Researchers believe that the insect(昆蟲(chóng)) is better at managing congestion (擁擠) than humans. Ants are the most many type of animal on earth with brains that contain about 250,000 cells ---- the largest among insects.
Now an intelligence expert Dr. Dirk Helbing says understanding more about ants could help solve one of the headaches of modern life -- road congestion.
His team set up an "ant motorway" with two routes of different widths from the nest to some sugar syrup (糖漿). Soon the narrower(更窄的) route soon became crowded(擁擠的). But when an ant returning along the crowded route to the nest met with another ant just starting out, the returning ant pushed the newcomer onto the other path. However, if the returning ant had enjoyed a trouble-free journey, it did not send the newcomer in a different direction.
The result was that just before one route became clogged , the ants had turned to another route and traffic jams never formed.
The researchers also created a computer model of more complex ant networks with routes of different lengths. The team found that even though ants being sent in another direction sometimes took a longer route, they still got to the food quickly and efficiently.
Dr. Helbing, of the Dresden University of Technology in Germany, said that while you cannot allow cars to meet with traffic coming in the opposite(相反的)direction as a form of traffic control, you could do the next best thing and allow them to communicate.
His plan is to force cars traveling in one direction to tell oncoming traffic what the conditions they are about to meet with-- so they can avoid that situation if necessary.
小題1:The first paragraph suggests that _______.
A.a(chǎn)nts have a special way to manage congestion
B.a(chǎn)nts are clever and good at dealing with the traffic jams because of developed brain
C.insects are similar to animals in dealing with the traffic jams because of developed brain
D.insects have more advantages than humans
小題2: The underlined word "clogged" can be replaced by _______ in the following four words.
A.cleanedB.narrowedC.crowdedD.shortened
小題3:If an ant returns along crowded route to the nest, how does the ant solve the traffic problem?
A.The ant will change the direction of its own.
B.The ant stopped the newcomer from moving ahead and forced the newcomer to wait there patiently.
C.The ant can't direct the newcomer.
D.The ant will push the newcomer to the other route, so traffic jams won't form.
小題4: What's the advice that Dr. Helbing gives us?
A.The cars cannot be allowed to communicate with traffic coming in the opposite direction.
B.The cars can communicate with traffic in the same direction.
C.The cars that travel in one direction can tell oncoming traffic about the traffic conditions.
D.We should build more routes of different lengths and widths.

小題1:B
小題1:C
小題1:D
小題1:C
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Watercolour is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colours found in the earth with water.
Fresco (壁畫(huà)), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolour. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster (灰泥). Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo’s heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolour painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolour was used mainly for doing sketches (草圖) or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolour as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for outdoors and also small private pictures. The softness of watercolour had a remarkably strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolour continued to grow until the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolour, producing such well-known watercolour artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.
小題1: The purpose of the passage is to introduce _____. 
A.the gradual weakness of fresco painting
B.oils’ power or influence over watercolour
C.the discovery of watercolour in England
D.the start and development of watercolour
小題2: In the 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought _____.
A.watercolour was softer, and thus better
B.oil painting lasted longer, and was better
C.watercolour wasn’t fit for finished works
D.watercolour was too hard to use in any works
小題3:According to the passage, watercolour painting was put back in England because ____
A.it was easy to use outdoorsB.it was a strong medium
C.it was extremely bright in colourD.it was suited to popular tastes
小題4:What would the next paragraph most probably deal with?
A.The works of famous US watercolour artistsB.Modern American oil painters
C.The weakness of oils as popular paintsD.Techniques of producing watercolour

