At the moment, there are two reliable ways to make electricity from sunlight. You can use a panel of solar cells to create the current directly, by liberating electrons from a semiconducting material such as silicon. Or you can concentrate the sun’s rays using mirrors, boil water with them, and employ the steam to drive a generator.
Both work. But both are expensive. Gang Chen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Zhifeng Ren of Boston College therefore propose an alternative. They suggest that a phenomenon called the thermoelectric（熱電）effect might be used instead—and they have built a prototype（原型）to show that the idea is practical.
Thermoelectric devices are not new. They are used, for example, to capture waste heat from car engines. They work because certain materials generate an electrical potential difference within themselves if one part is hotter than another. That can be used to drive a current through an external circuit.
The reason thermoelectric materials have not, in the past, been applied successfully to the question of solar power is that to get a worthwhile current you have to have a significant temperature difference. (200℃ is considered a good starting point.) In a car engine, that is easy. For sunlight, however, it means concentrating the heat in some way. And if you are going to the trouble of building mirrors to do that, you might as well go down the steam-generation route, which is a much more efficient way of producing electricity. If the heat concentration could be done without all the equipment of mirrors, though, thermoelectricity’s inefficiency would be balanced by the cheapness of the equipment.
In their view, three things are needed to create a workable solar-thermoelectric device. The first is to make sure that most of the sunlight which falls on it is absorbed, rather than being reflected. The second is to choose a thermoelectric material which conducts heat badly but electricity well. The third is to be certain that the temperature gradient（梯度）which that badly conducting material creates is not wasted by poor design.
小題1:The following methods can be adopted to make electricity from sunlight EXCEPT         .
A．putting a panel of solar cells into use
B．concentrating sun’s rays with mirrors
C．creating a solar-thermoelectric device
D．building a practical solar prototype
小題2:Why was the application of thermoelectric materials a failure in the past?
A．Because it’s hard for them to build enough mirrors to make it work.
B．Because 200℃ was hard to reach at that time even in a car engine.
C．Because of the failure of having a significant temperature difference.
D．Because it was hard to focus the sun’s rays with equipment of mirrors.
小題3:Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A．Thermoelectric Device --- the Best Method of All
B．A New Method of Making Electricity from Sunlight
C．How to Create a Workable Thermoelectric Device
D．Solar Power --- a New Energy Trend in the Future

小題1:D
小題2:C
小題3:B

試題分析：傳統(tǒng)的太陽(yáng)能發(fā)電設(shè)備都很貴，這篇文章介紹的是太陽(yáng)光發(fā)電的一個(gè)新的方法，既可以有效的發(fā)電，也可以節(jié)約設(shè)備的開(kāi)支。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題：從第一段的句子：You can use a panel of solar cells to create the current directly, by liberating electrons from a semiconducting material such as silicon. Or you can concentrate the sun’s rays using mirrors, 可知用太陽(yáng)能發(fā)電，可以用太陽(yáng)能光板，用鏡子，也可以用太陽(yáng)能熱點(diǎn)技術(shù)，沒(méi)有提到D項(xiàng)。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題：從第四段的句子：The reason thermoelectric materials have not, in the past, been applied successfully to the question of solar power is that to get a worthwhile current you have to have a significant temperature difference. (200℃ is considered a good starting point.) 可知以前的熱電材料應(yīng)用失敗的原因是沒(méi)有有效的溫度差，選C
小題3:標(biāo)題確定題：從整篇文章和第二段的句子：Gang Chen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Zhifeng Ren of Boston College therefore propose an alternative.可知這篇文章講的是太陽(yáng)光發(fā)電的一個(gè)新的方法。選B
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

(2013·高考四川卷，E)Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head，according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收縮) and pumping blood around their bodies，compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed.Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event，depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said：“Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces.Dr Garfinkel said，“The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed.Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see－and guide whether we see fear.”
To further understand this relationship，the scientists also used a brain scanner(掃描儀) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.
“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear，”Dr Garfinkel said.
“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced，we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders，and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”
小題1:What is the finding of the study?
A．One’s heart affects how he feels fear.
B．Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat.
C．Fear has something to do with one’s health.
D．One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear.
小題2:The study was carried out by analyzing________.
A．volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures
B．the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions
C．volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans
D．different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart­brain communication
小題3:Which of the following is closest in meaning to“mechanism” in Paragraph 6?
A．Order. B．System.
C．Machine. D．Treatment.
小題4:This study may contribute to________.
A．treating anxiety and stress better
B．explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety
C．finding the key to the heart­brain communication
D．understanding different fears in our hearts and heads

