-
Connie Monroe clicks a button, flicks her wrist and watches as her neighborhood floods. The shorelines are first to go. Then, the baseball fields at Fleming Park. By the time seawater reaches the senior center, it has flooded streets and over a dozen brick homes. Monroe moves her head up and down, side to side, taking in the simulated (仿真的) view. This is what could happen to Turner Station, a historic African American community southeast of Baltimore, as sea levels rise.
Climate change presents many challenges to coastal communities and to those trying to prepare for its impacts, but one of the most basic is also one of the most vexing: How do you show people and convince them of a possible future?
Communicating the realness and immediacy of the climate threat is hugely important to climate researchers and those aiming to lessen its causes. But it's also the most important to communities faced with coming changes that are already unavoidable. These projects need public support and input. That's why Monroe and other residents (居民) are being directed to sit in metal chairs, put on virtual reality headsets and watch their homes flood.
Turner Station, a community which gets flooded easily, is trying to prepare. It has partnered with the Port of Baltimore, a few nonprofits and a local landscape architecture firm to adopt a range of tools and ways to communicate climate change to the public, because every person is different and every place is different.
The virtual reality program is only the most recent, and perhaps the most effective step. Virtual reality is an immersive experience that can trick the human brain into thinking it's real. But tricking people is not the goal of the sea level rise simulation being used at Turner Station, says Juiano Calil, one of the program's developers. ''The goal, '' he says, ''is to start a conversation and help folks visualize the impacts of climate change and the solutions, and also discuss the trade-offs between them. ''
1.Who is Monroe?
A.A coastal community citizen. B.A climate researcher.
C.An architect. D.AVR program developer.
2.What does the underlined word ''vexing'' mean in paragraph 2?
A.Bothersome. B.Dramatic.
C.Original. D.Convincing.
3.Why is VR technology employed here?
A.It can cut down the risks of climate change.
B.It can show severe results of climate change.
C.It can introduce technology to the residents.
D.It can predict the climate change accurately.
4.What is the purpose of the program?
A.To trick more people to believe.
B.To win the residents’cooperation.
C.To advocate the application of VR.
D.To inform the residents of the solutions.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
-
Connie Monroe clicks a button, turns her wrist and watches as her neighborhood floods. The reed-covered shorelines are first to go. Then, the baseball fields at Fleming Park. By the time seawater reaches the senior center, it has covered streets, flooding more than a dozen complexes that she can see.
Monroe moves her head up and down, side to side, taking in the simulated (模拟的) view. This is what could happen to Turner Station, a historic African American community, as sea levels rise.
“Everything’s underwater. The school is underwater. Our house is underwater,” Monroe says. A frown (皱眉) forms below the virtual reality headset. “Is the water really supposed to get that high?”
Climate change presents many challenges to coastal communities, but one of the most worrisome problems is: how do you show people — and convince them — of a possible future?
“It’s one thing to hear or read the news that sea levels could rise as high as 7 feet in Maryland by the end of the century under worst-case situations, but it’s another to imagine what that will look like in your own backyard,” says Jackie Specht, the coastal science program manager. “And if it’s hard to imagine, it’s hard to face and prioritize.”
Communicating the realness and immediacy of the climate threat is important to climate researchers and those aiming to prevent its causes. But it’s also paramount to communities faced with coming changes that are already unavoidable.
Climate projects need public support and input. That’s why Monroe and other residents at this recent community meeting are being directed to sit in metal chairs, put on virtual reality headsets and watch their homes flood.
Virtual reality is an immersive (沉浸式的) experience that can trick the human brain into thinking it’s real. But tricking people is not the goal of the sea level rise simulation being used at Turner Station, says Juliano Calil, one of the program’s developers.
The goal, he says, “is to help folks visualize the impacts of climate change and the solutions, and also discuss the trade-off between them.”
1.What would you see in Turner Station as sea levels rise?
A.Shorelines covered by reeds. B.Baseball fields used as parks.
C.Streets blocked with bricks. D.Buildings drowned in water.
2.What does Jackie Specht suggest in Paragraph 5?
A.People are relatively safer in their backyards.
B.People don’t feel on the scene through the news.
C.The severity of disaster is beyond imagination.
D.The sea level is bound to rise 7 feet in Maryland.
3.Why is the virtual reality experience provided in the community meeting?
