A long time ago, before human beings lived on the earth, little coral polyps（水螅）settled around tropical （热带的）coastlines and constructed corals. Over a long period they created lots of reefs. Yet, pollution, climate change and commercial fisheries are limiting the chance of future generations knowing or seeing many of the reefs and sea creatures that exist. Hence, take action to dive now and you can explore the underwater world.
Commercial underwater diving began in ancient Greece. Diving in general means that the whole body is completely in water. On that account there are lots of exciting and quite adventurous ways to dive, like shark cage diving, scuba diving（戴水肺潜水）and reef diving.
There are great coral reefs all over the world, but usually they are situated in warm, clear water such as the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, where they grow best. This is why there are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa. However, South Africa’s east coast offers much brightly coloured sea life.
In South Africa more than 100,000 dives a year are made just in coral reefs, which are one of the natural wonders of the world. To see the whole beauty of the reef the right diving gear（设备） is an essential requirement. This means a perfect fitting diving mask and fins, as well as a snorkel（呼吸管）and a friend. Diving alone is dangerous because there may be strong currents you are not aware of, and it’s a lot more fun to share the experience with someone. However, before you can explore the deeper sea, a certificated and checked scuba, a wetsuit and of course a license will be needed. Whether you choose the snorkel or the scuba to spot the colourful underwater world, try to touch as little as possible, be careful with the corals and don’t strike the fishes, because the complex ecosystem is very sensitive.
小题1:The following factors probably affect coral reefs EXCEPT ________.| A．sea creatures | B．pollution | C．fishing | D．climate change |
小题2:Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．Human beings appeared before corals were created. | | B．One needs a license to dive into the deeper sea. | | C．Diving alone has many advantages. | | D．The origin of diving is in modern Greece. |
小题3:There are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa probably because of a lack of ________.| A．large waters and soft sand | | B．warm currents and delicious food | | C．friendly creatures and flat seabed | | D．clear water and suitable temperature |
小题4:The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.| A．diving alone under the sea is rather dangerous | | B．some matters we need pay attention to when diving | | C．South Africa is a popular place for diving | | D．what we should wear when diving |
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小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:B |
试题分析：文章介绍了现在珊瑚礁遭受的影响，鼓励人们去潜水，探索海洋生物，也提到我们在潜水的时候要注意的事项。
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：Yet, pollution, climate change and commercial fisheries are limiting the chance of future generations knowing or seeing many of the reefs and sea creatures that exist.可知海洋生物不会影响珊瑚礁。选A
小题2:细节题：从最后一段的句子：before you can explore the deeper sea, a certificated and checked scuba, a wetsuit and of course a license will be needed. 可知如果要潜水是需要证书的，选B
小题3:细节题：从第三段的句子：but usually they are situated in warm, clear water such as the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, where they grow best. This is why there are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa.可知是因为没有干净的水和适合的温度。选D
小题4:段落大意题：最后一段主要是我们在潜水的时候要注意的事项。选B
点评：文章介绍了现在珊瑚礁遭受的影响，鼓励人们去潜水，探索海洋生物，也提到我们在潜水的时候要注意的事项。本文考查细节题为主，细节题可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息或是其变体。搜查信息在阅读中非常重要它包括理解作者在叙述某事时使用的具体事实、数据、图表等细节信息。 |
核心考点
试题【A long time ago, before human beings lived on the earth, little coral polyps（水螅）】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
US universities are among the best in the world. Since World War Ⅱ, American scientists --- mostly working in universties or colleges --- have won more than half of all Nobel Prizes in physics and medicine. Foreign students rush to the United States by the tens of thousands. Last year they earned more than one quarter of the doctoral degrees awarded in the country. Yet while American universities produce the great research and great graduate program, they sometimes pay little attention to the task that lies at their very core: the teaching of undergraduate students.
With the increase in fees, educators feel obliged to improve undergraduate teaching. In speeches and interviews the nation’s higher educators have rediscovered teaching. Robert Rosenzweig, president of the Association of American Universities, said, “Our organization was never very concerned about teaching. In the last 18 months, we have spent more time on undergraduate education than on any other subject.”
Despite such promising efforts, no one doubts that research still outranks teaching at some of the leading universities, not least because it is a surer and faster way to earn status. Some people don’t think it has to be that way. They argue that the reward system for college faculty can be changed, so that professors will be encouraged to devote more time and effort to teaching. They say that they are beginning to believe that the first ten years of the 21st century may come to be remembered as the decade of the undergraduate.
That would bring it full circle. For more than two centuries after the founding of Harvard College in 1636, the instruction of undergraduate students was an essential condition of American higher education.
