On the southern edge of Singapore’s Chinatown...

On the southern edge of Singapore’s Chinatown, Keong Saik Road has transformed into one of the city’s attractive places. Here are a few places worth going to.

Neon Pigeon

Now two years old, this industrial space with rude touches—exposed pipes and giant pictures of pigeons—is always packed with people and serves contemporary Izakaya-style dishes.

No. 1 Keong Saik Road; 65-6222-3623; neonpigeonsg.com

Meta Restaurant & Bar

Run by Sun Kim, a South Korean chef who has worked at a Singapore’s famous restaurant, Waku Ghin, this cafe opened in late 2015 with an Asian-French menu. Get a front-row view of the kitchen fireworks at the 16-seat bar.

No. 9 Keong Saik Road; 65-6513-0898; metarestaurant.sg

Hotel 1929

Uniting five well-preserved shophouses built in 1929 (hence it’s the name) , this fashionable property has 32 individually decorated rooms. Hotel 1929 started accepting bookings online on February 5, 2010. The hotel mixes contemporary technology (smart phones with free data and free international calls to a number of countries) with antique furnishings (家具陈设) including Eames and Arne Jacobsen chairs.

No. 50 Keong Saik Road; 65-6347-1929; hotel1929.com

Cure

Opened in July 2015, the 1,400-square-foot, softly lit shophouse is a perfect stage for the chef-owner Andrew Walsh’s lunch and dinner-tasting menus. These focus on seasonal ingredients, bought near and far, presented in dishes like Irish beef, cooked and raw.

No. 21 Keong Saik Road; 65-6221-2189; curesingapore.com

1.Which place has the longest history?

A.Neon Pigeon. B.Meta Restaurant & Bar.

C.Hotel 1929. D.Cure.

2.Which number will an Irish beef lover probably dial to reserve seats?

A.65-6222-3623. B.65-6513-0898.

C.65-6347-1929. D.65-6221-2189.

3.What do the four places have in common?

A.They have the native chefs.

B.They are located on the same road.

C.They can offer discounted accommodations.

D.They are famous for the antique furnishings.

高三英语阅读选择简单题查看答案及解析

Cantonese, a dialect from southern China that has dominated (控制) the Chinatown of North America for decades,_____ aside by Mandarin, the national language of China.

A. are wept       B. are being swept   C. is wept         D. is being swept

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

SINGAPORE - Singapore on Thursday stuck to its I8-year ban on the import and sale of chewing gum (口香糖), which has become an international symbol of the city-state's image as a strict society.

"The government stands by its decision to ban chewing gum. Chewing gum has not been a significant problem since that ban took effect, there have been concerns that lifting the ban on chewing gum could result in chewing gum litter and weaken ongoing efforts to control littering." Maliki Osman, parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of National Development, told parliament.

Osman said as the reason for the imposition (强迫接受) of the ban is still suitable,  "the government's position is that the ban shall remain." He was responding to a question in parliament from Denise Phua, a fellow member of the ruling People's Action Party who argued that the ban had been used to criticize its tough governance laws.

"I think this ban ... now needs a re-thinking. Surely Singapore will not consider banning sweets because of sweet wrapper litter or ice-cream stick litter," she said.

Singapore, known worldwide for its high-quality clean image, banned the import and sale of chewing gum in 1992 in a bid to cope with the problem of people sticking the gum on chairs, tables, lifts and other public areas.

One of the key reasons for the ban had been the disturbance of services on Singapore's subway train system because of chewing gum being stuck on the doors and causing delays. Singapore partially lifted the ban in 2004 by allowing the sale of chewing gum used for health reasons, such as dental health gum, after the conclusion of a US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

Australian tourist Hazel Lane, 48, said keeping the ban on chewing gum was sure Singaporeans wouldn't want to spoil their "ridiculous" and she told AFP that she's own environment and their own image. Angel Wong, 34, a tourist from Hong Kong, however, welcomed the news. She said,  "I come from a country that doesn't have the ban and there's always chewing gum all over the floor, To me the ban doesn't change my image of Singapore so it’s a good thing because it keeps the environment clean."

