Forget the pyramids, Tahrir Square and the Ni...

Forget the pyramids, Tahrir Square and the Nile. Egypt is ready to ditch Cairo and build a shiny new capital if the government has its way.

Fed up with pollution, traffic jams, a packed population with soaring rents, Egypt is teaming up with a developer in the United Arab Emirates to build a city in what could be one of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure programs.

The yet-to-be-named city will spread out over 150 square miles, or roughly the size of Denver, and could eventually be home to 7 million people, the developers and government announced Friday.

The current capital of Cairo, while full of history and vibrant charm, is home to more than 18 million people, and living in and getting around the city can be maddening and frustrating. The government says the idea is to reduce congestion in Cairo, which is projected to double in population in the coming decades.

An exact location was not announced, but the city is expected to be built east of Cairo. It will be closer to the Red Sea -- between two major highways -- the Suez and the Ain Sokhna roads.

The ambitions are big. In addition to the new embassies and government buildings, it plans to have an international airport bigger than Heathrow, solar energy farms, 40,000 hotel rooms, nearly 2,000 schools and 18 hospitals -- all linked together by over 6,000 miles of new roads.

But if the dream is big, the bill will be bigger.

The total cost is estimated at U.S. $45 billion, Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly announced at an economic development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The revealing of the new capital was paired with a glamorous website showing a luxurious and technological urban view of glass towers and pools.

The plan is backed by a group that describes itself as “a private real estate investment fund by global investors focused on investment and development partnerships” led by Emirati developer Mohamed Alabbar.

Alabbar made his name as the founder of Dubai’s Emaar Properties, primarily known for developing the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

Egypt is not the first country to plan on moving its capital from established big cities to rural greener pastures. Myanmar(缅甸) has only recently completed its move from Yangon to the new city of Naypyidaw. Nigeria moved to Abuja in the 1990’s, and Brazil carved its capital Brasilia out of the wilderness over 50 years ago.

And then there was another crazy idea of building a capital city on a square of swampland that seemed mainly to be a boondoggle for wealthy land speculators(商人) at the time.

That city? _________

1.Egypt is ready to join hands with some experienced developers to build a new capital mainly because of the following EXCEPT ________ in the old capital.

A. pollution and population

B. its location and higher rents

C. its long history and charm

D. traffic jams and crowdedness

2.The underlined sentence in the passage means that it is _______.

A. a new city with expensive infrastructure programs

B. a new city with beautiful glass towers and pools

C. an enterprising dream with abundant funds

D. a noble dream with rich cooperative teams

3.Which city was the outcome of a crazy idea at that time?

A. Abuja.　　　 B. Brasilia.

C. Naypyidaw.　　　 D. Washington, D.C.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you’re encouraged by the tiny house movement and think 160 square feet is just enough for your needs, you may want to contact the Academy of Construction and Design (ACAD) at IDEA Public Charter School in northeast Washington.

Students in the program built a micro house with a kitchen, a bathroom, a sleeping loft with space for a queen-size bed and a storage loft, all set on a trailer for mobility. The exterior of the house was part of a continuous living exhibit in 2015 and was moved to the IDEA campus so students could work with builders to complete the interior earlier this year.

McMahon said the D. C. government’s approval to push companies to hire District residents was at odds with the school system not preparing students for careers in construction, exploring or electrical work. McMahon gathered industry and community leaders to establish ACAD in 2005, and he said 100 percent of the companies he contacted responded positively to the idea, including major firms such as JBG, Clark Construction, Hines Construction and Boston Properties.

“When students make the connection between what they are learning a potential career, their academics improve dramatically,” said Carol Randolph, chief operating officer of the D. C. Students Construction Trades Foundation. “Some of them who didn’t think college was an option now have a better chance because their classes have become relevant to a job.”

“We teach them life skills and explain that even if you start as a laborer, there are opportunities to move up quickly,” he said. “We rewrite the story for them and explain that they can work for a few years, make good money, get promoted, and start their own business or go to school with less debts.”

“Parents and school advisor can be the biggest obstacles because of the negative idea of construction as a blue-collar career,” Karriem said. “I get middle-school advisor on board to talk about the opportunities this education provides. These kids are learning lifelong skills that can help them in other fields, provide them with income and allow them to take care of their homes.”

1.What might be the main purpose of the first paragraph?

A. To advise the students to build houses.

B. To show IDEA Public Charter School.

C. To introduce the tiny house movement.

D. To get in touch with the ACAD organization.

2.What is the program of building a micro house aimed at?

A. Experiencing living in the tiny house.

B. Improving cooperating with related companies.

C. Learning lifelong skills from college classes.

D. Providing the opportunities to get a job.

3.What does the underlined part “at odds with” mean in the 3rd paragraph?

A. Inconsistent　　 B. Favorable

C. Unusual　　 D. Satisfactory

4.What can we infer from the words of Karriem?

A. Students tend to choose the blue-collar career.

B. It’s hard to make the micro house movement popular.

C. Education should provide more job opportunities

D. Life skills help improve students’ academics greatly

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Many of us who have never been to Egypt always ________ Egypt with the ancient pyramids.

