Britain’s seed(種子) bank, the only one in the world aiming to collect all of the planet’s wild plant species, has reached its goal of banking 10 percent by 2010.
The Millennium Seed Bank Project, run by Kew Gardens—one of the oldest botanical(植物的)  gardens—will officially place the 24,200th species on Thursday, a pink, wild banana from China.
More than 50 countries are now on board with Kew's giant task but vast places of the globe, including India and Brazil, still need to join in and donate seeds, director Paul Smith said.                                                                                                                                                            
The seed bank is one of the largest and most diverse(多樣的) in the world with more than 1.5 billion seeds. Its goal is to help protect the planet’s bio-diversity during a time of climate change.
The wild banana seed is under threat of extinction(滅絕) in southwest China from agricultural development. It is a vital food source for Asian elephants and important for growing bananas for human eating.
Stored at minus-20 degrees centigrade, so they can last for thousands of years, the seeds await the day that scientists hope never comes—when the species no longer exist in the wild.
It is a race against time, Smith said, because in the last ten years alone, 20 plants held in the bank have already been wiped out in the wild. He estimates that between a third and a quarter will become extinct this century.
"It is pressing and it is happening now. An area, the size of England, is cleared of primary vegetation（植被）every year." Smith said.
Because most of the world's food and medicines come from nature, protecting wild plant species is quite important, scientists say. There are already many other seed banks safeguarding food crops, which only account for 0.6 percent of plant diversity.
For Kew's next goal—to collect a quarter of wild varieties（種類）by 2020—the botanists need 10 million pounds a year, or a further 100 million pounds on top of the 40 million they have already been granted.
小題1:What’s the final purpose of the Britain’s seed bank?
A．To collect enough money for the project.B．To safeguard food crops.
C．To protect wild plants from extinction.D．To help scientists study wild plants.
小題2:We can learn from the passage that _______.
A．the seeds in the bank can be used now and then all over the world
B．India and Brazil haven’t joined in the Seed Bank Project at present
C．there is only one seed bank in the world at present
D．the wild plants in places like India and China will never die out
小題3:What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 7 refer to?
A．The extinction of plant species.
B．The Millennium Seed Bank Project.
C．Britain’s seed bank.
D．Kew Gardens’ next goal.
小題4:Which of the following isn’t spoken about in the passage?
A．The global partnership of collecting wild plant species.
B．The temperature condition of the wild plant species in the bank.
C．The government’s support for the seed bank project by giving money.
D．Scientists’ concern on the extinct wild plant species.

