What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is not a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in biotechnology(生物技術). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells,and so on-in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
【小題1】According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by____
A.diseases and aging | B.a(chǎn)ccidents and war |
C.a(chǎn)ccidents and aging | D.heart disease and war |
A.heart disease will be far away from us |
B.human brains can decide the final death |
C.the basic materials of cells will last forever |
D.human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
A.human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
B.humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
C.much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
D.we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
【小題1】A
【小題2】D
【小題3】C
解析試題分析 人類的壽命將在未來有很大的提高,新藥物能再生死去腦細胞,以繼續(xù)生命。
【小題1】A細節(jié)題。根據(jù)第一段Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.得出應選A項。
【小題2】D細節(jié)題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第四行The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells,and so on-in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.得知選D項。
【小題3】C 推斷題。A項表述錯誤,將來人類壽命可以持續(xù)120年。B項 根據(jù)倒數(shù)第五行 people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs錯誤。D項錯在already一詞上,這項研究正在進行中。由此得出C項正確。
考點 科普類閱讀。
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological(生態(tài)的) disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸鹽)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine(帶狀礦). When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer(層) of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.
【小題1】What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To seek help for Nauru’s problems. | B.To give a warning to other countries. |
C.To show the importance of money. | D.To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
A.Rich and powerful. | B.Modern and open. |
C.Peaceful and attractive. | D.Greedy and aggressive. |
A.soil pollution | B.phosphate over mining |
C.farming activity | D.whale hunting |
A.Its leaders misused the money. | B.It spent too much repairing the island. |
C.Its phosphate mining cost much money. | D.It lost millions of dollars in the civil war. |
A.The phosphate mines were destroyed. | B.The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously. |
C.The island was abandoned by the Nauruans. | D.The ecological damage is difficult to repair. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Food prices have risen sharply over the past few years. The good news is that the rate of increase has slowed. The bad news is that prices will not go down anytime soon.
Also,the rate of global agricultural production is slowing. Yet it needs to increase 60% over the next 40 years to feed a growing world population.
These are among the findings from the OECDFAO(the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development & the Food and Agriculture Organization)Agricultural Outlook(展望)2012-2021.
FAO DirectorGeneral Jose Graziano da Silva spoke at a news conference in Rome when the report was released. Mr.Da Silva said that,not surprisingly,the world's poorest people will feel the greatest effects of higher prices.
“For the millions and millions of extremely poor people, the effects of high food prices are clear—they might have to change their diets,usually to ones with poorer nutrition quality, ”he said.
In middleincome countries, people are gaining weight as they eat fewer fruits and vegetables and more of the cheaper but less nutritious foods.
The report also shows that farmers in poorer countries will be leading efforts to feed an expected 9,000,000,000 people by 2050.The outlook predicts that farmers in Latin America,the Caribbean and subSaharan Africa will drive agricultural production in the future.
Angel Gurria,SecretaryGeneral of the OECD,said:“We can feed 9,000,000,000 people by 2050 on this planet. But we have to organize ourselves better.” But there are plenty of challenges.Onefourth of all agricultural land is damaged. Many countries face water shortages(短缺).And experts believe climate change is driving increasingly unusual weather patterns.
The report says farmers need to use more growing methods that can't cause damage to the environment.At the same time,it says governments should end economically harmful supports and spend more money to increase agricultural production.Mr.Gurria says rich and poor nations need to treat agriculture more like a business.
“In many cases,agriculture is related in people's minds to the poorest. It's related to aid. It's related to very poor living conditions,etc. We have got to shake that image away,”he said.
【小題1】Why are people gaining weight in countries with average incomes?
A.They eat more food. | B.They eat less nutritious foods. |
C.They eat cheaper fruits. | D.They eat cheaper vegetables. |
A.a(chǎn)re damaging a great part of their agricultural land |
B.will play a great role in feeding the growing world population |
C.a(chǎn)re spending lots of money increasing agricultural production |
D.will not be so seriously affected by food prices as rich nations |
A.Improving the growing methods. |
B.Finding more agricultural land. |
C.Preventing governments' involvement. |
D.Improving farmers' living conditions. |
A.Agriculture means difficulty and sadness. |
B.Food prices will go down in the near future. |
C.It's almost impossible to feed 9,000,000,000 people by 2050. |
D.Both rich and poor countries should take agriculture seriously. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise—it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath—perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics(模仿) nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic (共生的) existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.
