Elephants have four distinct personalities that help their herd survive in the African bush, scientists have found. 
With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow heavy pace, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly melancholy(憂郁的) creatures. But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size.
In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are common in a herd – the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues(小淘氣) and the reliable plodders (辛勤工作的人).
Each of the types has developed to help the giant mammals survive in their harsh environment and is almost unique in the animal kingdom, according to the scientists.
Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague Cynthia Moss studied a herd of elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya known as the EB family — famous for their matriarch Echo before she died in 2009.
Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behavior and found four personality features tended to emerge.
The strongest personality to emerge was that of the leader. Unlike other animals, where leadership tends to be won by the most dominant and aggressive individual, the elephants instead respected intelligence and problem solving in their leader. Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders.
The playful elephants tended to be younger but were more curious and active. Eudora, a 40-year-old female in the herd, seemed to be the most playful, consistently showing this feature throughout her life while playfulness in some of the other elephants declined with age.
Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, touched and rubbed against others more than the others.
Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats. Echo and her youngest daughter Ebony seemed to be the most reliable.
Professor Lee said that elephants with these features tended to be the most socially integrated in the group while those who tended to be less reliable and pushy were more likely to split from the herd.
小題1:From the passage we get to know that ________.
A.the researchers reached their conclusion by analyzing the data
B.the research centered on the 26 types of behavior of the matriarch
C.the scientists conducted the research by comparing elephants with other animals
D.professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague spent nearly 38 years tracking the herd
小題2:According to the new findings of the scientists, ________.
A.playfulness of an elephant will always decline with age
B.those elephants which are caring and wise are most reliable
C.each elephant can be matched with only one of the four personalities
D.once becoming a member of a herd, an elephant will never split from it
小題3:In the EB family Echo and Eudora are ________.
A.mother and daughterB.two oldest females
C.the gentlest onesD.leader and member

小題1:A
小題2:B
小題3:D

試題分析:本文講述了通過分析38年以來收集的數(shù)據(jù)來分析大象的性格特質(zhì)所得出的結(jié)論。
小題1:A 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第六段Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behavior and found four personality features tended to emerge.可知是通過分析38年以來收集的數(shù)據(jù),研究人員才得出這樣的結(jié)論。故A正確。
小題2:B 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats.說明那些能聰明的能夠做出好的決定的并能照顧好小象的大象是值得信賴的。故B項正確。
小題3:D 推理題。根據(jù)Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders.和Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, touched and rubbed against others more than the others.說明Echo and Eudora是領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和成員的關(guān)系。故D正確。
點評:本文講述了通過分析38年以來收集的數(shù)據(jù)來分析大象的性格特質(zhì)。以細(xì)節(jié)的考查為主,要求考生能夠從文章中的信息中曬選出和題目所要求的有關(guān)的內(nèi)容,然后進行合理的推理判斷。
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Travis laughed as he tore at the wrapping paper on his birthday present.He was so    16 ! Finally, he would have the coolest pair of name-brand basketball shoes.
All the guys on his team were wearing the name-brand shoes of a popular basketball   17  , Chuck Hart.    18   Hart was criticized for his poor sportsmanship(運動員風(fēng)范) and infamous(臭名遠(yuǎn)揚的)   19 , he was a great player.In fact, Travis wasn't thinking about Hart' s behavior; he had only expected to see Hart' s  20  on the side of the box.The first indication that something was   21  came as he tore away the last piece of paper.Not Hart' s.The new shoes were the name-brand of another player, Robert Ryann, who was   22   for his amazing work in the community.
Travis's hands   23  ; his heart stopped.It wasn't that the Ryann shoes weren't nice, but what would his friends think ?
They were the wrong shoes and Travis would be   24  by the other players. When he looked up into his dad' s eyes, however, Travis knew  he  25  tell him. "'Thanks, Dad.I was really hoping for shoes," Travis said as he pulled the shoes out of the box.
Next morning his dad drove him to school.When they   26  in front of his destination, Travis slowly opened the car door.Just then, his dad stopped him.
"Hey, Travis, wait a minute, look"…" his dad said  27   "Travis, I know those aren' t the shoes you had hoped for, but I saw the names of the two guys and made a(n)   28   The guy whose name is on those shoes," he said, pointing down at Travis’s feet, "is someone I   29   .Do you know how often Ryann has found himself in   30 ?"
"No," Travis said.
" Never.He' s never talked back to his coach or started a fight, and he' s a team player.You could have acted like a   31  when you didn't get the shoes you wanted, Travis,   32  you were polite and made the best of it.You have    33  , like the guy whose name is on these shoes.I' m hoping that someday, your name will be on the coolest pair of shoes I' 11 ever see."
When Travis looked down at his feet, he saw the shoes   34   . His dad had used his mind and heart to give the son a thoughtful   35   .
小題1:
A.surprisedB.a(chǎn)shamedC.excitedD.worried
小題2:
A.teamB.playerC.coachD.game
小題3:
A.UnlessB.IfC.BecauseD.Although
小題4:
A.skillB.performance C.behaviorD.a(chǎn)ction
小題5:
A.nameB.photoC.signD.model
小題6:
A.strangeB.wrongC.trueD.funny
小題7:
A.knownB.encouragedC.a(chǎn)doptedD.influenced
小題8:
A.fellB.frozeC.shookD.folded
小題9:
A.questionedB.noticedC.teasedD.a(chǎn)ttacked
小題10:
A.mustn'tB.needn'tC.wouldn'tD.couldn't
小題11:
A.pulled upB.put upC.took upD.turned up
小題12:
A.peacefullyB.hesitantlyC.delightedlyD.naturally
小題13:
A.choiceB.effortC.commentD.mistake
小題14:
A.believeB.missC.a(chǎn)dmireD.remember
小題15:
A.dangerB.a(chǎn)ngerC.sorrowD.trouble
小題16:
A.teammateB.a(chǎn)dultC.kidD.student
小題17:
A.soB.a(chǎn)ndC.butD.or
小題18:
A.honorB.courageC.dreamD.belief
小題19:
A.clearlyB.carefullyC.patientlyD.differently
小題20:
A.giftB.lookC.hopeD.lesson

