For the first time, researchers have discovered that some plants can kill insects in order to get additional nutrients. New research shows that they catch and kill small insects with their own sticky hairs near the roots and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the insects are killed and fall to the ground.
Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated (改良的) tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.”
The number of these carnivorous plants is thought to have came up to 50 percent and many of them have until now been wrongly regarded as among the most harmless plants. Among them are species of petunia(矮牽牛), some special tobacco plants and cabbages, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, etc. Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realized.
It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild to get necessary nutrients in poor quality soil ­ and even various plants grown in your vegetable garden still have the ability.
The researchers, publishing their finding in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.” “We are accustomed to thinking of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply frightening about the thought of meat­eating plants，” they added.
【小題1】Tomatoes and potatoes kill insects to ________.

A．get more sticky hairs
B．make themselves grow better
C．make their roots stronger
D．a(chǎn)void falling down to the ground
【小題2】The word “carnivorous” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.
A．fast­growing B．harmless
C．insect­killing D．nutritious
【小題3】The insect­killing technique of vegetables is  developed most probably through ________.
A．evolution of species
B．helps from other garden plants
C．a(chǎn)rtificial cultivation
D．nutrients preserved in rich soil
【小題4】The text is probably taken from ________.
A．a(chǎn) student book B．a(chǎn) science fiction
C．a(chǎn) scientific repot D．a(chǎn) bulletin board


【小題1】B
【小題2】C
【小題3】A
【小題4】C

解析文章大意：最新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)：為了獲得營(yíng)養(yǎng)，很多植物都是昆蟲(chóng)殺手。
【小題1】B　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第一段第一句話“...some plants can kill insects in order to get additional nutrients.”可知，這些植物殺手殺死昆蟲(chóng)的目的是獲得營(yíng)養(yǎng)，當(dāng)然是為了讓它們自己長(zhǎng)得更好。
【小題2】C　猜測(cè)詞義題。由劃線詞前面的these可知，此處指的是前面提到的“殺死昆蟲(chóng)”的植物。
【小題3】A　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第四段“It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild to get necessary nutrients in poor quality soil”可知，植物的這種技能是長(zhǎng)期物種進(jìn)化的結(jié)果
【小題4】C　推理判斷題。由文章第一段“For the first time, researchers have discovered that...”和最后一段“The researchers, publishing their finding in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society...”可推知，本文是一篇科學(xué)研究報(bào)告。

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Bend over, take a deep breath and drink some water! This is just one of hundreds of tips you might get if you have the hiccups(打嗝). Hiccups are so mysterious. We really don’t know why they start and why they stop.
Everyone has a favorite cure(治愈方法) for a case of the hiccups. Some people think that a good scare(驚恐) is necessary to get well. Others eat a teaspoon of sugar. Still others drink a glass of water with a knife in it.
An American man named Jack O’Leary said he had hiccupped 160 million times over a period of eight years. He tried 60,000 cures, but none of them worked. At last he prayed to Saint Jude, the saint of Hopeless cases, and his hiccupping stopped immediately.
It took a British plumber eight months to cure his hiccups. People from all over the world wrote him letters with suggestions for getting well. He tried them all, but the hiccups continued. Finally, he drank a “secret” mixture someone had sent him. By that evening his hiccups were gone.
Why did these cures work for these two men? No one really know. But people who have studied many cases of hiccups have an idea – hiccups usually go away if you believe in the cure.
【小題1】. How did Jack O’Leary stop his hiccups?

A．He took a deep breath. B．He prayed to Saint Jude
C．He ate a teaspoon of sugar. D．He drank a “secret” mixture.
【小題2】. The British plumber spent         in stopping his hiccups.
A．4 hours B．2 days
C．8 months D．8 years
【小題3】.         might be the best cure for hiccups according to the passage.
A．Cold water B．A spoonful of salt
C．Special pills D．What you believe in
【小題4】. From this passage, we can learn         .
A．Saint Jude is an expert in curing the hiccups
B．the reason why the hiccups start and why the hiccups stop
C．some people think that a good scare is a cure for a case of hiccups
D．the British plumber drank a “secret” mixture given by an experienced doctor and then became well
【小題5】. What is the main idea of this passage?
A．Different ways to stop hiccups.
B．What makes hiccups happen.
C．How to get hiccups.
D．Jack O’Leary’s hiccups.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in San Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers.
The cottages could be an example of the industry’ s odd love affair with “l(fā)ow technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手藝) that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虛擬的) —so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by hand in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example, but Twitter’s designs lie on the extreme end. Other companies are using a broader interpretation (闡釋) of low technology that focuses on nature.
Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Google’s office, an entire floor is carpeted in glass. Facebook’s second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking trail.
Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “We have lost the connection to the maker in our lives, and our tech engineers are the ones who feel impoverished (貧乏的) , because they’re surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “They’re looking for a way to regain their individual identity, and we’ve found that introducing real crafts is one way to do that.”
This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life,” Morris said.
Research has shown that natural environments can restore(恢復(fù)) our mental capacities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe,” taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure.
These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative effects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office—even simple views of trees and flowers—felt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially nourish the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine, bring on the cottages.
【小題1】The writer mentions the two nineteenth-century cottages to show that ________.