A．associate          B．abolish            C．accumulate        D．acquire

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

James Smith and his girlfriend went to Chenyi Square to celebrate the New Year, never　 _________.

A．returned    B．to return

C．returning    D．having returned

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Try this: For an entire day, forget about the clock. Eat when you’re hungry and sleep when you’re tired. What do you think will happen?

You may be surprised to find that your day is much like most other days. You’ll probably get hungry when you normally eat and tired when you normally sleep. Even though you don’t know what time it is, your body does.These patterns of daily life are called circadian rhythms（生理节奏）, and they are more than just habits. Inside our bodies are several clocklike systems that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle. Throughout the day and night, our inner clocks direct changes in temperature, body chemicals, hunger, sleepiness and more.

Everyone’s rhythms are different, which is why you might like to stay up late while your sister always wants to go to bed early. But on the whole, everyone is programmed to feel tired at night and energetic during the day. Learning about our body clocks may help scientists understand why problems arise when we act out of step with our circadian rhythms. For example, traveling across time zones can make people wake up in the middle of the night. Regularly staying up late can make kids do worse in tests.

“There is a growing sense that when we eat and when we sleep are important parts of how healthy we are,” says Steven Shea, director of the Sleep Disorders Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

One way to learn about how our body clocks tick is to mess them up and see what happens. That’s what neurologist（神经病学家）Frank Scheer and his workmates did in a recent study. Staying up night after night, their studies suggest, could make kids extra hungry and more likely to gain weight. And regularly sleeping too little, Scheer says, may be one cause of the recent increase in childhood obesity.

1.What will happen if you forget about the clock according to the passage?

A. You will feel upset.

B. You will behave normally.

C. Your body will not know what time it is.

D. You will probably get hungry more easily.

2.Mike feels energetic at 12 midnight while Tom feels sleepy. What advice would be given by the writer?

A. Both should see a doctor..　　 B. Tom should see a doctor.

C. Both should take it easy.　　 D. Mike should have a watch.

3.How do Frank Scheer and his workmates study body clocks?

A. By seeing what happens when they are messed up.

B. By asking questions and collecting answers.

C. By studying people traveling across time zones.

D. By programming people with man-made clocks.

4.What will the writer most probably talk about next?

A. Other examples of what people will do when their body clocks go wrong.

B. Some effective medicines that can keep people from putting on weight.

C. Why it is important to have a normal body clock.

D. What circadian rhythms are and how they work.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

When you're looking forward to taking a holiday in Egypt, you're certainly not short of choices.　 The country has so many to see that you'll probably not want to limit yourself to just one city.

Hurghada-A Water Sports Paradise

With 250 hotels ranking from comfortable 3-star hotels

Lip to 5-star accommodation, the main attraction of staying here is the activities in and on the warm waters. It has become an international centre for water sports, allowing visitors to take part in surfing, sailing and deep sea fishing. The waters are also home to a huge variety of coral and fish, making it a dream spot for diving. If all that isn-t enough, Hurghada is home to some of the world's finest underwater gardens.

Luxor-An Open Air Museum of Ancient History

For those with an interest in Egyptian history, Luxor is an excellent place to stay and is built upon the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. If you make this the base for your Egypt holiday, you're basically staying in an open air museum!

The modern city of Luxor has the ruins of Karnak. Across the Nile lie many more monuments, temples and tombs including the Valley of the Kings and　 the Queens. The Nile sailing is necessary for those with an interest in the country's　 ancient history.

Cairo- The　 Capital　 City

Finally, of course, there's Cairo. It-s definitely a starting point for most of Egypt holiday makers. Cairo offers an excel-llent mix of culture, art, cooking and sightseeing chances. With the famous pyramids, various temples and some fascinating museums, Cairo is a fantastic choice if you can come to the city.

1.Visitors flood to Hurghada mainly because it can offer them _　　　　 .

A. the funniest botanic gardens

B. choices of water activities

C. a brief history of Egypt

D. the mix of culture and art

2.Which of the following cities do most tourists visit first in Egypt?

A. Cairo.　　　　　 B. Luxor.　　　　 C. Thebes.　　　　　 D. Hurghada.

3.This passage is most probably taken from _　　 　　 .

A. a historical document　　　　　　　　　　　 B. a science magazine

C. a travel guide　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a book review

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Washington Square Park, ________ the first president, is one of New York city's most popular and oldest parks, dating back to 1827.

A．in terms of     B．in favor of

C．in praise of     D．in honor of

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Forget Twitter and Facebook, Google and the Kindle. Television is still the most influential medium around. Indeed ,for many of the poorest regions(地区)of the world, it remains the next big thing——finally becomes globally available. And that is a good thing, because the TV revolution is changing lives for the better.

Across the developing world, around 45% of families had a TV in 1995; by 2005 the number had climbed above 60%. That is some way behind the U.S. , where are more TVs than people, and where people now easily get access to the Internet. Five million more families in sub-Saharan Africa will get a TV over the next five years. In 2005 , after the fall of the Taliban（塔利班）,which had outlawed TV, 1 in 5 Afghans had one. The global total is another 150 million by 2013——pushing the numbers to well beyond two thirds of families.

