A research found that people shown silent videos of piano competitions could pick out the winners more often than those who could also hear the music. It underlines the importance of our sense of vision, say scientists. Their study concludes that the best predictor of a winner’s musical performance was the visible passion they displayed, followed closely by their uniqueness and creativity.
Chia-Jung Tsay, from University College London, UK, is the study’s author and herself a concert pianist. She was interested in how music was judged and found that even professional musicians were unaware of how much they were using visual information over sound. “For the last two decades, I’ve taken part in various competitions. Through this experience, I found that depending on what type of evaluations were used, the results might vary widely. This led me to wonder about how much visual information really affects these important decisions,” she explained.
More than 1,000 participants in the study were given samples of either audio, silent video or video with sound, and asked to rate the top three finalists from 10 international classical music competitions. The actual competition winners were only correctly identified by those who were randomly assigned(分配) the silent videos.
Dr Tasy said the findings were quite surprising, especially because both trained musicians and those without training had stated that sound was most important for their evaluation. “Regardless of levels of expertise, we still seem to be led primarily by visual information, even in this field of music,” she said. “Classical music training is often focused on improving the quality of the sound, but this research is about getting to the bottom of what is really being evaluated at the highest levels of competitive performance. She added, “We must be more mindful of our inclination(傾向) to depend on visual information at the expense of the content that we actually value as more relevant to our decisions.”
小題1:According to the study, who would most probably win a piano competition? 
A．One who plays with great passion.
B．One who plays unique music.
C．One who plays creatively.
D．One who has a sense of vision.
小題2:The participates in the study were asked to__________.
A．watch classical music competitions
B．a(chǎn)ssign the silent videos
C．pick out the best three competitors
D．decide who the winner is
小題3:What probably led Dr Tsay to carry out the study?
A．Her love for music.
B．Her desire to explore.
C．Her experience as a competitor.
D．Her curiosity in musical education.
小題4:Where does this text probably come from?
A．A text book.B．A sports magazine.
C．A story book.D．A science website.

小題1:A
小題2:C
小題3:C
小題4:D

試題分析：本文是一篇科普文章。文章講述了在音樂比賽中，挑選獲勝者的時候無聲的視覺影像比聲音本身更起著重要作用。作者根據(jù)自己參加比賽的經(jīng)驗，就這一現(xiàn)象進行了調(diào)查研究。
小題1:A考查推理判斷。根據(jù)文章第一段中的Their study concludes that the best predictor of a winner’s musical performance was the visible passion they displayed可知，研究表明：獲勝者的音樂表演最好的預測因素就是他們表現(xiàn)出來的可以看到的激情。故選A。
小題2:C考查細節(jié)理解。 根據(jù)文章第三段中的More than 1,000 participants in the study were given samples of either audio, silent video or video with sound, and asked to rate the top three finalists from 10 international classical music competitions. 可知，參賽者中要選出最好的3個人。故選C。
小題3:C考查推理判斷。根據(jù)文章第二段中的For the last two decades, I’ve taken part in various competitions.和This led me to wonder about how much visual information really affects these important decisions可知，是Dr Tsay的參加各種比賽的經(jīng)歷，致使她對這個項目進行研究。故選C。
小題4:D考查推理判斷。根據(jù)文章的內(nèi)容可知，本文講述的是：在音樂比賽中，無聲視覺所起的作用。這是與自然科學相關(guān)的內(nèi)容，所以D正確。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

