September can be a depressing month. The summer holidays are over, it’s time to go back to work or school and Christmas is four months away. However, for some people it’s the perfect time to get away.
These days more and more people are taking their holidays late in the year and for good reasons. Holidays in autumn can be cheaper, the resorts are less crowded and the weather isn’t as extreme as it is in the summer. So, where are the best places to go? Here are our top tips.
Sardinia (in Italy) has an average temperature of 27℃ in September. It also has “Autunno in Barbagia” (Autumn in Barbagia) a series of festivals that take place in 27 villages in Barbagia, a mountainous region of inland Sardinia. The festivals continue from September to December, so there’s always something happening. There are street markets, craft workshops and there’s lots of eating and drinking (This is Italy, after all).
Dubrovnik Croatia has become very popular in summer but it’s quieter and more pleasant once the crowds have left. The weather is still warm but less humid. You can take a ferry to the popular beaches on the islands of Sunj and enjoy it with locals.
Dahab Egypt, is extremely hot in the summer with temperatures up to 38℃. However, the autumn is cooler while the sea is still warm. This makes Dahab the perfect place for snorkeling and windsurfing. There are also interesting historical sites to visit such as the Coloured Canyon, with its dramatic rock formations, and St Catherine’s Monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Kas is a relaxed fishing village on the Lycian coast in southern Turkey. There are plenty of things to do and the temperature has dropped (so you can actually enjoy doing them!) Kas is a good place to stay if you want to walk part of the Lycian way: a long-distance footpath that stretches for 500km from Fethiye to Antalya through the ancient land of Lycia. There are also watersports, of course. The best time to go diving is supposed to be after the first rains of autumn (usually between late September and early October) when the fish become most active.
Marrakech Morocco is another good destination. The city itself is a fascinating place to spend a few days. When you have had enough of that, go to Tigmi, a beautiful hill town about 20 kilometers away. There’s a hammam (a Turkish bath) and a large heated pool, which makes it the perfect place to relax.
Wherever you go this autumn – have fun!
1.Here are the good reasons for people to take holidays in autumn except that _______.
A. Holidays in autumn can be cheaper
B. the scenery in autumn is more attractive
C. the resorts in autumn are less crowded
D. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold
2.We can infer from Paragraph 3 that _______________.
A. visitors can take part in a series of festivals in October in Barbagia
B. Barbagia in Egypt is surrounded by mountains
C. the festivals continue from September to November
D. the temperature in Sardinia in September is always below 27℃
3.For someone who enjoys walking, __________ is the best choice.
A. Kas B. Marrakech C. Dahab D. Dubrovnik
4.Which of the following places may not be close to sea?
A. Dubrovnik B. Dahab C. Kas D. Marrakech
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
My friend got married. His mother carried two bags of cotton from the countryside by bus and train to his city. After arriving at the city, there was still a long way to his house without any bus passing by the house. His mother walked to his home breathlessly for 40 minutes without taking a taxi in order to save money.
My friend felt bitter as well as funny at his mother’s deeds. He pointed to the cashmere and silk quilts and said, “So long as you have money, you can buy anything in the supermarket. There is no need for you to carry so much cotton here in such a long way.”
But his mother insisted and said, “The cotton of this year is light and warmth-keeping. Have a try and you will know!”
Maybe every parent is the same, caring for their children with stubborn love without caring about whether they know or like it.
This early spring, I went to visit my grandmother. We had dry beans stew (炖菜), eggplant salad bar, sauce radish (酱萝卜条)for our dinner, all of which were dried by my grandmother last autumn and tasted wonderful. I loved the dishes to my heart’s content and could not help praising them again and again.
After a few days, my grandmother, who seldom visited us, came to my home and unpacked her bag, smilingly taking out bags of dried eggplants, dried beans and dried vegetable. She told me that I left so hastily last time that she forgot to give me some of these foods, so she took this chance to bring me what I liked.
I was speechless at that time. Due to my casual complimentary her food, my grandmother, a nearly 70-year-old lady, by taking three buses from the west of the city to the east, came to my home with the food I liked. But she was bus-sick in life and even seldom went strolling in the street.
My pretty girlfriend had a failed marriage in the past. After divorce, her parents shed the deepest protection and care to her by helping her attend to the child and offering financial aids. Her parents’ love made her pull herself together and forgot the man who had hurt her before.
