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
72. A         73. A         74. B   75. D
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

.
第四部分：任務型閱讀  (10分)
認真閱讀下列短文，并根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一個最恰當?shù)膯卧~。
Speaking in public is most people's least favorite thing. The reason is that we are all afraid of making fools of ourselves. The more important the speech is, the more frightened we become. In fact, public speaking is not a "gift" like musical talent. Anybody who can talk can speak in public. Here are some of the lessons I have learned:
Try to make your idea clear and brief. If you can't express what you intend to get across in a sentence or two, and then your speech is not focused well enough. If you don't have a clear idea of what you want to say, your audience will make no sense. After all, what you can impress your audience in your speech is one or two of your main ideas. One or two. Not ten or twenty.
No matter how long or short your speech is, you've got to organize it well-how you are going to open, what major points you want to make and how you're going to close. A strong close is critical: the last thing you say is what your audience will most likely remember. When I do a radio or TV piece, I often write the last sentence first. When you know where you' re headed, you can choose any route to get there.
Finally, you'd better limit the time of your speech as properly as you can to hold the audience's curiosity. Take a vaudeville act (雜耍) for example. The standard length of one is usually 12 minutes. Just imagine how you are feeling if you have been watching all the performers singing and dancing their hearts out for more than the standard time
Title: How to make a   71   speech
Techniques
Reasons
Requirements
 
Keep it brief
and clear
You  should   72  your speech  well enough.
 
Prepare one or two of your main ideas.
The audience will not catch you well if your idea is   73 
Get    your
speech well
_74 
Knowing where you are going, you can make a better   75   of the route to get there.
Know very well about the  76 , body  and ending of the speech
Keep   your
speech time
_77 
Your speech should not be too long so as to make your audience   78
Limit the time of your speech in a  79  way.
If you don't,  the audience will be _80  .

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Close test30%
Not long ago, the only time you could see a robot was when you were reading a novel or watching a movie such as Star Wars. Today, 36 a lot of things in science stories have been science facts. Robots are starting to _37_ in our everyday lives. These robots have different sizes, shapes and colors. But they all have the same _38_ of man-made “_39_”. Leading the robot revolution(革命) are industrial robots that work in factories. Industrial robots can do different kinds of jobs that are often _40_ and sometimes dangerous. Robots are also coming to American homes, though not as quickly asthey are entering _41_. These robots aren’t as friendly and _42_ as those you saw in Star Wars. But, their makers say, today’s home robots “walk” and sense objects in their own way. They even _43_ objects though they may sometimes drop. Well, nobody is _44_.
We may _45_ home robots today, but some day they may see and hear _46_ than humans do. We _47_
can only see certain wave lengths of light and hear certain _48_. That’s because the _49_ of our eyes and ears are _50_.
Robots, however, need not have the same limits _51_ we have. Robots may also be _52_ wit devices(裝置) that  _53_ information humans can’t. However, to understand _54_ their sensing devices pick up is a hard job.
Remember, man-made brains _55_ information, including all kinds of data, as zeroes and ones.
Imagine the difficulty in trying to explain to a robot what a football looks like---using only zeroes and ones.
36. A. however                  B. whenever                       C. on the other hand                 D. in other words
37. A. come                        B. appear                                      C. enter                                         D. raise
38. A. variety                      B. dozen                              C. score                                         D. type
39. A. muscle                     B. body                                 C. brain                                         D. appearance
40. A. surprising                B. boring                              C. pleasant                                   D. exciting
41. A. homes                     B. factories                         C. schools                                     D. offices
42. A. certain                     B. pleasing                          C. bright                                        D. foolish
43. A. carry                         B. forget                              C. remember                              D. choose
44. A. wonderful                B. excellent                         C. happy                                        D. perfect
45. A. play jokes on     B. make fun of                    C. laugh at                                  D. have fun with
46. A. worse                       B. faster                              C. better                                      D. sooner
47. A. fellows                     B. humans                           C. beings                                     D. friends
48. A. noise                         B. voice                                C. sounds                                              D. speeches
49. A. sight                         B. length                              C. distance                                  D. ability
50. A. enough                     B. endless                           C. limited                           D. hopeful
51. A. as                              B. since                                C. for                                            D. while
52. A. given                         B. equipped                        C. sent                                         D. applied
53. A. pick out                    B. pick up                   C. send up                                   D. send out
54. A. how                           B. where                              C. what                                        D. which
55. A. deal                           B. handle                             C. seek                                        D. provide

