Beautiful cars surrounded by even more beautiful models—it’s no secret why the 2012 Beijing Auto Show was popular.
The exhibition was held between April 23 and May 2.Although renowned companies showed off their top models,it wasn’t just their expensive sports cars that grabbed people’s attention.
Concept cars are a way for designers to test out their ideas on the public with complete freedom.They can try out cars with special features that could not be massively(批量)produced easily.
Designers don’t have to follow industry rules;they don’t even need to worry about whether their cars would be followed on the roads.
At the Beijing Auto Show,the@Ant by Chery was one concept car to draw a lot of attention.China Daily called it‘‘the very definition of a concept car”.
The vehicle is powered by electricity and is capable of driving itself.But the magic doesn’t end there.
The@Ant was inspired by actual ants.According to Car News China,with the help of automated telemetric systems,@Ants are able to“see” other@Ants and compare destination information. If two are heading the same way for a while, the vehicles connect, with one car’s rear (后面的)wheels matching up with the front wheels of another car.Up to 10@Ants can be put together and will automatically connect to form a“train".This will help save energy while traveling, as well reducing traffic jams.
The car sounds like a great idea.Further research will be needed to turn this concept car into something for the market,but concepts like Cherry’s show how carmakers are working for cleaner and greener vehicles.It’s like what the@Ant motto says,“Exploring future human beings’lifestyles”.
【小題1】The concept car is getting popular because .
A.it looks like an ant |
B.it is beautifully designed |
C.it is exhibited as a top model |
D.it conveys a new idea for the future |
A.By connecting each other and running together |
B.By driving themselves without man’s control |
C.By comparing their destination information |
D.By reducing traffic jams on the roads |
A.to test the safety of the concept car |
B.to follow the rules in the car industry |
C.to show their unique idea of complete freedom |
D.to see if concept cars can be massively produced |
A.Concept Cars Are Driving to the Future |
B.The@Ant Draws a Lot of Attention |
C.The@Ant Is a Top Model of Concept Cars |
D.Concept Cars Are Cleaner and Greener |
【小題1】D
【小題2】A
【小題3】C
【小題4】A
解析試題分析:這篇短文主要通過介紹了北京車展上的一種新概念的汽車,向我們展示了為了社會關(guān)于汽車設(shè)計的新思想.
【小題1】細節(jié)題:根據(jù)第二段Concept cars are a way for designers to test out their ideas on the public with complete freedom.及下文描述,可知這種概念汽車主要是傳達了對于未來生活的新思想.故選D.
【小題2】細節(jié)題:根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段. If two are heading the same way for a while, the vehicles connect, with one car’s rear (后面的)wheels matching up with the front wheels of another car.描述,可知他們可以通過彼此連接在一起,一起前行來節(jié)約能量.故選A.
【小題3】推理題:根據(jù)短文描述,可知北京車展上的概念汽車主要是展示了一種新的設(shè)計思想,故選C.
【小題4】主旨大意題:這篇短文主要通過介紹了北京車展上的一種新概念的汽車,向我們展示了為了社會關(guān)于汽車設(shè)計的新思想,故選A,駛向未來的概念汽車.
考點:科普類閱讀
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew. And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch(縫合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.
Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(腳踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement(侵犯). Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties(版稅). In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.
【小題1】Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________.
A.people did not know how to put out the fire |
B.Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention |
C.the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally |
D.workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire |
A.Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer. |
B.The Singer sewing company became more practical. |
C.The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free. |
D.Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines. |
A.Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude. |
B.Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer. |
C.Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it. |
D.Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine. |
A.Stitch in Time Saves Nine |
B.The Case between Howe and Singer |
C.Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine |
D.The Early History of the Sewing Machine |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Scholars and researchers have tried to discover what personality characteristics go along with success in different cultural experiences. Their findings have often been unclear or incomplete. But three typical characteristics stand out in their reports: patience, a sense of humor, and the awareness of being unclear.
Patience, of course, is the ability to keep calm when things do not go as one wants them to, or as one hopes they would, or even as one was sure they would. Impatience sometimes brings improvements in relations with other people, but usually it does not.
A person with a sense of humor is less likely to take things too seriously and more ready to see the humor in his own reaction than a humorless person. The value of a sense of humor really needs to be paid more attention to.