A．Twitter is having a hard time 
B．old cottages are in need of protection 
C．early settlers once suffered from a dry climate in Montana 
D．Internet companies have rediscovered the benefits of low technology 
【小題2】Low technology is regarded as something that _______.
A．is related to nature B．is out of date today 
C．consumes too much energy D．exists in the virtual world 
【小題3】The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that human beings ________.
A．have destroyed many pre-industrial arts 
B．have a tradition of valuing arts and crafts 
C．can become intelligent by learning history 
D．can regain their individual identity by using machines 
【小題4】The writer’s attitude to “l(fā)ow technology” can best be described as ________.
A．positive B．defensive C．cautious D．doubtful 
【小題5】What might be the best title for the passage?
A．Past Glories, Future Dreams 
B．The Virtual World, the Real Challenge 
C．High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices 
D．The More Craftsmanship, the Less Creativity 

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

If you could be anybody in the world, who would it be? Your neighbour or a super star? A few people have experienced what it might be like to step into the skin of another person, thanks to an unusual virtual reality（虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)）device. Rikke Wahl, an actress, model and artist, was one of the participants in a body swapping experiment at the Be Another lab, a project developed by a group of artists based in Barcelona. She swapped with her partner, an actor, using a machine called The Machine to Be Another and temporarily became a man. "As I looked down, I saw my whole body as a man, dressed in my partner's pants," she said. "That's the picture I remember best."
The set-up is relatively simple. Both users wear a virtual reality headset with a camera on the top. The video from each camera is sent to the other person, so what you see is the exact view of your partner. If she moves her arm, you see it. If you move your arm, she sees it.
To get used to seeing another person's body without actually having control of it, participants start by raising their arms and legs very slowly, so that the other can follow along. Eventually, this kind of slow synchronised（同步的）movement becomes comfortable, and participants really start to feel as though they are living in another person's body.
Using such technology promises to alter people's behaviour afterwards-potentially for the better. Studies have shown that virtual reality can be effective in fighting racism-the bias（偏見(jiàn)）that humans have against those who don't look or sound like them. Researchers at the University of Barcelona gave people a questionnaire called the Implicit Association Test, which measures the strength of people's associations between, for instance, black people and adjectives such as good, bad, athletic or awkward. Then they asked them to control the body of a dark skinned digital character using virtual reality glasses, before taking the test again. This time, the participants' bias scores were lower. The idea is that once you've "put yourself in another's shoes" you're less likely to think ill of them, because your brain has internalised the feeling of being that person.
The creators of The Machine to Be Another hope to achieve a similar result. "At the end of body swapping, people feel like holding each other in their arms," says Arthur Pointeau, a programmer with the project. "It's a really nice way to have this kind of experience. I would really, really recommend it to everyone."
【小題1】The word "swapping" (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to______.

A．building B．exchanging C．controlling D．transplanting
【小題2】We can infer from the experiment at the Be Another lab that______.
A．our feelings are related to our bodily experience
B．we can learn to take control of other people's bodies
C．participants will live more passionately after the experiment
D．The Machine to Be Another can help people change their sexes
【小題3】In the Implicit Association Test, before the participants used virtual reality glasses to control a dark skinned digital character, ______.
A．they fought strongly against racism
B．they scored lower on the test for racism
C．they changed their behaviour dramatically
D．they were more biased against those unlike them
【小題4】It can be concluded from the passage that______.
A．technology helps people realize their dreams
B．our biases could be eliminated through experiments
C．virtual reality helps promote understanding among people
D．our points of view about others need changing constantly

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Global Positioning Systems (全球定位系統(tǒng)) are now a part of everyday driving in many countries.These satellite­based systems provide turn­by­turn directions to help people get to where they want to go.However，they can also cause a lot of problems，send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost.Many times，the driver is to blame.Sometimes a GPS error is responsible.Most often，says Barry Brown，it is a combination of the two.
Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm，Sweden.He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States.There he borrowed a GPS­equipped car to use during his stay.Mr Brown says，“They just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination.And，then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived.They actually put their home address in.So again，the GPS is kind of ‘garbage in garbage out’．”
Mr Brown says this is a common human error，but what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings，or failures，of GPS equipment.He says，“One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn.Because they just give you the next turn，sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Mr Brown says，“One of the things that struck us，perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you’re doing when you use a GPS.There are these new skills that people have developed.There are these new competencies (資格) that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.This goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational skills.”
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers，passengers and GPS systems work together.
【小題1】According to Barry Brow，in most cases，________are blame for the problems.