Television’s most powerful effect will be on the lives of women. In India, researchers Robert Jensen and Emily Oster found that when TVs reached villages, women were more likely to go to the market without their husbands’ approval and less likely to want a boy rather than a girl. They were more likely to make decisions over child health care. TV is also a powerful medium for adult education. In the Indian state of Gujarat, Chitrageet is a popular show that plays Bollywood songs with words in Gujarati on the screen. Within six months, viewers had made a small but significant(有意义的) improvement in their reading skills.

Too much TV has been associated with violence, overweight and loneliness. However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide.

1.The underlined word “outlawed” in paragraph 2 probably means “________”.

A. allowed          B. banned          C. offered            D. refused

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Americans used to get access to the Internet easily.

B. The world’s TV sets will total 150 million by 2013.

C.45% of families in the developing countries had a TV in 2005.

D. Over two thirds of families in the world will have a TV by 2013.

3.The author intends to ________.

A. stress the advantages of TV to people’s lives

B. persuade women to become more independent

C. encourage people to improve their reading skills

D. introduce the readers some websites such as Google

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.TV Will Rule the World                  B.TV Will Disturb the World

C.TV Will Better the World                 D.TV Will Remain in World

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Forget Twitter and Facebook, Google and the Kindle. Television is still the most influential medium around. Indeed, for many of the poorest regions(地区)of the world, it remains the next big thing——finally becomes globally available. And that is a good thing, because the TV revolution is changing lives for the better.

Across the developing world, around 45% of families had a TV in 1995; by 2005 the number had climbed above 60%. That is some way behind the U.S., where are more TVs than people, and where people now easily get access to the Internet. Five million more families in sub-Saharan Africa will get a TV over the next five years. In 2005, after the fall of the Taliban(塔利班),which had outlawed TV, 1 in 5 Afghans had one. The global total is another 150 million by 2013——pushing the numbers to well beyond two thirds of families.

Television’s most powerful effect will be on the lives of women. In India, researchers Robert Jensen and Emily Oster found that when TVs reached villages, women were more likely to go to the market without their husbands’ approval and less likely to want a boy rather than a girl. They were more likely to make decisions over child health care. TV is also a powerful medium for adult education. In the Indian state of Gujarat, Chitrageet is a popular show that plays Bollywood songs with words in Gujarati on the screen. Within six months, viewers had made a small but significant(有意义的) improvement in their reading skills.

Too much TV has been associated with violence, overweight and loneliness. However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide.

1.The underlined word “outlawed” in paragraph 2 probably means “ 　　 ”.

A. allowed　　 B. banned　　 C. offered　　 D. refused

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Americans used to get access to the Internet easily.

B. The world’s TV sets will total 150million by 2013.

C. 45% of families in the developing countries had a TV in 2005.

D. Over two thirds of families in the world will have a TV by 2013.

3.The author intends to 　　　 .

A. stress the advantages of TV to people’s lives

B. persuade women to become more independent

C. encourage people to improve their reading skills

D. introduce the readers some websites such as Google

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. TV Will Rule the World　　 B. TV Will Disturb the World

C. TV Will Better the World　　 D. TV Will Remain in World

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Forget Twitter and Facebook, Google and the Kindle. Television is still the most influential medium around. Indeed, for many of the poorest regions(地区)of the world, it remains the next big thing—finally becomes globally available. And that is a good thing, because the TV revolution is changing lives for the better.

Across the developing world, around 45% of families had a TV in 1995; by 2005 the number had climbed above 60% . That is some way behind the U.S. ,where there are more TVs than people, and where people now easily get access to the Internet. Five million more families in sub-Saharan Africa will get a TV over the next five years. In 2005 , after the fall of the Taliban（塔利班）,which had banned TV, I in 5 Afghans had one. The global total is another 150 million by 2013—pushing the numbers to well beyond two thirds of families.

Television’s most powerful effect will be on the lives of women. In India, researchers Robert Jensen and Emily Oster found that when TVs reached villages, women were more likely to go to the market without their husbands approval and less likely to want a boy rather than a girl. They were more likely to make decisions over child health care. TV is also a powerful medium for adult education. In the Indian state of Gujarat, Chitrageet is a popular show that plays Bollywood songs with words in Gujarati on the screen. Within six months, viewers had made a small but significant improvement in their reading skills.

Too much TV has been associated with violence, overweight and loneliness. However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Americans used to get access to the Internet easily.

B. The world’s TV sets will total 150 million by 2013.

C. 45% of families in the developing countries had a TV in 2005.

D. Over two thirds of families in the world will have a TV by 2013.

2.The author intends to ____________.

A. stress the advantages of TV to people’s lives

B. persuade women to become more independent

C. encourage people to improve their reading skills

D. introduce the readers some websites such as Google

3.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.TV Will Rule the World             B.TV Will Disturb the World

C.TV Will Better the World            D.TV Will Remain in World

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析