(2013·宜春五校聯(lián)考)Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers.They use robotic systems to milk their cows.Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations.Only one cow at a time can enter a station.
Once inside，the cow is rewarded with food.As the cow eats，a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine.A few minutes later，milking is complete.The gate is opened，the cow is released and the next cow enters.
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day.The cows get to decide when they want to be milked.Cows are milked an average of about three times a day.Some are milked four to six times a day.
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system.A computer keeps records on their eating and milking.A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk.Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers.She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm.Still，she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm.Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system.A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot costs 175,000 dollars.The second costs 150,000 dollars.
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot.He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.
小題1:From the first paragraph，we can infer ________.

A．the robotic system is designed to reduce labor

B．cows can be raised by robots in the future

C．robots direct cows into milking stations

D．cows are kept clean by robots on some farms

小題2:Besides milking cows，the robotic system also can ________.

A．a(chǎn)djust the temperature of milking stations

B．judge the quality of fresh milk

C．improve the appetite of cows

D．keep fresh milk for two weeks

小題3:Why is the robotic system not popular now?

A．Because young people have no interest in it.

B．Because it is difficult to learn how to use it.

C．Because people can't afford to buy it.

D．Because it usually causes the waste of milk.

小題4:According to Doug，what is the wage of an employee per year?

A．$150,000～$175,000.

B．over $75,000.

C．$150,000～$30,000.

D．$30,000～$35,000.

The first flights of the new airlines that will take tourists into space are ready to take off in 2012, and getting a seat on one is not all that different from booking a trip someplace on Earth. You can sign up on the website of, say, Virgin Galactic，the most well­known of the new space tourism companies, or go to an approved travel agency and put down a large deposit. Soon you will be able to buy travel insurance，just as you can for any other vacation.
Until now，space tourism has been limited to the ultrawealthy. Just seven people have paid tens of millions of dollars each for a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket.
But that could change this year, when Virgin Galactic intends to start offering flights just beyond the space barrier on a rocket ship it has built, featuring five minutes of weightlessness during a two­and­a­half­hour tour. At $ 200,000 a seat, this will open the final frontier to far more people.
At least two other specialty airlines have jumped in as well, taking reservations and deposits for future space flights.Allianz, the big insurer, will introduce an insurance product in 2012, lending space tourism the trappings of the regular travel industry.
“Just to be able to sell space travel as a regular part of your business, really, just how cool is that？” said Lynda Turley Garrett, president of Alpine Travel of Saratoga, Calif.，who is one of 58 accredited space agents for Virgin Galactic in the United States.
In five years，Ms.Garrett has sold three seats. But she expects that to change once passengers start going up and coming down to tell their friends. “By 2017，it'll be just like scheduling a flight to L．A.，” Ms.Garrett predicted.
小題1:If you want to book a flight to space in 2012, you can________.

A．go to any travel agency

B．telephone Virgin Galactic

C．pay a visit to Allianz

D．sign up on the website of Virgin Galactic

小題2:From Paragraph 2 we can know that ________.

A．only the extremely rich people can afford the space trip

B．seven people have paid tens of millions of dollars for a space trip

C．Russia is the first country to build the space station

D．ordinary people are not allowed to take space tour

小題3:Which of the following is true of Virgin Galactic?

A．It is one of the approved space agencies.

B．It is a famous space tourism company.

C．It sells insurance products to space tourists.

D．Its rocket has carried space passengers successfully.

小題4:What does the underlined word “trappings” in Paragraph 4 probably refer to?

A．Standard uniforms.

B．Traditional decorations.

C．Symbolic signs.

D．Personal belongings.

小題5:What does Ms. Garrett think of the future space travel?

A．Common.	B．Changeable.
C．Flexible.	D．Reasonable.

