Philo Farnsworth was a man who made it possible for one of the most important communication devices (设备）－ television to be created. Philo was born on August 19th, 1906, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. He attended a very small school near his family's farm. He did very well in school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand.
One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures and hear the sound. The magazine story said some of the world's best scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures.
14-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong and that mechanical devices would never work. He decided that such a device would have to be electronic. Philo knew electrons（电子）could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was to find a way to make electrons do the work.
Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a receiver. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it "light in a bottle".
Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture (捕捉）pictures. He drew a plan for it, which he gave his teacher. Philo's drawing seemed very simple, but it clearly showed the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo's early idea.
Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old then. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact, experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.
On September 7th, 1927, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. In 1930, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.
1.How did Philo get the idea of inventing a television?
A.By learning from his science teacher.
B.By reading a story in a magazine.
C.By thinking hard on his own.
D.By using his knowledge about electrons.
2.The underlined word "it" in the fourth paragraph refers to .
A.a container sending pictures and sound through the air
B.a receiver that holds light and sends it on a line of electrons
C.a light box with a line of electrons in a bottle
D.a way to make electrons send pictures quickly
3.What can we learn about Philo?
A.His interest in science was raised by his teacher.
B.He made the first television receiver himself.
C.He received patent documents at the age of 24.
D.He found the famous scientists wrong after showing his teacher a plan.
4.We can infer from the text that Philo's idea .
A.was not recognized at first
B.was only understood by his teacher
C.was turned into a television receiver immediately
D.was widely used in all television equipment in 1927
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题
Philo Farnsworth was a man who made it possible for one of the most important communication devices (设备）－ television to be created. Philo was born on August 19th, 1906, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. He attended a very small school near his family's farm. He did very well in school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand.
One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures and hear the sound. The magazine story said some of the world's best scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures.
14-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong and that mechanical devices would never work. He decided that such a device would have to be electronic. Philo knew electrons（电子）could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was to find a way to make electrons do the work.
Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a receiver. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it "light in a bottle".
Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture (捕捉）pictures. He drew a plan for it, which he gave his teacher. Philo's drawing seemed very simple, but it clearly showed the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo's early idea.
Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old then. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact, experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.
On September 7th, 1927, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. In 1930, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.
1.How did Philo get the idea of inventing a television?
A.By learning from his science teacher.
B.By reading a story in a magazine.
C.By thinking hard on his own.
D.By using his knowledge about electrons.
2.The underlined word "it" in the fourth paragraph refers to .
A.a container sending pictures and sound through the air
B.a receiver that holds light and sends it on a line of electrons
C.a light box with a line of electrons in a bottle
D.a way to make electrons send pictures quickly
3.What can we learn about Philo?
A.His interest in science was raised by his teacher.
B.He made the first television receiver himself.
C.He received patent documents at the age of 24.
D.He found the famous scientists wrong after showing his teacher a plan.
4.We can infer from the text that Philo's idea .
A.was not recognized at first
B.was only understood by his teacher
C.was turned into a television receiver immediately
D.was widely used in all television equipment in 1927
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five fays off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.” I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
1.The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because .
A.her work delayed her trip to Sydney
B.she was going home for her holidays
C.the town was far away from Sydney
D.she missed the only train back home
2.Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
A.He helped the girl find a ride
B.He gave the girl a ride back home.
C.He bought sandwiches for the girl
D.He watched the girl for three hours.
3.The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that .
A.she realized he was Gordon
B.she had known him for decades
C.she was going to the nearby town
D.she wanted to repay the favour she once got
4.What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
A.Giving sometimes produces nice results
B.Those who give rides will be rapid.
C.Good manners bring about happiness
D.People should offer free rides to others.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
When the Farnsworth family moved to their new farm in 1919, eleven-year-old Philo was surprised to find it wired for electricity. This unusual circumstance contributed to his fate — to become an important inventor of the twentieth century.
By thirteen, Farnsworth had become a self-taught electrical engineer. He was able to fix the farm’s generator（发电机）when none of the adults could. In 1922, he read an article about a new idea of John Baird, a Scottish scientist, who had been working with the cathode ray tube (阴极射线管) for the transmission of electronic pictures and wanted to attempt it himself.
Farnsworth studied everything he could find on the subject. Although many older engineers with money backers were already developing television, Farnsworth made a bold decision — he was going to perfect a working model of it before anybody else.
In college, Farnsworth continued his research with cathode ray and vacuum tubes, but the death of his father, the only money maker in the family, forced him to give up this research and find a job. His first job was for George Everson, with whom Farnsworth discussed his dream of television. While acknowledging the achievements of those who came before, Farnsworth thought that he could get closer. Everson agreed to risk $6,000 for the research.
Backers came in 1927 to see the first American television, one year after Baird’s. They were astonished to see the image of a single white line resolve itself on the screen before them, and agreed that this new invention was worth putting money into.
