高一英语阅读理解专项练习10

Week Sixteen 科普小品

一、阅读理解（共20小题；共40.0分） A

Is the universe getting darker? One group of scientists believes so. Their research suggests the birthrate of stars has declined(下降) over the past few billion years.

In the largest study of its kind, astronomers used special telescopes to survey star-forming galaxies. They looked at the light, gas, and dust from stars to see how fast they form and how their conditions change over time. They found that star production has been declining over the past 9 billion years.

Stars are bright balls of hot gas held together by gravity. They form when clouds of dust and gas in the universe become unstable and fall down under their own gravity. The center of this material becomes dense and hot, causing a nuclear reaction. When that happens, the cloud begins to shine as a star.

Research suggests that star formation began around 13.4 billion years ago. But it was the period between 11 billion and 9 billion years ago that star production really boomed, producing roughly half the stars in the universe. Now, star formation is at only one-thirtieth of that rate.

You might say that the universe has been losing lights for a long time. Cosmic output is now only 3 percent of what it used to be at the peak of star production, says David Sobral, a researcher from the Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, UK.

If star production continues declining as it has, astronomers guess that only 5 percent more stars will form over the remaining

history of the universe.

That doesn't mean the sky will turn dark anytime soon. The life of a single star can last billions of years. But it does mean that fewer stars are forming now than when the universe was younger.

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\"While these measurements provide a sharp picture of the decline of star formation in the universe,\" says Philip Best of the Institute for Astronomy, \"they also provide perfect samples to show the even more basic mystery which we are continuing to work to solve: Why?\"

1. Studying star formation, scientists don't mainly research . A. the star's distance B. the star's light C. the star's dust D. the star's gas

2. The third paragraph mainly discusses . A. the power of gravity B. the course of forming stars C. the materials in the universe D. the effect of dust in the sky

3. Stars in the sky were formed mainly . A. before 13.4 billion years

B. during 13.4 billion-9 billion years C. during 11 billion-9 billion years D. after 9 billion years

4. The last paragraph implies that scientists will research . A. why the universe begins to become brighter B. why the universe has a shorter remaining history C. why the sky turns dark at night D. why fewer stars are formed at present

5. The passage mainly tells us that . 知识改变命运

A. the birth of new stars has greatly declined B. the universe has a limited history C. the sky is becoming darker and darker D. the star will disappear in the universe B

Would you wear clothing made from food products or jewelry made of human hair? Some people would. Ask German fashion designer Anke Domaske, whose clothes made from milk are becoming popular. Milk fabric has been around since the 1930s, but at that time, the milk was combined with chemicals. Domaske's fabric. QMilch, is the first man-made fiber made without chemicals. She developed it by removing a milk protein from dry milk.

She then heated it and spun it into yarn. It takes about six liters of milk to produce one dress. According to Domaske, the fabric feels like silk, doesn't smell and can be washed.

Would you prefer bedtime slippers made of bread? Twin brothers and designers R & E Prasaliauskas have created a unique slipper made completely of bread. The slippers can be ordered in white, gold, and black. They also have styles for both adults and kids. And yes, the bread slippers can be eaten if you get hungry for a late-night snack.

What do you do with your empty instant noodle packages? One young woman came up with a creative solution-she made a dress! With 196 packages and a few chopsticks, Karina from Virginia created a winning project called \"wearable art\".

Jewelry made of human hair may sound strange to us today. But it was once a very popular item. During the 1600s, bracelets

made with human hair were given as signs of affection. Britain's Queen Victoria gave gifts of jewelry made of her own hair.

People also commonly wore jewelry containing hair from loved ones who had died. Hair jewelry remained popular until the early 1900s, when a short haircut called the \"bob\" became

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fashionable. Today, although only a few artists know how to make it, hair jewelry is appearing again. The unique jewelry can now be found in traditional and modern styles.

Without a doubt, these kinds of creative ideas promise to keep fashion interesting!

6. What is the peculiar character of QMilch? A. It doesn't give out a smell. B. It can be washed and ironed. C. It doesn't contain chemicals. D. It feels like Chinese silk.

7. What does the underlined word \"it\" refer to? A. Cloth.

B. Man-made fiber. C. Dry milk. D. A milk protein.

8. What is true about the bread slippers? A. They can be eaten. B. They are colorful. C. They have many styles. D. They are called \"wearable out\".

