September 21, 2050----At a press conference t...

September 21, 2050----At a press conference today it was announced that the first tourist heading for Mars will be the 38-year-old US businessman Patrick Clifford. He will leave the earth in the　 launching window of June 2052 and set his foot on the surface of Mars in November, together with the other 6 astronauts assigned for the mission to further explore the planet.

Patrick has now two years of training ahead of him to get ready for the trip. Not only will he spend five months in getting to Mars, but another 600 days there before he can go back home.　 Patrick was of course very excited, “ This has been my dream since I was four, and seeing the first man on Mars 20 years ago made me realize that it was possible.”

To be able to pay the $ 1. 3 billion for his ticket for the trip Patrick sold his majority stake (股份) in the company his father had built. “I know that my father would have been proud of me if he had still been alive today, he knew what this means to me”, says Patrick. There is no risk though that you will find Patrick begging in your street corner when he comes back, but it is said that he was paid twice as much for his part of the company.

So, how is he going to spend his 600 days on the red planet? “Well, since I don’t have a job when I get back after selling the company, I have plenty of time to come up with a new business idea”, he says and laughs. If he brings a shovel（铁锹）he can start building the first hotel there, but maybe he shouldn’t expect too many guests until someone can offer a cheaper ticket.

1.How long will Patrick Clifford be away before he comes back?

A. About five months　　　 B. About two years

C. About 600 days　　 　　 D. About 750 days

2.The underlined part in Paragraph 3 means that 　　　　　　 .

A. the trip will turn Patrick into a beggar

B. Patrick will get much money from the trip

C. we needn’t worry about Patrick’s economic condition

D. it’s likely that Patrick will be very poor after he comes back

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Patrick is an optimistic man

B. A total of six people will go to Mars

C. Patrick’s father felt excited at the news

D. Patrick will spend all his money on the trip

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

On Oct4,2011 , I phone 4s made its international appearance at the press conference claimed by the Iphone cooperation . Ever since then , Iphone4s has become a hot cake and even made a fashion around the globe. Meanwhile , many new expressions come about in relationship with this type of high-tech products. “Jailbreak” is one of them.

“ Jailbreak” means to unlock the operating system of a mobile phone or other device so that it can run software which it is not normally authorized to use because of restrictions imposed（实施） by the device's manufacturer.

If someone jailbreaks a smartphone, tablet computer or other device（设备）, they use a special piece of software in order to remove the restrictions imposed by the manufacturer on the kind of applications that can be downloaded and run on the device. The concept of jailbreaking is most often associated with products from Apple Inc, such as the iPhone, iPod and iPad, which routinely restrict the user to applications licensed exclusively（独家地） by Apple and purchased via its App Store. As well as wanting to lift the restriction（解除限制） on what kinds of applications they can purchase, those who jailbreak often do so as a reaction against what they consider as a form of censorship（监控） imposed by Apple Inc in only allowing the use of their 'approved' apps.

The concept of jailbreaking dates back to July 2007, when it was applied to the iPhone within a month of the device's first release. This first occurrence related to the adding of custom ringtones（个性铃音）, but the idea quickly developed as a means to lift the restriction and equip the phone with games and other applications not licensed by Apple Inc.

1.“jailbreak” means that________________.

A. Criminals escape out of the jail

B. People make a great breakthrough in their life

C. It is a way to lift the restriction specially imposed by the Iphone manufacturer.

D. It’s a breakthrough beyond one’s dream.

2.Which is probably the correct Chinese meaning of a hot cake？

A.热蛋糕　　　 B. 抢手货　　 C. 热门话题　　 D. 最高礼遇

3.Which one is the correct statement from this passage?

A. The original mobile phones also require jailbreaking

B. People jailbreak not only in order to lift the restrictions of applications licensed by the Iphone Cooperation.

C. The concept of jailbreak is seldom associated with products from Apple Inc

D. The concept of jailbreak dates back to the twentieth century

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

_____ to be a press conference at the town hall tonight. _____ to be broadcast live.

A. There’s; It’s      B. It’s; There’s          C. There’s; There’s       D. It’s; It’s

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

The manager was worried about the press conference his assistant ______ in his place but luckily, everything was going on smoothly.

A．gave             B．gives             C．was giving         D．had given

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

The manager was worried about the press conference his assistant _______in his place, but luckily, everything was going on smoothly.

A. gave　　　　 B. gives　　　　 C. was giving　　　 D. had given

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

At one time it was the dream of many little girls to become a nurse. Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2,000,000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages, large enough to threaten the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field.

What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that women have greater career options. In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the workforce, but their options have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status. A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as“merely a nurse”. Teachers many be also at fault. Many high school students are actually away from nursing, told by teachers that they are“too bright to be a nurse”.

Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal(致命的) diseases mean long hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is estimated that the demand for nurses will be doubled the supply in the coming ten years.

1.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A. How teachers have influenced their students.

B. What has caused nurse shortage.

C. How nurses have been looked down upon.

D. Why women have chosen many different jobs.

2.The passage tells that high school teachers are at fault for　　　　 .

