The world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht...

The world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht (超级游艇)could be taken to the waters in the not too distant future. Dutch yacht-design company Sinot has launched a model for a wonderful concept that seems to develop the superyacht industry in a more eco-friendly direction.

Created in cooperation with Lateral Naval Architects, Aqua measures 112 meters and will be powered entirely by liquid hydrogen and fuel-cell technology, which essentially means water will be its only emission. The superyacht, which has state-of-the-art facilities, is to operate at a top speed of 17 knots (节), with a range of 3, 750 nautical miles.

"For the development of Aqua, we combine inspiration from the lifestyle of a forward- looking owner and cutting-edge technology in the 112-meter superyacht, "Designer Sander Si-not said in a statement shortly before a detailed model of Aqua was revealed at the Monaco Yacht Show in September. He added, "Our challenge is to use fully operational liquid hydrogen and fuel cells in a true superyacht that is not only groundbreaking in technology, but also in aesthetics (美感)｡"

Aqua's technology system will rely on two 28-ton vacuum isolated tanks. The energy will then be submitted to the switchboard and distributed, in order to provide power for travelling and hotel services.

The outside and inside design for Aqua, which took developers five months to design, was almost as impressive as its technology system. Aqua will have a yoga space, a swimming platform and a beach deck close to the waterline.

While it's just a design concept at the moment and there are no exact plans to roll Aqua out, according to Sinot, the pioneering design clearly prefigures the superyachts of tomorrow. Earlier this year Latvia's Latitude Yachts announced plans for the Valkyrie Project, a massive superyacht that would span 229 meters, making it the largest in the world｡

1.What is Aqua special about?

A.Its steaming distance.

B.Its hotel services.

C.Its energy materials.

D.Its modern facilities.

2.What's the biggest difficulty of constructing Aqua?

A.Poor financial support from the government.

B.The technological problems of dealing with power.

C.The difficulty of designing its whole aesthetics.

D.Lack of resources to produce the components.

3.What can be inferred about Aqua?

A.It will look like a real hotel.

B.It will be created in Dutch.

C.It will open a new era of superyacht.

D.It will be the largest in the world.

4.What is the author's purpose in writing the text?

A.To advertise a superyacht.

B.To show a new technology.

C.To tell us a green travel style.

D.To introduce a superyacht model.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The world's first hydrogen-powered trains have begun running in Germany. They began carrying passengers Monday in Germany's northern Lower Saxony state. The new train will run 100-kilometer trips and can travel up to 140 kilometers an hour.

A French railroad company called Alstom built the two trains. Team in Germany and France cooperated on the project, which was supported by the German government. The new train model ,called the Coradia ilint, signals the beginning of efforts in Germany and other nations to move away from pollution-producing diesel(柴油) trains.

The Coradia iLint is designed to run on non-electrified train lines with low levels of noise.

It uses a process that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical power. If the system produces more energy than the train needs at that time, it can store the extra energy in batteries. The only emissions (排放物) are water and steam.

A single tank of hydrogen can run a Coradia iLint train for about 1,000 kilometers. This is very similar to the distance a diesel-powered train can run on with a single tank.

Hydrogen-powered trains cost more than diesel trains to build. But Alstom officials say the operating costs are much lower. The company plans to provide another 14 Coradia iLint trains to Lower Saxony by 2021.

The head of railroad operations in the area, Carmen Schwab, praised replacing diesel trains with hydrogen. She said the move was an important first step in using clean-burning technologies to reach climate protection goals.

Officials say the area's many wind turbines (涡轮机)will produce part of the energy to create the hydrogen to power the trains.

Alstom says several other European countries have also expressed interest in developing hydrogen train systems. France has already said it wants its first hydrogen train to be operating by 2022.

1.Why did Germany build the new trains?

A. To replace diesel trains.

B. To carry more passengers.

C. To make traveling much easier.

D. To develop friendship with France.

2.What is one advantage of the Coradia iLint?

A. It runs without making any noise.

B. It doesn't use electrical power.

C. It costs much less to run.

D. It is cheaper to make it.

3.It can be concluded that hydrogen trains________.

A. are widely used

B. are environmentally friendly

C. can stop air pollution

D. can produce water and oxygen

4.What might be the best title for the text?