“The awareness of being unclear” is a more difficult concept to understand than patience and a sense of humor. Foreigners often find themselves in situations that are unclear as they are newcomers. That is, they do not know what is happening in a certain situation. Perhaps they do not understand the local language well enough, or they do not know how some system or organization works, or they can’t be sure of different people’s roles in what is going on. “It’s like that I just got here from the moon,” a Chinese graduate student who newly arrived in the United States said. “Things are just so different here.”
【小題1】The passage mainly tells us ______.
A.a(chǎn)bout some uneasy traveling experiences in foreign countries |
B.a(chǎn)bout the three main ways to communicate with foreigners |
C.a(chǎn)bout some typical characteristics in different cultural experiences |
D.how to show your characters to foreigners |
A.The ability to keep cool. | B.The sense of humor. |
C.Patience. | D.The awareness of being unclear. |
A.not knowing what is happening in a situation |
B.not understanding the local language well enough |
C.being aware that the situation is unclear |
D.not knowing how some system or organization works |
A.he is not used to the culture of America |
B.he went to the United States to study the moon |
C.he is a person with a sense of humor |
D.he has just returned from the moon |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Antidepressant(抗憂郁)drugs such as Prozac were viewed in the early 1900's as wonder pills that would remove depressive blues for good. But in the past five years, growing scientific evidence has shown these drugs work for only a minority of people. And now a research journal says that these antidepressants can make many patients' depression worse. This alarming suggestion centres on the very chemical that is targeted by antidepressants-serotonin(血清素). Drugs such as Prozac are known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors(or SSRIs). Their aim is to increase the level of this “feel-good” chemical in the brain.
But the new research, published in the journal Frontiers In Evolutionary Psychology, points out that serotonin is like a chemical Swiss Army knife, performing a very wide range of jobs in the brain and body. And when we start changing serotonin levels purposely, it may cause a wide range of unwanted effects. These can include digestive problems and even early deaths in older people, according to the study's lead researcher Paul Andrews. “ We need to be much more cautious about use of these drugs,” says Andrews, an assistant professor of evolutionary psychology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
Previous research has suggested that the drugs provide little benefit for most people with mild depression, and actively help only a few of the most severely depressed. Famous psychologist Irving Kirsch has found that for many patients, SSRIs are no more effective than a placebo pill. A research in 2010 on Danish children found a small, but significant, increase in the risk of heart problems among babies whose mothers had used SSRIs in early pregnancy. The key to understanding these side-effects is serotonin, says Andrews. Serotonin is also the reason why patients can often end up feeling still more depressed after they have finished a course of SSRI drugs. He argues that SSRI antidepressants disturb the brain, leaving the patient an even greater depression than before.
“After long use, when a patient stops taking SSRIs, the brain will lower its levels of serotonin production,” he says, adding that it also changes the way receptors in the brain respond to serotonin, making the brain less sensitive to the chemical. These changes are believed to be temporary, but studies indicate that the effects may continue for up to two years.
Most disturbingly of all, Andrews' review features three recent studies which, he says , show that elderly antidepressant users are more likely to die earlier than non-users, even after taking other important variables into account. One study, published in the British Medical Journal last year, found patients given SSRIs were more than 4 per cent more likely to die in the next year than those not on the drugs.
“Serotonin is an ancient chemical,” says Andrews. “It is regulating many different processes, and when you disturb these things, you can expect that it is going to cause some harm.”
Stafford Lightman, professor of medicine at the University of Bristol, and a leading UK expert in brain chemicals and hormones, says Andrews’ review highlights some important problems, yet it should also be taken with a pinch of salt. “This report is doing the opposite of what drug companies do,” he says. “Drug companies selectively present all the positives in their research, while this search selectively presents all the negatives that can be found. Nevertheless, Andrews' study is useful in that it is always worth pointing out that there is a downside to any medicine. ” Professor Lightman adds that there is still a great deal we don't know about SSRIs-not least what they actually do in our brains.
When it comes to understanding why the drugs work only for a limited part of patients, U.S. scientists think they might now have the answer. They think that in many depressed patients, it’s not only the lack of feel-good serotonin causing their depression, but also a failure in the area of the brain that produces new cells throughout our lives. This area, the hippocampus, is also responsible for regulating mood and memory. Research suggests that in patients whose hippocampus has lost the ability to produce new cells, SSRIs do not bring any benefit.
【小題1】According to paragraph 2, serotonin, like a chemical Swiss Army knife, can .
