Here’s a simple challenge: name a famous inve...

Here’s a simple challenge: name a famous inventor. Perhaps Leonardo da Vinci springs to mind. Or the pioneer of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell. But you might be hard-pressed to name many female inventors, even though women are behind some of the most widely used technologies in the modern world.

For example, where would we be without the windscreen wiper? Back on a freezing winter’s day in 1902, Mary Anderson was traveling by tram through New York city. Snow was falling, forcing the driver to stop repeatedly and get out to clear it. Each time the door opened, Mary suffered. She had a brainwave: why not make something that could be operated from inside the vehicle? And that’s exactly what she did.

Let’s step in from freezing New York for our next invention. The dishwasher dates back even earlier to the 19th Century, and to the dinner parties thrown by a lady called Josephine Cochrane. As a frequent host, she wanted a machine that could wash dishes faster than people. Her response was to develop what was to become the first commercially successful dishwasher.

Need something to do while the dishwasher is on? How about a round of Monopoly（强手棋游戏）? One of the most popular board games around, the rules were first drawn up by a lady called Elizabeth Magie, and patented in 1904.

To an altogether different kind of innovation: Kevlar is the lightweight fibre used in bulletproof（防弹）vests. The material is used by millions every day and has saved countless lives and is strength-lo-weight ratio is five times higher than steel.

Finally, one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century must surely be the computer programme. The world of programming is unbalanced among men and women, with men taking home around 30% more pay than their female partners on average. But back in the 1940s and 50s, women were at the forefront of this new field and Grace Hopper was one of them.

1.What do we know about the inventions mentioned in the text?

A. They were mostly made in the 20th century.

B. They all used high technology.

C. Their inventors came from families of good education.

D. They were all made by accident.

2.Why did Mary Anderson invent windscreen wiper?

A. The winter was extremely cold there.

B. She was forced to clear the snow by others.

C. The car she drove made her suffer a great deal.

D. She was sick of the driver getting out to clear the window.

3.Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the text?

A. Josephine Cochrane wanted a machine that operated automatically.

B. The game invented by Magie was popular merely among teenagers.

C. Kevlar is the super tough fibre and stronger than steel.

D. Grace Hopper was good at computer programming.

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A. Women can be Great Inventors

B. The Most Useful Inventions by Women

C. The Most Widely Used Technologies

D. Women Made Greater Contributions than Men

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Hoyo Azul Tours

Hoyo Azul has more to offer than its simple name. This famous natural pool, whose unexpected existence at the base of a 200-foot (61-meter) cliff (悬崖)surprises and delights visitors, is one of the Dominican Republic’s top destinations for swimming, nature tours, and other activities.

The Basics

Hoyo Azul lies in Scape Park. To reach it, take a guided hike through the park. Those with an interest in nature can get a better understanding of the ecosystem (生态系统) on a full-day ecotour that combines suspension bridges and hiking with a trip to Hoyo Azul. Full-day tours are also available for an easy day trip.

Things to Know before You Go

It offers a variety of tour packages that include a trip to Hoyo Azul.

Bring your own towel and cash for souvenirs (纪念品) and photos.

Floating equipment is available for those who cannot swim.

How to Get There

Cap Cana is just 15 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport. Take an airport taxior bus from there for only a few dollars. Many tours of the area stop at Hoyo Azul.

When to Get There

Budget travelers should head to Hoyo Azul during the low season—from August to early December—for the best deals on accommodations and activities. Warm weather year-round means that swimming, hiking, and other outdoor activities are always a choice.

1.What can you do in Hoyo Azul?

A.Fish. B.Swim.

C.Camp. D.Picnic.

2.What does the Hoyo Azul Tour provide visitors with?

A.Old cameras. B.Cheap souvenirs.

C.Floating equipment. D.Pocket money.

3.When is the best time for visitors without much money?

A.February. B.May.

C.July. D.September.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Welcome to the Ice Bucket Challenge. The challenge is simple: when 　　　　 , one either pours a bucket of icy water over his or her head or donates $100 to the ALS Association.

