In an era when fashion trends can change in a...

In an era when fashion trends can change in a nanosecond(纳秒), people want to keep pace. They'll wear a look a few times and then move on to the next one. In reality, most people can't really afford this.

To meet this demand, online clothing rental services are growing in popularity. Shoppers can pay money online to rent the clothes they need, says the Fashion United website. The first company to put this idea into practice is Rent the Runway. The United States — based company has hit a $ 1 billion valuation. CEO Jennifer Hyman credits its success to the concepts of the sharing economy. She believes that the clothing rental business and the idea of dynamic ownership is a trend in the young generation. “The millennium generation(千禧一代)，the consumer, is so ready to adopt this behavior.” Hyman told CNBC.

She also points out that working women make up one of the biggest consumer groups subscribing to their services. They want more clothes but they have limited space and ability to purchase new fashion. “Rent the Runway can be a solution for them,” Hyman told CNBC, “where they can dress for the job they want and save money and time.”

Although the clothing rental business has many advantages, people still have some concerns. Journalist and author Elizabeth Cline wrote in Elle that “Renting the clothes is not as sustainable as it seems.”

Take shipping, for example, which has to go two ways if an item is rented—receiving and returning. Cline writes that consumer transportation has the second largest footprint of our collective fashion habit after manufacturing. Then there's the burden of washing, which has to happen to every item when it's returned, regardless of whether or not it was worn. For most rental services, this usually means dry—-cleaning, a high— impact and polluting process. “They can produce hazardous waste and air pollution if not handled correctly, and they're often paired with stain removers that are more toxic than the solvents themselves,” she told the Fashion Platforms website.

1.What is the article mainly about?

A.The fast changes of fashion trends.

B.The development of the sharing economy.

C.What contributes to the popularity of online clothing rental services.

D.The advantages and disadvantages of online clothing rental services.

2.What is behind the success of Rent the Runway according to Hyman?

A.Different fashion tastes. B.Growth of delivery services.

C.The trend of the sharing economy. D.The financial pressures facing consumers.

3.What is the main problem of online clothing subscription services, according to the text?

A.Consumers tend to rent more than they need.

B.They could lead to other unsustainable fashion habits.

C.The shipping and washing involved are not environmentally friendly.

D.People can catch infectious diseases by renting clothes from sick people.

4.According to the passage, the author's attitude towards the rental service is

A.supportive B.indifferent

C.objective D.passive

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

World’s Wonderful Libraries

How cool can libraries be in an era of iPads and Kindles More than you think．Only if you know where to go.

Central Library

The Central Library in Seattle,United States is modern and sophisticated. The building is an impressive work of art, which has has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. The library offers free self-guided cell phone tours, along with group tours.

The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events throughout the year.

Open: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m-8 p.m, Friday-Saturday 10 a.m-6 p.m, Sunday noon-6 p.m

Trinity College Library

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I.

Not only is the exterior impressive, it boasts the largest single chamber library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books.

Various exhibitions and tour are available; admission 9(US 12)

Open: Monday-Wednesday 9:30 a.m -5 p.m, Tuesday 9:30 a.m -9 p.m, Saturday 9:30 a.m -1 p.m, Sunday closed.

Bibliotheca Alexamdrina

The Bibliotheca Alexamdrina is the revival(复兴) of the ancient Royal Library of Alexandria, which was the largest and most influential library in the Greek world. It was built by Alexander the Great some 2, 300 years ago.

The new library was reborn in 2002 on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea after 10 years of designing, planning and construction.

Along with the standard libraries, there are four museums covering science, Arabic Calligraphy, the history of printing and the Greek art.

Open: Saturday-Thursday 9 a.m- 4 p.m.

Stuttgart City Library

The Stuttgart City Library is controversial. Some say it’s innovative, while others say it doesn’t match its environment.