9. Why does the writer mention Queen Victoria? A. To praise Queen for her long hair. B. To prove the value of hair jewelry. C. To show Queen's love of jewelry.

D. To give an example of hair jewelry. 10. The passage is mainly about . A. some popular delicious food 知识改变命运

B. some fantastic ideas for something to wear C. some strange things people make and wear D. some fashionable clothes people wear C

Smart and speedy, dolphins are known for their ability to learn all kinds of amazing skills and tricks. In the US, dolphins have even been used to find underwater mines-dangerous bombs hidden at sea during wars and often left there. But now, specially designed robots will replace dolphins on these dangerous tasks.

Boats passing above underwater mines can easily set off the bombs, which could injure passengers and crew. Once located, though, they can be safely disabled. Underwater mines are hard for humans to find-but for a dolphin, all it takes is a click.

Dolphins click their tongues to notice what's around them in dark waters. Typically, dolphins use their echolocation(回声) to find friends and food, and to keep safe from enemies. The US Navy has learned to use dolphins' special skills to help protect people too.

But dolphins must have a lot of training before starting their tasks. This training usually takes seven years and requires a lot of work. So the Navy has created a robot that can be built in less time than it takes to train a dolphin.

The robot—called the Knifefish—has been designed to find mines by using radar technology to copy dolphin echolocation. Knifefish won't require the support that dolphins need, such as

nearby boats with human handlers, or a constant supply of fish to eat.

Right now, 24 of the Navy's 80 dolphins are used to find mines. When a dolphin senses an object that could be a mine, it swims back to the boat and presses a red ball with its nose.

Human divers are then sent to prove that the dolphin has found a mine that needs to be disabled. The dolphin is rewarded with food.

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The Navy hopes to replace its dolphin mine-discovering team with robots within five years. But the dolphins will still be an important part of the Navy. They will be sent to other jobs once the robots take over the job.

But people that have worked with the dolphins are grateful for their past help with the mines. Scott Young says, \"Without the dolphins, we would probably still be out there trying to clear those waterways.\"

11. What does the underlined word \"they\" refer to? A. Bombs. B. Boats. C. Robots. D. Passengers.

12. Why do Americans prefer not to use dolphins? A. Because they can't judge the shape of an object. B. Because they can't be trained to work quickly. C. Because they can't tell the friends and enemies apart. D. Because they can't understand the orders exactly. 13. If dolphins find a mine, they will . A. remove it carefully B. set if off themselves

C. return and push a red ball D. come back to ask for fish

14. The attitude of Scott towards dolphins is . A. pitiful B. regretful C. fearful D. grateful

15. The main idea of the passage is that .

A. robots replace dolphins for dangerous undersea tasks B. dolphins are trained to find mines effectively C. robots will help dolphins underwater D. dolphins do dangerous tasks deep in the sea 知识改变命运 D

The iPhone has become one of the most popular mobile phones in the United States. An

18-year-old student in California has used his knowledge of the device to create his own business. And he has gained national honor for his work.

Vincent Quigg is the chief executive officer of TechWorld. His company is kind of like a hospital for iPhones. \"I'm 18 years old. I'm a college student. And I'm the CEO and founder of TechWorld, where we specialize in customizing and repairing iPhones.\"

Vincent Quigg launched TechWorld while in high school. \"My mom became single a couple of years ago and I had to grow up. And in order to keep my lifestyle, I had to find different ways to stay financially ahead of the game to keep my phone, keep a car, and all that stuff.\"

An organization called the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, or NFTE, helped the young man get started.

Both he and his mother, Carla Quigg, admit that he had a hard time developing a business plan. \"He quit the class, which I was very disappointed.\"

At the time, Vincent worked for the electronics store BestBuy. He says people always came into the store with broken electronic devices. He decided that repairing those devices was what he wanted to do. He not only re-registered for the NFTE class, but he also won the organization's national competition for best young entrepreneur.

His business has grown through word-of-mouth. Vincent says he now fixes up to 10 phones per week. He earns about $1,500 each month in sales.

TechWorld has two other employees. Kacee Wheeler is one of them. \"He's such an amazing kid, and you always see his wheels turning with ideas every day. And it's really inspiring for him to be so young and pushing and have the drive. It's amazing to me.\"

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