Even if we have an extremely healthy diet and lifestyle, the human body is programmed to wear out at a maximum of about 120 years, and usually less. We all have a biological clock inside us which determines the moment when our organs cease to function properly. This is because our cells have stopped renewing themselves and our body can no longer repair itself. This is also the moment when we are more likely to begin to suffer from the diseases of old age such as arthritis and Alzheimer’s. However, rapid advances in DNA research are beginning to throw light on the secrets of the ageing process. By the end of this century we could literally have the power of life over death.
Although it has long been accepted that humans have a fixed lifespan, it is also a fact that certain other organisms, such as reptiles and amphibians, appear to live indefinitely. The only reason we do not see 500-year-old alligators is because in the wild their lives are always in danger, from man, from pollution and from other animals. When they are kept in zoos they do not seem to age at all after they are fully grown. The same is true of some species of fish, which grow indefinitely and show no signs of ageing. The existence of animals with no fixed lifespan seems to indicate that an age gene really does exist. It is this gene which scientists are searching for, which may delay or repair damage to the body caused by ageing.
Another new area of research involves the oxidation(氧化) theory, which says that ageing is caused by the same process that makes iron rust. In controlled experiments, the lifespans of certain animals were shown to be lengthened with anti-oxidants; for example, the lifespan of mice can be increased by 30%. Antioxidants are already being used in face creams and other cosmetics, and they are likely to play an important part in keeping people physically young.
Perhaps the most immediate advance we are likely to see in the battle to halt(停止)the ageing process will be organ replacement. By the year 2020 it is likely that we will be replacing injured bones or even organs like livers and kidneys with ones “grown” in laboratories. By 2050 perhaps every organ in the body, except the brain, will have become commercially available. Recent experiments also show that it may one day be possible to “grow” new organs inside our body to replace worn-out ones, something which lizards and alligators already do.
Suddenly immortality(不死,不朽) seems within reach. We can begin to imagine a future where we are born, we grow to maturity, but we never grow old and die. But do we really want to live forever?
小題1: When all humans reach a certain age,         .
A.they suffer the effects of their diet and lifestyle
B.the organs stop to perform appropriately
C.their cells continue to renew themselves
D.they develop arthritis and Alzheimer’s
小題2: The purpose of showing the case of alligators is to prove         .
A.a(chǎn)lligators are in danger in the wild because of the threat from man, pollution and other animals
B.it is widely accepted that humans have a fixed lifespan
C.there exists an age gene which may control ageing
D.the age gene damages the body
小題3:The underlined phrase “live indefinitely” in Paragraph 2 probably mean         .
A.live for a period of time without a fixed end
B.live without a clear aim
C.live in an uncertain way
D.live without being fully grown
小題4:It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that         .
A.by 2050 we might have most of our worn-out organs replaced with new ones commercially
B.never can the ageing process be avoided
C.livers and kidneys are sure to be grown in laboratories by the year 2020
D.lizards and alligators grow new organs inside their body to replace worn-out ones
小題5: What is the main topic of this passage?
A.DNA researches show how our cells renew themselves.
B.Anti-oxidants are likely to play an important part in keeping people young.
C.How our biological clock works?
D.Eternal(永恒的) youth: new developments in anti-ageing research.
小題6:By saying “But do we really want to live forever”, the author may probably mean         .
A.a(chǎn) future where we are born, we grow to maturity, but we never grow old and die is on its way
B.he is uncertain whether we can live forever
C.it remains to be seen whether immortality is a blessing or a curse
D.immortality is no longer a dream

