The black robin is one of the world’s rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives only on the island of Little Mangere, off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967 there were about fifty black robins; in 1977 there were fewer than ten. These are the only black robins left in the world. The island has many other birds, of different kinds, large and small; these seem to multiply very happily.
Energetic steps are being taken to preserve the black robin. Detailed studies are going on, and a public appeal for money has bee made. The idea is to buy another island nearby as a special home, a “reserve”, for threatened wild life, including black robins. The organizers say that Little Mangere should then be supplied with the robin’s food—it eats only one kind of seed. Thousands of the required plants are at present being cultivated in new Zealand. The public appeal is aimed at the conscience of mankind, so that the wild black robin will not die out and disappear form the earth in our time at least.
Is all this concern a waste of human effort? Is it any business of ours whether the black robin survives or dies out? Are we losing our sense of what is reasonable and what is unreasonable?
In the earth’s long, long past, hundreds, of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to a degree of success—and died out. In the long, long future, there will be many new and different forms of life. Those creatures that adapt themselves successfully to what the earth offers will survive for a long time. Those that fail to meet the challenges will disappear early. This is nature’s proven method of operation.
The rule of selection—“the survival of the fittest”—is the one by which human beings have themselves arrived on the scene. We, being one of the most adaptable creatures the earth has yet produced, may last longer than most. You may take it as another rule that when, at last, human beings show signs of dying out, no other creature will extend a paw to put off our departure. On the contrary, we will be hurried out. For nature, tough fair, is a hard-hearted mistress. She has no favorites.
Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins. I leave you to judge whether we should try to do something about it.
57．The black robin is dying out mainly because        .
A．people have been very careless about its survival
B．its only food supply is far from enough on Little Mangere
C．the other birds on the island have destroyed it
D．the appeal for money has come at the wrong time
58．In Paragraph 3, the writer puts forward three questions to        .
A．make a comparison  B．make an argument
C．introduce a topic             D．present his own idea
59．As for selection and survival, the decisive factor seems to be        .
A．the ability to adapt to changed or changing conditions
B．the number of wild life reserves that are available
C．the concern and generosity of the public
D．the size of the home, or the amount of space one has to live in
60．The writer’s attitude towards the protection of the black robins is         .
A．a(chǎn)ctive       B．passive     C．unconcerned     D．optimistic
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