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

下面文章中有5處(第61-65題)需要添加小標(biāo)題。請從以下選項(A、B、C、D、E和F)中選出符合各段意思的小標(biāo)題,選項中有一項是多余選項。
A.Structure of a hurricane
B.Preparing for a Hurricane
C. How Hurricanes Move
D. How Hurricanes start
E. Hurricane Names
F. Hurricane Damage
Hurricanes
Hurricanes are gigantic tropical storms that can be hundreds of kilometers wide. They bring along very strong winds and a lot of rainfall. They often cause flooding near the coasts and sea levels rise.
1. __________________________
Hurricanes are born over tropical oceans, usually during late summer and early autumn. They need two things to get them started: heat and moist air. During the summer the ocean surface heats up and warm moist air starts to rise. Cool air sinks down to replace it. This creates an area of low pressure. The rotation of the earth creates winds around the center of such a low-pressure area. In the northern hemisphere the air moves counter clockwise, in the southern part clockwise. Such a system is called a cyclone. When warm air rises, it cools and creates clouds. Soon, thunderstorms form and it starts to rain.
All hurricanes begin as cyclones but not all cyclones become storms or hurricanes. Some die out a few days after they start. They don’t have enough energy to become a hurricane. When winds are stronger than 119 km an hour a storm officially becomes a hurricane.
2. __________________________
The center of a hurricane is called the eye, a calm area with little rainfall. It is about 30 to 50 km wide. Inside the eye the sea can rise up to one meter because the air moves up. The eye wall is around the eye. This is an area of thunderstorms, rain and the strongest winds—up to 300 km an hour. Then come long bands of rain clouds that are curved towards the center of the hurricane.
3. __________________________
In the northern hemisphere hurricanes normally move in a westward direction and then they turn north and northeast. Their path takes them away from the warm tropical water of the equator. When hurricanes move over colder water or over land they lose a lot of their energy. They slow down and as time goes on, they disappear. In the southern hemisphere their path leads them to the south and southeast.
4. __________________________
When a tropical storm forms over the Caribbean Sea it gets a name. Every year the first storm of the season is given a name that starts with the letter A, the second storm gets a name starting with B and so on. Years ago only women’ s names were used for tropical storms. Today male and female names alternate –for example, the first storm is named Alexandra, the second one Billy, then Catherine etc. Each year new names are used so that you can connect a storm to a certain year.
5. __________________________
Hurricanes are causing more and more damage throughout the Gulf Region, mainly because the population is constantly growing. Many things can be done to protect yourself and your property during a hurricane: Keep emergency supplies of food and water; keep a battery-powered radio ready in case the power goes out. Listen to the instructions you get; keep the gas tank of your car full, in case you have to leave quickly; protect your house by nailing plywood over the windows and doors. Tie down loose objects; find out which roads are best to take you away from the storm; leave your house as soon as you are ordered to evacuate, etc.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The UK has a well­respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing.
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar. Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life.
However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect(前景)of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve­wracking(令人頭痛的). Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.
Here is some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week:
●Learn rules. Make sure you know British social etiquette(禮節(jié)). Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.
●Be kind. Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.
●Be sociable. The more active you are, the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than if you’re someone who never leaves their room.
●Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.
So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s new recruits
小題1:Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
A.October is generally the busiest month for universities.
B.It’s a good idea to have a doorstop.
C.A bit of planning can make Freshers’ Week easier.
D.The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers’ Week.
小題2:The underlined word "recruits" in the last paragraph refers to__________.
A.coursesB.freshersC.neighborsD.challenges
小題3:We can infer from the 4th paragraph that    。
A.the newcomers usually miss the days living at home
B.most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities
C.many freshers are worried about how to fit university life
D.a(chǎn)ll the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs
小題4:Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?
A.To pass the busy university life.
B.To help make friends with other freshers.
C.To show yourself a drinker as others.
D.To pass the time in a happy way.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