1. The ban on the import and sale of chewing gum was started in 1992 ______.

A. when people began to buy the gum everywhere

B. to bid to stop people sticking the gum in the public

C. because the gum delayed the subway

D. when the country was in a bid to show its city-state's clean image

2. What can we learn about the ban according to Maliki Osman?

A. The government will keep it ongoing forever.

B. It will lead to littering the chewing gum everywhere.

C. More and more concerns about the ban will make chewing gum out of control

D. Banning chewing gum is still one of the important jobs of the government now.

3. According to what Denise Phua said in paragraph 4, we can know that she ______.

A. would say yes to the ban

B. would think more about the ban again

C. would like the government to take the ban on second thought

D. argued that the ban should be cancelled

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A. whether the ban needs changing or not has become a problem to be discussed

B. Singapore's subway train system was delayed by chewing gum

C. chewing gum will soon be banned in many countries

D. only the ban has led to the friendly environment in Singapore

5. What's the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. There is such a ban in China and Australia.

B. Different people have their own ideas about the ban.

C. The ban is either welcomed by China or by Australia.

D. The ban does good to keep the environment clean.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

As pictures of the recent Northern California wildfires confirm, living on the edge of a forest comes with considerable dangers. But new research from Germany suggested closeness to a wooded area may not have all unfavorable effects.

In a study of older urban residents, it was found that living close to forest land is linked with strong, healthy functioning of a key part of the brain. This indicates that, compared with those who live in a mostly man-made environment, people who live on the boarder between city and forest may be better able to deal with stress.

“The findings suggest forests in and around cities are valuable resources that should be promoted,” writes a research team led by Simon Kuehn of the Max Plank Institute for Human Development in Berlin.

The researcher analyzed data on 341 participants in the Berlin Aging Study II, all of whom were between the ages of 61 and 82. They specifically looked at three different signals of brain structural function, each of which provided distinct information on several key brain regions. They also noted the amount of forest land within a one-kilometer distance of each participant’s home address.

“Our results reveal a significant positive association between the coverage of forest and amygdale (扁桃腺) function,” the researchers report. The amygdale is the set of neurons (神经元) that plays a key role in processing emotions, including fear and anxiety.

Perhaps surprisingly, Kuehn and her colleges found the amygdale function wasn’t germane to living close to urban green spaces such as parks, or bodies of water. Only closeness to forest land had this apparent positive effect.

More research will be needed to confirm that forest has a stronger, measurable impact on brain health than exposure to other forms of nature. But the evidence keeps mounting that, in stressful times, there is much to gain by surrounding yourself with plants and …

1.What’s the finding of the new research?

A.Brain activities relate to stress control.

B.Man-made environment may lead to stress.

C.Old urban citizens have healthier brain functions.

D.Living near a forest may help relieve pressure.

2.What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A.The result of the new study.

B.The standard of choosing participants.

C.The preparations for the study.

D.The process of the new study.

3.What does the underlined part “germane to” in paragraph 6 mean?

A.beneficial to B.damaged by

C.relevant to D.limited to

4.What may be the author’s attitude towards living close to the forest?

A.Cautious. B.Favorable.

C.Ambiguous. D.Disapproving.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The old couple who lived in a cottage on the edge of the village were envied for the happiness of their marriage． They never quarreled and were always affectionate to one another． Sadly, after thirty-four years of this happiness, the husband became ill and died．

The wife was overcome with grief． Her children tried to comfort her, but to no avail． Her neighbors tried to comfort her, but with similar lack of success． Weeks and months went by, and still the woman was grieving; tears fell down her cheeks from morning till night．

Then a holy man came to the village． People told him about the woman, and asked him to try to help her． The holy man went to the woman’s house． Dressed in his rough woolen robe, he sat down with the grieving widow and listened, carefully, to her story． When she had spilled out all her sorrow, he reached into one of the deep pockets in his robe, and drew out a tiny, little mustard（芥末） seed． “I think I may have a cure for your grief,” he said． “I want you to go round the people in this region, and look for a family that has no sorrows． When you find this family, give them this little mustard seed, and then come back to me．