The space shuttle Columbia flared and broke up in the skies over Texas on Saturday, February 1,2003, killing the seven astronauts on board in what NASA and President Bush called a tragedy for the entire nation. NASA launched an investigation into the disaster and began searching for the astronauts' remains. It said that although there had been some data failures it was too early to nail down a precise cause. The break-up, 16 minutes before the shuttle was due to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spread possibly toxic debris(有毒的殘骸) over a wide swath of Texas and neighboring states.
Dramatic television images of the shuttle's descent clearly showed several white trails(痕跡) streaking through blue skies after the shuttle suddenly fell apart. It was almost 17 years to the day that the Challenger shuttle exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board.
Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission. In 42 years of US' human space flight, there had never been an accident in the descent to Earth or landing. Challenger exploded just after take-off.
Rescue teams scrambled to search for the remains of the crew, which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon. There were warnings that parts of a vast 120-mile-long corridor of debris could be toxic because of poisonous rocket propellant(推進(jìn)器).
"We are not ready to confirm that we have found any human remains," Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerrs said. He added that among the roughly 1,000 calls reporting debris, some people said they found remains of crew members.
"The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors, …Their mission was almost complete and we lost them so close to home. … America's space program will go on," said a grim-faced Bush in a message broadcast on television, which included condolences to the families of the dead astronauts.
1. The word “descent” in the passage means ________.
A. taking off   B. landing      C. orbiting     D. walking down
2. Which is true of the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon?
A. He was the first Israeli astronaut to fly on the shuttle.
B. He was the first foreign astronaut to fly on the American shuttle.
C. He used to be a passenger plane pilot.
D. He was the only survivor in the Columbia disaster.
3. The Columbia disaster and the Challenger disaster were similar in that ________.
A. there were seven astronauts killed on board
B. both the shuttles exploded when they took off
C. Both the shuttles exploded when they were about to land
D. no human remains were found
4. Which of the following is wrong according to the news?
A. The U.S.A. will give up the space program because of the accident.
B. NASA hasn’t found the cause of the Columbia disaster.
C. Before the Columbia disaster, no shuttles had exploded in the course of landing.
D. Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Nearly two thousand years have passed since a census decreed by Caesar Augustus become part of the greatest story ever told. Many things have changed in the intervening years. The hotel industry worries more about overbuilding than overcrowding, and if they had to meet an unexpected influx, few inns would have a manager to accommodate the weary guests. Now it is the census taker that does the traveling in the fond hope that a highly mobile population will stay long enough to get a good sampling. Methods of gathering, recording, and evaluating information have presumably been improved a great deal. And where then it was the modest purpose of Rome to obtain a simple head count as an adequate basis for levying taxes, now batteries of complicated statistical series furnished by governmental agencies and private organizations are eagerly scanned and interpreted by sages and seers to get a clue to future events. The Bible does not tell us how the Roman census takers made out, and as regards our more immediate concern, the reliability of present day economic forecasting, there are considerable differences of opinion. They were aired at the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the American Statistical Association. There was the thought that business forecasting might well be on its way from an art to a science, and some speakers talked about newfangled computers and high-falutin mathematical system in terms of excitement and endearment which we, at least in our younger years when these things mattered, would have associated more readily with the description of a fair maiden. But others pointed to the deplorable record of highly esteemed forecasts and forecasters with a batting average below that of the Mets, and the President-elect of the Association cautioned that “high powered statistical methods are usually in order where the facts are crude and inadequate, the exact contrary of what crude and inadequate statisticians assume.” We left his birthday party somewhere between hope and despair and with the conviction, not really newly acquired, that proper statistical methods applied to ascertainable facts have their merits in economic forecasting as long as neither forecaster nor public is deluded into mistaking the delineation of probabilities and trends for a prediction of certainties of mathematical exactitude.
小題1: Taxation in Roman days apparently was based on
[A]. wealth. [B]. mobility. [C]. population. [D]. census takers.
小題2:The American Statistical Association
[A]. is converting statistical study from an art to a science.
[B]. has an excellent record in business forecasting.
[C]. is neither hopeful nor pessimistic.
[D]. speaks with mathematical exactitude.
小題3: The message the author wishes the reader to get is
[A]. statisticians have not advanced since the days of the Roman.
[B]. statistics is not as yet a science.
[C]. statisticians love their machine.
[D].computer is hopeful.
小題4:The “greatest story ever told” referred to in the passage is the story of
[A]. Christmas. [B]. The Mets.
[C]. Moses. [D]. Roman Census Takers.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

