Fans of the British royal family around the w...

Fans of the British royal family around the world are making plans for April 29th, 2011. That’s the date that Prince William and Catherine Middleton are to tie the knot at Westminster Abbey in London.

A royal wedding is a rare and unique event in Britain so for many it’s something worth celebrating, particularly if you are in the business of making memorabilia (收藏品).

Producers of these souvenirs are wasting no time in manufacturing key rings, mugs, teapots and tea towels, mostly with the faces of the happy couple emblazoned on the front. These are the must buy items that royal followers want to get their hands on.

Some people may argue the royal wedding is a huge public cost but production and sale of memorabilia is good for business. Former politician, Lord Archer, has commented that, “In this age when we are trying to balance the books, the royal family are a great benefit to Great Britain Limited.”

A porcelain-making company, called Royal Crown Derby, is already manufacturing souvenir pottery. Louise Adams from the company says “we started designing, truly, about two years ago.” It is big business for China too, where much of the merchandise that marks the big event is made.

But why are people so keen to get their hands on a commemorative mug, so much so that one British supermarket has already seen them flying off the shelves?

Obviously, we like to remember an event like this and maybe it makes us feel as though we are part of the occasion. However their monetary value is likely to be low. Eric Knowles from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow claims, “The vast majority of it will be worthless.”

Modern day souvenirs tend to be mass-produced making them cheap and easy to find. However limited edition or high-end items tend to keep their value and could be a better investment for the future.

But there is one thing we can guarantee that won’t be mass-produced and cheap. That’s the wedding dress for Princess Catherine, as Catherine Middleton will be known.

(   ) 1.. From the first three paragraphs we can learn that ________.

A. many fans of the British royal family will be invited to London on April 29th, 2011

B. Prince William and Catherine Middleton are getting married at Westminster Abbey on April 29th,

2011

C. many fans of the royal family will tie the knot on the same day in London

D. fans of the royal family will join in making souvenirs

(   ) 2..  The obvious feature of the souvenirs mentioned in the passage is that ________.

A. they are all tiny and easy to carry

B. some of them are linked with tea

C. all of them are marked with dates and pictures

D. most of them display the pictures of the couple

(   ) 3.. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. the production of souvenirs has begun long before the big event

B. the sale of souvenirs has not begun yet

C. people buy souvenirs mainly for their monetary value

D. production of souvenirs has little profit

(   ) 4..  Which of the following is a better investment according to the passage?

A. Souvenirs that fly off the shelves.      B. Best-selling souvenirs

C. Mass-produced souvenirs.             D. Souvenirs released limitedly.

(   ) 5..  What’s the writer’s attitude towards producing and selling souvenirs?

A. Supportive.          B. Negative.        C. Uninterested.            D. Indifferent.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The royal family is a part of British history and cultural identity.

Up until the 17th century, people believed that the British king or queen had a “divine(天赐的)right” to rule. This was the idea that God chose the king or queen and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea was challenged during the English Civil War, when King Charles the First was put in prison and then killed in 1649.

So what role does the British royal family have today?

The Queen is head of the UK and the Commonwealth. She has important formal duties that go with her different titles. As Head of State, for example, she represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK；as Head of the Armed Forces in name, only she can declare when the UK is at war or when a war is over. She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day.

Although the royal family does the work for the UK, there are British people called“anti-monarchists(反君主制者)”who do not believe there should be a royal family. One criticism(批评意见)is that the British people should not have to pay for the royal family with their taxes(税).

Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant(相关的)in the modern world. The Queen still gives a speech to the nation on television at Christmas, but it gets less and less formal every year；now it is even available as a podcast(播客).

In 2005, after graduating from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many ordinary young British people do in their gap years.

1.What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?

A．The British king or queen is considered above the law.

B．The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649.

C．The British king or queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right.

D．The royal family didn’t play an important role in Britain in the 17 th century.

2.Which of the following is among the formal duties of the Queen?

A．Traveling around the UK.

B．Declaring when the world is at war.

