The Iceberg Was Only Part ofItWhat doomed the Titanic is well known, at least in outline. On a moonless night of April 15, 1912, the ship hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic ,with 1,500 lives lost.A 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

题目内容

The Iceberg Was Only Part ofIt
What doomed the Titanic is well known, at least in outline. On a moonless night of April 15, 1912, the ship hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic ,with 1,500 lives lost.
A century later many people presented new theories to explain the real reason for the disaster. Now two new studies argue that rare states of nature played major roles in the disaster.
The first says Earth’s nearness to the Moon and the Sun — a proximity not matched in more than 1,000 years — resulted in record tides that help explain why the Titanic met with so much ice, including the fatal iceberg.
Recently, a team of researchers found an apparent explanation in the heavens. They discovered that Earth had come unusually close to the Sun and Moon that winter, enhancing their gravitational pulls on the ocean and producing record tides. The rare orbits took place between December 1911 and February 1912 — about two months before the disaster came about. The researchers suggest that the high tides refloated masses of icebergs traditionally stuck along the coastlines of Labrador and Newfoundland and sent them adrift into the North Atlantic shipping lanes.
And a second, put forward by a Titanic historian from Britain, contends that the icy waters created ideal conditions for an unusual type of mirage(海市蜃楼) that hid icebergs from lookouts whose duty was to watch carefully for danger ahead and confused a nearby ship as to the liner’s identity, delaying rescue efforts for hours.
Most people know mirages as natural phenomena caused when hot air near the Earth’s surface bends light rays upward. In a desert, the effect prompts lost travelers to mistake patches of blue sky for pools of water. But another kind of mirage occurs when cold air bends light rays downward. In that case, observers can see objects and settings far over the horizon. The images often undergo quick distortions — not unlike the wavy reflections in a funhouse mirror.
Now, scholars of the Titanic are debating these new theories. Some have different opinions on it. Over all, though, many experts are applauding the fresh perspectives.
【小题1】The underlined word "It" in the title probably refers to _______.

A．the Titanic	B．the cause of the disaster
C．the record tide	D．an unusual mirage

【小题2】According to Theory First, what was the right chain of causes leading to the Titanic’s disaster?
① record tides’ forming and icebergs’ being refloated
② icebergs’ being drifted into the North Atlantic shipping lanes
③ the Earth’s strange closing to the Sun and the Moon
④ increasing of the gravitational force on the ocean

A．①→②→③→④

B．②→③→④→①

C．④→③→②→①

D．③→④→①→②

【小题3】According to Theory Second, the disaster happened to the Titanic mainly because______.

A．the freezing weather made the watcher not be able to watch clear

B．the mirage made the watcher not find icebergs and a nearby ship delay rescuing

C．the mirage on the sea attracted the watcher and made him forget his work

D．the high tides drove the icebergs float so fast that the watcher didn’t respond to them

【小题4】What is the chief function of the sixth paragraph?

A．to explain to the readers the ways of the mirage forming

B．to infer the possibility of the mirage appearing

C．to summarize the various kinds of the mirage

D．to analyze the conditions of the mirage arising

【小题5】This passage is organized generally in the pattern of________.

A．comparison and contrast	B．conclusion and proof
C．time and events	D．definition and classification（分类)

【小题1】B
【小题2】D
【小题3】B
【小题4】B
【小题5】B

解析试题分析：
【小题1】考查代词指代：从第二段的句子：A century later many people presented new theories to explain the real reason for the disaster. Now two new studies argue that rare states of nature played major roles in the disaster. 可知it是指灾难的原因。选B
【小题2】排序题：从文章的第四段对第一种理论的描述，可知选D
【小题3】细节题：从第五段的内容：可知是海市蜃楼使观测者没有看见冰山，附近的船没有即使救援。选B
【小题4】推理题：文章第六段讲述了在寒冷的条件下海市蜃楼出现的可能性。选B
【小题5】文章结构题：文章第一段就说了泰坦尼克号沉没的原因，后面就是提出了一些证据。选B
考点：考查科普类短文
点评：这篇文章有些抽象，考查题型多样细节题，推理题，主旨题都有，需要结合上下文提供的语境和信息进行概括和判断。要求较高。

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Birds that are half-asleep—with one brain hemisphere (半球) alert and the other sleeping—control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.

