Small discoveries in Indonesia are causing a stir in the science world. Researchers have unearthed(挖掘) tiny bones that they believe belong to an entire new human species. If that's true, it will change how we think about our ancestors.

      Clues that the little people may have lived long ago were first revealed last year in the scientific journal Nature. Scientists said that they had found the bones of a three-foot-tall female on the island of Flores, in Indonesia. When they looked more closely, they saw that the nearly complete skeleton(骨骼) belonged to a full-grown adult Researchers named her Hobbit, after the tiny heroes of the Lord of the Rings books.

      Now the team is saying it has unearthed even more pieces of the puzzle, including a jawbone and parts of arms, legs and hands from several individuals, as well as stone tools. They reported their find in Nature this month. “The new evidence makes it very clear that these people are a new species, distinct from modern humans,” Peter Brown, a scientist on the team, said. They named these ancient humans Homo floresiensis.

      Brown says that these little people lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. If Homo floresiensis was a different species from modern humans, that would make our family tree bigger than we knew. It means, says Brown, that “until recently, a relative shared the planet with us.”

      Many scientists think a new species is unlikely. Some argue that the bones must have belonged to modern humans whose small size was the result of a genetic problem.

      Daniel E. Lieberman, a scientist at Harvard University, thinks that the debate over the discovery is healthy. He believes that the questions and arguments raised by critics will help us learn more about these unusual skeletons. “Disagreement is an important part of the scientific process,” Lieberman said. “As far as I'm concerned, the story's only just begun.”

51. Researchers name the skeleton Hobbit because ________.

A. it is a figure described in the Lord of the Rings

    B. it resembles the tiny heroes in a set of books

    C. it proves to be a full-grown adult

    D. it belongs to an ancient human species        

52. Small discoveries in Indonesia are important because ________.

    A. they are revealed in the scientific journal Nature

    B. they are made by Peter Brown, a famous scientist

    C, they are about ancestors of modem humans

    D. they might provide new evidence for human study

53. According to Daniel E. Lieberman ________.

    A. Homo floresiensis doesn't exist

    B. Disagreement leads to further research

    C. The investigation hasn't begun yet

    D. Our family tree is bigger than we knew

54. What's the author's purpose of writing this passage?

    A. To inform the reader of a discovery of some human skeletons and its scientific possibility.

    B. To encourage the related scientists to make further research into human species.

    C. To conform the existence of some new human species.

    D. To sing the praises of the scientists for their devotion to scientific discoveries.

55. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

    A. Comparison between Different Peoples.

    B. Arguments over Human Origin.

    C. Discovery of a Possible New Human Species.

    D. History of Indonesian People.

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。

D

The first MP4 player was born years ago. Soon many music fans were wondering how fantastic it is! If you have been into technology enough, perhaps you may have a knowledge of the MP4. If not, you do need to know something before buying one, even if you are familiar with MP3. MP3 is the CD-like disc with greater capacity. How about MP4? This small digital product will really enrich the joy from listening to music. You can even feel the “touch” of music to your soul!

Now, some similar digital products advertised as “MP4 player” are simply MP3 players, which do not play video and MPEG format and also lack other particular functions. These products confuse some buyers, as they may think the “MP4” players simply mean they can do more than MP3.

What is MP4?

It is a multimedia container. It is not only used to store digital audio and digital video streams, especially those of MPEG, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and pictures. As a most modern container format, it allows streaming over the Internet.

With the help of a piece of MP4 video equipment, you can change various programs such as MPEG to MP4, ASX to MP4, AVI to MP4 and so on, which can be done very quickly and easily without any effect on the sound quality. By installing DVD-MP4 software, you can transfer particular music from a DVD to an MP4 video file. It really excites your listening music experience.

Then, there is MP4 advanced and you can set your own collection of all the programs—TV shows, games, and music. You can even see movies which are still running in cinema. What else digital product could you possibly ask for?

It is suggested here that you should ______ before buying an MP4 player.

   A. first be a music fan                   B. have a knowledge of MP4

   C. get familiar with MP3               D. buy a CD-like disc

From the passage, we can see that MP4 is ______ MP3.

   A. much bigger than                      B. just as advanced as

   C. not so particular as                    D. more functional than

Which function of MP4 is NOT directly mentioned in this passage?

Ａ．Storing digital audio and video streams.

Ｂ．Recording some movies in cinema.

Ｃ．Playing TV shows, games and movies.

Ｄ．Transferring particular music from a DVD.

From the last sentence, it’s clear that the writer tries to tell us it is ______.