小题1:According to the passage, at some of the leading American universities ________.| A．research is declining in importance | B．teaching now ranks above research | | C．teaching is a sure way to gain position | D．research still ranks above teaching |
小题2:It is implied in the passage that about 200 years ago undergraduate instruction ________.| A．began to change all of a sudden | | B．was already threatened by research work | | C．was the central part of higher education | | D．began to be neglected in most universities |
小题3:What would be the best title for the passage?| A．University education in the US | B．University education challenged | | C．Teaching and research in universities | D．Undergraduate teaching rediscovered |
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Still waiting for little green men to make contact? Don"t hold your breath.
A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren"t any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.
Even though there may be tens of thousands of other distant planets similar in size to Earth, the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.
Dr Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes there is very little hope of discovering aliens and, even if we did, it would be almost impossible to make contact.
So far astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant solar systems – known as extrasolar systems – although they believe billions of others exist.
But Dr Smith points out that many of these planets are either too close to the sun or too far away, meaning their surface temperatures are so bad that they could not support life. Others have unusual orbits which cause vast temperature variations, making it impossible for water to exist – the most important thing for life.
Dr Smith said, "We have found that most other planets and solar systems are wildly different from our own. It means it is highly unlikely there are any planets with intelligent life close enough for us to make contact." But his suggestions contradict other leading scientists who have claimed aliens almost certainly exist.
Only last month Professor Stephen Hawking said the fact that there are billions of galaxies out there made it reasonable to think there were other life-forms in the universe.
Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets. But Dr Smith said: "Any hope of contact has to be limited to a relatively tiny space around the Earth, reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."
小题1:By saying ＂don’t hold your breath＂, the author advised the reader not to _____.| A．keep silent | B．give up | C．expect so | D．be afraid |
小题2:Dr Smith concludes there probably aren’t any aliens because other planets _____.| A．are too far away from the earth | | B．are different from the Earth in size | | C．don’t have rich natural resources | | D．don’t have a suitable living environment |
小题3:Researchers from the University of London are mentioned to show that ______.| A．they have better explanations about aliens | | B．aliens certainly exist on many planets | | C．they disagree with Dr Smith’s suggestion | | D．aliens can pick up signals from the earth |
小题4:What’s the main idea of the text?| A．There must be other life forms in the universe. | | B．We can communicate with aliens in decades. | | C．The chances of finding aliens are slight. | | D．Many other planets are quite different from the Earth. |
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The rapid growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades will cause significant risks to people and the global environment, according to analysis.
Researches from Yale and Stanford predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by 590,000 square miles—nearly the size of Mongolia—to meet the needs of 1.47 billion more people living in urban areas.
“It is likely that these cities are going to be developed in places that are the most biologically diverse,” said Karen Seto, a famous scientist at Yale University. “They are going to be growing and expanding into forests, biological hotspots, savannas(热带稀缺大草原), coastlines—sensitive and vulnerable places.”
Urban areas, they found, have been expanding more rapidly along coasts. “Of all the places for cities to grow, coasts are the most sensitive. People and buildings along the coast are at risk of flooding and other environmental disasters,” said Seto.
The study provides the first estimate of how fast urban areas globally are growing and how fast they may grow in the future. “We know a lot about global patterns of urban population growth, but we know significantly less about how urban areas are changing,” she said. “Changes in land cover associated with urbanization lead to many environmental changes, from habitats loss and agricultural land conversion(转化) to changes in local and regional climate.”
The researchers examined studies that used satellite data to map urban growth and found that from 1970 to 2000 the world’s urban footprint had grown by at least 22,400 square miles—half the size of Ohio.
“This number is numerous, but, in actuality, urban land expansion has been far greater than what our analysis shows because we only looked at the published studies that used satellite data,” said Seto. “We found that 48 of the most populated urban areas have been studied using satellite data, with findings in journals. This means that we’re not tracking the physical expansion of more than half of the world’s largest cities.”
Half of urban land expansion in China is driven by a rising middle class, whereas the size of cities in India and Africa is driven primarily by population growth. “Rising incomes translate into rising demand for bigger homes and more land for urban development, which has a great effect on biodiversity conservations, loss of carbon sinks and energy use.”
小题1:According to the passage, the most dangerous place for city expansion is the _____.| A．forest | B．desert | C．savannas | D．coastline |
小题2:The underlined word “vulnerable” (in Para. 3) probably means “____”.| A．diverse in plants | B．beautiful in scenery | | C．easily damaged | D．very productive |
小题3:From Para. 5, we can infer that ____.| A．urbanization is a good way to improve people’s standards of living | | B．cities develop very fast and more and more people come to live in cities | | C．more and more agricultural farmlands are used to make room for local animals | | D．in the past, researchers focused their attention on the expanding urban areas |
小题4:Cities in Africa become bigger and bigger mainly because of their ____.| A．growing population | B．rising middle class | | C．unique living patterns | D．economic development |
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Why should you go to college? One important answer to this question is more __16___. As opposed to generations of the past, high school graduates today are _17___ to get the number of high-paid jobs that were __18__ available. The U.S. has been changed from a manufacturing-based economy into an economy based on ___19_, and the importance of a college education today can be _20___ to that of a high school education forty years ago. It __21__ as the gateway to better choices and more opportunity.
