A strange army of giants stands around the edges of a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Or at least that's how it might appear. The figures lining Easter Island are actually huge stones carved to look like hulking(笨重的) human figures. The statues have “guarded” these coasts for centuries. But not even the islanders are sure how they got there. Join scientific detectives as they investigate this historical mystery.
The Mystery
Nearly a thousand giant stone figures stand side by side on Easter Island, now a part of Chile. Called moai (MOH-eye) by the locals, the statues can weigh more than 80 tons—about as much as ten whales—and some stand as tall as a three-story building.
Scientists think islanders began creating the moai some 800 years ago to honor their ancestors. In land, scientists found a volcanic crater and dug out ancient tools there used to carve figures from the volcanic rock. But the crater(火山口) is far from where most of the statues now stand. And scientists know the people didn't have wheels or animals to move the rock giants.
So how did the stone figures travel as far as 11 miles from the crater to the island's coasts? Some ideas are pretty wild—people have suggested that the moai walked by themselves, or even that space aliens beamed down to lend a hand. Scientists struggled to Easter Island to find out the truth.
The Detectives
"Heave-ho!" cry a group of scientists as they pull on ropes tied to a huge statue. The investigators are seeking clues about the moai in one of Easter Island's green valleys. Wondering if the islanders could have transported the statues upright with just rope and muscle power, they wrapped three strong ropes around the forehead of a ten-foot-tall moai copy. With several people pulling each rope, they're able to rock the 10,000-pound figure side to side, moving it forward with every tug(拖拽). "The statue's shape makes this movement fairly easy," team leader Carl Lipo says.
In the past, researchers have tried other moving methods. One group tied rope to the top and base of an actual moai and attempted to drag it forward with twisting motions. Another team laid a real 13-foot moai onto a giant log and pulled the log forward. All the experiments shared one result: The investigators got serious pain!
The Evidence
Although various scientific sleuths (侦查) found ways to move the moai, researchers still don't agree on what really happened. Some of these techniques might have only worked over short distances and on flat land. Others would have damaged the moai.
Many people think the statues were laid horizontally on wooden sleds which were dragged with rope across log tracks. "This would have been the safest way to move the moai," archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg says. "It explains why hardly any are damaged."
But the truth may never be revealed.(Experts are pretty sure, though, that aliens weren't involved.)After all, the islanders stopped making the statues at least 300 years ago, later hundreds of islanders left the island or caught deadly diseases brought by explorers. Many of the moai's secrets disappeared with them. Today the only remaining witnesses to the events are the moai themselves. And the lips of these stone-faced giants are sealed.
1.How many possible ways of moving the rock giants are mentioned in the passage?
A. Three. B. Four. C. Five. D. Six.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The moai was created by the islanders 800 years ago to wish for good luck.
B.Some of the rock giants were damaged while being moved to where they are now.
C.All the witnesses to the secrets of the moai were infected with deadly diseases and died.
D.The statues were made of volcanic rocks with some handmade tools by the locals.
3.The underlined word "horizontally" in the last but one paragraph probably means ________.
A. temporarily on the ground
B. parallel to the ground
C. steadily on the ground
D. vertical to the ground
4.What is the best title of this passage?
A.Investigation Under Way.
B.Mystery of the Stone Giants.
C.Ways of Moving the Stone Giants.
D.The Unrevealed Truth.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
A strange army of giants stands around the edges of a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Or at least that's how it might appear. The figures lining Easter Island are actually huge stones carved to look like hulking(笨重的) human figures. The statues have “guarded” these coasts for centuries. But not even the islanders are sure how they got there. Join scientific detectives as they investigate this historical mystery.
The Mystery
Nearly a thousand giant stone figures stand side by side on Easter Island, now a part of Chile. Called moai (MOH-eye) by the locals, the statues can weigh more than 80 tons—about as much as ten whales—and some stand as tall as a three-story building.
Scientists think islanders began creating the moai some 800 years ago to honor their ancestors. In land, scientists found a volcanic crater and dug out ancient tools there used to carve figures from the volcanic rock. But the crater(火山口) is far from where most of the statues now stand. And scientists know the people didn't have wheels or animals to move the rock giants.
So how did the stone figures travel as far as 11 miles from the crater to the island's coasts? Some ideas are pretty wild—people have suggested that the moai walked by themselves, or even that space aliens beamed down to lend a hand. Scientists struggled to Easter Island to find out the truth.