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The temperature is rising again in the Arctic. The sea ice area has dropped to one of the lowest levels on record, climate scientists reported last week.
“The new Arctic Report Card tells a story of widespread and continued effects of a warming Arctic,” said Jackie Richter-Menge of the US’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.
“This isn’t just a climatological (氣候?qū)W的) effect. It impacts the people that live there,” she added.
Scientists concerned about global warming focus on the Arctic because that is a region where the effects are expected to be felt first, and that has been the case in recent years.
There was a slowdown in Arctic warming in 2009, but in the first half of 2010 warming was near a record pace. The monthly readings were over 4 degrees Celsius above normal in northern Canada, according to the report card. The report card was prepared by 69 researchers in eight countries.
Researchers said last winter’s big snow storms that struck some Northern countries were tied to higher Arctic temperatures.
“Normally the cold air is bottled up in the Arctic,” said Jim Overland of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “But last December and February, winds that normally blow west to east across the Arctic were instead bringing the colder air south,” he said.
“As we lose more sea ice... warming in the atmosphere can create more of these winter storms,” Overland said.
There is a powerful connection between ice cover and air temperatures, Richter-Menge explained. When temperatures warm, ice melts. When ice melts it shows darker surfaces underneath , which absorb  more heat. “That, in turn, causes more melting and on the cycle goes,” she said.
In September the Arctic sea ice extent was the third smallest in the last 30 years, added Don Perovich of the US Army Laboratory. He said the three smallest ice covers have occurred in the last four years.
小題1:Scientists care so much about the warming in the Arctic region because     .
A.the climate in the Arctic doesn’t change much
B.global warming effects are most serious in the Arctic region
C.there has been a major decrease of Arctic warming in recent years
D.by studying the region they can make predictions about the future impact of global warming
小題2:. Which of the following shows that the Arctic is getting warmer? 
A. The surface of the sea ice in Arctic is getting darker and darker.
B. The Arctic sea ice extent has disappeared over the last 30 years.
C. The sea ice extent has increased to one of the highest levels on record.

小題3: What does the underlined word “cycle” refer to?  
A.Ice giving off heat when it melts.
B.Higher temperatures bringing more storms.
C.The cause and the result of the melting.
D.The life of the people living in the Arctic getting worse.
小題4: According to researchers what led to big snow storms attacking some Northern countries last winter?                 
A.Higher Arctic temperatures.
B.The melting ice.
C.The cold wind blowing west to east.
D.Cold air bottled up in the Arctic.
小題5: What is the main point of the article?         
A.Last winter’s big snow-storms.
B.Winds in the Arctic region.
C.Arctic warming and its possible effects.
D.Changes to the life of people living in the Arctic.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

It is common for older people to forget things. Now an American study has found that memory starts to fail when we are young adults. People younger than thirty years of age usually do not know that they are starting to forget information. But scientists from the University of Michigan say the loss of memory has usually already started.
Researchers say people do not observe this slow reduction in mental ability until the loss affects their everyday activities.
Denise Park led the new study. She directs the Centre for Aging and Cognition at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her team studied more than 350 men and women between the ages of twenty and ninety years. The study identified people in their middle twenties with memory problems.
She says young adults do not know they are forgetting things because their brains have more information than they need.
But she says that people in their twenties and thirties are losing memory at the same rate as people in their sixties and seventies.
Ms. Park says people between the ages of sixty and seventy may note the decrease in their mental abilities. They begin to observe that they are having more trouble remembering and learning new information.
The study found that older adults are more likely to remember false information as being true. For example, they remembered false medical claims as being true. Younger people remembered hearing the information. But they were more likely to remember that it was false.
Ms. Park is now using modern imaging equipment to study what happens in the brains of people of different ages. She is studying what parts of the brain older adults use for different activities compared to younger adults. Ms. Park says mental performance is a direct result of brain activity and brain structure. She says keeping the brain active is important. She hopes future studies will identify ways to improve the operation of our aging minds.
小題1:The passage is meant to _____________.
A.emphasize the importance of exercising the brain
B.a(chǎn)nalyze the difference between different age groups on the loss of memory
C.reveal the decrease in mental ability of young adults as well as older adults
D.introduce effective ways to improve memory
小題2: According to the passage, young adults differ from older adults in that ________.
A.they lose their memory at a slower rate
B.they rarely realize they have memory problems
C.their brains can store much more information
D.a(chǎn)ll of the above
小題3: Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A.Not until the loss of memory affects their daily activities, do people notice the decrease in their mental abilities.
B.People begin to lose memory in their twenties.
C.Older people tend to remember false information as being true.
D.Younger people find it easier to remember the information that is proven false.
小題4:It can be inferred from what Denis Park says that ______.
A.mental performance can be improved
B.mental ability is determined entirely by brain structure
C.people of different ages use different parts of the brain for memorizing
D.different parts of the brain are responsible for different mental activities
小題5:Which of the following is a suitable title for the passage?
A.The Mysterious BrainB.The Ability to Forget
C.Memory ReductionD.Mental Performance