小題1:C
小題2:B
小題3:B
小題4:C

試題分析：文章講述了在氣候變化，很多物種瀕臨滅絕的情況下，倫敦種子銀行的開辦、運(yùn)營它所進(jìn)行的“千年種子庫計(jì)劃”，具有重大意義。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第一段和第四段內(nèi)容可知，倫敦種子銀行旨在通過收集自然界的植物種子以達(dá)到保護(hù)自然界生物多樣性的目的。
小題2:推理判斷題。由第三段Paul Smith的話可知，印度和巴西還沒有參與種子銀行捐種子的活動(dòng)，故選B項(xiàng)。其他三項(xiàng)與文章內(nèi)容不一致。
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。本文主要講的是倫敦種子銀行和它所進(jìn)行的“千年種子庫計(jì)劃”，結(jié)合It所在句子可知，是這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃在和時(shí)間賽跑。因此選B。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。文章最后一段只是說實(shí)現(xiàn)下一個(gè)目標(biāo)植物學(xué)家每年還需要很多資金，并沒提到政府的財(cái)政支持。
點(diǎn)評(píng)：文章講述了倫敦種子銀行的開辦、運(yùn)營它所進(jìn)行的“千年種子庫計(jì)劃”。科普知識(shí)類文章結(jié)構(gòu)一般也是由標(biāo)題(Headlines),導(dǎo)語(Introductions)?背景( Background)?主體(Main body)和結(jié)尾(Ends)五部分構(gòu)成。導(dǎo)語一般位于整篇文章的首段。背景交待一個(gè)事實(shí)的起因。主體則對(duì)導(dǎo)語概括的事實(shí)進(jìn)行詳細(xì)敘述。這一部分命題往往最多，因此，閱讀時(shí)要把這部分作為重點(diǎn)。結(jié)尾往往也是中心思想的概括，并與導(dǎo)語相呼應(yīng)，命題者常在此要設(shè)計(jì)一道推理判斷
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Chicken feathers are useful, and not just to a chicken. Some go into pillows, coats and other products. But countless chicken feathers go to waste.
In the United States, billions of chickens are produced yearly. Most of their feathers are thrown away.
But instead of being buried in land, some feathers could find a future in plastics（塑料）.
One of the products they have developed is a flowerpot（花盆）. It may look like other flowerpots. But the container breaks down in the earth within one to five years. And as it breaks down, it naturally becomes nutrient（營養(yǎng)物） in the soil.
The environmentally friendly flowerpot is the work of two researchers. Walter Schmidt is with the Agricultural Research Service, part of the United States Agriculture Department. Masud Huda is with the Horticultural Research Institute, a private（私人） organization（組織）.
Walter Schmidt has been working to find uses for chicken feathers since the 1990s. Progress in 2002 showed that plastic made from feathers could be formed like other plastics.
He says feathers are much stronger and last（持續(xù)） longer than another plant material. "Feathers are stronger. By design, feathers are also more durable（耐用的）. And the other part about it is if feathers were twice as heavy, or half as strong, then birds couldn't fly."
He points out that traditional flowerpots made from other plastics can last much longer. But he wonders if there is really a need. He says most flowerpots are never re-used.
"Why would you want a plastic that you use for a year to last for two hundred years? It makes no sense. You want to match the product with the use." said Walter Schmidt.
Walter Schmidt and Masud Huda are now adding another chicken product to their flowerpots -- chicken waste. The waste will add more nutrients to the soil as the pot breaks down. The scientists say they hope their flowerpot will be on the market in a year or two.
小題1:What do people mainly deal with feathers?
A．Feathers are used to make pillows, coats and other products.
B．Most feathers are paid no attention to.
C．Most feathers are used as nutrient
D．Most feathers are used to make flowerpots
小題2:What’s the advantage of the flowerpots?
A．They won’t last long. B．They can’t break
C．They are environmentally friendlyD．They can be reused
小題3:What does Walter Schmidt think of traditional flowerpots?
A．Too heavyB．Too old
C．Never re-usedD．lasting longer but unnecessary
小題4:What do you think is the main idea of the passage?
A．Chicken and its feathersB．How to deal with feathers
C．feathers made into flowerpotD．New flowerpots

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

London—coffee protects mice from radiation and could get the same way in humans, according to Indian scientists.
Scientist at India’s Bhabha Atomic Research Center discovered that mice injected with caffeine (咖啡因)remained alive after high doses(劑量)of normally lethal radiation.
Although the study was limited to animals, Kachadillilli George, head of the research team, believes the findings could have implications (something suggested )  for humans .
“It does suggest that coffee might have some beneficial effects in protecting against radiation,” he told New Scientist magazine late last month.
George and his team injected 471 mice with caffeine and left them uncovered to 7.5 grays of gamma radiation(伽瑪射線),enough to kill most mice. But 25 days later 70 percent of the mice that had received 80 milligrams(毫克)of caffeine per kilogram of body weight were still alive.
On the contrary all 196 mice that had been left uncovered to the same radiation but had not been given any caffeine died.
小題1:George and his team drew the conclusion from    .
A．the magazineB．their inventionC．the experimentD．their experience
小題2:From the news, we know     can be protected from radiation.
A．both mice and humansB．only mice
C．only humansD．neither humans nor mice
小題3:From paragraph 5, we know 30 percent of the mice died 25 days later. The reason was probably that     .
A．these mice had been given only 80 milligrams of caffeine
B．these mice hadn’t been injected with caffeine
C．these mice were very big and strong
D．these mice hadn’t been given enough caffeine
小題4:Which is the best title of the article?
A．Human and MiceB．New Radiation Defense—Coffee
C．Deadly Radiation—Gamma RadiationD．Mice Died of Caffeine
小題5:In paragraph 2,the underlined word “ lethal ”means   .
A．causing deathB．livelyC．excitingD．rich

