This is What’s Trending Today.Francie Lubbe o...

This is What’s Trending Today.

Francie Lubbe of South Africa awoke one morning during her safari trip to an impressive sight. Two female lions were licking（舔）the outside of her tent！The lions were licking small drops of water left over from a rain storm.

Lubbe quickly began taking video of the wild animals. She posted the video on Facebook this week. People from around the world commented about how calm she and her friend in the tent remained when they saw the lions so close. People were also impressed that they decided to take a video.

Lubbe was camping in a tent at a national park on the northern border of South Africa near Botswana. The lions are the most famous creatures in the national park. They are called Kalahari lions. They get their name for their home-the Kalahari Desert. It covers parts of South Africa , Botswana and Namibia. Female Kalahari lions weigh about 150 kilograms.

Lubbe responded to the many comments about her video. She called the experience “very special”, She said the cloth door of her tent was open, but the lions did not enter.

Along with the 36-second video, she posted photos to her Facebook page of the lions exploring her camp. There are images of the lions looking into the tent from outside, and looking at a barbecue grill where campers cook.

People around the world reacted to the video on Facebook.

A netizen named Miller, wrote: “Shocking experience, but I think I would have wetted myself！”

Facebook user Mariana, said that her mother saw the lion video. Her mother then warmed her to not go camping anymore, even though New Jersey is very, very far away from the Kalahari Desert.

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

What would you have done if you woke up to see lions licking your tent？ We want to know. Write to us in the Comments section and on our www.hxen.com

1.What’s Trending Today most probably is ______.

A.an adventure film B.a science fiction

C.an academic magazine D.a radio program

2.What did Lubbe do when she found the lions？

A.She took a video of them at once. B.She opened the tent door to meet them.

C.She broadcast them live on Facebook. D.She closed the cloth door of her tent.

3.What can we learn about the lions from the passage？

A.They came up to Lubbe and asked for help.

B.They weigh about 125 kilograms.

C.They were frightened out of entering the tent.

D.They didn’t hurt Lubbe and her friend.

4.What does the underlined part “have wetted myself” in the 8th Paragraph most probably mean？

A.be terribly frightened B.keep calm

C.feel very cold D.be overjoyed

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Group buying is one of the fastest growing trends in South Africa today. Industry leaders are confident the growth potential remains strong since group buying is location-specific. Start-up costs are low and profit room remains high, so many sites continue to receive invested money despite widespread criticism and Facebook’s decision to phase out of deal business due to privacy concerns.

In the early stages of all industries, some companied fail because they cannot compete with stronger companies in difficult economic conditions. To deal with difficult conditions, an alarming number of businesses are developing group buying websites in places like China and India, so the increase of group buying in South Africa is nothing more than a natural progression into the international mainstream.

The group buying concept is fairly new and consumers have accepted this concept because they can now make full use of the rich information available on the Internet. Group buying is convenient and easy so it works. Anyone can view a site, join a mailing list, subscribe to RSS or print out a coupon(优惠券). The current group buying structure offered by the industry leaders works although there are still challenges to overcome.

Perhaps, the future of group buying is tied to the joining together of social media and mobile devices. Mobile devices are with us wherever we go and almost everyone is using some type of social media site like Facebook or Twitter to stay informed. Using GPS and social media technology to provide real time location-specific promotions would be beneficial to every consumer looking for the best deals in town.

Pause for a moment and think about it! What is better than signing on to your phone while having fun in town and you receive a real time information that your favorite shop across the street is offering a killer dial?

The future of the group buying in South Africa is bright and we can expect to see more advanced approaches to this concept in the future. In addition to the technological advances consumers will see the range of promotions expand to include new products and services.

1.What does the underlined phrase “phase out of” mean in the passage?

2.The author sets China and India as examples to show that ________.

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

4.The author’s attitude towards the future of group buying is ________.