Earlier studies have documented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere’s eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.

Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily. Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction.

Also, birds napping at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in internal spots, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time.

“We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness at the same time in different regions of the brain,” the researchers say.

The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing assumption that single-hemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. He’s seen it in a pair of birds napping side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open.

Useful as half-sleeping might be, it’s only been found in birds and such water animals as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning.

Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds’ half-brain sleep “is just the tip of the iceberg.” He supposes that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.

According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ______.

A. they have to watch out for possible attacks

B. their brain hemispheres take turns to rest

C. the two halves of their brain are differently structured

D. they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions

What is implied about the example of a bird’s sleeping in front of a mirror?

A. An imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security.

B. Birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of their security.

C. The phenomenon of birds napping in pairs is widespread.

D. A single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror.

While sleeping, some water animals tend to keep half awake in order to ______.

A. alert themselves to the approaching enemy

B. emerge from water now and then to breathe

C. be sensitive to the ever-changing environment

D. avoid being swept away by rapid currents

By saying “just the tip of the iceberg”, Siegel suggests that ______.

A. half-brain sleep has something to do with icy weather

B. the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solved

C. most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers

D. half-brain sleep may exist among other species

Fluency(流利) in another language is one of the most important aims of a newcomer to another country. In addition, understanding the culture and learning to communicate comfortably with people of that culture are as important as learning the rules of the language. Language learning and culture learning go together and may take a long time.
Sometimes people feel that they understand a culture after a few weeks or months. People do learn a lot when they first begin living in another culture, but this is only the first stage of learning. It usually involves(含包) things like learning everyday activities and some basic customs.
To really understand another culture, people have to go beyond the first stage, This is challenge because it is often difficult to know what to learn. Much of what we call “culture” is hard to see.
Culture is like an iceberg. Picture in your mind a huge iceberg in the ocean. The only part of the iceberg that you see is the tip. You don’t see the rest of the iceberg because it is hidden from sight in the water. It is easy to forget that it is there. Most of the iceberg is deep within the ocean, just as much of a culture is deep within its people.
When you meet someone from another culture， certain culture differences are obvious: You hear another language or you hear your own language spoken with an accent. You see different foods, clothes and sometimes physical characteristics of people. You observe new customs or habits, such as the use of chopsticks, and, bowing or kissing on both cheeks as a greeting. These differences are interesting and important, but they are usually not too difficult to understand. They are visible so they are seen easily and quickly.
The part of culture that is like the underwater part of the iceberg consists of assumptions(设想), communication styles, values, and beliefs about what is right and wrong. The hidden part of culture affects much of a person’s way of thinking and communicating. It is the meaning behind his or her verbal (言语的) and nonverbal language. Learning to communicate well with people from another culture involves becoming aware of the hidden part of culture.
【小题1】What’s the subject of this passage?

A．Learning about culture.

B．Language learning.

C．The hidden part of the iceberg.

D．Fluency in another language.

【小题2】What is learning about culture?

A．Learning the hidden part of the iceberg, which is underwater.

B．Learning everyday activities and some basic customs.

C．Learning the culture of an iceberg.

D．Learning the visible as well as the hidden differences of culture.

【小题3】What’s the writer’s opinion?

A．Communication styles can be easily seen and learned.

B．Language learning is more important than culture learning.

C．Learning about culture is not easy and may take a long time.

D．People usually learn a culture after a few weeks or months.

【小题4】The underlined phrase “consists of” can be replaced by “______”.

【小题5】What conclusion can we draw after reading this passage?

A．Values and beliefs are like the tip of the iceberg.

B．People often become aware of the hidden part of culture.

C．The tip of the iceberg is larger than the hidden part.

D．The hidden part of culture has a great effect on people’s communication styles.

D
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