Imagine a stranger walking past you on a cold, rainy day. “Lovely weather, isn’t it?” the stranger says. Do you laugh, or even smile? If not, you may not have a dry sense of humor.
British people, and particularly the English, are well-known for our dry sense of humor. We often say the opposite of what we mean in order to be funny, and tell jokes in a tone of voice that makes it sound like we are being completely serious. As US writer Julian Tan put it on the HuffPost Students blog: “It is as if it is ‘Opposite Day’ every day in Britain.”
If the people of Britain are known for having a “stiff upper lip” and not showing emotion, then our dry sense of humor shows this through jokes. Often it will take a long time or several beers, to get a British person to tell you what they actually think about something and get behind the wall of humorous sarcasm (讽刺) that they have in front of them.
English comedian Ricky Gervais put it like this: “We play jokes on our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield (护盾) and a weapon. We avoid being serious until it’s absolutely necessary.”
It can be annoying and confusing if you haven’t been raised with these types of jokes: “Why did he just say such a ridiculous thing? Is he making fun of me?” But it is also true that understanding this type of humor is a good way to make friends with people in the UK, even if you don’t find it funny.
It’s important to remember that the person telling the joke may actually be making fun of himself or herself, not you. One of the characteristics of British humor is “its strong theme of self-deprecation” (making fun of oneself), according to Tan. So don’t worry – often, English people, and British people in general, just want to make fun of themselves!
1.According to the passage, we can know that someone with a dry sense of humor can ___________.
A. not use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon.
B. not make friends with people in the UK
C. pretend to play jokes on their friends
D. say funny things in a serious way
2.Which of the following words best describes British humor according to Julian Tan?
A. Opposite. B. Annoying.
C. Ridiculous. D. Funny.
3.The underlined phrase “stiff upper lip” in Paragraph 3 refers to a quality of ___________.
A. remaining calm
B. communicating feelings
C. taking a positive attitude
D. focusing attention
4.It can be inferred from the passage that _______________.
A. British people are famous for being emotional
B. British people’s humor is often misunderstood
C. it’s a tradition for British people to make fun of each other
D. it doesn’t take a long time to make friends with British people
5.The passage is mainly about ____________________.
A. why British people like laughing at themselves
B. some tips on how to make British people laugh
C. the importance of humor in British culture
D. what British humor is like
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Imagine a stranger walking past you on a cold, rainy day. “Lovely weather, isn’t it?” the stranger says. Do you laugh, or even smile? If not, you may not have a dry sense of humor.
British people, and particularly the English, are well-known for our dry sense of humor. We often say the opposite of what we mean in order to be funny, and tell jokes in a tone of voice that makes it sound like we are being completely serious. As US writer Julian Tan put it on the HuffPost Students blog: “It is as if it is ‘Opposite Day’ every day in Britain.”
If the people of Britain are known for having a “stiff upper lip” and not showing emotion, then our dry sense of humor shows this through jokes. Often it will take a long time or several beers, to get a British person to tell you what they actually think about something and get behind the wall of humorous sarcasm (讽刺) that they have in front of them.
English comedian Ricky Gervais put it like this: “We play jokes on our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield (护盾) and a weapon. We avoid being serious until it’s absolutely necessary.”
It can be annoying and confusing if you haven’t been raised with these types of jokes: “Why did he just say such a ridiculous thing? Is he making fun of me?” But it is also true that understanding this type of humor is a good way to make friends with people in the UK, even if you don’t find it funny.
It’s important to remember that the person telling the joke may actually be making fun of himself or herself, not you. One of the characteristics of British humor is “its strong theme of self-deprecation” (making fun of oneself), according to Tan. So don’t worry – often, English people, and British people in general, just want to make fun of themselves!
1.According to the passage, we can know that someone with a dry sense of humor can ___________.
A. not use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon.
B. not make friends with people in the UK
C. pretend to play jokes on their friends
D. say funny things in a serious way
2.Which of the following words best describes British humor according to Julian Tan?
A. Opposite. B. Annoying.
C. Ridiculous. D. Funny.
3.The underlined phrase “stiff upper lip” in Paragraph 3 refers to a quality of ___________.
A. remaining calm
B. communicating feelings
C. taking a positive attitude
D. focusing attention
4.It can be inferred from the passage that _______________.
A. British people are famous for being emotional
B. British people’s humor is often misunderstood
C. it’s a tradition for British people to make fun of each other
D. it doesn’t take a long time to make friends with British people
5.The passage is mainly about ____________________.