C．Inviting other leaders to have dinner with her.

D．Signing Commonwealth documents every day.

3.With the example of Prince William in the last paragraph, the author intends to show that________.

A．Prince William is very popular in the UK

B．the royal family is trying to connect better with ordinary people

C．Prince William has made an effort to win young people’s admiration

D．many young British people do voluntary work

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

A．the royal family doesn’t have to pay taxes

B．the British people are all in favor of the royal family

C．the British people can talk to the Queen through a podcast

D．the royal family attacks republicans through media and press

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

British English may have come first, but around the world, the American way of spelling is now far more popular.

A recent examination of the English language shows that publications now largely use the American version swapping words like “centre” for “center” after the 1880s. To get data, researchers used Google’s Ngram Viewer to analyze the words found in all English-language publications from 1800 to 2000. Entering a word into the viewer will show how frequently it occurs within the massive corpus(语料库)of books around the world.

According to the data, this shift was further strengthened around World War I. Since then, English-language publications have preferred “gray” and “flavor” instead of “grey” and “flavour”. The American spelling has continued to grow over the years, with “liter” passing “liter” around 1900, and “center” becoming the more common choice over “centre” in 1913. “1913 marked a turning point in British spelling, as the American alternative became more frequently used in literature,” the post explains, in regard to “center”. This was just a year before the beginning of World War I, which many views as a key period in America’s rise to superpower status.

Though this switched again between 1920s and the late 1930s, the American, spelling took over for good around 1940, during which time the spelling “airplane” shifted dramatically over “aeroplane”.

Ever since the middle of the 19th century, even the British Isles have slowly rejected the old spelling. The future is gray for British English.

1.Which of the following is true?

A. American spelling takes over all the time

B. British people refuse to use American spelling

C. All the media prefer American spelling

D. The change in spelling is more obvious around World War I

2.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?

A. The popularity of American spelling

B. The examples of the change in spelling

C. The history of English spelling

D. The reason for the change in English spelling

3.The passage is developed _______.

A. by space　　 B. by time

C. by process　　 D. by logic

4.The passage is written to _____.

A. introduce the change of English spelling

B. encourage the change in English spelling

C. compare the difference between American spelling and British spelling

D. introduce different views on English spelling

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The British people are among the world’s greatest readers of newspapers．It’s been the custom ever since most people could read．

But why do people want to do nothing but read while traveling to work in a train? Perhaps they are tired, or else they sit behind a newspaper to shut themselves off from the world．All the same, most men would notice a woman struggling with a heavy case and jump up to help her and a pretty girl sitting opposite wouldn’t escape their attention either．In this case a paper is useful because they can have a good look at her from behind it without her knowing．Perhaps they do nothing but read．There are stories of girls and young men who met in the rush hours, got married, and went on traveling in the same train hand in hand．

1.The main idea of this passage is that______．

A．people in Britain are great newspaper readers

B．why people read newspaper when they travel by train

C．people do nothing but read in a train

D．when people go to work in a train, they do different things

2.According to this passage, reading newspaper______．

A．is a custom just among men who can read  B．is something the British do only traveling in a train

C．is a daily activity most people enjoy      D．can help people in many ways

3.A man might be reading a newspaper in a train for the following reasons except that ______．

A．he is trying to get some business news     B．he wants to have a rest

C．he hopes to escape the attention of a pretty girl

D．he doesn’t want to talk with other people around him

4.The writer said that most men in the train would help a woman struggling with a heavy thing．The implication(含义) is that ______．

A．It is interesting for a man to help a woman in trouble

B．it is considered a man’s duty to offer help to a woman in need

C．the woman is too weak to carry a heavy case

D．men are often more interested in other things than reading newspapers, especially when women are in trouble

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Growers around the world are using new methods to grow grapes to make wine. They use natural and organic methods to control harmful insects and weeds instead of using chemicals. Now, a winery in Canada has adopted a natural way to control its grapevines (葡萄藤).The Featherstone Winery is in southern Ontario. The grapevines, like other plants, need to be cut every year.