Many people think of the brain as a mystery.They don't know much about intelligence and how it works.When they do think about what intelligence is，many people believe that a person is born smart，average，or dumb—and stays that way in the whole life.But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle—it changes and gets stronger when you use it.And scientists have been able to show just how the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn.
Everyone knows that when you lift weights，your muscles get bigger and you get stronger.A person who can't lift 20 pounds when he/she starts exercising can get strong enough to lift 100 pounds after working out for a long time.That's because the muscles become larger and stronger with exercise.And when you stop exercising，the muscles shrink and you get weaker.That's why people say “Use it or lose it！”
But most people don't know that when they practice and learn new things，parts of their brain change and get larger a lot like muscles do when they exercise. Inside the cortex(皮層)of the brain are billions of tiny nerve cells，called neurons. The nerve cells have branches connecting them to other cells in a complicated network. Communication between these brain cells is what allows us to think and solve problems. When you learn new things，these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and get stronger.The more you challenge your mind to learn，the more your brain cells grow.Then，things that you once found very hard or even impossible to do—like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra(代數(shù))—seem to become easy after learning them for a period of time.The result is a stronger，smarter brain.
Scientists started thinking that the human brain could develop and change when they studied animals'brains.They found out that animals that lived in a challenging environment were more perspicacious—they were better at solving problems and learning new things.
小題1:According to the first paragraph，________.

A．the function of our brain is like that of the muscle

B．until now it's impossible to explain the brain's mystery

C．many people believe one's intelligence is naturally determined

D．one's brain grows stronger as the age increases

小題2:Training muscles is compared to ________.

A．using the brain

B．connecting things in your brain

C．lifting weights

D．doing research about the brain

小題3:What does the underlined word“perspicacious”in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Strong.	B．Smart.
C．Popular.	D．Active.

小題4:The following paragraph will most probably talk about ________.

A．the differences between animals'brains and humans'brains

B．the relation between human brains and muscles

C．scientists' findings about animals' brains

D．how to make your brain smarter through self?development

Many people are concerned about the state of the earth in terms of its energy supplies and changing climate.The clear message broadcast by all responsible governments is that every person has a part to play.Here are some detailed instructions.
1．Prevent pollution by disposing(清理) of all your litter and waste in the correct，legal way，such as using on­street waste receptacles(容器) when you are out and about，or putting it in your domestic rubbish can when you're at home.Follow local procedures for normal waste disposal.Contact your local authority for advice on disposing of unusual waste items，such as paint and computer parts.
2．Recycle all materials that can be processed by your local authority.Place plastics，metals，paper and glass in the correct collection receptacles.Donate unwanted items to the charities that are happy to accept good condition clothing，furniture and even automobiles.
3．Look after reserves of water by making sure you turn off the tap after use and by repairing leaks(滲漏) and drips.Purchase water­efficient appliances.Take showers instead of baths.Gather rainwater for garden use and use your lawn sprinkler less often or not at all.
4．Save energy by choosing Energy Star products.Turn these off，as well as lights，when you don't need them to be on.Use air condition and heating less often.Make sure your home is insulated correctly to maintain a steady temperature.
5．Reduce the amount of the material you use.Print emails occasionally or not at all rather than printing them every time.You buy new things when you actually need them rather than on a whim(心血來潮)．Organize a car pool with friends to use fuel efficiently.
In a word，we should try to use the world's resources efficiently to protect the environment.
小題1:When you have a walk in the park，you________．

A．can throw away the waste freely

B．had better take along the waste

C．can throw the waste into rubbish can

D．should put the waste in your domestic rubbish can

小題2:Which can't be recycled according to the passage?

A．Metal.	B．Glass.
C．Automobiles.	D．Paint.

小題3:Why should you take showers instead of baths?

A．Because it is comfortable.	B．Because it can save lots water.
C．Because it can gather water.	D．Because it is convenient to use.

小題4:What's the main idea of the whole passage?

A．How to protect the environment?

B．Reduce the amount of the material you use.

C．Some instructions in energy supplies.

D．Why should each play a part in saving energy?

A person should eat right，get some exercise，or he or she will look terrible in 25 years.And if the person drinks and smokes? Even____．That's the message from Blue Cross Blue Shield.The ____，called “Future You”，uses a digital camera and computer to compare a person's current image with his or her future ____ without changes in bad habits.
“Smoking can ___ your skin，” said Anna，a creative operation manager，“You can see what the results of the toxins(毒素) and the chemicals in____are.” Along with the potentially____sight of one's older self，F(xiàn)uture You offers science­based____on what to eat，how much to exercise and other ways to ____ your health.But will it work? Too ____ to tell was the verdict(意見) of Anna.“I want to see some data！” she said.
Generally，Anna said，men show____concern about their appearance than women.“Women say，‘That looks like my ____on the screen，’” she said.“Men are more likely to ____，‘Yeah，go ahead.Put it on Facebook.’” The project was raised more than a year ago to improve the overall(總體的) health of the people who are ____ of this company.In addition，the growth in the ranks of ____customers would bring down the overall cost of health care.In coming weeks，two new ones will be ___ in locations such as the American Tobacco Campus and the Museum of Natural Science.If users ____，their information will be stored as secrets without names to create a database of good and bad ___．
The process is free and the response is not ____，at least according to Valencia Robertson，one of a line of people who waited to ____ the instrument on Thursday.“I'm good，” Robertson said after ____ her future image.“It's not going to be a big difference.”

