The discovery of an ancient giant panda skull has confirmed its bamboo diet dates back more than 2 million years and may have played a key part in its survival.
A Chinese-US research team reports its results today following studies on a fossil skull found in south China’s Cuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2001.
The six fossils unearthed in Jinyin Cave are dated between 2.4 and 2 million years ago, according to the report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an influential US journal.
Jin Changzhu, of the chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and lead author of the paper, said the smaller fossil skull indicates the giant pandas were about a third smaller than today’s pandas.
Researchers knew the panda reached its maximum size about 500,000 years ago, when it peaked ,and then gradually became smaller.
Jin, a paleontologist (古生物学者) at the Institute of Vertebrate paleontology and Paleoanthropology (古人类学) attached to the CAS, said the size variation was a basic rule of evolution.
“A species tends to grow bigger when it reaches the peak of its population , but becomes smaller when numbers decline,” he said.
The dental remains of the skull, which is the oldest giant panda skull ever found, are similar to today’s pandas, indicating the type of teeth that could munch (津津有味地嚼)mountains of bamboo. A panda can eat up to 40kg of bamboo per day.
Paleoanthropologist Russell Ciochon, the US co-author at the University of lowa, said the panda’s focus on bamboo could have helped it survive all these years.
“Once an animal begins to rely on a common and stable food source, such as bamboo, it tends to evolve a larger body size,” he said. “As individuals of the evolving species grow bigger, they have a better chance not to be eaten by predators (肉食动物) due to their larger body size.”
1.According to the research of the CAS , there were most pandas in the world .
A. 2 million years ago
B. between 2.4 and 2 million years ago
C. 500,000 years ago
D. Nowadays
2.The underlined word “variation” in para 6 means .
A. fall B. change C. increase D. decrease
3.From the passage, we can learn .
A. pandas began to eat bamboo 2 million years ago
B. a species tends to grow smaller when numbers decline
C. the giant pandas were about a third the size of today’s pandas
D. pandas’ bamboo has played an important role in its development
科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年湖南衡阳一中高一下第一次月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained.
He was a brilliant, creative, and educated man. He had gained a lot of experience while traveling around the world, so he became very depressed after his accident. He was afraid that he would spend the rest of his life suffering and would no longer be able to spend his life in a meaningful way. Then, he realized that he still had partial function of his right hand and could still write even though it was very difficult. An idea occurred to him. “Why not write to other people who need encouragement? ”
He wrote to the prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied, “Writing to the prisoners is acceptable, but your letters will not be answered. ”
Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.
It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail.
The letter said, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell to cell until they literally fall to pieces! ”
No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength.
1.In order to live in a meaningful way, the man began to .
A. receive the school education
B. write to other people who need encouragement
C. meet the people who are depressed
D. help other people with lost arms and legs
2.According to the prison minister, .
A. the man was not allowed to write to the prisoners
B. the man couldn’t go to see the prisoners himself
C. the prisoners were not allowed to answer the letters
D. he was not sure if the prisoners liked receiving the letters
3.From the officer’s short note we are told that .
A. the man would be offered free paper to write letters on
B. some of the prisoners were not satisfied with his letters
C. the prisoners eagerly wanted to write back to the man
D. his letters were very popular among the prisoners
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Stories about a Humorous Person
B. Popularity of Special Letters
C. Special Letters of Encouragement
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年北京大学附中河南分校高二3月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C 和 D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
I’ll never forget the kindness offered by strangers. Last year, two days before Christmas, my friend Harry _______, saying that their kitchen had caught fire,______ everything in their kitchen, including all their food. Harry and his wife are ______ from Mexico with four children, and I knew they always had a(n) ______ harvest from their farm every year. After putting down the phone, I drove to their house, taking some _____ I had.
When I arrived there, I found that they had all their belongs _____ in their front yard. They were so._____ to see me, because they knew I could help them. Then I _____back, but I was very _____, knowing I was really in a hard place financially and was _____ to do more for them.
I told a friend of mine about the story and asked if he could give a hand. He immediately_____ and said, “I know these people mean a lot to you and I want to _____ them.” You know, they had _____ met before. He asked me to take Harry to buy some necessities. Of course, he would _____. At the check-out counter of a supermarket, I noticed we had chosen too many items, so I had the _____ take some back. As we were walking away, I_____ heard a voice behind me, “Wait, I want to pay for them.” I turned around, thanked the man _____, and told him that my friend’s house had been burned. He said he _____ because he had lost his job but was now working again. We went away with tears in our eyes. It was such a wonderful _____, seeing folks stepped up when someone needed help, even for a_____ stranger.
