Many parents watch the news or other shows as children play nearby. But new research shows that even when the television is just background noise,it may be disruptive to a child’s normal development.
It’s estimated that 75 percent of very young children in the United States live in homes where the television is on most of the time,even though the kids often aren’t watching it. The University of Massachusetts researchers recently studied how TV background noise might affect young children. The study looked at 50 1­,2­and 3­year­olds. Each child came to a lab with a parent and was allowed to play for an hour with various toys. For half the time,a television was on in the room,showing the adult game show as well as advertisements. During the other half hour,the TV was turned off.
As expected,the children paid little attention to the adult television show,glancing at it for less than a few seconds at a time,and less than once a minute. Even so,the distraction (分心) of the background noise had a significant effect on how children at every age played. When the television was on,the children played with each toy for far shorter periods of time,and focused attention during play was also shorter compared to how they played when the TV was off.
Researchers said that even though the children aren’t interested in the show,background TV affects their ability to do various types of play. The finding is important because many well­meaning parents who wouldn’t let their young children watch television may not realize that even adult programs that don’t interest children still can have an effect.
“Background TV is potentially a chronic (長(zhǎng)期的) environmental risk factor affecting most American children,” said the lead author of the study. “Parents should limit their young children’s exposure (接觸).”
小題1:We know from the passage that________.
A.background TV noise has little effect on adults
B.most young children in America live in homes exposed to TV noise
C.the effect of background TV noise on children is immediate
D.most parents in America wouldn’t let their children watch TV
小題2:The underlined word “disruptive” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to________.
A.harmfulB.importantC.similar D.related
小題3:In the study,the children________.
A.were all 3­year­oldsB.were asked to watch adult TV shows
C.played for an hour while the TV was onD.played with more than one toy
小題4:What does the study show?
A.Children pay much attention to adult TV shows.
B.Children should be allowed to watch TV for kids only.
C.The background TV noise affects children’s ability to focus.
D.The more toys a child has,the shorter time he plays with each one.

小題1:B
小題2:A
小題3:D
小題4:C
孩子玩耍的時(shí)候,如果電視一直開著,即使他們不看電視節(jié)目,電視的聲音也會(huì)影響他們的注意力。
小題1:B 推斷題。根據(jù)It’s estimated that 75 percent of very young children in the United States live in homes where the television is on most of the time,even though the kids often aren’t watching it.可知答案為B。
小題2:A 猜測(cè)詞意題。根據(jù)第一段可知,讓孩子暴露在電視聲音下,對(duì)孩子有害,可知:答案為A。
小題3:D 推斷題。根據(jù)Each child came to a lab with a parent and was allowed to play for an hour with various toys.答案為D。
小題4:C 推斷題。根據(jù)the distraction (分心) of the background noise had a significant effect on how children at every age played.可知答案。
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

What will city life be like in the future? Some people think that life in the cities is going to be horrible. They say that cities will become more and more crowded. As the number of people increases, there will be less space for each person. This overcrowding will cause other problems — more crime, dirtier streets , and worse problems with traffic than we have now. How will people find enough drinking water, energy (such as gas and electricity ), and housing? Because life will be hard, people who live in cities will worry more, and they may become sick. For these reasons, some say that nobody will want to live in city areas.
How can we deal with such problems as overcrowding, crime, and traffic? In some cities, thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets because there is little suitable housing — and because houses are too expensive. The crime rate isn’t going down. Instead, it is increasing so fast that many people are afraid to go out at night. Traffic is also getting worse. More and more often, traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets. These problems have been getting worse, not better, so many people see no hope for the future of the city.
Los Angeles, California, for example, has no subway system and buses are slow. Instead, many commuters (乘、開車上班族) drive many miles from their homes to work. Many of these drivers spend several hours each day on busy freeways. New York, however, has a big transit system — buses, commuter trains, and subways. Because the public transportation is crowded and dirty, many people drive private cars, and the traffic jams are worse than that in Los Angeles. A taxi driver complains, “I was driving home, but in forty-five minutes I moved only two miles! Finally, I turned off the engine and just sat there. A lot of people left their cars where they were in the middle of the street and went into a bar for a few beers!”
On the other hand, some cities have clean, fast and pleasant public transportation systems. In Paris, France, and Toronto, Canada, for example, anyone can use buses or subways to move quickly from one part of the city to another.
小題1:What do some people think is the main problem of the future city like?
A.Poor housing.B.Overcrowding.
C.Environmental pollution.D.Traffic jams.
小題2:The best way to work out the traffic problem in Los Angels might be _________________.
A.cutting down the number of private cars
B.providing more buses in the freeway
C.building a subway system
D.persuading people to live nearer to their workplaces
小題3:Which of the following sentences is NOT TRUE?
A.Thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets.
B.The crime rate isn’t going down.
C.The traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets.
D.Many people have a positive attitude towards the future of the city.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence.
People naturally have different levels of confidence.Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals.Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals.
One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace.We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise.This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities.After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?
Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success.If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do.
Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job.If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing(裁員).After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team.
Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve.Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence.
小題1:What is the passage mainly about?
A.The influence of confidence on one's life.
B.The difference of people's confidence..
C.The importance of confidence to success
D.The judgment on one's confidence.
小題2:Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those ______.
A.who dream to be recognized experts
B.who expect to give guidance to others
C.who want to ask the boss for a raise
D.who think their goals are hard to reach
小題3:What message does the author want to convey(傳遞) in the last paragraph?
A.To overlook one's disadvantages.
B.To make full use of one's advantages.
C.To have great confidence in one's abilities.
D.To make objective evaluations of one's abilities.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

