Should we try to contact and make friends with other beings in the universe? Certainly not，says British physicist Stephen Hawking．
“If aliens（creatures from other planets）ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,’’ said the 68-year-old disabled scientist in a new Discovery documentary (紀實性電視節(jié)目) on April 25．
The program pictures an imagined universe where other life forms in huge spaceships hunt for resources after using up all those on their home planets．
“Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads(游牧民)，looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach，”warned Hawking．
On the probability of other life forms existing, he says, “To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly reasonable.”
Hawking’s concerns have frightened some people and been met with disagreement from other researchers．Paul Davies, author of the book Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence，thinks Hawking’s reasoning is wrong.
He argues that since Earth is about 4.5 billion years old，if intel1igent life is likely , communities of other beings may have been there for a very long time．
“If resources are the factor, then at least one group of aliens would surely have visited Earth as a destination mil1ions of years ago．
Even if other life forms do come to Earth in the near future, Davies believes comparisons with are wide of the mark(離譜的).
68. What is the article mainly about?
A. Other life forms coming to our planet．
B. Scientific evidence of other life forms．
C. Earth as the only place where human beings can survive．
D. Hawking’s belief that other life forms may exist in the universe．
69. Which of the following ideas is opposed to Hawking’s view?
A. Other life forms exist in the universe．
B. 0ther life forms may be more intelligent than human beings．
C. We should try to contact other 1ife forms from other planets．
D. Other life forms may exist in more than one part of the universe．
70. Paul Davies didn’t agree with Stephen Hawking ,believing that ________．
A. the universe is running out of resources
B. humans are the best creatures in the universe.
C. it is a good idea to avoid meeting with other life forms
D. Davies doesn’t think it proper to compare aliens with Columbus
71. Hawking referred to Christopher Columbus as an example to ____．
A. inspire interest in the universe
B. draw attention to other planets in the universe
C. warn people to watch out for other life forms
D. urge further exploration of the universe~
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO2）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere. 21世紀We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO2. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce? For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent,” he said.
Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.
Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?
A. To take special kinds of food B. To respond to climate change.
C. To lose weight D. To improve their health
The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to .
A. freezing points B. burning points C. melting points D. boiling points
It can be inferred from the passage that 2___. ..
A. it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time ..
B. it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO2
C. the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO2 a month.
D. the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO2 a month.
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Saving Energy Starts at Home B. Changing Our Habits Begins at work
C. Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable D. Reducing Emissions of CO2 Proves Difficult
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆湖南省長沙市高考模擬英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解
Aggressive pedestrians are in fact as dangerous as careless drivers. They cause traffic accidents, injury and death.
These dangerous walkers can be seen in any big city over the world. About 69% of last year’s pedestrian deaths in the US occurred in urban areas. They cross streets ignoring “DON’T WALK” signals, suddenly appear without warning from behind parked vehicles, walk slowly at crossroads with cell phones attached to heads, blocking traffic.
These pedestrians and drivers share a common disregard for the rules of the road, both for selfish reasons. The drivers believe in the power of their machines. If their machines can go faster, they believe they have the right to go faster. If their machines are bigger, they believe they have the right to push smaller vehicles aside. Aggressive pedestrians, on the other hand, believe in the primacy(首位) of the individual, the idea that they are first in any environment, under any circumstances, even when they are on foot in a roaring tide of steel and rubber.
Last year, an estimated 5,220 pedestrians died in traffic accidents. Some 69,000 pedestrians were injured. On average, that worked out to one pedestrian killed in a traffic crash every 101 minutes, and one injured every eight minutes.
The good news is that the accident rate is dropping. For example, the number of pedestrians killed last year was 24 percent less than the number killed in traffic accidents a decade earlier. The bad news is that the basic causes of pedestrian deaths remain pretty much the same----disregard for traffic signals, inattention and crossing roads under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Alcohol, in fact, was involved in 46 percent of the traffic accidents that resulted in pedestrian deaths. Of those, 31 percent of the pedestrians were found to be drunk.
The bottom line is that the pedestrians must do more to protect their lives as well as the lives of other road users. They can start by obeying traffic signals, using marked cross-walks and calling a cab when they’ve had too much to drink.