The Detectives
"Heave-ho!" cry a group of scientists as they pull on ropes tied to a huge statue. The investigators are seeking clues about the moai in one of Easter Island's green valleys. Wondering if the islanders could have transported the statues upright with just rope and muscle power, they wrapped three strong ropes around the forehead of a ten-foot-tall moai copy. With several people pulling each rope, they're able to rock the 10,000-pound figure side to side, moving it forward with every tug(拖拽). "The statue's shape makes this movement fairly easy," team leader Carl Lipo says.
In the past, researchers have tried other moving methods. One group tied rope to the top and base of an actual moai and attempted to drag it forward with twisting motions. Another team laid a real 13-foot moai onto a giant log and pulled the log forward. All the experiments shared one result: The investigators got serious pain!
The Evidence
Although various scientific sleuths (侦查) found ways to move the moai, researchers still don't agree on what really happened. Some of these techniques might have only worked over short distances and on flat land. Others would have damaged the moai.
Many people think the statues were laid horizontally on wooden sleds which were dragged with rope across log tracks. "This would have been the safest way to move the moai," archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg says. "It explains why hardly any are damaged."
But the truth may never be revealed.(Experts are pretty sure, though, that aliens weren't involved.)After all, the islanders stopped making the statues at least 300 years ago, later hundreds of islanders left the island or caught deadly diseases brought by explorers. Many of the moai's secrets disappeared with them. Today the only remaining witnesses to the events are the moai themselves. And the lips of these stone-faced giants are sealed.
1.How many possible ways of moving the rock giants are mentioned in the passage?
A. Three. B. Four. C. Five. D. Six.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The moai was created by the islanders 800 years ago to wish for good luck.
B.Some of the rock giants were damaged while being moved to where they are now.
C.All the witnesses to the secrets of the moai were infected with deadly diseases and died.
D.The statues were made of volcanic rocks with some handmade tools by the locals.
3.The underlined word "horizontally" in the last but one paragraph probably means ________.
A. temporarily on the ground
B. parallel to the ground
C. steadily on the ground
D. vertical to the ground
4.What is the best title of this passage?
A.Investigation Under Way.
B.Mystery of the Stone Giants.
C.Ways of Moving the Stone Giants.
D.The Unrevealed Truth.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Shiants, remote, cliff-edged islands off the coast of Scotland are home to 350,000 seabirds. This is the starting point for National Geographic contributor Adam Nicolson’s new book, The Seabirds Cry. Celebrating 10 species in detail, he describes the unbelievable recovery of seabirds and the many adaptations that have enabled them to survive and navigate the oceans, while sounding a loud call for their conservation among severely falling numbers.
Speaking from his home in Sussex, England, Nicolson explains why guillemot (海雀) colonies are information exchange centers: how new research is showing that those long-distance travelers. The shearwaters, "smell" their way across the globe; and what we can do to support seabird populations.
National Geographic has just kicked off Year of the Bird with a cover story by Jonathan Franzen titled "Why Birds Matter ". The beginning of Year of the Bird is beneficial to birds. Nicolson said, "Ill ask you the same question-why? For me, these seabirds are symbols of uniqueness. There is so much on the land where the rest of the living world seems to be controlled by us, but when you go to seabird colonies, there is this pumping, loud and raging uniqueness. It's a glance of the untouched world. ”
“The reason why it's untouched is that, until recently, we have not controlled the oceans that the seabirds depend on. More of them have survived in greater numbers than most other creatures in the developed world, where huge amounts of the animal kingdom have been removed by us. And so one reason these birds matter is that they are symbols of what the world might be if we hadn't done so much damage to it. "He added.
“Seabirds also tend to disappear; they’re not reliably of our world, due to their migration and habits of life. Very deep in our consciousness is a sense that they are ambassadors from another world. And witnessing and feeling that is, I think, one of the great enlargers of life.” Nicolson explained.
1.What is the book The Seabirds Cry mainly about?
A. Seabirds on an island. B. The extinction of seabirds.
C. The importance of seabird. D. Seabirds in the author's hometown.
2.What can we learn from Nicolson’s speech?
A. The wisdom of seabirds. B. Ways to protect seabird.
C. Migration routes of seabirds. D. The harder situation of seabirds.
3.What does the underlined phrase "kicked off" in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Watched out for B. Cut across
C. Expressed D. Started
4.Which is a lucky thing for seabirds in Nicolson’s view?