Nonetheless, her father, an honest and upright old man, after hearing his ex-son-in-law got promoted in his company, felt terrifically irritated and went to his company to question his boss why a philandering man with corrupt conducts could get promoted. The whole office fell into a mess immediately and many staff just watched on the sidelines. Some people even whispered lightly, "It is a new era now and the relationship between men and women is very open. No one would care about that anymore!"
The old man stood silently in the office with his hands shivering and eyes tearing.
That night, my girlfriend cried heavily in front of me. I asked her whether it was her father’s stupid deeds that made her feel humiliated. But she said that she felt guilty for her dad and that though the rest of the whole world betrayed her, her old father would still back her up and help her get the justice she deserved, just as when she was young and the neighboring boy grabbed her ball, her father would get it back for her. However, this changed world was no longer the stage for her old father and his deeds became funnily obsolete. No one managed to see the real and ever-lasting love to his daughter behind his seemingly rude behaviors.
Now we have grown up so much so that we could support our family and have our own children. But in our parents’ heart, they are still worried that we do not have sufficient quilts and dried vegetables. They would not feel troubled to bring all these to us regardless of long tough journey. They even would not like us to suffer a bit and try all means to protect us without caring about whether what they do is awkward and stupid or not.
Who in the world would love us so deeply and relentlessly without asking for any repay? Only our parents!
1.What does the author want to tell us?
A. The love from our parents is real and deep though sometimes it doesn't appear so.
B. The love from our parents is awkward sometimes, which is rather annoying.
C. Children should appreciate parents' love because their life is so hard.
D. The world is changing so the love of parents should change too.
2.The underlined world "humiliate" in the eleventh paragraph means ________.
A. guilty B. moved C. happy D. ashamed
3.How many examples of older generation’s love are mentioned in the passage?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. four
4.After the author's girlfriend's former husband got promoted, her father _____.
A. congratulated him
B. made his daughter marry him again
C. had a quarrel with him
D. argued with his boss
5.From the passage we can learn the author's grandmother is ___________.
A. upright and honest B. loving and troublesome
C. thoughtful and careful D. generous and active
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet (he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”
1.The author finally hired David because________.
A. there were no other workers in the shop then
B. he needed someone who was willing to work then
C. David kept showing up
D. he realized David was dependable
2.We can infer from the last paragraph that_______.
A. the author feels lucky to hire David
B. David has had his character changed through work
C. the author prefers David to be more outgoing
D. some customers just play jokes on David
3.The author gave David an interview to _______.
A. find a person who is reliable
B. find a part-time worker in need
C. give him some practice
D. show sympathy for him
4.The author’s tone in describing David is full of ______.
A. pity B. wonder
C. disappointment D. appreciation
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
(题文)A build-it-yourself solar still(蒸馏器) is one of the best ways to obtain drinking water in areas where the liquid is not readily available. Developed by two doctors in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s an excellent water collector. Unfortunately, you must carry the necessary equipment with you, since it’s all but impossible to find natural substitutes. The only components required, though, are a 5'×
5' sheet of clear or slightly milky plastic, six feet of plastic tube, and a container — perhaps just a drinking cup — to catch the water. These pieces can be folded into a neat little pack and fastened on your belt.
To construct a working still, use a sharp stick or rock to dig a hole four feet across and three feet deep. Try to make the hole in a damp area to increase the water catcher’s productivity. Place your cup in the deepest part of the hole. Then lay the tube in place so that one end rests all the way in the cup and the rest of the line runs up — and out — the side of the hole.
Next, cover the hole with the plastic sheet, securing the edges of the plastic with dirt and weighting the sheet’s center down with a rock. The plastic should now form a cone(圆锥体) with 45-degree-angled sides. The low point of the sheet must be centered directly over, and no more than three inches above, the cup.
The solar still works by creating a greenhouse under the plastic. Ground water evaporates (蒸发) and collects on the sheet until small drops of water form, run down the material and fall off into the cup. When the container is full, you can suck the refreshment out through the tube, and won’t have to break down the still every time you need a drink.
What does the underlined phrase "the water catcher" in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The tube. B. The still.