A. to challenge　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. challenged

C. you challenged　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. having challenged

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Perhaps the most challenging material you read at school is poetry. Though the message of some poems may be very simple, the way poets put words together often makes this message elusive. When you read a poem, you should begin by trying to understand what the poet is saying on the surface, then examine the way the poet　 expresses this content, and finally decide how the poem's meaning is created. Here are some steps to read a poem.

First, read the poem once slowly aloud without writing or marking anything. Don't stop until you finish the poem, even if you don't know the meaning or pronunciation of a word. When you've finished, think it over for a moment on any words, images, and characters that caught your attention. Then read the poem again silently. When you come to a word you don't know, look it up in the dictionary.

Understand the meaning of figurative (比喻的)language. Figurative language doesn't mean exactly what it says; instead, it suggests meanings. For example, in the line “Love, all alike, no season knows”, the poet doesn't mean love is unfamiliar with four seasons. Love cannot know anything at all; only people can know something. Thus, the poet is personifying(拟人化) love, giving it human qualities.

Examine and think about the poet's use of language. Why, for example, did the poet choose to compare his love to a red rose instead of a tree or a bird? We can use associations: we usually associate roses with beauty and love, but we also know a rose bush has thorns (刺). All of these associations may not be right for a particular poem, but many of them probably will.

Finally, read the poem one more time aloud.Practice using pauses and stress to make the poem's meaning come alive.

1.The underlined word “elusive” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”．

A．easy　　　　 　　 B. interesting

C．difficult　　　　 D. boring

2.What should we put on the first place when reading a poem?

A．The form of the poem.

B．The content of the poem.

C．The meaning of the poem.

D．The language of the poem.

3.When reading a poem for the first time, we should________．

A．try to understand new words

B．examine the poem's language

C．try to understand its meaning well

D．avoid being stopped by new words

4.We can learn from the passage that figurative language________．

A．is useful in expressing love

B．helps us understand new ideas

C．is easy for most readers to understand

D．should be repeated while reading a poem

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The famous British inventor George Stephenson was born in 1781 and died in 1848. One of his　　 important inventions was the train. He　　 his first train when he was forty-four years old. When he was experimenting with the　　 engine on the train, he met with　　 from the government, the newspapers and the gentlemen in the country. They said that the noise and the smoke would　　 cows, horses and sheep, that the　　 would burst or that the hot coals from it would　　　 their houses. At that time, 　　 people believed what they said.

George Stephenson　　 　　 the people that the train could go on small　　 　　 　 , could pull carriages　　 goods and passengers and there was　　 to them. It was a very　　 matter for him to　 　 them believe. However, after　　　 , he was able to do it; and the first train that　　 　　 by Stephenson himself　　 what he had said.

The first day　　　 the people along the way　　　 the noises of the train　　 and saw it running quickly to them, they ran back home as quickly as they could and closed their doors tightly, for they thought it a genius(妖怪).They did not dare to come out until it had passed.

