With alarming regularity, we read about oil tankers having accidents near land and the terrible consequences of the oil spills(泄露) on people, nature, and the environment.
Millions of dollars have been used in developing special chemicals to help dismiss the spills and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil.Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea.
Of all of today’s environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious.Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material.In the end, it breaks down naturally.There are, of course, long-term effects, but it is usually more serious in the short term.
Nature by itself works better than chemical materials, but when there is a spill we demand that governments act immediately with as much hi-tech knowledge as possible.In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Sicily Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean.If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened.
Governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage.Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run!
We should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil.Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power(太陽(yáng)能), electricity, hydrogen, and so on.Much of this research has, in the past, been held back by the oil, gas, and coal.
If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient(高效的)— and the industry could easily produce cars at least twice as efficient — we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year.If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too.
小題1:What is the passage mainly talking about?
A.Oil tanker accidents.B.Oil spills pollution.
C.What oil pollution is.D.How to reduce oil pollution.
小題2:How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe?
A.By giving a description.B.By making an argument.
C.By giving an example.D.By drawing a diagram.
小題3:What does the underlined word “risk” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A.Transportation depending more on oil.
B.Poisonous oil breaking down naturally.
C.Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea.
D.More environmental damage being caused.
小題4:Which suggestion is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?
A.We should develop new technologies to cut oil use
B.Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines.
C.We should build safer oil tankers in the near future.
D.Countries should build more oil pipelines under the sea.

小題1:B
小題1:C
小題1:D
小題1:A
練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids now,one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it,say some scientists.
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星)that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.
Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one,the scientists say,we'll have a way to change its course.
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn't be cheap. Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall,it would be the end of the world. “If we don't take care of these big asteroids,they'll take care of us,” says one scientist. “It's that simple.”
The cure,though,might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(毀滅性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them,” said a New York Times article.
小題1:What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?
A.They are heavenly bodies different in composition.
B.They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.
C.There are more asteroids than meteoroids.
D.Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.
小題2: What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?
A.It is very unlikely but the danger exists.
B.Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.
C.Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.
D.It's still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.
小題3: What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?
A.It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.
B.It may create more problems than it might solve.
C.It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.
D.Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.
小題4:We can conclude from the passage that ________ .
A.while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world
B.a(chǎn)steroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future
C.the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime
D.workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth.
小題5:Which of the following best describes the author's tone in this passage?
A.Optimistic.B.Critical.C.Objective.D.Subjective.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archeologists (考古學(xué)家) says. In a letter addressed to the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, 40 archaeologists write of their “deep and widespread concern” about the issue. It centers on the law introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains unearthed in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age. The decision means scientists have too little time to study bones and other human remains of national and cultural significance.
“Your current requirement that all archaeologically unearthed human remains should be reburied, whether after a standard period of two years or a further special extension, is contrary to basic principles of archaeological and scientific research and of museum practice,” they write.
The law applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig sites, including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000 BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventuallly the bones will have to be returned to the ground.
The arrangements may result in the waste of future discoveries at sites such as Happisburgh in Norfolk, where digging is continuing after the discovery of stone tools made by early humans 950,000 years ago. If human remains were found at Happisburgh, they would be the oldest in northern Europe and the first indication of what this species was. Under the current practice of the law those remains would have to be reburied and effectively destroyed.
Before 2008, guidelines allowed for the proper preservation and study of bones of sufficient age and historical interest, while the Burial Act 1857 applied to more recent remains. The Ministry of Justice assured archaeologists two years ago that the law was temporary, but has so far failed to revise it.
Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at Sheffield University, said: “Archaeologists have been extremely patient because we were led to believe the ministry was sorting out this problem, but we feel that we cannot wait any longer.”
The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.
小題1:According to the passage, scientists are unhappy with the law mainly because ______.
A.it is only a temporary measure on the human remains
B.it is unreasonable and thus destructive to scientific research
C.it was introduced by the government without their knowledge
D.it is vague about where and how to rebury human remains
小題2:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Temporary extension of two years will guarantee scientists enough time.
B.Human remains of the oldest species were dug out at Happisburgh.
C.Human remains will have to be reburied despite the extension of time.
D.Scientists have been warned that the law can hardly be changed.
小題3:What can be inferred about the British law governing human remains?
A.The Ministry of Justice did not intend it to protect human remains.
B.The Burial Act 1857 only applied to remains uncovered before 1857.
C.The law on human remains hasn’t changed in recent decades.
D.The Ministry of Justice has not done enough about the law.
小題4:Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.New discoveries should be reburied, the government demands.
B.Research time should be extended, scientists require.
C.Law on human remains needs thorough discussion, authorities say.
D.Law could bury ancient secrets for ever, archeologists warn.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Research shows that humans switch from selfish to unselfish behavior when they are watched. Do you?
A picture of a set of eyes on a computer screen can cause a change in the way people act. Even images of eyes on a charity donation, collection box encourage people to be unselfish, because people put more money in a
collection box that has a picture of eyes on it than they do when a flower symbol is on the box.
Manfred Milinski from the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany and Bettina Rockenbach of the University of Berlin, the authors of a new study, found that people act better when they are being watched because they feel they will be rewarded for good behavior. Their report also referred to other research showing that this response of behaving well when watched is somehow coded into humans and people respond this way unconsciously, or without realizing it.
It is not just humans that act unselfishly when they are being watched. A fish called the grooming fish cleans other fish. When other fish are around, it is gentler. When no other fish are around, however, the grooming fish bites chunks from the fish it is supposed to be cleaning.
The researchers suggest that the best way to get people to behave in the correct way is to make them feel watched. This could be the reason for the success of a famous American army poster. On it was a picture of an elderly man staring fiercely and pointing, it appeared, to the person who was looking at the poster. Under the picture was the caption 'I Want You' It encouraged hundreds of thousands of young American men to join the army during the Second World War to fight the Germans and Japanese.
小題1:.
According to the report, why does a person behave better when he feels he is being watched?
   