The woman set off in search of such a family． She visited every home in the district, and talked to the people． She listened to their stories, just as the holy man had listened to hers． In time, she almost forgot about the mustard seed, because every single family she met was carrying some kind of sorrow．

One day, she happened to meet the holy man again, and he stopped to ask how she was feeling． She was surprised at first, at his question, and then she suddenly remembered the mustard seed, still safely in her purse． “I’m sorry, I haven’t found a family without sorrows yet,” she told him． “But you yourself are cured of your grief,” he smiled． “The mustard seed is a great healer!”

1.What does the underlined word “grieving” mean?

A． amused        B． sad           C． angry         D． astonished

2.What did the holy man ask her to do to end her sorrow?

A． to go to church for help．

B． to live with the family that has no sorrows with the mustard seed．

C． to help others so that she can feel the happiness from the bottom of her heart．

D． to find a family that is always happy and give them the mustard seed before returning to him．

3.How did the woman treat the families she visited?

A． She was a good listener．

B． She helped them to solve the problems they met．

C． She gave every family a mustard seed．．

D． She told them her unfortunate story．

4.Who on the earth heals the woman’s grief?

A． The mustard seed                B． Her children

C． The families in the district                      D． She herself

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A unique experience awaits you at the Centre for Alternative Technology on the edge of the beautiful Snowdonia National Park.

Over thirty years ago a group of people decided to try out alternative technologies. They chose a remote empty place, where rock used to be dug from the ground, as their base. Here experiments offering solutions to the world’s energy problems were carried out, and nowadays many of these ideas have become common practice. You can experience all these for yourself in just one day with us, and then take away what you have learned and put it into practice at home. Be assured it will help you save on your household energy costs!

Your visit to us begins with a ride up a steep 60-metre hillside on a railway which is worked by using the weight of water. At the top of the mountain you will enjoy beautiful views to the distant coastline. Then interactive displays show the power of wind, water and sun, while showing you what can be done in an ordinary household to reduce your influence on the planet.

There was no soil when the project was started, so we created our organic gardens using our own home-made soil. You can enjoy woodland walks or even notice spring flowers growing on the roofs of environmentally-friendly buildings.

In 2006 we opened our new eco-adventure playground for children, and we also run workshops where they can make models and become inventors of the future by putting wind, water or solar power into their own designs.

The Centre for Alternative Technology is open all year round and has good rail, road and cycle links. In fact we offer a 50% reduction on the admission price if you arrive by bicycle. There is wheelchair access for disabled visitors—telephone us in advance if you would like assistance.

1.What’s the main purpose of setting up the Centre for Alternative Technology?

A. To provide people with relevant experience.

B. To teach people how to reduce energy costs.

C. To show the hard condition for early experiments.

D. To encourage people to develop alternative technologies.

2.According to the passage, visitors can 　　 .

A. learn to create their own organic gardens

B. appreciate the views of distant mountains

C. visit exhibitions of alternative technologies

D. enjoy woodland walks on the top of buildings

3.Where is the passage most probably from?

A. A literary essay.

B. A research report.

C. A historical novel.

D. A science website.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

All through the long summer vacations, I sat on the edge of the street and watched enviously the other boys on the block play baseball. I was never asked to take part even when one team had a member missing — not out of special cruelty, but because they took it for granted I would be no good at it.

I would never forget the wonderful evening when something changed. The baseball ended about eight or eight thirty when it grew dark. Then it was the custom of the boys to sit at a little stoop (门廊), mostly talking about the games played during the day and of the game to be played tomorrow. Then long silences would fall and the boys would wander off one by one. It was just after one of those long silences that my life as an outsider changed. I can no longer remember which boy it was that summer evening who broke the silence with a question; but whoever he was, I nod to him gratefully now. “What’s in those books you’re always reading?” he asked casually. “Stories,” I answered “What kind?” asked somebody else without much interest.