1.A. very　　　　 B. a lot　 　 C. much 　　　　 D. most

2.A. bought 　　　 B. made 　　　　 C. introduced 　　　 D. did

3.A. electrical B. atomic 　　　　 C. oil　　 　　 D. steam

4.A. troubles 　　　 B. success 　　 C. people 　　　　 D. pleasure

5.A. buy 　　　　 B. kill　　　　 C. interest 　　　　 D. take away

6.A. smoke 　　　 B. noise 　　　　 C. engine 　　　　 D. driver

7.A. pull down 　　 B. blow away 　 C. pass 　　　　　　 D. set fire to

8.A. few 　　　　 B. most 　　　　 C. only a few 　　　 D. the rich

9.A. said 　 B. spoke 　　 C. warned 　　　　 D. told

10.A. roads 　　　 B. rivers 　　　　 C. rails　　　　 D. steam

11.A. full of 　　　 B. short of 　　 C. empty of 　　　　 D. without

12.A. dangerous 　 B. no great danger　 C. a lot of danger 　　　　　 D. few danger

13.A. difficult B. easy　　　　　　 C. pleasant 　　　　 D. light

14.A. get 　 B. cause 　　　　 C. force 　　　　 D. make

15.A. some time 　 B. sometime 　　　　 C. a few times 　　　 D. sometimes

16.A. was driven B. was sold　　　　　 C. was pulled 　　　 D. helped

17.A. believed B. seemed 　　 C. proved　　　　　　　　　 D. sensed

18.A. when　　　　 B. of 　　　　　　　　 C. while 　　　　　　　　　 D. for

19.A. caught sight of 　 B. listened to 　 C. thought 　 D. heard

20.A. in the distance B. nearby 　　 C. on the far D. from the distance

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

完形填空 （20分）

The famous British inventor George Stephenson was born in 1781 and died in 1848. one of his _21_ important inventions was the train. He _22_his first train when he was forty-four years old. When he was experimenting with the _23_ engine on the train, he met with _24_ from the government, newspapers and the gentlemen in the country. They said that the noise and the smoke would _25_ cows, horses and sheep, that the _26_ would hurtle(炸飞) or that the hot coals from it would _27_their houses. At that time, _28_ people believed what they said.

George Stephenson _29_ the people that the train could go on small _30_, could pull carriages _31_goods and passengers and there was _32_ to them. It was a very _33_ matter for him to _34_ them believe. However, after _35_, he was able to do it; and the first train that _36_ by Stephenson himself _37_ what he had said.

The first day _38_ the people along the way _39_ the noises of the train _40_ and saw it running quickly to them, they ran back home as quickly as they could and closed their doors tightly, for they thought it a genius. They did not dare to come out until it had passed.

2.made   B. bought   C. introduced   D. did

10. A.reads    B. rivers    C. steam    D rails

高二英语完型填空简单题查看答案及解析

A 27-year-old inventor, Joco Paulo Lammoglia, has come up with a new device named the AIRE mask, which is capable of converting the wind energy provided by the wearer’s breath into electrical energy. This means breathing has become a source of renewable energy. The inspiration for the invention came from his watching children blowing on pinwheels (纸风车).

The device is worn like a mask equipped with tiny wind turbines (涡轮) and it can work its magic even while people are sleeping, jogging or hanging around, since energy is created from one’s breath. The principle of this AIRE mask is simple. The invention uses the wind flow created by breathing and changes it into energy that can charge mobile phones and iPods. Simply put this mask connected to your mobile phone on your face. The rest takes place naturally through your breath that provides power to run turbines which produce electricity.

Lammoglia explained how useful he hopes the AIRE will become. He said, “I hope to bring the concept into production and reduce the carbon footprint. It can be used indoors or outdoors, while you’re sleeping, walking, running or even reading books.” Apart from saving energy and contributing to environmental protection, it also encourages the practice of physical exercise. This is an entirely all time renewable energy source. Its energy is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Lammoglia explained why he thought the AIRE was so useful, saying, “Though many of our modern devices offer benefits, they tend to consume a high amount of electrical energy. This may cause problems for the environment, especially if the energy used by these devices is obtained from non-renewable sources.

The AIRE mask will be future’s cheaper source of charging mobile phones. It would save energy and allow people to never have to worry about their phone dying unless they stop breathing.

1.The word “converting” (para.1) is closest in meaning to _______.

A. charging B. convincing

C. exchanging D. transforming

2.After putting on the mask, how do people charge their mobile phones using the device?

A. Breathe out air-Drive turbines-Produce electricity.

B. Use wind-Pass through turbines-Produce electricity.

C. Breathe in air-Use turbines-Create energy.

D. Connect turbines-Produce wind flow-Create energy.

3.Lammoglia would most probably agree that the AIRE mask _______.

A. consumes a high amount of energy

B. will account for environmental damage

C. is a good solution to energy issues

D. is available in the shop now

4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. An electronic mask B. A breath-powered charger

C. A new renewable energy source D. An air purifying device

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Perhaps the most famous theory, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed. In other words, we learn our looks—we are not born with them. A baby has generally informed face features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around-family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some areas of the United States look so much alike, new Englanders or Southerners have certain common face features that cannot be explained by genetics(遗传学). The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set. For many, this can be well into grown-ups. A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country area where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Georgia. People in Atlanta, Georgia. People in largely populated areas also smile and greet each other in public less than people in small towns do.

1. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ____.

2.According to the passage, the final mouth shape is formed ___.

3. Ray Birdwhistell can tell what area of the United States a person is from by ___.

4. This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ___.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Elon Musk, perhaps the world’s most famous businessman, has a habit of making statements that stretch the bounds of believability.