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

         All of us eat every day, but most of us don’t understand nutrition. We often make mistakes in talking about good diet.
For example, many people think that foods such as rice, bread and potatoes will make one grow fat. In fact, these foods are very good to one’s health. They are good sources of many vitamins. And in comparison with steak and beef, they contain less amount of calories.
Some people don’t like canned(罐裝的) or frozen vegetables, because they think fresh vegetables cooked at home are always better. This is again wrong. In fact, whether the vegetables are good or not depends more on how they are prepared. Overcooking, for example, destroys good qualities of vegetables. Vegetables cooked in too much water can lose a large amount of vitamins.
It is widely believed extra vitamins provide more energy. But taking more than the body needs doesn’t make it function better.
It is also wrong to say that vegetables grown in poor, worn-out soil are lower in vitamins than vegetables grown in rich soil. The vitamins in our foods are in the plants themselves. They don’t come from the soil. However, the minerals(礦物質(zhì)) in a plant depend on the minerals in the soil.
In short, there are many false ideas about nutrition. We need to correct them.
46. This passage is mainly about_______.
A. nutrition                B. vitamins                C. vegetables            D. health
47. Rice, bread and potatoes do good to people’s health mainly because_______.
A. they make people fat                              B. there are lot of vitamins in them
C. they contain less amount of calories compared with steak and beef.
D. both B and C.
48. Why don’t some people like canned or frozen vegetables? Because______.
A. they think fresh vegetables contain less vitamins
B. they think fresh vegetables contain more vitamins than the canned or frozen ones
C. they don’t think the canned or frozen vegetables are fresh
D. they don’t think the canned or frozen vegetables taste as good as the fresh ones
49. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Many people know almost everything about nutrition.
B. Food such as rice, bread and potatoes make people fat.
C. vegetables grown in poor worn-out soil may have the same amount of vitamins as vegetables grown in rich soil.
D. extra vitamins provide less energy.
50. The point of the passage is that______.
A. the minerals in a plant depend on the minerals in the soil
B. people make mistakes when talking about good diet
C. taking more vitamins than the body needs doesn’t make it function better
D. vegetables cooked in too much water can lose a large amount of vitamins

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When you go to St．Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem large．If you are short of time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.
1.The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There are lots of different paintings by the old masters in the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.
2. Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden architecture from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made entirely without nails - the wood fits together with joints and grooves(溝槽).
3. Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission, but go to Petethof when the fountaions are working—during the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter evenings.
4. The Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood
Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg is an enthralling must-see sight. The beautiful look may make y our eyes brighten, and the painting sinside the church will make you say “Wow!”
5. The Bronze Horseman Statue
The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and a symbol of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin, this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idce of greatness.
小題1:If you are interested in paintings, you’d better go to        .
A．Peterhof and Kizhi Island
B．the Hcrmitagee Museum and Peterhof
C．Kizhi lsland and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood
D．the hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood
小題2:We can learn from the passage that          .
A．visitors can visit Peterhof for free
B．the buildings of Kizhi Island are made of wood
C．the fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round
D．the largest collection of Russian arts is in the Hermitage Museum
小題3:The main purpose of the passage is to        .
A．show the wonderful history of Russia
B．persuade artists to study St. Petersburg
C．recommend the famous buildings in Russia
D．introduce the must-see sights in St. Petersburg
小題4:The underlined phrase (in Para 1) “hit the highlights” means        .
A．to save more timeB．to learn more knowledge
C．to go to the high buildingsD．to visit the most interesting sights

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


IV.閱讀理解（共17小題；每小題２分，滿分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 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

