Heavy downpours last month in Rhode Island led to widespread flooding, causing millions of dollars in property damage and leaving thousands homeless. The floodwaters also poured vast amounts of raw sewage (污水) into the rivers and streams that flow into Narragansett Bay.
It sounds like the makings of an environmental nightmare, but in fact it’s just the opposite. To scientists’ delight, the sewage-loaded floodwaters have caused a well-timed growth of phytoplankton, the microscopic creatures that form the foundation of marine food chains. With more food available for fish, clams and other sea creatures, the bay’s fisheries industry is expected to benefit.
In decades past, Narragansett Bay typically experienced a late winter/early spring algal (海藻) bloom that fed creatures up and down the water column. But in recent years, the waters of Narragansett Bay have warmed greatly, interrupting this seasonal event.
Mark Berman, an oceanographer with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the flood seemed to have sent the bay back to its normal state.
However, local, state and federal officials in Rhode Island have been battling other algal blooms that, by contrast, are causing widespread harm to the Narragansett Bay ecosystem. During summer months, sewage and agricultural runoff flows into the bay, causing large blooms. But instead of becoming food for sea creatures, much of the phytoplankton is consumed by bacteria, which grow fast in the warmer waters. The rapid bacteria growth leads to hypoxia – a decrease of oxygen in the water that can cause large fish kills. One such die-off occurred in 2003, when millions of oxygen-starved fish washed up on the beaches of Narragansett Bay.
The flood’s positive impact will probably be a one-time event, Mr. Berman said. Meanwhile, efforts to curb the harmful summer blooms continue; in 2008, for instance, Providence completed a $359 million sewage tunnel under the city designed to reduce the polluted storm overflow into Narragansett Bay.
1. Scientists believe that the raw sewage flowing into the bay will _______.
|
A．pollute the island’s environment |
B．cause lots of property damage |
|
C．increase the fisheries production |
D．destroy the food chains in the bay |
2.The potential benefit of fisheries industry relies on the _______.
|
A．warm temperatures of the bay |
B．growth of phytoplankton |
|
C．large summer alga blooms |
D．consumption of oxygen by bacteria |
3. People struggle against the summer blooms because they will ________.
|
A．pollute the local natural environment |
B．increase the production of fishery industry |
|
C．cause large fish kills of the bay indirectly |
D．provide too much food for sea creatures |
4.It can be inferred that _______.
|
A．money spent on the summer blooms has been wasted |
|
B．the government is investing to promote the local fisheries |
|
C．research of oceanology should be encouraged |
|
D．opinions on the raw sewage impact are currently contradictory |
5. The underlined word “curb” in the last paragraph can be defined as “______”.
|
A．control |
B．consume |
C．cause |
D．cure |
科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年甘肃省永昌县第一中学高二上学期期中考试英语卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
About twenty of us had been fortunate enough to receive invitations to a film-studio(影棚)to take part in a crowd-scene. Although our "act" would last only for a short time, we could see quite a number of interesting things.
We all stood at the far end of the studio as workmen prepared the scene, setting up trees at the edge of a winding path. Very soon, bright lights were turned on and the big movie-camera was wheeled into position. The director shouted something to the camera operator and then went to speak to the two famous actors nearby. Since it was hot in the studio, it came as a surprise to us to see one of the actors put on a heavy overcoat and start walking along the path. A big fan began blowing tiny white feathers down on him, and soon the trees were covered in "snow". Two more fans were turned on, and a "strong wind" blew through the trees. The picture looked so real that it made us feel cold.
The next scene was a complete contrast (对比). The way it was filmed was quite unusual. Pictures in front taken on an island in the Pacific were shown on a glass screen (幕). An actor and actress stood of the scene so that they looked as if they were at the water’s edge on an island. By a simple trick like this, palm trees, sandy beaches, and blue, clear skies had been brought into the studio!
Since it was our turn next, we were left wondering what scene would be prepared for us. For a full three minutes in our lives we would be experiencing the excitement of being film "stars"!
