限时阅读训练11

1、高二英语限时阅读训练(十一 )AWith petroleum reserve（石油储量） decreasing, the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner,greener alternative Though much eco-talk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans, thebiofuel that looks more likely lo replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source: algaeAlgae （藻类）

2、, like corn, soybeans, and other crops, grow through photosynthesis （光合作用） and can be processed into fuel oil However, they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans, according to the USDepartment of Energy Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water while corn

3、 and soy require, arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons "If you replaced all the diesel （柴油） in the U S with soy biodiesel, it would take half the land mass of the U.S. to grow those soybeans," says Matt Caspari, chief executive of

4、Aurora Biofuels, a Berkeley, Calif-based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology On the other hand, the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require l5,000 square miles, which is a few thousand miles larger that Maryla

5、nd（ 12,407squaree miles）, the 42nd state in land areaAnother bonus: Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space, they're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorberSmokestack emissions （烟囱排放物） can be pumped directly into the ponds, feeding the

6、 algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphereAlthough processing technology for algae fuel also known as "oilgae" in some environmentalist circles is improving, it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump "it's just a question of cost, because no larg

7、e-scale facilities have been built yet," Caspari says56 The underlined word "yield" in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by "_"A controlB give inC growD produce57 Compared with corn and soybeans, algae_A may pollute water and soilB provide much less energyCcan grow in poor conditi

8、onsD need more special care58 According to Paragraph 3, one of the advantages of producing algae fuel is that _ A it can be used more widelyB it is more easy to produceCit needs much less landD it costs much less money59 What do we learn about algae from Paragraph 4?A People can grow algae anywhereB

9、 Algae help protect the environment.CFish can get more oxygen from algae.D Algae product less waste BBirdsthatare half-asleep withone brainhemisphere ( 半 球 )alertand the other1sleeping control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.Earlier studies have docu

10、mented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eyecontrolled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere s eye stays o and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres

11、 resting at once.Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily. Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preferen

12、ce for gaze direction.Also, birds napping at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in internal spot

13、s, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time.“ Webelieve this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep andwakefu lness at the same time in different regions of the brain,” the researchers say.The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing ass

14、umption that single-hemispheresleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookoutside could be widespread, he predicts. He s seen it in a pair of birds napping-by-sidesideinthezoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror-side eye closed a

15、s if the reflectionwere a companion and the other eye stayed open.Useful as half- sleeping might be, it onlys been found in birds and such water animals asdolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animalto surface occasionally to avoid drowning.Studie

16、s of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UCLA says hewonders ifbirdshalf -brain sleep “ isjustthe tipof the iceberg . ”He supposes that moreexamples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.60. According to the passage, birds often half sleep because _.

17、A. their brain hemispheres take turns to restB. they have to watch out for possible attacksC. the two halves of their brain are differently structuredD. they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions61. What is implied about the example of a bird s sleeping in front of a mirror?A. An imagin

18、ed companion gives the bird a sense of security.B. Birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of their security.C. The phenomenon of birds napping in pairs is widespread.D. A single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror.62. While sleeping, some water animals tend to keep half awak

19、e in order to _.2A. alert themselves to the approaching enemyB. emerge from water now and then to breatheC. be sensitive to the ever-changing environmentD. avoid being swept away by rapid currents63. By sayingjust“the tip of the iceberg” , Siegel suggests that _.A. half-brain sleep has something to

20、do with icy weatherB. the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solvedC. most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepersD. half-brain sleep may exist among other speciesCWashington, November 1, 2012 (CNN) - After years of planning and months of campaigning, the most expensive pres

21、idential race in history comes down to a final five-day whirlwind( 旋风 ) of speeches and television ads in the eight states still up for grabs.President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney plan to hold virtually nonstop events between now and the Tuesday election considered too close t

22、o call.The focus is on battleground states worth 95 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Both sides are trying to close the deal with a decreasing number of uncommitted voters, while making sure supporters actually cast ballots.That means a game of campaign chess that started Thursday, with app

23、earances by the candidatesand their assistants as well as advertising dollars allocated to the places considered most vital tosuccess.Concluding a race expected to cost more than $6 billion overall, Obama and Romney and theirrunningmates willhitallthe battlegroundstates - Colorado,Florida,Iowa,Ohio,

24、NewHampshire, Nevada, Virginiaand Wisconsin.The campaigns also are unloadinga blast oftelevision ads and mailings that threaten to overwhelm voters already saturated with politicking.Perhaps no one said it better than 4-year-old Abigael Evans of Fort Collins, Colorado, who -according to NPR - cried

25、after listening to more election coverage on the radio and told hermother: "I'm tired of Broncobama and Mitt Romney."64 The underlined phrase “too close to call ”probably means.A a game that one side is obviously winning.Ba tie in which neither side seems likely to winCso close that yo

26、u need not use a telephoneD a visit close to one s home state65 What is the focus of the last -5 day campaigns for both presidential candidates?A To make sure that their supporters understand their policies.BTo collect enough money for campaign ads.CTo paint their rival as black as possible.D To win

27、 over the voters who have not decide which candidate to vote for.366 The public generally feelabout these last-days election efforts.A excitedB disappointedC annoyedD relievedDLoneliness has been linked to depression （抑郁） and other health problems. Now, a study says it can also spread. A friend of a

28、 lonely person was fifty-two percent more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. And a friend of that friend was twenty-five percent more likely to do the same.Earlier findings showed that happiness, obesity( 肥胖 ) and the ability to stop smoking can alsospread like infections within social groups

29、. The findings all come from a major health study in the American town of Framingham, Massachusetts.The study began in 1948 to investigate the causes of heart disease. Since then, more tests havebeen added, including measures of loneliness and depression.The new findings involved more than five thou

30、sand people in the second generation of theFramingham Heart Study. The researchers examined friendship histories and reports of loneliness.The results established a pattern that spread as people reported fewer close friends.For example, loneliness can affect relationships between next-door neighbors

31、. The loneliness spreads as neighbors who were close friends now spend less time together. The study also found that loneliness spreads more easily among women than men.The average person is said to experience feelings of loneliness about forty-eight days a year. The study found that having a lonely friend can add about seventeen days. But every additional friend can decrease loneliness by two and a half days.Lonely people become less and less trusting of others. This makes it more and more difficultfor them to make friends and more li