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

There is some unwelcome news for students preparing for exams and officers putting in long hours-----you don't need the break as much as you may think that makes you feel less tired.
Scientists have long assumed that willpower (意志力) is a limited resource, which is why you feel the need to have a rest, have a snack and come back to a task when you're feeling better. They argued that the only way to restore willpower was by rest, food or entertainment.
But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is all in your head. They found that people's beliefs in willpower determine how long and how well they'll be able to work on a tough mental exercise. "If you think of willpower as something that's limited, you're more likely to be tired when you perform a difficult task," said Prof.Veronika Job. "'But if you think of willpower as something that is not easily used up, you can go on and on."
The researchers designed four experiments to test students'-beliefs in willpower. After a tiring task, those, who believed or were led to believe that willpower is a limited resource, performed worse on standard concentration tests than those who thought of willpower as something they had more control over. They also found that leading up to final exam week, students who believed the limited resource theory ate junk food 24 percent more often than those who believed they had more control in resisting temptation (誘惑).
Mr. Job said. "The theory that willpower is a limited resource is interesting, but it has had unintended consequences. Students who may already have trouble studying are being told that their power of concentration is limited, and they need to take frequent breaks. But a belief in willpower as a non-limited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges.'"
The findings could help people who are" battling temptation. Willpower isn't driven by a biologically based process as much as we used to think. The belief in it is what influences your behavior.
小題1:The theory that willpower is limited supports that _________.
A．people must eat snacks when they feel tired
B．people do need a break to restore their willpower
C．there’s no way to strengthen people’s willpower
D．weak willpower doesn’t affect people’s life much
小題2:What have the scientists long believed regarding willpower?
A．It is in the charge of people.
B．It is a limited resource.
C．There is no way to restore willpower.
D．It doesn’t easily run out.
小題3:Which of the following best helps the students to prepare better for their exams?
A．Push themselves even if they want to take a break.
B．Don’t eat fast food while studying.
C．Remind themselves willpower is not limited.
D．Stay in a comfortable and quiet place.
小題4:The following groups can benefit from the findings except
A．patients following strict diets
B．children liking to watch TV
C．smokers trying to give up smoking
D．employees facing a new but well-paid task
小題5:What’s the best title for the passage?
A．A new theory about willpowerB．How to build strong willpower
C．The great influence of willpowerD．Willpower doesn’t last long

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

All across California, honeybees are flying away from their hives(蜂箱) and dying. Empty hives are causing a lot of worry about some important food crops.
Bees give us a lot more than delicious honey. They are pollinators（授粉者）—they enable plants to produce the fruits and nuts we enjoy by carrying pollen from one plant or flower to the next. The wind pollinates oats, corn, and wheat, but many other plants (like apple and cherry trees and melon vines) depend on insects, bats, and birds. In the U.S., millions and millions of bees kept by human beekeepers fly around doing a lot of this important work for food crops. “Bees are worth protecting because their work adds so much to our diet,” says Dr. Jeff Pettis of the Bee Research Laboratory.
California’s almond (杏仁) crop alone depends on about half the bees in the country. But now the almond crop and many others could be in trouble with so many bees dying.
Researchers at government and university labs all over the country are trying to figure out why so many bees are dying. However, bees are hard to study. Most die away from the hive, so researchers don’t have dead bodies to examine. And when researchers return to a hive after two weeks, about half the bees they studied on their first visit will be dead, replaced by new ones in the natural life cycle of bees. “It isn’t like studying a large animal like a cow that doesn’t move around much and is easy to find out in the cow field,” says Pettis.
Researchers have some ideas about what could be affecting bee health. They could be sick from poisons widely used to kill insects, or they might not be getting enough good food to stay strong. Also, tiny insects called mites feed on bees. “A virus or bacteria could also be doing the killing.” explains Pettis.
小題1:What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A．The wind helps pollinate.
B．Bees are important in food crops.
C．Bees give us a lot of delicious honey.
D．Cherry trees are pollinated by bees.
小題2:Bees are hard to study because ____________.
A．they move around too much
B．new bees soon replace all the bees studied by researchers
C．they are too tiny
D．they never return to hives
小題3:What could cause so many bees to die?
A．Poisons to kill birds.B．Eating too much.
C．Large insects.D．Some virus.
小題4:What can we learn from the article?
A．A large number of bees have died in the hive.
B．Without bees, some foods would disappear from our diet.
C．Only researchers in California want to know what kills bees.
D．Large animals are easier to study than tiny insects.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解



