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The Puffing Billy Railway, located about 40km east of Melbourne, was constructed in the early 1900s to open up remote areas. The present line between Belgrave and Gembrook travels through the forests and farmlands of the magnificent Dandenong Ranges. Today, this non-profit Railway operates almost daily thanks to the tireless efforts of more than 900 dedicated volunteers.
General Information:
People with disabilities – can be accommodated on most excursion trains, including a limited number of wheelchairs. Please phone to check availability.
Easy access toilets are at Belgrave, Lakeside and Gembrook.
Refreshments and souvenirs – are available at most stations.
Railway Tracks – standing and walking on the tracks is not permitted.
Prams (婴儿车) – only folding or narrow type prams can be accommodated through the narrow carriage doors.
Smoking – is not permitted on the train or under any roofed areas.
Assistance Dogs certified by a registered authority – are the only dogs allowed on the train and must be kept on lead at all times.
Alcohol – is not permitted on trains (except as provided in dining cars).
Toilets – are located at each station. Parenting rooms are located at Belgrave, Lakeside & Gembrook.
Photographs and videos – for personal use are permitted. Wedding photography and any use, re-use or reproduction for commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission.
1.The above information is mainly intended for _____.
A.international tourists in Australia B.potential travellers of the steam trains
C.local residents in Dandenong Ranges D.volunteers on the Puffing Billy Railway
2.People are not permitted to bring _____ onto the excursion trains.
A.prams B.guide dogs
C.wheelchairs D.alcohol
3.What can be learned from the above information?
A.Taking photos is forbidden on most excursion trains.
B.Toilets for the disabled are not available at all stations.
C.Foreign visitors to Australia can also get concession fares.
D.One can get tickets at a lower price as long as he books in advance.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Mickey Mouse and Shrek are just a couple of the American animated (动画的) characters loved the world over. And they are examples of the evolution of animation, which has brought unique new life to the film industry.
Among the first American animated films was Light of the Moon, a silent movie produced in 1911 using silhouette (剪影) animation, where the characters are represented only as black silhouettes.
The real breakthrough for American animation came with Steamboat Willie, created by Walt Disney and released in 1928. It was the first animated film to be accompanied by sound, and its main star, Mickey Mouse, became one of the most loveable and enduring animated characters ever created. Disney also created the first American full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Released in 1937, it enjoyed worldwide box-office success.
Disney’s extremely careful attention to high-quality detail in the thousands of hand-painted drawings required at that time to make an animated film elevated this film technique to the level of a serious art form.
Clay animation is a type of stop-motion animation using forms made of clay. Clay animation films have been produced in the United States since 1908. But this form of animation only won wide popular appeal in 1955 with a short film called Gumbasia, created by Art Clokey.
Computer-generated imagery, or CGI, brought animation to a new level of artistry and realism. Used in film since the 1960s, CGI animation began to develop rapidly in the mid-1990s. Toy Story, released in 1995 and created by Pixar and Disney Studios, was the first completely computer-generated animated feature film.
In 2001, DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images released Shrek, the first computer-animated feature film to win an Oscar. Shrek returned in 2004 with his talking donkey, his princess bride Fiona and an army of fairy-tale characters in Shrek 2. Hugely popular, that film became the highest-grossing (票房最高的) animated film of all time.
In addition to strictly animated movies, animation has been mixed into films showing live actors as well. Who can forget the terrifyingly real dinosaurs thundering through Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park movies and the actors they chased? Thanks to the powerful capabilities of today’s computers and the unlimited imagination of American filmmakers, animation will be entertaining audiences worldwide for a long time to come.
1.The passage is mainly about the __________ of animation.
A.influence B.popularity
C.characters D.development
2.Which film marked the beginning of the complete digital age of American animation?
A.Light of the Moon. B.Steamboat Willie.
C.Toy Story. D.Shrek.
3.It can be learned from the passage that _______.
