1、 The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another，employees were shown to be 15% more p
2、roductive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants. The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)have taken it a step further changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse，even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensor
3、s printed onto their leaves to show when theyre short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. “Were thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day,”explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.
4、 One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow(发光)in experiments using some common vegetables. Stranos team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light，about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by，is just a start. The technology, Strano said, co
5、uld one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn tree into self-powered street lamps. In the future，the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plants lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop a
6、n on and off “switch”where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight. Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source(电源)-such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway-a lot of ener
7、gy is lost during transmission(传输). Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy. 1. What is the first paragraph mainly about? 【2020全国 1 卷】 阅读理解阅读理解说明文科技环保类说明文科技环保类 真题在线 A. A new study of different plants. B. A big fall in crime rates. C. Employees from various workplaces
8、. D. Benefits from green plants. 2. What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineer? A. To detect plants lack of water B. To change compositions of plants C. To make the life of plants longer. D. To test chemicals in plants. 3. What can we expect of the glowing plants in
9、the future? A. They will speed up energy production. B. They may transmit electricity to the home. C. They might help reduce energy consumption. D. They could take the place of power plants. 4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text? A. Can we grow more glowing plants? B. How do w
10、e live with glowing plants? C. Could glowing plants replace lamps? D. How are glowing plants made pollution-free? 【答案】1. D 2. A 3. C 4. C 【解析】 这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了绿色植物对人们很有好处，因此麻省理工学院的 工程师开发了一种发光植物。文章介绍了他们发明这种植物的过程，以及这种植物的一些 优势，指出在未来发光植物有可能取代路灯，达到节约能源的作用。 1. 主 旨 大 意 题 。 根 据 第 一 段 中 A study conducted in Y
11、oungstown, Ohio, for example ,discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another, employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants. 研究表明在俄亥俄州扬斯敦,城市绿化较好的地区犯罪率较低。当在员工的工作场所摆上植 物时，他们的工作效率会提高。由此可知，第一段的主旨是关于绿色植物的益处。故选 D。 2.细节理解题
12、。根据第二段中 These include plants that have sensors printed on their leaves to show when theyre short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. 可知这就包括叶子上印有传感器来显示植物缺水的情况的植物，还有一种植物可以检测到 地下水中的有害化学物质。由此可知，麻省理工学院工程师植物叶片上印上传感器的作用 是检测植物缺水的情况。故选 A。 3.细节理解题。根据最后一段中 Glowing plants coul
13、d reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.可知发光的植物可以缩短这段距离，从而帮助节约能源。由此可知，这种 发光的植物在未来可能有助于减少能源消耗。故选 C。 4.主旨大意题。根据最后一段中 Lighting accounts for about 7%of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source-such as the distance from a power plan
14、t to street lamps on a remote highway-a lot of energy is lost during transmission. Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.可知照明 约占美国总耗电量的 7%。由于照明通常远离电源，例如从发电厂到偏僻公路上路灯的距 离，在传输过程中会损失大量能源。发光的植物可以缩短这段距离，从而帮助节约能源。 结合文章主要说明了绿色植物对人们很有好处，因此麻省理工学院的工程师开发了一种发 光植物，文章介绍了他们发明这种植物的
15、过程，以及这种植物的一些优势，指出在未来发 光植物有可能取代路灯，达到节约能源的作用。由此可知，C 选项“发光的植物能取代路灯 吗？”最符合文章标题。故选 C。 According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid
16、eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), its the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid. To test the effect of social influence on eating habits the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to osten
17、sibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit
18、which increased her weight to 180 pounds. 【 2 0 2 0 山 东 卷 】 Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin. For the second test, in
19、one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces. The tests show that the social environment is