Having just quit a highly moneymaking job with tech giant Microsoft in the United States，where he’d made millions working as a program manager，Patrick Awuah would wake up once in a while wondering if he’d done the right thing．
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Located about an hour's drive from the capital Accra，Ashesi，which appropriately translates to “beginning,” is the first Ghanaian university to combine technical majors with a liberal arts approach．Its campus，set on 100 acres in a town called Berekuso，was designed to be inspiring for the more than 500 young Ghanaians studying there．
“So when I look at universities I see Africa fast—forward 30 years．When this 20-year-old is now in his or her 50s，that person is going to be a leader．”
Today Ashesi，which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year，offers degrees in business，information systems and computer science．There are plans to offer engineering and economics majors in the near future．The school’s graduation rate is between 70％and 90％，according to Awuah．
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B．developing computer science
C．training future leaders for development
D．founding more universities
小題2:The underlined sentence in the first paragraph infers that “_____”.
A．Awuah regretted that he had once worked with Microsoft
B．Awuah would doubt if he should resign from Microsoft
C．Awuah wondered whether it was right to invest for a university
D．Awuah felt it wrong that he had refused a job with a large salary
小題3:The university founded by Awuah_____.
A．came into being 10 years agoB．was named with “beginning”
C．is located in the capital of GhanD．will be run for 30 years
小題4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A．Ashesi has offered five degrees since it was founded．
B．Awuah had earned millions of dollars before he left Microsoft．
C．50％ of the new students in Ashesi receive education for free．
D．Awuah was the only investor in setting up Ashesi University．