A. Saving Natural Resources

B. Efforts to Reduce Emissions

C. World's First Hydrogen Trains

D. A New Way to Make Electricity

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A study has warned that seafood supplies from the world's oceans could be almost gone by the middle of the century. The researchers say there has already been a breakdown in wild populations of almost one third of currently fished sea-foods. The study says that means their catch has fallen by ninety percent from their highest level. Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia Canada led the intentional team that did the study. Professor Worm says species have recently been disappearing from oceans at an increasing speed. At this rate he says all seafood species could collapse by 2048.

Other studies have also warned about the dangers of overfishing and the effects on ocean environments. But not everyone thinks the oceans are likely to be empty, in, fifty years.Some scientists said parts of the world do have problems but others arc doing a good job of protecting fish populations. Government officials in several countries with large fishing industries also questioned the research.

The study appeared earlier this month in Science magazine.

The researchers say damage to oceans affects not only fish populations but also the productivity of ecosystems. These complex systems help control water quality. The scientists say the loss of different kinds of sea life appears to increase the risk of fish kills and beach closures from harmful algae growth.

The scientists examined the results of thirty-two experiments and observed forty-eight protected areas. They also looked at records of catches worldwide. They studied records from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization from 1950 to 2003. And they examined archaeological information and other historical records for twelve coastal areas. That research reached back over a thousand years.

Boris Worm says the findings are, in his words, “beyond anything we suspected.”But he also said the situation is not too late to core. He said that with good fisheries management, some species could completely recover in three to ten years.

1.The two underlined words “their” in the first paragraph most probably mean 　　　　 .

A.researchers' B.fisherman's

C.sea foods' D.the oceans'

2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.All the scientists don't believe that all seafood species will disappearing very soon

B.Most government officials disagree to the seafood-disappearing research

C.Some scientists are doing a good job of protecting fish populations

D.It's too late to take any action to improve the situation.

3.According to Boris Worm,　　　　　　　　 .

A.Some people are doing a good job of protecting fish populations

B.Overfishing is one of the causes for the loss of seafood species

C.things are getting worse though efforts can be made

D.some more species will come into being with right measures

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.To call on people to protect the ocean environment

B.To introduce a study about the disappearing of sea foods

C.To report different opinions about the seafood research

D.To criticize the present fisheries management

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dutch officials toasted on Tuesday the opening of what is being called the world’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge, which is meant to be used by cyclists. There was applause as officials wearing hard hats and workmen’s jackets rode over the bridge on their bikes at the opening ceremony in the southeastern town of Gemert.

“The bridge is not very big, but it was rolled out by a printer which makes it unique,” Theo Salet, from the Eindhoven University of Technology, told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Work on printing the bridge, which has some 800 layers, took about three months after starting in June and it is made of pre-stressed concrete, according to the university. “One of the advantages of printing a bridge is that much less concrete is needed than in the conventional technique in which a mould (泥浆) is filled,” it said on its website, adding “a printer deposits the concrete only where it is needed.”

The eight-metre (26-foot) bridge crosses a water-filled channel to connect two roads, and it was tested for safety to bear loads of up to two metric tons in cooperation with the BAM Infra Construction company. Although designed for bikes, it could take up to 40 trucks, the designers said “We are looking to the future,” said the head of BAM, Marinus Schimmel. “3D printing meant fewer rare resources were needed and there was significantly less waste,” he added.

The Netherlands is among countries, with the United States and China, taking a lead in the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing, using computers and robotics to construct objects and structures from scratch without using much traditional manpower. Last year a Dutch architect unveiled (提示) a unique 3D printer with which he hopes to construct an “endless loop” building. And a Dutch start-up called MX3D has begun printing a stainless-steel bridge, of which a third is already completed. The aim is to finish printing by March and lay the bridge over an Amsterdam canal in the future.

1.According to the text what makes the bridge unique?

A. It adopts 3D printing

B. It opens only to cyclists.

C. It is made of new material.

D. It uses much less concrete.

2.According to Marinus Schimmel. the bridge ________.

A. fails to bear heavy loads more safely

B. needs no concrete and mould

C. is designed for bikes and trucks

D. is cost-efficient and eco-friendly

3.According to the last paragraph, which of the following statement is true?

A. The 3D-printed bridges are all designed for bikes.

B. 3D-printed construction saves much human labor.

C. United States and China develop slowly in 3D printing.

D. The stainless-steel bridge by MX3D has been put into use.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. The Value of the 3D Printing Technology

B. The Netherlands Leads the Way in 3D Printing

C. World’s First 3D-printed Bridge Opens to Cyclists

D. 3D Printing is Widely Used in Building Bridges

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dutch officials toasted on Tuesday the opening of what is being called the world’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge, which is meant to be used by cyclists. There was applause as officials wearing hard hats and workmen’s jackets rode over the bridge on their bikes at the opening ceremony in the southeastern town of Gemert.

