Ownership used to be about as straightforward as writing a cheque. If you bought something, you owned it. If it broke, you fixed it. If you no longer wanted it, you sold it or threw it away. In the digital age, however, ownership has become more slippery. Since the coming of smartphones, consumers have been forced to accept that they do not control the software in their devices; they are only licensed to use it. As a digital chain is wrapped ever more tightly around more devices, such as cars and thermostats, who owns and who controls which objects is becoming a problem. Buyers should be aware that some of their most basic property rights are under threat.
The trend is not always harmful. Manufacturers seeking to restrict what owners do with increasingly complex technology have good reasons to protect their copyright, ensure that their machines do not break down, support environmental standards and prevent hacking. Sometimes companies use their control over a product’s software for the owners’ benefit. When Hurricane Irma hit Florida this month, Tesla remotely updated the software controlling the batteries of some models to give owners more range to escape the storm.
But the more digital strings are attached to goods, the more the balance of control leans towards producers and away from owners. That can be inconvenient. Picking a car is hard enough, but harder still if you have to dig up the instructions that tell you how use is limited and what data you must give. If the products are intentionally designed not to last long, it can also be expensive. Already, items from smartphones to washing machines have become extremely hard to fix, meaning that they are thrown away instead of being repaired.
Privacy is also at risk. Users become terrified when iRobot, a robotic vacuum cleaner, not only cleans the floor but also creates a digital map of the inside of a home that can then be sold to advertisers (though the manufacturer says it has no intention of doing so). Cases like this should remind people how jealously they ought to protect their property rights and control who uses the data that is collected.
Ownership is not about to go away, but its meaning is changing. This requires careful inspection. Devices, by and large, are sold on the basis that they enable people to do what they want. To the extent they are controlled by somebody else, that freedom is compromised.
1.What benefit does it bring to customers if companies control the ownership of products?
A. It provides them with knowledge to prevent hacking.
B. It gives them the chance to be protected from danger.
C. It enables them to own the copyright of the products.
D. It helps them know more about complex technology.
2.The underlined words “that freedom” in the last paragraph refer to the freedom to ________.
A. control other people
B. share the ownership
C. inspect devices at any time
D. use devices as one wishes
3.The author may agree ________.
A. customers should buy fewer digital devices
B. producers should control property rights
C. property rights need to be protected
D. better after sales service is required
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A. B.
C. D.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Ownership used to be about as straightforward as writing a cheque. If you bought something, you owned it. If it broke, you fixed it. If you no longer wanted it, you sold it or threw it away. In the digital age, however, ownership has become more slippery. Since the coming of smartphones, consumers have been forced to accept that they do not control the software in their devices; they are only licensed to use it. As a digital chain is wrapped ever more tightly around more devices, such as cars and thermostats, who owns and who controls which objects is becoming a problem. Buyers should be aware that some of their most basic property rights are under threat.
The trend is not always harmful. Manufacturers seeking to restrict what owners do with increasingly complex technology have good reasons to protect their copyright, ensure that their machines do not break down, support environmental standards and prevent hacking. Sometimes companies use their control over a product’s software for the owners’ benefit. When Hurricane Irma hit Florida this month, Tesla remotely updated the software controlling the batteries of some models to give owners more range to escape the storm.
But the more digital strings are attached to goods, the more the balance of control leans towards producers and away from owners. That can be inconvenient. Picking a car is hard enough, but harder still if you have to dig up the instructions that tell you how use is limited and what data you must give. If the products are intentionally designed not to last long, it can also be expensive. Already, items from smartphones to washing machines have become extremely hard to fix, meaning that they are thrown away instead of being repaired.
Privacy is also at risk. Users become terrified when iRobot, a robotic vacuum cleaner, not only cleans the floor but also creates a digital map of the inside of a home that can then be sold to advertisers (though the manufacturer says it has no intention of doing so). Cases like this should remind people how jealously they ought to protect their property rights and control who uses the data that is collected.
Ownership is not about to go away, but its meaning is changing. This requires careful inspection. Devices, by and large, are sold on the basis that they enable people to do what they want. To the extent they are controlled by somebody else, that freedom is compromised.
