阅读理解。
Windmills(风车)dot the landscape,producing a renewable energy source.Our pioneer ancestors established windmills as a means of bringing water to the surface.To tell the truth,the history of wind energy is very long.Since early recorded history,people have been harnessing the energy of the wind.Wind energy drove boats along the Nile River as early as 5000 BC.By 200 BC,simple windmills in China were pumping water,while well-designed windmills were grinding(磨)grain in Persia and the Middle East.
New innovations and curiosity helped spread interest in windmills and wind power.Middle Eastern citizens used them for food production by the 11th century.Merchants along trade routes returned to Europe and shared the idea.Windmills caught on,especially in Holland,and the Dutch improved their use.Here,windmills drained lakes and other bodies of water.In France,the windmill pumped irrigation water.Elsewhere in Europe,windmills were used to grind grain.
By the 19th century,settlers in the United States realized the importance of the simple windmill.Pioneers pumped water for livestock(牲畜)and farming.As estimated six million windmills dotted America’s landscape by the end of the 1880s.Charles Brush,the US inventor,invented a windmill capable of producing electricity in 1888.And now the machines are called wind turbines.As late as the 1920s,Americans used small windmills to provide electricity in rural areas without electric service.When power lines began to transport electricity to rural areas in the 1930s,local windmills were used less and less,though they can still be seen on some Western farms.
In the 1970s,oil shortages pushed the development of alternative energy sources,paving the way for the re-entry of the windmill to produce electricity.In the early 1980s,wind energy really took off in California,partly because of State policies that encouraged renewable energy sources.In the 1990s,the push came from a renewed concern for the environment in response to scientific studies indicating potential changes to the global climate if the use of fossil fuels continues to increase.Wind energy is an economical power resource in many areas of the country.
Wind energy isn’t a new phenomenon,but using wind turbines to create and use electricity is a trend that continues to sweep across the globe.
1.The underlined word “harnessing” in Paragraph 1 is the closest in meaning to “ ”.
A.having influence on
B.controlling and using
C.talking about and studying
D.showing interest in
2.As for the application of windmills,Europe .
A.became well-known all over the world first
B.first began food production
C.increased trade activities with other places
D.followed the example of the Middle East
3.According to the passage,Charles Brush .
A.created the first electricity-producing machine in the world
B.first used windmills in the US
C.was a pioneer in producing electricity from wind
D.improved the economic strength in rural areas of the US
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.The importance of wind power
B.How does wind energy work?
C.The history of wind energy
D.When was wind power first used?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读理解。
Is it wrong to use someone else’s wireless(Wi-Fi) connection?Just recently,a man was arrested for doing just that.At that time,he was sitting in the street with a laptop(便携式电脑)and using an unsecured(无安全保护措施)wireless connection to surf the Net.What do you think about this topic?Listen to the following different views on it.
For a start,if someone is using your Internet service or downloading,this will affect your speed of access or download limit.Also,it’s bad for Internet service providers.They will suffer in the long run because fewer people will pay for an Internet service if they know they can get it for free.And finally,just imagine this:what if the person who is stealing your Internet connection is involved in an illegal activity?I think the police are totally right to arrest these criminals.
—by Sandra Wilkins
Basically,if the person who paid for the service still has everything they paid for,what’s the problem?It’s just like using the light from streetlamps to read your book,or watching someone else’s firework display.It’s not stealing.
Also,if you leave your wireless connection unsecured,then it is your own fault(过错)if someone else uses it.Just as you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked,or your car door open,neither should you leave your wireless connection open.By leaving your wireless connection open,you are inviting people to use it.Securing your wireless connection is as easy as clicking a few settings on your router(路由器).And finally,haven’t the police got more important crimes to solve?They’re always saying how they haven’t got the manpower to solve real issues.But this is just ridiculous(荒谬的).
—by James Hoarley
1.Why was the man mentioned in the first paragraph arrested?
A.For stealing someone’s laptop.
B.For surfing the Net in the street.
C.For using an Internet service without permission.
D.For destroying others’ wireless connection.
2.What does Sandra Wilkins think of people using others’ Internet service?
A.He thinks it is necessary sometimes.
B.He thinks it is unacceptable.
C.He thinks it requires good computer skills.
D.He thinks it is good for Internet service providers.
3.In James Hoarley’s opinion, .
A.Internet service should be improved
B.using others’ Internet service is not stealing at all
C.it is hard to secure one’s wireless connection
D.people should leave their wireless connection open
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Wireless worries B.Wireless connection
C.Internet service D.Internet users
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
七选五阅读。
Tips on How to Motivate a Team
Leadership is an art of making the work easier and more fun and motivating your team to succeed.If you want to get your team excited to face the next challenge,look through the following steps.
Set realistic goals. 1. For example,if you have a project that needs completing,create a chart that breaks the project into smaller goals so that,as they achieve each step,they can check it off and see themselves getting closer to completing the project.
2. So if it is somebody’s birthday or someone just got married or had a baby,make them feel special and important. 3.—do whatever is appropriate for the occasion,as long as you are respecting that person’s privacy.
Create social events outside of work.Motivate your team by not having everything be all about work,work,work. 4. Have members go out for lunch in groups every two weeks instead of everyone going separate ways,so people are more motivated to work hard because they’ll know each other better.
Be a good role model.As a person that each individual team member can look up to,you don’t have to be perfect,but you should be hard-working,reasonable,willing to communicate,and generally a smart,reliable employee. 5.
A.Make your team members feel recognized.
B.Get the team to work together.
C.Have monthly happy hours to let the members of your team relax a bit.
D.If you’re not showing the very quality that your team should possess,then why will they follow you?
E.Know what your team is capable of and provide a tool that shows their progress.
F.Email your best wishes and bring in a cake.
G.Get people walking around instead of over chat or email.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析