Nor do I know what drove me to behave as I did, for usually I just sat there in silence, glad enough to be allowed to remain among them; but instead of answering his question, I told them for two hours the story I was reading at the moment. The book was Sister Carrie. They listened bug-eyed and breathless. I must have told it well, but I think there was another and deeper reason that made them so keen an audience. Listening to a tale being told in the dark is one of the most ancient of man’s entertainments, but I was offering them as well, without being aware of doing it, a new and exciting experience.

The next night and many night thereafter, a kind of unspoken ritual (仪式) took place. As it grew dark, I would take my place in the center of the stoop and begin the evening’s tale. Some nights, in order to taste my victory more completely, I cheated. I would stop at the most exciting part of a story by Jack London or Bret Harte, and without warning tell them that that was as far as I had gone in the book and it would have to be continued the following evening. It was not true, of course; but I had to make certain of my new-found power and position. I enjoyed the long summer evenings until school began in the fall.Other words of mine have been listened to by larger and more fashionable audiences, but for that tough and athletic one that sat close on the stoop outside the candy store, I have an unreasoning love that will last forever.

1.Watching the boys playing baseball, the writer must have felt _____.

A.special and different

B.bitter and lonely

C.pleased and excited

D.disturbed and annoyed

2.The writer feels grateful even now to the boy who asked the question because the boy _____.

A.broke the long silence of that summer evening

B.liked the book that he was reading

C.invited him to join in their game

D.offered him an opportunity that changed his life

3.According to Paragraph 3, story-telling was popular among the boys basically because _____.

A.the story was from a children’s book

B.the boys had few entertainments after dark

C.listening to tales was an age-old practice

D.the boys didn’t read books by themselves

4.Sometimes the writer stopped at the most exciting part of a story to _____.

A.experience more joy of achievement

B.play a mean trick on the boys

C.add his own imagination to the story

D.help the boys understand the story better

5.What is the message conveyed in the story?

A.Reading is more important than playing games.

B.Friendship is built upon respect for each other.

C.One can find his position in life in his own way.

D.Adult habits are developed from childhood.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Gorillas(大猩猩) are on the edge of extinction. They are calling on YOU to donate your phone today!

You can now help save gorillas in Africa simply by donating your mobile phone! Coltan is a metallic ore(金属矿石) that is mined both in and out of Africa and can be found within many electronic devices such as mobile phones. The mining of coltan within the Congo River Basin is contributing to forest loss there, and is speeding up the loss of mountain gorillas at a shockingly fast rate. While efforts are being made to deal with this issue, the mining of coltan within gorilla habitat continues. It is very difficult to know which phones contain coltan mined from Africa; however, every phone can help save gorillas when donated to They’re Calling on You.

By donating your phone through the They’re Calling You mobile phone recycling program you are:

●Preventing your phone from going to the landfill.

●Helping Melbourne Zoo raise money to support the Jane Good all Institutes monkey conservation work in Africa through the sale of refurbished(翻新)phones.

●Lessening the demand for coltan mining.

To support the They’re Calling You mobile phone recycling program you can:

1.Visit Melbourne Zoo to collect a postage paid recycling bag, and post your mobile phone to the Aussie Recycling Program. Your phone will be resold to poor community groups.

2.Register your support simply by emailing the registration form to zvfoundation@zoo.org.au or fax it to (03)9285-9377.

Schools can get involved too! Please contact Kate McCabe at Melbourne Zoo by email or phone(03)9285-9471 Discuss adding this program to your course while inspiring students to take action for wildlife.

For further information please contact: Rachel Lowry

Ph:(03)9285-9377

Mob: 0488-504-490

Fax:(03)9285-9340

Next time your mobile rings, let that be a reminder that “they’re calling on you”!

1.Why do you save gorillas by donating your phones?

A. Gorillas won’t be troubled by the ringing of cell phones.

B. Africans will protect gorillas easily by using phones.

C. Africans won’t kill gorillas to exchange for phones.

D. Gorillas’ habitat won’t be destroyed due to less coltan mining.

2.The phones you donate will ____.