【小题1】Who is the author?
| A．A cameraman. |
| B．A film director. |
| C．A crowd-scene actor. |
| D．A workman for scene setting. |
| A．The heavy snowfall. | B．The man-made scene. |
| C．The low temperature. | D．The film being shown. |
| A．A new scene would be filmed. |
| B．More stars would act in the film. |
| C．The author would leave the studio. |
| D．The next scene would be prepared. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2013-2014学年福建省龙岩市高三毕业班教学质量检查英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Way back in 1662，John Evelyn，a brilliant Englishman known for his detailed diaries，wrote about disastrous effects of coal-burning on the city of London .In it,he described an infernal scene of smog．air filled with “Columns and Clouds of Smoke’’given out by small industries and residences that burned coal for fuel．
? I found the description in the 2003 book When Smoke Ran like Water，by epidemiologist(流行病学家)and environmental advocator(倡导者)Devra Davis．In it,Davis looks back at several historic pollution events and their disastrous effect on human human health-and at how these phenomena were often Ignored or even actively covered up by then people in charge at that time.
? As Davis points out，John Evelyn was ahead of his time when writing about how London’s polluted air affected? the well-being of its residents．It wasn’t? until nearly 300 years later,after what became well-known as the Great Smog of 1952，that the government began to address the problem in a systematic way．
For four days．Between December 5th“and 9th“，due to all accident of the weather pattern，the city was buried in a heavy fog .People were still burning coal for fuel，and low-grade coal at that time， because 0f wartime condition．A temperature inversion(转向)trapped the smoke from the city’s fires， creating a black cloud in which people could barely find their way down the most familiar streets
Some tried to protect themselves，but most people simply went about their business. But l952’s fog was far worse than any other in memory．In the same week of the previous year, 1852 people had died in London；inl952，that number was 4703 And the deaths didn’t stop when the weather changed and the fog lifted．Davis and her colleagues analyzed data from the next several months and found that about 13000 more people died between December and March than one would have predicted from historical averages Many of them died of pneumonia(肺炎)．The government，she writes．Tried to blame a bad flu season．Her detailed analysis found that explanation simply did
not pan out．
? Davis writes that even today in this country ,we still have not completely absorbed the lessons of similar events．Sixty years the killer fog lifted in London，people are dying preventable deaths and suffering life．changing illnesses，simply because they must breathe the air of the cities where they live
1.The passage is written to ???
A. warn people of the danger from air pollution????
B. introduce London’s Great Smog of l952
C. blame the government for the smog??? ???????
D. explain the reasons for air pollution
2.The underlined word‘‘infernal” in the first paragraph probably means“??? ”
A．imaginary??? B .adventurous??? C. unbelievable?? D .annoying
3.One of the reasons for the Great Smog of l952wasthat——
A .people burned wood for fuel?????? ?
B. a forest fire created a black cloud over the city
C．the government ignored the smog??
D. most people went abouttheirbusine00
4.How does the writer feel about the present air condition in London?
A. lndifferent?? B Concerned??? C．Hopeless．D. Panic
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科目：高中英语 来源：2013-2014学年福建省莆田市高三3月质量检测英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Dr．Ferguson energetically pushed the preparations for his departure，and in person directed the construction of his balloon．For a long time past he had been applying himself to the study of the Arab language and the various Mandingoe idioms，and，thanks to his talents in language，he had made rapid progress．
In the meanwhile，his friend，the sportsman，never let him out of
his sight-afraid，no doubt，that the doctor might take his departure，without saying a word to anybody．On this subject，he tried to discourage him with the most persuasive arguments，which，however，did NOT persuade Samuel Ferguson，and wasted his breath，by which the latter seemed to be but slightly moved．In fine，Dick felt that the doctor was slipping through his fingers．
? The poor Scot was really to be pitied．He could not look upon the
blue sky without a wild terror: when asleep，he felt dizziness(眩晕)that made his head turn around；and every night he had visions of crashing down from immeasurable heights．
We must add that，during these nightmares，he once or twice fell out of bed. His first care then was to show Ferguson a severe bump(肿块)that he had received on the fall．“And yet，”he
would add，with warmth，“that was at the height of only three feet一not an inch more一and such a bump as this! Only think，then!”
This appeal，full of sad meaning as it was，did not seem to touch the doctor's heart．Not even the shadow of a doubt was ever suggested；and Samuel made an intolerable misuse of the first person plural：“‘Our’balloon，‘our’ car ；‘our’expedition.”