A. why British people like laughing at themselves
B. some tips on how to make British people laugh
C. the importance of humor in British culture
D. what British humor is like
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When twelve-year-old John Wilson walked into his chemistry class on a rainy day in late October 1931, he had no way of knowing that his life was about to change completely. The class ____ that day was to show how ____ a container of water would bring oxygen bubbles(气泡) to the surface. The container John was about to heat, ____ , was not like the containers students everywhere had used. Someone had been ______ and put the wrong label(标签) on the bottle. And ____ John heated it with a Bunsen burner, the container ______ , sending the liquid flying in all directions. John Wilson came away from it, completely ______.
Wilson spent the next two months in hospital. After he returned home, his parents ______a hard time to find a way to deal with the ____ that had happened to their lives. But Wilson did not ____ the accident as a disaster. He knew he had the rest of his life to live. He learned Braille(盲文) quickly and continued his ____ at the esteemed Worcester College for the disabled. There, he not only ____ as a student but also became an accomplished rower, swimmer, actor, musician, and orator.
Many people, faced with the _____ John Wilson met with, would have _____of their experience. Perhaps they would have considered themselves to be ____ by ill fortune and discouraged in their ____ to do anything significant with their lives. Wilson, however, lost his sight but found a ____. Through his practical action and life attitude, he proved to us ____ that it’s not what happens to us that _____our lives — it’s what we make ______ what happens.
1.A. experiment B. discussion C. analysis D. management
2.A. bringing out B. turning over C. heating up D. picking on
3.A. therefore B. instead C. besides D. however
4.A. light-hearted B. absent-minded C. cold-blooded D. bad-tempered
5.A. as B. if C. once D. though
6.A. leaked B. exploded C. collapsed D. melted
7.A. dumb B. lame C. deaf D. blind
8.A. called for B. drove off C. went through D. depended on
9.A. catastrophe B. coincidence C. dilemma D. drawback
10.A. elect B. appoint C. regard D. recommend
11.A. education B. occupation C. contribution D. recovery
12.A. survived B. shone C. competed D. registered
13.A. discrimination B. resistance C. circumstances D. uncertainties
14.A. dreamed B. thought C. approved D. complained
15.A. criticized B. motivated C. surrounded D. interrupted
16.A. preferences B. requirements C. failures D. attempts
17.A. bridge B. vision C. reward D. cure
18.A. dramatically B. occasionally C. abruptly D. roughly
19.A. limits B. predicts C. determines D. replaces
20.A. of B. from C. for D. up
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
A man walked down the trail on a cold, gray day. He was wearing heavy clothes and fur boots. But he still felt cold and uncomfortable.
The man was on his way to a camp near Henderson Creek. His friends were already there. He expected to reach Henderson Creek by six o’clock that evening. It would be dark by then. His friends would have a fire and hot food ready for him.
A dog walked behind the man. It was a big gray animal, half dog and half wolf. The dog did not like the extreme cold. It knew the weather was too cold to travel.
The man continued to walk down the trail. He came to a frozen stream called Indian Creek. He began to walk on the snow-covered ice. It was a trail that would lead him straight to Henderson Creek and his friends.
As he walked, he looked charily at the ice in front of him. Once, he stopped suddenly, and then walked around a part of the frozen stream. He saw that an underground spring flowed under the ice at that spot. It made the ice thin. If he stepped there, he might break through the ice into a pool of water. To get his boots wet in such cold weather might kill him. His feet would turn to ice quickly. He could freeze to death.
At about twelve o’clock, the man decided to stop to eat his lunch. He took off the glove on his right hand, opened his jacket and shirt, and pulled out his bread and meat. This took less than twenty seconds. Yet, his fingers began to freeze.
He hit his hand against his leg several times until he felt a sharp pain. Then he quickly put his glove on his hand. He made a fire, beginning with small pieces of wood and adding larger ones. He sat on a snow-covered log and ate his lunch. He enjoyed the warm fire for a few minutes. Then he stood up and started walking on the frozen stream again.
A half hour later, at a place where the snow seemed very solid, the ice broke. The man’s feet sank into the water. It was not deep, but his legs got wet to the knees. The man was angry. The accident would delay his arrival at the camp. He would have to build a fire now to dry his clothes and boots.
He walked over to some small trees. They were covered with snow. In their branches were pieces of dry grass and wood left by flood waters earlier in the year. He put several large pieces of wood on the snow, under one of the trees. On top of the wood, he put some grass and dry branches. He pulled off his gloves, took out his matches, and lighted the fire. He fed the young flame with more wood. As the fire grew stronger, he gave it larger pieces of wood.