A.To prove climate threat. B.To seek public backing.
C.To help scientific research. D.To introduce VR technology.
4.Which of the following best explains the underlined words “the trade-off” in the last paragraph?
A.The balance. B.The conflict.
C.The business. D.The similarity.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
For photographers lacking training, experience and even the ability to click a shutter button, they produce remarkable pictures．Under the sea, deep in the woods and high in the sky, furry, feathery and leathery-skinned creatures are opening up vistas（远景）by taking cameras where no human can go．
This is the world of animal-borne imagine celebrated last month at a conference sponsored(supported) by the National Geographic Society for the 20th anniversary of its Crittercam, the device that started it all．
Since its debut（首次公开露面）in 1987 on the back of a turtle, the Crittercam and similar devices developed by others have grown smaller and more powerful．
“It’s more than just a camera now,” said Greg Marshall, the marine biologist and now filmmaker who invented the Crittercam．“We are now including more instruments to gather more data while at the same time reducing everything in size．”
The idea of attaching video cameras to animals came to Mr．Marshall in 1986 on a dive off Belize when a shark apporached him．When the animal quickly turned away, he noticed a shark with a sucker fish on its belly．He came up with the idea that putting a camera in place of the sucker fish would allow people to witness the shark’s behavior without disturbing it．
Crittercams have been attached to sharks, sea lions and other marine animals, and, more recently, to land animals．
Birds are a new addition, Mr．Marshall said．Dr．Christian Rutz of Oxford recently reported on tiny cameras called feathercams that monitor the crows in the South Pacific．It has discovered that crows are smarter than anyone knew they not only use twigs（嫩枝）and grass stems as tools to root out food, but they also save their favorite tools to use again．
Tracey L．Rogers, director of the Australian Marine Mammal Research Center in Sydney, said crittercam was a powerful tool in her work with leopard seals（豹斑海豹）in Antarctica．“In studying animals,” Dr．Rogers said at the meeting, “you want to see how our animal models align（与……一致）with reality．With a camera, you actually see what they do．You don’t have to guess．”
1.What’s the text mainly about?
A．The advantages of crittercam．
B．The development of Crittercams in the past 20 years．
C．How crittercam was invented．
D．How crittercam works．
2. What inspired Marshall to invent crittercam?
A．The sight of sucker fish clinging to a shark on a dive．
B．The thought of how to photograph animals better．
C．Noticing a shark eating a sucker fish on a dive．
D．Seeing a shark with a camera on its belly on a dive．
3. According to Dr．Rogers, crittercam ____．
A．can clear up all your doubts about animals
B．is the most powerful tool in studying animals
C．enabled her to observe the crows in the South Pacific closely
D．helped a lot with her research on leopard seals in Antarctica
4. All of the following are improvements of crittercams EXCEPT that ____．
A．the size is becoming smaller
B．more instruments are involved to gather more data
C．they allow researchers to see where and how animals live
D．they are able to be applied to smaller animals such as birds
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
______ there was no bandage available, she tore off her sleeve and tied it around his wrist a little above the bleeding point ______ him from losing too much blood.
A．For; to save
B．Because; saving
C．Since; save
D．As; to save
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Local 10 Third EARTH Day Art Contest
Open only to Florida schools within the Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward County viewing area.
Local 10 is inviting South Florida art teachers and students, from grades K-12, to participate in its third annual EARTH Day Art Contest.
In the last two years, the popular, environmentally-centered contest has recognized two schools, Air Base K-8 in Homestead and Lawton Chiles Middle School in Hialeah, for their winning entries and awarded a total of $9,000 to the schools’ art programs.
As part of a class project, art students are encouraged to create a work of art with an environmental theme. The entry must be novel and unique. To enter the class project into the contest, the art teacher representing their students and schools must go to www. loca110. com, click on the contest link to enter and submit a photo of the class’s innovative EARTH Day work of art. The art teacher must fill out an entry form, giving school name, teacher name and class, address, email address and phone number. Only paintings and sculptures are eligible. Special consideration will be given to works of art featuring materials taken from nature.
Local 10 will determine the ten finalists. The final winner will be chosen from among the finalists by viewer votes on the Internet. Photos and entry forms may be submitted online from February 3,2020，until 11:59 p.m. March 9,2020. The voting period is from March 23,2020，through April 13,2020. Only timely submitted entries will be eligible to win. The winning school will be announced on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22 and will receive $4,500 in art supplies for their school’s art department.
