Our favorite tech gifts of 2019When it comes ...

Our favorite tech gifts of 2019

When it comes time for the holiday shopping season, we’re extra choosy about the countless technology products that we will buy and give to friends and family. Here’s what impressed editors, reporters and producers the most in 2019.

Lumos Matrix

I recently bought a Lumos Matrix helmet (头盔) ($229) with built-in lights to make riding my bike at night a lot safer and less stressful. It’s a regular pain point for bikers like me to make sure absent-minded drivers see you, especially when it’s dark. This definitely helps.

— Matt mcfarland, Writer

Goodreads app

Although this isn’t a gift, the free Goodreads app is a gamechanger. At the beginning of 2019, I promised myself I’d read at least one new book every month. I set a goal of 12 books on Goodreads and used it to track my progress, keep a list of books I’m interested in and check out what friends and others on the app were recommending. I read 35 books this year! (That’s up from five books last year.) Goodreads feels like one of the rare feel-good social networks.

— Kaya Yurieff, Tech Reporter

Ember coffee cup

I drink my coffee slowly so it has routinely cooled by the time I get halfway through it. For my birthday, my mum bought me a cup ($99), which keeps my coffee warm until I finish it without trips to the microwave for reheating. I can also set the specific temperature I want. It makes my mornings so much easier.

— Millie Dent, Intern

1.What is the main advantage of Lumos Matrix helmet?

A.Helping drivers concentrate. B.Managing the bad weather.

C.Making night riding safer. D.Making bikers less painful.

2.What does the writer mean by referring to the Goodreads app as “a gamechanger”?

A.It changes some readers’ reading rules.

B.It provides readers with free internet games.

C.It limits the number of books a reader can read.

D.It inspires readers to read more through interactions.

3.Which of the following can best describe Ember coffee cup?

A.Eco-friendly. B.Convenient.

C.Expensive. D.Simple.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I’ve never been the kind of person to say, “it’s the thought that counts” when it comes to gifts. That was until a couple of weeks ago, when my kids gave me a present that blew me away.

For years now, I’ve been wanting to sell our home, the place where my husband and I raised our kids. But to me, this house is much more than just a building. In the front room, there’s a wall that has hundreds of pencil lines, marking the progress of my children’s growth. Every growth stage is marked in grey, with each child’s name and the date they were measured. Most people I know have been featured on a wall like this, or at least had a wall like it in their home.

Of all the objects and all the memories, it’s this one thing in a home that’s the hardest to leave behind. Friends I know have returned home after work only to discover their wall of heights has been freshly painted over. A new paint job wouldn’t normally be greeted by tears, but erasing that evidence of motherhood hurts more than it should. Our kids grow in so many ways, but the wall is physical evidence of their progress, right there for everyone to see.

Over the years, I’ve talked about how much I would hate leaving that wall behind when I moved, even though the last marks were made 10 years ago when my kids stopped growing. So one day, while I was at work, my children decided to do something about it.

They hired Jacquie Manning, a professional photographer whose work is about capturing (捕捉) the beautiful things in life, from clear lakes and skies to diamonds and ballgowns. She came to our house while I was at work, and over several hours, took photos of the hundreds of drawings and lines, little grey fingerprints (手印), and old marks. Somehow, she managed to photograph all those years of memories perfectly. Afterwards, she put all the photos together into one image, transforming them into a beautiful history of my family.

Three weeks later, my children’s wonderful gift made its way to me – a life-size photo of the pencil lines and fingerprints that represents entire lifetimes of love and growth.

1.The author used her friends’ example in Paragraph 3 to ________.

A. persuade her family to leave the wall as it was

B. stress the meaning of keeping good memories

C. explain why her house badly needed a new paint job

D. share her memory of motherhood with readers

2.According to the article, it was Jacquie Manning who ________.

A. helped the author paint her new house

B. came up with the idea of the photo gift

C. shot pictures to record the author’s growth stage

D. made a copy of the growth marks on the wall

3.We can infer from the article that the author ________.

A. was strongly against selling their home

B. was not happy with the gift from her family

C. kept marks for family members every year

D. put great love and care in raising her children

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. A Gift Made with Love　　 B. Advice on Picking up Gifts for Parents

C. Paintings Count　　 D. Effective Ways to Communicate with Children

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The final examination is coming up soon. It's time for us to ____our studies.