閱讀下面短文并回答問題,然后將答案寫到答題卡相應(yīng)的位置(請注意問題后的詞數(shù)要求)。
【1】Who says you need super power to save the world? On April 22, more than a billion people worldwide celebrated Earth Day by taking part in green activities in their communities. However, you needn’t wait until Earth Day. You needn’t be an adult, either! Every day, young people across the globe are doing their part to keep the Earth healthy and green. These are just a few kid heroes for the planet.
Manatee (海牛) minder
【2】When she was in second grade, Stephanie Cohen read about a baby manatee hit by a boat off the coast of Florida. Biologists saved the manatee. But caring for the sea creature was expensive. Stephanie took up a collection and raised 27 dollars in one day. Now 18, Stephanie still raises money to help these "Gentle Giants".
Goodbye paper bags
【3】When Adrienne Smith, 15, was in sixth grade, she noticed that many of her classmates carried paper lunch bags. To help kid cut down on waste, she invented an eco-friendly lunch bag. It is partly made from recycled plastic bottles. "Kids like it because they can fold it up and put it in their backpacks," said Adrienne. She sells the bags at greenearbag.com. And some of the money goes to charity.
He's skiing to save the earth
【4】Parker Liantaud, 15, wanted to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on the polar regions. He set out to become one of the youngest people ever to ski the North Pole. Although the cruel conditions forced Parker and his guide to finish the last 15 miles of the journey by helicopter, Parker felt he met his goal to inspire others. "All young people have the power to make a change," he said.
He ______ the earth
【5】Every year, Max Kesselman, from Pennsylvania, USA, celebrates his birthday December 3 by cleaning up the Earth. When Max was 6, he noticed trash on the sides of the road. He wrote a letter to local leaders suggesting a cleanup day on his birthday.(words:353)
小題1:What is the main idea of the passage? (no more than 8 words)
小題2:What does the word "it" (Line 3, Paragraph3) probably refer to? (no more than 5 words )
小題3:Fill in the blanks of the title of Paragraph 5 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)
小題4:Why didn't Parker ski the North Pole all the way?(No more than 7 words)
小題5:Write out  at least one other Green Activity you can take part in?(no more than 8 words)

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find all internship(實習(xí)). In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the Unites States, however, such programs are still few and far between.
Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.
In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.
But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影響的)kids with no jobs and no skills.
Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example, encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.
However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.
“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the Summer job experience, they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,”said Michael, a researcher in the US.
小題1:According to Robert Schwartz,_________.
A.there is no need for kids to go for higher education in the US
B.students should get contact with the working world at high school
C.education reform should focus on students’performance in exams
D.teenagers in the US can’t miss out on the summer job experience
小題2:What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Arguments about recent US education reform.
B.Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers.
C.The lack of career-based courses in US high schools.
D.Advice for American high school leavers.
小題3:The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 5 most probably means___________.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Cell Phones Are the New Cigarettes
When you get in your car, you reach for it.When you’re at work, you take a break to have a moment alone with it.When you get into a lift, you play with it.
Cigarettes? Cup of coffee? No, it’s the third most addictive thing in modern life, the cell phone.And experts say it is becoming more difficult for many people to curbtheir longing to hug  it more tightly than most of their personal relationships.
With its shiny surface, its smooth and satisfying touch, its air of complexity, the cell phone  connects us to the world even as it disconnects us from people three feet away.In just the past  couple of years, the cell phone has challenged individuals, employers, phone makers and  counselors(顧問)in ways its inventors in the late 1940s never imagined.
The costs are becoming even more evident, and I don’t mean just the monthly bill.Dr.Chris  Knippers, a counselor at the Betty Ford Center in Southern California, reports that the overuse of  cell phones has become a social problem not much different from other harmful addictions: a barrier to one-on-one personal contact, and an escape from reality.
Sounds extreme, but we’ve all witnessed the evidence: The person at a restaurant who talks on the phone through an entire meal, ignoring his kids around the table; the woman who talks on the phone in the car, ignoring her husband; the teen who texts messages all the way home from school, avoiding contact with kids all around him.
Is it just rude, or is it a kind of unhealthiness? And pardon me, but how is this improving the quality of life?
Jim Williams, an industrial sociologist based in Massachusetts, notes that cell-phone addiction is part of a set of symptoms in a widening gulf of personal separation.He points to a study by Duke University researchers that found one-quarter of Americans say they have no one to discuss their most important personal business with.Despite the growing use of phones, e-mail and instant messaging, in other words, Williams says studies show that we don’t have as many friends as our parents. “Just as more information has led to less wisdom, more acquaintances via the Internet and cell phones have produced fewer friends,” he says.
If the cell phone has truly had these effects, it’s because it has become very widespread.Consider that in 1987, there were only 1 million cell phones in use.Today, something like 300 million Americans carry them.They far outnumber wired phones in the United States.
小題1:Which of the following best explains the title of the passage?
A.Cell phone users smoke less than they used to.
B.Cell phones have become as addictive as cigarettes.
C.More people use cell phones than smoke cigarettes.
D.Using cell phone is just as cool as smoking cigarettes.
小題2:The underlined word “curb” in Paragraph 2 means ____.
A.rescueB.ignoreC.developD.control
小題3:The example of a woman talking on the phone in the car supports the idea that           
A.women use cell phones more often than men
B.talking on the phone while driving is dangerous
C.cell phones do not necessarily bring people together
D.cell phones make one-on-one personal contact easy

