If you’re DIY-minded, you can build your own solar power system. In some cases, you can even build your own solar panels (电池板), although the amount that you can effectively DIY home solar depends on how much you want to power. Making your own solar panel is a time-consuming process and requires some electrical skills. However, it can also be very rewarding-learning to build your own panel is a great way to understand how solarelectricity is generated.
Before you can build your own solar panels, you first need to understand how solar cells generate electricity. Once you’ve bought individual solar cells (they can be purchased online), the basic process for building your own solar panel goes like this: Prepare the backing for your panel. Many DIY solar panel builders prefer to use a wooden board as the base for their solar cell. You’ll need to drill holes in the board so that the wires for each cell can pass through. Wire your solar cells together. This requires some experience with electrical work. Use a soldering iron (烙铁) to attach wire to the solar cells and then link each of the cells together. Attach cells to your backing. If possible, attach each solar cell to the backing individually. This makes it easier to replace a single cell in the event that becomes damaged or is not operating properly.
At this point you have a functional solar panel that can produce electricity when the sun shines. However, a solar panel by itself is not useful. If you are trying to generate electricity to power devices in your home, you need to pair your panel with an inverter (换流器) that will turn direct current (DC) power from the sun into the alternating current (AC) power used in most modern electronic devices.
1.What does the author think of building DIY solar panel in the first paragraph?
A.It is easy. B.It is necessary. C.It is common D.It is worthwhile
2.What’s the first step of building your own solar panels?
A.Master the advanced knowledge- of management.
B.Buy individual solar cells.
C.Prepare the backing for your panel.
D.Drill holes in the wooden board.
3.Why are solar cells connected to the wooden board separately?
A.To produce more power.
B.To substitute damaged cells easily.
C.To attach cells to the backing tightly.
D.To pass through the wooden board easily.
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A.People with electrical skills have advantages over those without in DIY solar panels.
B.A functional solar panel can give power to your home devices directly.
C.How to pair an inverter depends on how much you want to power.
D.a wooden board is a must for your own solar panels.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding.
We experience this tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue (疲惫) and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first.
Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical order, never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day’s work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can—then let the unconscious take over.
When planning Encyclopedia Britannica( 《大英百科全书》), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after day I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable.
One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relived, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep.
An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind proved correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing.
Human beings, I believe, must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired.
1.People with start-up fatigue are most likely to .
A.work hard
B.delay tasks
C.seek help
D.accept failure
2.On what occasion does a person probably suffer from performance fatigue?
A.Before starting a difficult task.
B.After finding a way out.
C.If the job is rather boring.
D.When all the solutions fail.
3.According to the author, the unconscious mind may help us .
A.find the right solution
B.get some nice sleep
C.gain complete relief
D.ignore mental problems
4.What could be the best title for the passage?
A.Success Is Built upon Failure
B.How to Handle Performance Fatigue
C.Getting over Fatigue: A Way to Success
D.Fatigue: An Early Sign of Health Problems
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift.Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap(包装).
On September11th.1958.Mum gave birth to Richard.After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying."I promised you a gift, and here it is." What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own.I played with it day and night.I sang to it.I told it stories.1 told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty.My doll was gone! I cried for it.Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital.It had a fever.For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as "hopeless", "pitiful", and "dying", which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming."Don’t expect any presents this year." Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room."If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough." As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears.I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning.Dad jumped out of bed to answer it.From my bedroom I heard him say."What? He's all right?" He hung up and shouted upstairs."The hospital said we can bring Richard home!" "Thank God.'" I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car.I had never seen them happy.And I was also full of joy.What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home.I downstairs.My sacks still hung there flat.But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
1.what happened to the author on September 11 1958 ?
A.He got a baby brother
B.He got a Christmas gift
C.He became four years old
D.He received a doll
2.What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Impossible. B.Boring
C.Difficult D.Fearful
3.Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
A.Excitement. B.Happiness.
C.Sadness. D.Disappointment.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.A sad Christmas day
B.Life with a lovely baby
C.A special Christmas gift
D.Memories of a happy family
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Sydney Cultural Festival — What’s on today!