If your idea of a good time is to sleep in a hut, carry your own rubbish, and eat insects and wild animals, then ecotourism may be just for you. But is it also for people who want to fly over a rainforest sky before checking into a comfortable and expensive hotel in the middle of a national park? Whatever ecotourism is, it is hot--perhaps too hot for its own good.
The World Tourism Organization claims that the industry looked after 592 million travelers last year who spent $423 billion, and of all the types of tourism, ecotourism seems to be the fastest growing. By the broadest measure -- a trip with some sort of nature or wilderness element -- ecotourism already accounts for perhaps a third of these travelers. On a stricter definition favored by the Ecotourism Society, it is “responsible travel that preserves natural environments and keeps up the well-being of local people,” which accounts for no more than 5% of tourism.
Ideally, ecotourism helps both people and nature. Before the disastrous civil war, Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project was one such model. Visits to the gorillas were limited, local guides ensured good behavior or on the part of the humans, and the high admission charge - $170 a day -- paid for salaries and presentation of the gorillas’ living areas. As this made the gorillas worth more alive than dead, poaching (偷獵) decreased. As another example, preservation Cooperation, Africa’s largest ecotour operator, uses only local labor, buys products 5om local farmers, and supports building projects: such as clinics and schools. This contribution to social advance is also good business sense. Projects from which local people benefit directly are less likely to be affected by poaching and theft.
Ecotourism’s biggest problem is labeling. Going on an eco-tour is no guarantee of good ecology. So far, only Australia has an official system to grade tour operators and tourist attractions on the basis of their “greenness”. Another issue is how eco-tourists damage the environment. Dolphin-feeding, for instance, is innocent and enjoyable, but after too many free meals, the dolphins forget how to catch their own dinners.
Keeping prices high is one way to limit enthusiasm. But measuring the effect of ecotourism on human environments is trickier. It is common, for villagers to see ecotourism as a source of new income. Hence, the very tourists who venture in search of traditional cultures end up breaking them up. As ecotourism becomes more popular, it will finally threaten the very things that are good for business.
小題1:According to the passage, ecotourism may _________.
A．harm its own purpose by becoming too popular
B．save the environment by becoming more popular
C．harm its own purpose by becoming less popular
D．save the environment by becoming less popular
小題2:Within the tourism industry as a whole, ecotourism _____________.
A．has no single, clear definition that would satisfy everybody
B．has expanded less rapidly than other types of tourism
C．claims that no comfortable hotels should be used by tourists
D．most often has a negative effect on local culture
小題3:Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project is a good example because ___________.
A．tourists were free to visit the gorillas whenever they wanted to
B．local people’s attitudes toward animals were not affected
C．the gorillas were protected from both tourists and local people
D．the gorillas’ living area was modernized because of the high admission
小題4: _________ most directly benefits the local community.
A．Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla ProjectB．Preservation Corporation
C．Australia’s grading systemD．Dolphin-feeding

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

How to Study Smarter, Not Harder
Here are some of our favorite study tips that will help any student study smarter, not harder:
Recite As You Study
Reciting—saying things out loud should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Test yourself. This will help you to understand as well as learn faster because it is more active than reading or listening. It will also help you to notice your mistakes and the topics you have trouble understanding.
Take Fuller Notes
Notes should be in your own words, brief and clear. They should be tidy and easy to read. Writing notes will help you better than just underlining as you read, since it forces you to rewrite ideas in your own words.
Study the Middle
The best time to review is soon after you’ve learned something. You are more likely to remember the material at the beginning and the end of the lesson, so make sure you focus on the middle when you review.
Sleep On It
Study before going to bed, unless you are very tired. It’s easier to remember material you’ve just learned after sleeping than after an equal period of daytime activity, because your brain continues to think even after you’ve fallen asleep.
Combine Memory and Understanding
There are two ways to remember: by memorizing and by understanding. Multiplication tables, telephone numbers, and math formulas are better learned by rote. Ideas are best learned by understanding.
The more ways you have to think about an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the learning, the better you can remember it. Pay attention to similarities in ideas and concepts, and then try to understand how they fit in with things you already know. Never be satisfied with anything less than a completely clear understanding of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the thought, go back to the place where you first got confused and try again.
小題1: You can notice your mistakes by _______.
A．saying things out aloudB．taking notes
C．studying the middleD．sleeping on it
小題2:When taking notes, you should _______ to better help you with reading.
A．underline important notes
B．write notes in your own words
C．take down every detail
D．write as quickly as possible
小題3:The writer advises you to _______ as it is easier for you to remember material.
A．study after a period of activity
B．do some exercise after studying
C．study as soon as you get up
D．study before going to sleep
小題4:Which of the following is NOT helpful for your understanding?
A．Thinking about an idea in different ways.
B．Relating ideas and concepts with what you already know.
C．Reading from the beginning to the end without stop.
D．Going back to what first made you confused and start again.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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
小題2:How can the@Ants help save energy while travelling according to the passage?
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
小題3:What the designers of the concept car need to do at the Auto Show is         .
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
小題4:The best title of the passage is         .
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