In 1930, Farnsworth won a patent (专利权) for his all-electronic TV. By the time he died, he had earned over 300 American and foreign patents for electronic and mechanical devices.
1.When Farnsworth was at a young age, he _______
A. had to drop out of school to help on the family farm
B. was sent to school to study electrical engineering
C. wanted to be the first person to invent the television
D. had shown a surprising ability in the electrical field
2.What difficulty did Farnsworth meet when he first began his research on the television?
A. His parents didn’t support his work.
B. He didn’t have enough knowledge in this field.
C. He didn’t have enough money for his research.
D. No one was interested in this research.
3.How old was Philo Farnsworth when he invented the first American television?
A. 11. B. 13. C. 19. D. 22.
4.From the passage, we can learn that Farnsworth is ______.
A. the first person who worked for the transmission of electronic pictures
B. an inventor who improved on somebody else’s idea
C. an inventor who always came up with an original idea
D. a person who earned over 300 American patents for electronic devices
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs, but the brave 32yearold man plays football and golf, swims, and surfs. Nick has a small foot on his left side, which helps him balance and enables him to kick. He uses his one foot to type, write with a pen and pick things up between his toes.
“I call it my chicken drumstick(畸形的小腿),” joked Nick. “I’d be lost without it. When I get in the water I float because 80 per cent of my body is lungs and my drumstick acts as a propeller (螺旋桨). ”
When Nick was born, his distraught mother couldn’t bring herself to hold him until he was four months old. “It was so hard for my parents, but right from the start they did their best to make me independent.” said Nick.
Throughout his childhood Nick dealt with the typical challenges. At the age of seven, Nick tried out some specially designed electronic arms and legs, in the hope that he would be more like other kids. But they turned out to be much too heavy for Nick to operate, affecting his flexibility quite significantly.
“When I was 13 I read a newspaper article about a disabled man who had managed to achieve great things and help others,” said Nick. “I realized why God had made us like this — to give hope to others. It was so inspirational to me that I decided to use my life to encourage others and decided to be thankful for what I do have, not get angry about what I don’t.”
“I tell people to keep on getting up when they fall and to always love themselves,” he said. “If I can encourage just one person then my job in this life is done.” By now, he has visited 35 different countries, touring the world as a motivational speaker.
1.What makes it possible for Nick to swim in the water?
A.His small size. B.His small foot.
C.His light weight. D.His big lungs.
2.The underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3 probably means “________”.
A.coldblooded B.badtempered C.extremely upset D.really crazy
3.Nick abandoned the electronic arms and legs because ____________.
A.his family couldn’t afford them B.his classmates didn’t like them
C.they were too heavy to handle D.they affected his appearance
4.What did Nick decide to do when he was 13?
A.To travel to different countries. B.To set up his business in newspapers.
C.To try to become a motivational speaker. D.To encourage people who were in trouble.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
The new invention made ____________ possible for a blind man to read.
A. this B. that C. it D. what
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（?），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last semester, my roommates and I shoot a film to observe the 70th anniversary of our motherland. The film was made of solo performances. As one of the solo singer, I practiced very hard for it, but two girls designed a dance to enrich the film. Beside, our English teacher joined us, provided us with lots of help. The film’s success was true a team effort. Everyone taking part learned a great deal from it and determined to work the harder. Our country’s rapid development makes it possible of us to grow up with good living conditions. We will shoulder the responsibilities of contributing to your country.
高二英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析
Wearing ties was originally the mark of Britain's most powerful classes, which made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted by a much larger tribe—the business tribe.
You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery. So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used your brain to make a living, rather than your hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take seriously a man who didn't wear a piece of colored silk around his neck. This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world. They are part of the uniform of business.
“Ties offer a point of indifference,” says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers. “They give a chance to say something about their own personality.”
So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly colored tie, there is a good chance that he is the office joker. There is also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly colored socks.
Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Tie wearing seems to be rare among the new bread of entrepreneurs(企业家) in the Internet and new technology industries. Many political leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties. This shows they are men of the people—but not the people wearing ties.
Up until around 1960, it was common for men across the Western world to wear hats as part of their business uniform. That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”. Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps “tieless Tony” (UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) will have the same effect as “hatless Jack”．
1.In Britain, ties were first used as a sign to show a person’s ________.
A.Personality B.job
C.social position D.favorite hobby
2.In the business world, wearing a tie was necessary because________.
A.it showed you were a brain worker
B.it showed you got a good salary
C.it showed you were an employer
D.it showed you were well-trained
3.The writer may hold the opinion that________.
A.Blair is the best leader in the world
B.Kennedy is the best leader in the world
C.millions of people will go to work without a tie
D.people will wear hats instead of ties
4.The underlined word “vanished” in the last paragraph may mean________.
