Once upon a time, on an isolated island in the Java sea, lived short people who dominated(支配, 占优势) the food chain. Standing no more than three and a half feet tall, these human ancestors hunted giant rats, lumbering lizards（笨拙的蜥蜴), and miniature elephants.
It sounds a bit like a fairy tale, but it"s true. Unearthed relics on the island uncovered the remains of a race of tiny human ancestors. Homo floresiensis, as the newly discovered species has been named, apparently could date back to 13,000 years ago. This means they have a lot in common with modern humans.
So how and why did these people get so small? Scientists suspect that it"s due to the fact that this race lived on an isolated island with limited resources. Take the miniature elephants for example. When elephants first came to the island either by swimming or by some kind of natural land raft, they were probably close to full size. But since there wasn"t much to eat, over time smaller elephants lived longer and better. The smaller the elephant was, the less it had to eat to stay strong and healthy.
Scientists call this the "island role", and it can apply to humans as well as animals. Given the island"s sparse(稀少) food supply, it makes sense that the early humans living there would have evolved (进化) a body size requiring less food to survive. So bigger isn"t always better.
In the floresiensis, at least, getting smaller was the way to go.
小题1:According to the passage, the fact Homo floresiensis are very small is based on________.| A．the islanders in the Java Sea | B．the human ancestors | | C．the unearthed relics | D．a newspaper report |
小题2: The underlined word "miniature" in the first paragraph most probably means______.| A．tiny | B．active | C．rare | D．wild |
小题3:People on the island got so small because____________.| A．they did not have enough food to eat. | | B．they gradually developed for lack of food. | | C．they shared less food with elephants. | | D．they remained alive as the elephants. |
小题4: What might be the most suitable title of the passage?| A．The history of short people | | B．Short people from a fairy tale | | C．The proofs on short people | | D．Short people on an isolated island |
小题5:According to the passage, getting smaller can make people and animals ____| A．run quickly | B．live longer | C．live weaker | D．run slowly |
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小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:D
小题5:B |
试题分析：
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：Unearthed relics on the island uncovered the remains of a race of tiny human ancestors. 可知Homo floresiensis 个头矮小的事实是以出土文物为基础的，选C
小题2:猜词题：从第三段的句子：The smaller the elephant was, the less it had to eat to stay strong and healthy. 可知小象越小，吃的食物就越少，miniature和tiny意思相近，选A
小题3:细节题：从第三段的句子：Scientists suspect that it"s due to the fact that this race lived on an isolated island with limited resources. 可知这些人之所以矮小是因为缺少食物，选B
小题4:标题题：从第一段的句子：Once upon a time, on an isolated island in the Java sea, lived short people who dominated(支配, 占优势) the food chain.可知这篇文章讲的是孤岛上的矮人，选D
小题5:推理题：从第三段的句子: But since there wasn"t much to eat, over time smaller elephants lived longer and better. 可以推断出，个子矮小的人和动物可以更长寿，选B |
核心考点
试题【Once upon a time, on an isolated island in the Java sea, lived short people who 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Andy is the most unreasonable, pigheaded life form in the world, and he makes me so angry I could scream! Of course, I love him like a brother. I have to because he is my brother. More than that, he is my twin! That’s right. Andy and Amy(that’s me) have the same curly(卷曲的) hair and dark eyes and equally stubborn character. Yet, though we may look alike, on most issues(事情) we usually take completely opposite positions. If I say day, you can count on Andy to say night.
Just this week, the hot topic in school was all about the PTA’S proposal(提议) to adopt a school dress principle. Every student would be required to wear a uniform. Uniforms! Can you imagine? Oh, they would be uniforms in color. The dress style would be sort of loose and free.
I think a dress principle is a good idea. The reason is simple. School is tough enough without worrying about looking cool every single day. The fact is, the less I have to decide first thing in the morning, the better. I also wouldn’t mind not having to see guys wearing oversized jeans and shirts. And I certainly would welcome not seeing kids showing off designer clothes.
Andy is surprised at my opinion. He says he can’t believe that I would be willing to give up my all-American teenage birthright by dressing like — well, like a typical teenager. Last night, he even dragged out Mom and Dad’s high school photo albums. What a couple of peace-loving hippies(嬉皮士) they were!
The vote for or against uniforms took place later that day. The results of the vote and the headmaster’s decision will be announced next week. I wonder what it will be. I know how I voted, and I’m pretty sure I know how Andy voted.
How would you vote—for or against?
