chǎn) library guide
C.a(chǎn) handbookD.a(chǎn) newspaper report

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect.But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled-to $1.01 per pack-smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates.They've studied the effect of state tax increases for years,finding that smokers,especially teens,are price sensitive.Nor is it a shock to the industry,which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message.Tobacco taxes improve public health,they raise money and most particularly,they deter people from taking up the habit as teens,which is when nearly all smokers are addicted.Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan,for instance,which has the highest tax in the nation,a pack of Marlboro Light Kings,cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday.In Charleston,S.C.,where the 7 cent a pack tax is the lowest in the nation,the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.

In New York,high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys-13.8%,far below the national average.By comparison,26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky.Other low tax states have similarly depressing teen smoking records.
Hal Rogers,Representative from Kentucky,like those who are against high tobacco taxes,argues that the burden of the tax falls on low?income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That's true.But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low?income workers from getting hooked in the first place.As for today's adults,if the new tax drives them to quit,they will have more to spend on their families,cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
【小題1】The text is mainly about ________.

A.the price of cigarettes
B.the rate of teen smoking
C.the effect of tobacco tax increase
D.the differences in tobacco tax rate
【小題2】What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B.Low?income Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C.Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D.Adults will depend more on their families.
【小題3】Rogers' attitude towards the low?income smokers might be that of ________.
A.toleranceB.unconcern
C.doubtD.sympathy
【小題4】What does the author think is a surprise?
A.Teen smokers are price sensitive.
B.Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.
C.Tobacco taxes improve public health.
D.Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

With the average home in the capital selling for 19,548 yuan a meter in November, a tiny mobile home built by a 24-year-old office worker is creating a stir(震動(dòng)) online.
Dai Haifei built the 6-square-meter pad(住所) because he could not afford to buy or rent in the capital.
Dai’s new home costs him 6,400 yuan and he has been living in it for nearly two months in courtyard at Chengfu Road, Haidian district.
Dai, who is one of the millions of migrants who moved to the capital from other parts of China seeking a better life and better job, said he realized his financial burden had become too great.
The Hunan native said he simply could not make ends meet(收支相抵) when he became an intern at a Beijing-based construction design company in 2009.
“I rented a home at the very beginning--a small room in an apartment that cost me about 900 yuan per month,” said Dai in an interview with local media. “It was too expensive for me. ”Dai’s father works on a construction site in his hometown and his mother is a cleaner.
Dai, who ended up becoming a formal employee of the company, figured out his own way to solve the problem---with inspiration from a housing design project at his company’s exhibition early this year.
The project, named“An egg given birth to by the city”, included a series of egg-like movable houses, with a karaoke house, chair house and trader’s house in it.
Dai, who borrowed 6,400 yuan from an older cousin and who got additional help from several friends, decided to make one of his own. He spent nearly two months building his“egg house”in his hometown, a village in southeast Hunan that is around 1,700 kilometers from Beijing.
【小題1】Where is this passage probably taken from?

A.A story book. B.A cartoon film. C.A news report. D.A research report.
【小題2】What is Dai Haifei?
A.An official of government. B.A journalist.
C.An office worker of a company. D.A manager of a company.
【小題3】Why did he build the pad?
A.Because he will sell it for money.
B.Because he has no house to get married in.
C.Because he doesn’t have enough money to buy or rent a house.
D.Because he wants to get help from the society.
【小題4】Which statement is not TRUE?
A.He comes from a Hunan village.
B.He has lived in the egg home for two months.
C.He got the idea from a friend.
D.He once rented a room.
【小題5】What’s the writer’s attitude?
A.Supporting. B.Puzzled. C.Criticizing. D.Objective.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK, around half the population. Joanna Shields, vice president of Facebook Europe, made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London.
Globally, Facebook has more than 500 million registered (注冊(cè)的) users, a milestone it hit last summer. Last July it had 26 million registered UK users. In the last eight months, it has attracted four million extra UK users, bringing the UK total to 30 million.
Facebook, the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg while he was still studying at Harvard University, was launched in February 2004. The pace of its global growth has sped rapidly - Facebook had only 150 million registered users in January 2009.
One third of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up, before even going to the toilet, according to the research. 21% check Facebook in the middle of the night, while 42% of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network, a study by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research found.
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook’s referrals (好友推薦)can bring to media sites, such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with regularly. “Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits,” Shields said. Shields refused to be drawn on whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was “silly” that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to refresh their contacts with Facebook friends.
【小題1】Eight months ago the number of registered users of Facebook in UK was about ____.

