Next Halloween, a small vegetable that looks like a pumpkin may appear in a garden near you. The
vegetable is a type of pepper that is called "Lil' Pumpkin." It's very special because it has orange,
pumpkin－like fruit.
     You might think that all vegetables are grown to provide food to eat. But some vegetables are grown
mainly for the lively color and holiday spirit that they bring to gardens. These are called "ornamentals
(觀賞性植物)." Just like lights decorate a Christmas tree, they decorate a garden.
     The peppers were bred(培育) by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists John Stommel and
Robert Griesbach. Another pepper the scientists developed is called "Pepper Jack." Because Pepper
Jack has orange and black cone shaped(錐形的) fruit, it might remind you of the popular Halloween
treat "candy corn."
     Stommel says that vegetable crops such as peppers were first widely grown in Europe in the 15th
century. At that time, people liked these crops more because they looked pretty than because they
provided food.
     Back then, when a gardener grew plants for decoration and plants for food, the garden was called a
"potager." An example of this is the large gardens on the lawns(草坪) of castles and very large homes
where kings and queens lived, One of those large royal homes was the French king's palace at
Versailles during the 1600's. The palace is still there today, and people from all over the world still go
there to visit and see the gardens.
     Today, Stommel says using vegetables as decorations in gardens has become popular again.
     So you might be wondering, if these peppers are for decoration, can people eat them? Yes, but the
fruit from both of these peppers has a sharp taste (kind of like onions！)
     These peppers are scheduled to become available in mid2011. These pretty peppers can be grown
in containers and also in garden beds. They grow best with plenty of light and warm temperatures,
Stommel says.
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Different kinds of peppers.
B. The history of peppers.
C. Peppers with the Halloween spirit.
D. Food for the Halloween festival.
2. What do we know about "Lil' Pumpkin" and "Pepper Jack"?
A. They are used to decorate Christmas trees.
B. They are grown mainly to provide food to eat.
C. Their fruits have different shapes.
D. Their fruits are the same color.
3. The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 2 refers to "______".
A. these vegetables  
B. these holidays
C. these lights  
D. these scientists
4. According to the passage, a potager was ______.
A. the place where kings and queens lived
B. the garden in the French king's palace
C. a place providing vegetables for the royal homes
D. a garden with plants for decoration and for food
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科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解

     Bad moods can actually be good for you,with an Australian study finding that being sad makes people less gullible (輕信), improves their ability to judge others and also boosts memory.
     The study, authored by psychology professor Joseph Forgas at the University of New South Wales,showed that people in a negative mood were more critical of, and paid more attention to, their surroundings than happier people, who were more likely to believe anything they were told.
     "Although positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation, and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger (引發(fā)) more attentive,careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world,"  Forgas wrote.
     "Our research suggests that sadness...promotes information processing strategies best suited to dealing with more demanding situations."
     For the study,Forgas and his team conducted several experiments that started with inducing happy or sad moods in their subjects through watching films and recalling positive or negative events.
     In one of the experiments,happy and sad participants were asked to judge the truth of urban myths and rumors and found that people in a negative mood were less likely to believe these statements.
     People in a bad mood were also less likely to make snap decisions based on racial or religious prejudices, and they were less likely to make mistakes when asked to recall an event that they witnessed.
     The study also found that sad people were better at stating their case through written arguments, which Forgas said showed that a "mildly negative mood may actually promote a more concrete, accommodative and ultimately more successful communication style."
     "Positive mood is not universally desirable: people in negative mood are less prone to judgmental errors,are more resistant to eyewitness distortions (扭曲) and are better at producing highquality, effective persuasive messages," Forgas wrote.
     The study was published in the November/December edition of the Australian Science journal.
1. The study suggests that when someone is in a bad mood,he ________.
A. is particular about everything
B. shows less concern about others
C. is willing to believe what he hears
D. cares more about his surroundings
2. Which of the following is connected with positive mood?
A. New ideas.  
B. Being stubborn.
C. Being careful.  
D. Concentration.
3. How did researcher put the subjects in good or bad moods?
A. By watching sports programs.
B. By listening to happy or sad stories.
C. By dealing with demanding situations.
D. By thinking back on their past experience
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A. Positive mood contributes to better judgement.
B. Sad people remembered what they saw precisely.
C. Cheerful people were less likely to believe rumors.
D. People in bad mood tend to make quick decisions.
5. The author intends to convice us that  ________.
A. Joseph Forgas made a great discovery
B. bad moods can actually be good for us
C. we should think positively and negatively
D. the Australian study is of practical value
6. 用30詞左右概括文章大意
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