Ａ．reasonable to buy other digital products

Ｂ．impossible to buy something else

Ｃ．a(chǎn) very wise choice to buy an MP4

Ｄ．a(chǎn)n exciting experience to buy an MP3

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科目：高中英語 來源：福建省師大附中2009-2010學(xué)年度高二下學(xué)期期中考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解


For a song to become popular, people need to hear it. In order for people to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?
In the past, disc jockeys(音樂節(jié)目支持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.
One of the most criticized(批評(píng))practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule.
Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.
67. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to _______.
A. national businesses    B. program directors     C. pop entertainers        D. record companies
68. “Payola” is the practice of ________.
A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs
B. record companies buying air time for certain music
C. radio station paying record company for new songs
D. program directors deciding what music gets played
69. Who can make the largest profits from payola?
A. Disc Jockeys.    B. The given artists.     C. Business executives.      D. Program directors.
70. It can be concluded from the passage that the author _______.
A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”
B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry
C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule
D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing

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科目：高中英語 來源：2015屆甘肅省武威市高一下學(xué)期期中測(cè)試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

In the near future, people in some parts of the world will watch a new kind of television. It is called the high definition television or the HD-TV. The main difference between an HD-TV and a normal television is the picture. It is more clear and detailed. This is because the HD-TV has many more points and lines that make a television image. Every color television picture contains thousands of red, green and blue points. They all come together as an image in the eye of the person watching. The points are organized in lines that go across the television screen. There are more than five hundred lines in a normal television. The HD-TV has two times as many. To get this clear picture, you must have a big screen. Experts say people using a small screen will see little difference.

The HD-TV also has clear sound. It is like the sound on a CD. All these improvements make an HD-TV very costly. One kind in Japan now sells for more than twenty thousand dollars .A major problem with the HD-TV is its broadcast signal（傳播信號(hào).The signal is bigger than normal because it carries more electronic information.

1. What is the main difference between an HD-TV and a normal television?  It is        .

A．the picture        B．the shape         C．the voice          D．the weight

2. What is a color TV image?

A．It is made up of thousands of red, green, and blue points.

B．Points are organized in lines that go across the TV screen.

C．It is a black and white picture

D．Both A and B

3. How many lines does an HD-TV have?

A．Over 250                             B．More than 500

C．More than 1,000                        D．About 250

4. What should you do if you want to get a clear and detailed picture from an HD-TV?

A. You must have the bigger signal for the HD-TV. 

B. You have to get a big screen.

C. You should have a compact disc player.     

D. Both A and B.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：福建省泉州市2010屆高三下學(xué)期第一次質(zhì)量檢查 題型：閱讀理解

B

For a song to become popular, people need to bear it.  In order for people　to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?

In the past, disc jockeys(音樂節(jié)目主持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.

One of the most criticized(批評(píng)) practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make it clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule(時(shí)刻表).

Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.

60. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to       .

A. national businesses                      B. program directors   

C. pop entertainers                         D. record companies

61. “Payola” is the practice of        .

A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs

B. record companies buying air time for certain music

C. radio station paying record company for new songs

D. program directors deciding what music gets played

62. Who can make the largest profits from payola?

A. Disc Jockeys.                               B. The given artists.

C.  Business executives.                        D. Program directors.

63. It can be concluded from the passage that the author        .

A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”

B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry

C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule

D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010-2011年廣東省梅州市高二下期末考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解

DJs (disc jockeys) are the people who play and present music on the radio, or in nightclub. A VJ (video jockey) is a person who introduces music videos on television.

VJs were first seen on television in the early 1980s when MTV went on the air. As MTV caught on, and the audience for music videos expanded, a variety of other music video channels started broadcasting. In addition to rock music, there were channels for people who were into alternative kinds of music, such as country music, light rock, and R & B, and all of these channels needed VJs. By the 1990s, international music video channels like Channel V in Asia and VIVA in Europe had started.

The VJs for the new international stations had to be chosen carefully. Although some VJs did shows focused on small audiences and showed mostly local content, other VJs presented shows for international viewers. These VJs, and the material they presented, needed to be popular in several different cultures.

One successful international VJ in Asia is Asha Gill. She is from Malaysia, but parents and grandparents are from India, France, and England. She speaks three languages and has fans across Asia, from Japan to the United Arab Emirates.

Another VJ who has made a big hit in Asia is Lili. She is actually a computer-animated VJ on MTV Asia. An actress wearing special computer equipment makes Lili move like a puppet. The actress also talks for Lili, and her shows can be seen in five languages.

When asked what makes a good video jockey, many successful VJs have given similar answers. To be a good VJ you need to know a lot about music, you need to be funny, and you can’t be shy.

1.What is the reading mainly about?

A. how to become a VJ                    B. the most popular VJ today

C. the differences between DJs and VJs       D. some general information about VJs

2.What kind of music did the first VJ probably introduce?

    A. classical            B. rhythm and blues      C. rock and pop         D. country    

3.What do Channel V and VIVA have in common?

    A. They are both owned by MTV.

    B. They are music video channels in Asia.

    C. They do not use VJs to introduce the music.

    D. They have viewers in more than one country.

4.Which is NOT true about Asha Gill?

    A. She speaks more than one language.           B. Her family were all born in Malaysia.

    C. She’s popular in quite a lot of Asian countries. D. She is a successful VJ.

5. Which of the following does the passage NOT mention as being important for someone who wants to be a VJ?

    A. speak many different languages             B. listen to a lot of music

    C. talk easily with different people             D. being able to make people laugh

 

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