(10·安徽B篇)

Have you ever wondered?

1.       Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?

It can take five hours to go west-east from New York(NY) to London bur seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet(喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.

2.       What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?

Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures(建筑物) float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hours. If you turn something around your head on a string（细绳）, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space.

       60.What information can we get from the first passage?

A.It is jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly

B.Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind

C.It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY

D.The yet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic

61.The word”shoot”underline in the 2^nd passage probably means “          ”

A.send for        B.move quickly    C.come out     D.grrow quickly

62.It can be inferred that without gravity             .

A.buildings and other structures would float away

B.trees and buildings would not easily fly off

C.something around your head would not fly away

D.everything outside buildings would fly off into space

63.Where can we most probably read in the text

A.In a reseach paper    B.In a short story

C.In a travel magazine  D.In a student’s book

（2011·福建卷）E

The  internet will open up new vistas (前景),creat the global village- -you can make new friends all around the world. That,at least, is what it promised us. The difficulty is that

It did not take the human mind into account. The reality is that we cannot keep relationship than a limited number of people. No matter how hard the internet tries to put

You in communication, its best efforts will be defeated by your mind.

The problem is twofold（双重的）. First, there is a limit on the number of people we can hole in mind and have a meaningful relationship with. That number is about 150 and is set by the size of our brain. Second, the quality of your relationships depends on the amount of time you invest （投入） in then. We invest a lot in a small number of people and then distribute what’s left among as many others as we can. The problem is that if we invest little time in a person, our engagement with that person will decline （减弱）until eventually it dies into “someone I once knew”.

This is not, of course, to say that the internet doesn’t serve a socially valuable function. Of course it does. But the question is not that it allows you to increase the size of your social circle to include the rest of the world, but that you can keep your relationships with your existing friends going even though you have to more to the other side of the world.

In one sense, that’s a good thing. But it also has a disadvantage. If you continue to invest in your old friends even though you can no longer see then, then certainly you aren’t using your time to make new friends where you now live. And I suspect that probably isn’t the best use of your time. Meaningful relationships are about being able to communicate with each other, face to face. The internet will slow down the rate with which relationships end, but it won’t stop that happening eventually.

72. What is stressed in the first paragraph?

A. The present situation of the internet.

B. The difficulty in communication on the internet.

C. The socially valuable function of the internet.

D. The role of the human mind in the internet communication.

73. The underlined word “engagement” in the second paragraph probably means “____”.

A. appointment   B. connection   C. interview    D. agreement

74. According to the passenger, the author holds the view that____.

A. the internet fails to play so valuable a role in communication as it promised

B. the internet determines the quality of social relationships

C. the internet greatly increases the size of social circles

D. the internet communication is no less effective than the

face-to-face talk

75. What is the author’s attitude towards the use of the internet to strengthen relationships?

A. He is uncertain about it.     B. He is hopeful of it.

C. He approves of it.            D. He doubts it.

（2011·四川卷）C

The pound new Library of Birmingham（LoB）will be the most visible sign of the way the city is accepting the digitalization（数字化）of everyday life.

Set to open in 2013, the £188m LoB is already beginning to tale shape next to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with which it will share some equipment.

As digital media（媒介）is important to its idea. the project is already providing chances for some of the many small new local companies working at the new technologies.

Brian Gambles, the LoB project director, says it is about giving people the right tools for learning,“The aim is to mix the physical with the digital. Providing 24-hour services which can be used through, many different ways. It is important to enable us to reach more people, more effectively.”

The digital library will, he says, be as important as the physical one, allowing the distant use of the services, making sure that it is never closed to the public.

Even before the LoB is complete, the public has been able to go online to visit the Virtual（虚拟的）LoB, designed by Baden, the Birmingham virtual worlds specialists. Not only have the public been able to learn about LoB, but the virtual one has also enabled those working on the LoB to understand the building and how it will work before it even opens.

Two other small Birmingham-based digital companies are working on the LoB projects. Substrat, a digital design company, is developing what it calls an example of an “enlarged  reality” project. It is about the use of an exciting smart phone, an important part of the  which is the early stages of development  is an online library of figures of the city being built up by a content company in Cahoots, in which users with the encouraged to add to and comment on the material.

    Gambles says: “Technology will enable us to make the library’s  and services open to citizens as sever before.”