A.He does not want to be shamed by others.
B.He needs to show he is a good person.
C.He desires others to like him more.
D.He feels he will receive some social reward.
小題2:.
.What is the text mainly about?
A.It describes changed behavior when observed.
B.It details ways to control people's behavior.
C.It tells how to make people work harder.
D.It discusses different advertising methods.
小題3:.
According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
A.People pretend to behave better when they are watched.
B.Fish bite other fish in a fish tank when they are alone.C.People donate more money when they feel they are watched.
D.Soldiers fought better during World War II because of a poster.
小題4:.
.Where would the study described in the text most likely be found?
A.In a newspaper.B.In a scientific journal.
C.In an advertising magazine.D.In a science textbook.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

About 45 percent of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to a recent survey. However, the benefits of getting enough sleep far outweigh the thrill of watching TV for one more hour or surfing the web. Getting a better night’s sleep will help you lose or keep your weight more effectively. Try these simple steps to improve your quality of sleep.
Take time to relax
So many of us go-go-go until it’s time for bed, but it’s important to take time to slow down and relax before sleeping. Do relaxing things, such as listening to soothing (撫慰的) music or deep breathing. Avoid stimulating (刺激的) activities such as writing e-mails, talking on the phone and watching TV. Some guidelines (指導(dǎo)方針): no e-mail after 8 p.m. and no TV or phone calls after 9 p.m..
Darker is better
Your body regulates your sleep cycle in response to the presence and absence of light, so dim the lights as evening approaches. Try getting ready for bed by candlelight. When you’re ready to sleep, make sure your room is as dark as possible.
Put your thoughts to bed
We all need time to process our day, but bed is not the place to do it if you want to sleep well. Take 10 to 15 minutes to record your thoughts in a journal. This effective technique will capture what’s in your mind so you don’t lie awake. Tell yourself you’re putting your thoughts to bed so that you can go to bed.
No sugar or alcohol before bed
These may wake you up. If you need a snack before bed, make it protein.
Try to get more sleep
Get an extra hour or two of sleep every night for a week and see how you feel. You’ll notice the difference!
小題1:The purpose of writing this text is to ________________________.
A.share some ways to slow down and relax before sleeping
B.guide readers to improve their quality of sleep
C.tell readers the importance of getting a good night’s sleep
D.publish the results of a recent survey on quality of sleep
小題2:According to the text, we know that __________________________.
A.we should keep our bedrooms in strong light before going to bed
B.writing a diary may excite us and influence our sleep
C.we should never get up later on weekends than we do on weekdays
D.candlelight is a good choice for our bedrooms when we’re getting ready to sleep
小題3: We should take time to slow down because it can _________________________.
A.inform us of the importance of sleeping
B.signal to our body it’s time to sleep
C.tell us to stop watching TV for making phone calls
D.tell us not to do stimulating activities