European Art Show
Location: Art Gallery of New South Wales. Today is the final day of the exhibition featuring 18th and 19th century paintings by some of the greatest European artists, such as Van Gough and Monet. Posters of these great works are available for purchase at the Visitors’ Centre.
Time: 8:30 am –7 pm
Cost: $12 adults; $7 children and students
Nature Walks
Location: Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden. Come and celebrate our natural environment in one of the world’s only nature parks inside a major city. Join our hourly guided tours, starting at the Eastern Gate, and enjoy breathtaking forests, stunning city escapes and the magnificent Sydney Harbour.
Time: 9 am – 4 pm
Cost: Free
Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concert
Location: Sydney Opera House. Australia’s most famous orchestra is best known for its performances of classical French and German music. But in tonight’s concert, the world-famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang is the special guest artist and will perform a series of classic Chinese compositions including Yellow River.
Time: 8:30 pm –11:30 pm
Cost: $175 adults; $90 students and children
Moonlight Cinema
Location: Centennial Park. Sit on the grass and enjoy the latest movies or classics from the past under the stars at Australia’s best and largest outdoor cinema. Tonight features the wonderful Australian film Red Dog. Besides the movie, there will be a display of classic Australian film posters.
Time: 8pm – 10:30pm
Cost: $19 adults; $14 children and students
1.Where should people wishing to join a Nature Walk meet?
A.The Visitors’ Centre. B.The Harbour Bridge.
C.The Eastern Gate. D.The guides’ building.
2.What kind of music will be played at the Opera House this evening?
A.Australian. B.German.
C.French. D.Chinese.
3.How many of today’s festival activities take place outside?
A.1. B.2.
C.3. D.4.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For many, music is as important to the human experience as eating and breathing. We hear music everywhere—at home, the gym, parties and stores. But what kind of music do we prefer to listen to, and when and why do our musical preferences change?
The relationship between the change of seasons and musical preferences was the focus of a study led by psychologist Terry Pettijohn. He and his team based their research on a previous study that examined the relationship between popular music preferences and the Environmental Security Hypothesis(假设). The results showed that over time, when social and financial conditions were more risky, the songs of the year that were slower, longer, more comforting and serious were most popular. And during periods in which social and financial conditions were generally stable, the result was opposite.
Building on these findings, Pettijohn and his team wondered if the Hypothesis could also be applied to the change of seasons. For college students, the participants in this study, autumn begins at the start of the school year. Gone are the carefree days of summer, when school is out. Winter means colder temperatures, shorter days, and, in many places in the country, snow. Spring, however, is a different story. It represents a fresh start and when clocks spring forward, we gain an extra hour of daylight. As students walk into summer, they’re absorbed in the sunshine and social activities—and enjoy a break from school.
But do changing seasonal conditions influence musical preferences? To answer this question, the researchers designed two studies. What did they find? Both groups of college students favored more serious music during the seasons of fall and winter, and more active and energetic music during the spring and summer seasons. And these findings, Pettijohn argues, have practical significances.
1.The purpose of the question raised in Paragraph 1 is to ________.
A.present a different opinion on music
B.prove where to listen to music matters
C.stress the importance of music to humans
D.introduce the topic on musical preferences
2.What influences a person’s choice of music types according to the previous study?
A.Whether one has enough free time.
B.Whether one lives in a stable situation.
C.Whether one is exposed to sunlight.
D.Whether one chooses to change his life.
3.How does Pettijohn feel about the findings of his studies?
A.It’s unexpected. B.It’s humorous.
C.It’s discouraging. D.It’s significant.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Tenzing left his home when he was ten to work and help his mother, who was looking after their 2-acre ancestral farm after his father’s death. He did temporary jobs for the first few years and then joined a Malaysian construction firm, where he learnt to drive, repair machines, work on the Internet and even speak English fluently.
“In those 13 years, I learnt everything—driving, mechanic work, and how to set up a small factory. This made me gain much confidence to do almost all jobs,” says Tenzing.
However, as his mother was getting older, on December 12, 2006, Tenzing returned to his hometown in Assam. Having visited several farms, he came to know that tea could be easily exported and many tea companies were buying tea; so he also decided to grow tea on his farm. But as his family had never grown tea, he had no idea how to do it.
