The amount of rubbish that piles on our shore lines is hugely worrying and a growing problem for the planet. It seems like no matter how remote you hike and how high you climb, there’s always a dropped plastic container there waiting for you.
Mariah Reading, an American artist, spends the majority of her time outdoors looking for inspiration for her art, based in nature and our natural surroundings. On noticing the amount of waste filling her natural areas, she decided she had to reflect it in her works.
For her latest project, Mariah is looking at both the problem of wasteful littering and the way that art itself can be wasteful in materials, taking the dropped items that fill her natural spaces and painting them to reflect the place in which they were left.
Applying paint to create her masterpieces, Mariah has collected trash (垃圾) from different mountains and parks. “I’ve been considering my relationship with art and the large amount of waste it can produce,” says Mariah. “I wanted to find ways I can confirm art and its important purpose by working with recycled materials found in landscape environments.”
“Since the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, I’ve especially appreciated and been inspired by the natural beauty the parks offer, and found how easily we can take these precious places for granted. I seek to gather as much trash as possible, sculpt it into a canvas (画布), and paint the scene where the trash originated onto the trash itself,” says Mariah.
As well as through this project, Mariah has explored nature in her art in various different ways and through exhibitions. Mariah’s work might not solve the litter problem, but it’s just another way that we can get people talking about the problem and the ways we can prevent it from growing any larger.
1.What gave Mariah the idea of the latest project?
A.The beauty of nearby scenery.
B.The rubbish-covered surroundings.
C.The potential security risks of beaches.
D.The high energy consumption of her artworks.
2.What’s the important purpose of Mariah’s art?
A.To keep people from wasting natural resources.
B.To remind people of the litter problem.
C.To encourage people to explore parks.
D.To make full use of rubbish.
3.What is special about Mariah’s new artworks?
A.They are made of oceanic rubbish.
B.They appear in the form of sculpture.
C.They reflect the trash places on trash itself.
D.They’re designed to inspire people’s love for painting.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.The Growing Problem of Rubbish
B.Mariah Reading: a Sociable Artist
C.An Artist Turns Waste into Amazing Works
D.Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题
The amount of rubbish that piles on our shore lines is hugely worrying and a growing problem for the planet. It seems like no matter how remote you hike and how high you climb, there’s always a dropped plastic container there waiting for you.
Mariah Reading, an American artist, spends the majority of her time outdoors looking for inspiration for her art, based in nature and our natural surroundings. On noticing the amount of waste filling her natural areas, she decided she had to reflect it in her works.
For her latest project, Mariah is looking at both the problem of wasteful littering and the way that art itself can be wasteful in materials, taking the dropped items that fill her natural spaces and painting them to reflect the place in which they were left.
Applying paint to create her masterpieces, Mariah has collected trash (垃圾) from different mountains and parks. “I’ve been considering my relationship with art and the large amount of waste it can produce,” says Mariah. “I wanted to find ways I can confirm art and its important purpose by working with recycled materials found in landscape environments.”
“Since the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, I’ve especially appreciated and been inspired by the natural beauty the parks offer, and found how easily we can take these precious places for granted. I seek to gather as much trash as possible, sculpt it into a canvas (画布), and paint the scene where the trash originated onto the trash itself,” says Mariah.
As well as through this project, Mariah has explored nature in her art in various different ways and through exhibitions. Mariah’s work might not solve the litter problem, but it’s just another way that we can get people talking about the problem and the ways we can prevent it from growing any larger.
1.What gave Mariah the idea of the latest project?
A.The beauty of nearby scenery.
B.The rubbish-covered surroundings.
C.The potential security risks of beaches.
D.The high energy consumption of her artworks.
2.What’s the important purpose of Mariah’s art?
A.To keep people from wasting natural resources.
B.To remind people of the litter problem.
C.To encourage people to explore parks.
D.To make full use of rubbish.
3.What is special about Mariah’s new artworks?
A.They are made of oceanic rubbish.
B.They appear in the form of sculpture.
C.They reflect the trash places on trash itself.
D.They’re designed to inspire people’s love for painting.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.The Growing Problem of Rubbish
B.Mariah Reading: a Sociable Artist
C.An Artist Turns Waste into Amazing Works
D.Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
There’s something rotten in Rio and the smell is coming from the huge stacks of rubbish piled up on sidewalks all over the city. Rio's street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries. Their wages start at roughly $400 a month.