20、 extremely influential when were making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “Ill have what shes having” effect. However, well adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, Ill hold back a bit because I see the results of his e
21、ating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, Ill follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why cant I? 5. What is the recent study mainly about? A. Food safety. B. Movie viewership. C. Consumer demand. D. Eating behavior. 6. What does the underlined word “beanpoles” in paragraph 1 refer to? A
22、. Big eaters. B. Overweight persons. C. Picky eaters. D. Tall thin persons. 7. Why did the researchers hire the actor? A. To see how she would affect the participants. B. To test if the participants could recognize her. C. To find out what she would do in the two tests. D. To study why she could kee
23、p her weight down. 8. On what basis do we “adjust the influence” according to the last paragraph? A. How hungry we are. B. How slim we want to be. C. How we perceive others. D. How we feel about the food. 【答案】5. D 6. D 7. A 8. C 【解析】 本文是说明文。最近的研究表明：我们的饮食伙伴的大小和消费习惯都会影响我们 的食物摄入量。文章详述了这个实验的过程。 5.细节理解题。
24、根据第一段中的“According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake”可知，根据消费者研究杂志最近的一项研究，我们的饮食伙伴的大小和消费习惯都 会影响我们的食物摄入量。因此这项研究是关于饮食行为的。故选 D。 6.词义猜测题。根据前半句“And contrary to existing research that says you sho
25、uld avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions（份）”可知，现有的研究认为：你应该避 免和体重较重、点大份饭菜的人一起吃饭。后半句认为，你真正应该避免的是 the beanpoles with big appetites。由 contrary to 可推断出，画线词和 heavier people（超重的人） 相反，结合选项，D 选项（瘦瘦高高的人）正好和 heavier people 正好相反。故选 D。 7.推理判断题。根据第二段的“To test the effect of social influence on
26、 eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments”可知，为了测试社会影响对饮食习惯的影响，研究人 员进行了两个实验。根据倒数第三段的内容可知，在两个实验中，胖的和瘦的演员都吃了 大量的食物。参与者也照做，吃的食物比平常多。 然而，当演员是瘦的时候，参与者们服 用的食物更多。由此推断，研究人员雇用演员是为了看看她如何影响参与者。故选 A。 8.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“If an overweight person is having a large portion, Ill hold back a bit because I
27、 see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, Ill follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why cant I? ”可知，如果一个超重的人吃很大一 份，我会忍住一点，因为我看到了他饮食习惯的结果。但如果一个瘦的人吃很多，我会跟 着做。如果他吃得多保持苗条，为什么我不能呢？ 因此推断我们是根据我们对他人的看法 （即：如何看待他人）来调整影响的。故选 C。 【陕西省西安市第一中学 2021 届高三英语上学期模拟调研考试】 A human can
28、t easily enter another species social group to examine and influence what makes the animals sick. But the right robot can open up a clever way in. Scientists have developed a robotic “fish” called SoFi in the hope of getting closer to marine life than ever before. The fish, which was developed by re
29、searchers at MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, can independently swim alongside real fish in the ocean. Fittingly, the robot has a fisheye lens (鱼眼镜头) on board that can take photos and videos of the marine it sees. Robert Katzschmann, lead author of the study, said: “We a
30、re all in an aroused state 提分训练 at the thought of the possibility of being able to use a system like this to get closer to marine life than humans can get on their own.” While most underwater robots are tied to boats, SoFi has a much simpler and lightweight system thats found in smartphones. To swim
31、, the motor causes water to flow into two balloon-like chamber in the fishs tail. As one chamber (室) expands, it bends to one side, and then when the motors push water to the other channel, that one bends in the otherdirection. Together, these actions create a side-to-side motion, just like a real f
32、ish. The researchers hope that these realistic movements will help to ensure the robot is as safe in its environment as possible. Daniela Rus, who also worked on the study, said: “The robot is able to closely observe marine life and appears not to be disturbing to real fish.” So far the robot has be
33、en tested in the Rainbow Reef in Fiji, where it swims at depths of more than 50 feet for 40 minutes. 1. Why have scientists developed the robotic fish? A. To get close to observe marine life. B. To prove the progress in robot technology. C. To make the field of marine life interesting. D. To test th
34、e intelligence of fishes in the ocean. 2. How did Robert Katzschmann feel about their study of SoFi? A. Curious. B. Excited. C. Nervous. D. Worried. 3. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3? A. Add more information to their study. B. Convey the researchers satisfaction. C. Compare differe