More and more people take part in marathons these days – over 30,000 people will run the London Marathon this weekend, for instance. But it’s not just the 26 miles and 385 yards that could be a daunting prospect. “I have to admit to being completely frustrated by the blocking and for 18-19 miles was just keeping away from people and being held up,” one participant grumbled after the 2012 London Marathon. “I had to overtake a lot of people and ended up with bruised（淤腫的）forearms from all the elbows,” said another.
How do such crowding problems arise, and could they be reduced? Some researchers believe that we can find the answers through a more familiar system in which jams appear – road traffic flow. Martin Treiber, of the Technical University of Dresden in Germany, has previously developed models for traffic flow. One of the first attempts to model traffic flow was made in the 1950s by James Lighthill and his collaborator Gerard Whitham of Manchester University. They considered the traffic as a kind of liquid flowing down a pipe, and looked at how the flow changes as the fluid gets denser(濃稠). At first the flow rate increases as the density increases, since you simply get more stuff through in the same period of time. But if the density becomes too high, there’s a risk of jams, and the flow rate drops sharply.
Treiber’s model of a marathon uses this same principle that the flow rate first increases and then decreases as the density of runners increases, thanks to an sudden switch from free to crowded flow. He assumes that there is a range of different preferred speeds for different runners, which each maintains throughout the race. With just these factors, Treiber can calculate the flow rate of runners, knowing the “carrying capacity”(承載能力)at each point on the route.
This allows Treiber to figure out how blocking might depend on the race conditions – for example, for different starting procedures. Some marathons start by letting all the runners set off at once (which means those at the back have to wait until those in front have moved forward). Others assign runners to various groups according to ability, and let them start in a series of waves.
Treiber has applied the model to the annual Rennsteig half-marathon in central Germany, which attracts around 6,000 participants. The traditional route had to be changed in 2013, because the police were no longer willing to close a road to ensure that runners could cross safely. It could pass either over a 60m wooden bridge or through a tunnel. Treiber used his model to predict the likely blocking caused in the various options. The model predicted that a mass start would risk an overload of runners if the bridge were to be used. Only by moving the starting point further back from the bridge could the danger be avoided – and even then, if some of the numbers assumed in the model were only slightly inaccurate, there was still a risk of jams at the bridge. On the other hand, no dangerous blocking seemed likely for the tunnel route. The run organizers consulted Treiber’s team, and eventually chose this option.
小題1:What is the worst thing while running a marathon?
A．The long distance.B．Too many participants.
C．The dangerous blocking.D．Serious injuries in forearms.
小題2:Which of the following statements is true?
A．James Lighthill is the first expert trying to model traffic flow.
B．The denser the flow is, the faster the flow rate becomes.
C．The flow rate increases in the beginning because fewer people passed together.
D．The flow rate increases first and then decreases later when the flow is too denser.
小題3:What is NOT true about the Rennsteig?
A．It has much less participants than the London Marathon in 2014.
B．It has a shorter distance than the London Marathon.
C．The route was changed because the traditional one is not safe any longer.
D．The participants running this marathon will pass a tunnel because this choice is safer.
小題4:What’s the main idea of the passage?
A．Make a comparison between marathon and road traffic.
B．Running a marathon is somewhat dangerous if it is not well organized.
C．Introduce a new technology to solve the blocking problem in marathon.
D．Some advice for people who are to run a marathon.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

People need to relax and enjoy themse1ves．One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event．Even thousands of years ago，groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes（運動員）．
　　Over 2000 years ago in Greece，certain days in the year were festival days．These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves．They liked to watch athletes take part in  races and other games of skill．
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia．It was held in honor of the Greek God Zeus（Zus）．For five days，athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games．At the Olympic Games，people could watch them box(拳擊)，run，jump and so on．There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch（火矩）was passed from runner to runner．The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting．Just then people were allowed to travel to the games safely．Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies（殖民地）in Africa，Asia and Italy．They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves．
小題1:What happened in Greece over 2000 years ago？
A．People needn’t to work．
B．There were often against one another in cities．
C．People watched baseball games．
D．People didn’t go to any games at all．
小題2:What were those countries in Africa？
A．Friends．B．Enemies．C．Colonies．D．Relatives．
小題3:What did people do at the games？
A．They fought．B．They just talked to friends．
C．They cheered for their favorite athletes．D．They tried to find friends．
小題4:Greek cities then were fighting so they_____．
A．were weakB．were safe
C．couldn’t go to other cities freelyD．could see each other
小題5:The best title for the story is“_____”．
A．Greece at WarB．To gather for the Games
C．Stop FightingD．Sport