“The bridge is not very big, but it was rolled out by a printer which makes it unique,” Theo Salet, from the Eindhoven University of Technology, told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Work on printing the bridge, which has some 800 layers, took about three months after starting in June and it is made of pre-stressed concrete, according to the university. “One of the advantages of printing a bridge is that much less concrete is needed than in the conventional technique in which a mould (泥浆) is filled,” it said on its website, adding “a printer deposits the concrete only where it is needed.”

The eight-metre (26-foot) bridge crosses a water-filled channel to connect two roads, and it was tested for safety to bear loads of up to two metric tons in cooperation with the BAM Infra Construction Company. “Although designed for bikes, it could take up to 40 trucks,”the designers said. “We are looking to the future,” said the head of BAM, Marinus Schimmel. “3D printing meant fewer rare resources were needed and there was significantly less waste,” he added.

The Netherlands is among countries, with the United States and China, taking a lead in this cutting-edge technology, using computers and robotics to construct objects and structures from scratch without using much traditional manpower. Last year a Dutch architect unveiled (提示) a unique 3D printer with which he hopes to construct an “endless loop” building. And a Dutch start-up called MX3D has begun printing a stainless-steel bridge, of which a third is already completed. The aim is to finish printing by March and lay the bridge over an Amsterdam canal in the future.

1.According to the text, what makes the bridge unique?

A.It adopts 3D printing.

B.It opens only to cyclists.

C.It is made of new material.

D.It uses much less concrete.

2.Which does Marinus Schimmel agree ?

A.In theory, it can support up to 40 bicycles.

B.The kind of bridge is energy-saving.

C.The kind of bridge is safer than traditional ones.

D.The technology has been used widely.

3.Which statement is true based on the last paragraph?

A.The project of an “endless loop” building has begun.

B.A stainless-steel bridge has been half constructed.

C.China is a country with advanced 3D printing.

D.3D printing technology needs no manpower.

4.Where can you read this passage?

A.News report. B.Engineering paper.

C.History textbook. D.Advertisement.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

What 　　　　 wonderful world it would be if all countries in the world could live 　　 peace with one another.

A. a; \　　　　　　 B. the; \　　　　　　 C. a; the　　　　　　 D. the; the

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Kiwi students have become the world’s first kids to be “taught” by a digital teacher named Will. Before you start imagining a human-like robot walking around the classroom. Will is just an avatar (化身) that appears on the student’s desktop, tablet or smartphone screen.

Auckland energy company Vector and AI company Soul Machines have worked together to model after the human brain and nervous system, allowing it to show human-like behavior. The digital teacher is now teaching primary school students about renewable energy.

Just like the humans it replaced, Will is able to instantly react to the students’ responses to the topic. He also picks up facial expressions, body language of the students. For instance, if a student smiles at Will, he smiles back. The two-way interaction(互动) not only helps capture(捕捉) the students’ attention, but also allows the program’s developers to monitor their performance, and make changes if needed.

Greg Cross, the Chief Business Officer of Soul Machines, says, “It’s well-documented that STEM teachers are in short supply in New Zealand schools. By using digital teachers, we are able to provide access to education to kids and communities that might not have access to real teachers.”

Greg believes that Will-like avatars could be a novel way to have the attention of the next generation. He says, “The program, in place since August 2018, has been a great success thus far. However, regardless of its popularity, Will is unlikely to replace human educators any time soon. For one thing, the avatar’s knowledge base is severely limited. For another, even the smartest digital avatars could never react to all the unexpected situations that educators have to deal with on a daily basis.”

1.What do we know about Will?

A. He teaches college students in the classroom.

B. He will replace human teachers in the future.

C. He can deal with unexpected issues in class.

D. He has human-like brain and nervous system.

2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. The human brain. B. The nervous system.

C. The digital teacher. D. The human-like robot.

3.Why did Vector and Soul Machines create Will?

A. To monitor students’ performance. B. To respond to the teacher shortage.

C. To capture students’ attention in class. D. To teach students renewable energy.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. World-first Digital Teacher. B. Future of Energy Company.