【小題1】The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．how aggressive pedestrians cause traffic accidents |
| B．why so many Americans were killed on roads last year |
| C．what the traffic rules of the road about pedestrians were |
| D．who are to blame for pedestrian deaths, drunk drivers or the aggressive pedestrians |
| A．They know all drivers are skilled and with great care. |
| B．They believe individuals are always first. |
| C．They think traffic rules have nothing to do with them. |
| D．They guess all vehicles will slow down at crossroads. |
| A．Disregard for traffic signals | B．Paying no attention to surroundings. |
| C．Crossing roads drunk. | D．Overspeeding driving. |
| A．Obey traffic signals at crossroads. |
| B．Run as fast as possible at crossroads. |
| C．Talk on your cell phone if necessary. |
| D．Always watch out for big trucks. |
| A．Excited. | B．Cold. | C．Concerned | D．Inconnected. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆河北省東光縣第一中學高三上學期期中考試英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：填空題
補全短文
注意；E涂AB F涂AC G 涂 AD（10分）
Let children learn to judge their work．71 ．If corrected too much, he will stop talking．He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use．Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s．72 They learn to do without being taught to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle, compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes．
But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself．73 we act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to．Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not．
If it is a matter of right answer, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book．74 Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? 75 Let the children learn what all educated people must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, and how to know what they know or do not know．
| A．Children learn to do all the other things in the same way． |
| B．Let him correct his own papers |
| C．Point out his mistakes |
| D．We do it all for him |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源：2014屆廣東珠海高三9月開學摸底考試英語卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解
The USA is a land of immigrants. Between 1815 and 1914, the world witnessed the greatest peaceful migration in its history: 35 million people, mostly Europeans, left their homelands to start new lives in America. Why did these people risk everything by leaving their homes and families?
First, what forced emigrants to make the decision to leave? One major cause for European farmers to leave was the rise in population which in turn led to land hunger. Another was politics. There was an increased taxation（稅收） and the growth of armies, and many young men fled eastern Europe to avoid being forced to join the army.
Physical hunger provided another pressing reason. Following the collapse （衰退）of the economy of southern Italy in the 1860s, hundreds of thousands decided to start a new life in America. Religion also encouraged millions to leave the Old World.
In short, people chose to leave their homes for social, economic and religious reasons. As a result, by 1890 among a total population of 63 million, there were more than nine million foreign-born Americans.
But what were the attractions? First of all, there was the promise of land which was so scarce in Europe. Next, factories were calling for workers, and pay conditions were much better than back home. Men were needed to open up the West and build the long railroads, and new towns needed settlers to live in and to develop business. There was the space for religious people to practice their faith in peace.
This immigration meant that by around the 1850s Americans of non-English had started to be more than those of English. As we know, there were losers. To start with, there were those unwilling immigrants, the slaves who had been used as a source of cheap labour. Nor should we forget the equally unlucky American Indians. By 1860 there were 27 million free whites, four million slaves and a mere 488,000 free blacks.
Nowadays, the USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land. As always, it remains an attractive place to those who think it will offer them a second chance.
1.What is not the cause for people to leave their homeland?
A. The search for religious freedom.
B. The search for adventure.
C. Unwillingness to join the army.
D. Economics.
2.Why was life of the 19th Century European farmers difficult?
A. There was no land.
B. There was no peace.
C. The population had gone down.
D. There were too many of them.
3. Which of the following was not an attraction of the USA?
A. Employment B. A healthy life
C. freedom of religion D. Business opportunities
4.What is the topic of this passage?
A. The USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land.
B. The USA is a land of immigrants.
C. Religion encouraged millions to leave the Old World.
D. About one-eighth of non-native born Americans live in the USA in 1890.
5. The American Indians __________.
A. were as fortunate as the slaves
B. were more unfortunate than the slaves
C. were the most unfortunate
D. were as unfortunate as the slaves
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英語 來源：2012-2013學年吉林延邊二中高三第一次階段性測試英語卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解
The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, "Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us." That "quite" saddened me. I thought he was saying "we're kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else." Then I discovered that in American English "quite" sometimes means "very", while in British English it means "fairly".
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don't just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures（文化）．
Some of these differences may be only on the surface-dress, food and hours of work-while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate（氣候），while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality（準時）．If you invite people to a party at 7 o'clock your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word "late" because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.
1.The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought______．
A. the American bank didn't think much of him
B. the American bank might hire another person
C. it's difficult to get used to American culture
D. it's easy to misunderstand Americans
2.The word "highlights" in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.
A. encourages B. helps to narrow
C. increases D. draws attention to
3.According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
A. Ask the native people for help.
B. Understand and accept them.
C. Do things in our own way.
D. Do in-depth research.
4.When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.
A. Italians B. Germans C. Greeks D. the British
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互聯(lián)網(wǎng)違法和不良信息舉報平臺 | 網(wǎng)上有害信息舉報專區(qū) | 電信詐騙舉報專區(qū) | 涉歷史虛無主義有害信息舉報專區(qū) | 涉企侵權(quán)舉報專區(qū)
違法和不良信息舉報電話：027-86699610 舉報郵箱：58377363@163.com