35、nt underwater robots. D. Explain how the robotic fish works safely. 4. What can be a suitable title for the text? A. Robotic “Fish” that Can Record Marine Life in Detail B. MITs Researchers who Have Developed Robotic Fish C. Underwater robots that Influence Species in the Ocean D. Rainbow Reef where
36、 the Robotic Fish Has Been Tested Parents around the world often urge children over and over wash your hands! It can be difficult, however, to get children to remember to wash. But what if washing hands was connected to a fun creative activity? What if instead of simply reaching for the soap, a mach
37、ine could drop it right into your hands? Well, such a machine was recently built by a boy and his sister in the U.S. state of Maryland as part of a creative competition. The not-for-profit Rube Goldberg Organization is holding the competition. Every year, the Rube Goldberg competition assigns a spec
38、ific task, considering inventions that use complex systems to carry out a simple everyday task. At first, the task for 2020 was supposed to be “turn on a light.” But when the COVID-19 happened, the task was changed to “drop a bar of soap into someones hand.” Those taking part in the competition are
39、schoolchildren. But with schools closed to slow the spread of the virus, organizers changed the rules. This year, the team can include any family members and people were asked to send in recordings of the machines to compete. One thing has not changed: The machine must complete the task in less than
40、 10 steps. In Maryland, the Diel family wanted to enter. So, Caitlin and her brother Ben designed and built their own Rube Goldberg machine. Next, they had to demonstrate that it could complete the task-throwing the soap just right to be caught in someones hand. After 106 failed attempts, they final
41、ly had success. With their video demonstration, they can now enter the competition. Dr. Anne Glowinski teaches child psychiatry (精神病学) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She said that “creativity and play” connects with children. It is better than the message. “We have to wash
42、 our hands because of this horrible virus”. Glowinski added. 5What might be a task of inventions assigned by the Rube Goldberg competition? ASweeping the floor. BExploring nature. CWriting a novel. DPainting the house. 6What change has been made to the rules of the competition this year? AAll kinds
43、of inventions are admitted. BA video of the entry is qualified to enter. CTeachers are encouraged to get involved. DThe task must be finished within 10 steps. 7What does Glowinski think of the invention? APractical. BUnnecessary. CEconomical. DComplicated. 8Whats the purpose of the text? ATo advocat
44、e the habit of washing hands. BTo call on schoolchildren to compete in a contest. CTo encourage more inventions from everyday items. DTo introduce a contest making handwashing fun for kids. Coffee chains create a lot of waste, from disposable take-away cups to the used grounds that are sent to landf
45、ills. Starbucks has started to try recyclable alternatives to the disposable cups. But the used coffee is often unnoted. The world drinks around 2 billion cups of coffee a day, producing 6 million tons of used grounds every year. When they go to landfills, the grounds release greenhouse gases into t
46、he atmosphere, contributing to global warming. UK Bio-bean has found a way to turn that waste into a valuable resource. At Bio-bean, used coffee grounds are processed to remove paper cups or plastic bags, and then passed through a dryer and a further screening process. They are finally processed int
47、o the fuel Coffee Log. “Coffee is highly calorific and lends itself to being a really fantastic fuel,” says May, director of Bio-bean. “They burn about 20% hotter and 20% longer than wood logs do.” While these fuels release greenhouse gases when burned, if they replace other carbon-based fuels. Bio-
48、bean estimates that the recycling process reduces emissions （排放）by 80% compared with sending the grounds to landfills. Founded in 2013 Bio-bean grew rapidly, launching coffee collection services across the UK and building the worlds first coffee recycling factory only two years later. In 2016 they l
49、aunched their first product, Coffee Log, and are now ready to launch their first natural flavoring ingredient into the food and drink industry. “Weve really managed to succeed with our innovation because weve managed to get to scale. What started as a good idea is today the UKs largest recycler of coffee grounds. We are turning 7,000 tons of those groun