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科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解。
      The writings of Shakespeare are today little read by young people in Britain.His young
readership is limited to those who choose to study literature at university.
     Shakespeare's work,together with most other classics,is seen as remote,and written in a
400yearold version of English that is about as inviting as toothache.
     Still,in British schools,it is compulsory to study the bard(詩人),and when something is
made compulsory,usually the result is boredom,resentment(憎恨) or both.
     This was my experience of the classics at school.But when I reached my late teenage
years,I had a change of heart.Like every other young person since the dawn of time,the
world confused me.I wanted answers,so I turned to books to find them.
     I went on to take a PhD in literature and have taught it in Britain and China.I have never
regretted it.There is something in literature that people want,even if they don't read books.
You see this in the popularity of TV and movie adaptations of great works,the recent film
version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice being a_case_in_point.These popular
adaptationsmay help increase people's interest in the classics.
     Reading a simplified Romeo and Juliet may perhaps lead to a reading of Shakespeare's
actual play.If that is the case,then I welcome the trend.But do not make the mistake of thinking
that it is the same thing.Shakespeare is a poet.His greatness is in his language.Reading
someone else's rewriting of his work is like peeling a banana,throwing away the fruit,and
eating the skin take on the original.It really is worth the effort.
1．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The language used in classics is no longer in use today.
B．British students usually find compulsory reading dull.
C．Only those studying literature read Shakespeare's works.
D．For British people,Shakespeare's works are no longer classics.
2．According to the passage,the writer________.
A．has liked literary classics since an early age
B．was forced to read the classics for a PhD
C．turned to literature to seek answers in his teens
D．thinks only people who read books like literature
3．The popularity of TV and movie adaptations of great works may help people________.
A．learn more about tradition
B．get a PhD in literature
C．seek their answers about the world
D．become more interested in the classics
4．The underlined phrase "a case in point" in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to "________"．
A．a(chǎn) great hit
B．a(chǎn) good example
C．a(chǎn) movie adaptation
D．a(chǎn) popular phenomenon
5．What does the writer intend to tell us in the last paragraph?
A．The fruit of a banana is more useful than its skin.
B．The rewriting trend does more harm than good.
C．Readers should try to read the original versions.
D．Readers need to learn the language in the classics.
6．用30詞左右概括文章大意
_______________________________________________________

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科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解
                               How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings
      Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and
behaviors.But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical (經(jīng)驗(yàn)的,實(shí)證的) basis.They are
discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused, and lead to relaxation.
     Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity.In 2007, Joan
MeyersLevy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room's ceiling affects how
people think.Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may
lead them to make more abstract connections.Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
     In addition to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant's ability to concentrate.Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of
attention.
     Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia.Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet
outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students
whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
     Recent study on room lighting design suggests that dim (暗淡的) light helps people to loosen up.If that
is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation.Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
     So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings."We have a very limited number of studies,
so we're_almost_looking_ at_the_problem_through_a_straw_(吸管),"architect David Allison says."How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That's what
we're all struggling with."

1. What does Joan MeyersLevy focus on in her research?

A. Light.  
B. Ceilings.
C. Windows.  
D. Furniture.

2. The passage tells us that ________.

A. the shape of furniture may affect people's feelings
B. lower ceilings may help improve students' creativity
C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades
D. students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed

3. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ________.

A. the problem is not approached step by step
B. the researches so far have faults in themselves
C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect
D. research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns

4. Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?


CP:Central PointP:PointSp:Subpoint (次要點(diǎn))C:Conclusion

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科目：高中英語 來源：江西省同步題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解
     Even plants can run a fever, especially when they're under attack by insects or disease. But unlike
human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3,000 feet away-straight up. A decade ago, adopting the infrared(紅外線)scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist
Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are
under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide(殺蟲劑)spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don't have pest problems.
     Even better, Paley's Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they
became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3,000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured
the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a colourcoded map showing where plants were running "fevers". Farmers could then spotspray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they otherwise
would.
     The bad news is that Paley's company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted
the new technology and longterm backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about
pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation.
Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. "This technique can be used on 75 percent of
agricultural land in the United States, " says George Oerther of Texas A & M. Ray Jackson, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only if Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.
1. Plants will send out an increased amount of heat when they are________.
A. facing an infrared scanner
B. sprayed with pesticides
C. in poor physical condition
D. exposed to excessive sun rays
2. In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infrared scanning to________.
A. estimate the damage to the crops
B. draw a colourcoded map
C. measure the size of the affected area
D. locate the problem area
3. Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by________.
A. resorting to spotspraying
B. transforming poisoned rain
C. consulting infrared scanning experts
D. detecting crop problems at an early stage
4. The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties-________.
A. its high cost
B. the lack of official support
C. the lack of financial support
D. its failure to help increase production
5. Infrared scanning technology may be brought back into operation because of________.
A. full support from agricultural experts
B. growing concern about the excessive use of pesticides on crops
C. the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture
D. the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce