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:A
小題4:A
小題5:D
小題6:C

試題分析:本文介紹了人類的壽命即使非常的健康也會最多只要120年,現(xiàn)代醫(yī)學的進步也許到2050年我們能夠做到將壞死的器官進行更替,但是作者發(fā)出疑問,在未來我們真的就想長生不老嗎?
小題1:細節(jié)題。從文章We all have a biological clock inside us which determines the moment when our organs cease to function properly. This is because our cells have stopped renewing themselves and our body can no longer repair itself.可知,當人類達到某一個年齡是,器官就會衰退,故選B
小題2:推斷題。從第二自然段及The existence of animals with no fixed lifespan seems to indicate that an age gene really does exist. It is this gene which scientists are searching for, which may delay or repair damage to the body caused by ageing.
可知存在年齡方面的基因來控制年齡,故選C
小題3:推斷題。從文章Although it has long been accepted that humans have a fixed lifespan, it is also a fact that certain other organisms, such as reptiles and amphibians, appear to live indefinitely.可知,這個詞的意思應該是生活一段時間,但并不存在確定的終點,故選A
小題4:細節(jié)題。從文章By 2050 perhaps every organ in the body, except the brain, will have become commercially available.可知,本題選A
小題5:主旨題。從最后一段Suddenly immortality(不死,不朽) seems within reach. We can begin to imagine a future where we are born, we grow to maturity, but we never grow old and die. But do we really want to live forever?可知,本文最好的標題應該是D
小題6:推斷題。作者表示是否我們真的想要長生不老嗎?作者表示出了懷疑,所以此處作者是在說長生不老是好還是壞真的不是很清楚,所以此處填C
點評:本文對人的壽命情況進行了相關的說明,對于此類題,可以通過文章結(jié)構(gòu)中所提的問題來迅速的理解全文,對整體段落的概括也相對容易。答題過程中在結(jié)合題目在文章中準確定位,相信每個題目都在文章中能找到相應的地方,把握好作者的意思準確作答。
練習冊系列答案
相關習題

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The rat is named Lola and she’s at the top of her class of risk-running animals being trained to smell out landmines (地雷) in Colombia, home to the world’s highest number of mine-related deaths and injuries last year. Of the victims, many are children who died in the accidents while walking to school or playing in the countryside.
The smartest rat among the first six that the government is teaching to locate landmines equipment planted by rebels(叛亂者) has a 90 percent success rate in locating landmines material in her lab training.
Police animal trainers, tired of seeing their landmines-smelling dogs blown up by stepping on mines, hope the white-furred, pink-eyed creature will lead her classmates through coming open field tests and then into the country mine fields before the end of the year. It takes about 400 grams of pressure to detonate (引爆) a mine while Lola only weighs about 220 grams. “The dogs can easily set off the landmines, sometimes killing people nearby,” they said.
Police animal trainer Jose Pineda says that rats have more sensitive noses than dogs, which should allow them to better smell out mines in difficult terrain (地形).
Plus, it takes the police about six months to train mine-smelling dogs. Training the rats is expected to take about half that time once the program is established.
Trainers think that they are much smarter than the dogs. The second-best scorer in the laboratory is Lucrecia, with an 83 percent success rate. Males, such as one named   Runcho, have fallen behind until now but may do better in the coming field tests. Pineda said that the next step of training will present new challenges to the rats as they are sure to meet distractions (分心的事) in the open.
小題1:What do the underlined words “the accidents” in the first paragraph mean?
A.Children were shot while playing outside.
B.A buried landmine was walked on and set off.
C.A rebel blew up a landmine and killed children.
D.Children got hurt in traffic accidents on the way to school.
小題2:Which of the following is NOT a reason why rats are chosen to find buried landmines?
A.They have a good sense of smell.
B.They are too light to set off buried landmines.
C.They can smell all kinds of explosive materials.
D.They cost people less time in terms of training
小題3:What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Rats will perform as well in the open air as in the lab.
B.Until now, female rats are better than the male ones.
C.Trainers should have chosen only female rats for the program.
D.Because they are foolish, dogs are not preferred for the program.
小題4:What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Dogs Bring Peace to the People in Colombia
B.Colombia Develops a New Way to Reduce Deaths
C.Buried Landmines are a Great Danger to Colombians
D.Colombian Police Train Rats to Sniff Out Landmines