1.What benefit does it bring to customers if companies control the ownership of products?
A. It provides them with knowledge to prevent hacking.
B. It gives them the chance to be protected from danger.
C. It enables them to own the copyright of the products.
D. It helps them know more about complex technology.
2.The underlined words “that freedom” in the last paragraph refer to the freedom to ________.
A. control other people
B. share the ownership
C. inspect devices at any time
D. use devices as one wishes
3.The author may agree ________.
A. customers should buy fewer digital devices
B. producers should control property rights
C. property rights need to be protected
D. better after sales service is required
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A. B.
C. D.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Ownership used to be about as straightforward as writing a cheque. If you bought something, you owned it. If it broke, you fixed it. If you no longer wanted it, you sold it or threw it away. In the digital age, however, ownership has become more slippery. Since the coming of smartphones, consumers have been forced to accept that they do not control the software in their devices; they are only licensed to use it. As a digital chain is wrapped ever more tightly around more devices, such as cars and thermostats, who owns and who controls which objects is becoming a problem. Buyers should be aware that some of their most basic property rights are under threat.
The trend is not always harmful. Manufacturers seeking to restrict what owners do with increasingly complex technology have good reasons to protect their copyright, ensure that their machines do not break down, support environmental standards and prevent hacking. Sometimes companies use their control over a product's software for the owners' benefit. When Hurricane Irma hit Florida this month, Tesla remotely updated the software controlling the batteries of some models to give owners more range to escape the storm.
But the more digital strings are attached to goods, the more the balance of control leans towards producers and away from owners. That can be inconvenient. Picking a car is hard enough, but harder still if you have to dig up the instructions that tell you how use is limited and what data you must give. If the products are intentionally designed not to last long, it can also be expensive. Already, items from smartphones to washing machines have become extremely hard to fix, meaning that they are thrown away instead of being repaired.
Privacy is also at risk. Users become terrified when iRobot, a robotic vacuum cleaner, not only cleans the floor but also creates a digital map of the inside of a home that can then be sold to advertisers (though the manufacturer says it has no intention of doing so). Cases like this should remind people how jealously they ought to protect their property rights and control who uses the data that is collected.
Ownership is not about to go away, but its meaning is changing. This requires careful inspection. Devices, by and large, are sold on the basis that they enable people to do what they want. To the extent they are controlled by somebody else, that freedom is compromised.
1.What benefit does it bring to customers if companies control the ownership of products?
A.It provides them with knowledge to prevent hacking.
B.It gives them the chance to be protected from danger.
C.It enables them to own the copyright of the products.
D.It helps them know more about complex technology.
2.The underlined words "that freedom" in the last paragraph refer to the freedom to ________.
A.control other people B.share the ownership
C.inspect devices at any time D.use devices as one wishes
3.The author may agree ________.
A.customers should buy fewer digital devices
B.producers should control property rights
C.property rights need to be protected
D.better after sales service is required
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A. B.
C. D.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You want to write an article for your school newspaper about your friend Liangliang. He used to be overweight and didn’t like to be active. After exercising and going on a diet, he now looks like a different boy. Write your article according to the following pictures and also give people some of your own advice.
参考词汇:overweight, chicken and chips, balanced diet, good figure / shape
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
This dictionary tells you about English words and how to use them in reading, writing and speaking English. It not only gives the meaning of words, it can also help you with spelling, word building, grammar and pronunciation.
To use your dictionary correctly, you will find two spellings for this word. “Colour” is used in British English, while “color” is used in American English. When there are differences between British and American spelling, the dictionary shows it with the word “BrE” for British English and “AmE” for American English.
The dictionary also helps you pronounce words correctly. If you turn to the inside back face, you will see all the phonetic letters (音标 ) with some words to show you how they are pronounced. Just look at the inside back cover when you're not sure how to say a word.
The most important reason for using a dictionary is to find out the meaning of a word — its definition.
In this dictionary, the definitions have been written using only 2, 000 words. This means that the definitions of even the most difficult words are simple and easy to understand.
1.________ of the words in the dictionary have two spellings.