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

“You know, these cups bring to mind a tea quote(說(shuō)法) I heard.” Mary’s aunt said.
She poured tea. There were four of them and there were four totally different cups on the table.
They took their tea cups.
“What quote?” Mary asked.
“Well, maybe I should rather say it is a story,” aunt said, “I heard that there was a wise teacher who took all his students for tea. They were surprised that all the cups on the table were different. Each of them took a cup and started drinking their tea, each looking at the cups of others. The teacher let them do that for a while and then said,‘ Do you notice your behavior? You are all looking at each other’s tea cup and I can see some of you with the broken ones are even envious(羨慕的) of the finer cups of others. Is this not so?’ ”
The students agreed, amused by their own behavior.
“You may have wondered why you all had different cups, but I put them here on purpose. You see they represent (代表) life itself. Life is like that tea and the cups are like the physical circumstances(狀況) of your life. You all got the same thing in your cups — tea. And yet you can not truly enjoy it in your envy of another’s cup. It’s just the same with life. You forget to enjoy your own life when you concentrate on envying the circumstances of someone else’s life.
So now, close your eyes, and taste your own tea. Really taste it. And tell me — did it matter from which cup it came from?”
Aunt finished telling her short tea story and they all sat in silence for a while, tasting their tea. A sleepy fly buzzed(嗡嗡作響) past, a bird sang in the tree. And it really did not matter one bit from which tea cup they drank.
小題1: When the students found they had different tea cups, they_____________.
A.were satisfied with their own cup
B.were angry about the broken cups they had been given
C.a(chǎn)sked the teacher to get new cups for them
D.were curious about the difference between the cups
小題2:From the text, we know that _____________.
A.the teacher prepared different tea cups for each student
B.the teacher should have given the students the same cups
C.the teacher made the tea cups different by mistake.
D.each student took their time to choose a cup they liked
小題3: According to the passage, by comparing the cups to the physical circumstances of people’s life, the teacher meant that people_______.
A.should try different ways of life
B.shouldn’t focus on envy others’ physical circumstances
C.can never change their physical circumstances
D.should work hard for a better life
小題4: In the passage the teacher’s message to the students was that _______.
A.life is hard and boring for everyone
B.it is strange to be envious of the lives of others
C.everyone should learn to enjoy his own life
D.people act differently in different circumstances
小題5: What can be the best title for the passage?
A.More than tea in a cupB.The value of tea
C.Tea vs cupD.Enjoying tea with a broken cup

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let children learn from experiences at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration.Some children get a weekly allowance.Others get a monthly allowance.
In any case, parents should make clear what,if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money.At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this,they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget.Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance.
The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving.Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs,like clothing or electronics.Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home.These jobs are a normal part of family life.
Paying children to do extra work around the house,however,can be useful.It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money.They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want.Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice.You have to cut costs and plan for the future.Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing.Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.
A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest
Compounding works by paying interest on interest.So,for example,one dollar invested at two per-cent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year.The second years,the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents,and so on.That may not seem like a lot.But over time it adds up.
小題1:Giving an allowance, parents should consider all the following EXCEPT_______.
A.how much the child should get each timeB.whether the child has made a budget
C.where the money really goesD.how often a child can get it
小題2:The author of the passage holds the opinion that________.
A.what children learn by handling allowances may be beneficial in the future
B.children can learn to set up their own business with their allowances
C.keeping allowances in the bank is the best choice for children
D.it is not a good idea to pay children for housework at home
小題3:The underlined words “compound interest” in the passage probably mean ________.
A.increasing curiosity to learn how to make more money
B.stronger power to hold one’s attention to saving money
C.money paid by the bank on your original money and the gain from it
D.the sum of money that you earn from keeping your money in the bank
小題4:What is the best title for the passage?
A.Be Generous to Pay Your Children.B.Be Wise to Avoid Financical Mistakes.
C.Saving Allowances Does Good to Children.D.Allowances Help Children Learn about Money.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Annie had just begun school. Her parents were tired of the methods they were using to correct her behavior, including scolding (訓(xùn)斥), and taking away privileges (特權(quán)). Annie still needed to be scolded for her bad behavior, but her parents felt the good things she did needed to be recognized. So, they began to spend more time recognizing the improvements (改進(jìn)) in Annie’s behavior and the good things she did every day rather than like before when they only noticed her bad behavior. Within a few weeks Annie began to change her attitude and her behavior improved.
Praise is one of the most powerful tools parents can use to teach their children good skills and help them grow. Praise works well when it is given and when you remember to use it frequently. It is important to praise all good behavior. Look for the good things your child does. Praise will have a lot of effects on your child. Use the 4 to 1 rule. For every bad behavior you notice, find four good behaviors or reasons to praise. It is a good way to remember to look for good behavior.
Remember to praise the things your child has already done well, or improvements in his behavior and new skills. Show your agreement by smiling and touching his shoulder or back. Be sure to say what your child did well in detail. Tell your child how good behavior helps and that it is liked by others.
小題1:What was the result of recognizing Annie’s good behavior?
A.She started to correct her bad behavior.
B.She was tired of her parents’ scolding.
C.She was not scolded for her bad behavior.
D.She spent more time praising her good behavior.
小題2:When praising children’s good behavior, parents should do the following EXCEPT __________.
A.praising their children for what they did in detail
B.encouraging their children to go on doing good things
C.telling their children more about their bad behavior
D.praising their children in a good way with smiles
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A.Praising is a better way than scolding.
B.Annie was a middle school student.
C.Annie’s parents are education experts.
D.Parents should not often show agreement.
小題4:The best title for this passage would be ____________.
A.How to Praise a Good Child
B.A Good Method of Praising Children
C.Praise More and Scold Less
D.The Importance of Good Behavior