5.What does the passage mainly tell us?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

This wonderful 16-day tour is designed to highlight South Africa’s amazing diversity of cultures, its curious mixture of old and new, as well as its wonderful scenery and wildlife, together with its unique history．

Join us to experience Cape Town and the exciting Kruger safari (游猎) on our tour to South AfricA． We believe that a more naturally beautiful country than South Africa would be difficult to find: from the rocky peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, to the timeless semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo and then the forested seashores and mirror-like lakes of the Garden Route, the attractive valleys of the Winelands and the symbol of the country, Table Mountain — all under an endless blue sky．Quite amazing!

Included in our price:

Return flights from London Heathrow

Three-and-four-star hotels, sharing rooms, breakfast and lunch included

Internal flight to the beautiful Garden Route

Full-day guided safari in the Kruger National Park

Visit the legendary Zulu War battlefields of Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, the historical Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Apartheid Museum and Blyde River Canyon

Travel on Outeniqua steam train or go whale watching depending on the season

For more information, call 0845 155 6706.

1.On this 16-day tour, visitors might experience the _______ of South Africa.

A． history, cultures and education

B． cultures, scenery and education

C． history, scenery and education

D． history, cultures and scenery

2.What can we learn about the tour?

A． The tour is available all year rounD．

B． Tourists will have a single room each.

C． Tourists are sure to go whale watching．

D． Suppers are not included in the price.

3.The passage is written to _______.[

A． talk about touring experiences

B． attract people to the tour

C． talk about the history of Africa

D． introduce places of interest in Africa

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

What will our world be like in 2050?

There are two features in the growth of world population. First, the annual increase in population in 15 European countries, in the past few years, has been only 300,000. The United Nations estimates (估计)that by 2050, the population of European countries will decrease from the current 0.72 billion to 0.63 billion. Second, the population in developing countries is growing rapidly. By 2050，the population of Africa is expected to reach 1.8 billion, 0.9 billion more than its current population.

A recent research report published by the United Nations indicates that it is quite possible that the Earth's temperature is rising well above the previous estimate. The Antarctic ice sheet, which contains 90% of the world's ice, has lost significant mass in the past few years. The discovery comes as a surprise to scientists, who thought that the continent would gain ice this century because of increased snowfall in a warming climate. A research team from the University of Colorado used satellite data to estimate that the ice sheet will lose up to 48 cubic miles by 2050.

Africa's rivers face great change that will leave a quarter of the continent severely short of water by the middle of the century, according to a global warming study published today. Even modest decreases in rain in western Africa will see rivers lose as much as 80% of their water and a rise of what the scientists call "water refuges(难民)”. "In those areas where there is already a water shortage, it's going to have a destructive effect," the study says,.“If you're already walking 5 km to the nearest stream, by 2050,it's going to mean walking 30 km or moving your whole household closer to the water source."

1.Which of the following situations in 2050 is NOT mentioned in the text?

A.Population change.

B.Economic decline.

C.Global warming.

D.Water shortage.

2.What surprises the scientists according to Paragraph 3?

A.The Antarctic ice sheet has decreased.

B.The Earth's temperature is going down.

C.Global warming is destroying the Earth.

D.Snowfall increases in the Antarctic area.

3.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph stress (强调) ?

A.The ill fate of Africa's rivers.

B.The importance of doing exercise.

C.The hard life of the African refugees.

D.The seriousness of the water problem.

4.What was the most possible feeling of the author when he wrote this text?

A.Happy.

B.Angry.

C.Worried.

D.Calm.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Sydney Cultural Festival — What’s on today!

European Art Show

Location: Art Gallery of New South Wales. Today is the final day of the exhibition featuring 18th and 19th century paintings by some of the greatest European artists, such as Van Gough and Monet. Posters of these great works are available for purchase at the Visitors’ Centre.