小題1:	A．easier B．happier C．bitter D．worse

小題2:	A．instrument B．picture C．place D．structure

小題3:	A．wealth B．character C．a(chǎn)ppearance D．education

小題4:	A．reflect B．bother C．ruin D．a(chǎn)ffect

小題5:	A．cigarette B．beers C．medicines D．foods

小題6:	A．confusing B．convincing C．depressing D．exciting

小題7:	A．opinion B．plans C．thought D．a(chǎn)dvice

小題8:	A．break B．damage C．preserve D．change

小題9:	A．possible B．natural C．early D．clear

小題10:

A．deeper B．less C．higher D．stronger

小題11:

A．son B．father C．daughter D．mom

小題12:

A．guess B．say C．doubt D．wonder

小題13:

A．customers B．managers C．secretaries D．cleaners

小題14:

A．cautious B．smart C．careless D．generous

小題15:

A．showing up B．thought out C．sold out D．dying out

小題16:

A．know B．a(chǎn)gree C．come D．listen

小題17:

A．habits B．choices C．methods D．plans

小題18:

A．nice B．cool C．strange D．bad

小題19:

A．repair B．sell C．try D．buy

小題20:

A．drawing B．viewing C．picturing D．imaging

Hu Li's heart sank due to the color of the air.Driving 140 kilometers from Tianjin City to Beijing last week，she held her breath as the air became a charcoal grey haze(炭灰色的陰霾)．The 39­year­old businesswoman has lived in Beijing for a decade，and this past month，she said，brought the worst air pollution she has ever seen.It gave her husband a cough and left her seven­year­old daughter housebound(足不出戶)．“My husband as well as I is working here，so we have no choice，” she said.“But if we had a choice，we'd like to escape from Beijing.”
The extended heavy pollution over the last month，which caused punishment in return for a day last week－called the “airpocalypse” by internet users－ has largely changed the way that Chinese think about the country's air.On one day，pollution levels were 30 times higher than levels considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO)．Flights were cancelled.Roads were closed.One hospital in east Beijing reported they had treated more than 900 children for breathing issues.Bloomberg found that for most of January，Beijing's air was worse than that of an airport smoking area.
The smog's(煙霧) most threatening aspect is its high concentration(濃度) of PM 2.5 － particulate matter that is small enough to breathe deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream，causing breathing infections，lung cancer and possibly damaging children's development.The WHO has estimated that outdoor air pollution accounts for two million deaths per year，65% of them in Asia.
小題1:Which conclusion can we draw from the first paragraph?

A．Hu Li is living in Beijing.

B．Hu Li traveled to Tianjin for business.

C．The haze is harmful to people.

D．The pollution is the worst in Beijing's history.

小題2:The haze affected people mainly in________．

A．the way they traveled

B．the opinion about national air

C．the way they lived their life

D．the life style of internet

小題3:From the passage we know high concentration of PM 2.5________．

A．can lead to choke

B．can cause heart cancer

C．will damage children's development

D．will damage people's organ

小題4:What's the best title for the passage?

A．Hu Li's attitudes to Beijing's haze

B．The damages of Beijing's haze

C．WHO suggests improving Beijing's air

D．What caused air pollution in Beijing

In the past，people usually believed what newly­born babies wanted was food and to be kept warm and dry.They thought babies were not able to ____ things until they were five or six months old.____ the researchers in the United States now believe babies begin learning on their first ____ of life.They say babies are strongly ____ by their environment and one baby will ____ if his or her mother does something that the baby likes.
A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to ____ her mother.This is how babies start to learn to ___ and communicate with other people.The researchers say this ability to learn ___ in a baby even before birth.They also ____ the idea that newly­born babies can ____ and understand sounds they heard while they were still ____ inside their mothers.
Recently，an American study ____ 112 babies found babies learned better when they were ____.The babies appeared to learn well whether they were sitting up on their own，sitting in seats or __ to sit up.The researchers say keeping that kind ____ had what they called a ____ effect on the babies' ability to learn about objects.They say the body position may be linked to development in the ____．One ____ says babies can pay more attention to ___ an object if they do not have to be worried about their balance.

