In a natural disaster—a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes—minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death．Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen．They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained．
On September 29, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour．Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean．
This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people．
Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century——residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions（預(yù)防）．
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied．A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans．Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk for flooding．Emergency management officials must begin evacuations（疏散）well before a storm strikes．But evacuation costs money: businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures．The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city' s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million．After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs．
The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters．Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions．
小題1:What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?
A．To identify the cause of disasters．
B．To save people' s lives and property．
C．To prevent natural disasters from happening,
D．To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction．
小題2:Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?
A．Puerto Rico．B．New Orleans．
C．Biloxi, Mississippi．D．Galveston, Texas．
小題3:The city residents of New Orleans were unsatisfied because __  _ .
A．the forecast hurricane did not hit the city
B．the hurricane warning arrived rather late
C．their preparations were made in vain
D．they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack
小題4:What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The different ways of disaster prediction．
B．Technological advances in disaster prediction．
C．The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction．
D．The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction．

小題1:B
小題1:D
小題1:C
小題1:C
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships do not last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules. Be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you do not tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest you may lose your friends’ trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money on your clothes of course. Instead you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, like your hobbies and your interest. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later every one needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practise honesty, generosity, and understanding.
小題1:Some friendships don’t last very long because ____.
A．there are too many people who want to make friends.
B．those who never give others friendships receive no friendship from others.
C．those who give others friendship receive friendship from others.
D．they don’t know friendship is something serious.
小題2:According to the passage honesty is _____.
A．something goodB．the base of friendship
C．a(chǎn)s important as moneyD．more important than anything else
小題3:The underlined word “generosity” means ___.
A．大度B．節(jié)約C．吝嗇D．和氣
小題4:Which of the following isn’t mentioned (提及)in the passage?
A．Always tell your friend the truth.
B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value.
C．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem.
D．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal. The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A & M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”
小題1: The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.
A．make efforts to clone the endangered pandasB．save endangered animals from dying out
C．collect DNA of endangered animals to studyD．transfer the nuclear of one animal to another
小題2: According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.
A．a(chǎn)vailable panda eggsB．host animalsC．qualified researchersD．enough money
小題3:The best title for the passage may be _______.
A．China’s Success in Pandas CloningB．The First Cloned Panda in the World
C．Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas D．China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever
小題4:From the passage we know that _______.
A．Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B．scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit
C．Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D．a(chǎn)bout two thousand of species will probably die out in a century

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

DNA is one of the most important discoveries in science. DNA is the plan for the human being, as a blueprint is the plan for a building. DNA makes a person look the way he does. A person’s DNA comes from a mixing of his parents’ DNA. That’s why a child looks like his parents. But, besides controlling things such as height and hair color, DNA can also give people diseases. Scientists are now studying DNA to cure diseases.
In the seventies, scientists developed a process called recombinant or RDNA. Although it sounds difficult to understand, RDNA simply means taking DNA from one animal or plant and putting it into another. By doing so, scientists can create new beings. In doing so, scientists can better understand DNA, especially what parts of DNA do what. After they understand DNA, scientists can begin to cure diseases. Often, the new being created will itself be the cure.   Besides curing diseases, RDNA research can also do other things. For example, scientists in Japan have already created “super-trees”. Trees help humans, because they take CO2, which poisons humans, from the air and turns it into oxygen, which lets humans breathe. “Super-trees” do this too, but do it much faster. As things such as cars and factories have already put much CO2 in the area, “super-trees” are badly needed.
Unfortunately, there is a serious danger in RDNA research. Scientists want to create animals to cure old diseases, but these new animals may also create new diseases. It will be a serious problem if the animals escape from the science laboratory and into nature. As these animals are not natural, they may let loose many new powerful diseases.
As a result, RDNA research will create many solutions, but it will also create many problems.
小題1: From the passage, we can know that a boy looks like his parents because______.
A．he is son of his parents.
B．his parents’ DNA decides his appearance.
C．he has received DNA from his father or his mother.
D．scientists have put some of his parents’ DNA into him.
小題2:What does the underlined expression “l(fā)et loose” probably mean?
A．let … go freeB．get rid of
C．a(chǎn)bsorbD．survive
小題3: What is the best title for the passage?
A．The DNA Research in Japan
B．A New Way of DNA Research in Japan.
C．The Causes and Effects of DNA Research
D．The Advantages And Disadvantages of RDNA
小題4: The following statements are true about RDNA research EXCEPT ______.
A．the research has been stopped because the created animals carry viruses
B．“super-trees” might be widely planted around the world
C．scientists have not completely understood DNA
D．RDNA research will benefit human beings a lot
小題5:You might find this passage in / on a ________.
 