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

I got tired of living the life that everybody told me I “should” be living, so one day I decided to start living life in my own ways. Frustrated（挫�。﹚ith my job, I came home, put on my shoes, and just started running. It felt so good to be free. That first day I ended up running 30 miles without stopping. Yes, I had rediscovered my old passion ( 酷愛(ài)的事物) — and it felt so good that I set a goal to support myself and my family from my running alone.
I trained hard every day. Since I wanted to be the best I could be, I knew I would have to set some clear goals for myself. A couple of my goals were: run a 135-mile ultra-marathon(超級(jí)馬拉松) across Death Valley, win the Badwater Ultra-Marathon, and run a marathon to the South Pole.
I had no idea how I was going to achieve these goals, but they certainly encouraged me to work hard. Today, I am really grateful to say that I have achieved all of them. Shortly after completing these goals, I set another goal: to run fifty marathons, in fifty states, in fifty days. Nobody had done anything like this before. To be honest, I was not quite sure if I could. But there was only one way to find out…so I just started training and preparing to give it my best try.
I completed that goal one year ago, and it felt great! But for me, life is not all about achieving goals. Sure, it feels good to succeed, but the greatest reward for me was learning more about myself and what I was able to do.
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小題1:Which played an important role in the author’s success?
A．Setting goalsB．Learning from others.
C．Being honestD．Keeping on reading .
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A．very gratefulB．not quite confident
C．quite afraidD．not very satisfied
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A．Win the Badwater Ultra-Marathon.
B．Run a marathon to the South Pole.
C．Run fifty marathons, in fifty states, in fifty days.
D．Run a 135-mile ultra-marathon across Death Valley.
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A．life means achieving goals
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It is known to us that computer users are being warned by industry experts to pay attention to secret codes which could be used to record their conversation.
E-mails, screen savers, and electronic greeting cards can carry a secret code which is able to turn on the computer’s microphone, make a recording, and forward it to someone else without the user’s knowledge.
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Experts say people should always think twice about opening attachments because --- although not common --- bugging (竊聽(tīng)) by computer can and has been done.
Bill Lyons, head of the Internet Security Company Finjan, said, “People in the army have tested this and you can be sure, if people in general are aware of it, then computer hackers (黑客) are aware of it. The frightening thing is that there are tools on the Internet which people, using a simple search method, can find, and which will enable them to attach this dangerous code to simple attachments.”
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A．Use secret codes to record other people’s conversation.
B．Be careful when opening an attachment.
C．Never open any attachments.
D．Never use secret codes.
小題2:What worries the experts is that ___ .
A．nobody seems to believe such things
B．nobody knows the danger of the code
C．tools can easily be used to tie dangerous codes to e-mails
D．effective ways can never be found to deal with the problem.
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．A moving picture cannot be used to spy.
B．Electronic greeting cards cannot carry a secret code.
C．A secret code is used to destroy the computer system.
D．Any attachments sent to a computer may carry a secret code.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Julie was preparing for a trip when her phone slipped into a sink full of water. Panic moment! She quickly picked up the wet phone and tried to turn it on, but nothing worked. Her first reaction? She got dressed, drove to the nearest store, and bought a new model at full price.
A new study finds that fear of losing your phone is a common illness. About 66 percent of those surveyed suffer from nomophobia or “no mobile phone phobia”. Interestingly, more women worry about losing their phone than men.
Fortunately, there’s a solution.
The first step is to figure out if you have nomophobia. Checking your phone too often is one thing, but the true sign of a problem is that you can’t conduct business or go about your routine when the fear becomes so severe.
Do you go to unusual lengths to make sure you have your phone? That’s another sign of a problem. If you find you check your phone plenty of times per hour, or a total of an hour per day, there may be a problem.
Some of the treatments are similar to those for treating anxiety attacks: Leaving the phone behind and not checking e-mail or text messages, and then learning to tolerate the after anxiety. Even if this leads to a high level of worry and stress, the solution is to push through the fear and learn to deal with not having your phone. 
Of course, there are also technological alternatives. Luis Levy, a co-founder at Novy PR, says he uses an application called Cerberus that can automatically track the location of his phone. To find it, he can just go to a Web site and see the phone’s location.
He also insures his phone through a service called Asurion. The company’s description of its product reads like a prescription for anxiety: “60 million phones are lost, stolen or damaged each year. You’ll have complete peace of mind knowing that your phone is protected and you can quickly reconnect with family, friends and work, as soon as the very next day!”
小題1:Why does the author mention Kelly’s experience in the first paragraph?
A．To inform us that mobile phones are useful.
B．To introduce the topic for discussion.
C．To warn us that we should be careful.
D．To tell us we should get phones ready for a trip.
小題2:The underlined word “nomophobia” in Paragraph 2 means ________.
A．Fear of losing mobile phones.
B．Habits of using mobile phones
C．Eagerness for new mobile phones.
D．Independence of mobile phones.
小題3:Which of the following is a way to treat nomophobia?
A．Avoiding using phone for some time
B．Learning more about modern technology.
C．Protecting one’s phone against any damage.
D．Not using a mobile phone in one’s daily work.
小題4:Why can the service called Asurion help to treat nomophobia?
A．It lets you know other people also lose their phones.
B．It will give you a new phone through insurance.
C．It enables you to reconnect with your acquaintance.
D．It gives you a prescription to treat nomophobia.
小題5: What is the passage mainly about?
A．Solutions to nomophobia.B．New mobile phone technology.
C．Disadvantages of mobile phone.D．Attitude toward mobile phone.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Electrical devices（儀器）could soon use power make by human energy. Scientists say they have developed an experimental device that produces electricity from the physical movement of a person walking . British scientist Max Donelan and other scientists in Canada and the United States developed the device.
The device connects to a person’s knee. As the person walks, the device captures energy each time the person slows down. To do this , the device helps with the slowing sown movement of the leg.  The movements of the walking person push parts of a small machine that produces electricity. Using the device, an adult walking quickly could produce thirteen watts of electricity in just a minute. Donelan says walking at that speed could produce enough power to operate a laptop computer for six minutes.
There are several possible uses for the device . Developers say it could help people who work in areas without electricity to operate small computers. The device could also be used in hospitals to operate heart pacemakers（起博器）. It could even be used to assist in the movement of robotic arms and legs.
The experimental version of the device weighs about one and a half kilograms, but it is too costly for most people to buy. But the researchers hope to make a lighter, less costly version. An improved version should be ready in one year.
The developers hope the device will one day help developing countries. Nearly twenty five percent of people around the world live without electric power.
A similar product was invented in 2005 by Larry Rome of the University of Pennsylvania. He created a bag carried on a person’s back that also produces power from walking. The knee device does not produce as much electricity as the bag . But the bag requires the walker to carry a load of twenty to thirty kilograms.
小題1:The second paragraph mainly talks about       .
A．who developed the device
B．how the device works
C．several possible uses for the devices
D．how much electricity the device can produce
小題2:What is the disadvantage of the experimental version of the device?
A．It is too heavy for the walker to bear
B．It is too complex for people to use
C．It is too expensive for most people to afford
D．It will slow down one’s walking speed.
小題3:Compared with the device designed by Larry Rome ,this new device       .
A．produces power without adding more loads to the walker
B．can produce more power in a much shorter time
C．needs to be equipped with a battery
D．can help the walker walk faster
小題4:From the passage, we can learn that the electrical device can       .
A．help housewives operate the washing machine
B．make it much easier for us to go online
C．produce more electricity than that invented by Larry Rome
D．be applied to operate heart pacemakers
小題5:What would be the best title for the passage?
A．First device powered by walking will soon be on the market
B．Advanced technology brings in a new way to operate heart pacemakers
C．Device gives new meaning to the idea of power walking
D．Human energy will become a main source of electricity

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