A.Sold B.washed
C.Disappeared D.appeared
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Essay
| Epic Fails: The Wright Brothers: Nose-Diving into History By Erik Slader and Ben Thompson. Ages 6 to 12. The first book in the Epic Fails series deals with one of the most ambitious goals humans have pursued: the quests to fly. Authors Slader and Thompson focus on life-or-death scenes, such as when the Wright brothers crashed their glider over and over on the sandy coast of North Carolina; it took them two more years to get it right. |
| Epic Fails: The Race to Space: Countdown to Liftoff By Erik Slader and Ben Thompson. Ages 6 to 12 Today, everyone is familiar with Neil Armstrong’s famous words as he first set foot on the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” He made it look easy, but America’s journey to the moon was anything but simple. Our first attempt was a failure. Still, we didn’t give up. We tried again. And again. And each time we failed, we failed a little bit better. |
| Fantastic Failures: True Stories of People Who Changed the World by Falling Down First By Luke Reynolds. Ages 6 to 12. Teacher Luke Reynolds opens each chapter with a quick, impossibly perfect version of one person’s life and then says how that person actually had to face huge challenges to accomplish goals. In this book, Reynolds writes about various common men, women and children. |
| Cyrus Field’s Big dream：The Daring Effort to Lay the First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable By Mary Morton Cowan. Ages 6 to 12. In 1853，it took at least a week to relay a message between the United States and Europe because people had to be transported on ships over the Atlantic Ocean. Cyrus Field tried to reduce that transmission（传送）time to just minutes by laying a long undersea cable. In this book，Cowan describes many failures Field suffered before he achieved this major breakthrough. |
1.Who are the four books intended for?
A.Children. B.Teenagers. C.Adults. D.Old people.
2.What do we know about Fantastic Failures?
A.It was written by a famous actor. B.It tells stories of ordinary people.
C.It is about science fiction stories. D.It is a picture book by a teacher.
3.What lesson can we learn from the four books?
A.All roads lead to Rome. B.Failure is the mother of success.
C.An early bird catches worms D.Actions speak louder than words.
高二英语阅读选择简单题查看答案及解析
My mom was a beauty who seldom spent time and money on her physical appearance—especially in terms of fancy clothes or hairstyles. She just kept beautiful in her way： rest, water, exercise, vegetables and laughter.
My mom would tell me her father had her run his little corner store from the age of ten. She saw poor people come in, looking for food and making hard choices, like meat or cheese. She took their coins with an eye on the bottom line. It was up to her to ensure the register balanced at the end of the day. So from a young age, my mom had her mind conditioned about money.
However, my mom had one weakness： diamonds. In 1958, my teenage dad gave her a diamond chip as an engagement（订婚）ring, which she proudly wore until she saved enough for an “upgrade". By then, she was in her thirties. Over the years, my mom also acquired other diamond pieces like earrings. Mom wore them proudly and she simply loved the way her diamonds sparkled（闪耀）.
On my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, I treated them to dinner at a restaurant. It made her happy, but Mom had her eye on a big diamond to mark the occasion. My dad found her a six-carat（克拉）one. Mom said each carat represented a decade that she loved my dad, plus one to grow on. For the next six years, she never took it off her finger.
Knowing how my mom loved that diamond made it more special when she left it to me. After wearing it on my hand for a year, I decided to set it into a necklace where it'd be closer to my heart. It reminds me of my mom every day, no matter what I'm doing, and it speaks to me in unique ways.
1.What can we know about Mom?
A.She spent much on her makeup. B.She was a vain beautiful woman.
C.She kept beautiful in a natural way. D.She was proud of her appearance.
2.What made Mom careful about spending money?
A.The words of neighbors.
B.Her life in a poor family.
C.The choice of the poor people.
D.Her experience in her father's store.
3.Mom most probably thinks of the diamonds as a sign of_____ .
A.luck B.love C.status D.wealth
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Mother's Love for Diamonds B.Love Between Mother and Daughter
C.Memories of Beautiful Diamonds D.Strong Love for a Determined Mother
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch. Some in the city can't wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.
" I'd use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open," said Walter Choo, 40, of Fort Greene.
The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one's surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.
" As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn't something anybody needs," said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. " We're accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things," he added, "and the average consumer isn't gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars. "
9to5Google publisher Seth Weintraub, who has been reporting on the smartphone-like glasses since late last year, said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.
"It's just like smartphones 10 years ago," Weintraub said. "A few people started getting emails on their phones, and people thought that was crazy. Same kind of thing. We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones, and it's unnatural," he said. " There's gonna be improvements to that, and this a step there. "
1.One of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses is to _____.
A.program the opening hours of a bar
B.supply you with a picture of the future
C.provide information about your surroundings
D.update the maps and GPS in your smartphones
2.The underlined phrase "pop up" in the third paragraph probably means " _____".
A.develop rapidly B.get round quickly
C.appear immediately D.go over automatically
3.According to Sam Biddle, the smartphone-like glasses are _____.
A.necessary for teenagers B.attractive to New Yorkers
C.available to people worldwide D.expensive for average consumers
4.We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphone-like glasses _____.
A.may have a potential market B.are as common as smartphones
C.are popular among young adults D.will be improved by a new technology
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析