He worked slowly and carefully. At sixty degrees below zero, a man with wet feet must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire. Fortunately, his fire was beginning to burn more strongly. He sat under the tree and thought of the old men in Fairbanks. The old men had told him that no man should travel alone in the Yukon when the temperature is sixty degrees below zero. Yet here he was. He had had an accident. He was alone. And he had saved himself. He had built a fire.
Those old men were weak, he thought. A real man could travel alone. If a man stayed calm, he would be all right.
1.The man made his way to Henderson Creek to ________.
A.have an unforgettable trip
B.meet with his friends as planned
C.experience the hard life there in person
D.be the first person to travel alone in the Yukon
2.Why did the man choose to walk on a trail with snow-covered ice?
A.Because it was the shortest route.
B.Because the scenery around was wonderful.
C.Because it was a path advised by his friends.
D.Because it was the only way to his destination.
3.After his feet sank into the water the man had to stop for a while in that ________.
A.he had to get some food for physical strength
B.he had to reevaluate the safety of the path
C.it was too cold to go any further
D.he had to dry his clothes and boots
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Building a fire in such an extreme condition was not as difficult as expected.
B.The fire successfully guaranteed the man’s safety to his destination at last.
C.The man was proud of his ability to survive in such an extreme condition.
D.The man’s experience proved that the old men in Fairbanks were reliable.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A rainy day can be a chance to recharge. While you relaxed on the sofa with a movie, the raindrops falling on your windows might one day provide the power for your TV. This is the idea behind an invention that harvests energy from water.
The technology is based on the triboelectric (摩擦电的)effect. An engineer at the University of Hawaii, David Ma knew that it’s possible to generate electricity by rubbing two things together. So, he thought, “Why don’t we use water?”
A drop of water sliding across a surface coated with two different materials would generate enough friction to create an electrical charge. By placing metal wires that the drop of water touched as it moved, it should be possible to harvest electricity, he reasoned.
It worked. In fact, the researchers lit up 15 LED bulbs with a single moving water drop.
This is not the first time that scientists have got electricity from water-generated friction( 摩 擦 ). Earlier experiments, though, harvested the charge produced in a surface by a sliding drop of water. There, the surface had acted as an electrode(电极). This is different. The energy of friction is being harvested from the water itself.
“It turns out,” Ma says, “the charge in the water drop is way more than the charge produced in the other electrode.” In fact, his team’s model generated almost 100 times more power than previous experiments from a single drop of water.
“The technology could someday power phones, sensors or other small electronics,” says Christopher Oshman, an engineer at the Colorado School of Mines. “This work is a step toward harvesting the energy of moving objects all around us, including ourselves, to power the electronic appliances we use every day,” he says.
Ma has shown that the technology can work in a lab, Oshman says. Next, the Colorado researcher would like to see it tried on a larger scale, such as on an umbrella.
1.How did the author introduce the topic of the text?
A.By telling a story.
B.By raising a question.
C.By giving an example.
D.By imagining a situation.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.The wire. B.The drop of water.
C.The surface. D.The electricity.
3.What is unique about Ma’s technique compared with earlier experiments?
A.The water itself acts as an electrode.
B.It is based on the triboelectric effect.
C.It produces electricity from water-made friction.
D.It uses a surface coated with two different materials.
4.What does Oshman say about Ma’s technology?
A.It has a promising future.
B.It will do well on an umbrella.
C.It works well in the real world.
D.It will replace batteries someday.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
A middle-aged stranger visited us late on a dark rainy night when my father was working the night shift (a job for a period during the night). The stranger asked if he could wait under the eaves of our roof for the rain to stop. Then he disappeared, and we started hearing footsteps and creaking boards in the attic(the space or room at the top of a building, under the roof, often used for storing things). Was the stranger inside our house? My whole body couldn’t help but stiffen. In my mind’s eye, I could imagine the stranger pushing through the attic door and approaching us.
We immediately called Jerry, our neighbor, for help. He searched everywhere, but the visitor was nowhere to be found. As Jerry looked in the garage, he found the stranger lying underneath the car. Jerry exclaimed with fright, “You are not allowed to enter the house. Get off the property right now.”
We were determined to leave the house immediately. As we drove away, we saw the man blocking our way on the road and staring at us. We had to swerve to miss him. After that, I never saw the stranger again.
1.The text is mainly about________.
A.the neighbor Jerry B.a strange dream
C.a strange visitor D.footsteps in the attic
2.Based on the text, which of the following statements is true?