A.make many patients' depression worse |
B.cause a wide range of unwanted effects |
C.a(chǎn)ffect human body and brain in various ways |
D.provide little benefit for most depressed people |
A.drug companies don't know the negative effect of antidepressants |
B.Andrews focused on different things from the drug companies |
C.scientists have found what SSRIs do in the brain |
D.Andrews' research has no medical value |
A.They are used to increase the “feel-good” medical in the brain. |
B.They can work even when the hippocampus can't produce new cells. |
C.They create a risk of heart problems in pregnant women. |
D.They are responsible for controlling mood and memory. |
A.The aim of drug companies |
B.The function of SSRIs |
C.The side-effects of antidepressants |
D.The cause of depression |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
A portable lung which could help those with breathing problems lead a normal life is being developed by scientists.
The Swansea University scientists say it could take many years before the device(裝置) , the size of a spectacle box (眼鏡盒) , is available . Lung patients , who have seen how it would work , have welcomed the research.
Its research suggests that one person in every seven in the UK is affected by lung disease---- this equates to approximately 8 million people. As of 6 March 2009, 217 people were on the waiting list for a lung transplant(移植) according to figures by NHS Blood and Transplant .
Now scientists in Swansea are developing a portable artificial lung which could transform (改觀) the lives of patients . Researchers claim that in the long term the device could offer an alternative to lung transplant , giving hope to those who suffer from conditions such as emphysema(肺氣腫) and cystic fibrosis.
The device mimics the function of a lung---by getting oxygen into and carbon dioxide out of the blood stream . Professor Bill Johns came up with the idea after his son died of Cystic Fibrosis . It is important that we make something that will help people , who instead of being confined (局限) to a wheelchair with an oxygen bottle , can actually walk around and do things for themselves , he said.
Although the research has been welcomed by leading charities(慈善) , caution has also been voiced over the length of time it will take before a portable lung will become available .
“We have to stress that this is several years away from being used , even in a trial stage,” said Chris Mulholland , head of the British Lung Foundation.
Patient Elizabeth Spence from Swansea has been refused the double lung transplant she needs but remains hopeful that one day the new device could save her . “ My body will reject the lungs , so this possibly could be an answer--- another way of getting new lungs without actually having the transplant,” she said.
【小題1】Which of the following about the portable lung would the author agree?
A.It can help a lot in lung transplants |
B.It was once on display |
C.It works differently from the normal one in the body |
D.It’s just like an oxygen bottle. |
A.support | B.money | C.time | D.trial |
A.Negative. | B.Doubtful. | C.Curious. | D.Objective. |
A.Science. | B.Culture. | C.Economy. | D.Education. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Ever wonder how much a cloud weighs? What about a hurricane? A meteorologist(氣象學(xué)者) has done some estimates and the results might surprise you.
Let's start with a very simple white puffy cloud — a cumulus cloud(積云). How much does the water in a cumulus cloud weigh? Peggy LeMone, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, did the numbers. "The water in the little cloud weighs about 550 tons," she calculates. "Or if you want to convert it to something that might be a little more meaningful … think of elephants."
The thought of a hundred elephants-worth of water suspended(懸浮的) in the sky begs another question — what keeps it up there?
"First of all, the water isn't in elephant-sized particles(微粒), it's in tiny tiny tiny particles," explains LeMone. And those particles float on the warmer air that's rising below. But still, the concept of so much water floating in the sky was surprising even to a meteorologist like LeMone. "I had no idea how much a cloud would weigh, actually, when I started the calculations," she says.
So how many elephant units of water are inside a big storm cloud—10 times bigger all the way around than the "puffy" cumulus cloud? Again, LeMone did the numbers: About 200,000 elephants.
Now, ratchet up(略微調(diào)高) the calculations for a hurricane about the size of Missouri and the figures get really massive(巨大的). "What we're doing is weighing the water in one cubic meter theoretically pulled from a cloud and then multiplying by(乘上) the number of meters in a whole hurricane," she explains.
The result? Forty million elephants. That means the water in one hurricane weighs more than all the elephants on the planet. Perhaps even more than all the elephants that have ever lived on the planet.
【小題1】The weight of is NOT mentioned in the passage.