Cutting grapevines must be done very carefully. Only a targeted area of leaves is removed from the lower part of the vines to help the grapes grow better. But at the Featherstone Winery, no man or machine does the cutting. Instead, the job is done by 40 little wooly lambs.

David Johnson owns the vineyard. He says he learned about using lambs while visiting wineries in New Zealand. The young lambs are perfectly designed to do the job. They eat the grape leaves on the lower parts of the vine. But they are not tall enough to reach the grapes. They only weigh about 22 kilograms, so they do not beat down the soil. And their waste makes good organic fertilizer. In addition, using the lambs costs much less than hiring workers to cut the vines for seven weeks in summer. And when the cutting is done in August, the lambs become tasty dishes.

Mr Johnson says he had a difficult time finding enough lambs to do the job. There are about 50 million lambs in New Zealand. But there are not nearly as many in Ontario. Also, some organic pesticides (杀虫剂) are harmful to lambs. And the lambs must be watched to make sure they do not eat too much of the grapevines.

David Johnson says the lambs help him carry out his environmental ideas about farming. They are lovely and peaceful and he likes having them in his vineyard. People visiting the vineyard also enjoy watching the lambs do their job.

1.Farmers who grow grapes with natural and organic methods _____.

A. don't cut grapevines every year

B. don't use chemicals to control harmful insects and weeds

C. don't need to control harmful insects and weeds

D. don't use organic fertilizer

2.In order to help the grapes grow better, growers _____.

A. only have to remove the dead leaves

B. need to remove a specific area of leaves

C. shouldn't remove any part of the plants

D. should let little lambs do the cutting

3.Paragraph 4 is mainly about _____.

A. the future of getting lambs to do the cutting

B. the worries about using organic pesticides

C. the ways to get lambs to do the cutting

D. the problems related to lambs doing the cutting

4.We can infer from the passage that David Johnson______.

A. owns several wineries in Canada

B. buys lambs from New Zealand

C. is concerned about protecting the environment

D. loves keeping lambs instead of farming

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

There are many weird sports that are present from around the world. From each region of the world, along with the very popular common sports, there are also those really popular but very weird kinds of sports.

The Ultimate Test between Man and Horse:

This indeed a very strange kind of sport that tests your stamina. You will learn how to be agiler while competing against a horse. This game originated in Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells. This sport really has to do with strength. You will require great agility and strength in order to take part in this. Marathon human contestants are put to test against those mounted on horses. This is how the marathon testing takes place.

Love Locked Race

This is a sports event that was first introduced in Finland. This is all about a male competitor racing with a female in a certain way. There would be many obstructions and blocks on the way which would definitely bring you challenges. The person to win would have to finish the race without losing his female partner in the course of overcoming the obstacles even for once. This race takes place really fast and the obstacles are set that way.

Toe sport

This is yet another weird sport that welcomes you to use your toes. This is quite the same kind of sport that you used to play as a child which involved toe wrestling. This has now been turned into a major sport that even has a World Toe Wrestling Competition. It first originated in a pub of Derbyshire.

The locals took this sport with great enjoyment and then made this so popular that it soon had its own championship. The individuals who participate have only got to use their feet in locks but then this is tougher than it may sound.

The Mud Pit Belly Flop

This is a kind of game where even the spectators get splashed in mud but in fact that is quite the fun. The very annual Summer Redneck Games in East Dublin brings about this game and brings about some of the greatest hubcap discus throws with it. This is also a great sport to show the strength and dexterity of your feet.

1.Which sport requires couples to participate?

A. The Ultimate Test between Man and Horse.　　 B. Love Locked Race.

C. Toe sport.　　 D. The Mud Pit Belly Flop.

2.Which statement shows the popularity of the Toe Sport?

A. It first originated in a pub of Derbyshire.

B. The locals took this sport with great enjoyment.

C. It has a World Toe Wrestling Competition.

D. Even kids are fond of the sport.

3.What kind of people are likely to take part in the Ultimate Test between Man and Horse?