1.A.visited B.called C.explained D.questioned
2.A.destroying B.changing C.breaking D.cooking
3.A.workers B.teachers C.farmers D.drivers
4.A.common B.entire C.hard D.poor
5.A.tools B.food C.medicine D.clothes
6.A.burned up B.carried away C.collected up D.sold out
7.A.excited B.surprised C.fortunate D.calm
8.A.walked B.ran C.flew D.drove
9.A.nervous B.upset C.regretful D.disappointed
10.A.unwilling B.unable C.unnecessary D.unafraid
11.A.went B.prepared C.agreed D.apologized
12.A.interview B.save C.teach D.help
13.A.never B.seldom C.still D.ever
14.A.select B.pay C.shop D.exchange
15.A.mom B.clerk C.friend D.manager
16.A.suddenly B.frequently C.luckily D.immediately
17.A.kindly B.indirectly C.informally D.patiently
18.A.admitted B.complained C.understood D.tired
19.A.feeling B.idea C.incident D.performance
20.A.sick B.pitiful C.foreign D.total
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届甘肃武威二中高三下期每周检测（3月31日）英语试卷（解析版） 题型：语法填空
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
On any collecting trip, obtaining the animals is, as a rule, the simplest part of the job. As soon as the local people discover that you are willing to buy live wild creatures, the stuff comes __1.___(pour) in; ninety percent is, of course, the more common types, but they do bring an occasional rarity. If you want the really rare stuff, you generally have to go out __2.___ find it yourself.
The chief difficulty you __3.___ when you have got a newly caught animal is not so much the shock it might be suffering, but the fact __4.___ being caught forces it to exist close to a creature it regards as an enemy of the worst possible sort: yourself. On many occasions an animal may take beautifully to being in a cage but __5.__ (get) used to the idea of living with people is another matter. This is the difficulty you ___6.___ only deal with by patience and kindness. For month after month ___7.___animal may try to bite you every time you approach its cage, ___8.___you have lost all hope of making a favorable impression on it. Then, one day, sometimes without any ___9.___ (warn), it will trot forward and take food from __10.__ hand, or allow you to tickle it behind the ears. At such moments you feel that all the waiting in the world was worthwhile.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年江西南昌进贤县一中高二下期第一次月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：书面表达
书面表达
假如你叫李华，今年暑假即将跨入高三的学习，压力很大，想和父母说说心里话，请你用英文在你的博客上用书信形式表达出来。主要内容如下：
知心话 | 感恩 | 感谢父母的关心、鼓励 |
对父母的期望 | 1. 多加交流2. 适时提供帮助 | |
学习打算 | 考生自拟（至少写两点） | |
注意：1. 短文必须包括所有内容要点，可适当发挥。
2. 词数：120左右（开头与结尾已给出，不计入词数）
Dear Mom and Dad,
With the Senior Three approaching, I really hope to have a heart-to-heart talk with you!
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Mom and Dad, I am quite confident about my future. Wish you good health and a happy life.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年湖南益阳箴言中学高一下学期3月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：短文改错
短文中共有10处错误，错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧)，并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词的下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Yesterday is my best friend Li Ming’s birthday. When the school was over, I went to the bookshop. I bought a book calling Exploring Space, and had them wrapped for him. Since he had wanted to buy this book for week. I knew that he would be very pleasing with my present. When I got the party, Li Ming said hello to me with a big smile. I noticed that there were much presents on the floor, and I was sure that mine would be her favourite. I gave the present to Li Ming and whispered in his ear, “You will love it.” He could not wait to unwrap it. All of a sudden, the smile on his face disappeared. I looked and I saw some big red words on the cover of the book that said, Caring for Your Baby! I had picked up the wrong book in the shop!
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年湖南益阳箴言中学高一下学期3月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
There are four main areas when it comes to your dog’s body language — his ears and face, eyes, nose and tail. If you pay attention to those things, you’ll find you are able to easily understand how your dog is feeling.
Ears and face
The head of a dog is more expressive than you think. If you say a word that he recognizes, like his name or something you say often, his ears will get up. His mouth is another good instruction. A mouth that is wide open to pant (喘气) with some sound suggests that the dog is happy — some people even say when a dog is panting, he is laughing as he cools himself. A tongue sticking out suggests that the dog is in a good mood.
Eyes
To a dog, purple and blue are both seen as shades of blue. Red is seen as black or dark grey. Orange, yellow and green are seen as various shades of yellow. This means that, to a dog, bright orange toys are the same yellow shade. If you want your dog to clearly see his toys in the green grass you’d better give the dog blue toys; if you have orange, yellow or green toys, the dog will be able to find them with his nose.
Nose
A dog can both sniff and breathe through his nose. Breathing is for air, but when dogs sniff with short breaths they are actually following some scents (气味) with his keen (灵敏的) nose. When a dog is overheated, his sense of smell is reduced by as much as 40 percent and he uses the air to cool himself rather than for smelling. Puppies’ noses can help find their mother when their eyes and ears are closed. The function will disappear by the time they are adults.