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Old age may not sound exciting.But recent findings offer good news for older pepole and for people worried about getting older.
Researches found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty.In fact,they say by the age of eighty—five,people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States.The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008.At that time,the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty—five.The searches asked questions about emotions like happiness,sadness and worry.They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study.His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults  between the ages of twenty—two and twenty—five.The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies.The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The study also showed that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grew older.Hower,women at all ages reported more sadness,stress and worry than men.Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older.One theory is that,as people grow older,they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotion .They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children,being unemployed or being single.But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well—being related to age.
小題1: How did the researchers find older people happier?
A.They did a series of experiments.
B.They made a written survey about the old people.
C.They interviewed people of different ages face to face.
D.They telephoned people between the ages of 18 and 85.
小題2:When do people feel happier according to the passage?
A.In their twentiesB.In their fifties
C.After their seventiesD.When they were born
小題3:Which one is NOT related to the happiness of old people?
A.Less stressB.Away from working
C.Controlling of emotionsD.More thankfulness
小題4:Which is the best title for the passage?
A.No Worrying about Getting Older
B.Older Men are Happier than Older Women
C.The Factors Affecting the Happiness of Old people
D.For Lots of people,Getting Older Means Getting Happy

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

What is it that makes people laugh? More than two thousand years ago the ancient Greek philosopher (哲學(xué)家) Aristotle defined (定義) jokes as the pleasure that results from a feeling of triumph by showing we’re better than someone else in a certain way. According to Aristotle and many other philosophers,all jokes depend mainly on showing inferiority in another person or group of persons — that is,putting it clearly,on showing that they are worse off than ourselves. Jokes raise our good opinion of ourselves at someone else’s expense.
Showing how much better than other people we are is only one reason we like jokes. Someone may also use a joke to express their anger or their cruelty (殘酷)or any other kind of action that is not acceptable to us. We feel free to laugh when we hear about someone sliding on a banana skin. The joke lets us express those attitudes which are usually unacceptable to society. This is probably the reason why some of the jokes,especially those involving cruelty,are so popular with certain people.
Besides,all jokes depend on our enjoyment of laughing at something that is strange and out of place because it’s different from things which are happening around it. The same situation can be either sad or pleasant,depending entirely on how strange and out of place it is. If a girl in a bathing suit falls into a swimming pool,we don’t laugh because nothing unusual has happened. But if a man in a smart suit falls in,the situation is at once unusual in a pleasant way and we laugh. A good joke-teller will always try to build up a situation in which one thing is expected until something unexpected suddenly happens,and so we laugh.
小題1:The underlined word “inferiority” (in Paragraph 1) means ______.
A.someone that is better than someone else
B.something that is better than something else
C.someone that is as good as someone else
D.something that is not as good as something else
小題2:According to Aristotle, all jokes depend mainly on ______.
A.resulting in a sense of success
B.showing inferiority in another person or group
C.having a good opinion of other people
D.making people laugh unexpectedly
小題3:What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?
A.To express those attitudes usually unacceptable to society is one of the reasons we like jokes.
B.When people are angry, they would like to hear jokes.
C.People who like jokes are usually cruel.
D.Showing we are better than other people is the only one reason we like jokes.
小題4:What will a good joke-teller always try to do? 
A.Make an unexpected thing happen in an expected situation
B.Make different things happen at the same time.
C.Make a sad situation into a pleasant one.