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The first true piece of sports equipment that man invented was the ball. In ancient(古代) Egypt, as everywhere, pitching (投擲)stones was a favorite children’s game. But a badly thrown rock could hurt(傷害) a child. Looking for something less dangerous to throw, the Egyptians made what were probably the first balls.
At first, balls were made of grass or leaves(樹葉) held together by vines(藤). Later they were made of pieces of animal skin sewed together and stuffed(塞滿)with feathers or hay.
Even though the Egyptians were warlike, they found time for peaceful games. Before long they had developed a number of ball games, each with its own set of rules. Perhaps they played ball more for instruction than for fun. Ball playing was thought of mainly as a way to teach young men the speed and skill they would need for war.
小題1: The ball was probably invented because_______
A．throwing stones often caused injuriesB．throwing stones was not fun
C．games with stones did not have rulesD．rocks were too heavy to throw
小題2:The first balls were probably made of_______
A．a(chǎn)nimal skins stuffed with rocksB．twists of hay
C．hides stuffed with hay or feathersD．grass and leaves tied with vines
小題3:This selection says that the Egyptians played_____
A．many different games with ballsB．many different kinds of games
C．only one ball gameD．different games with similar rules
小題4: The Egyptians thought that ball playing was _______
A．childishB．difficultC．not enjoyableD．worthwhile
小題5: The best title for this selection is ______
A．The First Ball GamesB．How Egyptian Children Played Games
C．Egyptian SportsD．The Beginning of Sports

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


The Japanese have a genius for dreaming up small, useful and fun machines. You must have used or at least heard of Sony’s walkman, Nintendo or Sega’s video games, and Bandai’s Tamagotchi. And how about karaoke, invented by Daisuke Inoue?
Daisuke, who? Not many people have heard of him, and he never made much money from his invention. But anyone who has ever experienced the thrill of singing karaoke in front of a crowd has Mr.Inoue to thank…
Daisuke Inoue is an easygoing man with a quick smile. He was born in the suburbs of Osaka in 1940. At Osaka Technical High School he took up the drums, because he says, “All you have to do is hit them.” Before long he was making money as a drummer in a Hawaiian band that played in the old dance-halls left behind by American soldiers.
By 1970, he and six partners were playing in the clubs of nearby Kobe, accompanying middle-aged businessmen who wanted to sing traditional Japanese country and even army songs. His friends, Inous says, could all read music and so they could pick up the latest tunes (曲調(diào)). He, on the other hand, had to rely on memory and play by following the lips of the singer as they moved. “Out of 108 club musicians in Kobe,” he says. “I was the worst! And the clients (顧客) in my club were the worst singers!”
One client, president of a small steel company, was especially fond of Inoue’s slow, follow-along style. It made the president’s bad, out-of–time singing sound much better. One evening he wanted Inoue to play for him on a trip to a hot spring resort (勝地). The boss wanted to sing Frank Nagai’s Leaving Haneda Airport on a 7:50 Flight for his friends. But Inoue was unable to leave his job.
To help out his most loyal client, he decided to provide him with a tape. Inoue wouldn’t be there, but the singer would still have his accompaniment. Karaoke was born. 
1. Daisuke Inoue took up the drums at high school because _______.
A. they were his favorite musical instruments
B. he knew they would help him make money
C. he thought they were easy to learn
D. it was easy for a drummer to find a job
2. What does the underlined word “they” stand for?
A. His partner      B. His friends    C. The latest tunes    D. The singer’s lips
3. From this passage we know Daisuke Inoue was ______.
A. an outstanding musician            B. not quite good at music
C. a good singer and dancer           D. good at inventing things
4. Why did the president like Inoue’s playing so much?
A. Because Inoue followed his singing.
B. Because Inoue played very well.
C. Because he had got used to Inoue’s fast, exciting style.
D. Because Inoue was an easy-going man with a quick smile.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