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科目：高中英語 來源：廣東省期末題 題型：閱讀理解

     Judging from recent surveys, most experts in sleep behaviour agree that there is an epidemic (流行病) of sleepiness in the nation. “I can’t think of a single study that hasn’t found Americans getting less sleep
than they ought to,” says Dr. David. Even people who think they are sleeping enough would probably be
better off with more rest.
     The beginning of our sleep-lack crises can be traced back to the invention of the light bulb a century
ago. From diary entries and our personal accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries, sleep scientists have
reached the conclusion that the average person used to sleep about 9.5 hours a night. “The best sleep
habits once were forced on us, when we had nothing to do in the evening on the farm, and it was dark.” By the 1950s and 1960s, the sleep schedule had been reduced dramatically, to between 7.5 and 8 hours, and most people had to wake to an alarm clock. “People cheat in their sleep, and they don’t even realize
they’re doing it,” says Dr. David. “They think they’re okay because they can manage with 6.5 hours, when they really need 7.5, 8 or even more to feel ideally energetic.”
      Perhaps the most cruel robber of sleep, researches say, is the complexity of the day. Whenever
pressures from work, family, friends and community increase, many people consider sleep the least
expensive item on their programme. “In our society, you’re considered energetic if you say you need only 5.5 hours’ sleep. If you have to get 8.5 hours, people think you lack drive and ambition.”
     To determine the consequences of sleep-lack, researchers have put subjects through a set of
psychological and performance tests requiring them, for instance, to add columns of numbers or recall a
passage read to them only minutes earlier. “We’ve found that if you’re lacking in sleep, performance
suffers,” says Dr. David. “Short-term memory is weakened, so are abilities to make decisions and to
concentrate.”

1. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. Research on the causes and consequences of sleep-lack.
B. The epidemic of sleepiness in the modern times.
C. The history of people’s sleeping patterns.
D. The minimum of our sleeping hours.


2. Which of the following is Dr. David’s opinion?
A. People who think they are sleeping enough are better off than those who don’t.
B. Some people can remain energetic with only 6.5 hours’ sleep a night.
C. If they get 8.5 hours’ sleep, people will be full of drive and ambition.
D. People’s performance becomes worse if they are lacking in sleep.

3. People in the 18th and 19th centuries slept about 9.5 hours a night because __________.

A. they were forced by their parents to do so
B. they knew what was best for their health
C. they had no electricity
D. they were not so energetic and ambitious as modern people are

4. The major cause of sleep-lack of modern people is _______.

A. the endless TV programmes in the evenings and on the Internet
B. the heavy work load of the day
C. the enough energy modern people usually have
D. loud noises in the modern cities

5. What does the word “subject” in paragraph 4 mean?

A. Person or thing that is being discussed or described.
B. Branch of knowledge studied in a school.
C. Person or thing being treated in a certain way or being experimented on.
D. Any member of a State apart from the supreme ruler.

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科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解

     Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems.While scientists are finding ways to
make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger
and heavier than the devices themselves.University of Missouri(MU) researchers are developing a
nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.
    “To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density (密度) .”said
Jae Kwon，assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU.“The radioisotope
(放射性同位素)battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries.”
     Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery，presently the
size and thickness of a penny，intended to power various micro/nanoelectromechanical
systems(M/NEMS) .Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns，Kwon said they are safe.
    “People hear the word‘nuclear'and think of something very dangerous.”he said.“However, nuclear
power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pacemakers，space
satellites and underwater systems.”
     His new idea is not only in the battery's size, but also in its semiconductor(半導(dǎo)體) .Kwon's battery
uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor.
    “The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation
energy can damage the lattice structure(晶體結(jié)構(gòu))of the solid semiconductor.”Kwon said.“By using a
liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem.”
     Together with J .David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research
Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery.In the future, they hope to increase the battery's
power，shrink its size and try with various other materials.Kwon said that the battery could be thinner
than the thickness of human hair.

