1、1After years of research and testing, the hybrid car was developed and put on the market. It s an interesting and exciting new improvement in today s world as we look for better ways to protect the quality of the air we breathe and conserve our natural resources.The quality of our air is affected by
2、 many different things. But one of the largest sources of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline which is used to power a car s engine. The EPA has set national standards to help control the level of harmful pollutants sent off into the air, and the automobile industr
3、y has acted by producing a hybrid car that uses less gas and therefore causes less pollution.A hybrid car is a combination of a regular car that runs on gasoline and an electric car that is battery powered. Some people tend to think that since the hybrid car is partially electric, you have to plug i
4、t in to charge it. But thats not how it works. The 144volt battery pack is actually recharged through the energy that is produced when the cars brakes are used. This is referred to as “regenerative braking” , because it generates electricity.Although the hybrid car still runs on gasoline most of the
5、 time, this helps it use less gas than a regular car. When the driver stops at a traffic light, the engine automatically shuts off to save fuel. Then, as soon as the driver puts the car in gear and touches the gas pedal, the engine starts back up.Have you ever ridden in a car with someone who ran ou
6、t of gas? That probably wouldn t happen if you were riding in a hybrid car. It flashes a waming on its computer screen that says, “I am low on gas”. When it completely runs out, the warning reads，“YOU ARE NOW OUT OF GAS！” Then the electric power supply kicks in to let the driver travel a few more mi
7、les to a gas station.1Which of the following is true according to the passage?A. The hybrid car will be put on the market.B. Hybrid cars run faster than regular cars.C. When the hybrid car stops at a traffic light, the driver will get a warning.D. The burning of fossil fuels is one of the largest so
8、urces of air pollution.2According to the passage, the word “hybrid” refers to _.A. a hightech discoveryB. energy savingC. a new inventionD. a combination of two things3“Regenerative breaking” is an important process of the hybrid car because _.A. it allows the car to come to a quick stopB. it gives
9、the driver a smoother rideC. it produces energy to charge the batteryD. it can control the speed of the car4Which of the following is right about the EPA?A. They designed hybrid cars.B. They outlawed (宣布为不合法) the burning of fossil fuels.C. They set important guidelines that help control pollution.D.
10、 Their main purpose is to protect endangered plants and animals.5Which of the following is the reason for developing hybrid cars?A. They use less gas than regular cars.B. They re safer to drive than most cars.C. Theyre more modern than other cars.D. They cost less than regular cars.2Bananas are one
11、of the world s most important food crops. They are also one of the most valuable exports. Bananas do not grow from seeds. Instead, they grow from existing plants. Bananas are threatened by disease because all the plants on a farm are copies of each other. They all share the same genetic weaknesses.
12、For example, the Cavendish banana is most popular in North American and European markets. However，some kinds of fungus organisms easily infect the Cavendish. Black Sigatoka disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants. The disease is controlled on large farms by putting chemicals on the pla
13、nt s leaves. Farmers put anti-fungal chemicals on their crops up to once a week.Another fungal disease is more serious. Panama disease attacks the roots of the banana plant. There is no chemical treatment for this disease. Infected plants must be destroyed. Panama disease has affected crops in South
14、east Asia, Australia and South Africa. There is concern that it may spread to bananas grown in the Americas. This could threaten an important export product for Central and South America.The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain supports research on bananas. The group has
15、headquarters in France and other offices in the major banana-growing areas of the world. The group says that more research must be done to develop improved kinds of bananas. The group says that fungal diseases mainly affect only one kind of banana. In fact, there are five hundred different kinds of
16、bananas. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has said that the Cavendish banana represents only 10% of world production.The UN. agency says farmers should grow different kinds of bananas. This protects against diseases that affect only one kind. Experts warn that disease may caus
17、e the Cavendish banana to disappear. This happened earlier to another popular banana because of its genetic weakness against disease.1What does this passage mainly tell us?A. Bananas are the world s most important food crops.B. The risk to a popular banana shows need to grow other kinds.C. There are
18、 five hundred different kinds of bananas.D. How to grow bananas in different countries.2Bananas are threatened by disease because _.A. they grow from seedsB. they are one of the most valuable exportsC. the only way to prevent it is to put chemicals on their leavesD. they have genetic weaknesses agai
19、nst disease3Panama disease_.A. doesnt belong to fungal diseaseB. affects the leaves of banana plantsC. destroys bananas more seriously than Black Sigatoka diseaseD. has spread to bananas all over the world4We can infer from Paragraph 3 that _.A. the center of the group is in the USB. the Cavendish b