D.Make people laugh at something unusual and out of place.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Do you blank out, freeze up or feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just last night? If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety.
But, don’t panic. By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it.
Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly. This is because under stress, the body releases the hormone adrenaline (腎上腺素), which prepares it for something important that will happen. However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite(食欲) before tests, and poor performances. Some people might feel shaky, hot, or even sick.
If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety. Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety.
When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you are doing and make your mind a blank. If possible, actually tell yourself to “STOP”. This will get your mind off the stress.
Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax. As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first. This will help restore your confidence.
Talk to yourself using positive language. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason. For example:“ I’ve studied hard and I know the material, so I’m ready to do the best I can.”
Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes. In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities.
Last but not least, start test preparation early---three to five days ahead of the quiz or test. After all, good study habits and skills ---for example, time management and note-taking – will give you the feeling that your are in control.
小題1:The first step to overcome nervousness is___ .
A.stopping what you are doing, and make your mind a blank.
B.getting aware of your problem that you are always nervous
C.releasing a kind of body liquid.D.making full preparations
小題2:___ are more likely to feel very nervous in tests.
A.People who feel a touch of nervousness in tests.
B.People who haven’t prepared very well.
C.People who require that everything must be perfect.
D.People who have recognized their problems.
小題3: According to the passage, which statement is TRUE?
A.Those who have ever failed in tests must feel anxious.
B.A touch of nervousness is a good thing.
C.You should answer the questions on the paper one by one.
D.Full preparation is not as important as nervousness controlling.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

In the 13th century, the famous Italian traveler, Marco Polo, traveled a long way to China. During his stay in China, he saw many wonderful things. One of the things he discovered was that the Chinese used paper money. In western countries, people didn’t use the paper money until 15th century. However, people in China began to use paper money in the 7th century.
A Chinese man called Cai Lun invented paper almost 2,000 years ago. He took the wood from trees and made it into paper. He then put these pieces of paper together and made them into a book.
Now paper still comes from trees. We use a lot of paper every day. If we keep on wasting so much paper, there will not be any trees left on the earth. If there are no trees, there will be no paper. Every day, people throw away about 2,800 tons of paper in our city. It takes 17 trees to make one ton of paper. This means that we are cutting nearly 48,000 trees every day. Since it takes more than 10 years for a tree to grow, we must start using less paper now.
So how can we save paper? We can use both sides of every piece of paper, especially when we are making notes. We can use cotton handkerchiefs and not paper ones. When we go shopping, we can use fewer paper bags. If the shop assistant gives us a paper bag, we can save it and reuse it later.
Everyone can help to save paper. If we all think carefully, we can help protect trees. But we should do it now, before it is too late.
小題1: When he was in China, Marco Polo ____________.
A.discovered Cai Lun invented paperB.learned to make paper
C.saw many wonderful thingsD.read a lot of books
小題2: Which of the following is not a way of saving paper?
A.To use both sides of every piece of paper
B.To use fewer paper bags when shopping
C.To use cotton handkerchiefs instead of paper ones
D.To grow more trees
小題3: Which of the following is not true?
A.If we keep on wasting paper, we will have no paper to use one day.
B.The Chinese used paper money much earlier than people in western countries.
C.About 48,000 trees can be used to make 2,800 tons of paper.
D.It is never too late to plant trees for paper.
小題4: Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Saving PaperB.The History of Paper
C.Cotton Handkerchiefs Back AgainD.Cai Lun, the Inventor

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案