For more information, click here. The Local 10 EARTH Day Art Contest is proudly sponsored by Publix, where every day is Earth Day.
1.According to the rule, the entry must be .
A.attractive B.original C.classic D.portable
2.What is the art teacher expected to do?
A.To complete an entry form. B.To create a work of art.
C.To submit his / her photo. D.To offer kids art supplies.
3.How will the final winner be determined?
A.By Local 10. B.By art teachers.
C.By the sponsor. D.By online voting.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
-
The palm - forward (掌心向外) "V" sign, formed by raising and spreading the wrist two fingers, has three different meanings in American culture.
The most popular meaning of the "V" sign was invented in 1941 by a Belgian, Victor De Lavalaye. Wanting a symbol for resistance to the Nazi occupation, he came up with the single letter "V", which stood not only for his own first name, but also for English victory, Flemish virijheid, and French victoire. The symbolism of the sign spread very quickly, and Winston Churchill used it constantly in public appearance. Thus throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the gesture meant simply" victory " .
The second meaning came in the 1960s. Because of its military implication, American antiwar protestors used the sign sarcastically (讽刺地) against the arms, so that it became known as the "peace sign". In the 1970s, the "W' sign, which had lost its military implication, was a common greeting among freedom lovers , acid heads, political radicals, and ultimately, young people in general. So by about the middle of the 1970s, it no longer gave clue to the user's philosophy.
The third meaning is the oldest and least common. American children jokingly put " V" , which resembles "horns", behind friends-heads in group snapshot. They are unknowingly reproducing something that southern Europeans would find highly offensive. This mischief, called "horns of the Devil", is a variant of the European "horns" gesture, which is obscene （猥亵的). Here the "w' sign means "Your wife has been cheating on you or, when placed behind another's head, his wife has been cheating on him. "
In the United States, the gesture is typically given with the palm facing the viewer. The British use both this version and an older, palm - backward version ; the latter is obscene in American culture, and corresponds to the American "finger". Churchill got some surprised stares in 1941 when, evidently unaware of the mean usage, he gave the palm - backward "V" to British troops. In England today you could have to be a social hermit not to understand the distinction. Astonishingly, however, Margaret Thatcher repeated Churchill's error after her victory in the 1979 election.
1.What's the most popular meaning of the "V" sign?
A. Victory, B. Peace.
C. Cheat. D. Freedom.
2.Why did Churchill get some surprised stares according to the last paragraph?
A. He was proud of his troops.
B. He had wanted to be a hermit.
C. He wasn't insensible of the mean usage of the "V" sign.
D. He wanted to show congratulations to British troops.
3.What can be learned from the text?
A. The "V" sign simply means victory since 1941.
B. The "V" sign meaning peace was invented by a Belgian.
C. Thatcher made the same error as Churchill after her successful election.
D. American antiwar protestors used the sign to greet among freedom lovers.
4.What can we conclude from the passage?
A. It's never too old to learn.
B. Think well before you speak.
C. Actions speak louder than words.
D. Try to know culture diversity fully and regionally.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Paul fell down and broke his wrist，____________ was a pity．
A．which B．what C．that D．it
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
The Healing
Jim and his wife, Connie, were shocked by the loss of their four-month-old son—Joshua, whose life was taken by SIDS—sudden infant death syndrome.
Thirty hours ago, Jim drove to the baby-sitter’s home to ________ Joshua. It was a ________ trip, like the one he made five days every week. He arrived, and little Joshua could not be ________ from his nap. The next few hours were a time of life and death: the racing ambulance, swift-moving doctors and nurse. But 12 hours later, at Children’s Hospital, ________ the doctors had exhausted（用尽） all ________, little Joshua was gone. Yes, they wanted ________ of Joshua’s usable organs to be donated. That was not a ________ decision for Jim and Connie, a loving and ________ couple.
The next morning dawned and many things had to be arranged. Telephone calls and funeral plans. ________ one point Jim realized he needed a ________.When Jim settled into the chair ________ the barber’s, he began to ________ the past hours, trying to ________ some sense of it all. ________ had Joshua, their first-born, the child they had waited so long for, been taken so soon….He had ________ begun his life. The question kept coming, and the pain in Jim’s heart just ________ him.