A.All | B.Some | C.Few | D.One |
2.What is the main reason for us to use a dictionary?
A.To read the word correctly. |
B.To write the word out. |
C.To know the meaning of the word. |
D.To find the difference between British English and American English. |
3.The phonetic letters helps you ________ each word correctly.
A.say | B.write | C.understand | D.know |
4.The Chinese meaning of “definition” here is________.
A.词性 | B.词条 | C.词义 | D.词库 |
5.How many words are there in this dictionary?
A.Two thousand. | B.One thousand. | C.One hundred. | D.We don't know. |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Severely disabled people may soon be able to use their noses to write, drive a wheelchair or surf the Internet, thanks to a device (装置) developed by doctors in Israel.
The device will be used by breathing in and out through the nose, according to a study. Healthy people who tested the device quickly learned to play computer games and write sentences by sniffing. Encouraged by the results, the researchers decided to test their device on people who are paralyzed (瘫痪) but whose intelligence remains normal. Ten paralyzed who tested the device quickly learned to use their noses to write words, open a webpage, copy words and put them into a search engine.
With their success in helping severely disabled people to communicate * the researchers decided to make use of the new technology to design an electric wheelchair to be driven by sniffs.
Ten healthy people easily mastered sniff—driving a wheelchair through a maze (迷宫), and a 30-year-old man who had been paralyzed from the neck down for six years was as good a sniff-driver as the healthy participants at his second attempt. In other words, a paralyzed person could use the sniff controller to drive an electric wheelchair.
At the moment, sniff-controlled technology is still in the stage of development, and the Weizmann Institute has already applied for a patent on the device. "Ill be very happy if it can help us to make money, but the real problem is that I hope someone will develop it, because this would help a lot of people," said Sobel, one of the lead researchers of the study.
1.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A. To introduce a new invention.
B. To equip the disabled with life skills.
C. To show the nose's special functions.
D. To instruct doctors to apply for a patent.
2.In the test, the paralyzed people with normal intelligence can use their nose to ______.
A. type long sentences quickly
B. play computer games easily
C. enter a website without much difficulty
D. communicate with others successfully
3.With the help of the sniffing device, a 30-year-old disabled man ______.
A. spent six years learning how to drive a wheelchair
B. failed to drive through the maze at his first attempt
C. took the wheelchair controlled by healthy participants
D. managed to drive an electric wheelchair by sniffing
4.From the last paragraph, we can infer that the sniff-controlled technology ______.
A. will be applied to other fields of research
B. needs further developing to serve more people
C. has become an important patented invention
D. shows the wisdom and talents of Israel doctors
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Severely disabled people may soon be able to use their noses to write, drive a wheelchair or surf the Internet, thanks to a device (装置) developed by doctors in Israel.
The device will be used by breathing in and out through the nose, according to a study. Healthy people who tested the device quickly learned to play computer games and write sentences by sniffing. Encouraged by the results, the researchers decided to test their device on people who are paralyzed (瘫痪) but whose intelligence remains normal. Ten paralyzed who tested the device quickly learned to use their noses to write words, open a webpage, copy words and put them into a search engine.
With their success in helping severely disabled people to communicate, the researchers decided to make use of the new technology to design an electric wheelchair to be driven by sniffs.
Ten healthy people easily mastered sniff—driving a wheelchair through a maze (迷宫), and a 30-year-old man who had been paralyzed from the neck down for six years was as good a sniff-driver as the healthy participants at his second attempt. In other words, a paralyzed person could use the sniff controller to drive an electric wheelchair.
At the moment, sniff-controlled technology is still in the stage of development, and the Weizmann Institute has already applied for a patent on the device. "I’ll be very happy if it can help us to make money, but the real problem is that I hope someone will develop it, because this would help a lot of people," said Sobel, one of the lead researchers of the study.
1.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A.To introduce a new invention.
B.To equip the disabled with life skills.
C.To show the nose's special functions.
D.To instruct doctors to apply for a patent.
2.In the test, the paralyzed people with normal intelligence can use their nose to ______.
A.type long sentences quickly
B.play computer games easily
C.enter a website without much difficulty
D.communicate with others successfully
3.With the help of the sniffing device, a 30-year-old disabled man ______.
