The world’s supplies of coal _______ graduall...

The world’s supplies of coal _______ gradually _______ up with the development of modern technology.

A. is; used            B. are being; used  C. has; used     D. have been; using

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

While fossil fuels — coal, oil, gas — still produce roughly 85 percent of the world’s energy supply, it’s clearer than ever that the future belongs to renewable sources such as wind and solar. The move to renewables is picking up the development around the world: They now account for more than half of new power sources going in operation.

Some growth stems from a commitment by governments and farsighted businesses to fund cleaner energy sources. But increasingly the story is about the falling prices of renewables, especially wind and solar. The cost of solar panels has dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines（涡轮机）by close to one-third in the past eight years.

In many parts of the world renewable energy is already an important energy source. In Scotland, for example, wind turbines provide enough electricity to power 95 percent of homes. While the rest of the world takes the lead, especially China and Europe, the United States is also seeing an amazing shift. In March, for the first time, wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of the power generated in the US, reported the US Energy Information Administration.

President Trump has underlined fossil fuels — especially coal — as the path to economic growth. In a recent speech in Iowa, he dismissed wind power as an unreliable energy source. But that message did not play well with many in Iowa, where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state’s electricity generation — and where tech enterprise like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.

The question “what happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine?” has provided a quick remark for skeptics. But an increase in the storage capacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around the clock more likely.

The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers, who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles. Although electric cars are still uncommon on roads now, this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in coming years.

While there’s a long way to go, the trend lines for renewables are zooming. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up — perhaps just in time to have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change. What Washington does — or doesn’t do — to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought.

1.According to Paragraph 3, the use of renewable energy in America ______.

A.has proved to be impractical B.is as common as in Europe

C.faces many challenges D.is progressing greatly

2.It can be learned that in Iowa ______.

A.wind is a widely used energy source

B.wind energy has replaced fossil fuels

C.there is a shortage of clean energy supply

D.tech enterprises are investing in clean energy

3.Which of the following is true about clean energy according to Paragraphs 5&6?

A.Its application has increased battery storage.

B.Its continuous supply is becoming a reality.

C.It is commonly used in car manufacturing.

D.Its sustainable exploitation will remain difficult.

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that renewable energy ______.

A.will bring the US closer to other countries

B.will accelerate global environmental change

C.is not really encouraged by the US government

D.is not competitive enough with regard to its cost

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Economic growth in the world remains weak throughout 2013 and it is hoped that it will 　　　　 up gradually in 2014.

A. break　　　　　　 B. make　　　　　　　　 C. pick　　　　　　　 D. turn

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Antarctic Icecap is the largest supply of fresh water，representing nearly 2％of the world’s total of fresh and salt water. As can be seen from the table below, the amount of water in our atmosphere is over 10 times as much as the water in all the rivers taken together. The fresh water actually available for human use in lakes and rivers and the accessible ground water amount to only about one-third of 1％of the world’s total water supply.

1.What’s the best title of this passage?

A．Fresh Water in the World                 B．Water Supply of the World

C．Salt Water of the Earth                   D．Protection of the Water in the World

2.It can be seen from the table______.

A．humans will have to use sea water in the future

B．there is enough fresh water for man to use

C．Water in the atmosphere is the least

D．the sea water takes up 98％of the water on earth

3.The fresh water that humans can use is _________.

A．about 1,086,700 cu mi                   B．about 6,300,000 cu mi

C．about 680,000 cu mi                     D．about 2,000,000 cu mi

4.Where does the majority of fresh water exists?

A．In Arctic Icecap and glaciers.               B．In Deep ground.

C．In the Antarctic Icecap.                   D．In the atmosphere.

5.What are the two places where equal amount of fresh water is stored?

A．Freshwater lakes and all rivers(average level)

B．Antarctic Icecap and water in the atmosphere

C．Ground water within half a mile from surface and Deep-lying ground water.

D．Deep-lying ground water and Arctic Icecap and glaciers

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Coal mine accidents are frequently headline makers in China, offering a plentiful supply of long lists of the dead. Before this, five major coal mine accidents since January have already claimed lives of 287 coal miners.

Once an accident happens, the safety measures are scrutinized, officials and owners responsible are punished or warned or fined. But the accidents keep happening time and again.

The background of this endless disaster is a country thirsty for energy to satisfy the appetite of its economic engine.

With the rich reserve（储存）of coal and relatively limited petroleum（石油）reserve, the former makes up 67.12 percent of energy consumption. By contrast, petroleum and natural gas take about 60 percent of the energy consumption in other countries.

Such a situation is unlikely to change within a foreseeable future because the country still counts heavily on coal for more and more energy. If no measures with great effects are taken to improve the safety in the mines, the accidents will remain a long-term headache for China.

Digging coal underground is, by its nature, a dangerous job. No equipment can guarantee 100 percent safety for the miners working underground because numerous uncertainties exist.

Most of China’s coal mines are far from being mechanized. The average output of coal for each Chinese coal miner every day is 1 ton, while the number in the US coal mines, where the production is highly mechanized, is 40 tons.

Mechanized production in coal mines can cut down the number of miners who have to work on the dangerous coal face. It can also enhance the capability of the mines to detect potential danger. In this way mine accidents will be decreased.