A.a(chǎn) cumulus cloud | B.a(chǎn) tornado |
C.a(chǎn) hurricane | D.a(chǎn) storm cloud |
A.She found it not convincing. |
B.She thought it needed further calculations. |
C.She was quite surprised at it. |
D.She considered the calculations inaccurate. |
A.A storm cloud weighs about 200,000 elephants. |
B.The water in a hurricane weighs more than that in any other kind of cloud. |
C.There are less than forty million elephants living on the earth. |
D.The water in the cloud is in very tiny partials. |
A.How Much a Cloud Weighs | B.How Much a Hurricane Weighs |
C.Surprising Results | D.Elephants in the Sky |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Rene Descartes’ explanation of pain has long been acknowledged in medicine. He proposed that pain is a purely physical phenomenon – that tissue injury makes specific nerves send a signal to the brain, causing the mind to notice pain. The phenomenon, he said, is like pulling on a rope to ring a bell in the brain. It is hard to overstate how deeply fixed this account has become. In medicine, doctors see pain in Descartes’ terms— as a physical process, a sign of tissue injury.
The limitations of this explanation, however, have been apparent for some time, since people with obvious injuries sometimes report feeling no pain at all. Later, researchers proposed that Descartes’ model be replaced with what they called the gate control theory of pain. They argued that before pain signals reach the brain, they must first go through a gating mechanism in the spinal cord(脊髓). In some cases, this imaginary gate could simply stop pain signals from getting to the brain.
Their most amazing suggestion was that what controlled the gate was not just signals from sensory nerves but also emotions and other “output” from the brain. They were saying that pulling on the rope need not make the bell ring. The bell itself—the mind— could stop it. This theory led to a great deal of research into how such factors as mood, gender, and beliefs influence the experience of pain. In a British study, for example, researchers measured pain threshold and tolerance levels in 53 ballet dancers and 53 university students by using a common measurement: after immersing your hand in body-temperature water for two minutes to establish a baseline condition, you put your hand in a bowl of ice water and start a clock running. You mark the time when it begins to hurt: that is your pain threshold. Then you mark the time when it hurts too much to keep your hand in the water: that is your pain tolerance. The test is always stopped at 120 seconds, to prevent injury.
The results were striking. On average female students reported pain at 16 seconds and pulled their hands out of the ice water at 37 seconds. Female dancers were almost three times as long on both counts. Men in both groups had a higher threshold and tolerance for pain, but the difference between male dancers and male nondancers was nearly as large. What explains that difference? Probably it has something to do with the psychology of ballet dancers—a group known for self-discipline, physical fitness, and competitiveness, as well as by a high rate of chronic(慢性) injury. Their driven personalities and competitive culture evidently accustom them to pain. Other studies along these lines have shown that outgoing people have greater pain tolerance and that, with training, one can reduce one’s sensitivity to pain.
There is also striking evidence that very simple kinds of mental suggestion can have powerful effects on pain. In one study of 500 patients undergoing dental procedures, those who were given a placebo(安慰劑) injection and promised that it would relieve their pain had the least discomfort— not only less than the patients who got a placebo and were told nothing but also less than the patients who got actual drug without any promise that it would work.
Today it is abundantly evident that the brain is actively involved in the experience of pain and is no more bell on a string. Today every medical textbook teaches the gate control theory as fact. There’s a problem with it, though. It explains people who have injuries but feel no pain, but it doesn’t explain the reverse, which is far more common— the millions of people who experience chronic pain, such as back pain, with no signs of injury whatsoever. So where does the pain come from? The rope and clapper are gone, but the bell is still ringing.
【小題1】The primary purpose of the passage is to .
A.describe how modern research has updated an old explanation |
B.support a traditional view with new data |
C.promote a particular attitude towards physical experience |
D.suggest a creative treatment for a medical condition |
A.The brain can shut pain off at will. |
B.The brain plays no part in the body’s experience of pain. |
C.Pain can be caused in many different ways. |
D.Pain is an automatic response to bodily injury. |
A.offered an extremely new and original explanation |
B.was just opposite to people’s everyday experiences |
C.was grounded in an ridiculous logic |
D.was so sensible it should have been proposed centuries before |
A.costly, because it troubles millions of people |
B.puzzling, because it sometimes has no obvious cause |
C.disappointing, because it does not improve with treatment |
D.worrying, because it lies beyond the reach of medicine |
A.scientific judgments are difficult to understand |
B.theoretical investigations are generally useless |
C.researchers still have a long way to go before the puzzle is made clear |
D.there is always something puzzling at the heart of science |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Since the beginning of the year, smog has covered parts of North China. In January, Beijing saw only five days without smog. The rising PM 2.5 readings terrified many people, and some health experts said that whenever the smog gets serious, hospitals receive more patients suffering acute respiratory(呼吸系統(tǒng))and heart diseases.