A．fashion magazineB．novelC．scientific newspaperD．sports newspaper

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Howling is a behaviour commonly observed among a wolf pack. As pack animals, wolves work together to hunt and rely on howling as an important means of communication among each other. There are different explanations of a wolf’s howl and it appears that there may be more to discover.
One theory is that wolves howl to bond better together. It’s almost as if howling together helps the pack stay together. Perhaps something similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when singing a song together. But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harrington, a professor who studies wolf behaviour.
Indeed, there have been times when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a chorus, and the next, quarreling among each other. It appears that usually the lowest-ranking members of the pack may actually be “punished” for joining in the chorus at times. So is howling a way to strengthen a social bond or just a way to reconfirm status among its members? —Why do wolves howl for sure?
What is clear, however, is that howling is often used among packmates to locate each other. Hunting grounds are distant and it happens that wolves may separate from one another at times. When this happens, howling appears to be an excellent means of gathering.
Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behaviour. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occur in the morning, as if wolves were doing some sort of “roll call” where wolves all howl together to report their presence.
小題1:What is the possible similarity between wolves’ howling together and humans’ singing in chorus?
A．The act of calling each other.B．The sense of accomplishment.
C．The act of hunting for something.D．The sense of belonging to a group.
小題2:Why does Harrington think the “social bond” theory may be wrong?
A．Wolves separate from each other after howling.
B．Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds.
C．Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together.
D．Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus.
小題3:Researchers are sure that wolves often howl to ______.
A．show their ranks B．find their companions
C．report the missing onesD．express their loneliness
小題4:“Howling… is a contagious behaviour” (in the last paragraph) means _______.
A．howling is a signal for hunting
B．howling is a way of communication
C．howling often occurs in the morning
D．howling spreads from one to another

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by his strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him a lot of questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain this question. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Herpin died at the age of 94.
小題1:The doctors came to Herpin’s home in order to __________.
A．treat him for his illness
B．find the reason why some old people didn’t need any sleep.
C．get some proof to show his sleeplessness was not really true.
D．help him to have a rest in some day.
小題2:After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ________.
A．needed some kind of sleep.
B．needed no sleep at all.
C．was too old to need any sleep.
D．often slept in a chair.
小題3:Al Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ___________.
A．a(chǎn)n unusual oneB．a(chǎn) common one
C．very healthyD．very funny
小題4: The main idea of this passage is that ____________.  
A．large numbers of people do not need sleep
B．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
C．people can live longer by trying not to sleep at all
D．a(chǎn) person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.
There’s a catch, of course. You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.
Technology experts often talk about the “l(fā)ast mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely(稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.
But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere. Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables(光纖電纜) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.
Still, the “l(fā)ast mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication(跡象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.
小題1:The underlined part “ a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “________”.
A．a(chǎn) rare challengeB．a(chǎn) desirable plan
C．a(chǎn)n efficient deviceD．a(chǎn) hidden problem
小題2:What can we know from the third paragraph?
A．Internet connection has not been popular in most cities.
B．Internet service providers care about rural customers.
C．Computer is popular in developing countries.
D．It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas.
小題3: Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements ________.
A．make TV and telephone available everywhere
B．bring great change to people’s everyday life
C．make it possible for more people to use the Internet
D．bring faster Internet connections to users
小題4:What may eventually settle the “l(fā)ast mile” problem?
A．The broadband connection’s getting faster.
B．More and more Internet users.
C．More and more Internet connections.
D．The rapid progress in cell phone technology.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Scientists warn today that the Atlantic bluefin tuna（金槍魚）faces disappearance unless certain action is taken. They used electronic ways to track the movement of the powerful fish from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean, and report today in the journal Nature that meals of sushi and sandwiches with tuna worldwide are more dangerous than anyone has imagined.
The bluefin tuna can live for 30 years, grow to three metres in length and weigh as much as 700kg. A good one can fetch as much as £ 52,000 in the Tokyo fish markets. “In my lifetime, we’ve brought this big fish to the doorstep of death in the western Atlantic Ocean,” said Barbara Block of Stanford University in California. “The electronic way of tracks provides the best scientific information we’ve ever had to manage these tuna and we must, as an international community, start to act actively to make sure of the future of this fish. ”
Scientists have repeatedly said that the harvest of the seas cannot be as good as before. There are fewer and fewer fish in around Newfoundland, North Sea and Iceland, so fishermen have pushed further offshore in search of deep ocean fish. Tuna—in the Mediterranean and Japan—have been under increasing pressure for years. The International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna has tried to manage the fish since 1969．There are two populations: a western one that has dropped by 80% in the past 30 years, and a larger, eastern population. Although catches are controlled by 3,000 tons a year in the western fishery, and 32,000 in the east, no one knew whether the limits worked.
So Professor Block and her team placed tracks on hundreds of the fish and tracked them to depths of more than 900 metres and on journeys of thousands of miles, measuring the movement, body and water temperatures. “There are two ways to save the Atlantic bluefin tuna—protect them in their production grounds and in their feeding grounds,” Prof. Block said. “This will need immediate action in both the central Atlantic, to reduce the loss of the big fish while hunting, and in the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean, where tuna produce as separate populations. ”
小題1: The bluefin tuna in this passage mainly refers to the one _______.
A．in the AtlanticB．in the Pacific
C．in the Gulf of MexicoD．in the Mediterranean
小題2:Which of the following is NOT true according to this passage?
A．The bluefin tuna is a kind of large and heavy fish.
B．The number of the bluefin tuna in the sea is getting smaller and smaller.
C．Scientists are worried about the future of the tuna.
D．Scientists think that the harvest of the seas will remain good.
小題3:According to Professor Block, tuna can be saved by ______.
A．finding a new way to protect them
B．controlling the catches of them
C．reducing the population to eat them
D．protecting them in their production and feeding grounds
小題4:The purpose of the passage is to ______.
A．tell people a new way has been found to save the bluefin tuna
B．call for action to save the bluefin tuna
C．warn people not to eat tuna sandwiches anymore
D．help scientists to find a new way to save the bluefin tuna