Nevertheless, the library is one of the most interesting buildings in Germany. The design of the cubic facility was influenced by the ancient Pantheon in Rome. It serves as a multi-story meeting space that draws natural sunlight through the roof.

Open: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m--9 p.m

1.Which of the following libraries are open on Friday?

A.Central Library and Bibliotheca Alexandrina

B.Stuttgart City Library and Central Library

C.Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Trinity College Library

D.Trinity College Library and Stuttgart City Library

2.Suppose you are visiting Trinity College Library, you can enjoy ________ there.

A. free exhibitions

B. the oldest Greek art

C. reading the worl’s oldest books

D. reading in the Long Room

3.What is special about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina?

A. It took 10 years to rebuid

B. It is the most influential library in the world

C. It has four museums covering all sorts of art

D. It used to be an ancient royal British library

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How cool can libraries be in an era of iPods and Kindles? More than you think. Only if you know where to go.

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is in Ireland, founded at the end of the 16th century by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（竖琴）in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland.

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library,” which invites readers for cocktails, and also special speeches from distinguished authors．

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum. The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A.Central Library B.Trinity College Library

C.Geisel Library D.TU Delft Library

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that _____.

A.a spaceship designer founded the library

B.it has a roof of grassy hill

C.famous writers often deliver speeches there

D.it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can _____.

A.drink cocktails B.buy souvenirs

C.create paintings D.book events

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

How cool can libraries be in an era of iPods and Kindles? More than you think．Only if you know where to go.

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（竖琴）in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland.

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library,” which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors．

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum．The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A. Central Library 　 B. Trinity College Library

C. Geisel Library　　　 D.TU Delft Library

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that _____________.

A. Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

B. it has a roof of grassy hill

C. famous writers often deliver speeches there

D. it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can _________________.

A. drink cocktails　 　　　　 B. buy souvenirs

C. enjoy sci-fi films　　　 D. see the old harp

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

How cool can libraries be in an era（时代）of iPods and Kindles? More than you think．Only if you know where to go．

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours．It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus．Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening．The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I．It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 0fthe library's oldest books．The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（竖琴） in Ireland．Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland．

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship．Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970．It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels．The library hosts "Dinner in the Library," which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors．

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum．The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library．What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill．The roof covers 5,500 square meters．And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area．

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A．Central Library．

B．Trinity College Library．

C．Geisel Library．

D．TU Delft Library．

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that

A．famous writers often deliver speeches there

B．it has a reoffer grassy hill

C．Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

D．it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can

A．buy souvenirs

B．drink cocktails

C．enjoy sci-fi films

D．see the old harp

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How cool can libraries be in an era（时代）of iPods and Kindles? More than you think．Only if you know where to go．

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours．It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus．Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening．The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I．It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 0fthe library's oldest books．The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（竖琴） in Ireland．Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland．

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship．Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970．It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels．The library hosts "Dinner in the Library," which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors．

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum．The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library．What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill．The roof covers 5,500 square meters．And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area．

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A．Central Library．

C．Geisel Library．

B．Trinity College Library．

D．TU Delft Library．

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that

A．famous writers often deliver speeches there

B．it has a reoffer grassy hill

C．Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

D．it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can

A．buy souvenirs    C．enjoy sci-fi films

B．drink cocktails    D．see the old harp

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How cool can libraries be in an era（时代）of iPods and Kindles? More than you think．Only if you know where to go．

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours．It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus．Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening．The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I．It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 0fthe library's oldest books．The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（竖琴） in Ireland．Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland．

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship．Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970．It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels．The library hosts "Dinner in the Library," which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors．

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum．The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library．What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill．The roof covers 5,500 square meters．And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area．

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A．Central Library．　 C．Geisel Library．

B．Trinity College Library． D．TU Delft Library．

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that__________.

A．famous writers often deliver speeches there

B．it has a reoffer grassy hill

C．Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

D．it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can__________.

