When most people think of giant pandas, the pictures of the cute, black-and-white bears from China that eat bamboo will immediately jump into their mind. Scientists from Mississippi State University, however, are interested in what they leave behind: their poop(排泄物). At a recent meeting in Denver, Professor Brown at the university presented her research showing how panda poop could inspire a new way to obtain energy from plants, which are a renewable energy source. Usually, plants can be called biomass(有機燃料) when they are used as an energy source.
Burning biomass is one way to capture its energy, but Brown hopes panda poop can teach scientists something about breaking down biomass. Pandas—or at least the bacteria in their stomachs—are very good at getting energy out of bamboo. Unlike cows, which use 4 stomachs to digest large amounts of grass, a panda has only one stomach. Bamboo comes in, and poop goes out.
Every day for 14 months, Brown and her team on this project, counted the bacteria in the poop of the two pandas, YaYa and LeLe living at the Memphis Zoo. Her studies turned up 12 species of bacteria that break down biomass, including one that had never been found in pandas. Brown says that because the poop contains bacteria that break down biomass, it could also be used to break down other types of biomass.
Now the scientists hope to identify the chemicals that help with the process of breaking down biomass and then figure out how the bacteria work. If those chemicals can be made in the lab, they could be used to turn biomass—like grass or other plants—into fuel.
Brown says she doesn’t mind handling panda poop. “It’s probably the most pleasant material to work with,” she says, “My colleagues and I have been working with other poop for a long time, and we can assure you it has a fairly pleasant smell associated with it.”
【小題1】The importance of studying panda poop is _______.
| A．to create a renewable energy from plants |
| B．to explore a new way to get energy from plants |
| C．to learn a lesson of energy from panda poop |
| D．to figure out how the bacteria work for us mankind |
| a. Identify the chemicals helpful to break down biomass. b. Find the bacteria in panda poop which break down bamboo. c. Reproduce the chemicals in the lab to turn biomass into energy. d. Analyze how the bacteria in panda poop work in panda’s stomach. |
| A．Pandas don’t digest bamboo the same way as cows. |
| B．Pandas are capable of getting energy using stomachs. |
| C．Pandas can get energy from bamboo more efficiently. |
| D．Scientists have learnt something new from panda poop. |
| A．Sick | B．Challenging | C．Inspiring | D．Enjoyable |
閱讀快車系列答案科目：高中英語 來源：山東省沂南一中2010屆高三下學期4月全真模擬質量檢測 題型：閱讀理解
D
As they migrate（遷移），butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with，and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction．This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances．Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind．
Fascinating as their skills of flight are，migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happthousands of feet above ground．Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights．
To their surprise，though，the insects weren’t passive travelers on the winds．In autumn，for example，most light winds blew from the east，but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes．
Even in the spring，when most winds flowed northward，the insects didn’t always go with the flow．If breezes weren’t blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go，the insects changed their body positions to compensate．Many migrating birds do the same thing．
The study also found，butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along．By adding flight speeds to wind speeds，the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour．The findings may have real-world applications．With climate warming，migrating insects are growing in number．Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops．
71．What’s the main idea of the text?
A．Insects migrate with the seasons． B．Wind helps insects greatly in migrating．
C．Windsurfing insects have real direction．D．Scientists have trouble in observing insects．
72．Scientists originally thought that____________．
A．insects always waited for their favourable winds
B．insects chose the winds they wanted to ride
C．insects were just blown about by the wind
D．insects positioned themselves in the winds
73．It is not easy to stuay the migrating behavior of the insects because____________
A．the little creatures can fly very fast B．they have no regular migrating courses
C．the wind’s direction is hard to foresee D．their flight is long and high above ground
74．We can learn from the text that______________.
A．insects fly in the way birds do
B．insects travel more easily in autumn
C．insects never position themselves when flying low
D．insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along
75．According to the passage，the findings can ．
A．increase insects in number B．instruct farmers when to spray
C．prevent climate warming D．help protect insects
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科目：高中英語 來源：2011屆四川省南充市高三第二次診斷性考試英語卷 題型：閱讀理解
Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers．Should they allow their children to train to become top sports men or women? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place．It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing．
Another problem is of course money．In many countries money for training is available from government for the best young sportsmen and sportswomen．If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc．All can be expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age．Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed．Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training young when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person．It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training．
【小題1】Where can we most probably find this passage?
| A．An advertisement. | B．A diary. |
| C．A newspaper. | D．A notice board. |
| A．To become less important. |
| B．To put it at another place. |
| C．To happen again. |
| D．They are the most important of all the things. |
| A．It’s easy to make a decision when your children want to take up sports. |
| B．Most of the students may become top sports men after a long period of training. |
| C．Early training may damage young muscles |
D．It’s not very expensive for parents to support t heir children’s development in sports. |
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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆吉林省高二下學期期末考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解
Parents whose children show a special interest in a particular sport feel it very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sports men and women? For many children it means starting school work very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.?
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and women. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development—and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. can all be very expensive.?
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.?
1.This article is most probably taken from________.?
A. a letter
B. an advertisement?
C. a personal diary
D. a newspaper article?
2.According to the passage, parents whose children show a special interest in a sport _______.
A. feel uncertain if they should let their children train to be sports men or women
B. try to get financial（財務的）support from the government for their children’s training
C. have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods?
D. prefer their children to be trained as young as possible
3.The underlined phrase“to take a second place”means_________.?
A. to repeat the activities at some other place?
B. to become less important?
C. all things considered, they are of poor quality?
D. to happen again
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科目：高中英語 來源：2010-2011學年江西省南昌市高三第六次月考英語卷 題型：閱讀理解
As they migrate（遷移) , butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate. Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found, butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops.
1. What's the main idea of the text?
A. Windsurfing insects have real direction.
B. Wind helps insects greatly in migrating.
C. Insects migrate with the seasons.
D. Scientists have trouble in observing insects.
2.Scientists originally thought that _____.
A. insects were just blown about by the wind
B. insects chose the winds they wanted to ride
C. insects always waited for their favourable winds
D. insects positioned themselves in the winds
3. It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because ______.
A. the little creatures can fly very fast
B. their flight is long and high above ground
C. the wind's direction is hard to foresee
D. they have no regular migrating courses
4. We can learn from the text that _____.
A. insects never position themselves when flying low
B. insects travel more easily in autumn
C. insects fly in the way birds do
D. insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along
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