Tail
Lastly, you need to pay attention to your dog’s tail, because it shows what he is thinking and feeling. A dog that is in a good mood will have a tail that seems to be going a mile a minute — wagging, and excited. However, an angry or frightened dog will have his tail between his legs.
1.The author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph is to _____.
A. advise you to look after your dog
B. introduce the topic of the passage
C. explain what is body language
D. call on anyone to protect dogs
2.When your dog feels happy, he will _____.
a. keep his mouth wide open soundlessly
b. bark all the time in front of you
c. open his mouth to breathe with some sound
d. keep his tongue sticking out
A. a, b B. c, d C. a, d D. b, c
3.Why does your dog use his nose when looking for orange, yellow or green toys in the grass?
A. Because he wants to show how keen his nose is.
B. Because his nose is keener than his eyes in the open air.
C. Because he can’t tell the difference between toys and grass.
D. Because these colors are all shades of yellow in his eyes.
4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the last two parts “Nose” and “Tail”?
A. Adult dogs can’t use their nose to find their mothers.
B. When a dog feels too hot, he will lose his sense of smell.
C. Dogs often sniff with short breaths when they feel sad.
D. A dog’s tail can’t show his feelings unless he is frightened.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届北京市高三下学期开学（零模）检测考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
If asked if space exploration should continue, most Americans would give an immediate response either in favor of continuing or in favor of ending space exploration. A common response would be that space exploration is a waste of money. An average American, uneducated on the subject, might believe that the government is wasting billions of dollars on the research that has no merit. Someone strange to the subject might say that a space shuttle goes up once in a while and that is about all that happens. Research is ongoing and continues when there are no shuttles being launched. This also costs the government money. Does the extreme cost of space exploration make sense?
One argument is that the government is wasting money on the research not being used on Earth. Actually, the money goes to workers and scientists that support National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions (任务), and goes to major companies that play important roles in major sectors of the US economy. Boeing is a partner of NASA for aircraft, the same company that makes commercial aircraft for the airline industry.
Another benefit to continuing space exploration is the many spinoff (衍生的) technologies it provides. The artificial heart resulted from experiments on the space shuttle. The handheld Jaws of Life used to save victims from car accidents originated from the system used to separate the space shuttle from its booster rockets. Insulation in homes that keeps them warm and energy efficient is based on the technology used to insulate the space shuttle.
There are direct benefits to the economy provided by NASA missions as well as spinoff technologies. These advances are found in food, building materials, medical procedures and the vehicles we drive. While it can be proven that billions of dollars that could be used elsewhere is being spent on space exploration, the benefits it provides outweigh the terrible aspects. As a matter of fact, the money spent helps to improve the quality of our lives.
1.How is Paragraph 2 mainly developed?
A. By offering analyses.
B. By making comparisons.
C. By giving some examples.
D. By presenting research findings.
2.The function of Jaws of Life is to _____.
A. save people from traffic accidents
B. do experiments on the space shuttle
C. keep houses warm and energy efficient
D. separate the space shuttle from its booster rockets
3.In the author’s opinion, space exploration _____.
A. has changed our life completely
B. costs too much of our time
C. benefits us in many ways
D. has nothing to do with us
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Benefits of space exploration
B. Is space exploration worth the cost?
C. How to make space exploration affordable
D. Missions of the NASA space shuttle program
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年江西丰城中学高一下学期第一次月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：七选五
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
Cheating is when a person misleads, deceives or acts dishonestly on purpose. 1. . If a basketball team is for kids under 8, it's cheating for a 9-year-old play on the team. At school, in addition to cheating on a test, a kid might cheat by stealing someone else's idea for a science project. 2. .This kind of cheating is called plagiarizing (抄袭).
3. . Jeff is doing it by sneaking（暗中的） answers to a test. And it's also cheating to break the rules of a game or contest or to pretend something is yours when it isn't. When people cheat, it's not fair to other people. It's tempting(诱惑人的) to cheat because it makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. 4. , and it won't help on the next test unless the person cheats again.
5. . They want to get good grades but hate hard work. Other kids might feel like they can't pass the test without cheating. Even though there seems to be a "good reason" for cheating, cheating isn't a good idea.
A. For kids, cheating may happen at school, at home, or while playing a sport.
B. Some kids cheat once and feel so bad that they never do it again.
C. Some kids cheat because they're lazy.
D. Kids may also cheat by copying a book report off the Internet and handing it in as it's his or her original work.
E. Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways.
F. But it doesn't solve the problem of not knowing the material（材料）.
G. There are plenty of reasons why a kid shouldn't cheat, but some kids have already cheated.
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