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


HIGHFIELD COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL
SCHOOL REPORT
Form Teacher: G. Baker            Pupil’s Name:  Simon Watkins
Term:        Summer 2012   Form:        Ⅳ B
Subject
Exam
Class work
Comments
English
59
61
Simon has reached a satisfactory standard but now needs to apply himself with more determination.
Mathematics
77
85
Sound work and progress throughout the year. Well done!
History
46
53
A disappointing exam result. He is unable to give attention to this subject for long.
Chemistry
78
85
His obvious ability in the subject was not fully reflected in his exam work, but I have high hopes for him nevertheless.
Physics
86
94
An excellent term’s performance. He goes from strength to strength. A born scientist, I feel.
Biology
57
60
This time next year he will be taking the “0” exam. He needs to concentrate on the work, not on class conversation.
French
41
46
Clearly he didn’t bother to revise. His general attitude is far too casual.
Physical
Education
/
31
Weak. It’s time he exercised his body more and his voice less. He should try to work with a team.
FORM TEACHER’S REMARKS                     HEADMASTER
Basically satisfactory work and progress              I shall be keeping an eye on though he will now have realized, I hope, that         his progress in his weaker    in certain subject areas he needs to make               subjects though his
speedy progress.                           success in the sciences is improvement.
小題1:According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher, Simon_______.
A.is too talkative in the class
B.likes to work with his classmates
C.doesn’t exercise his body at the right time
D.becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all
小題2:Which of Simon’s subjects will attract the headmaster’s attention in future?
A.Biology and Maths. B.History and French.
C.English and Chemistry.D.Physics and Physical Education.
小題3:Which of the following statements best describes Simon?
A.He has made great progress in language classes.
B.His potential has been fully reflected in science classes.
C.His grade in maths makes him a born scientist.
D.He needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects.
小題4: Based on the school report, which of the following statements is true?
A.Simon didn’t bother his teacher to revise French.
B.Basically, Simon did a good job in science.
C.Simon is a determined learner in English.
D.Simon is able to pay attention to history for long.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received a full financial education got lost in the ‘wash up’. An application is calling on the next government to bring it back.
 At school the children are taught to add up and subtract(減法) but, extraordinarily, are not routinely shown how to open a bank account — let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
 Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum in England. Children from five to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions, they say. And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved by the government in the so-called “wash-up” earlier this month — the rush to legislation before parliament was dismissed. Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most frustrating omissions of the curriculum.
 As the Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg) points out, the good habits of young children do not last long. Over 75% of seven- to 11-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them are in debt to family and friends. By this age, 26% see a credit card or overdraft(透支) as a way of extending their spending power. Pfeg predicts that these young people will “find it much harder to avoid the serious unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality financial education while at school.”
 The UK has been in the worst financial recession(衰退)for generations. It does seem odd that — unless parents step in — young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when they turn up at university. In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97% supported financial education in schools, while 3% said it was a job for parents.
小題1:The passage is mainly about _____________.
A.how to manage school lessonsB. teaching young people about money 
C.how to deal with the financial crisisD.teaching students how to study effectively
小題2:It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that __________.
A.laws on financial education have been effectively carried out
B.pupils should not be taught to add up and subtract
C.students have been taught to manage their finances
D.the author complains about the school education
小題3:The website and the consumer campaigner joined to _________.
A.instruct the pupils to donate their pocket money
B.promote the connection of schools and families
C.a(chǎn)sk the government to dismiss the parliament
D.a(chǎn)ppeal for the curriculum of financial education
小題4:A poll is mentioned to ___________.
A.show the seriousness of the financial recession
B.stress the necessity of the curriculum reform
C.make the readers aware of burden of the parents
D.illustrate some people are strongly against the proposal

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Farmers can produce more by planting several different crops in the same field.But their success depends on which crops they plant together and how they mix (混合) them in the filed.In the past, the only way the farmers could learn which crops grow best together is to plant them and wait for the results.Now, however, a computer can give them answers.A new computer program written by Dr John Vanderwell of Michigan University can tell a farmer which plants grow well together and which do not.It can tell him how to plant the different crops; if he should plant each in a separate row, or mix the crops in the same row.It can tell the farmer how changes in planting each of the crops will affect the production of all of them.And it can tell him which plants can help reduce losses (損失) from diseases.
小題1:Which of the following best gives the main idea of the passage?
A.Computer helps find the best program for mixing plants.
B.Computer helps produce more crops.
C.Computer helps protect against insects and diseases.
D.Computer helps grow different plants.
小題2:According to the passage, to get the best result, one needs to choose carefully ________.
A.the kinds of crops to be planted together
B.the way for different crops to be mixed
C.both A and B
D.either A or B
小題3:It seems the new computer program can NOT tell us ________.
A.whether we should grow cotton and tomato together
B.how we should plant cotton and tomato together
C.what will happen if we grow potato, instead of tomato, together with cotton
D.how we can grow rice in the tomato field
小題4:The new computer program seems most useful in saving us ________.
A.man powerB.seedsC.timeD.land
小題5:Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Computers can tell farmers how many plants can grow together.
B.With the help of computers farmers don't have to do a lot of work.
C.With the help of computers farmers can get better results.
D.The change of one plant may cause a change in production.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The sea horse is a magical animal, which has puzzled (使困惑) people for thousands of years. In ancient Rome sea horses were believed to be the babies of Neptune’s horses. And Neptune was the god of the ocean. Now we know they are not horses at all — they are a kind of fish. They still seem as magical as ever, especially to divers who have watched them horsing around(瞎闖) in the sea. But today, sea horse populations face an uncertain future. Fishermen are catching too many of them, and their undersea habitats (棲息地) are being destroyed.
At least 20 million sea horses are taken from the ocean each year. More than 95% are used for traditional medicines in Asian countries. The sea horses are usually dried and then made into powder which is used to treat such problems as asthma(哮喘), throat infections, skin diseases and cuts. How well the medicines work is unclear.
Sea horses are also bought and sold in large numbers as pets. Sea horse expert Amanda Vincent warns against buying pet sea horses. “A lot of people treat them as if they’re goldfish,” she says. But sea horses require very special care and live food. Most captive (被獵取的) sea horses pick up diseases and die.
Sea horse experts are trying to teach fishermen to become sea horse farmers. Instead of pulling nets of sea horses from the ocean, fishermen could learn to raise them in specially designed saltwater “farms”. That way, fishermen would have sea horses to sell, but ocean populations would not be hurt.
Vincent and her team have only discovered the 35 different species of sea horses, and they still have plenty of sea horse secrets left to unlock. That is why, Vincent told TFK, protecting future sea horse populations is especially important: “I promise your readers that by the time they grow up to be marine biologists, we’ll still have a lot to learn.”
小題1:In the past, Romans thought the sea horse to be ______.
A.a(chǎn) kind of horseB.a(chǎn) kind of fish
C.the god of the ocean D.one of Neptune’s pets
小題2:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.People in Asian countries hunt sea horses for food.
B.Most sea horses caught are used as medicine.
C.The effects of the powder of sea horses are uncertain.
D.35 different kinds of sea horses have been discovered.
小題3:The underlined phrase “pick up” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
A.followB.collectC.getD.create
小題4:It can be inferred that the best way to protect sea horses is to ______.
A.do more research on sea horses
B.teach fishermen how to farm sea horses
C.stop hunting sea horses
D.ban the sea horse trade