Time: 8:30 am –7 pm

Cost: $12 adults; $7 children and students

Nature Walks

Location: Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden. Come and celebrate our natural environment in one of the world’s only nature parks inside a major city. Join our hourly guided tours, starting at the Eastern Gate, and enjoy breathtaking forests, stunning city escapes and the magnificent Sydney Harbour.

Time: 9 am – 4 pm

Cost: Free

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concert

Location: Sydney Opera House. Australia’s most famous orchestra is best known for its performances of classical French and German music. But in tonight’s concert, the world-famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang is the special guest artist and will perform a series of classic Chinese compositions including Yellow River.

Time: 8:30 pm –11:30 pm

Cost: $175 adults; $90 students and children

Moonlight Cinema

Location: Centennial Park. Sit on the grass and enjoy the latest movies or classics from the past under the stars at Australia’s best and largest outdoor cinema. Tonight features the wonderful Australian film Red Dog. Besides the movie, there will be a display of classic Australian film posters.

Time: 8pm – 10:30pm

Cost: $19 adults; $14 children and students

1.Where should people wishing to join a Nature Walk meet?

A.The Visitors’ Centre. B.The Harbour Bridge.

C.The Eastern Gate. D.The guides’ building.

2.What kind of music will be played at the Opera House this evening?

A.Australian. B.German.

C.French. D.Chinese.

3.How many of today’s festival activities take place outside?

A.1. B.2.

C.3. D.4.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Sydney Cultural Festival – What’s on today!

European Art Show

Location: Art Gallery of New South Wales. Today is the final day of the exhibition featuring 18th and 19th century paintings by some of the greatest European artists, such as Van Gough and Monet. Posters of these great works are available for purchase at the Visitors’ Centre.

Time: 8.30am –7pm

Cost: $12 adults; $7 children and students

Nature Walks

Location: Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden. Come and celebrate our natural environment in one of the world’s only nature parks inside a major city. Join our hourly guided tours, starting at the Eastern Gate, and enjoy breathtaking forests, stunning city escapes and the magnificent Sydney Harbour.

Time: 9am – 4pm Cost: Free

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concert

Location: Sydney Opera House. Australia’s most famous orchestra is best known for its performances of classical French and German music. But in tonight’s concert, the world-famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang is the special guest artist and will perform a series of classic Chinese compositions including Yellow River.

Time: 8.30pm –11.30pm

Cost: $175 adults; $90 students and children

Moonlight Cinema

Location: Centennial Park. Sit on the grass and enjoy the latest movies or classics from the past under the stars at Australia’s best and largest outdoor cinema. Tonight features the wonderful Australian film Red Dog. Besides the movie, there will be a display of classic Australian film posters.

Time: 8pm – 10.30pm

Cost: $19 adults; $14 children and students

1.Where should people wishing to join a Nature Walk meet?

A. The Visitors’ Centre.　　 B. The Harbour Bridge.

C. The Eastern Gate.　　 D. The guides’ building.

2.What kind of music will be played at the Opera House this evening?

A. Australian.　　 B. German.

C. French.　　 D. Chinese.

3.How many of today’s festival activities take place outside?

A. 1.　　 B. 2.

C. 3.　　 D. 4.

4.At which activity can guests buy a poster as a souvenir?

A. European Art Show.　　 B. Nature Walks.

C. Sydney Orchestra Concert.　　 D. Moonlight Cinema.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Until now, the oldest evidence of human ancestors outside of Africa was in Dmanisi, Georgia. Here fossils of short people thought to be early Homo erectus date back to about 1.85 million years—just after the species appears in Africa. The oldest evidence of early human activity in China can date back to 1.5 million to 1.7 million years ago, which has suggested that they didn’t leave Africa until 2 million years ago or so—and made it to eastern Asia even later.

Now evidence from the site of Shangchen in the Loess Plateau approximately 1,200 kilometers southwest of Beijing is shaking up that view. More than 2 million years ago, our ancestors were already world travelers, which shows that the ancestors of modern humans left Africa at least 250,000 years earlier than thought. It also supports a minority view that a key human ancestors, Homo erectus, may have originated in Asia, not in Africa.