49.The underline part “its idea” in Paragraph 3 refers to the idea of____

   A. the equipment                     B.  the project

   C. the digital media                   D.  the physical library

50.While visiting the Virtual LoB, the public can_____

   A. get a general idea of the LoB

   B. meet more world-famous experts

   C. learn how to put up a library building

   D. understand how the specialists work on the project

51.Which of the following is true of the LoB when it opens?

A. a, b, d           B. a, c ,e            C. b, c, d             D. b, d, e

52.This ext more from                 .

A. a put book                         B. a library guide

C. a handbook                        D. newspaper report

（2011·全国II）B

 For those who study the development of intelligence（智力）in the animal world, self-awareness is an important measurement. An animal that is aware（意识）of itself has a high

level of intelligence.

Awareness can be tested by studying whether the animal recognizes itself in the mirror, that is, its own reflected image（反射出的影像）．Many animals fail this exercise bitterly, paying very little attention to the reflected image. Only humans, and some intelligent animals like apes and dolphins, have been shown to recognize that the image in the mirror is of themselves.

Now another animal has joined the club. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that an Asian elephant has passed the mirror self-reflection test. "We thought that elephants were the next important animal," said Diana Reiss of the Wildlife Conservation Society, an author of the study with Joshua M. Plotnik and Fans B．M. de Waal of Emory University. With their large brains, Reiss said, elephants "seemed like cousins to apes and

dolphins."

The researchers tested Happy, Maxine and Patty, three elephants at the Bronx Zoo. They put

an 8-foot-square mirror on a wall of the animals' play area (out of the sight of zoo visitors) and recorded what happened with cameras, including one built in the mirror.

The elephants used their long noses to find what was behind it, and to examine parts of their bodies.

 Of the three, Happy then passed the test, in which a clear mark was painted on one side of her face. She could tell the mark was there by looking in the mirror, and she used the mirror to touch the mark with her long nose.

Diana Reiss said, "We knew elephants were intelligent, but now we can talk about their intelligence in a better way."

45. What can mirror tests tell us about animals?

    A. Whether they have large brains.

    B ．Whether they have self-awareness.

    C. Whether they enjoy outdoor exercises.

    D. Whether they enjoy playing with mirrors.

46. Why does the author mention apes and dolphins in the text?

    A. They are most familiar to readers.

    B ．They are big favorites with zoo visitors.

    C. They are included in the study by Reiss.

    D. They are already known to be intelligent.

47. What made Happy different from Maxine and Patty?

    A. She used her nose to search behind the mirror.

    B. She recognized her own image in the mirror.

    C. She painted a mark on her own face.

    D. She found the hidden camera.

（2011·上海卷）(B)

Humpback whales

                                    Pectoral fin

       Humpback whales are sometimes called performers of

the ocean. This is because they can make impressive

movements when they dive. The name “humpback”, which

is the common name for this whale, refers to the typical

curve shape the whale’s back forms as it dives.

       Sometimes the humpback will dive with a fantastic

movement known as a breach. During breaching the whale

uses its powerful tail flukes to lift nearly two-thirds of its

body out of the water in a giant leap. A breach might also

include a sideways twist with fins stretched out like wings,

as the whale reaches the height of the breach.

       A humpback whale breathes air at the surface of the

Water through two blowholes which are located near the top

of the head. It blows a double stream of water that can rise

up to 4 meters above the water.

       The humpback has a small dorsal fin located towards

the tail flukes about two-thirds of the way down its back.

other distinguishing features include large pectoral fins,

which may be up to a third of the body length, and unique

black and white spots on the underside of the tail flukes.

These markings are like fingerprints: no two are the same.

       Humpback whales live in large groups. They

communicate with each other through complex “songs”.

69. According to Quick Facts, a humpback whale _____.

       A. cannot survive in waters near the shore   B. doesn’t live in the same waters all the time

C. lives mainly on underwater plants           D. prefers t work alone when hunting food

70. To make a breach, a humpback whale must _____

       A. use its tail flukes to leap out of the water  B. twist its body sideways t jump high

       C. blow two streams of water                           D. communicate with a group of humpbacks

71. From the passage we can learn that a humpback whale ________.

       A. has its unique markings on its tail flukes  B. has black and white fingerprints

       C. gets its name from the way it hunts         D. is a great performer due to its songs

（2011·上海卷）(C)

       Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archaeologists(考古学家) says. I a letter addressed to the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, 40 archaeologists write of their “deep and widespread concern” about the issue. It centers on the law introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains unearthed in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age. The decision means scientists have too little time to study bones and other human remains of national and cultural significance.