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Pigs are always considered dirty animals because they roll in mud．But in fact they prefer  being quite clean．They cover themselves with mud to help stay cool．During cooler weather,  they prefer to stay clean．So do elephants,who also cover themselves in dust or mud to keep cool． When they find a place with clean water they will take a bath，using their long noses to give  themselves—or each other—a nice shower
Some animals use dust to get clean．Chinchillas (南美洲栗鼠) have very fine fur． They don`t like to take water baths because water is not warm enough for them．So, instead, they roll  around in fine dust．The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry．This protects them from disease
Usually, a small bird is a light meal for a crocodile．But when a crocodile wants its teeth  cleaned．it lies on the ground with its mouth open．The crocodile bird goes in and picks out any  parasites(寄生蟲)between the crocodile`s teeth or under its tongue．The crocodile gets its mouth cleaned，and the crocodile bird gets dinner．
You wouldn`t think fish would need baths．But some undersea parasites live under the  fish`s skin．“Cleaner”fish，like the wrasse(隆頭魚)，help take them away．The wrasse stands on its head and dances to signal a big fish that it is ready to go into the cleaning business．The big fish will stop moving and open its mouth wide so the wrasse can swim inside and pick out  parasites and bits of food．
小題1:The passage is mainly about how animals         ．
A．stay cleanB．help each other
C．get their food D．Take baths
小題2:What can we learn from the first paragraph about pigs?
A．They can help each other take baths．
B．They are dirtier during cooler weather．
C．They prefer taking baths to rolling in mud．
D．They like to stay cool and clean．
小題3:Chinchillas use dust to get clean for the following reasons EXCEPT that         ．
A． dust can dry their fur and skin
B．They are not good at swimming
C．Water is too cold for them
D．Dust is good for their health
小題4:From Paragraphs 3 and 4，we earl know that         ．
A．some animals can get clean from others`help
B．Most animals are friendly to each other
C．small animals couldn`t get food from big ones
D．All of the animals prefer to stay clean
小題5:We can infer from the last paragraph that the wrasse
A．is often eaten by other fish
B．1ikes under other fish`s skin
C．is a small kind of fish
D．1ikes taking baths