C. The hole. D. The cup.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The surface of Venus(金星)has never seemed very hospitable. Temperatures change around 470°C(900°F), the result of a runway greenhouse effect,and the pressure of its atmosphere, thick with carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid, is some 90 times that of Earth’s. Lead(铅)would flow like water on Venus, and water cannot have existed in liquid form for perhaps a billion years.
Now NASA’S Magellan spacecraft seems to have found one more horror in the nasty landscape: active volcanoes. Last week the space agency released the first detailed map of Venus and the most dramatic images ever made of its surface. The picture offer the best evidence to date that a planet once assumed dead is actually a lively pot of geological change.
The most amazing image is of Venus’s second tallest mountain, Maat Mons, which rises 8km(5 miles) . Most of the planet’s many peaks, including 9.5-km-(6-mile-) high Maxwell Montes, look bright in the radar pictures Magellan takes from its orbit above the permanent could cover. That means they are strong reflectors of radar waves. But Maat Mons is dark; like the Stealth bomber, it absorbs much of the radar falling on it.
This interesting fact, say project scientists, is a strong hint that the mountains has recently been covered with lava(^§S). Rock that sits on the surface of mountaintops appears to weather quickly in the hot,chemically reactive atmosphere, creating a soil that is rich in iron sulfide(硫 化铁)• It is this mineral, the scientists believe, that can easily be seen on radar. If Maat Mons doesn’t have any, it has probably been resurfaced, perhaps within the past few years.
Such resurfacing has undoubtedly taken place in Venus lowlands: earlier images of the planet showed vast areas that are remarkably free of craters(火山坑).That would be easy to explain on a Planet like Earth, where cratering from meteor strikes is erased by steady erosion. But while there is some evidence of wind erosion on Venus, the best explanation for the lack of cratering is periodic lava flow. Magellan has found direct evidence of such flows, including domelike upwellings and hardened streamed of rock trailing down the sides of Venusian peaks. There are also signs of other geologic activities, including dramatic faulting and several distinct incidents of mountain building. But the evidence can’t indicate whether they really occurred millions of years ago. The case for active Venusian volcanoes is not yet proved, but Magellan, which is now well into its second complete survey of the planet’s surface, may eventually settle the issue.
1.Which of the following can not be possibly found on Venus now?
A. Carbon dioxide B. Sulfuric acid
C. Liquid water D. Active volcanoes
2.The scientists believe that shows up easily on radar.
A. geological change B. iron sulfide
C. mountain mineral D. lava flow
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The resurfacing has changed the images of the vast areas in Venus lowlands.
B. The wind erosion on Venus is caused by periodic lava flows
C. Streams of rock trailing down the side of Venusian peaks can be seen on Earth
D. Other geologic activities have caused dramatic and unbelievable climate phenomena.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. NASA’S Magallan spacecraft fails to stand the environment of Venus.
B. There is clear and confirmed evidence for the active Venusian volcanoes on Venus.
C. Some evidence of periodic lava flows has been found by NASA astronauts.
D. Magellan will conduct a follow-up complete survey of the Venus,surface.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
As a child, visiting the zoo was more a punishment than a treat. I didn’t find the chimps’ tea parties funny, nor the bird shows entertaining. Feeding time for seals was less painful, but their performances still seemed like they belonged more in a circus.
And I hated circuses, especially the animal acts — men teasing lions, girls balancing on elephants and monkeys playing football. I knew that every trick a circus animal did was unnatural, achieved through strict training and quite possibly cruelty.
Happily, during my lifetime public attitudes and the law have changed. Circuses using wild animals are now almost extinct, and zoos have definitely evolved.
When my children were young, I occasionally took them to our local zoo. The elephants were in tiny cages and the gorillas looked bored as they sat peeling bananas and staring at teasing visitors. Each cage had a sign which listed the animal’s name and where it came from. But, back then, there was little information included about the environmental challenges they faced.
As a result, environmentalists and animal lovers often oppose zoos. “Animals belong in the wild,” is a common — and understandable — complaint. But what do the animals themselves prefer?
Generally speaking, zoo animals have a longer life. But — you may protest — they are not free. What? Free to be hunted and killed, free to die of hunger or thirst? Maybe sitting in a cage eating bananas isn’t so bad.