       “Your current requirement that all archaeologically unearthed human remains should be reburied, whether after a standard period of two years or further special extension, is contrary to basic principles of archaeological and scientific research and of museum practice,” they write.

       The law applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig sites, including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000 BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventually the bones will have to be returned to the ground.

       The arrangements may result in the waste of future discoveries at sites such as Happisburgh in Norfolk, where digging is continuing after the discovery of stone tools made by early humans 950,000 years ago. If human remains were found at Happisburgh, they would be the oldest in northern Europe and the first indication of what this species was. Under the current practice of the law those remains would have to be reburied and effectively destroyed.

       Before 2008, guidelines allowed for the proper preservation and study of bones of sufficient age and historical interest, while the Burial Act 1857 applied to more recent remains. The Ministry of Justice assured archaeologists two years ago that the law was temporary, but has so far failed to revise it.

       Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at Sheffield University, said: “Archaeologists have been extremely patient because we wee led to believe the ministry was sorting out this problem, but we feel that we cannot wait any longer.”

       The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.

72. According to the passage, scientists are unhappy with the law mainly because _________.

       A. it is only a temporary measure on the human remains

       B. it is unreasonable and thus destructive to scientific research

       C. it was introduced by the government without their knowledge

       D. it is vague about where and how to rebury human remains

73. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

       A. Temporary extension of two years will guarantee scientists enough time.

       B. Human remains of the oldest species wee dug out at Happisburgh.

       C. Human remains will have to be reburied despite the extension of time.

       D. Scientists have been warned that the law can hardly be changed.

74. What can be inferred about the British law governing human remains?

       A. The Ministry of Justice did not intend it to protect human remains.

       B. The Burial Act 1857 only applied to remains uncovered before 1857.

       C. The law on human remains hasn’t changed in recent decades.

       D. The Ministry of Justice has not done enough about the law.

75. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

       A. New discoveries should be reburied, the government demands.

       B. Research time should be extended, scientists require.

       C. Law on human remains needs thorough discussion, authorities say.

       D. Law could bury ancient secrets for ever, archaeologists warn.

（2011·浙江卷）A

One evening in February 2007 . a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote in Wales . She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path . That's when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train.Her Renault Clio parked across a railway line. Second later,she watched  the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks.

     Ceely's  near miss  made the news because she blamed it on her GPS device(导航仪).She had never driven the route before .It was dark and raining heavily . Ceely was relying on her GPS. But it made no mention of the crossing ."I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train ,"she told the BBC.

   W ho is to blame here ? Rick Stevenson ,who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail US, finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says,

      but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small  problems. And it’s not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless key boards.

     The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s  not clear why he only focuses digital technology,while  there may be a number of other possible  causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor signaling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the CPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.

It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an accout of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors .

The game between humans and their smart devices  is complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be  way a wiser use of technology.   

If there is such a way, it should involve more than just  an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands  of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long .

 41 .What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident?           

 A. She was not familiar with the road.           

 B. It was dark and raining heavily then.   

C. The railway works failed to give the signal.

D. Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing

   42.The phrase” near miss” (paragraph 2 ) can best be replaced by _______.             

A. close bit                    B. heavy loss             C.narrow escape         D. big mistake      

  43.Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?             

A. Modern technology is what we can’t live without.            

B. Digital technology often falls short of out expectation.            

C. Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be.             

D. GPS error is not the only cause for Celery’s accident. 

44.In the writer’s opinion, Stevenson’s argument is________.

A. one-sided     B. reasonable      C.puzzling      D.well-based

45.What is the real concern of the writer of this article?

A.The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts.

B.The relationship between humans and technology

C. The shortcomings of digital devices we use.           

D. The human unawareness  of technical problems.

（2011·广东卷）B

Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.

However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same  signals submission.

In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’.

What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was preciously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together in the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom(梳理) each other.

The significance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets----to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.