A．human errors
B．GPS errors
C．errors caused by both drivers and GPS
D．errors caused by putting in a wrong address
【小題2】The example of Barry Brown’s friend is used to show that________.
A．GPS is nothing but garbage
B．GPS is still not accurate enough
C．it is difficult for drivers to use GPS equipment
D．sometimes drivers are responsible for the problem
【小題3】It can be inferred from the second paragraph that________.
A．it’s impossible to drive from the east to the west in the US
B．Barry Brown’s friend went to Stockholm，Sweden by plane
C．given wrong instructions，the GPS will produce wrong results
D．GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational skills
【小題4】Which of the followings is one of the shortcomings of GPS equipment?
A．It just tells the driver to turn once at a time.
B．It gives the driver the overview.
C．Its screen is too small to be seen clearly.
D．It is only suitable for passive drivers.
【小題5】What’s the main idea of the text?
A．GPS systems are helpful for drivers.
B．Driving with GPS can be difficult to navigate (導(dǎo)航)．
C．Drivers should understand how GPS systems work.
D．Drivers should learn to use GPS systems correctly.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

What's going to happen in the future? Will robots take over our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say are most likely to happen 10 to 30 years later from now, according to the BBC.
1．Digital money
We used to pay with cash for everything we bought. Now when we swipe(刷) our bus pass or use a credit card to shop online, money is spent without us even seeing it. In fact, we are already using one type of digital money.
You have to admit that using a card is much easier than searching your pockets for change. It is also safer than carrying a lot of cash.
When ATM cards were first introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now it's hard to live without them. People in Sweden completely stopped using cash last year, according to the Associated Press, and the US might be next.
2．Bionic(能力超人的)eye
It's no longer something only in a sci­fi movie. People who are blind may have a chance to get their sight back—by wearing bionic eyes.
A blind eye can no longer sense light, but a bionic eye can use a camera to “see” the environment and send data directly to the brain.
Although the bionic eye that's out now only allows patients to see lights and unclear shapes, a high­resolution(高清晰度的) version could be just a few years away.
3．Self­driving cars
Everything is going automatic these days—washing machines, ticket selling machines and even cars. Unlike a human driver, a self­driving car won't get distracted by a phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors and cameras on the car would allow it to stick strictly to the rules of the road and keep a safe distance from other cars. This would greatly reduce the number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself.
Many vehicle companies are now planning self­driving cars. “By 2040, driverless vehicles will be widely accepted and possibly be the dominant vehicles on the road，” said Jeffrey Miller, professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, US, in Wired magazine.
【小題1】The underlined word “distracted” in the article is closest in meaning to “________”．

A．directedB．discouraged
C．a(chǎn)ttackedD．disturbed
【小題2】Jeffrey Miller's attitude towards self­driving cars is ________.
A．optimisticB．pessimistic
C．doubtfulD．cautious
【小題3】Which section is the article most likely to be found in the newspaper?
A．Learning KitB．Campus Trends
C．EntertainmentD．Technology

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Have you seen a yellow-and-black salamander (火蜥蜴)? How about a scarlet frog? Scientists haven’t spotted either species in more than 20 years. What happened to them? Are the creatures still out there, or are they extinct?
Those are questions that scientists hope to answer. They recently set out around the world in search of those and other long-missing amphibians. An amphibian is an animal that spends part of its life in water and part on land. Frog, toads(蟾蜍), and salamanders are amphibians.
The experts are looking for about 100 species. They are searching at least 14 countries on five continents. They will look for the salamander in North America. They hope to find the scarlet frog in South America. They’re also looking for species in Africa, Asia and Australia.
Scientists are hopeful that they’ll find the amphibians—and soon! If the creatures are out there, they may need help. Many amphibians are endangered. The animals face many dangers including pollution and diseases. People cut down the forests where they live.
“If researchers can find the missing creatures, they might be able to figure out how to save them,” explains expert Robin Moore. He began searching for the amphibians earlier this month.
“This search will tell us a lot about how amphibians are doing,” Moore told WR News. “I don’t know what we will find, but that makes the search even more exciting.”
Lost in the Wild
Scientists’ hunt for missing amphibians is under way. Read about some of the species they hope to find.
Turkestanian salamander
This salamander is a mystery to scientists. Experts found a few of them more than 100 years ago, but none have been seen ever since.
Gastric brooding frog
Experts first discovered this frog in 1914 in eastern Australia. It may be extinct because of disease and habitat loss.
Rio Pescado stubfoot toad
Last sighting: 1995, in South America
Scientists hope to find this spotted toad in rivers and rainforests in Ecuador. The animal faces threats including pollution and disease.
【小題1】 Which of the following animals hasn’t been seen for over a century?