A. The sea is too large to be polluted.
B. The sea isn't entirely governed by humans.
C. The seabirds are able to fit the environment.
D. The seabirds are living in the developed world.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Not until I was standing on the edge of death ____ how much I wanted to live.
A.I realized | B.did I realize | C.I had realized | D.had I realized |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long and untidy hair and a wild beard, but you ______ make out his eyes, shining like black beetles under all the hair.
A.might B.could C.should D.would
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Around 1975 books were written about strange occurrences in the Bermuda Triangle, a part of the Atlantic Ocean off the southeast coast of the U.S. They told the stories of planes and ships that disappeared for no understandable reason and were never found again. They told about ships which were found undamaged but with no one on them. According to the books, more than 1,000 people disappeared in the Triangle from 1945 to 1975.
According to some writers, there were no natural explanations for many of the disappearances, so they suggested other explanations. For example, some strange and terrible power exists in the Triangle. According to another writer, people from space are living at the bottom of the Atlantic, and sometimes they need human sailors and airmen for their research. These ideas were not scientific, but they were good advertisements. The books about the Bermuda Triangle were immediate successes.
However, the books give little evidence to support their unusual ideas. In addition, they ignore at least three important facts that suggest natural reasons for many of the occurrences. First, messages from some of the ships and aircraft which later disappeared give us evidence of problems with navigational instruments. Similar stories are told by officers who were on duty on planets and ships which finally managed to come through the Triangle without disaster. Second, the weather in this part of the Atlantic Ocean is very unpredictable. Dangerous storms that can cause problems even for experienced pilots and sailors can begin suddenly and without warning. Finally, the Bermuda Triangle is very large, and many people, both experienced and inexperienced, sail and fly through it. Perhaps the figure of 1,000 deaths in thirty years shocks some people, but, in fact, the figure is not unusual for an area of ocean that is so large and that is crossed by so many ships.
The evidence which exists, therefore, supports one conclusion about Bermuda Triangle: We do not need stories about people from space or strange unnatural powers to explain the disappearances.
1.What was strange about the occurrences in the Bermuda according to Paragraph 1?
A. Ships survived but with no passengers on board.
B. Not only ships but planes went missing as well.
C. There were as many as 1,000 deaths from 1945 to 1975.
D. They happened across none other than the Atlantic waters.
2.Why were the books about Bermuda Triangle unscientific?
A. The books were written by unknown writers.
B. Nearly no supporting evidence was given.
C. The books were written as advertisements.
D. The writers pursued immediate success.
3.What reason for the disappearances may the author agree with?
A. The sailors and airmen were taken away by strange species.
B. People aboard could not stand the weather and died of diseases.
C. The sailors and airmen were to blame as they were inexperienced.
D. Navigational instruments going wrong caused the sink or the crash.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Bermuda Triangle Disappearances, Mystery Or Misreading?
B. The Deadly Problems With Machines Of Last Century
C. One Hundred Lives Lost In Thirty Years!
D. New Discoveries In The Bermuda Triangle
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“Four eleven-year-old boys, Wow!”
Standing sleepily in the store's entrance, I_______this strange sight. My dad had just dropped me off to shop for Christmas _______ but my brother and his friends had a more noble_______ for shopping.
“Do you think Caitlin will like this? "one of the boys asked. And my brother, looking rather _______, was standing in front of a shelf of socks. "Okay. The pink one would be a good idea,” I _______.He picked up one and presented it to me for_______.
They used up all their _______some of which they had saved up over the course of the year for Christmas gifts. But, they had all _______to spend it on Caitlin.
Just nine days before Christmas, Caitlin's house had been _______to the ground By__________Caitlin and her parents had all escaped.__________, everything in the house was engulfed(吞噬)in flames, including the Christmas presents__________to be wrapped(包装 ).
The school was __________their books and uniforms, And all the __________in Caitlin's class were taking her shopping for clothes while the boys were shopping for things like scarves and socks.
When we got home, my brother brought everything he had __________for Caitlin to my room to make sure I thought she'd like everything one last time.