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons (季風), but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
Every year, moist (潮濕的) air masses,known as monsoon,produce large amounts of rainfall in India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
According to Edward Cook, a weather expert at Columbia University in New York, the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings(年輪), or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.
Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology(大事年表) that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.” With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve computer climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So, to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”
小題1:What’s the passage mainly about?
A.The effects of Asian monsoons.B.The necessity of weather forecast.
C.The achievements of Edward cook.D.A breakthrough in monsoon prediction.
小題2:It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because _______.
A.it is hard to keep long-term climate records.
B.they are formed under complex climate systems.
C.they influence many nations.
D.there is heavy rainfall in Asia.
小題3:What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Long and detailed climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research.
B.The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years.
C.The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak.
D.The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas.
小題4:According to Professor Cook, the rings of the trees _______.
A.determine the regional climate.
B.have a great influence on the regional climate.
C.offer people information about the regional climate.
D.reflect all kinds of regional climate information.
小題5:What do we know about the research according to Eugene Wahl?
A.It is a great achievement in climate science.
B.It should include information about human life in the past.
C.It has analysed moisture models world wide,
D.It will help people prevent droughts and floods.
小題6:Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?
A.Matter-of –factB.PessimisticC.HumorousD.Friendly.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20% - 40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband. The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel. A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.
小題1:According to the text, Driver Alert ______.
A.a(chǎn)ims to reduce tiredness-related accidents
B.has gone through testing at laboratories
C.a(chǎn)ims to prevent drivers from sleeping
D.has been on sale for 12 months
小題2:How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
A.By sounding a warning.B.By touching the wristband.
C.By checking the driving time.D.By pressing the steering wheel.
小題3:We can learn form the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ______.
A.a(chǎn)bout 400 millisecondsB.below 500 milliseconds
C.over 500 millisecondsD.a(chǎn)bout 4 minutes
小題4:When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.
A.moves more regularlyB.stops working properly
C.opens the window for the driverD.sounds more frequently and loudly

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

As they migrate, butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may use some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate(補償, 彌補). Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found that butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help farmers decide when to spray their crops.
小題1:What's the main idea of the text?
A.Insects migrate with the seasons.
B.The wind helps insects greatly in migrating.
C.Windsurfing insects have real direction.
D.Scientists have trouble in observing insects.
小題2:Scientists originally thought that _____.
A.insects always waited for their favorable winds
B.insects chose the winds they wanted to ride
C.insects were just blown about by the wind
D.insects positioned themselves in the winds
小題3:It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because ______.
A.the little creatures can fly very fast
B.their flight is long and high above ground
C.the wind's direction is hard to forecast
D.they have no regular migrating courses
小題4:According to the passage, the findings can ____
A.increase insects in number
B.instruct farmers when to spray their crops
C.prevent climate warming
D.help protect insects

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案