Being a green hand in this field, Tenzing went to meet with many tea experts and followed their instructions. But whenever he sprayed pesticide (农药)on his farm, he’d get a headache and feel indisposed. So he started looking for alternatives. Tenzing did his research online and finally in 2007, he connected with people from a Canadian non-governmental organization and invited them to his farm, where they trained him. Thus, Tenzing started growing tea organically.
Today Tenzing has 25 acres of land, of which 7.5 acres is used for tea planting, and he grows almost all types of fruits and vegetables. His success inspired many, and farmers from other parts of the country also started coming to his farm to learn organic farming. He has trained about 30,000 farmers so far. Every year almost 100 tourists visit his farm from various parts of the world like the UK, Australia, Germany, etc.
1.What can we know about Tenzing?
A. He was mistreated at a young age. B. He lived a happy childhood.
C. He had great learning ability. D. He received much formal education.
2.Why did Tenzing want to grow tea on his farm?
A. His mother was getting older. B. Tea sold very well at that time.
C. His land was best for tea growth. D. He was tired of temporary jobs.
3.What does the underlined word “indisposed” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Unfair. B. Motivated
C. Touched. D. Uncomfortable.
4.What can be inferred about Tenzing’s farm according to the last paragraph?
A. It has been the biggest one around.
B. It is famous nationally and globally.
C. It is made use of mostly to grow tea.
D. It has become a hot tourist attraction.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Courses & Curriculum of the College of Arts & Sciences in Cornell
The diversity of the courses you can take in the College of Arts & Sciences is extraordinary:
Academic Distribution Requirements
The College’s academic distribution requirements will include: effective writing; foreign language beyond the introductory level; imaginative and critical thinking.
To choose your courses for a semester, use the Class Roster. It shows the schedule of all classes offered in a particular term, along with class enrollment information and course details.
The Class Roster is updated frequently.
To plan your classes over your four years at Cornell, use the Courses of Study. It represents Cornell’s full catalog of courses and is published annually. It provides information on Cornell degree programs, requirements, policies and procedures.
If you need help, call 607-255-5004 for an appointment with an advising dean. Or contact a career counselor in the Arts & Sciences Career Development Center at 607-255-4166 to talk about your interests and how they can translate into a major and a future career.
A New Curriculum
On October 30, 2018, the College of Arts & Sciences faculty(教员)approved a new undergraduate curriculum to be carried out over the next two to three years. The new curriculum focuses on the theme of exploration and reaffirms the college’s commitment to a liberal arts and sciences education. Students who have questions about the new curriculum can view the approved proposal on the Course Designer app of Cornell.
Innovative Learning
If you’re one of the 3,000 students across the university taking biology or physics at the College, you may be part of an innovative(创新的)classroom project that uses active learning, a new model that is proving to be the quickest path to expert-level mastery.
Your education at Cornell will extend far beyond the classroom. You can join a faculty member’s research team on campus, conduct field study research in different states or spend a semester with Cornell in Washington D C. You could study abroad in one of more than 85 countries or develop your own research project through independent study. Give yourself the freedom to explore.
1.If you want to plan your courses over the long run, you can use the ______.
A.Class Roster B.Courses of Study
C.Course Designer D.Career Center
2.For students involved in an innovative classroom project, they ______.
A.may study a new model
B.are on the quickest way to be experts
C.will get more freedom during research project
D.have advantages of studying outside the classroom
3.The article is probably taken from ______.
A.a college website B.a science report
C.a travel magazine D.an academic journal
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new paper published in Environmental Research Letters has some warning news for people living in the lower 48 states: You may be at risk from river flooding and not even know it until the water starts to rise.
In fact, the study, estimates of present and future flood risk in the United States, found that 41 million U. S. residents are at risk from flooding along rivers. That’s three times more than current estimates based on the flood maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , which primarily maps the areas at risk for 1-in-100-year floods in populous (人口众多的) river basins.
Why does the big difference come into being? As always, it’s all about the data. Generally, FEMA prioritizes risk-assessment areas based on their population; reserving expensive field-work methodologies (研究方法) for the more populous river basins, but many other rivers have not yet been mapped at all.