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The UK's education system is ranked(排列) sixth best in the developed world, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson in October,2012.
The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.
Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, says successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education.
International comparisons in education have become increasingly significant - and this latest league table is based upon a series of global test results combined with measures of education systems, such as how many people go on to university.
The two education superpowers - Finland and South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
The UK is then only ranked at the head of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland.
These are ahead of a middle-ranking group including the United States, Germany and France. At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
These comparisons draw upon tests that are taken every three or four years, in areas such as maths, science and literacy - and so present a picture lagging by several years.
Looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.
It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.
The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report.
Looking at the two top countries - Finland and South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
小題1:What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.The two different education superpowers
B.The result of one report about education system .
C.The UK's education system is worst.
D.Finland and South Korea’S education system
小題2:According to Sir Michael Barber, Hong Kong’s education system is ranked       in the world.
A.2ndB.3rdC.4thD.5th
小題3:All of the following statements is NOT true EXCEPT ________.
A.At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
B.Education firm Pearson is disappointed at The UK's education system.
C.The United States’ education system is one of the best.
D.There are many big differences in Finland and South Korea.
小題4:What does the underlined phrase “comparisons” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.比較B.結(jié)果C.研究D.考試
小題5:What’s the common factor about the education system at the two top countries?
A. The shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
B. The developed economy.
C The high value attached to education and the expectations of parents.
D. Having a culture that is supportive of learning.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


Now let’s look ourselves as a species in relation to ecosystem balance.Modern scientists believe that humankind, like other animals, evolved(進化) through millions of years of changes and adaptations to the environment and that our most direct evolutionary ancestor was probably an earlier species of the primate(monkey, ape) group. Despite this similarity with other creatures, however, the evolution of humankind differs from that of other species in one important and unique way.
In other species, evolution has led to specialization, both in the species abilities and in its place within the environmental structure. For example, the giraffe is much adapted to feeding on treetops, but it is also specialized and thus limited to feeding on trees and shrubs. Only with great difficulty can it bend down to graze on the ground. Similarly, the anteater is extremely well adapted to eating ants but is unable to catch or eat other animals. The same is true for countless other species.
For humankind it is opposite. Our evolution had led to a very generalized ability. Our highly developed intelligence and ability to make and handle tools mean that we can do almost anything. Humans evolved in such a way that we are able to move into every environment on Earth and even into space. No natural competitor offers great resistance, and other natural enemies such as disease have been controlled.
Said another way, we see in humankind a great imbalance between biological potential and environmental resistance. The result is the rapidly increasing world population, frequently referred to as the population explosion. Further, to support our growing population, natural ecosystems are being increasingly displaced by human habitations, agriculture, and other human supporting activities.
小題1:From the passage we can infer that in the course of evolution _______.
A.humankind is very important to earlier species, such as the primate group
B.human beings are limited by the environment while animals are not
C.human beings become more and more different from each other
D.humankind has experienced a generalization rather than specialization in ability
小題2:According to the passage, primate includes such animals as _______.
A.monkeys and anteatersB.tigers and apes
C.a(chǎn)pes and monkeysD.monkeys and giraffes
小題3:According to the passage, evolution has made it possible for humans to _______.
A.increase the population
B.resist natural offers
C.go to the moon
D.cure all diseases
小題4:According to the author, imbalance between biological potential and environ mental resistance has resulted in _______.
A.the population explosion
B.the destruction of human habitations
C.the growth of natural ecosystem
D.the specialization of humans

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