31. The underlined word swimmingly in paragraph1 is closest in meaning to______.

A. early  B.sweetly  C.quickly   D. smoothly

32. Some cats and dogs may fight when_________.

A. they are cold to each other 

B. they look away from each other

C. they misunderstand each other’s signals

D. they are introduced at an early age

33. What is found surprising about cats and dogs?

A. They eat and sleep together

B. They observe each other’s behaviors

C. They learn to speak each other’s language

D. They know something from each other’s voice

34. It is suggested in paragraph 4 that cats and dogs_______.

A. have common interests  

B. are less different than was thought

C. have a common body langage

D. are less intelligent than was expected

35. What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?

A. We should learn to live in harmony

B. We should knows more about animals

C. We should live in peace with animals

D. We should learn more body languages

（2011·湖北卷）E

Which are you more likely to have wath you at sny given mement—your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electroue scannet.

In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its states. This is the first pay by phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more witeless payment alternatives as something called ucar field communcation(NFC)GETS IN TO America’s consumet electanies. Last Deccmbet some new smart phanes which cantain an NFC chip were introduced to the midlit.

Already in use in part of Asia and Europe, NFCtheir plan a few incees live a payment tetminal a one a few ptaht need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable trunsacian(交易)fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave and pay systems that use NFC enabled credit cards, cellphone service providers truay try to mused their way into the point of sale (POS)market. Three big gellphone service providers have formed a joinf tenture(合资企业)that will go into opention over the next i15 months. Its goal is“to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.”

The other big NFC sue, apart from how paymeats will be processed, is security, For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pickpocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against yee in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,”says Jimmy Shah. A mobile security rescarcher, “Usera may also be able to set transaction timeits,requiring a password to be enteced for larger putchases.

Bus siness? Keep in mund you lost your smart phone, it can be located on a located on a map and remotely ned Plus, your phone can be password protected, Your wallet isn’t.

67.What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?

A.The expansion of cellphone companices.

B. The boom of pay by phone business.

C. The dissppearanceof credit cards.

D. The increase of Starbucks sales.s

68.The NFC technology can be used to________.

A. ensure the safety of shoppers

B. collect transaction fees easily

C. make purchase faster  and smpler

D. improve the quality of cellphones

69.Three cellphone service providers form a joint venture to__________.

A. strengthen their relationship

B .get a share in the payments industry

C .sell more cellphones

D. test the NFC teehnoingy

70.According to the what can users do if they lose their smart phones?

A. Stop the luneting of niet phones.

B .Stop a passwant.

C .Cat all the money out of their phones.

D. Can large purchases.

（2011·湖北卷）B

     Howling is a behavior commonly observed among a wolf nark. An animals, wolves work together to hunt and rely on howling was an important means of communication each other. There are different explants of a wolf’s howl and it appears that there may be more to discover.

     One theory is that wolves howl to bend better together. It’s almost as if howling together helps the pack stay together. Perhaps something similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when singing a song together . But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harington, a professor who studies wolf behavior.

    Indeed, there have been tines when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a exhorts, and the next, quarreling anions each other. It appears that usually the lowest-tanking menthes of the pack may actually be “punished” for Joining in the churs at times. So is howling a way to strcagthen a social boad or just a way to reconfirm status among its members? ——Why do welves howl for sure?

What is cleat, however, is that howling is often used among packmates to locate each other. Hunting grounds are distant and it happens that woloves may separate from one another at times. When this happens, howling appcars to be an ercellent means of gathering.

 Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behaviour. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occat in the morning, as if wolves were doing some sotr of “roll rall”where wolves all howl togeter to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occar in the morning, as if wolves were doing w some sotr of “roll call”where wolves all howl together to repotr their pteence.

55.What the por similarity between wolves’ how humaes ting in chorus?

A.The act of calling each other.

B.the sense of accomplishment.

C.The act of hunting for something.

D.The sense of belonging to a group.

56.Why does Harrington think the“secial boad”theory may be wrong?

A.Wolves separate from each other after howling.

B.Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds.

C.Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together.

D.Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus.

57.Reseatchers are sure that wolves often howl to______.

A.show their ranks

B.

C.repotr the missing ones

D.express their lonelingess

58.“Howling… is a contagious behaviour”(in the last paragraph)means_______.

A.howling is a signal for hunting

B.howling is a way of communication

C.howling aften occurs in the morning

D.howling spreads from one to another