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Parents who feel disappointed at their teenagers’ failure to pay attention in class, and inability to sit quietly long enough to finish homework or plan ahead, should take solace. Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.
The research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than we used to think. Teens may look like young adults but their brain structure is similar to that of much younger children.
“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths   problem,” said Dr Iroise Dumon-theil. “But it’s not the fault of teenagers that they can’t pay attention and are easily distracted. It’s to do with the structure of their brains. Teens simply can’t think as well as an adult.”
The research showed that the brain of a teenager works less effectively than that of an adult. “We knew that the front of the brain of teens functioned in a chaotic  (混亂的) way but we  didn’ t realize it continued until the late 20s or early 30s,” said Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who led the research.
Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter in our brain reduces.
“What our research has shown is that there is simply too much going on in the brains of teens,” said Blakemore. “The result is that their brain energy and resources are wasted and their decision-making process is badly influenced. Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”
小題1:The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.
A． noticeB．medicineC．comfortD．a(chǎn)ction
小題2:When making decisions, _____.
A．teens’ brains continue to do much needless work
B．the grey matter in young children’s front brain becomes active
C．people are not likely to be distracted until their late 30s
D．a(chǎn)dults are more independent than teens
小題3:What is the effect of having too much grey matter?
A．It makes us always feel disappointed.
B．It makes us more intelligent.
C．It had a bad effect on the growth of teens.
D．It had a bad effect on decision-making.
小題4:What’s the text mainly about?
A．Teens have different brains from those of children.
B．Adults work more effectively than teens.
C．Grey matter makes teens unable to pay attention.
D．Brain energy is wasted in the brain’s activity.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Three—quarters of a million tourists flock to the white beaches every year，but this booming industry has come at a price．Poisonous smoke rising from open fires，rubbish made up of plastic bottles，packets…it’S a far cry from the white sands，clear waters and palm trees that we associate with the Maldives(馬爾代夫)，the paradise island holiday destination set in the Indian Ocean．
of its 200 inhabited islands，which are spread across an area of"35，000 square miles，99 are good resorts(旅游勝地)．So many tourists come every year，more than double the local population．Of these，over l 00，000 travel from the U K．The capital，Mal6，is four times more densely populated than London．Given these facts，it’S hardly surprising that the Maldives has a waste disposal problem．
Y ears a90，when the tourists left，the government had to deal with a stream of rubbish．Their solution was to turn one of the islands into a dumping ground．Four miles west of Mal6 is the country’s dumping ground，Thilafushi．What you are seeing here is a view of the Maldives on which no honeymooners will ever clap eyes．Each visitor produces 3．5 kg of waste per day．The country dumps more than 330 tons of rubbish on the island every day．
Now，since many waste boats，fed up with waiting seven hours or more，directly offload their goods into the sea，the government of the Maldives has banned the dumping of waste on the island．S0，the waste boats ship the rubbish to India instead．
小題1:What is the main cause of the waste disposal problem?
A．The big local population．B．Too many waste boats．
C．The large number of tourists．D．Open fires on the islands．
小題2:The underlined part can probably be replaced by“——”．
A．it’s quite similar toB．it’S a long distance from
C．it’s a loud shout fromD．it’S totally different from
小題3:What can we learn from the text?
A．It iS much more crowded in Mal6 than in London．
B．Another island will be used as a dumping ground．
C．No honeymooners are willing to visit the Maldives．
D．Waste on islands will be offloaded directly into the sea．
小題4:What’S the author’S purpose in writing the text?
A．To attract more tourists to the Maldives．
B．To state the waste disposal problem in the Maldives．
C．To call on us to protect the environment．
D．To explain the causes of pollution in the Maldives．

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解



Ammie Reddick from East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, was only 18 months old when she had the accident that had scarred（留下創(chuàng)傷） her for life. The curious child reached up to grab the wire of a hot kettle in the family kitchen and poured boiling water over her tiny infant frame.
Her mother Ruby turned round and, seeing Ammie horribly burnt, called an ambulance which rushed her daughter to a nearby hospital. Twenty percent of Ammie’s body had been burned and all of her burns were third-degree. There, using tissue taken from unburned areas of Ammie’s body, doctors performed complex skin transplants to close her wounds and control her injuries, an operation that took about six hours. Over the next 16 years, Ammie underwent 12 more operations to repair her body.
When she started school at Maxwelton Primary at age 4, other pupils made cruel comments or simply wouldn’t play with her. “I was the only burned child in the street, the class and the school,” she recalled, “some children refused to become friends because of that.”
Today, aged 17, Ammie can only ever remember being a burned person with scars; pain is a permanent part of her body. She still has to have two further skin transplants. Yet she is a confident, outgoing teenager who offers inspiration and hope to other young burns victims.
She is a member of the Scottish Burned Children’s Club, a charity set up last year. This month, Ammie will be joining the younger children at the Graffham Water Center in Cambridgeshire for the charity’s first summer camp. “I’ll show them how to get rid of unkind stares from others,” she says. Ammie loves wearing fashionable sleeveless tops, and she plans to show the youngsters at the summer camp that they can too. “I do not go to great lengths to hide my burns scars,” she says, “I gave up wondering how other people would react years ago.”
小題1:How many operations has Ammie already had?
A．TwelveB．ThirteenC．fourteenD．Fifteen
小題2:What did other children do when Ammie first went to school?
A．They were friendly to her.B．They showed sympathy to her.
C．They were afraid of her.D．They looked down upon her.
小題3:Ammie will teach the younger children at the Graffham Water Center to___________.
A．face others’ unkindness bravely B．hide their scars by proper dressing
C．live a normal lifeD．recover quickly
小題4:Which of the following words can’t properly describe Ammie?
A．CourageousB．ConfidentC．sensitiveD．Outgoing
小題5:What can be the best title of the passage?
A．A Seriously Burned Girl SurvivesB．Ways to Get Rid of Unkind Stares
C．Permanent Scars And Pain For a GirlD．A seriously burned angel of Hope