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The past week was possibly the most eventful in the history of customer technology markets,or to be precise, the 7-inch (17.8-cm) tablet (平板電腦)market. Never before have three of thebiggest players in the industry scheduled what could be truly historic productlaunches (上市）so close together.
Despite its name, the 7.9-inch iPad Mini is one of the largest among the mini-tablets. It's gotall the aesthetics of its earlier 9.7-inch iPad and is unbelievably thin-just 7.2 mm, 23 percentthinner than the iPad.
Apple's iPad Mini
Release date: Nov 2,2012 (Wi-Fi version)
Operating system: iOS 6
Size: 19.9 x 13.5 x 0.7 cm
Prices: $329 (16GB Wi-Fi), $429 (32GB Wi-Fi), $519 (64GB Wi-Fi), or $459 (16GB Data)
$559 (32GB Data), $659 (64GB Data)
Google may have been forced to cancel its Android event in New York City on Oct 29 due to the threat of hurricane Sandy, but that isn't stopping it from making same big announcements. For starters, Google has confirmed (證實）that the Nexus 10 will be running Android 4.2 out of the box, so get excited. It will also come equipped with a 10-inch display running at an impressive 2560x1600 resolution. On the inside, it'll have a A15 dual-core (雙核）processor running alongside 2GB of RAM(內(nèi)存)，so expect the Nexus 10 to be a speedy little tablet. Google's Nexus 10 Release date: Nov 13，2012 Operating system: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Size: 26.4 x 17.8x0.9 cm Prices: $399 (16GB), $449 (32GB)
Microsoft's Surface is a bold product with some great touches. It doesn't feature a camera and focuses on Office software, which suggests Microsoft is focusing this product on an executive toy. There's no 3G connection (only Wi-Fi) so owners won't have to worry about an extra contract.
The real delight, however, is Metro, the impressive navigation interface (導航界面).It is beautifully designed with brightly colored squares for navigation. Pre-orders for Surface in the US sold out over the weekend, so it would seem customers are excited.
Microsoft's Surface
Release date: Oct 26,2012
Operating system: Windows 8 RT
Size: 27.5 x 17.2 x 0.9 cm
Prices: $499 (32GB M-Fi)
小題1:What can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A．The three biggest companies made a new product together.
B．A technology has been introduced to tablet industry.
C．The three companies launched their new products nearly at the same time.
D．The tablet market, in October was out of control.
小題2:What is the 7.9-inch iPad Mini's major contribution to the customers?
A．Wi-Fi versionB．Operating system
C．Prices D．Size
小題3:How many technologies will be introduced to the Nexus 10 according to Google?
A．6B．5C．4D．3
小題4:Which tablet with 32GB Wi-Fi is the most expensive?
A．Microsoft's Surface.B．Apple's iPad Mini.
C．Google's Nexus 10.D．A15 dual-core processor.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When you travel in South America, you’d better pay attention to the following three kinds of dangerous South American animals.
Piranhas（水虎魚）
Although only a small number of piranhas are considered to be dangerous to humans, the red-bellied piranha is definitely one of those. Evidence has shown that a large group of piranhas can absolutely eat a herd of large animals crossing the river, leaving only bones. This fish lives in the freshwater streams of South America, and they can smell the blood from far away and launch attacks swiftly. It is said that they are only dangerous to humans if the water volumes are less and lower.
Anacondas（水蟒）
This South American monster of a creature often appears in the films or your nightmares！They have weighed over 230 kilograms. It is often considered to be the biggest snake in the world. You certainly don’t want to get caught alone with this snake due to its method of attacking and killing its victim. It is indeed a remarkably different brand of snake type as it regularly coils（纏繞）around all over its target, increasing the pressure until eventually its victim dies. Its jaws are powered by large muscles that produce enough power for its over 100 sharp teeth to pass through the thick skin of an crocodile. They don’t have poison. Sometimes they prefer to camouflage themselves so they look like their surroundings and swiftly draw back when humans are near.
Golden Poisonous Frogs
The golden poison frog might be the most-deadly of the South American animal, which is protected by means of poison. This very small frog, less than 55 mm in length, packs enough punch（效力）to take down a pair of African bull elephants. This apparently harmless frog has always been known to have killed people who have touched it directly. It’s also been noted that chicken and dogs have died by contacting things on which a golden poison frog had wandered! In intense colors, they normally look attractive to their targets.
小題1:What can we learn about piranhas from the passage?
A．Piranhas are the most dangerous animals.
B．Piranhas like to live in the deep seabed.
C．Piranhas may attack human beings when the water level is low.
D．Piranhas only attack human beings when they cross the river in groups.
小題2:How does an anaconda kill its victim according to the passage?
A．It often uses its poison to kill its victim.
B．It often uses its strength to kill its victim.
C．It kills its victim mainly using its powerful teeth.
D．It kills its victim with the help of other snakes.
小題3:The underlined word “camouflage” in Paragraph 3 means “________”.
A．hide itself by appearing like the surroundings
B．terrify and capture the enemy by making much noise
C．move around to search for delicious food
D．give off harmful gas to kill the targets
小題4:Chicken and dogs are mentioned in Paragraph 4 to show that ________.
A．no animals can survive the poison of the golden poison frog
B．they like to wander along the path of the golden poison frog
C．the golden poison frog likes eating them most
D．the poison of the golden poison frog is deadly