A.spent six years learning how to drive a wheelchair
B.failed to drive through the maze at his first attempt
C.took the wheelchair controlled by healthy participants
D.managed to drive an electric wheelchair by sniffing
4.From the last paragraph, we can infer that the sniff-controlled technology ______.
A.will be applied to other fields of research
B.needs further developing to serve more people
C.has become an important patented invention
D.shows the wisdom and talents of Israel doctors
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
There are solid reasons for China to claim ownership of the Diaoyu Islands, which lie about 200 miles ________ the eastern coast of our country.
A. to B. on C. off D. of
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity. I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day’s events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary. I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper. After all, isn’t accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?
When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well-equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera. During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across. I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels. On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand. The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows. I automatically took out my pen...
At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley. All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.
Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling. I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful. I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful. I’m no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old. I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.
I don’t want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes. Maybe I won’t have as many exact representations of people and places; maybe I’ll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me. I don’t live to make memories—I just live, and the memories form themselves.
1.Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of .
A. observing her school routine
B. expressing her satisfaction
C. impressing her classmates
D. preserving her history
2. What caused a change in the author’s understanding of keeping a diary? ______
A. A dull night on the journey.
B. The beauty of the great valley.
C. A striking quotation from a book.
D. Her concerns for future generations.
3. What does the author put in her diary now? _______
A. Notes and beautiful pictures.
B. Special thoughts and feelings.
C. Detailed accounts of daily activities.
D. Descriptions of unforgettable events.
4.The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is .
A. to experience it
B. to live the present in the future
C. to make memories
D. to give accurate representations of it
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity.I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day's events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary.I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper.After all, isn't accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?
When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well-equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera.During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across.I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels.On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand.The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows.I automatically took out my pen...
At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley.All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.
Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling.I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful.I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful.I'm no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old.I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.
I don't want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes.Maybe I won't have as many exact representations of people and places; maybe I'll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me.I don't live to make memories—I just live, and the memories form themselves.
1.Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of________.
A.observing her school routine
B.expressing her satisfaction
C.impressing her classmates
D.preserving her history
2.What caused a change in the author's understanding of keeping a diary?
A.A dull night on the journey.
B.The beauty of the great valley.
C.A striking quotation from a book.
D.Her concerns for future generations.
3.What does the author put in her diary now?
A.Notes and beautiful pictures.
B.Special thoughts and feelings.
C.Detailed accounts of daily activities.
D.Descriptions of unforgettable events.
4.The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is________.
A.to experience it
B.to live the present in the future
C.to make memories
D.to give accurate representations of it
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some years ago,writing in my diary used to be a usual activity.I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day’s events,feelings,and impressions in my little blue diary.I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words,but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper.After all,isn’t accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?
When I was thirteen years old,I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley,wellequipped with pens,a diary,and a camera.During the trip,I was busy recording every incident,name and place I came across.I felt proud to be spending my time productively,dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels.On my last night there,I wandered out of my tent,diary in hand.The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon,and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows.I automatically took out my pen...
At that point,I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley.All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.
Now,I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling.I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books,or observations that are particularly meaningful.I take pictures,but not very often-only of objects I find really beautiful.I’m no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old.I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera,busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.
I don’t want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes.Maybe I won’t have as many exact representations of people and places;maybe I’ll forget certain facts,but at least the experiences will always remain inside me.I don’t live to make memories-I just live,and the memories form themselves.
1.Before the age of thirteen,the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of________.
A.observing her school routine
B.expressing her satisfaction
C.impressing her classmates
D.preserving her history
2.What caused a change in the author’s understanding of keeping a diary?
A.A dull night on the journey.
B.The beauty of the great valley.
C.A striking quotation from a book.
D.Her concerns for future generations.
3.What does the author put in her diary now?
A.Notes and beautiful pictures.
B.Special thoughts and feelings.
C.Detailed accounts of daily activities.
D.Descriptions of unforgettable events.
4.The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is________.
A.to experience it
B.to live the present in the future
C.to make memories
D.to give accurate representations of it
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析