A．Rio Pescado stubfoot toad.
B．Gastric brooding frog.
C．Turkestanian salamander.
D．Scarlet frog.
【小題2】It can be learned from the passage that _____.
A．the scarlet frog used to live in Africa
B．researchers have no way to save amphibians
C．the scientists will search 14 countries at most
D．Robin Moore has begun his search for amphibians
【小題3】 Why do the scientists want to find the missing amphibians?
A．Because they want to rescue the missing amphibians.
B．Because they want to set up a scientific program.
C．Because they want to do a scientific research on the missing amphibians.
D．Because they want to publish a report about the missing amphibians on WR News.
【小題4】 What does Moore think of the search for endangered amphibians?
A．It’s hopeful. B．It’s interesting.
C．It’s tiring. D．It’s dangerous.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

One night in March 1999, a man was driving from California to Oregon, US, to visit some friends. He had stopped his car to have some food when he started to hear strange noises. Turning on the headlights, he saw an 8-foot-tall creature covered in thick, dark hair. The creature stared at him for a minute, turned in the road and walked off slowly into the woods.

In the past 50 years alone, there have been thousands of reported sightings of similar creatures in the US, Canada, the Himalayas(喜馬拉雅山地區(qū))and even Hubei Province in China. The creature is known as bigfoot.
Bigfoot is said to be a very tall(between 2 and 4. 5 metres), ape-like(類(lèi)人猿似的)creature that is covered in hair and walks upright on two legs. It is very wary(警惕的)of human beings.
Believers think bigfoot is a direct descendent(后代)of ancient gigantopithecus(巨猿). But it remains one of the planet’s undiscovered secrets. There is a little evidence(證據(jù))to support the believers’ theory: traces of hair, footprints and body prints as well as the reported sightings. Some people have even showed what they say with photos or films of bigfoot.
But so far, no one has found bones or any other definite proof that the giant creature exists.
As a result many people believe the evidence is just part of a big trick.
The footprints are easy to make and they say: all you need to do is to make two large feet out of plaster(石膏), attach them to the bottom of your shoes and walk with big steps. As for the photos and films, they are just people dressed in ape suits.
They also say the sightings are not real, just people making mistakes. For example, bigfoot could be a bear living in the wild that sometimes stands up on its back legs.
【小題1】 So far what we can be sure about is that　　　　.

A．there exist savages(野人)in several places in the world
B．there are some traces of hair, footprints and body prints of the “bigfoot”
C．bigfoot is a direct descendent of ancient gigantopithecus
D．a(chǎn)ll the big foot discovered have the same look
【小題2】It was in　　　that man first found the ape-like creature.
A．1999 B．the 1960’s
C．the 1950’sD．the 1940’s
【小題3】 The article infers but doesn’t say so that some people　　　　bigfoot’s existence.
A．may fool the world into believing
B．have definite evidences to prove
C．refuse to believe
D．will soon offer proofs of
【小題4】If bigfoot is just a misunderstanding, what they saw might NOT be　　　　.
A．a(chǎn)pes
B．bears
C．gigantopithecus
D．people dressed in animal skins

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farms have undergone an “agricultural revolution”. On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power.
One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for hog producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make startling changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete mobilization of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.
【小題1】According to the passage, computers can NOT help farmers decide _______.

A．what livestock to raise
B．whether to plant a certain kind of crop
C．how much money they can earn from their products
D．when to sell their products
【小題2】Which of the following statements is true?
A．Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers.
B．Both computers and robots have been in use on today’s farms.
C．Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present.
D．Students at agricultural colleges must take computer classes because they can do nothing without the help of computers on today’s farms.
【小題3】According to the engineers, _______will be done by robots in the near future.
A．a(chǎn)ll farm work B．milking cows
C．most of the farm work D．some farm work
【小題4】What is the best title for the whole passage?
A．Computer, Farmers’ Best Friend
B．The Agricultural Revolution
C．Farmers in The Future
D．Computers and Robots

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