There could hardly be a better time for them to prove their importance. The streets were left a mess after hundreds of carnival parades and now, rubbish pries up in both poor and uptown neighborhoods and in tourist areas like Ipanema or Copacabana beach.
The president of Rio's rubbish collecting company has even appealed to the population to store rubbish at home whenever possible. He says 30% of the city's sweepers have gone on strike. Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police have been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.
The strike has divided opinions in Rio. On social media, many support the sweepers' demands for better salaries. Others say they are opportunists and the situation is a big embarrassment to the city.
But Brazil's culture of littering the streets doesn't help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that. Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, is seen throwing what seemed to be the rest of an apple on the sidewalk—and now promised to impose himself a fine for his wrongdoing. His government recently created a programme to keep Rio's residents from littering the streets.
1.Rio's street cleaners go on strike to ________.
A. prove their importance B. ask for higher salaries
C. appeal to the public not to litter D. threaten the government
2.The reason why the police are involved is that ________.
A. the police are called out to put down the strike
B. the police are called up to collect rubbish for the time being
C. the police are required to protect some cleaners
D. the police are sent to arrest people who litter around
3.The author's attitude to Brazil's culture of littering is ________.
A. critical B. objective
C. supportive D. optimistic
4.The purpose of writing the passage is to ________.
A. criticize street sweepers of Rio for misusing their rights
B. call attention to the embarrassing situation of Rio
C. describe the effect or the strike on people
D. inform people of the present situation of Rio
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
About 97% of the world’s water is salty and is found in our oceans and seas. But, as we can’t drink sea water, how can it be important?
Every part of our seas and oceans contains an amazing number of animals and fish that live at different ocean depths. Most of the different species of animals and fish depend on simple plants for their food. These simple plants called algae (海藻) drift near the surface of the ocean and use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen. In fact, algae produce over half of the oxygen people breathe. How important sea water is!
Each plant or animal in our seas and oceans is an important link in a food chain. The algae are eaten in large amounts by microscopic animals, which are in tur consumed by larger animals. These food chains are delicately (微妙地) balanced.
The bad news about the food chains in the oceans is that they are under threat because of man. People once thought that the oceans were so big that it didn’t matter if we dumped rubbish into them or caught huge quantities of fish and whales for food. But we now know this is not true and fish stocks in the oceans have started to drop.
Thankfully, the world is taking steps to protect the future of our oceans by introducing international agreements to protect marine habitats. Most counties have introduced fishing restrictions (限制) to protect fish stocks in the oceans and new techniques are being pioneered to cope with pollution. Finally, the importance of protecting oceans is being made known to more people. This is just the beginning of a long process to protect the oceans for our future. We depend on the oceans for fish which are an important part of the human diet. How important sea water is!
1.From the passage, we learn that _________.
A.most fish and sea animals live at the surface of the seas
B.it is very difficult to break the balance of a food chain
C.over-fishing has caused the decrease in fish stock
D.it won’t be long before the problems concerning oceans will be solved
2.What does the underlined phrase “cope with” mean in Chinse?
A.处理 B.保护 C.增加 D.检验
3.Which of the following is NOT a way being used to protect oceans?
A.The use of international agreements.
B.Forbidding fishing to protect fish socks.
C.The use of new techniques.
D.Raising people’s awareness of the need to protect oceans.
4.What would be the best title of the passage?
A.The Importance of Sea Water
B.Life in the Oceans
C.How to Protect Food Chains
D.How to Deal with Seawater Pollution
高二英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析
It is high time that we ____ the amount of carbon dioxide in our daily life.
A. reduce B reduced C will reduce D reduces
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
This summer, I was part of something that I have carried with me every day since. That was an experience that changed my life. The Kentucky YMCA has a program called Y-Corps, which are service trips of around 20 students. This summer, two trips were made across Kentucky, one down south and another trip up north.
I was on the Y-Corps service to the North in the Indianapolis, Indiana, and our trip began at the end of July. I had butterflies flying around me as my parents drove me to Louisville, where the Service to the North team would set off on a nine-day journey in a school bus. I knew some of the team members from previous Y-Conferences, but there were many that I had never met, and I had never participated in a service trip like this before. Thought I was nervous, I was also ready to try something completely out of my comfort zone. Once we loaded the bus with our lightly packed suitcases and sleeping bags, we said our goodbyes to our parents and departed for an adventure that changed all of our lives.