I began working in journalism when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was suppertime, I walked back home.
“ How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.
“ None.”
“ Where did you go?”
“ The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
“ What did you do?”
“ Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
“ You just stood there?”
“ Didn’t sell a single one.”
“ My God, Russell!”
Uncle Allen put in, “ Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickel. It was the first nickel I earned.
Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence, and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
“ If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “ you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.
My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love.
小題1:Why did the boy start his job young?
A.He wanted to be famous in the future.B.The job was quite easy for him.
C.His mother had high hopes for him.D.The competition for the job was fierce.
小題2:From the dialogue between the boy and his mother, we learn that the mother was _______.
A.excitedB.interestedC.a(chǎn)shamedD.disappointed
小題3:What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up?
A.She forced him to continue.B.She punished him.
C.She gave him some money.D.She changed her plan.
小題4:What is the text mainly about?
A.The early life of a journalist.
B.The early success of a journalist.
C.The happy childhood of the writer.
D.The important role of the writer in his family.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

A villa (別墅) designed to resist earthquakes with “self-healing” cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology (納米技術(shù)) applications with self-healing polymers (聚合物), is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa’s walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed (壓榨) under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material.
The NanoManufacturing Institute (NMI), based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called “Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings” (ISSB) is funded under the EU’s Sixth Framework program. This potentially life-saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor-resistant(防震)homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, “What we’re trying to achieve here is very exciting. We’re looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale.” Monitors contained in the villa’s walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors(傳感器) will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels.
The walls are to be built from new load-bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum(石膏)board. Prof Wilkins said, “If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape. If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. If the house falls down, we have got hand-held devices that can be used over the ruins to pick out where the embedded(嵌入的)sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed. Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue.”
小題1:The aim of the passage is to ________.
A.report a piece of interesting news
B.promote tremor-resistant homes
C.inform us of the nanotechnology development
D.tell us something about a tremor-resistant home
小題2:The villa can resist earthquakes because _______.
A.it will be built on a special place
B.the cracks in its walls can be healed by the polymers
C.the special particles can make its walls stronger
D.the intelligent sensor network can tell people where there is a crack
小題3:If the tremor-resistant home falls down, _______.
A.rescue work can be done more quickly and accurately
B.the intelligent sensor network will stop working
C.no one can be hurt in the earthquake
D.a(chǎn) warning signal will be given to other residents
小題4:What Prof Wilkins said suggests that _______.
A.he is doubtful about the project
B.he thinks the tremor-resistant home is perfectly designed
C.he is confident in the tremor-resistant home
D.the tremor-resistant home still needs to be tested in a real situation
小題5:It can be inferred from the passage that tremor-resistant home _______.
A.is still being tried out
B.is already under construction
C.has been in wide use
D.will be put into wide use soon