The same team, led by geologist Zhao Yuzhu of the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry at the Chinese Academy of Science found that the stone tools range in age from 1.6 million to 2.1 millions years ago. This indicates humans—the family that includes humans and our ancestors—got out of Africa at least a quarter of a million years earlier than thought, and occupied Shangchen on and off for more than 850,000 years, the team reports today in Nature.

“The dates are convincing,” Zhao Yuezhu says, which suggest humans were already remarkably adaptable to the changeable climate by 2.1 millions ago—even though they had not yet developed the even bigger brains, long legs, or more advanced tools seen in later humans. Although the identity of these early travelers all over the world is unknown, the new dates raise the possibility that H. Erects weren’t the first humans to leave Africa.

1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A.The early human activity in China.

B.The earliest time of the human ancestor.

C.The oldest evidence of the human ancestor.

D.The time of human ancestor’s arriving at the Eastern Asia.

2.What does the evidence from the site of Shangchen suggest?

A.Human ancestors were found of travelling.

B.Human ancestors lived in Asia not in Africa.

C.Human ancestors left Africa earlier than thought.

D.Human ancestors occupied Shangchen for many years.

3.Why could human ancestors travel through the world?

A.Their identities had been unfamiliar to others.

B.The structures in their body were different from us.

C.They had the same advanced tools as the later human’s.

D.They had abilities to adapt to the changeable environment.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.The Origin of the Human. B.The New Dates about Africa.

C.The ways of Studying the Human. D.The Latest Discovery about Human Ancestors.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Internet has been a powerful force fueling economic growth across Europe, North America and Asia over the past several decades. Further globalization will bring far more profits in the future. To help those countries in poverty and expand trade worldwide to benefit all the mankind, Africa is the next frontier（地区）for the internet.

Digital reforms have taken off quickly in Africa, partly because the younger generation is more ready for adoption of new technologies. Compared to aging populations in developed countries, the average age in Africa is 19.2 years old. While less than half the population has access to electricity, two-fifths own a mobile phone.

With the growing demand for being connected, a number of mobile carriers are now seeking to expand network coverage in Africa. Governments of African countries are also pushing for the network construction as they recognize that communications and renewable energy play an important role in the development of their countries.

In recent years, the majority of the investment（投资）into Africa has come from China. Direct investment from China has grown 40% annually over the past decade, far more than investment from other economic partners, including the US. Huawei, ZTE and China Telecom have all entered the field. Huawei recently announced that it was launching a 5G transport network in South Africa, the first company to expand 5G network in this area. Meanwhile, Western governments are planning to do more to invest in Africa to maintain their economic relationships with it. That has received support from many tech giants like Facebook, which recently announced plans to lay a 37,000 kilometers of subsea cable network to build a direct high-speed internet connection between 16 countries in Africa with Europe and the Middle East.

Expanding network connectivity across Africa will open up digital services that many of us take for granted, like mobile banking, e-education and online shopping. Because the global economy is so closely linked, the increase in internet access will not only power economic growth and create new markets in Africa, but encourage development in other fields and around the world.

1.Which factor contributes to the rapid success of technology revolution in Africa?

A.The aging population. B.Coverage of the internet.

C.The easy access to electricity. D.The youth’s willingness to try new technology.

2.All the efforts to expand network to Africa are mentioned EXCEPT_______ .

A.Support from Western big firms

B.China’s huge investment into Africa

C.Connections between Europe and the Middle East

D.Encouragement of governments in African countries

3.According to the passage, which saying does the author seem to believe?

A.Efforts will pay off.

B.A friend in need is a friend in deed.

C.Technology is a double-edged sword (双刃剑).

D.Mankind is a community with a shared future.

4.What will the author probably talk about in the following paragraph?