A. People with agility and strength.

B. People with companions.

C. Marathon runners.

D. Horse riders.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

In the spring of 1919, princess Bazaar of Luxembourg’s (卢森堡的) royal family met the royal kitchen helper Leon. Many nights, Leon went into the kitchen and made　 　　 　 for Bazaar. They always talked about the good old times 　　 　 they were having ice-cream. They soon fell in love. But 　　 　 their different social status, both of them buried the 　　 　 .

Soon, Bazaar was made to accept an arranged royal marriage. For days, Leon could not see Bazaar; he was 　　 　 with impatience（心急如焚）. Finally, Bazaar 　　 　 at the table a month later. While serving desserts, Leon 　　 　 the letters DOVE, which is a short form of DO YOU LOVE ME with hot chocolate on Bazaar's ice-cream. Leon 　　 　 that Bazaar could understand his feelings.

A few days later, Bazaar got 　　 　 . One year later, Leon could not 　　 　　 the mental suffering and left the royal kitchen. Years later, he and his own family 　　 　　 a candy store.

Many years later, Bazaar 　　 　　 that that afternoon she ate the ice-cream made by Leon, but didn’t see the 　　 　　 letters.

Hearing this, Leon broke down in tears, and he finally understood the past 　　 　 . If that chocolate had been 　　 　 , those letters would never have melted, and he would not have lost his last chance. Leon decided to 　　 　　 a solid chocolate which can 　　 　 　 a long time.

　　　　 After lots of 　　 　 , the chocolate Dove was finally made and each piece of chocolate was 　　 　 engraved (刻有) with the letters “DOVE”. It’s a symbol of the love between Leon and Bazaar.

Now more and more people fall in love with this chocolate. Giving someone DOVE means sending the 　　 　　 of love: DO YOU LOVE ME?

1.A. dishes B. chocolate C. ice-cream D. cakes

2.A. until B. if C. while D. once

3.A. because of B. instead of C. in case of D. regardless of

4.A. feelings B. difference C. silence D. needs

5.A. calling B. burning C. working D. talking

6.A. stood up B. turned up C. stayed up D. dressed up

7.A. wrote B. sent C. mixed D. noticed

8.A. expected B. declared C. allowed D. promised

9.A. sick B. angry C. married D. bored

10.A. reduce B. stop C. repeat D. bear

11.A. left B. visited C. ran D. found

12.A. recognized B. remembered C. learned D. thought

13.A. confusing B. interesting C. melting D. annoying

14.A. misunderstandings B. competitions C. judgment D. prejudice

15.A. stable B. powerful C. frozen D. solid

16.A. buy B. discover C. create D. enjoy

17.A. stand B. spare C. take D. preserve

18.A. breaks B. research C. pressure D. problems

19.A. luckily B. immediately C. quickly D. firmly

20.A. story B. memory C. words D. cause

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Google has been collecting tons of data about smartphone usage around the world.Here are some of the most surprising and interesting facts：

Android is most popular in Japan, with 55% of respondents(调查对象) using it, compared with 39% for iOS. Android is also number one in a few other countries, including New Zealand (41%), the US(40%), and China (38%)．

iOS is farthest ahead in Switzerland, with 52% usage vs 23% for Android.Other countries where iOS is far ahead include Australia (49% vs 25% Android), Canada (45% vs 23% Android and 23% Blackberry),　 and France (43% vs 25% Android)．

In Egypt, Windows Mobile is far more popular than iOS.13% of survey respondents use the Microsoft smartphone platform, behind Symbian (19%) and Android (14%). iOS is very far down at 4%.

Mobile social networking is biggest in Mexico and Argentina, where 74% and 73% of users visit a social network daily. But mobile ­social is weak in Japan where 34% of users never visit a social network on their phone, and this figure rises to 41% in Brazil.

Watching video is most popular in Saudi Arabia, with 59% of respondents doing it daily. Number two is Egypt, with 41%.