20、anana covers only a small part of the yield of bananasC. the key to solving the disease is to research all kinds of bananasD. each fungal disease affects five hundred different kinds of bananas5According to the passage, which information is right?A. The Cavendish banana can mainly be imported from N
21、orth America and Europe.B. Panama disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants.C. The Cavendish banana wont die out in the future.D. The Cavendish banana makes up only one tenth of world production.3“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she mov
22、ed the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.Time proved that the baby s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one d
23、ay and threw himself into his mothers arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be misfortunate. He cried out the tragedy, “A boy, a big boy. called me a freak (怪人)”He grew up, handsome. A favourite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift,
24、 a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. Bu
25、t it s a secret.” The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged.Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could，” said the father, “bu
26、t the agreement was that you are not to know. not yet.”The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.“Mother sai
27、d she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they？”1Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?A. Because her son had a tiny face.B. Because she saw her son crying.C. Because her son was born imperfect.D. Becau
28、se her son was in her arms.2Which word can describe Mother s feeling when the son threw himself into her arms?A. Nervous.B. Sympathetic.C. Proud. D. Angry.3Who gave the son the ears?A. A doctor. B. His father.C. His mother. D. A stranger.4The underlined word “reveal” in the last but one paragraph me
29、ans “_”A. see B. showC. find D. search5The best title for the passage would be _.A. Mothers hairB. An unforgettable memoryC. Who gave me the ears?D. Who is my best respectable person?4When times get tough, we all look for ways to cut back. When were hungry, we eat at home instead of going out. We ta
30、ke buses instead of taxis. And we wear our old designer jeans just a few months longer. With college expenses at all-time highs, high school students are eager to do anything to cut the cost of a university education.One cost-cutting proposal is to allow college students to get a bachelor s degree i
31、n three years instead of four. Educational institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning process more efficient. But theres a question: Would the quality of undergraduate(本科生)education suffer? Few US universities have formally approved a “three-year degree” model.I doubt that m
32、ainstream North American colleges will carry out a three-year curriculum(课程) any time soon. For one thing, most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits(学分). In addition, at famous universities,
33、 the committee who determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are unlikely to suddenly “throw out” one quarter of the required credits. Professors will resist “diluting(稀释)” the quality of the education they offer.In my opinion, a quality four-year education is always super
34、ior to a quality three-year education. A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major. It is not a good idea to water down education, any more than it s not a good idea to water down medicine. If we want to
35、help students find their way through university, we should help them understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon graduation. We should allow students to test out of as many courses as possible. We should give them a chance to earn money as interns(实习生)in meaningful part-time
36、 jobs that relate to their university studies, such as the five-year co-op program at Northeastern University.1Which of the following can be the best title?A. It s time to shorten the learning processB. Best learning takes place over timeC. University education should be watered downD. College educa
37、tion calls for reform2We can learn from the passage that _.A. most American universities are against the “three-year degree” modelB. many famous US universities are considering adopting the “three-year degree” modelC. professors are willing to accept the “three-year degree” modelD. The “three-year d
38、egree” model can make college learning more efficient3In most US universities，_.A. college students are offered the co-op programB. electives credits make up one quarter of the required creditsC. all students are required to finish four-year education before graduationD. some excellent students can
39、graduate ahead of time4We can infer that_.A. the author is a college professorB. the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high for people to affordC. the author considers the university education quality very importantD. the author pays special attention to the all-round developme
40、nt of college students5The first paragraph serves as a(n)_A. explanation B. definitionC. introduction D. comment5Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age.Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, l
41、ed the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力) of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24
42、 adults aged 18 to 25.The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct c