    No one is glad to hear that his body has to be cut open by a surgeon（外科醫(yī)生） and part of it taken out． Today， however， we needn't worry about feeling pain during the operation． The sick person falls into a kind of sleep， and when he awakes， the operation is finished． But these happy conditions are fairly new． It is not many years since a man who had to have operation felt all its pain．
Long ago， operation had usually to be done while the sick man could feel everything． The sick man had to be held down on a table by force while the doctors did their best for him． He could feel all the pain if his leg or arm was being cut off， and his fearful cries filled the room and the hearts of those who watched．
Soon after 1770， Josept Priestley discovered a gas which is now called “l(fā)aughing gas”．Laughing gas became known in America．Young men and women went to parties to try it． Most of them spent their time laughing，but one man at a party，Horace Wells，noticed that people didn't seem to feel pain when they were using this gas．He decided to make an experiment on himself．He asked a friend to help him．
Wells took some of the gas，and his friend pulled out one of Well’s teeth．Wells felt no pain at all．
As he didn't know enough about laughing gas， he gave a man less gas than he should have． The man cried out with pain when his tooth was being pulled out．
Wells tried again，but this time he gave too much of the gas，and the man died．Wells never forgot this terrible event．
56.It is ___________since a man being operated felt all the pain.
A.a few more years      B.not long         C.few years         D.two thousand years
57. Long ago, when the sick man was operated on, he___________.
A.could feel nothing                     B.could not want anything
C.could feel all the pain              D.could do anything
58.Using the laughing gas, the people did not seem to___________.
A.be afraid of anything       B.feel pain   C.want to go to the parties    D.be ill
59.If a man took less laughing gas than he should have when an operation went on he___________.
A.felt nothing       B.felt very comfortable     C.still felt pain          D.would die

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Al Herpin died at the age of 95. 
41.The main idea of this passage is that _______
A. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
B. people can live longer by trying not to sleep
C. large numbers of people do not need sleep
D. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep
42.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting ______
A. to find out whether his sleeplessness was really true
B. to find out why some old people didn't need any sleep
C. to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping
D. to cure him of his sleeplessness
43. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ____
A. needed no sleep at all              B. needed some kind of sleep     
C . was too old to need any sleep       D .often slept in a chair
44.One reason that might explain Herpin' s sleeplessness was ______
A. his mother's injury before he was born
B. his magnificent physical condition
C. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit
D. that he hadn't got a bed
45.Al Herpin' s condition could be regarded as ______
A. a common one       B. very healthy     C. one that could be cured    D. a rare one

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The roughly 40 percent increase in attention problems among heavy TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls. The link was established by a long-term study of the habits and behaviors of more than 1,000 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973.
The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the tube rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Carl Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin wrote in his report, published in the journal Pediatrics.
Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not the damage was done, the report said.
"This suggests that the effects of childhood viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis wrote.
Landhuis offered several possible explanations for the association.
One was that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may over stimulate（刺激）the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison. "Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," he wrote.
It was also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, he said.
Previous studies have linked the sedentary固定不動的）habit of TV watching among children to obesity and diabetes, and another study in the same journal cited the poor nutritional content of the overwhelming majority of food products advertised on the top-rated US. children's television shows.
Up to 98 percent of the TV ads promoting food products that were directed at children aged 2 through 11 "were high in either fat, sugar, or sodium," wrote Lisa Powell of the University of Illinois in Chicago.
56. The recent survey shows that _________.
A. watching TV can cause all kinds of diseases for children
B. TV sets have played an important part in our daily lives
C. Watching TV over 2 hours a day early in life can cause attention problems later in adolescence
D. watching TV has side effects on children’s future
57. People used to think that _________.
A. watching TV more than 2 hours every day did good to children’s health
B. the sedentary habit of TV watching among children could easily lead to obesity and diabetes
C. the children wasn’t patient with their homework because of watching TV too much
D. it was very important for children to watching TV early in life
58. The underlined word “Hence” means _________.
A. In that case    B. And yet    C. On the contrary    D. For this reason
59. In Landhuis’ opinion, _________.
A. attention problems caused by watching TV during childhood may be hard to get rid of
B. how to develop children’s attention problems is a lasting problem
C. the key of settling attention problems is not watching TV too much
D. there shouldn’t have many food products ads on children's television shows

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