A. be beautified and sold again　　 B. be taken apart for their coltan

C. be given to the poor Africans　　 D. be presented to poor community groups.

3.The underlined sentence in the passage probably means ___.

A. you are expected to donate phones for wildlife

B. you are reminded to call back immediately

C. you care called back by the recycling program

D. you should feel guilty about using the mobile phone

高三英语长对话或独白中等难度题查看答案及解析

Hollywood is on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Worried about an industry wide writers’ strike, struck by a series of theater-chain bankruptcies(破产), burdened with unreasonable corporate profit, requirements and seemingly incapable of producing consistently creative movies, the American film industry is in a period of soul-searching. There’s little doubt it will survive this crisis. But most insiders agree there is disease at both ends of the business—where film are produced, and where they’re shown---that may take years to overcome.

While annual box-office income increases for nine straight years, largely due to increased ticket prices, the number of actual tickets sold declined for the second year in a row. The construction boom has added nearly 10,000 theaters(more than 200,000 more seats) in the last five years. But due to a static(静止的)audience base, eight major chains have gone into bankruptcy and several others are in terrible financial situations.

In fact, insiders say, Hollywood is now in a business it does not want to be in. “There’s a general problem in that the companies that have the most consistent output of material are least interested in what they’re making,” says former 20th Century Fox CEO, Bill. And, Bill adds, “We’re in a period where movies are getting bigger and more costly and less interesting and fulfilling to an audience.”

Today the studios are under the stress to increase profit margins(营业利润) for their corporate parents, and profit margins are hard to control in a business whose products are seen as impulse buys(即兴购买). Other business can increase profits by cutting costs—buying cheaper material, or making the candy bar smaller. Not Hollywood.

“What we’re cutting is risk,” says the head of one major studio, who asked not to be named, “And risk is what great film has always demanded.” While the studios are avoiding risky concepts, their competitors in the home entertainment business have been expanding the boundaries of the imagination. It was this pressure---in electronic games, the Internet, EVDs----that forced the movie theater chains into a self-destructive craze of expansion.

1.Which of NOT the worry of the American film industry according to the passage?

A. Theater-chain bankruptcy

B. Lack of the advertisement funds

C. The stress to increase corporate profit

D. Being unable to produce creative movies

2.What has directly caused major theater-chains in terrible financial situations?

A. Bigger movies

B. More costly movies

C. Increased ticket prices

D. More theaters but an unchangeable audience base

3.What do we know about the profit of the film industry?

A. It’s not easy to control the profit

B. The studios can shorten the material

C. Cutting the cost can increase the profit

D. The studios can buy cheap material to increase profits

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Hollywood will survive financial crisis

B. Hollywood is on the edge of destruction

C. It’s hard to increase the profits of the studios

D. The construction boom leads to theater-chain bankruptcies

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Ottawa is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River, east of Southern Ontario. It borders the cities of Quebec and Gatineau.

How to Reach Plane --- Ottawa is served by its main international airport, Ottawa Macdonald -Cartier International Aiport, which services several Canadian and American cities, with international flights to some European cities, such as London and Frankfurt.

Bus--- the city has easily accessible buses with their public transport system named OC Transpo, which serves areas around the city. The Greyhound offers long-haul trips to neighboring cities.

Boat--- water shuttle taxis that are eco-friendly can take passengers through the Ottawa and Gatineau River.

Train--- there is a major train station in Ottawa located downtown.

Taxi --- taxi services are easily accessible in Ottawa's downtown districts.

Bike --- Ottawa has more than 200 km of bike paths and tourists and visitors can rent bikes all around the city.

When to Visit

The best time to visit Ottawa is between March and May. This is when temperatures start to rise and the city is in bloom. The summer season is the most popular time to visit the city, as the good weather coincides with Ottawa's celebration of special events.

1.Where cannot you arrive directly from Ottawa by plane?

A.South Africa. B.Canada. C.America. D.England.

2.Which is the best means of transport friendly to the environment?

A.By plane. B.By bus. C.By boat. D.By train

3.When will a person interested in celebrations visit Ottawa?

A.In March. B.In spring. C.In June. D.In winter.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析