43、ircle 95 percent of the time.Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Heres where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles making the orange cir
44、cle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they werent fooledt
45、hey were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time.As children get older, Doherty said
46、, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, theyre more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.1. Doherty and his team
47、of scientists did an experiment to evaluate_.A. childrens and adults eye-sightB. peoples ability to see accuratelyC. childrens and adults brainsD. the influence of peoples age2. When asked to find the larger circle，_.A. children at 6 got it wrong 79 % of the time with no gray ones aroundB. only adul
48、ts over 18 got it right 95% of the time with gray ones aroundC. children at 4 got it right about 79 % of the time with gray ones aroundD. adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around3. According to the passage, we can know that_.A. a smaller orange circle appears bigger on a white back
49、groundB. an orange circle appears bigger than a gray one of the same sizeC. a circle surrounded by other circles looks bigger than its real sizeD. a circle surrounded by bigger ones looks smaller than its real size4. Visual context may work when children get older than_.A. 4 B. 6C. 10 D. 185. Why ar
50、e younger children not fooled?A. Because they are smarter than older children and adults.B. Because older people are influenced by their experience.C. Because peoples eyes become weaker as they grow older.D. Because their brain can hardly notice related things together.6Bill Fulton doesn t remember
51、losing his wallet, but its return helped him remember the past. The leather stayed smooth and the cowboy design unblemished (完美无缺的). And when he looked inside, the contents brought back memories from 1946, when he apparently dropped the wallet behind the balcony bleachers (露天看台) in the Baker Middle
52、School gym.Fulton s Social Security Card and bicycle license, bearing the address where he lived during his teenage years, were positioned in their respective compartments, apparently untouched since the year after World War Il ended.Worker Nathan Osborne found the wallet along with old homework, lo
53、st library books and a 1964 talent show program while removing the bleachers for renovations on June 17. It was brought to Fulton s door the following day by Melanie Trindle, the Baker Middle School secretary.Middle School Principal Mindi Vaughan said the brown pine bleachers were connected to the g
54、ym balcony s brick wall and had remained in the same place since the school, known as the Helen M. Stack Building, opened in 1936.Fulton, 78, said he probably lost the wallet while cheering for the Baker High basketball team with a group of friends. Fulton said the bicycle ID was needed because he d
55、elivered medicine for Rodamar Drug.He was surprised, however, that his bicycle ID wasnt inside. He said he always kept it there.But rather than focus on what was inside the wallet, Fulton said the recovery has led him to reflect on his life one that took him to the Korean War and Berlin before the r
56、eturn to Baker City. He worked at Ellingson Lumber Company for 30 years, from March 1964 to April 1994.Since his retirement, Fulton has enjoyed spending time with his 11yearold black dog, Smokey. The two often hike the nearby mountains.Trindle s knock on the door, wallet in hand, induced a slight ri
57、pple in his life, prompting him to consider the times he hadnt thought about in many years. “Where did all the times go？” Fulton said with a deep sigh. “It s hard to believe that the times have gone so fast.”1When the wallet was found, it_.A. was still in good conditionB. was a little damagedC. had
58、just lost colorD. was just repaired2The wallet was important to Fulton because _.A. he could get his bicycle ID backB. it called up his memories of the pastC. it could help him to find his student IDD. it made him think of his school days3Fulton lost the wallet when_.A. he was doing his homework on
59、the balcony bleachersB. he was doing some exercise in the Baker Middle School gymC. he was removing the bleachers for renovations on June 17D. he was watching a basketball match with his friends4After he retired, Fulton_.A. lived a peaceful and pleasant lifeB. often regretted losing his walletC. liv
60、ed a hard life by raising dogs in the mountainsD. quite missed his past life5Which of the following best describes Fulton s feeling when the wallet was returned?A. Thankful.B. Overjoyed.C. Surprised. D. Doubtful.7Pop stars today enjoy what once only belonged to the royalty (皇室). Wherever they go, pe
61、ople turn out in their thousands to greet them. The crowds go wild trying to catch a brief glimpse of their smiling, colorfully dressed idols. The stars are transported in their chauffeur driven RollsRoyces, private helicopters or executive aeroplanes. They are surrounded by a permanent entourage(随从
62、) of managers, press agents and bodyguards. Photographs of them appear regularly in the press and all their comings and goings are reported，for, like royalty, pop stars are news. If they enjoy many of the privileges of royalty, they certainly share many of the inconveniences as well. It is dangerous
63、 for them to make unscheduled appearances in public.They must be constantly shielded from the adoring crowds who idolize them. They are no longer private individuals, but public property. The financial rewards they receive for this sacrifice cannot be calculated, for their rates of pay are great.And