C. Development of AI Company. D. Shortage of Human Teachers.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

WASHINGTON—Two-thirds of the world’s polar bear population could be gone by 2050 if predictions of melting sea ice hold true, the US Geological Survey reported on Friday.

The fate of polar bears could be even worse than that estimate, because sea ice in the Arctic might be disappearing faster than the available computer models predict, the geological survey said in a report aimed at determining whether the big white bear should be listed as a threatened species.

“There is a definite link between changes in the sea ice and the welfare of polar bears,” said Steve Amstrup, who led the research team. He says Arctic sea ice is already at the lowest this year and is expected to retreat(退却) farther this month.

That means that polar bears—some 16,000 of them -- will disappear by 2050 from parts of the Arctic where sea ice is melting most rapidly, along the north coasts of Alaska and Russia, researchers said in a telephone briefing(简报).

Other polar bears could survive beyond that date but many of those could be gone by 2100, Amstrup said. By this century’s end, the only polar bears left might live in the Canadian Arctic islands and along the west coast of Greenland.

“It is likely to result in loss of approximately two-thirds of the world’s current polar bear population by the mid 21st century,” the report’s executive summary said.

“Because the observed trajectory(轨迹)of Arctic sea ice decline appears to be underestimated by currently available models, this assessment of future polar bear status may be conservative(保守的).”

In January, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the polar bear as a threatened species, noting polar bears depend on sea ice as a platform to hunt seals, their main food.

Without enough sea ice, polar bears would be forced onto land, but they are poor hunters once they get out of the water and ice, the researchers said. The bears’ disappearance would probably take place as young cubs(幼兽)failed to survive to adulthood and females were unable to reproduce successfully.

1.What was the US Geological Survey intended to do?

A．To determine whether the polar bear was in danger.

B．To measure how fast the sea ice melts in the Arctic.

C．To check the predictions of the computer models.

D．To find out the exact number of the polar bear.

2.What causes the polar bears to disappear by 2050?

A．The pollution of the Arctic region.           B．The sea ice melting at high speed

C．Fewer food sources being left.             D．The temperature getting colder.

3.The key to preventing polar bears dying out seems to _______________.

A．help young polar bears to survive the cold winter

B．have large number of seals living in the oceans

C．make sure there is enough sea ice in the Arctic

D．provide chances for adult polar bears to reproduce

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

What 　　　　 wonderful world it would be if all countries in the world could live 　　 peace with one another．

A．a; \　　　　　　 B．the; \

C．a; the　　　　　　 D．the; the

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Look, this is the first plane in the world to be created using the new technology of “3D printing”. The airplane was built using only a computer—but it can fly at a speed of 100mph and has a two-meter wingspan.

It was produced using a special nylon laser printer that builds up something layer-by-layer. The parts were made separately and attached using a “snap fit” technique so the aircraft could be put together without tools in minutes.

No fasteners at all were used in the manufacture of the plane. Unmanned and electrically powered, the plane can travel in near silence and is also equipped with a small autopilot system. The special production process used is known as “laser sintering (激光烧结)”and allows the designers to create shapes and structures that would normally include costly manufacturing techniques. This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from your own design to first flight in days, while using traditional materials and techniques would take months. And because no tooling is required for manufacture, major changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost.

Professor Jim Scanlon, who led the team, said, “The process allows the design team to revisit historical techniques and ideas that would have been too expensive using traditional manufacturing.” He added, “This form of structure is very firm and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured traditionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be connected or fastened at great expense.”

The new printed plane is known as the Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft—or SULSA for short—and is part of a wider project using cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. The University of Southampton has been at the leading position of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle development since the early 1990s.

1.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Revolutionary Breakthrough of 3D Printer

Scientists Create Aircraft with High Speed

C. New Designed Airplane with New Techniques.

D. The World’s first 3-D printed Airplane, SULSA

2.How could the plane work while flying?

A. It should be controlled by an autopilot system.

B. It should be controlled by “laser sintering”.

C. A pilot controls it using a remote control.

D. A pilot with high techniques controlled it.

3.This kind of plane has the following advantages EXCEPT ______.

A. it produces little noise while flying

B. it is manufactured in quite a short time

C. it only requires simple and cheap tools

D. it needn’t extra cost if changes are made

4.Professor Jim Scanlon believes they can _____ with their techniques.

A.produce firmer and lighter real planes easily

B.connect and fasten tailor parts for real planes

C.copy earlier planes to study their techniques

D.find differences by studying the traditional ones

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析