???? Dick trembled at them，although he was determined not to go ; he did not want to annoy his friend．Let us also disclose the fact that，without knowing exactly why himself，he had sent to Edinburgh for a certain selection of heavy clothing，and his best hunting-tools and fire-arms．
1.Why did Dr．Ferguson start to learn new languages?
A．To keep himself occupied．
B．To get ready for the departure．
C．To show his talent in language．
D．To Know more about? balloon construction．
2.We Call infer from the passage that Dick ＿＿＿＿.
A．suffered from a disease during the nights
B．got hurt in a fall from the balloon in the evening
C．decided to take the adventure with the doctor at last
D．equipped himself with arms to frighten his friend
3.Which word best describes Dr．Ferguson’s attitude towards his balloon flight?
A．Excited．???? B．Optimistic．? C．Worried.??? D．Determined
4.What’s the writing pattern of the passage?
A．News．?????? B．Fiction．???? C．Journal．?? D．Biography．
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015届四川成都南片区六校联考高二上学期期中考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
I am a psychologist. I first met Timothy, a quiet, overweight eleven-year-old boy, when his mother brought him to me to discuss his declining grades. A few minutes with Timothy were enough to confirm that his self-esteem(自尊) and general happiness were falling right along with them. I asked about Timothy’s typical day. He awoke every morning at six thirty so he could reach his school by eight and arrived home around four thirty each afternoon. He then had a quick snack, followed by either a piano lesson or a lesson with his math tutor. He finished dinner at 7 pm, and then he sat down to do homework for two to three hours. Quickly doing the math in my head, I found that Timothy spent an average of thirteen hours a day at a writing desk.
What if Timothy spent thirteen hours a day at a sewing machine instead of a desk? We would immediately be shocked, because that would be called children being horribly mistreated. Timothy was far from being mistreated, but the mountain of homework he faced daily resulted in a similar consequence —he was being robbed of his childhood. In fact, Timothy had no time to do anything he truly enjoyed, such as playing video games, watching movies, or playing board games with his friends.
Play, however, is a crucial part of healthy child development. It affects children’s creativity, their social skills, and even their brain development. The absence of play, physical exercise, and freefrom social interaction takes a serious toll on many children. It can also cause significant health problems like childhood obesity, sleep problems and depression.
Experts in the field recommend the minutes children spend on their homework should be no more than ten times the number of their grade level. As a fifthgrader, Timothy should have no more than fifty minutes a day of homework (instead of three times that amount). Having an extra two hours an evening to play, relax, or see a friend would soundly benefit any child’s life quality.
1.What does the underlined word “them” in the first paragraph probably refer to?
A. Timothy’s parents. B. Timothy’s grades.
C. Psychologists. D. The students.
2.What did the writer think of Timothy after learning about his typical day?
A. Timothy was very hardworking.
B. Timothy was being mistreated.
C. Timothy had a heavy burden.
D. Timothy was enjoying his childhood.
3.Which of the following statements best describes the writer’s opinion?
A. Children should be allowed enough time to play.
B. Playing board games works better than playing video games.
C. The more they play, the more creative children will become.
D. The depression caused by homework makes children unwilling to play.
4.According to the passage, how long should a thirdgrader spend a day doing homework?
A. About ten minutes.
B. No more than twenty minutes.
C. No more than thirty minutes.
D. About fifty minutes.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2014届黑龙江省高一上学期期中考试英语题 题型：阅读理解
A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物可降解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle (再利用). Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic, but overtime it can break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸盐). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the cover so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers will perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time.” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means producers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists. “The seed is released and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said Kerry Kirwan, the leader of the research team.
1.After you have finished using the new type of mobile phone, _______.
A. the sunflower seed will come out and flower in the pot
B. the phone cover will break down very soon in the soil
C. it will be recycled by the producers
D. it can charge itself with electricity in a green way
2.This type of research is done because ________.
A. the technology of making phones is changing rapidly
B. too many waste mobile phones may lead to environmental problems
C. nobody has ever thought of recycling mobile phones
D. producing mobile phones uses a lot of energy
3.We can infer from the story ________.
A. the new type of mobile phones is already on the market
B. the new type of mobile phones will sell extremely well
C. the material of the new type of phones is harmful
D. other flowers may be used in the new type of mobile phones
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