A.get down to B.get out C.get back for D.get over

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

He always brings me a pretty gift 　　　 he comes to visit me.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Both of my parents worked full-time when I was a little girl, so my grandmother would stay at our house during the day. We would watch game shows in the living room. Our favorite was The Price is Right. We would call out our answers along with the contestants.

When I got older and started going to school, we couldn’t watch our game shows regularly. That was okay with me, though, because the one thing I liked better than watching game shows with my grandmother was helping her bake. Watching her in the kitchen was amazing: she never seemed to need the recipes but everything she made tasted delicious.

At first I would just sit in the kitchen and watch, even though I didn’t understand what she was doing. As I got older, she let me help with the easy parts, such as measuring the sugar. The day she let me separate the eggs，I felt like I had found complete pleasure.

At last, my parents decided that I could take care of myself，and my grandmother stopped coming over every day. The love of baking, however, stayed with me. I started baking by myself, and even if the cookies ended up burnt sometimes, more often they turned out pretty well. I tried out new recipes, and whenever I got to a thorny part, I would call my grandmother for advice. Sometimes I would call her just to talk, too. I felt like I could talk to her about anything.

My grandmother passed away ten years ago, but I still think of her every day. Last week, I found a recipe book she made for me. It included her recipes for brownies, cookies, and my favorite, lemon pie. As I looked through the pages, I thought I could hear her voice. She was the one who taught me not just about baking, but about life.

1.The passage is developed in order of　　 .

A. time　　 B. place

C. logic　　 D. events

2.While helping her grandmother bake, the author　　　　 .

A. missed the game shows

B. refused to go to school

C. showed great interest

D. could take care of herself

3.What does the underlined word “thorny" in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A. Basic.　　 B. Common.

C. Difficult.　　 D. Special.

4.From the passage we know the author's grandmother　　 .

A. lived with her family

B. was very skilled at baking

C. published a recipe book

D. had been on a game show

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Both of my parents worked full-time when I was a little girl, so my grandmother would stay at our house during the day. We would watch game shows in the living room. Our favorite was The Price is Right. We would call out our answers along with the contestants（选手）.

When I got older and started going to school, we couldn't watch our game shows regularly. That was okay with me, though, because the one thing I liked better than watching game shows with my grandmother was helping her bake. Watching her in the kitchen was amazing: she never seemed to need the recipes but everything she made tasted delicious.

At first I would just sit in the kitchen and watch, even though I didn't understand what she was doing. As I got older, she let me help with the easy parts, such as measuring the sugar. The day she let me separate the eggs, I felt like I had found complete pleasure.

At last, my parents decided that I could take care of myself, and my grandmother stopped coming over every day. The love of baking, however, stayed with me. I started baking by myself, and even if the cookies ended up burnt sometimes, more often they turned out pretty well. I tried out new recipes, and whenever I got to a thorny part, I would call my grandmother for advice. Sometimes I would call her just to talk, too. I felt like I could talk to her about anything.

My grandmother passed away ten years ago, but I still think of her every day. Last week, I found a recipe book she made for me. It included her recipes for brownies, cookies, and my favorite, lemon pie. As I looked through the pages, I thought I could hear her voice. She was the one who taught me not just about baking, but about life.

1.While helping her grandmother bake, the author ________.

A. missed the game shows　　 B. refused to go to school

C. showed great interest　　 D. could take care of herself

2.What does the underlined word "thorny" in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A. Basic.　　 B. Common.

C. Difficult.　　 D. Special.

3.From the passage we know the author's grandmother ________.

A. lived with her family　　 B. was very skilled at baking

C. published a recipe book　　 D. had been on a game show

4.The author's purpose of writing the passage is to ________.

A. remember her grandmother　　 B. show her good baking skills

C. describe her childhood memories　　 D. talk about her happy family life

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When it comes to consumer society, protest groups are insisting that some of our money ______ to the third world.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

When an important holiday comes, I usually think of what gifts to buy or prepare for my family members. It is the act itself rather than the thing you buy 1. matters. Either a small present, a text message or a phone call can mean a lot to the receivers. 2. , I had never got anything from my son, who is a university student. Parents never forget to celebrate their children’s birthday, but their children seem to be very 　 3. (forget).They seldom do something in return.

Life is unpredictable, and you never know what will happen tomorrow. When my son came back during the summer vacation, my wife and I, as usual, 4.　 (meet) him at the station. On arriving home, much 　 5. my surprise, my son took out a wrist watch and gave it to me, 6.　 (say) it was a birthday gift for me. It is a very fashionable watch, 7. shows not only hours, minutes and seconds but days as well. You can imagine how surprised and excited I was at that moment.