64、 why not? Society has always rewarded its top entertainers lavishly. The great days of Hollywood have become legendary: famous stars enjoyed fame, wealth and adulation (奉承) on an alltime scale. By today s standards, the excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite so spectacular. A single gramophone reco
65、rd nowadays may earn much more in royalties than the films of the past ever did. The competition for the title “Top of the Pops” is fierce, but the rewards are truly huge.It is only right that the stars should be paid in this way. Dont the top men in industry earn enormous salaries for the service t
66、hey perform to their companies and their countries? Pop stars earn vast sums in foreign currency often more than large industrial companies and the taxman can only be grateful for their massive annual contributions to the exchequer(国库). So who would begrudge them their rewards?It s all very well for
67、 people in boring jobs to complain about the successes and rewards of others. People who make envious remarks should remember that the most famous stars represent only the tip of the iceberg. For every famous star, there are hundreds of others struggling to earn a living. A man working in a steady j
68、ob and looking forward to a pension at the end of it has no right to expect very high rewards. He has chosen security and peace of mind, so there will always be a limit to what he can earn. But a man who attempts to become a star is taking enormous risks. He knows at the outset that only a handful o
69、f competitors ever get to the very top. He knows that years of concentrated effort may be rewarded with complete failure.But he knows, too, that the rewards for success are very high indeed: they are the payback for the huge risks involved and once he makes it, he will certainly earn them. That s th
70、e essence of private enterprise.1The author develops the passage mainly by _.A. comparing different ideasB. giving explanationsC. inferringD. listing typical examples2The underlined word “begrudge” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to _.A. be jealous of B. be satisfied withC. be anxious a
71、bout D. be crazy about3According to the passage, which of the following can match the view of the author?A. He who laughs last laughs best.B. If you venture nothing, you will gain nothing.C. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.D. Success belongs to the persevering.4The author holds a(n) _attitude
72、 towards the high income of pop stars.A. critical B. approvalC. optimistic D. indifferent5Which of the following is true according to the passage?A. People are blind in idolizing stars.B. There is fierce competition in becoming pop stars.C. The government taxes pop stars very little.D. Pop stars lif
73、e is more luxurious than that of royalty.8Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard, some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out. 90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting.But studies have yet to answer the question of ho
74、w well they are teaching it. One study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10 15 minutes a day, and then other teachers who basically teach it for 60
75、to 70 minutes a day which really for handwriting is pretty much.Many adults remember learning that way by copying letters over and over again. Today s thinking is that short periods of practice are better. Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself.Instead, they say it should
76、 be used as a way to get students to express ideas. After all, that is why we write.Handwriting involves two skills. One is legibility,_which means forming the letters so they can be read. The other is fluency writing without having to think about it. Fluency continues to develop up until high schoo
77、l.But not everyone masters these skills. Teachers commonly report that about onefourth of their kids have poor handwriting. Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs.But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt says word processing is rarely
78、done in elementary school, especially in the early years. American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive, which connects the letters. But guess what we learned from a spokeswoman for the College Board, which administers the SAT college admission test. More than 75
79、 percent of students choose to print their essay on the test rather than write in cursive.1We can learn _ from Paragraph 1.A. teaching handwriting is a basic requirement in teaching jobB. most teachers prefer to teach handwritingC. teachers spend little time in teaching handwritingD. a keyboard has
80、taken the place of the handwriting entirely2Which of the following is WRONG for traditional handwriting in the USA?A. The students are taught by practicing a long period.B. The letters are repeated many times.C. Handwriting includes two skills.D. To write in cursive is taught first.3The underlined w
81、ord “legibility” in Paragraph 3 means _.A. easy to read B. complexC. unexpected D. unreadable4The best title for the passage is _.A. How to improve handwriting in schoolB. Right or wrong: the death of handwritingC. Handwriting involves two skillsD. Handwriting lessons are on the way out5The author s attitude towards whether still to learn handwriting in school is_.A. negative B. objectiveC. critical D. optimisticKey:1. DDCCA2. BDCBD3. CBCBC4. BADCC5. BCDBD6. ABDAC7. BABBB8. ADABB.精品资料。欢迎使用。高考资源网w。w-w*k&s%5￥u高考资源网w。w-w*k&s%5￥u