A.The family h it the stranger with their car.
B.The stranger pushed through the family’s door.
C.Jerry was hurrying back from the night shift.
D.The author’s father wasn’t at home that night.
3.Why did the family leave their house on a late, dark night?
A.It was raining hard and the eaves of their roof were broken.
B.There was a ghost wandering around the house.
C.They did not feel safe in their house.
D.The stranger was still somewhere inside the house.
4.The text was written in order of________.
A.time B.space C.importance D.age of the family
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Today’s consumer is clearly not interested in saving for a rainy day, _____ was the case in the past.
A. as B. when C. about which D. it
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Imagine you’re at a party full of strangers. You’re nervous. Who are these people? How do you start a conversation? Fortunately, you’ve got a thing that sends out energy at tiny chips in everyone’s name tag. The chips send back name, job, hobbies, and the time available for meeting-whatever. Making new friends becomes simple.
This hasn’t quite happened in real life. But the world is already experiencing a revolution using RFID technology.
An RFID tag with a tiny chip can be fixed in a product, under your pet’s skin, even under your own skin. Passive RFID tags have no energy source-batteries because they do not need it. The energy comes from the reader, a scanning device, that sends out energy (for example, radio waves) that starts up the tag immediately.
Such a tag carries information specific to that object, and the data can be updated. Already, RFID technology is used for recognizing each car or truck on the road and it might appear in your passport. Doctors can put a tiny chip under the skin that will help locate and obtain a patient’s medical records. At a nightclub in Paris or in New York the same chip gets you into the VIP section and pays for the bill with the wave of an arm.
Take a step back: 10 or 12 years ago, you would have heard about the coming age of computing. One example always seemed to surface: Your refrigerator would know when you needed to buy more milk. The concept was that computer chips could be put everywhere and send information in a smart network that would make ordinary life simpler.
RFID tags are a small part of this phenomenon. “The world is going to be a loosely coupled set of individual small devices, connected wirelessly,” predicts Dr. J. Reich. Human right supporters are nervous about the possibilities of such technology. It goes too far tracking school kids through RFID tags, they say. We imagine a world in which a beer company could find out not only when you bought a beer but also when you drank it. And how many beers. Accompanied by how many biscuits.
When Marconi invented radio, he thought it would be used for ship-to-shore communication. Not for pop music. Who knows how RFID and related technologies will be used in the future. Here’s a wild guess: Not for buying milk.
1.The article is intended to .
A. warn people of the possible risks in adopting RFID technology
B. explain the benefits brought about by RFID technology
C. convince people of the uses of RFID technology
D. predict the applications of RFID technology
2.We know from the passage that with the help of RFID tags, people .
A. will have no trouble getting data about others
B. will have more energy for conversation
C. will have more time to make friends
D. won’t feel shy at parties any longer
3.Why are some people worried about RFID technology?
A. Because children will be tracked by strangers.
B. Because market competition will become more fierce.
C. Because their private lives will be greatly affected.
D. Because customers will be forced to buy more products.
4.The last paragraph implies that RFID technology .
A. will not be used for such matters as buying milk
B. will be widely used, including for buying milk
C. will only be used for buying milk
D. will probably not be widely used
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Imagine you’re at a party full of strangers. You’re nervous. Who are these people? How do you start a conversation? Fortunately, you’ve got a thing that sends out energy at tiny chips in everyone’s name tag. The chips send back name, job, hobbies, and the time available for meeting-whatever. Making new friends becomes simple.
This hasn’t quite happened in real life. But the world is already experiencing a revolution using RFID technology.
An RFID tag with a tiny chip can be fixed in a product, under your pet’s skin, even under your own skin. Passive RFID tags have no energy source-batteries because they do not need it. The energy comes from the reader, a scanning device, that sends out energy (for example, radio waves) that starts up the tag immediately.
Such a tag carries information specific to that object, and the data can be updated. Already, RFID technology is used for recognizing each car or truck on the road and it might appear in your passport. Doctors can put a tiny chip under the skin that will help locate and obtain a patient’s medical records. At a nightclub in Paris or in New York the same chip gets you into the VIP (very important person) section and pays for the bill with the wave of an arm.
Take a step back:10 or 12 years ago, you would have heard about the coming age of computing. One example always seemed to surface: Your refrigerator would know when you needed to buy more milk. The concept was that computer chips could be put everywhere and send information in a smart network that would make ordinary life simpler.