With the Kentucky Y’s motto: “Participate, don’t anticipate, we had no idea where we headed. Road signs were our only clue of where we would be stopping. We did service work at a Middle Way House in Indiana, a Detroit Market Garden, a Pennsylvania YMCA for an invasive species clean-up, the Upper Main Line Y in Pennsylvania to spend time with children at a summer camp, a Hurricane Sandy clean-up in Jersey Shore and the National Mall in Washington D.C. We slept on floors of local YMCAs that would take us in for a night, and some nights we didn’t have the opportunity to shower. We had late nights on the road driving from city to city, and early mornings to start the day journaling and reflecting on the day before.
Though we were physically exhausted from the hard work, we still enjoyed the time to experience the culture of the areas we were in.
1.For the author the Service Trip to the North is .
A.meaningful B.expensive C.valueless D.fruitless
2.The Service Trip to the North started off from .
A.Kentucky B.Indiana C.Louisville D.Indianapolis
3.What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A.The team members carried a lot of luggage on the trip.
B.The members in the team were all familiar to the author.
C.The author had taken part in such kind of service before this one.
D.The author was nervous but willing to face something uncomfortable.
4.We can infer from the last two paragraphs that .
A.they were physically exhausted and didn’t enjoy the hard work
B.they didn’t know where to go without road signs
C.their trip was packed with hard work and cultural experiences
D.they didn’t have enough water for a bath at night
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Passage 1
The Information Highway is the road that links computer users to a large number of on-line services: the Web, e-mail, and software, to mention just a few. Not long ago, the information Highway was a new road, with not many users. Now, everyone seems to want to take a drive, with over 30 million families connected worldwide. Not surprisingly, this well-traveled highway is starting to look like a well-traveled highway. Traffic jams can cause many serious problems, forcing the system to close down for repair. Naturally, accidents will happen on such a crowded road, and usually victims are some files, gone forever. Then, of course, there’s Mr. Cool, with his new broad-band connection, who speeds down the highway faster than most of us can go. But don’t trick yourself; he pays for that speeding.
Passage 2
Want to know more about global warming and how you can help prevent it? Doctor Herman Friedman, who is considered a leading expert on the subject, will speak at Grayson Hall next Friday. Friedman studied environmental science at three well-known universities around the world before becoming a professor in the subject. He has also traveled around the world observing environmental concerns. The gradual bleaching (变白) of the Grate Barrier Reef, which came into the public eye in 2002, is his latest interest. Signed copies of his colorful book, which was published just last month, will be on sale after his talk.
1.The Information Highway _________.
A. appeals to a large number of users
B. is crowded with car drivers
C. offers just a few on-line services
D. is free from traffic accidents
2. How does Mr. Cool manage to travel the Information Highway so fast?
A. By storing fewer files.
B. By repairing the system.
C. By buying a better computer.
D. By using a broad-band connection.
3. What can be learned from Passage 2?
A. There will be a book show at Grayson Hall.
B. Friedman is now studying the Great Barrier Reef.
C. There will be a talk on global warming this week.
D. Friedman is a leading expert on computer science.
4. Passage 2 is most probably .
A. a poster about a lecture
B. an ad for a new book
C. a note to a doctor in a university
D. an introduction to a professor
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is reported that large amounts of money________ spent on the bridge so far.
A．was B．has been C．were D．have been
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
To me, Shakespeare is a bit of a touchy subject in the theatre industry. I believe Shakespeare’s plays to be the most challenging in terms of language. When you have challenging language, then understanding the plot and topics will become a challenge as well. It’s like a chain. If you don’t understand it from the start, it makes things hard later on and people tend to give up on it. Regardless of all of this, I believe Shakespeare is important in the sense that it’s where true theatre started. William Shakespeare is a name everyone knows regardless of whether you enjoy his works or not.