Later, news of polluted underground water in some provinces scared people who wondered whether the water they drink is safe.
So the need to emphasize environmental protection while developing the economy is heard everywhere.
Smog especially is a common concern. Like a popular online post said, air may be the only thing that is equal for everyone, despite your income or vocation. People with higher incomes are able to drink only bottled spring water and eat only organic food by paying higher prices, but they breathe the same air as everyone else.
At a meeting on Monday, many Representatives have expressed their concerns about the air quality, too. One talked about his experience in Beijing. “After taking a taxi from the capital airport to my hotel, which took about an hour, I washed my nose and found the inside of my nose was black. We should ask ourselves this question: Why do we want to develop? It's for living a better life. Dirty air is definitely not a better life," he said.
China needs to develop its economy and invest(投資) in high-tech. Every Chinese wants a strong country. But without blue sky, clean water and safe food, the achievements in the economy will become meaningless. Space technologies are not to be developed for building a base on Mars so that one day all human beings can migrate to the red planet because they have destroyed Earth.
What the public wants is a strong and beautiful China. Former president Hu Jintao spoke at the 18th Party Congress last November saying that great efforts must be made to promote ecological progress and build a beautiful China. The words have shown the central government's resolution to address the environment issue.
【小題1】The effect of smog doesn’t include.
A.the rising of PM 2.5 readings |
B.more people suffering diseases |
C.the increase of people’s income |
D.patients increased in hospital |
A.Because people have to pay higher prices. |
B.Because nobody can avoid it. |
C.Because we have to develop industry. |
D.Because a popular online-post discussed it. |
A.human beings | B.other plants |
C.space technologies | D.industrial development |
A.high-tech can completely solve the problem of pollution |
B.space technologies should be developed in a large scale |
C.we can move to the Mars after the earth has been destroyed |
D.we must protect the environment while developing economy |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid (小行星) that crashed on Earth led to the disappearance of the largest animals that have ever walked our planet – the dinosaurs. At least, this is what some scientists believe. But that accident happened so long ago. People have come to believe that we are free of threats from asteroids and everything else from space.
However, what happened on Feb 15 , 2013 was a reminder that we’re just as vulnerable as the dinosaurs once were. Two objects from space – a meteor (隕石) and an asteroid called 2012 DA14 – visited Earth’s atmosphere on the same day. The former fell in Russia, injuring 1,200 people, while the latter passed by Earth at a record-setting close distance.
Scientists had been expecting the asteroid since last year, but the meteor was a surprise. NASA’s telescope system only detects asteroids at least 50 meters in diameter (直徑), which is just about the size of 2012 DA14. But the meteor was much smaller, which made it harder to spot.
But what if we do spot an asteroid that is headed right for Earth? There are several possible ways in which dangerous asteroids could be made to change its orbit. Which method is best depends on several factors and most importantly – how much time we have to stop it.
If there is enough time before the hit, we can send off a heavy spacecraft to travel alongside the asteroid. The gravity from the spacecraft would gradually change the rock’s orbit. Besides that, scientists could one day use sun-powered lasers to either make asteroids disappear or change their course. If there’s not enough time, we’ll have to go after the asteroid with a spacecraft and change its orbit with a crash. Finally, if things are truly desperate, there will be only one choice left – to use a nuclear bomb. That could turn the asteroid into a meteor shower, which would be even more dangerous.
【小題1】The author mentioned the asteroid that led to the dinosaurs’ dying out to ______.
A.show that asteroids fall from space frequently |
B.a(chǎn)lert people about the possible danger of objects falling from space |
C.inform readers about the constant threats the Earth faces |
D.suggest that there are still many mysteries about the universe |
A.unprotected | B.lonely | C.stupid | D.self-important |
A.It passed by the Earth at a close distance. |
B.It was spotted by NASA’s telescope system a year ago. |
C.It is about the same size as the asteroid that passed by the Earth. |
D.It fell to the Earth and caused great damage to the local community. |
A.Learning about asteroids and meteors. |
B.The threats of objects from space and possible solutions. |
C.NASA’s latest technology to discover visitors to the Earth from space. |
D.How to measure the damage of collisions from asteroids and meteors. |
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