A.Jurassic Park movies involve only live actors
B.clay animation enjoys long-lasting popularity
C.computers make animated characters more lovely
D.Disney played a very important role in promoting animation
4.What can be inferred about the future of animation from the passage?
A.Animation will forever remain an essential form of entertainment.
B.Animation will be replaced by new forms of films in the near future.
C.Animation will continuously gain new life due to computers and imagination.
D.Animation will get more popular in the future for the developing film technology.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Blue Planet II's latest episode(一集) focuses on how plastic is having a disastrous effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench，have plastic in their stomachs. Indeed, the oceans are drowning in plastic．
Though it seems now that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics， plastics used by consumers are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s; the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining in popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science．
We put all these plastics into the environment and we still don't really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species，including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastic in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent．
And it's not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster, worth mentioning to the same degree as climate change. But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers （否认者）, at least so far. To do something about it, we don't have to remake our planet energy system．
This is not a problem where we don't know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage．Anyone can do it．We know how to dispose （处理） of it. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use plastic products. Things may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag. But when taken collectively, these choices really do make a difference．
1.Why is plastics pollution research still a very early science?
A.The plastics pollution research is too difficult．
B.Plastics have produced less pollution than coal．
C.The world couldn't possibly function without plastics．
D.Plastics have gained in popularity too fast for science to catch up．
2.How did the author support his opinion in Paragraph 3?
A.By statistics．
B.By quotations from leading experts．
C.By using examples from his own experience．
D.By comparison and contrast．
3.What can we infer about climate change ?
A.Climate change is caused by human activities．
B.Climate change is not as simple as ocean pollution．
C.Climate change is less important than ocean pollution．
D.Ocean plastic is more complicated than climate change．
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Ocean pollution is a global issue．
B.The oceans become choked with plastic．
C.Blue Planet II has left viewers heartbroken．
D.Plastics gain in popularity all over the world
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Tablets（平板电脑） are useful devices, but their big screens always make them as a burden to carry around without a bag. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a phone with the powers of a tablet that could be folded up and fit neatly into the hand? Now something like a tablet-shaped but foldable（可折叠的） phone is about to become available. In February, Samsung and Huawei both introduced foldable phones, the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X separately, to the public for the first time. Mobile phone use has entered the “foldable future”, the Verge noted.
The technology could change our lives in significant ways. These devices, due to their bendable screens, give us the larger screens we want but still fit easily into the pocket. The technology could change other devices too. For example, we could make TVs that stick to walls like posters, or fold up easily to hide away in drawers, which could help increase available space to the maximum. In a keynote address, Justin Denison, Samsung’s senior vice president, called the foldable screen “the basis for the smartphone of tomorrow”. “It’s a blank canvas (画布) for us to do something beautiful together,” he said.
So is there nothing to stand in the way of the foldable future? According to tech news website Android Authority, the necessary displays were difficult to produce. In 2012, nine out of ten foldable screens produced were defective or unusable. Today, that 10 percent rate has been improved to almost 90 percent. However, at present these foldable devices are expensive. For example, the price of Huawei Mate X is 17, 500 RMB. That's a price that few people will be able to afford.
But if the foldable device isn’t going to change the world overnight, there is no doubt that it is coming. Patrick Moorhead, an industry expert told The Verge, “Few are debating if foldable mobile displays are the future of smartphones; the only question is when and by whom.”
1.What do we know about foldable devices?
A.They are too big to fit into the pocket.
B.They could bring us much convenience.
C.They have become available in January.
D.They are a burden to carry around without a bag.
2.What can we learn from Denison’s words?
A.The foldable screen has great potential.
B.The technology could change other devices too.
C.There must be many problems with the technology.
D.The production of foldable phones will soon decrease.
3.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.complete B.proper
C.imperfect D.normal
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Types of foldable phones.
B.The coming of foldable devices.
C.Popular devices on the market.
D.Difficulties in producing foldable phones.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析