【小題1】Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is______.
A.a(chǎn)lways energetic | B.lacking in liveliness |
C.shaped like a square | D.favored by ancient poets |
A.To describe the movement of the waves. |
B.To show the strength of the storm. |
C.To represent the vitality of the ocean. |
D.To prove the vastness of the sea. |
A.a(chǎn) beautiful and poetic place | B.a(chǎn) flesh and blood person |
C.a(chǎn) wonderful world | D.a(chǎn) lovely animal |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Popeye the Sailor first became a popular cartoon in the 1930s.The sailor in that cartoon ate lots of spinach to make him strong. People watched him, and they began to buy and eat a lot more spinach. Popeye helped sell 33 percent more spinach than before! Spinach became a necessary part of many people’s diets. Even some children who hated the taste began to eat the vegetable.
Many people thought that the iron in spinach made Popeye strong, but this is not true. Spinach does not have any more iron than any other green vegetable.
People only thought spinach had a lot of iron because the people who studied the food made a mistake. In the 1890s, a group of people studied what was inside vegetables. This group said that spinach had ten times more iron than it did. The group wrote the number wrong, and everyone accepted it.
Today, we know that the little iron there is in spinach cannot make a difference in how strong a person is. However, spinach does have something else which the body needs—folic acid.
It is interesting to point out that folic acid can help make a person strong. Maybe it was really the folic acid that made Popeye strong all along.
【小題1】Why did many people eat spinach after they saw Popeye the Sailor?
A.They thought spinach made them strong. |
B.They thought Popeye was funny. |
C.Spinach had a lot of iron. |
D.People liked folic acid. |
A.made Popeye strong |
B.was a green vegetable |
C.had less iron than other green vegetables |
D.had more iron than other green vegetables |
A.iron | B.folic acid | C.spinach | D.exercise |
A.something in food | B.a(chǎn) vegetable | C.dangerous | D.a(chǎn) certain kind of spinach |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation(毀林) is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"
The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.
Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks, disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.
Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.
Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realise the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.
Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.
【小題1】The underlined word "synthetics" probably means_________.
A.natural rubber | B.tropical materials |
C.man-made material | D.commercial rubber |
A.The forests are losing their function in turning carbon dioxide into oxygen. |
B.Many of our daily uses are related to the tropical forests. |
C.Tropical plants can be used to make industrial products. |
D.High carbon dioxide levels will make the earth warmer. |
A.puzzling | B.cold | C.supporting | D.opposed |
A.Tropical Forests | B.The Value of Tropical Forests |
C.Tropical Forests and Our Life | D.The Greenhouse Effects |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
In Greek mythology(神話), fire is a gift form God, stolen from Zeus(宙斯) by Prometheus and handed over to humans suffering from cold. What could be more natural than sitting around a beautiful fire on a winter night, at a campsite in the Berkshires?
Hard as it may be to believe, the fireplace—long considered a trophy(獎杯), particularly in a city like New York—is acquiring a social shame. Among those who desire to be environmentally responsible, it is joining the ranks of bottled water and big houses.
Sally Treadwell, a 51-year-old public relations executive in Boone, N.C., said nothing makes her happier than building a fire on a cold winter night. But most of the time she doesn’t, because she feels too guilty about the damage it may do to the environment. Every time she builds a fire, it causes “inner conflict,” she said. “It’s a guilty pleasure”.
“The smoke from a fire smells very nice,” said Diane Bailey, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. “But it can cause a lot of harm. The tiny particles(顆粒) can cause illness, and can cross into the bloodstream, causing heart attacks as well as worsening other conditions.”
Growing concerns about the air pollution and health problems caused by smoke from wood fires are urging a number of areas across the country to pass laws regulating them. Idaho offers a tax cut to people who replace uncertified(不合格的)wood stoves with “greener” ones; San Joaquin County in California forbids selling a home unless its wood stove is replaced with an E.P.A. certified one;and Palo Alto and other governments in California forbid wood-burning fireplaces in new construction.
Certainly, many think otherwise. In any case, most fireplaces are used far too infrequently to cause any real damage to the environment, said Stephen Sears, the vice president of the Brick Industry Association, voicing an opinion shared by some.