Not that such conditions are acceptable in modern zoos, due to the work of BIAZA, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. These days every zoo requires BIAZA’s approval to operate, and the association sets the standards, observes conditions in zoos and develops animal-research programmes, both in the UK and abroad. BIAZA also organises the animal exchanges between zoos all over the world.
Consequently, today, most zoo animals are born and raised in zoos, live in large, comfortable enclosures and are cared for by well-trained, knowledgeable and caring zoo employees. Of course it’s no substitute for living in the wild but unfortunately this isn’t always possible. Meanwhile, why not visit your local zoo and decide for yourself?
1.The passage is mainly about __________.
A. how zoos have improved
B. whether a zoo should be closed down
C. a new environmental organisation
D. the difference between zoos and circuses
2.From Paragraph 2, we can guess that the writer believes circus animals __________.
A. had much shorter lives than those in the wild
B. were not treated well by their trainers
C. should have been placed in zoos
D. were not as intelligent as those in zoos
3.Which of the following roles are performed by BIAZA?
A. Organising animal study projects and training zoo workers.
B. Checking zoo conditions and arranging animal exchanges.
C. Designing zoos and approving zoo operations.
D. Caring for ill animals and setting zoo standards.
4.Which of the following statements about zoos would the writer agree with?
A. Zoo animals should be freed into the wild.
B. Zoos are more popular now than in the past.
C. Zoo animals are more restricted than in the past.
D. Zoos now provide caring living conditions for animals.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
For many people, leisure time is an opportunity to get outdoors, have some fun and meet interesting people. Add two pieces of advanced 21st century technology — global positioning system (GPS) devices and the Internet — to get “geocaching”.
The word geocaching comes from “geo” (earth) and “cache” (hidden storage). Geocachers log onto a website to find information about the location of a cache — usually a waterproof plastic box containing small items such as toys and CDs — along with a notebook where “finders” can enter comments and learn about the cache “owner”, the person who created and hid the cache. Finders may take any of the items in the cache but are expected to replace them with something of similar value. They then visit the website again and write a message to the owner.
Geocaching became possible on May 1, 2000, when a satellite system developed by the U.S. Department of Defense was made public. Using an inexpensive GPS device, anyone on earth can send a signal to the satellites and receive information about their position. This is basically a high-tech version of orienteering, the traditional pastime which uses maps and compasses instead of GPS to determine one’s location.
Geocachers are a very considerate group. Owners carefully choose a cache’s location to give finders an enjoyable experience, such as a beautiful view or a good campsite. They also consider the environmental impact of their cache since it could result in an increased number of visitors to an area. As for the content of the caches, owners and finders must only use items that are suitable for the whole family, as caches are found by geocachers of all ages.
1.According to the passage, geocaching is __________.
A. an outdoor leisure activity
B. a new type of technology
C. a game used to teach geography
D. a program to protect environment
2.How can finders learn about the cache owners?
A. By meeting them. B. By going to a website.
C. From the notebook. D. From the satellite.
3.Which of the following is NOT used in geocaching?
A. A GPS device. B. A compass.
C. A plastic container. D. The Internet.
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Most geocachers are adults.
B. Any item can be placed in the caches.
C. The caches should be put in a remote place.
D. Geocachers try to avoid damaging the environment.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
China has more than 30 intangible cultural heritage(非物质文化遗产) recognized by the UNESCO, including paper-cutting, the Dragon Boat Festival, Peking Opera, acupuncture(针灸) and so on. The organization adopted a decision that China’s “The Twenty-Four Solar Terms”(二十四节气) should be put on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016 in Ethiopia.
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms, knowledge of time and practices in agriculture, starts from the beginning of Spring and ends with the Greater Cold, moving in cycles. It developed through thee observation of the sun’s annual movement in China. In ancient time, the method of tugui, earth sundial(日暑), was used to measure the shadow of the sun for determining the solar terms.
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms came into being and developed in close relationship with Chinese agricultural production. At the initial(最初的) stage of agricultural development, people began to explore the seasonal rules in the agricultural production to meet the needs in seeding, harvesting and other activities. Gradually, they formed the concept of “seed in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn and store in winter”. During the spring and autumn periods, the agricultural production was highly influenced by the seasonal changes, thus forming the concept of Solar Terms.