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

There are some places in the world where great cities once stood. There were trees, gardens and grass. But now these cities have gone and the places are like deserts. Scientists began to study this land to find out what happened. Many of them believed the land died when the trees were cut down.
Trees help other plants grow and help hold the soil in place. They keep the soil from blowing away. The leaves of trees on the ground keep rainwater from running off. Trees near farms protect growing plants from strong winds.
Once there were hundreds of farms in the southwestern United States. Then the farms turned into fields of dry dust. Trees might have saved these farms. But few trees grow in the dry southwest now.
Now we try to save trees. In many places, when a tree is cut down , a new tree is planted in its place . We do not want the land to die.
小題1:Places where great cities once stood are now like ______ .
A.farmsB.gardensC.desertsD.fields
小題2:What can trees do according to the passage ?
A.Trees can keep other plants green
B.Trees can help other plants grow .
C.Trees can help the land grow .
D.Trees can keep other plants in place .
小題3:Which is true ?
A.Trees let the rainwater run off .
B.All the farms in the United States have turned into deserts .
C.There aren’t any trees in the dry southwest now .
D.Land will die if there are no trees .
小題4:The main idea of this passage is _________ .
A.that farms are better than cities
B.how farms turned into deserts
C.that trees are important to the land
D.how people save trees
小題5:From the passage we know that _______ .
A.trees can blow soil away
B.man should protect the land
C.trees grow only in deserts
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.
After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.
So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker’s performance.
One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.
Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.
Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US linguistics expert Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.
Krashen says students who don’t have these qualities are more likely to have a “mental block”. “Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition,” he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition.
小題1:According to the passage, if you want to be a near-native speaker, you need _____.
A.long-term speaking practice and much reading
B.speaking practice for ten years only
C.long-term speaking practice, much reading and certain qualities
D.cramming new words every day
小題2:The author put forward the 4/3/2 technique just to show that _____.
A.you should speak to 3 different people
B.you should speak to 3 different people at 3 different times
C.it can prevent you from making grammar mistakes
D.it is really a good way to make you a better speaker
小題3:The example of a 27-year-old student of French in the passage mainly means that _____.
A.reading can enlarge your vocabulary for your speaking
B.reading can make you memorize just 65 percent of the new words
C.the 27-year-old student of French is very clever
D.in one month, you can improve your speaking ability
小題4:The underlined phrase “l(fā)inguistics expert” means a person who is quite expert at _____.
A.languagesB.spoken language
C.scientific researchD.teaching English

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than three thousand such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, "Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year."
Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them "summer school" could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like "summer camp," "enrichment," "extra time" and "hands-on learning."
小題1:According to the first paragraph the summer learning gap         .
A.helps children to gain weight
B.leads children to work harder
C.improves children’s memories
D.a(chǎn)ffects children’s regular studies
小題2:Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones          .
A.perform better and have more learning gains
B.have much less time for relaxation every year
C.have generally the same number of class days
D.hold more classes with more free weeks off
小題3:Which of the following statements is true?
A.Students from poor families often fall behind after the vacation.
B.Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap.
C.There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar.
D.Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation.
小題4:Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?
A.They cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much.
B.They are worried about the quality of the “summer school”.
C.They want their children to be forced to make up the gap.
D.They can’t afford to the further study during vacation.
小題5:What would be the best title of this passage?
A.Opening Summer Camps
B.Forbidding Summer Schools
C.Spreading Year-Round Education
D.Minding the Summer Learning Cap

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

When most people think of giant pandas, the pictures of the cute, black-and-white bears from China that eat bamboo will immediately jump into their mind. Scientists from Mississippi State University, however, are interested in what they leave behind: their poop(排泄物). At a recent meeting in Denver, Professor Brown at the university presented her research showing how panda poop could inspire a new way to obtain energy from plants, which are a renewable energy source. Usually, plants can be called biomass(有機(jī)燃料) when they are used as an energy source.
Burning biomass is one way to capture its energy, but Brown hopes panda poop can teach scientists something about breaking down biomass. Pandas—or at least the bacteria in their stomachs—are very good at getting energy out of bamboo. Unlike cows, which use 4 stomachs to digest large amounts of grass, a panda has only one stomach. Bamboo comes in, and poop goes out.
Every day for 14 months, Brown and her team on this project, counted the bacteria in the poop of the two pandas, YaYa and LeLe living at the Memphis Zoo. Her studies turned up 12 species of bacteria that break down biomass, including one that had never been found in pandas. Brown says that because the poop contains bacteria that break down biomass, it could also be used to break down other types of biomass.
Now the scientists hope to identify the chemicals that help with the process of breaking down biomass and then figure out how the bacteria work. If those chemicals can be made in the lab, they could be used to turn biomass—like grass or other plants—into fuel.
Brown says she doesn’t mind handling panda poop. “It’s probably the most pleasant material to work with,” she says, “My colleagues and I have been working with other poop for a long time, and we can assure you it has a fairly pleasant smell associated with it.”
小題1:The importance of studying panda poop is _______.
A.to create a renewable energy from plants
B.to explore a new way to get energy from plants
C.to learn a lesson of energy from panda poop
D.to figure out how the bacteria work for us mankind
小題2:The process of the panda poop project can be described as ______.
a. Identify the chemicals helpful to break down biomass.
b. Find the bacteria in panda poop which break down bamboo.
c. Reproduce the chemicals in the lab to turn biomass into energy.
d. Analyze how the bacteria in panda poop work in panda’s stomach.
A. a, b, d, c          B. a, d, c, b          C. b, a, d, c          D. b, d, a, c
小題3:What does the author mainly want to express in the 2nd paragraph?
A.Pandas don’t digest bamboo the same way as cows.
B.Pandas are capable of getting energy using stomachs.
C.Pandas can get energy from bamboo more efficiently.
D.Scientists have learnt something new from panda poop.
小題4:What does Professor Brown think of working with panda poop?
A.SickB.ChallengingC.InspiringD.Enjoyable

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