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Below is a selection from a popular science book.
If blood is red, why are veins (靜脈) blue?
Actually, veins are not blue at all. They are more of a clear, yellowish color. Although blood looks red when it’s outside the body, when it’s sitting in a vein near the surface of the skin, it’s more of a dark reddish purple color. At the right depth, these blood-filled veins reflect less red light than the surrounding skin, making them look blue by comparison.
Which works harder, your heart or your brain?
That kind of depends on whether you’re busy thinking or busy exercising. Your heart works up to three times harder during exercise, and shifts enough blood over a lifetime to fill a supertanker（超級油輪）. But, in the long run, your brain probably tips it, because even when you’re sitting still your brain is using twice as much energy as your heart, and it takes four to five times as much blood to feed it.
Why do teeth fall out, and why don’t they grow back in grown-ups?
Baby (or “milk”) teeth do not last long; they fall out to make bigger room for bigger, stronger adult teeth later on. Adult teeth fall out when they become damaged, decayed（腐爛）and infected by bacteria. Once this second set of teeth has grown in, you’re done. When they’re gone, they are gone. This is because nature figures you’re set for life, and what controls regrowth of your teeth switches off.
Do old people shrink（收縮）as they age?
Yes and no. Many people do get shorter as they age. But, when they do, it isn’t because they’re shrinking all over. They simply lose height as their spine (脊柱) becomes shorter and more curved due to disuse and the effect of gravity (重力). Many (but not all) men and women do lose height as they get older. Men lose an average of 3-4 cm in height as they age, while women may lose 5 cm or more. If you live to be 200 years old, would you keep shrinking till you were, like 60 cm tall, like a little boy again? No, because old people don’t really shrink! It is not that they are growing backwards—their legs, arms and backbones getting shorter. When they do get shorter, it’s because the spine has shortened a little. Or, more often, become more bent and curved.
Why does spinning make you dizzy)?
Because your brain gets confused between what you’re seeing and what you’re feeling. The brain senses that you’re spinning using special gravity-and-motion-sensing organs in your inner ear, which work together with your eyes to keep your vision balance stable. But when you suddenly stop spinning the system goes out of control, and your brain thinks you’re moving while you’re not.
Where do feelings and emotions come from?
Mostly from an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system（邊緣系統(tǒng)）. All mammals have this brain area — from mice to dogs, cats, and humans. So all mammals feel basic emotions like fear, pain and pleasure. But since human feelings also involve other, newer bits of the brain, we feel more complex emotions than any other animal on this planet.
If exercise wears you out, how can it be good for you?
Because our bodies adapt to everything we do to them. And as far as your body is concerned, it’s “use it, or lose it”! It’s not that exercise makes you healthy, it’s more that a lack of exercise leaves your body weak and easily affected by disease.  
 