小題1:	A．eat　　　　　　 B．know C．remember D．learn

小題2:	A．Besides B．While C．But D．Therefore

小題3:	A．hour B．day C．week D．month

小題4:	A．influenced B．a(chǎn)ccepted C．disturbed D．moved

小題5:	A．cry B．smile C．eat D．sing

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)nnoy B．love C．notice D．please

小題7:	A．live B．connect C．speak D．smile

小題8:	A．disappears B．informs C．exists D．happens

小題9:	A．infer B．support C．deny D．instruct

小題10:

A．recognize B．realize C．receive D．record

小題11:

A．sleeping B．delivering C．shaping D．developing

小題12:

A．helping B．raising C．involving D．containing

小題13:

A．sleeping soundly B．lying down C．a(chǎn)waking clearly D．sitting up

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)ssisted B．forced C．a(chǎn)sked D．mentioned

小題15:

A．hobby B．gesture C．decoration D．purpose

小題16:

A．negative B．unmarked C．significant D．side

小題17:

A．language B．feeling C．brain D．body

小題18:

A．psychologist B．mother C．doctor D．researcher

小題19:

A．exploring B．finding C．feeling D．discovering

小題20:

A．a(chǎn)nxious B．confident C．worried D．curious

New research has revealed that which song drivers listen to can influence how safe they are on the roads.Among the top ten safest songs to drive to are Come Away With Me by Norah Jones，I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith and Tiny Dancer by Elton John.Each of the songs has an optimum tempo(最佳節(jié)奏) for safe driving，imitating the human heartbeat at around 60 to 80 beats per minute.The Scientist by Coldplay and Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River also appeared in the top 10.
The study，conducted at London Metropolitan University，also revealed the type of songs that cause motorists to drive dangerously.Unsurprisingly，music that is noisy increases a driver's heart rate，which can be deadly.Fast beats cause excitement that can lead people to concentrate more on the music than on the road and to speed up to match the beat of the song.Styles of music were also measured during the experiment and revealed differences between male and female drivers.Hip­hop made a female driver drive far more aggressively，speeding up faster than male driver.The heavy metal music caused the fastest driving among males in the group while the dance music had the same effect among women.The male and female drivers who listened to the classical music drove the most irregularly.
The experiment involved eight people driving 500 miles each using the confused.com MotorMate app，which monitored driving behaviors through GPS technology.
小題1:What's the main idea of the whole passage?

A．Songs that drivers prefer to listen to on their way.

B．A study made by the confused.com MotorMate app.

C．What kind of songs the drivers should choose to listen to during driving.

D．Female drivers and male drives have different responses to the same music.

小題2:The underlined word “monitored” in the last paragraph means________．

A．controlled

B．banned

C．modeled

D．showed

小題3:．Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Tiny Dancer by Elton John appeared in the top 10.

B．Usually human hearts beat at around 60 to 80 beats per minute.

C．The classical music makes most drivers drive comfortably and safely.

D．The passage reveals appropriate music and improper music for drivers.

小題4:If there is another paragraph in the end of the passage，the author may mention________．

A．female and male drivers' popular tastes of music

B．how did the study carry out

C．why fast beat music is harmful to drivers

D．some music with optimum tempo for driver to enjoy

(2013·高考新課標(biāo)全國卷Ⅰ，B)The baby is just one day old and has not yet left hospital.She is quiet but alert (警覺)．Twenty centimeters from her face researchers have placed a white card with two black spots on it.She stares at it carefully.A researcher removes the card and replaces it by another，this time with the spots differently spaced.As the cards change from one to the other，her gaze(凝視) starts to lose its focus—until a third，with three black spots，is presented.Her gaze returns：she looks at it for twice as long as she did at the previous card.Can she tell that the number two is different from three，just 24 hours after coming into the world?
Or do newborns simply prefer more to fewer? The same experiment，but with three spots shown before two，shows the same return of interest when the number of spots changes.Perhaps it is just the newness? When slightly older babies were shown cards with pictures of objects (a comb，a key，an orange and so on)，changing the number of objects had an effect separate from changing the objects themselves.Could it be the pattern that two things make，as opposed to three? No again.Babies paid more attention to squares moving randomly on a screen when their number changed from two to three，or three to two.The effect even crosses between senses.Babies who were repeatedly shown two spots became more excited when they then heard three drumbeats than when they heard just two；likewise (同樣地) when the researchers started with drumbeats and moved to spots.
小題1:The experiment described in Paragraph 1 is related to the baby’s________.