A.Background information of African digital reform.

B.The worldwide technological support given to Africa.

C.The development of other countries in the past century.

D.Detailed potential benefits of African network expansion.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

The first thing I can tell you about Thabo, my South Africa guide, was that he is the world’s worst driver. From the airport to the heart of the city, he did 100 km per hour, bypassing lorries, motorbikes and taxi-vans crowed with people. The second thing was that he knew everybody and everything about Cape Town. This was good for me.

On the first day, Thabo took me to the suburbs with unpronounceable names — ORanjezicht — from where you can watch the sun go down on Africa. The next day we went to Cape Flats, the run-down township where the buildings were made of cardboard and rusty (生锈的）iron. It was truly vast — nearly a million people live here, side by side. Skinny dogs slid out of the way as Thabo zoomed along roads of mud and rotting rubbish. Some people waved, others stared. Children ran barefoot by the car.

Later that night we walked around the busy Victoria, Cape Town’s most fashionable area. The contrast from the township could not be greater: the smells of cooking rose from the kitchens — Asian, French, Italian. The bars and restaurants were packed, and I soon found out why. Cape Town is a paradise for gourmets (美食家), seafood-lovers and people like me, who just like eating. We went into a charming little pubs, and Thabo told me I couln’t leave Cape Town without trying some Cape seafood, so I did. It’s delicious.

On my final morning, we spent an hour sitting outside a cafe. Then we were driving again, experiencing the diverse landscape — green valleys. It was a great way to say goodbye to a place I knew only too briefly. I promised myself, and Thabo, that I would be back.

1.Why was Thabo considered the worst driver at the beginning?

A.He was a real African guide.

B.He seemed to drive fast riskily.

C.He ignored any vehicle passing by.

D.He greeted whoever he knew while driving.

2.What is the author’s impression of Cape Flats?

A.It is a beautiful area.

B.It is a lovely country.

C.It is an old dirty town.

D.It is a fashionable city.

3.What ddi the author enjoy doing in Victoria?

A.Tasting some tasty sea-food.

B.Driving fast along muddy roads.

C.Observing the sun go down on Africa.

D.Visiting the buildings made of cardboard.

4.How did the author feel when he left Cape Town?

A.Excited. B.Uncaring.

C.Content. D.Disappointed.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Discover South Africa from $1799 South Africa is truly a world-class destination!

16 day tour, regular departures（启程）up to November 2015

This wonderful 16-day tour is designed to highlight South Africa’s amazing diversity of cultures, its curious mixture of old and new, as well as its wonderful scenery and wildlife, together with its unique history．

Join us to experience Cape Town and the exciting Kruger safari (游猎) on our tour to South Africa．We believe that a more naturally beautiful country than South Africa would be difficult to find: from the rocky peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, to the timeless semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo and then the forested seashores and mirror-like lakes of the Garden Route, the attractive valleys of the Winelands and the symbol of the country, Table Mountain — all under an endless blue sky．Quite amazing!

Included in our price:

Return flights from London Heathrow

Three-and-four-star hotels, sharing rooms, breakfast and lunch included

Internal flight to the beautiful Garden Route

Full-day guided safari in the Kruger National Park

Visit the legendary Zulu War battlefields of Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, the historical Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Apartheid Museum and Blyde River Canyon

Travel on Outeniqua steam train or go whale watching depending on the season

For more information, call 0845 155 6706.

1.On this 16-day tour, visitors might experience the _______ of South Africa.

A．history, cultures and education

B．cultures, scenery and education

C．history, scenery and education

D．history, cultures and scenery

2.What can we learn about the tour?

A．The tour is available all year round．

B．Tourists will have a single room each.

C．Tourists are sure to go whale watching．

D．Suppers are not included in the price.

3.The passage is written to _______.

A．talk about touring experiences

B．attract people to the tour

C．talk about the history of Africa

D．introduce places of interest in Africa

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析