A.less than half of its populationB.30 million
C.4 millionD.500 million
【小題2】Shields talked at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conferences about the following EXCEPT ____.
A.Facebook’s referrals
B.its plan on developing its own mobile phone operating system
C.its dissatisfaction with Google
D.its call for more media sites to take advantage of Facebook
【小題3】What does the underlined word “disabled” mean in the last paragraph?
A.InventedB.Strengthened
C.AddedD.Stopped
【小題4】What is the best title of the text?
A.Facebook’s referrals bring benefits
B.Facebook: the brainchild of Mark Zuckergerg
C.Facebook: used by half the UK population
D.Facebook: women’s preference

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

President Barack Obama rode a bicycle at the White House Science Fair on April 22. But it wasn’t an ordinary bike. As he pedaled, the President stayed in place, while the energy from his pedaling powered a water filtration (過(guò)濾) system. He was testing an invention created by a team of 14 students from Northeast High School, in Oakland Park, Florida.
Payton Karr, 16, and Kiona Elliot, 18, attended the fair as representatives of the project.“We were hoping President Obama would ride the bike, but we didn’t actually expect him to,” Payton told TFK. “ It really meant a lot.” Kiona agreed. “It was pretty awesome to see the invention, which was invented by a group of 14 high school students and one teacher, along with the help of community members, got the interest of the leader of our nation,” she said.
The project was an idea that came about after one of the Northeast students, Kalie Hoke, visited Haiti after the terrible 2010 earthquake and saw how difficult it was to find clean water. The students invented a portable(便攜的), bicycle-powered emergency water filtration system, which can provide 20-30 people with drinking water in a 15-hour period. The teens hope their invention will one day be used by relief organizations like the Red Cross. “ They can take it to places after natural disasters so that water can be clean for the people there,” said Payton.
Payton and Kiona were among the 100 students from more than 40 states invited to the third annual White House Science Fair, in Washington, D.C., which is also attended by leaders in science and education. President Obama started the event in 2010 to stimulate students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).“Well, if you’re a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, you ought to be recognized for that achievement,” Obama said when he first announced the fair.
President Obama praised the projects during a speech to attendees after the fair. “The science fair projects of today could become the products and businesses of tomorrow,” he said. “If you’re inventing things in the third grade, what are you going to do by the time you get to college?”
【小題1】What is special about the bicycle President Obama rode?

A.It can move very fast.
B.It is extremely beautiful.
C.It is used to make water clean.
D.It is made of eco-friendly materials.
【小題2】The representatives of the bicycle-powered water filtration system_________.
A.were both community members
B.graduated from a famous university
C.finished the project with the help of their parents
D.were surprised that their invention interested Obama
【小題3】The bicycle-powered water filtration system was designed ________________.
A.a(chǎn)t the request of the Red Cross
B.for city families to get pure water
C.during the terrible 2010 earthquake in Haiti
D.to provide people in disaster areas with clean water
【小題4】The underlined word “stimulate” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by _________.
A.help B.inspire C.change D.entertain
【小題5】We can know from the last sentence in the passage that President Obama _____.
A.wanted the youth to have big dreams
B.encouraged the youth to go to college
C.worried the young inventors would do nothing in college
D.believed the young inventors would have a promising future

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