小题1:The story is about___________.| A．a school policy decision that will affect parents and students | | B．a personal experience and is told in the first person | | C．a historical event and is told in the third person | | D．a conflict of opinions between boys and girls |
小题2:Amy’s position on school uniforms is most likely based on________.| A．logical conclusions drawn form her own observation and personal experience | | B．an aggressive reaction to what she has been told by people in authority | | C．her preference for designer-labeled clothes | | D．not liking anything her brother likes |
小题3:Which of the following is the best statement of Andy’s position?| A．School clothing should reflect parents’ values. | | B．Teenagers should never follow the latest fashions in dress. | | C．How one dresses should be an expression of one’s individuality. | | D．Wearing school uniforms means one less decision every morning. |
小题4:What is the best title for the text?| A．A School Dress Principle. | | B．My Stubborn Twin Brother | | C．Endless Fights with My Brother | | D．For or Against?--- That Is the Question |
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It was a bright spring afternoon when Freda told me she wouldn’t need me any more. I had just finished my four-hour work － 36 up and down the stairs of her three-storey home, cleaning the floor and washing the dished. She was 37 jeans and a sweater. Sitting at the table I had just 38 a pile of papers spread around her. Her husband’s 39 was going to be reduced by thirty percent. And they were trying to live as if it had 40 happened. I felt sorry for her, but I also felt a sense of 41 .
I had been cleaning Freda’s house for five years and had 42 an unexpected relationship with the family. It was not just 43 I had become an expert at scraping（刮掉）dirt stuck to their wooden floor. 44 that I had learned exactly how to place toys on the girls’ beds. It was 45 than that, for I felt I had become a part of their 46 .
Freda stayed at home with the kids, 47 I would often see her in the morning 48
them to school. And I’d be there when they 49 home at lunch for sandwiches and piano practice. I had 50 them grow up. Now I was fired, but the 51 thing was that I still wanted to keep scraping away the dirt and dust for the family.
I left Freda’s 52 relationship with my clients（主顾）. Who am I 53 them? As a matter of fact. I’m 54 an employee － the lowest kind of employee. But I’m also a trusted 55 of the family. I can’t help worrying about what happens around me.
| 小题1: | | A．moving | B．coming | C．jumping | D．stepping |
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| 小题2: | | A．hanging | B．making | C．changing | D．wearing |
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| 小题3: | | A．washed | B．cleaned | C．swept | D．brushed |
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| 小题5: | | A．never | B．seldom | C．already | D．yet |
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| 小题6: | | A．loss | B．surprise | C．fear | D．regret |
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| 小题7: | | A．started | B．improved | C．developed | D．broken |
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| 小题8: | | A．why | B．what | C．that | D．which |
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| 小题10: | | A．less | B．more | C．least | D．most |
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| 小题11: | | A．story | B．life | C．activity | D．experience |
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| 小题13: | | A．taking | B．bringing | C．meeting | D．calling |
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| 小题14: | | A．left | B．marched | C．went | D．returned |
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| 小题15: | | A．found | B．noticed | C．watched | D．realized |
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| 小题16: | | A．possible | B．great | C．proper | D．strange |
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| 小题17: | | A．meaning | B．result | C．nature | D．importance |
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| 小题19: | | A．merely | B．certainly | C．probably | D．hardly |
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| 小题20: | | A．member | B．person | C．relative | D．companion |
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Collecting information about pre-employment and filling out an application form are closely connected, However, filling out an application form is much easier because you have total control and have enough time to think and plan.
That you are given a form to fill out does not necessarily mean that you have to answer all the questions in it. If the form contains unclear questions or terms and conditions, you can make some changes before signing(签约)it, or refuse to answer some of the questions. What you must realize is that those terms and conditions have been written by highly paid lawyers. Each word is important, or it would not be there; and you can be sure that there is not anything there that is written with your interests in mind.
I know what I speak of because, as a lawyer for Litton Industries. I wrote the terms and conditions that were printed on the back of order forms, I wrote the most tiring terms and conditions anyone has ever seen. Still, 90 percent of the buyers would just sign on them without questioning anything. If anyone questioned them, we would reach an agreement on something that was acceptable to both sides.
So when you see a preprinted application that contains questions or terms and conditions, read it all and read it slowly. If you don’t like something, you can simply change the parts you don’t like, Remember that everything can be settled by discussion. To what degree it can be settled depends on your position, of course, and that is something only you can determine.