A．buy souvenirs C．enjoy sci-fi films

B．drink cocktails D．see the old harp

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How often do you change your hairstyle or ask for new dresses? You may be __ to follow trends in Western countries, but young people in the United States don’t care as much about__________as you do.

A recent survey among high school __________in China, Japan, South Korea and the US found that __________teenagers care more about their appearance than young people in the US.

This survey was held in 156 high schools in the four countries. More than 7,000 teenagers were__________ about their views on life and the world. South Koreans, at 83 percent, cared most about their looks. They were __ by the Chinese and Japanese, while US students showed the least interest in fashion at only 33 percent.

“The different results show __________of cultural background,” said Sun Yunxiao from the China Youth and Children Research Centre. He explained that in the US there are many different ________of beauty, so teens are more __________to be confident about their appearance.

US teenagers’ high self-confidence is displayed in the __. About 85 percent are happy with themselves. The percentage of self-confident Chinese students stands at only 30 percent.

What’s ________, US students showed more individuality, with 88 percent___  that “people should follow their own interests rather than ________of others”. This is much ________ than South Korea’s 69 percent, China’s 49 and Japan’s 48.

Japanese students, at 52 percent, are most dissatisfied with modern society. Chinese and Koreans follow at second and_________most dissatisfied.

“________to the survey, Chinese students are happy and disciplined. They have a strong wish to make a difference.  __ Chinese students need to be more independent and learn how to relax,” said Sun.

The students have different  __________ backgrounds. But home and places where friends gather are the favorite places all teens seek happiness.

Exams and worries about life after graduation cause much  _ _ among most of the teens ___________for the survey.

1.A. absorbed            B. willing           C. careless      D. unhappy

2.A. hairstyle            B. dresses          C. fashion       D. culture

3.A. teachers              B. students          C. citizens      D. colleagues

4.A. Asian                 B. American        C. African       D. Western

5.A. answered             B. requested        C. persuaded    D. questioned

6.A. followed             B. decreased        C. reduced       D. compared

7.A. relations             B. barriers           C. customs       D. differences

8.A. awareness           B. standards         C. consciences   D. expenses

9.A. admirable           B. confused         C. likely          D. unbelievable

10.A. survey               B. setting            C. reference       D. paper

11.A. worse                 B. better             C. less             D. more

12.A. disagreeing         B. observing         C. agreeing       D. puzzling

13.A. those                 B. that                C. it              D. one

14.A. lower                 B. larger             C. smaller         D. higher

15.A. first                 B. third               C. fourth            D. last

16.A. leading              B. devoting          C. appealing        D. According

17.A. But                   B. And                C. So                D. Or

18.A. political             B. cultural           C. economical      D. commercial

19.A. expectation          B. hesitation       C. concern           D. ambition

20.A. interviewed          B. advised          C. overlooked       D. invested

高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Kalle Lasn was in a supermarket parking lot one afternoon when he had an experience that changed his life．In order to shop at the store, he needed to put money into the shopping cart to use it．Annoyed that he had to "pay to shop," Lasn jammed the coin into the cart so that it wouldn't work．It was an act of rebellion—the first of many—for Lasn．

Born in Estonia, Kalle Lasn moved to Australia as a young man and then later to Japan, where he founded a marketing research firm in Tokyo．Eventually, Lasn moved to Canada and for several years produced documentaries （纪录片） for public television．In the late 1980s, Lasn made an advertisement that spoke out against the logging industry and the deforestation going on in the Pacific Northwest．When he tried to show his ad on TV, though, no station in this area would give him airtime．In response, Lasn and a colleague founded Adbusters Media Foundation, a company for the "Human right to communicate．

Adbusters produces magazine, newspaper, and TV ads with a social message．Many use humor and irony to make their points: In one, for example, a man chain smokes a brand of cigarettes called "Hope"．In another, a child is dressed in an outfit used in fast-food ads．Next to the child is a note from its mother telling the restaurant to leave her child alone．

Adbusters also has a magazine and a web site, the Culture Jammers Network, whose members include students, artists, and activists as well as educators and businesspeople interested in social change．Many of these "culture jammers" are working to raise awareness about different social issues by hosting events like "Buy Nothing Day" , " No Car Day" and "TV Turnoff Week" ．Lasn and his partners hope these events will encourage people to think about questions such as;

·What kinds of things are we being encouraged to buy by the media?