As a traditional Chinese knowledge system of time with a history of thousands of years, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms clearly expresses the concepts of respect for nature, and harmony between man and nature. Created by Chinese ancestors, it has functioned as a complete set of weather calendar(日历) to guide the agricultural production in China. It has also been introduced into North Korea, Japan and other neighboring countries and still used in Japan. The Chinese heritage has provably influenced the people’s way of thinking and behaving and will continue to be an important carrier of Chinese cultural identity.
1.According to the first two paragraphs, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms______.
A. was used to measure the shadow of the sun
B. has not been listed as one intangible cultural heritage of humanity
C. repeats from the Beginning of Spring to the Greater Cold every year
D. is the best intangible cultural heritage recognized by the UNESCO
2.We can learn from the text that _______ in China in the past.
A. the Twenty-Four Solar Terms only influenced spring and autumn
B. the Twenty-Four Solar Terms had something to do with agriculture
C. people cared about the changes of weather just for fun
D. agricultural production highly influenced the seasonal changes
3.We can infer from the text that the Twenty-Four Solar Terms _______.
A. is an agricultural calendar merely used in China
B. is strongly influenced by North Korea and Japan
C. is scarcely connected with natural rules
D. is part of traditional Chinese culture
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
It’s generally believed that people act the way they do because of their personalities and attitudes. They recycle their garbage because they care about the environment. They pay $5 for a caramel brulee latte because they like expensive coffee drinks.
It’s undeniable that behavior comes from our inner dispositions(性情), but in many instances we also draw inferences about who we are, as suggested by the social psychologist Daryl Bern, by observing our own behavior. We can be strangers to ourselves. If we knew our own minds, why should we need to guess what our preferences are from our behavior? If our minds were an open book, we would know exactly how much we care about the environment or like lattes. Actually, we often need to look to our behavior to figure out who we are.
Moreover, we don’t just use our behavior to learn about our particular types of character --- we infer characters that weren’t there before. Our behavior is often shaped by little pressures around us, which we fail to recognize. Maybe we recycle because our wives and neighbors would disapprove if we didn’t. Maybe we buy lattes in order to impress the people around us. We should not mistakenly believe that we always behave as a result of some inner disposition.
Whatever pressures there can be or inferences one can make, people become what they do, though it may not be in compliance(符合)with their true desires. Therefore, we should all bear in mind Kurt Vonnegut’s advice: “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
1.According to the passage, personalities and attitudes are commonly believed to _______.
A. determine one’s behavior B. reflect one’s taste
C. influence one’s surroundings D. result from one’s habits
2.Which of the following would Daryl Bern most probably agree with?
A. The return of a wallet can indicate one’s honesty.
B. A kind person will offer his seat to the old.
C. One recycles plastics to protect the environment.
D. One buys latte out of love of coffee.
3.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in the passage?
A. We fail to realize our inner dispositions.
B. We can be influenced by outside pressures.
C. Our behavior is the result of our true desires.
D. Our characters can shape our social relationships.
4.What does the author mainly discusses in the passage?
A. Personalities and attitudes. B. Preferences and habits.
C. Behavior and personalities. D. Attitudes and preferences.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states—at least in getting people off welfare.It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the list since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare list in Athens County have been cut in half.But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $ 6 an hour.The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent —twice the national average.For advocates(代言人) for the poor, that's an indication that much more needs to be done.
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.A center analysis of US Census data (户口普查资料) nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed families were earning money on their own, but that average income for these families actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory."Welfare was a poison.It was a poisonous substance that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst."The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income communities.It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic (道德观), which is much more important."
Mr.Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
1..From the passage, it can be seen that the author ____________.
A.believes the reform has reduced the government's burden
B.insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor
C.is not interested in the success of welfare reform
D.considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful
2.. Why aren't people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
A.Because many families end their marriage.
B.Because government aid is now rare.
C.Because their wages are still low.
D.Because the cost of living is rising.
3..From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at____.
A.saving welfare funds B, rebuilding the work ethic
C.providing more jobs D.cutting government expenses
4.According to the passage,____ before the welfare reform was carried out.
A.the poverty rate was lower
B.average living standards were higher
C.the average worker was paid higher-wages
D.the poor used to rely on government aid
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析