RFID tags are a small part of this phenomenon. “The world is going to be a loosely coupled set of individual small devices, connected wirelessly,” predicts Dr.J.Reich. Human right supporters are nervous about the possibilities of such technology. It goes too far tracking school kids through RFID tags, they say. We imagine a world in which a beer company could find out not only when you bought a beer but also when you drank it. And how many beers. Accompanied by how many biscuits.
When Marconi invented radio, he thought it would be used for ship-to-shore communication, not for pop music. Who knows how RFID and related technologies will be used in the future. Here’s a wild guess: Not for buying milk.
1. The article is intended to .
A. warn people of the possible risks in adopting RFID technology
B. explain the benefits brought about by RFID technology
C. convince people of the uses of RFID technology
D. predict the applications of RFID technology
2. We know from the passage that with the help of RFID tags, people________.
A. will have no trouble getting data about others
B. will have more energy for conversation
C. will have more time to make friends
D. won’t feel shy at parties any longer
3. Passive RFID tags chiefly consist of _______.
A. scanning devices B. radio waves
C. batteries D. chips
4. Why are some people worried about RFID technology?
A. Because children will be tracked by strangers.
B. Because market competition will become more fierce.
C. Because their private lives will be greatly affected.
D. Because customers will be forced to buy more products.
5. The last paragraph implies that RFID technology________.
A. will not be used for such matters as buying milk
B. will be widely used, including for buying milk
C. will be limited to communication uses
D. will probably be used for pop music
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Imagine you’re at a party full of strangers. You’re nervous. Who are these people? How do you start a conversation? Fortunately, you’ve got a thing that sends out energy at tiny chips in everyone’s name tag. The chips send back name, job, hobbies, and the time available for meeting-whatever. Making new friends becomes simple.
This hasn’t quite happened in real life. But the world is already experiencing a revolution using RFID technology.
An RFID tag with a tiny chip can be fixed in a product, under your pet’s skin, even under your own skin. Passive RFID tags have no energy source-batteries because they do not need it. The energy comes from the reader, a scanning device, that sends out energy (for example, radio waves) that starts up the tag immediately.
Such a tag carries information specific to that object, and the data can be updated. Already, RFID technology is used for recognizing each car or truck on the road and it might appear in your passport. Doctors can put a tiny chip under the skin that will help locate and obtain a patient’s medical records. At a nightclub in Paris or in New York the same chip gets you into the VIP (very important person) section and pays for the bill with the wave of an arm.
Take a step back:10 or 12 years ago, you would have heard about the coming age of computing. One example always seemed to surface: Your refrigerator would know when you needed to buy more milk. The concept was that computer chips could be put everywhere and send information in a smart network that would make ordinary life simpler.
RFID tags are a small part of this phenomenon. “The world is going to be a loosely coupled set of individual small devices, connected wirelessly,” predicts Dr.J.Reich. Human right supporters are nervous about the possibilities of such technology. It goes too far tracking school kids through RFID tags, they say. We imagine a world in which a beer company could find out not only when you bought a beer but also when you drank it. And how many beers. Accompanied by how many biscuits.
When Marconi invented radio, he thought it would be used for ship-to-shore communication, not for pop music. Who knows how RFID and related technologies will be used in the future. Here’s a wild guess: Not for buying milk.
1.The article is intended to ________.
A. warn people of the possible risks in adopting RFID technology
B. explain the benefits brought about by RFID technology
C. convince people of the uses of RFID technology
D. predict the applications of RFID technology
2.We know from the passage that with the help of RFID tags, people ________.
A. will have no trouble getting data about others
B. will have more energy for conversation
C. will have more time to make friends
D. won’t feel shy at parties any longer
3.Passive RFID tags chiefly consist of ________.
A. scanning devices B. radio waves
C. batteries D. chips
4.Why are some people worried about RFID technology?
A. Because children will be tracked by strangers.
B. Because market competition will become more fierce.
C. Because their private lives will be greatly affected.
D. Because customers will be forced to buy more products.
5.The last paragraph implies that RFID technology ________.
A. will not be used for such matters as buying milk
B. will be widely used, including for buying milk
C. will be limited to communication uses
D. will probably be used for pop music
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phones bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.
In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “No”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon(优惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.
1.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
A.Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
B.Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
C.There should be a distance even between friends. |
D.There should be fewer quarrels between friends. |
2.Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?
A.Modern society has finally developed into an open society. |
B.People leave traces around when using modern technology. |
C.There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs. |
D.Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities. |
3.What should be the best title for the text?
A.No Privacy, No Health |
B.Treasure Your Privacy |
C.Boundaries are Important between Friends |
D.The information Age Has Its Own Shortcomings |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析