A. not mentioning the worst nurse shortage in the US

B. introducing jobs with higher pay and greater status to their students

C. persuading the students not to be nurses

D. not asking the government to raise the nurses’ payment

3.The author writes the passage in order to　　　　　　 .

A. warn people to pay more attention to the nursing problem

B. call on women to choose different kinds of jobs

C. tell us women’s free choices of jobs today

D. describe the unequal treatment of women in the US

4.It can be inferred from the passage that　　　　　 .

A. of all the hospitals in the world 60 percent more nurses are badly needed

B. women in the US have greater career choices than those in other countries

C. high school students think themselves too bright to be nurses

D. nursing used to be a popular job among women

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

At one time it was the dream of many little girls to become a nurse. Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2,000,000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages, large enough to threaten the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field.

What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that women have greater career options. In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the workforce, but their options have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status. A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as“merely a nurse”. Teachers many be also at fault. Many high school students are actually away from nursing, told by teachers that they are“too bright to be a nurse”.

Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal(致命的) diseases mean long hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is estimated that the demand for nurses will be doubled the supply in the coming ten years.

1.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A.How teachers have influenced their students.

B.What has caused nurse shortage.

C.How nurses have been looked down upon.

D.Why women have chosen many different jobs.

2.The passage tells that high school teachers are at fault for　　　　 .

A.not mentioning the worst nurse shortage in the US

B.introducing jobs with higher pay and greater status to their students

C.persuading the students not to be nurses

D.not asking the government to raise the nurses’ payment

3.The author writes the passage in order to　　　　　　 .

A.warn people to pay more attention to the nursing problem

B.call on women to choose different kinds of jobs

C.tell us women’s free choices of jobs today

D.describe the unequal treatment of women in the US

4.It can be inferred from the passage that　　　　　 .

A.of all the hospitals in the world 60 percent more nurses are badly needed

B.women in the US have greater career choices than those in other countries

C.high school students think themselves too bright to be nurses

D.nursing used to be a popular job among women

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

At one time it was the dream of many little girls to become a nurse. Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2,000,000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages, large enough to threaten the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field.

What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that women have greater career options. In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the workforce, but their options have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status. A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as“merely a nurse”. Teachers many be also at fault. Many high school students are actually away from nursing, told by teachers that they are“too bright to be a nurse”.

Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal (致命的) diseases mean long hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is estimated that the demand for nurses will be doubled the supply in the coming ten years.

1.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A. How nurses have been looked down upon.

B. Why women have chosen many different jobs.

C. What has caused nurse shortage.

D. How teachers have influenced their students.

2.The Passage tells that high school teachers are at fault for________.

A. not mentioning the worst nurse shortage in the US

B. introducing jobs with higher pay and greater status to their students

C. not asking the government to raise the nurses’ payment

D. persuading the students not to be nurses

3.The author writes the Passage in order to________.

A. describe the unequal treatment of women in the US

B. warn people to pay more attention to the nursing problem

C. tell us women’s free choices of jobs today

D. call on women to choose different kinds of jobs

4.It can be inferred from the Passage that________.

A. high school students think themselves too bright to be nurses

B. women in the US have greater career choices than those in other countries

C. of all the hospitals in the world 60 percent more nurses are badly needed

D. nursing used to be a popular job among women

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The printing press has a long history. It was invented in Germany by Joannes Gutenberg around 1440, and brought to England by William Caxton in the 1470s.Yet the basic technology of printing remained the same up to the end of the 18th century, requiring two men to operate a wooden screw press by hand, producing about 200 impressions an hour. The 19th century was the period in which this process was mechanised, automated, and made many times faster.

A key moment in the development of mass newspapers was the development of the steam-powered printing press, adopted by the times in 1814. The new presses were able to print per hour around five times the number produced by the machines. The editor, John Walter, had the machines fixed secretly at night, so that when his printers reported for duty the next morning the majority of them found that they were out of work. The Times went from a circulation of 5,000 a day in 1815 to around 50,000 in the middle of the century. This was not caused by the steam press, but neither could it have happened without it.

Later developments improved this effect: the Applegath machine achieved 5,000 impressions per hour, and the Hoe press, an import from the United States, reached to 20,000 impressions per hour. Increase in the speed of papermaking in this period brought down the cost of printed materials both for the producer and the customer. In 1896, the Daily Mail was sold at the cost of only half a penny, and by 1900 it was selling nearly 1,000,000 copies a day.

If print production was completely changed in those years, then so was its distribution. The appearance of the steam railway meant that for the first time newspapers could be distributed across the country on a daily basis.

1.What can we learn about the basic technology of printing?

A. It was invented first in the middle of the 15th century.

B. It was brought into England by Joannes Gutenberg.

C. It took over 400 years to change after invention.

D. It took two hours to produce about 200 impressions.

2.How many impressions did the new press produce an hour in 1814?

A. About 20,000.　　 B. About 1,000.

C. About 2,000.　　 D. About 5,000.

3.Increase in the speed of papermaking led to ____.

A. the invention of steam printing press　　 B. the development of the steam railway

C. the appearance of the Daily Mail　　 D. the decline of printing expenses

4.The passage is developed mainly by ____.

A. providing examples　　 B. making comparisons

C. following the order of time　　 D. following the order of space

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

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 “placebo 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.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析