C
When the first European arrived in the land now called Canada, around 400 years ago, there were about 350,000 native people living there. Most of these people were later forced to live in separate places, called reserves, away from the cities where the Europeans settled.
The French and the British both settled in Canada and fought for the control of it. Finally in 1763 Britain defeated France and Canada became a British colony. Today both English and French are the official languages of Canada. Most French-speakers live in Quebec Province.
Canada became a separate country from Britain in 1867. At that time it had a population of 3.4 million. Today Canada’s population is 30 million as a result of immigration（移民）.
The first Chinese immigrated to Canada in the late 1800s. More have recently arrived and like to live in either Toronto, Canada’s largest city, or in Vancouver on the Pacific coast.
Canada is a cold, northern country with long winters, so winter sports are popular. Ice hockey is known as Canada’s national sport. However, Canadians also like to make the most of the short summer and enjoy picnics by the lakes or hiking in the mountains.
Canadians love to travel across their huge country and usually do so by car. But to get to some places you need to take a ferry. Really long journeys from the east to the west coast are taken by train or by plane.
Canadians celebrate many different holidays. One of the most important is Canada Day on July 1st which recalls when Canada became united. Another important day honors Britain’s Queen Victoria. It is called Victoria Day and is held on the last Monday in May. Like the USA, Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving.
59. We can infer from the first paragraph that _________________.
A. Canada has a history of about 400 years long
B. Europeans are the first people to arrive in Canada
C. Native Americans were not treated equally in Canada
D. Europeans and Native Americans always lived peacefully together
60. The first Chinese immigrants to Canada _______________.
A. came in 1867                                           B. lived in Toronto and Vancouver
C. added up to 30 million                              D. arrived in the late nineteenth century
61. The underlined part in the fifth paragraph is closest in meaning to _________________.
A. to make full use of                                          B. to offer the best of
C. to give up the biggest joy of                      D. to work through most of
62. The passage is mainly about ______________.
A. the history of Canada                           B. transport in Canada
C. basic knowledge about Canada                   D. the geography of Canada

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the year 480 BC the Greek allies (聯(lián)軍) faced invasion by the King of Persia, Xerxes, who commanded a huge army of about half a million men. When the Persian army marched into northern Greece, the Greek states, led by Athens and Sparta, were ill equipped to deal with the threat. The Persians were well supplied with food and weapons. Their army included infantry, cavalry, and a large navy. It seemed that they would easily defeat the Greeks.
The Greek allies decided to send 10,000 men northwards to slow down the Persians, while the rest prepared to defend their homelands. A group of 300 best Spartan soldiers were chosen to lead the force going north, with Leonidas in command. Leonidas realized that the only hope of slowing the Persians would be to block the narrow passage of land at Thermopylae. The Pass of
Thermopylae was the route between the mountains and the sea, and was so narrow that only a few men could get through at a time.
When the Persian army arrived at Thermopylae, they found Leonidas' tiny army opposing them. The Persians attacked, but could not get through. They attacked again and again, but each time they were driven back by the Greeks, led by the fearless Spartans. Leonidas' plan worked well until a Greek traitor called Ephialtes went m Xerxes. He told the Persian king about a goat's path in the mountains that would take the Persian army past Thermopylae. When Leonidas saw the enemy crossing the mountains, he realized that he could no longer hold Thermopylae. He sent all the Greek soldiers except the 300 Spartans back to their homelands.
The Spartans waited for the 500,000 Persians at the goat’s path. Although hopelessly outnumbered, the Spartans fought bravely. They all died, but the other Greeks were able to get home to strengthen the defenses.
61. Compared with the Persian army, the Greek allies were very________.
A. powerful        B. wise           C. weak          D. foolish
62. The Pass of Thermopylae was very important for the Greeks because __
A. it was easy to hold but hard to attack
B. only very small boats could get through it
C, it was a secret pass unknown to the Persians
D. a huge number of soldiers could be stationed there
63. Why did Leonidas send most of his soldiers back to their homelands?
A. Because their homelands were under attack.
B. Because he found they were not brave enough.
C. Because the Persians gave up attacking Thermopylae.
D. Because he found it impossible to hold Thermopylae.
64. Which of the following is NOT ture according to the passage?
A. Leonidas was a great commander.
B. The Persians failed to pass Thermopylae.
C. Ephialtes betrayed his own country.
D. The 300 Spatans would be regarded as heroes by the Greeks.
65. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Greek Allies  B. The Goat’s Path  C. The King of Persia  D. Xerxes and Ephialtes

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