A．sense of hearing	B．sense of sight
C．sense of touch	D．sense of smell

小題2:Babies are sensitive to the change in________.

A．the size of cards	B．the colour of pictures
C．the shape of patterns	D．the number of objects

小題3:Why did the researchers test the babies with drumbeats?

A．To reduce the difficulty of the experiment.

B．To see how babies recognize sounds.

C．To carry their experiment further.

D．To keep the babies’ interest.

小題4:Where does this text probably come from?

A．Science fiction.

B．Children’s literature.

C．An advertisement.

D．A science report.

(2013·高考浙江卷，C)The baby monkey is much more developed at birth than the human baby.Almost from the moment it is born，the baby monkey can move around and hold tightly to its mother.During the first few days of its life the baby will approach and hold onto almost any large，warm，and soft object in its environment，particularly if that object also gives it milk.After a week or so，however，the baby monkey begins to avoid newcomers and focuses its attentions on“mother”—the real mother or the mother­substitute(母親替代物)．
During the first two weeks of its life warmth is perhaps the most important psychological(心理的)thing that a monkey mother has to give to its baby.The Harlows，a couple who are both psychologists，discovered this fact by offering baby monkeys a choice of two types of mother­substitutes—one covered with cloth and one made of bare wire.If the two artificial mothers were both the same temperature，the little monkeys always preferred the cloth mother.However，if the wire model was heated，while the cloth model was cool，for the first two weeks after birth the baby monkeys picked the warm wire mother­substitutes as their favorites.Thereafter they switched and spent most of their time on the more comfortable cloth mother.
Why is cloth preferable to bare wire？Something that the Harlows called contact(接觸)comfort seems to be the answer，and a most powerful influence it is.Baby monkeys spend much of their time rubbing against their mothers’ skins，putting themselves in as close contact with the parent as they can.Whenever the young animal is frightened，disturbed，or annoyed，it typically rushes to its mother and rubs itself against her body.Wire doesn’t “rub” as well as does soft cloth.Prolonged(長時間的)“contact comfort” with a cloth mother appears to give the babies confidence and is much more rewarding to them than is either warmth or milk.
According to the Harlows，the basic quality of a baby’s love for its mother is trust.If the baby is put into an unfamiliar playroom without its mother，the baby ignores the toys no matter how interesting they might be.It screams in terror and curls up into a furry little ball.If its cloth mother is now introduced into the playroom，the baby rushes to it and holds onto it for dear life.After a few minutes of contact comfort，it obviously begins to feel more secure.It then climbs down from the mother­substitute and begins to explore the toys，but often rushes back for a deep embrace(擁抱)as if to make sure that its mother is still there and that all is well.Bit by bit its fears of the new environment are gone and it spends more and more time playing with the toys and less and less time holding onto its “mother”．
小題1:Psychologically，what does the baby monkey desire most during the first two weeks of its life?

A．Warmth.	B．Milk.
C．Contact.	D．Trust.

小題2:After the first two weeks of their life，baby monkeys prefer the cloth mother to the wire mother because the former is________.

A．larger in size

B．closer to them

C．less frightening and less disturbing

D．more comfortable to rub against

小題3:What does the baby monkey probably gain from prolonged“contact comfort”？

A．Attention.	B．Softness.
C．Confidence.	D．Interest.

小題4:It can be inferred that when the baby monkey feels secure，________.

A．it frequently rushes back for a deep embrace when exploring the toys

B．it spends more time screaming to get rewards

C．it is less attracted to the toys though they are interesting

D．it cares less about whether its mother is still around

小題5:The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A．give the reasons for the experiment

B．present the findings of the experiment

C．introduce the method of the experiment

D．describe the process of the experiment