The size of the USA means that flood maps made in this way are incomplete. It would be too expensive and time-consuming to survey every river basin in America. The national-scale flood maps produced by FEMA leave the flood risk of many parts of the country unaccounted for.
For this research, scientists from The Nature Conservancy adopted a pioneering methodology that avoids the defects of the FEMA approach, where individual catchments (流域) are studied by making use of big data. The study used a new high-resolution model, produced by the flood-mapping organization Fathom, which copies floods on all rivers across the entire continental United States.
“We were all surprised by how many people are actually exposed to freshwater flooding in the USA,” said Oliver Wing, lead researcher on the study and a PhD student at the University of Bristol. “It’s particularly worrisome considering that most of these people aren’t even aware of the risk they face. This study helps fill that critical information gap.”
1.What did the new paper intend to tell readers?
A.The mistakes made by FEMA.
B.The serious situation of the flood.
C.The populous river basins of the USA.
D.The unseen risk of the flood in the USA.
2.Why is the map produced by FEMA incomplete?
A.It’s dangerous to research all the rivers.
B.The size of the USA is too big.
C.It ignores less populous rivers.
D.The efficiency of making it is low.
3.What does the underlined word “defects” in paragraph 5 mean?
A.Shortcomings. B.Potential.
C.Consumption. D.Contributions.
4.What attitude does Oliver Wing have to the study?
A.Critical. B.Supportive.
C.Cautious. D.Uncaring.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during a day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes an interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of strange,” Gray told the BBC. “They are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift-users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want — it’s your own little box. If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
Newcomers to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act quickly. Once in, for most people the rule is simple — look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts? “You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people, we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be considered to be threatening or strange, “The easiest way do this is avoid eye contact,” she said.
1.What is people’s response to the lift etiquette according to Gray?
A.Thinking much of it. B.Avoiding it on purpose.
C.Researching it continuously. D.Ignoring it unconsciously.
2.What does Gray think of riding a lift?
A.It’s funny and quick. B.It’s strange and dangerous.
C.It’s interesting but awkward. D.It’s convenient but boring.
3.What may most people do if they stay in the lift?
A.Talk loudly to each other. B.Keep still and silence.
C.Use mobile phones. D.Keep a close distance.
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To show how to ride each elevators.
B.To introduce some rules of elevator etiquette.
C.To show how to break awkwardness of riding lifts,
D.To analyze the reasons for keeping elevator etiquette.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I enjoy life because I am endlessly interested in people and their growth. My interest leads me to widen my knowledge of people, and this in turn makes me believe in the common goodness of mankind. I believe that the normal human heart is good since their birth. That is, it’s born sensitive and feeling eager to be approved and to approve, hungry for simple happiness and the chance to live.
Like Confucius, I am absorbed in the wonder of the earth, and the life on it. With a great faith in the human heart and its power to grow toward the light, I find here are reasons enough for hope and confidence in the future of mankind. The common sense of people will surely prove that mutual (相互的) support and cooperation are only sensible for the security and happiness of all. Such faith keeps me continually ready to do what one person can toward shaping the environment in which the human being can grow with freedom. This environment, I believe, is based upon the necessity for security and friendship.
I take heart in a promising fact that the future world will contain food supplies enough for the entire earth population. Our knowledge of medical science will be sufficient to improve the health of the whole human race. Our resources and education, if administered on a world scale, will lift the intelligence of the race.
Half a century ago, few people thought of world food, health and education. Many are thinking today of these things. Now I find my only questions about this: Are there enough people now who believe? Is there enough time left for the wise to act? It is a contest between ignorance and death, or wisdom and life. My faith in humanity stands firm.
1.What results in the author’s belief in people’s goodness?
A.His understanding of people. B.His desire for happiness.
C.His sensitive attitude to life. D.His kindness to people.
2.What should people do to build a secure and happy world?
A.Get ready to develop more friendship. B.Compete with others in everything.
C.Defeat others to get enough freedom. D.Help and cooperate with each other.
3.What does the author want to express in paragraph 3?
A.His demand for the present life. B.His expectation of the future world.
C.His belief in better environment. D.His hope of human relationships.
4.What may be the best title of the text?
A.Human Nature Is Good B.Believe in Ourselves
C.Live a Happy Life D.Help People in Need
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析