There are __22_ reasons as to why it is important to go to college. When students _23__ a post-secondary education, they have the opportunity to read books and listen to the __24__ of top experts in their fields. It __25__ students to think, ask questions, and __26_ new ideas, which allows for additional growth and ___27_ and provides college graduates with an edge in the job market __28__ those who have not experienced a higher education.
The importance of a college education is also because of the opportunity to __29__ valuable resources. The more connections which are __30___ during your college career, the more _31___ you will have when you begin your job search. Once you have ended your job search and have started your career, ___32__, the importance of a college education has not been exhausted. Having a college degree often __33_ greater promotion opportunity.
So, why should you go to college? The reasoning does not begin and end with the _34___ aspect. A good education is __35__ from many different viewpoints, and while the importance of a college education is quite evident for many high school students, what is often not as clear is how they will pay for that education.
| 小题1: | | A．time | B．freedom | C．respect | D．opportunity |
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| 小题2: | | A．likely | B．unable | C．afraid | D．unwilling |
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| 小题3: | | A．once | B．just | C．never | D．also |
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| 小题4: | | A．nature | B．culture | C．knowledge | D．agriculture |
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| 小题5: | | A．referred | B．added | C．devoted | D．compared |
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| 小题6: | | A．follows | B．serves | C．unites | D．disappears |
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| 小题7: | | A．additional | B．secret | C．interesting | D．financial |
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| 小题8: | | A．discuss | B．ignore | C．experience | D．imagine |
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| 小题9: | | A．stories | B．requests | C．suggestion | D．lecture |
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| 小题10: | | A．helps | B．encourages | C．forbids | D．advises |
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| 小题11: | | A．design | B．explore | C．change | D．refuse |
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| 小题12: | | A．development | B．payment | C．agreement | D．experiment |
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| 小题14: | | A．admire | B．satisfy | C．gain | D．notice |
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| 小题15: | | A．removed | B．collected | C．explained | D．controlled |
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| 小题16: | | A．inventions | B．choices | C．worries | D．salaries |
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| 小题17: | | A．besides | B．therefore | C．however | D．otherwise |
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| 小题18: | | A．saves | B．includes | C．ensures | D．means |
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| 小题19: | | A．life | B．character | C．communication | D．job |
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| 小题20: | | A．free | B．rare | C．beneficial | D．absent |
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Teachers and parents usually call attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to pre-school children. But a new study suggests that calling attention to the words and letters on the page may lead to better readers.
The two-year study compared children who were read in this way in class with children who were not. Those whose teachers most often discussed the print showed clearly higher skills in reading, spelling and understanding. These results were found one year and even two years later.
Shayne Piasta, an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University, was an author of the study. She says most pre-school teachers would find this method manageable and would need only a small change in the way they teach. They already read story-books in class. The only difference would be increased attention to the printed text. “If you get children to pay attention to letters and words, it makes sense that they will do better at word recognition and spelling.” But she says research suggests that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic way.
More than 300 children aged four and five were observed in classrooms. They came from poor families and were below average in their language skills. For thirty weeks, the children took part in a program called Project STAR--- Sit Together and Read. The project is based at Ohio State. It tests the short-term and long-term results of reading regularly to pre-school children in their classrooms.
There are different ways that adults can talk to children about print. They can point to a letter and discuss it, and even trace the shape with a finger. They can point out a word and discuss the meaning of the print or how the words tell the story. And they can talk about the organization of the print--- for instance, showing how words are written left to right in English.
小题1:What do we know about the ways pre-school children are usually taught?| A．More attention is paid to the pictures ,with words and letters being ignored. | | B．Preference is given to the shape of letters and the organization of the print. | | C．The focus of the teaching is on bringing them up to be good readers. | | D．Equal attention is paid to the texts and the pictures. |
小题2:What does Shayne Piasta suggest pre-school teachers should do in class?| A．Teach children how to draw pictures to get an idea of what they mean. | | B．Change the way they teach and pay more attention to words and letters. | | C．Adopt different methods according to the students’ difference in reading skills. | | D．Read storybooks to children rather than explain the meaning of the pictures. |
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE about the study on language skills of pre-school children?| A．Many teachers want to change their way of teaching pre-school children. | | B．Attention on the pictures has made the children uninterested in reading. | | C．Project STAR aims to research into the results of reading books to pre-school children in the classroom. | | D．Teachers are often prevented from taking different approaches to language teaching. |
小题4:Which section of a magazine does the passage probably come from?| A．Fashion. | B．Economy . | C．Entertainment. | D．Education. |
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