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another Earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-Born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside—thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside—looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese.
But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas (海外) Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair.
But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not the people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist  C.N. Yang(楊振寧). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. The Chinese love him, but he is an American citizen.
小題1:What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A.He wants to tell us something about “ABC”.
B.He wants to show that Chinese are well respected in America.
C.He wants to tell us some knowledge about the English language.
D.He wants to introduce the American culture to us.
小題2: Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because ____.
A.their bodies are white inside but yellow outside
B.they think like Westerners but look like Chinese
C.they were born in China but go to study in America
D.they like to eat bananas
小題3:C.N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ____.
A. American Chinese are great.        B. we love American Chinese
C. The Chinese can win Nobel Prizes   D. American Chinese are not Chinese citizens

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Children are our future, and it’s up to us to arm them with the tools to succeed. Sadly, today’s children are being armed with more dangerous tools like weapons (武器), drugs and gangs. Once a relatively peaceful environment, many schoolyards of today are becoming unsafe for both students and teachers.
Home schools are available to give you choices. Home schooling provides top-quality education, flexibility, and freedom to create your own schedule. At Heritage Home School we believe the choice should be yours. Thanks in part to modern technology, home schooling information is becoming readily available across our nation. A recent study by the ITBS (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills) and TAP (Tests of Achievement and Proficiency) shows us that students of home schools do particularly well when compared with the nationwide average. In every subject at every grade level, students of home schooling scored obviously higher than those in public and private schools.
If you’re new to home schooling, you may be asking yourself, “Will home schools really work for my children?”
Fact: A nationwide study using a random(任意)selection of 1,516 families found students of home schooling to be scoring, on average, at or above the 80th percentile in all areas on standardized achievement test.
Note: The national average on standardized achievement tests is the 50th percentile. Collectively, the staff at Heritage Home School brings 65 years of experience in home schooling curriculum. We’ve placed students in the top 2 % of the nation in math and many are successfully moving on to college.
One study found that of the home schooled adults, 0% were unemployed, 0% were on welfare and 94% said home education prepared them to be independent persons. For more home schooling information, call us today toll free at(877)532-7665.
小題1:We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.
A.many schools armed their students with weapons
B.violence and crime exist in many schoolyards
C.students use weapons to defend their schoolyards
D.weapons are more dangerous than drugs
小題2:All of the following are true of home schools EXCEPT that ________.
A.students are free to choose their courses
B.students do well in important national tests
C.they help students find jobs
D.they help students to be independent
小題3:What is the purpose of the text?
A.To give information about different schools.
B.To compare home schools with other schools.
C.To suggest a new method of school education.
D.To persuade people to choose home schools.
小題4:The advertisement is mainly aimed at ________.
A.studentsB.parentsC.teachersD.a(chǎn)dults

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