On July 16th, 2019, he introduced a new type of brain-machine interface (BMI), starting from the design of a “neural lace (神经织网)”, a net of thin electrodes (电极) that capture the information from the brain. However, the electrodes must be flexible, so that they do not damage brain tissue and will last for a long time. And to make the implantation (植入) of so many electrodes safe, painless and effective, the process has to be automated.

Mr. Musk’s team does indeed seem to have made progress towards these goals. Its presentation included videos of a robot that is best described as a sewing machine. This robot grabs “threads”, and shoots them deep into the brain through a hole. The firm has also designed a chip that can handle signals from as many as 3,072 electrodes.

With all these technological breakthroughs, the firm now hopes to help people overcome such illnesses as blindness and paralysis. They designed a small device that would sit behind someone’s ear, picking up signals from the implanted chip and passing them on as appropriate. In a few years, using a brain implant to control your devices may be as prevalent as wearing wireless earphones today. Finally, Musk predicts neural lace will allow humans to be combined with AI systems, thus enabling the species to survive.

Though, as this announcement shows, Mr. Musk does have a habit of presenting himself as the hero of the human race, the idea that some machines at least will come under the direct control of human brains seems possible to be carried out. The biggest barrier to this happening will probably not be writing the software needed to interpret brainwaves, but rather persuading people that the necessary surgery, whether by sewing machine or otherwise, is actually a good idea.

1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that _____.

A.electrodes should be flexible to extend life

B.Elon Musk constantly comes up with unexpected ideas

C.a neural lace is used to store information from the brain

D.electrodes are implanted by top surgeons for safety reasons

2.What does the underlined word “prevalent” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A.Useful. B.Common. C.Professional. D.Appropriate.

3.What is the hardest part of carrying out BMI?

A.Convincing people to accept the surgery.

B.Developing devices to perform the surgery.

C.Writing the software to interpret brainwaves.

D.Informing people of the success of the surgery.

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A.The Neural Lace, A New Type of BMI.

B.Elon Musk, the Hero of Human Beings.

C.Artificial Intelligence, the Way to Survive.

D.A Brain Implant, A Step to Control Machines.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The artist Grandma Moses became famous for her simple, bright, cheerful paintings of American farm life．Her full name was Anna Mary Robertson Moses．But she was known to everyone as Grandma Moses because she did not begin to paint seriously until in her seventies．

Born on a farm in New York, Anna had little schooling．Her days were filled with farm chores．But she often found time to make pictures．Soon, however, she became too busy to draw or paint．At the age of 12, she went to work as a servant for a family nearby．She worked for other people for many years．Then, when she was 27, she married Thomas Moses, a farmer．And they began raising a family of their own．

Anna Moses could no longer do heavy farm work with age．Then, in her seventies, she began to paint in oils．Her pictures showed things she recalled from childhood-farm scenes, ice-skating, bringing home the Christmas tree．Later, she began to display her art at county fairs．Her pictures recorded a way of life that was quickly passing away．People everywhere loved these happy scenes, and soon her paintings were shown in art galleries．Grandma Moses became famous partially on account of her age, but mainly because her approach to art was modest and simple compared to many other painters of her time．Without formal training or even knowledge of Modernism, she relied on her own simple techniques to create her landscapes and scenes．She continued to paint almost until her death, on December 13, 1961 , at the age of 101．

The themes in her paintings provided the comfort of a rural life that many busy Americans treasured from their past．The threat of nuclear arms that appeared on television screens and in magazines had Americans starving for something more．Grandma Moses' art appealed to those who had lost hope for the future．Her classic paintings still appear on TV commercials, greeting cards, and magazine and book covers．

1.What can be inferred from the fact that Grandma Moses picked up a paintbrush?

A．She had no other ways to kill time．

B．Her friend and family suggested it．

C．She had had a love for painting since her childhood．

D．She needed to make a living by selling her paintings．

2.The key reason for her success is ___________.

A．her old age           B．her plain style

C．her lack of training     D．her modern knowledge

3.We can know from the passage that ______．

A．her paintings raised people's hope for the future

B．her paintings expressed the reality of her old age

C．many Americans were interested in purchasing art works

D．people wanted to get comfort by remembering grandmas

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析