·Should cars be our primary means of transportation?

·How are television and radio being used now? How could we be using them?

Some culture jammers are using other methods to challenge how people think．Some pretend to be shoppers．They move items in stores from one shelf to another making it difficult for people to find things easily．Other culture jammers break into large company well sites and jam them so that they become unusable．The goal in both cases ia to prevent "Business as usual" and to gel people to ask themselves questions such as "Why am I shopping here?" or "Why should I buy this product?"

Lasn and members of the Culture Jammers Network want to make people aware of social issues, but they also believe it's important to think of solutions, too．"A lot of people tell you everything that's wrong but they never say much about how to fix these problems," says Lasn．"But there is plenty we can do．If you start despairing, you have lost everything．"

Though many TV stations still won't show Adbusters' " uncommercials" , some cable TV stations have started to．People all over the world have joined the Culture Jammers Network and are doing their part to promote social change．

1.What does the underlined word "rebellion" in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?

2.What's the main point of the ad for "Hope" cigarettes?

3.Some culture jammers break into websites in order to ________．

4.It can be inferred from the passage ________．

5.Which of the following best describes what Lasn has done?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Although we live in an era where everything seems to be available immediately, our study suggests that today’s kids can delay gratification(满足感) longer than children in the 1960s and 1980s,“ said University of Minnesota psychologist Stephanie M. Carlson.” This finding stands in great contrast with the assumption by adults that today’s children have less self-control than previous generations.

The original marshmallow(棉花糖) test conducted by researchers at Stanford University involved a series of experiments in which children aged between 3 and 5 years were offered one treat that they could eat immediately or a larger treat if they waited. Researchers then left the room to see how long the children would wait and watched from behind a one-way mirror.

Interestingly, today's adults thought that children nowadays would be more impulsive and less able to wait, Carlson found. "Our findings serve as an example of how our beliefs can be wrong and how it's important to do research,” said co-author Yuichi Shoda, PhD at the University of Washington.

The researchers offered several possible explanations for why children in the 2000s waited longer than those in prior decades. They noted a statistically significant increase in IQ scores in the last several decades. Another explanation may be society's increased focus on the importance of early education, according to Carlson. The primary objective of preschool changed from largely custodial care (监护) to school readiness in the 1980s. Parenting also has changed in ways that help promote the development of executive function, such as being more supportive of children's self-control, the researchers noted.

Walter Mischel of Columbia University, who co-authored this paper, noted that “while the results indicate that the children’s ability to delay is not weakened on the marshmallow test, the findings do not speak to their willingness to delay gratification when faced with the many temptations now available in everyday life.”

1.According to the passage, what is the adults' assumption about today's children?

A.They are not easy to please.

B.They are less able to control themselves.

C.They don't like things that are easy to get.

D.They have different personalities from previous generations.

2.What does the underlined word "impulsive " in Paragraph 3 mean?

A.productive B.considerate

C.clear-minded D.hot-headed

3.What did the researchers find about children in the 2000s?

A.They are more prepared to go to school.

B.They are not as clever as previous generations.

C.They are taught self-control only by their teachers.

D.They don’t need any custodial care in their early childhood.

4.What does the author want to tell readers in the last paragraph?

A.Most children nowadays can't resist the temptations of everyday life.

B.Children chose to delay gratification willingly in the marshmallow test.

C.The test can’t accurately measure children's willingness to delay gratification.

D.Children’s ability to delay gratification is weakened because there are many temptations.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析