Chinese users shop from their phones.59% of Chinese users do this, compared with only 41% in second ­place Egypt. Chinese users also love to write reviews.41% of them write a review of a local business after looking it up on their smartphone. Number two, Japan, is far behind, with only 24% of respondents doing this.

1.Which of the following best describes the usage of the smartphone operating systems in Egypt?

A．Windows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian＞Android

B．Android＞Windows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian

C．iOS＞Android＞Symbian＞Windows Mobile

D．Symbian＞Android＞Windows Mobile＞iOS

2.In which of the following countries is mobile social networking least popular?

A．Brazil.　　 B．Japan. C．Mexico.　　 D．Argentina.

3.In which section of a newspaper can we most probably read the passage?

A. Health.　 　　 B. Environment.

C. Technology.　　 D. Entertainment.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Around the world, there are about 7,000 National Parks. Most of them cover huge areas of land where nobody lives. However, the National Parks in England include places where people live and work, as well as wild areas where there are few human activities.

The National Parks in England are called “England’s Breathing Spaces” because they are places where people can go to be in the open air, away from the dirt and noise of cities. They provide wonderful scenes of mountains, woods, grasslands and wetlands. And there are plenty of activities to do in all of the National Parks in England. Visitors can walk or ride bikes for fun. Many of the parks put on activities for families.

Every year there are about 110 million visitors to the parks, bringing many benefits（益处）to the areas. At the same time, it creates problems too. First, life can be difficult for local people. Car parks and roads are too crowded. Gift shops and cafes take the place of many everyday shops. Even house prices in some areas can become too high. Besides, country roads can be damaged, for too many people walk, cycle or ride horses on them. Roads can be rebuilt, but then they look less natural. Another big problem to the National Parks is litter. In the parks it is a danger to wild animals. Broken glass can also cause fires by focusing the rays of the sun. Such fires in wild places can be out of control.

　　　 ? All National Parks in England are making more rules, which tell people how to take good care of their environment. If these rules are followed, the National Parks will be well kept and continue to give pleasure to many people for a very long time.

1.Visitors to the National Parks in England can 　　　　　　　 .

A.give food to wild animals B.drive cars on the grasslands

C.enjoy fresh air and peaceful time D.have fun farming with local people

2.The third paragraph mainly tells us　　　　　　　　 .

A.the problems of the National Parks B.the pollution caused by visitors

C.the development of the National Parks D.the benefits brought by visitors

3.Which of the following is the best sentence to fill the blank in Paragraph 4?

A.What can people get B.How can people help

C.What are the National Parks like D.How are the National Parks set up

4.The passage is probably taken from the　　　　　　　 part of a magazine.

A.transport B.wildlife

C.history D.geography

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In 2006, a large number of new Internet sites became popular around the world. Some of these are for communication, others for entertainment.

The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity. Through these personal websites, people can share their lives, ideas and opinions on the Internet. People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writing and other forms of self-expression. Blogs also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For example, teachers use blogs to share ideas with other teachers’, as well as experiences and concerns about their work.

YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular last year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and a half billion dollars.

Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet last year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.

People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life professional players to compete against other teams in the league. More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The industry earns more than one billion dollars each year from publications, memberships and other costs.

1.The passage is mainly about __________.

A. the most popular Internet technology in 2006

B. some new ways for people to communicate or have fun on the Internet

C. one online game called Second Life

D. the high price of playing online

2.Who is the owner of YouTube now?

A. Three young men.   B. Google. C. Computer users.      D. Yahoo.

3. Whom does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. The people who are interested in blogs.

B. The people who play games on YouTube.

C. The people who play Second Life.

D. The people who are created in Second Life.

4. What do we know from the passage?

A. Teachers can share ideas, experiences and concerns about their work with other teachers on any website.

B. More than fifteen million American teenagers play fantasy sports.

C. Second Life helps people get married, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school in real life.

D. Fantasy sports, a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team, is very popular around the world.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析