While talking with the barber, Jim mentioned the organ donations, looking at his watch, “They are transplanting one of his heart valves（瓣膜）right now.”
The ________ stopped and stood motionless. Finally she spoke, but it was only a whisper. “You’re not going to believe this. But about an hour ago the customer sitting in this chair wanted me to hurry ________ she could get to Children’s Hospital. She ________ here so full of joy. Her prayers had been answered. Today her baby granddaughter is receiving a ________ needed transplant—a heart valve.”
Jim’s healing began.
1.A. pick out B. pick up C. set out D. set up
2.A. routine B. annual C. average D. difficult
3.A. called B. disturbed C. awakened D. survived
4.A. though B. since C. because D. as
5.A. medicine B. strength C. attempts D. spirits
6.A. part B. few C. some D. wise
7.A. giving B. tiring C. boring D. thinking
8.A. Of B. In C. On D. At
9.A. haircut B. break C. donation D. decision
10.A. with B. at C. by D. near
11.A. decide on B. reflect on C. keep on D. focus on
12.A. get B. take C. hold D. make
13.A. How B. Why C. Whether D. If
14.A. barely B. nearly C. seldom D. almost
15.A. covered B. drew C. enveloped D. choked
16.A. hairdresser B. customer C. father D. parent
17.A. since B. as C. so D. and
18.A. arrived B. left C. stayed D. sat
19.A. desperately B. deadly C. clearly D. obviously
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
1.Which buttons directly control the movement of the Rocket Ball?
A. LAUNCH and FLIPPERS B. STAR and FLIPPERS
C. START/PAUSE and FLIPPERS D. LAUNCH and SELECT
2.The most action-packed variation would be__________.
A. Game One with a blue star B. Game Two with a black star
C. Game One with a yellow star D. Game Two with a red star
3.Rocket Ball could be best described as a game of__________.
A. space voyage B. quick response
C. skills & strength D. scientific knowledge
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Have you ever pressed the pedestrian button at a crosswalk and wondered if it really worked? They’re called “placebo(安慰剂）buttons”一buttons that mechanically sound and can be pushed，but provide no functionality.
In New York City, only about 100 of the 1, 000 crosswalk buttons actually function. Crosswalk signals were generally installed before traffic jam had reached today’s levels.
But while their function was taken over by more advanced systems—such as automated lights or traffic sensors — the physical buttons were often kept, rather than being replaced at further expense. Other cities，such as Boston，Dallas and Seattle，have gone through a similar process, leaving them with their own placebo pedestrian buttons. In London, which has 6, 000 traffic signals，pressing the pedestrian button results in a reliable “Wait” light. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the “green man”— or “pedestrian stage” in traffic signal design profession — will appear any sooner.
“We do have some crossings where the green light comes on automatically, but we still ask people to press the button because that enables accessible features,’’ said Glynn Barton, director of network management at Transport for London.
These features, such as blind tracks and hearable traffic signals, help people with visual disorder cross the road and only function when the button is pressed. As for the lights, a growing number of them are now combined and become a part of an electronic system that detects traffic and adjusts time frequency accordingly (giving priority to buses if they’re running late, for example), which means that pressing the button has no effect.
According to Langer, a Harvard psychologist, placebo buttons give us the illusion (错觉)of control — and something to do in situations where the alternative would be doing nothing. In the case of pedestrian crossings, they may even make us safer by forcing us to pay attention to our surroundings. “They serve a psychological purpose at the very least,” she added.
1.Why are the physical buttons still kept in some cities?
A. Because it may cost money to replace them.
B. Because they remain as memories of a city.
C. Because do have real functions in traffic.
D. Because they can result in reliable lights.
2.Which of the following word can replace the underline word “features” in Paragraph 4?
A. Functions.
B. Uses.
C. Equipment.
D. Facilities.
3.If you pressed a “placebo button” in London, what would happen?
A. All traffic would be affected.
B. Some kind of sound might appear.
C. Pedestrians came first to cross the road.
D. “Green man” were bound to show up earlier.
4.What can we know about “palcebo buttons” from Langer’s words?
A. They can really control traffic.
B. They serve little functions.
C. They may work mentally.
D. They can help the blind.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析