小题1:Filling out application forms is much “easier” because_______.| A．everything connected with application forms is easier | | B．you can control the form filling with enough time | | C．you can plan and have control of the needed time | | D．it is easier to collect information about pre-employment |
小题2:We can learn from the underlined part “Each word is important” that _______.| A．questions in a form must be answered | | B．everything in a form must be read carefully | | C．the conditions that interest you are changeable | | D．something of your interests is most important |
小题3:It can be inferred from the 4th paragraph that_______.| A．you must change a preprinted application before it is discussed | | B．questions in a form are more important | | C．you have little right to determine the conditions you like most | | D．it depends on yourself to settle things in a form |
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Dear Michelle,
Why can"t my daughter manage her life better? She is 17 and an honor student, but she seems to be wasting her life away with a boyfriend who is holding her back.
He consumes every waking minute of her precious time and smooth-talks her as well.
His goal is to get her to agree to go to the college of his choice, not her choice, and because his grades are lower, his choice will be limited.
I feel like I want to rescue her, but she pushes me away and shuts me out. She has only brought us pride and joy; and now this! Help!
A worried mother
Dear Mother of a 17-year-old Girl,
Hmmmmm. What"s the matter with kids today? Remember that song from "Bye Bye Birdie"?
Well if you do not, let me fill you in about teenagers and their life-management skills. Do not expect too much too soon because at the ripe age of 17, life-management is not within their reach, nor should it be.
Life experience creates both the conditions and the skills for management, and if management went before experience, there would be little of it.
Your daughter is an honor student for good reasons. She is smart, studies with intelligence and you have given her good values.
When the time comes for her to apply for college, and she visits the ones that are specifically designed for students at the top of their grade, she will most likely break away from her boyfriend"s influence.
It is rare for an honor student to change the path of their academic career for puppy love. That being said, there might be some adolescent wisdom in her behavior after all.
Perhaps she is choosing to worry you, her parents, for unconscious reasons. Being such a good girl and being a steady source of joy might have become a bit too much for her.
Let your daughter have her own private moment of 11th grade rebellion. She deserves a break from perfection.
Michelle
小题1:From the mother"s letter we can learn that her daughter .| A．is being fooled by the boy | | B．has fallen behind in her studies | | C．doesn"t talk much with her mother | | D．has chosen which college to attend |
小题2:According to Michelle, 17-year-old teenagers .| A．are too young to manage their life | | B．are old enough to live their own life | | C．should have management before experience | | D．have reached the age of an adult |
小题3:The underlined word "puppy-love" refer to .| A．false love | B．foolish love | | C．pure love | D．adolescent love |
小题4:Michelle seems to believe that the daughter will finally .| A．come up with the right decision | | B．follow her boyfriend"s advice | | C．worry her parents for unconscious reasons | | D．influence her boyfriend"s behavior |
小题5:The best title for the passage would be .| A．College of kids" own choice | | B．How can I help my girl? | | C．How to manage teenagers" life? | | D．A 17-year-old girl and her mother |
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If you are living in the city, have you ever thought of going to live in the country for a change? Many people want to move from the country to the city because they think life in the city is more exciting and better than that in rural (农村的) areas, especially young people who like new and modern things.
Often people feel that they can find the latest styles only in the city. Other people are interested in technological (科技的) things and high-tech jobs and think they can find them only in a big city. If they want to find a job, especially a good position in a company, they feel they have to live in a city. To get these jobs, they are willing to put up with many of the disadvantages (不利因素) of city life such as heavy traffic and pollution.
However, it is now possible to enjoy a higher quality of life in the countryside and still enjoy some of the advantages (好处) of living in the city.
Nowadays, travel is fast and information is available (可获得的) on the Internet, so many people are able to do their work in home offices.
Because they have e-mail and personal computers, they don"t have to be in big cities to do their business. It is not important where they actually work because the results of their work can be sent everywhere with technology. Now they can enjoy life in the countryside and still be able to do good business and successful careers.
小题1:The underlined phrase “put up with” (in Para. 3) probably means “_____”.| A．change | B．stand | | C．be angry with | D．be pleased with |
小题2:Now people can enjoy life in the countryside and still be able to do good business and successful careers _____.| A．because of the Internet and fast travel | | B．because of e-mail and personal computers | | C．because travel is fast | | D．because the rural areas are developing faster than cities |
小题3:What is the author"s opinion?| A．She / he prefers to live in the countryside rather than live in the city. | | B．She / he prefers to live in the city rather than live in the countryside. | | C．She / he likes both city life and countryside life. | | D．It is not clear which life she / he prefers. |
小题4:What would be the best title for this passage?| A．Life in the city | B．Life in the country | | C．Go and live in the city | D．Go and live in the country |
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