Perhaps not coincidentally, sales of wood-burning equipment dropped to 235,000 in 2009 from 800,000 in 1999, according to the Brick Industry Association. It also reports that approximately 35,000 fireplaces were installed in the United States in 2009, compared to 80,000 in 2005. Certainly those numbers reflect the economic slowdown, but the may also be affected by growing mixed feelings to wood fries.
【小題1】We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that ________.
A.big houses are not considered environmentally friendly |
B.bottle water is a good companion for a fire place |
C.a(chǎn) fireplace is viewed as a sign of success |
D.people in New York are laughed at for their tradition |
A.her love for the fireplace |
B.the damage to the environment |
C.the concern about her health |
D.her mixed emotion fro the fireplace |
A.uncertified fireplaces are forbidden in Idaho |
B.some people are against the woodfire controlling regulations |
C.only energy-efficient wood stoves can be used in the US |
D.a(chǎn)ll the people support measures taken to control the use of fireplaces |
A.To urge people to burn less wood |
B.To discuss wood-burning’s impact |
C.To throw light on the causes of the fireplace’s decline |
D.To indicate the cooling love for the fireplace |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
What if we could replace oil with a fuel which produced no pollution and which everybody had equal access to? The good news is that we can. In fact, we are swimming in it--- literally.
Hydrogen is one of the building blocks of the universe. Our own sun is basically a big, dense cloud of the stuff. And hydrogen can be used to create electricity for power, heat and light.
The problem is that hydrogen is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It does not exist as a material on its own, but is always part of something else. So it has to be separated before it can be used.
Most commercial hydrogen in use now is created from natural gas. As oil will start to run out in around the year 2030, it makes sense to produce as much hydrogen as possible as soon as we can. But natural gas supplies will also begin to run out soon after. Another source is needed.
Researchers are now using electricity to make water into hydrogen. Companies are working on the problem in their own areas. The first commercial hydrogen “fuel cells” for computers and mobile phones have already come on to the market. Auto companies have also invested over US $2 billion in the production of hydrogen fuelled cars.
The nations of a hydrogen fuelled planet would not fight over energy recourses. There would be a great reduction in pollution. The only by-product of creating hydrogen is pure drinking water--- something that is very scarce in many parts of the world. But that is not where the good news ends. Once the costs of producing hydrogen have been brought down, it will possibly provide power for a third of the Earth’s population that has no electricity.
And electricity creates wealth. In South Africa over the last decade there has been a large programme of electrification. Thanks to the programme, people do not have to spend their days looking firewood to burn for heat. And with electric light, they can work long into the night.
Some scientists see radical changes in the way the human race co-operates. Hydrogen creates electricity, and is also created by it. With dual use fuel cells, everyone who consumes energy could also produce it. Late at night, a man drives home in London and connects his car into the “world-wide hydrogen web,” which it supplies with electricity. A few hours later, a man in Beijing uses that electricity to power the hydrogen cell in his car. Hydrogen could be the first democratic energy source.
Like all dreams of the future, it seems very far away. But the threat of war and terrorism in the Middle East has made governments and businesses more aware of the need to end oil dependency and spend more time and money on hydrogen resource. So maybe the threat of war is not a completely bad thing for the future of the human race.
【小題1】What does the underlined word “it” in the last but one paragraph refer to?
A.wealth | B.hydrogen | C.electricity | D.fuel |
A.It has by-products. |
B.It has to be separated from other materials. |
C.It will make energy too cheap. |
D.It is too far away from us. |
A.To tell us that we produce energy while using hydrogen power. |
B.To tell us that hydrogen power does not produce pollution. |
C.To show hydrogen power can stop war. |
D.To show hydrogen power is cheap. |
A.skeptical | B.negative | C.indifferent | D.positive |
A.war and energy | B.the future of hydrogen as an energy resource |
C.the disadvantages of oil | D.How to end war |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet(彗星). When the fragment(碎片)landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientists here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our plant, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic.
On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.
Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won’t escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs(恐龍)were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn’t survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author’s description of the disaster in 2094?
A.The whole world becomes extremely cold. |
B.All the coastal cities in African are destroyed. |
C.The whole mankind becomes extinct. |
D.The visit of the comet results in wars. |
A.Because they could only live in the warm climate. |
B.Because they once ruled the Earth. |
C.Because their extinction shows future disasters. |
D.Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age. |
A.give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future |
B.prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed |
C.tell the historical development of the Earth |
D.warn of a possible disaster in the future |
A.terror story | B.news report |
C.research paper | D.a(chǎn)rticle of popular science |
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