Some people say children get too much care and love from their parents and just take them for granted. 　 8. is natural for people to have such concerns and worries, but things may not turn out as badly as 9. (expect).We need to look more at the positive side of life, as a famous writer once said, “Life is 10. best classroom one can never get.”

高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Give the gift of double minutes for life

From the creators of the original Jitterbug comes the redesigned Jitterbug5. Combining thoughtful features and services with incredible ease of use, the Jitterbug5 is a cell phone that you’ll actually enjoy using every day.

EASY TO USE Today, many cell phones are hard to hear, difficult to dial and overloaded with features you may never even use. That’s not the case with Jitterbug5. Backlit keys and large, clear numbers make it easy to call family and friends. The powerful speaker ensures every conversation will be loud and clear. Plus, straightforward YES and NO buttons make reading the menu simple.

EASY TO ENJOY Unlike most cell phones that need to be recharged nearly every day, the Jitterbug5 was designed with one of the longest-lasting batteries on the market, so you won’t have to worry about running out of power. There is also a built-in camera that makes it easy and fun to take and share photos.

EASY TI VE PREFARED Life has a way of being unpredictable, but when you select a Health & Safety Package, you’re prepared for anything. With 5Star Service, in any uncertain or unsafe situation, simply press the 5Star button to speak immediately with the Medical Alert Agency who will confirm your location and get you the help you need.

With GreatCall, there are no contracts, no cancellation fees, and coverage is powered by the nation’s largest and most dependable wireless network. And now, with WE Love Talk you’ll get double minutes for life on select plans.

Limited time

25％off

All devices

Offer ends 6/6/2017

1.What can YES and NO buttons help you do?

A. Get clear sound.

B. Make dialing easy.

C. Order food and drink.

D. Look through the menu.

2.Why is the Jitterbug5 easy to enjoy?

A. It has powerful battery.

B. It has a wonderful speaker.

C. It is the best on the market.

D. It has a fashionable design.

3.What is the use of the 5Star button?

A. Getting you prepared for trips.

B. Recommending 5-satr hotels.

C. Offering the medical help.

D. Providing the best service.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When I saw Yosemite National Park for the first time at the age of 13, I was crazy about it. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to El Capitan, a ______ rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew ______ I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion (钟爱) ever since —— ______ the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my ______.

About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of ______, like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s ______ me why visitors started respecting the place ______ and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.

I tried ______ trash myself, but the job was too big. I would ______ an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so ______ it that I decided something had to change.

As a rock-climbing guide, I knew ______ about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a ______. On that day, more than 300 people ______. Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to ______. I couldn’t believe the ______ we made —— the park looked clean!

Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and ______ 132 miles of roadway.

I often hear people ______ about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by ______ rather than complaining. We need to teach by ______. You can’t blame others ______ you start with yourself.

1.A. huge　　 B. narrow　　 C. distant　　 D. loose

2.A. recently　　 B. finally　　 C. gradually　　 D. immediately

3.A. imagining　　 B. painting　　 C. describing　　 D. climbing

4.A. garden　　 B. home　　 C. lab　　 D. palace

5.A. material　　 B. resources　　 C. waste　　 D. goods

6.A. beyond　　 B. against　　 C. over　　 D. within

7.A. more　　 B. less　　 C. most　　 D. least

8.A. throwing away　　 B. picking up　　 C. breaking down　　 D. digging out

9.A. spend　　 B. save　　 C. wait　　 D. kill

10.A. satisfied with　　 B. delighted in　　 C. tired of　　 D. used to

11.A. nothing　　 B. anything　　 C. everything　　 D. something

12.A. concert　　 B. party　　 C. picnic　　 D. cleanup

13.A. dropped out　　 B. showed up　　 C. looked around　　 D. called back

14.A. demand　　 B. receive　　 C. accomplish　　 D. overcome

15.A. plan　　 B. visit　　 C. contact　　 D. difference

16.A. crossed　　 B. measured　　 C. covered　　 D. designed

17.A. talk　　 B. complain　　 C. argue　　 D. quarrel

18.A. doing　　 B. thinking　　 C. questioning　　 D. watching

19.A. method　　 B. explanation　　 C. example　　 D. research

20.A. although　　 B. if　　 C. when　　 D. unless

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析