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

As if there weren’t enough of them in the world already, scientists have succeeded in cloning flies. The alike fruit flies are the first insects ever cloned, says the Canadian team that created them. The question everyone asks is why anyone would want to clone flies in the first place. She hopes that the insects , which are very easy to experiment with , will help to adjust the cloning process in other animals and even in humans, where the technique is being researched to aid production of therapeutic (治療的) stem cells.
In cloning, the DNA-containing nucleus of an adult cell is injected into an egg whose own nucleus(細(xì)胞核) has been removed. At the moment, the majority of cloned mice, sheep and other animals die before birth. It is thought this is because the adult DNA is not properly ‘reprogrammed’.
Using flies, researchers might discover genes that are important for this reprogramming, and that have matches in other animals. That is because it is relatively easy in flies to knock out the function of a single gene and then attempt cloning with these cells, which will test whether that gene is important. If such genes are confirmed, then in theory cloned mammalian embryos(晶胚) might be grown in selected solutions that change the activity of those genes to improve the technique’s success rate. Although some groups have attempted to clone insects before, Lloyd says this is the first time it has been successful. The team used a slight difference on the standard cloning process: they transferred nuclei taken from embryos rather than fully-grown adult cells. They sucked several nuclei (pl)out of developing fly embryos, and injected them into a fertilized(已受精的) fly egg. From over 800 early attempts, they cloned five adult insects, the group reports in the journal Genetics.
小題1:The best title of this passage probably is _______.
A．The importance of clone
B．First insects are cloned
C．The disagreement in clone
D．The advantages of clone
小題2:The scientists cloned flies because________.
A．there are fewer and fewer flies in the world
B．flies are easy to find and cheap to use
C．they can gain some experience before cloning other animals
D．it is safe to clone flies
小題3:The failure of most cloned animals is due to _______.
A．the difference of other animals’ genes
B．the improper technique of clone
C．the complex of other animals
D．the improper rearrange of the adult gene
小題4:It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
A．the clone of insects before used grown-up cells
B．the clone of insects were never experimented before
C．this time scientists cloned flies successfully and easily
D．based on this success, other animals will be cloned in large quantities.

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