Admittedly, the mechanized production demands financial support.

But what is the price of a life, or a dozen, a score – a hundred? Compare these awful figures with the misery they bring, heavy investment is worthy.

1.The writer’s attitude towards dealing with coal mine accidents is ________.

A. critical    B. positive     C. unclear      D. doubtful

2.The underlined word “scrutinized” most probably means ________.

A. made     B. examined    C. criticized    D. discussed

3.According to the writer, the best way to stop coal mine accidents is to ________.

A. perfect safety measures           B. use more natural gas

C. cut down the number of miners    D. improve mechanized production

4.The writer implies in the article that ________.

A. by improving mechanized production, we can stop coal mine accidents

B. it’s improper to depend too much on coal for energy consumption

C. officials and coal mine owners didn’t take safety measures seriously

D. losing lives costs much more than improving mechanized production

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play a significant role in the process of recovery from illness.

As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the galleries and into public places, some of the country's most talented artists have been called in to transform older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2,500 National Health Service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have significant contemporary art in corridors, waiting areas and treatment rooms.

These recent initiatives(首创) owe a great deal to one artist, Peter Senior who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970s. He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience.

A typical hospital waiting room might have as many as 5,000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art! Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the outpatients waiting area of the Manchester Hospital in 1975. Believed to be Britain's first hospital artist, Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates.

The effect is striking. Now in the corridors and waiting rooms the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colors, playful images and restful courtyards.

The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto a garden needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.

1.The underlined part "to soften the hard edges of modern buildings" in Paragraph 2 means"________".

A．to decorate hospitals with art collections

B．to make the corners of hospital buildings round

C．to change people's attitude toward hospitals

D．to replace the old buildings with modern buildings

2.Peter Senior is a(n) ________.

A．doctor interested in arts

B．artist who refuses to hold art exhibitions in hospitals

C．pioneer in introducing art into hospitals

D．artist who owns a great deal of property

3.The improvement of the hospital environment seems to be effective in ______.

A. making it unnecessary to give drugs to patients

B. helping the modern artists regain their status in society

C. calling in more talented artists to hospitals

D. helping patients recovering from illness

4.The writer’s attitude towards the effect of art exhibitions in hospitals is ______.

A. suspicious             B. positive      C. neutral(中立的)     D. unfavorable

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world's supply of water. With 97% of the world's water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world's agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.

Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.

This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.

Saudi Arabia's attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves. Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.

1.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

2.From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.

3.The text is mainly about________.

高三英语阅读理解极难题查看答案及解析

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world’s supply of water. With 97% of the world’s water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage（短缺）seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfull country, many of the world’s agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.

Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seaons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Notonly is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water many flow easily through pipes to fields,but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.

This is particularly troubling ro countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation（灌溉）. In Texas, farmers’ overuse of irrigation water be resulted in a 25% redcution of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of south eastern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry vallege, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.

Saudi Arabia’s attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have been the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves. Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.

1. From the first two paragraphs we learnt that _______.

A.much of the world’s water is available for use

B.people in high rainfll countries feel lucky

C.the costs of water redistribution should be considered

D.water can be easily carried through pipes across the world

2.Which of the following is true?

A.The water  in Texas have been reduced by 75%.

B.Most industries in the world suffer from water shortagers.

C.The underground water in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years.

D.Good management of water use resulted from the project in the Central Valley.

3.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragreh that follows?

A.Steps to improving water use managet.

B.Ways tor redjuce the costs of builing dams.

C.Measured to dmal with worldwide water shortages.

D.Appmihes to handling the pressure on water supply.

4.The text is mainly about____________.

A.water supply and increasing population

B.water use management and agriculture

C.water redistribution and wildlife protection

D.water shornages and environmental protection.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world's supply of water. With 97% of the world's water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world's agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.

Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements. This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation. In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores.

In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.

Saudi Arabia's attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves. Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.

1.From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.

A. much of the world's water is available for use

B. people in high rainfall countries feel lucky

C. the costs of water redistribution should be considered

D. water can be easily carried through pipes across the world

2.Which of the following is true?

A. The water stores in Texas have been reduced by 75%.

B. Most industries in the world suffer from water shortages.

C. The underground water in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years.

D. Good management of water use resulted from the project in the Central Valley.

3.The text is mainly about________.

A. water supply and increasing population

B. water use management and agriculture

C. water redistribution and wildlife protection

D. water shortages and environmental protection

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world's supply of water. With 97% of the world's water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world's agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.

Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.

This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.

Saudi Arabia's attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves.　 Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.

1.From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.

A. much of the world's water is available for use

B. people in high rainfall countries feel lucky

C. water can be easily carried through pipes across the world

D. the costs of water redistribution should be considered

2.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The water stores in Texas have been reduced by 75%.

B. Most industries in the world suffer from water shortages.

C. The underground water in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years.

D. Good management of water use resulted from the project in the Central Valley.

3.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A. Steps to improving water use management.

B. Ways to reduce the costs of building dams.

C. Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages.

D. Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply.

4.The text is mainly about________.

A. water supply and increasing population

B. water use management and agriculture

C. water redistribution and wildlife protection

D. water shortages and environmental protection

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析