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Due to the increasing number of violent acts produced in schools all over the world, more and more parents prefer to have their children educated at home rather than at school. This way they can assure their safety and well-being. Teachers and school representatives are trying to improve the situation in schools by increasing the number of the persons charged with the safety of the students.
The main reason for violent acts are the films and cartoons that fill the children’s time. They want to do everything. They watch on TV and never think of the results, and they may hurt a classmate or a teacher.
On the other hand, parents are not fully satisfied with the children’s results obtained in classes and they consider private classes would have better results.
When a teacher has to watch 30 students in class he can’t probably see what each of them is doing, how he is writing, or if he understands the explanations. At home the teacher can explain in detail everything the child doesn’t understand as many times as he considers proper.
And many times, the child grows fond of the teacher at home, who becomes his best friend, and who helps him whenever he needs someone to talk to. 
However, the best solution would be a mixture between the education received at school and that at home, because school makes children communicate and socialize. Keeping a child at home for fear that something bad might happen to him only makes the child’s character weak and prevents him from knowing what real life is. Staying in a glass bowl only does harm to the child.
All in all, schools have been created to help children, not to harm them, so it’s best to keep children in these special places, where they learn, laugh, have fun and make new friends.
小題1:The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to      .
A．teach parents the ways to keep theft children safe
B．show solutions to developing children’s character
C．explain the main reason for violence acts in schools
D．a(chǎn)nalyze an education problem and give opinions.
小題2:What does “a glass bowl” in the passage refer to?
A．A toy that can be used for entertainment．
B．A safe and comfortable environment．
C．An object that is made of crystal．
D．A setback that is hard to overcome．
小題3:We can infer from the passage that      .
A．violent TV programs have bad effects on children’ behavior
B．the teacher at home is more patient than the teacher at school
C．children today are weak from lack of sense of right and wrong
D．there are too many students in class for a teacher to teach

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Everyone has good days and bad days.
Sometimes, you feel as if you’re on top of the world and all the questions on your maths test might seem easy. But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and cannot focus on our schoolwork.
For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem(自尊) is the key to success.Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can make people less likeable or more upset when they fail in something.
“Forget about self-esteem,” says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, US. “It’s not the important thing.”
Feeling good
Crocker’s advice may sound a bit strange. After all, feeling good can be good for you.Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.
However, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.
He believes that violent people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said:“ There’s no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school.”
Problems
All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos(自我) that can make them less likeable, said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, VOhs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.
What to do
Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail in something, try to learn from the experience. “The best therapy(藥方) is to recognize your faults,” Vohs says. “It’s OK to say, ‘I’ m not so good at that,’ and then move on.”
小題1:What does the underlined part “on top of the world” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Quite helpful.B．Extremely happy.C．Very unlucky.D．Rather upset.
小題2:The conclusion drawn from the new research shows that high self-esteem_____.
A．is not important at allB．makes people more likeable
C．may not be the key to successD．helps you do better at school
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE according to Vohs?
A．Feeling good doesn’t mean you lead a happy life.
B．People with high self-esteem always seek others’ help.
C．People with high self-esteem tend to be selfish.
D．People with low self-esteem are often more popular.
小題4:We can infer from the text that the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for people_____.
A．with high self-esteemB．with low self-esteem
C．who contribute significantly to societyD．who are in need of support

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