“I think she 'll love everything, "I said, and__________ him, even though he tried to push me away. I was so__________of him at that moment He__________all his savings for a new skateboard __________for a friend who needed a Christmas present more than he did. He had, through this act of a pure heart, captured the true__________of Christmas. "
1.A. exchanged B. observed C. repeated D. shared
2.A. dreams B. wishes C. gifts D. secrets
3.A. holiday B. reason C. discovery D. problem
4.A. ashamed B. confused C. scared D. relieved
5.A. warmed B. agreed C. doubted D. advised
6.A. approval B. relax C. change D. pity
7.A. energy B. time C. money D. patience
8.A. decided B. regretted C. failed D. happened
9.A. burned B. fallen C. moved D. exposed
10.A. nature B. hand C. mistake D. chance
11.A. Otherwise B. Instead C. However D. Therefore
12.A. waiting B. pretend C. turning D. proving
13.A. designing B. choosing C. studying D. replacing
14.A. friends B. girls C. colleagues D. parents
15.A. bowed B. accept C. purchase D. earned
16.A. hugged B. criticized C. teased D. saved
17.A. tired B. proud C. careful D. aware
18.A. looked up B. turned up C. gave up D. made up
19.A. nervously B. fortunately C. angrily D. selflessly
20.A. fact B. opinion C. skill D. spirit
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
See? The strange man I saw yesterday _____ around my house again. Should I call the police?
A. walk B. walked C. is walking D. has walked
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and, sure enough, someone was looking right at you!
Some parapsychologists (心理学家) say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them.To study whether such a "sixth sense" really exists, Robert Baker, a psychologist at the University of Kentucky, performed several experiments.
In the first one.Baker sat behind unsuspecting people in public places and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes.The subjects were eating, drinking, reading, studying, watching TV, or working at a computer.Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods.Later, when he questioned the suspects, almost all of them said they had no' idea that someone was staring at them.
For the second experiment.Baker told subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind a two-way minor in a lab setting.The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren’t.Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at than if they had just guessed.
Baker’s experiment concludes again that people do not have the ability to sense when they are being stared at.If you doubt the outcome of his two experiments, I suggest you repeat the experiments and see for yourselves.
1.The first experiment made by Baker shows that ____.
A.people can’t realize it when they are watched secretly
B.one can't sense other people’s watching when they are talking
C.people have no idea about the sixth sense of human beings
D.the sixth sense doesn’t work during the first 5 or 15 minutes
2.The second experiment differs from the first one in that ____.
A.the subjects were not directly stared at from time to time
B.the subjects had to write something down in a lab sitting
C.the subjects were good at guessing when they were stared at
D.the subjects were informed of the purpose of the experiment
3.What is the author's attitude towards the result of the experiment? ____.
A.Support B.Doubt C.Sympathy D.Surprise
4.We can infer from the passage that ____.
A.it’s most probable that humans have six senses
B.the so-called sixth sense doesn’t exist in human beings
C.the experiments done by Baker hardly explain anything
D.people should make conclusions by themselves
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and, sure enough, someone was looking right at you!
Parapsychologists(灵学家) say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them. To research whether such a “sixth sense” really exists, Robert Baker, a psychologist(心理学家) at the University of Kentucky, performed two experiments.
In the first one, Baker sat behind unknowing people in public places and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes. The subjects(受试者)were eating, drinking, reading, studying, watching TV, or working at a computer. Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods. Later, when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them said they had no sense that someone was staring at them.
For the second experiment, Baker told the subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind a two-way mirror in a laboratory setting. The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren’t. Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at and when they weren’t. Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were started at than if they had just guessed.
Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sense when they’re being stared at. If people doubt the outcome of his two experiments, said Baker, “I suggest they repeat the experiments and see for themselves.”
1.The purpose of the two experiments is to _______.
A. explain when people can have a sixth sense
B. show how people act while being watched in the lab
C. study whether humans can sense when they are stared at
D. prove why humans have a sixth sense
2.In the first experiment, the subjects _______.
A. were not told that they would be stared at B. lost their sense when they were stared at
C. were not sure when they would be stared at D. were uncomfortable when they were stared at
3.The underlined word “outcome” in the last paragraph most probably means ______.
A. value B. result C. performance D. connection
4.What can be learned from the passage?
A. People are born with a sixth sense.
B. The experiments support parapsychologists’ idea.
C. The subjects do not have a sixth sense in the experiments.
D. People have a sixth sense in public places.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The free trade port needs to______ the possibility of sharpening the competitive edge of the island worldwide.
A.exploit B.explode C.explore D.export
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析