1 .Which of the following is true of Jae Kwon?________
    A. He teaches chemistry at MU.
    B .He developed a chemical battery.
    C .He is working on a nuclear energy source.
    D .He made a breakthrough in computer engineering.

2 .Jae Kwon gave examples in Paragraph 4________.
    A .to show chemical batteries are widely applied
    B .to indicate nuclear batteries can be safely used
    C .to describe a nuclearpowered system
    D .to introduce various energy sources

3 .Liquid semiconductor is used to________.
    A .get rid of the radioactive waste
    B .test the power of nuclear batteries
    C .decrease the size of nuclear batteries
    D .reduce the damage to lattice structure

4 .According to Jae Kwon，his nuclear battery________.
    A .uses a solid semiconductor
    B .will soon replace the present ones
    C .could be extremely thin
    D .has passed the final test

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科目：高中英語 來源：0123 月考題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解。

     At 2:30 December 5, 1945, five US Navy training planes took off in clear weather from the base Lauderdale, Florida. The planes flew east over the coast… and disappeared. The group was Flight 19, on a run between
Florida and Bahamas. Tailor was the group leader. At about 3:40, Tailor reported that his compasses (指南針)
were not reading properly. The other planes followed their leaders aimlessly, first east, then west, then
northeast over the ocean, as Tailor tried to make sure of the direction by radio. Then, suddenly Tailor was
heard to give orders to dive…
     Quickly, two giant Martin seaplanes were sent up to search for Flight 19. Several hours later, the wind
became strong and visibility (能見度) dropped. A return to base was ordered. But only one of the Martin
seaplanes landed. Four days later, the Navy and Coast Guard combed a 100,000 square-mile area with more
than 100 planes and ships. No sign was ever shown of the missing planes.
     Today, people have noted the disappearance of many ships and planes in the southwest part of the North
 Atlantic and began to call this area the Bermuda Triangle.
     The points of the triangle are Bermuda, Puerto Rico and a particular place in the Gulf of Mexico, west of
Florida. It is a two-faced water world of tiny islands, bright beaches and beautiful waters. Yet thick fogs,
powerful currents (激流) and sudden storms are hidden behind this smiling surface.

1. In what position did Flight 19 disappear?
A. In the southeast part of the Atlantic Ocean.
B. In the northeast part of the Atlantic Ocean.
C. To the southwest of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean.
D. To the northeast of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean.
2. How many planes disappeared altogether that day?
A. Five
B. Six
C. Two
D. Only one.
3. The word "comb" in the passage means _____.
A. cover with
B. fly over
C. do up one's hair with a comb
D. search all over
4. Which of the following shows the correct position of the Bermuda Triangle?
   (F = Florida, Bm = Bermuda, PR = Puerto Rico, Bh = Barhamas, MG =the Gulf of Mexico,
   Atl = the Atlantic Ocean, B=Base)

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科目：高中英語 來源：模擬題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解
     Americans are thinking about national education standards recently developed by teachers and other
education experts. The National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO) led the effort.
     The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. What is the reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution.  That document limits the
responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilites,     like education, fall to each state.
     Local control of education probably was a good idea two hundred years ago. People stayed in the
same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to different  cities.
And some people work at jobs that did not exist even twenty years ago.
     Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live.
They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests
required by the No Child Left behind Act.
     Kara Schlosser is communications director for the CCSSO. She says the new standards clearly state
what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.
     Forty--eight states have a1ready shown approval for the standards. Two states refuse to accept the
idea. Critics say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee excellence for
all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the national standards will hurt their students because
the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks
and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal control.
     Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say
the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states
qualify (取得資格)for some federal grant money.

1. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Local Control of Education Standards out of Date
B. American National Education Standards under Consideration
C. Education Standards in Each State--Good or Bad.
D. Acceptance of the New Standards in the United States

2. Why is local control of education no 1onger a good idea today?

A. Because local standards are limited.
B. Because it is required by the federal government.
C. Because people today moves among states more often than before.
D. Because America has never had the same school standards throughout the  country.

3. Some people are against the nationa1 education standards because__________

A. the standards are higher than those of each state
B. they are not yet prepared for the new standards
C. the standards may prevent some students gaining excellence
D. they don't want the federal government to train their teachers

4. If a state agrees to accept the national standards, it will probably get ________.

A. more students      
B. advice on how to improve teaching
C. better textbooks    
D. money from the federal government

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