小題1:What is the color of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?
A．BlueB．Light yellow
C．Red D．Dark reddish purple
小題2:Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?
A．Because their spine is in active use.
B．Because they are more easily affected by gravity.
C．Because they keep growing backwards.
D．Because their spine becomes more bent.
小題3:Which of the following statements about our brain is true?
A．In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart.
B．When our brain senses the spinning, we will feel dizzy.
C．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans.
D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain.
小題4:What is the main purpose of the selection?
A．To give advice on how to stay healthy.
B．To provide information about our body.
C．To challenge new findings in medical research.
D．To report the latest discoveries in medical science.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Another day begins with the call of the phone’s alarm, Where are you? Open your eyes. Turn the alarm off and you will start working out on your apps（應(yīng)用軟件）.
First stop, weather: Sunny day. Look outside the window. Oh, no, it isn’t. Second stop, Air Quality Index: 344, dangerous, Level 6 Severely Polluted. Mental recheck required: It really is a sunny day and the weather app isn’t lying or in need of being replaced, it’s just that you can’t see the sun through the thick fog. Note to self: Cycling to work is out, face mask is in.
Has the world stopped turning? News app merely confirms that it’s business as usual. Another government has fallen, your soccer team has lost again, and China’s economy is still increasing steadily.
Diary app informs you of all the things you failed to do the previous day and loads you up with another half-dozen tasks. Next, browse a couple of social networking apps to determine the status updates of friends.
Another sound from the phone, it’s a message from your significant friend who is already at work, saying the Taobao. com order for Italian cheese is about to arrive.
Apps have become part of our “every-moment” lives. Apps provide so much information. But the dark side to all this connectivity would be lack of privacy, being a slave to the app. The only real problem is that once you lose your smartphone, you lose your life.
Some friends and family do not have smartphones, but prefer the old-fashioned Nokia that merely makes phone calls and sends instant messages. While I respect their purity and desire to be free of the control of technology, it’s obvious they are outsiders, and their lives are loaded up with paper and old devices. They’re still buying books at stores, complaining the lack of CDs on the market, watching TV and missing out on complete news cycles. Though I would add, they have lives that aren’t spent inside small screens.
My phone is a palm-sized one-stop shop and about the only thing it doesn’t do is teleport（心靈運輸）. What’s not to like?
小題1:The functions of apps mentioned in the passage can be listed as follows EXCEPT that _______.
A．the apps can show you weather forecast
B．the apps can tell you how to work directly
C．the apps can inform you the latest news
D．the apps can tell you what you failed to do
小題2: According to the passage, the author thinks that _______.
A．people’s life is governed by apps
B．people feel bored about the use of apps
C．people can’t live without apps
D．people hate apps with powerful functions
小題3:It can be inferred from the last paragraph but one that _______.
A．more and more people like Nokia more than apps
B．using Nokia can be free of the control of technology
C．a(chǎn)ll people don’t like the advanced smartphones
D．ordinary people don’t like shopping online

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise—it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath—perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics(模仿) nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.
小題1:Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is______.
A．a(chǎn)lways energetic
B．lacking in liveliness
C．shaped like a square
D．favored by ancient poets
小題2:What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?
A．To describe the movement of the waves.
B．To show the strength of the storm.
C．To represent the power of the ocean.
D．To prove the vastness of the sea.
小題3:What does the underlined word “symbiotic” mean?
A．Living together.
B．Growing fast.
C．Moving harmoniously.
D．Breathing peacefully.
小題4:In the last paragraph, the Atlantic is compared to______.
A．a(chǎn) beautiful and poetic place
B．a(chǎn) flesh and blood person
C．a(chǎn) wonderful world
D．a(chǎn) lovely animal

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