Many high schools or colleges put on at least one Shakespeare play every few years and I like that. I think it’s important to expose students to plays that are a bit more challenging than they used to be. Of course. it’s not easy to understand these plays but then think about the people who act in those plays. When acting, you have to understand your character and not only that, you need to completely know everything going on around you as well. So to understand the script (剧本) is one thing. but to act in a Shakespeare play is a whole another thing. How about memorizing the lines? That’s one of the hardest things actors have to get through. It is such heightened language that it’s almost like learning a foreign language. Shakespeare is tough and that’s what I think I love it the most. The challenge is understanding. Once you have that then you have room to play with it.
Therefore, if people walked into a Shakespeare play with more of an open mind, their experience would be so much better. There is a large amount of exploration and discovery in his plays and the experience can be really satisfying. It’s hard stuff, but it’s fascinating and we should be embracing it.
1.What’s the biggest challenge in understanding Shakespeare’s plays?
A.The challenging language. B.The variety of its topic.
C.The complicated plot. D.The memorable characters.
2.What’s the author’s attitude towards putting on Shakespeare’s plays at colleges?
A.Critical. B.Cautious.
C.Favorable. D.Indifferent.
3.What does the text suggest people do when enjoying Shakespeare’s plays?
A.Act them out. B.Remember the lines in them.
C.Learn Shakespeare’s language. D.Enjoy them with an open mind.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.The characteristics of Shakespeare’s plays.
B.The plots and topics of Shakespeare’s plays.
C.The importance and way of enjoying Shakespeare’s plays.
D.The stress from performing Shakespeare’s plays.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.
Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, “Dad! The bear is right behind us!” An aggressive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back—the sign of an animal that is going in for the kill.And it was a cold April day.The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.
I held my camera tripod (三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.
Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.
The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.
Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five to six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling (扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back toward the forest, before returning for another attack.The first time I felt panic. Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I’m proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.
1.The whole text is mainly arranged in_________.
A.result and inference B.cause and effect
C.space order D.time order
2.The bear finally went away after it _________ .
A.felt safe B.got injured
C.found some food D.took away the camera
3.The writer and his family survived mainly due to their _________ .
A.calmness B.patience
C.pride D.cautiousness
4.When the bear moved back towards the forest, the family felt ________ .
A.excited B.threatened
C.relieved D.puzzled
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
For many people, remembering to take their daily medicine can be the difference between life and death. Yet, people forget all the time. Now a study from North Carolina State University has found that changes in daily behavior have a significant effect on whether we remember to take our medicine-and that these changes influence older and younger adults differently.
“We've found that it is not just differences between people, but differences in what we do each day, that affect our ability to remember to take medicine,” says Dr. Shevaun Neupert, lead author of a paper describing the research. “This is the first time anyone has looked at the effect of daily changes in how busy we are affects our ability to remember medicines.”
“For example, young people do the best job of remembering to take their medicine on days when they are busier than usual,” Neupcrt says. “But older adults do a better job of remembering their medicine on days when they are less busy.”
The researchers evaluated study participants who were on daily medicines. The participants were divided into two groups: younger adults(between the ages of 18 and 20) and older adults(between the ages of 60 and 89).
For both age groups, the researchers found that participants were more likely to remember to take their medicines on days when they performed better than usual on “cognition(认知)tests”-which evaluate memory and critical thinking.
“We found that cognition is an important factor in remembering medicines,” Neupert says. “but that how busy we are is also important." This has very real applications for helping people remember to take medicines that can be essential to their health and well-being.
“We've found such a disparity between young and old adults, that it's clear we need to tailor our messages to these two groups.” Neupert says. “For example, it is important for young people to stay busy and be active. That will help them, remember to take their medicines. However, we need to let older adults-know that they need to give particular attention to remembering medicines on days when they expect to be busier than usual.”
1.Which shows what is new about the research on remembering medicines?
A.Age differences. B.Differences between people.
C.Changes in the amount of work. D.Changes in the types of work.
2.What does the underlined word “disparity” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A.Difference. B.Disadvantage.
C.Connection. D.Coincidence.
3.What should old adults do when they are likely to forget their medicine?
A.Keep themselves busy. B.Take a cognition test.
C.Always remind themselves about it. D.Think of their health and well-being.
4.What does the research on remembering medicines focus on?
A.One's daily medicine and daily work.
B.The time and place to take medicine.
C.The connection between medicine and health.
D.Changes in daily behavior and age differences.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析