Dead-end Austrian town blossoms with green en...

Dead-end Austrian town blossoms with green energy

For decades, the Austrian town of Gussing was a foreign outpost not far from the rusting barbed-wire border of the Iron Curtain.

Now it’s at the edge of a greener frontier: alternative energy. Gussing is the first community in the European Union to cut carbon emissions by more than 90 percent, helping it attract a steady stream of scientists, politicians and eco-tourists.

“This was a dead-end town and now we are the center of attention,” said Maria Hofer, a lifelong resident, as she bought organic vegetables at a farmer’s market. “It seems like every week We read about new jobs from renewable energy.”

Gussing’s transformation started 15 years ago when, struggling to pay its electricity bill, the town ordered that all public buildings would stop using fossil fuels. Since then, Gussing has fostered a whole renewable energy industry, with 50 companies creating more than 1,000 jobs and producing heat, power and fuels from the sun, sawdust, core and cooking oil.

Signs reading “Eco-Energy Land “ greet people entering the town, located 130 kilometers, or 80 miles, southeast of Vienna. Visitors are as divers as Scottish farmers, Japanese investors and a delegation from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Gussing used to rely on agriculture, with farmers selling their corn, sunflower oil and timber. As for tourism, the main attraction was a 12^th-century castle built by Hungarian nobles.

The town could hardly afford its 6 million, or $8.1 million, fuel bill when Peter Vadasz was first elected mayor in 1992.The turnaround started after he hired Rheinhard Koch, an electrical engineer and Gussing native, to assess how the town of 4,000 people could benefit from its natural resources.

1.Where is Gussing ?

A. It is in the border of Australia.             B. It is in the center of Austrian.

C. It is not far from the Japanese border.      D. It is in the southeast of Vienna.

2.Who does the town attract ?

A. Scientists, eco-tourists, politicians and Japanese farmers.

B. Scientists, politicians, eco-tourists, farmers and investors.

C. Politicians, Scottish farmers, Japanese investors and Organization for Security

D. Politicians, tourists, co-operation workers, and European soldiers

3.Which of the following doesn’t belong to “Eco-Energy “material ?

A. Fossil fuels   B. The sun    C. Sawdust and corn    D. Cooking oil

4.Besides the mayor, who did great contribution to the Gussing’s transformation ?

A. Peter Valdasz    B. European Union    C. Rheinhard       D. Maria Hofer

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

My dad works with green technology. Last summer, he was sent to a small town called Gaviotas in Colombia. He decided to take me with him. At first I wasn’t too keen. What was I going to do in the middle of nowhere, in a country where I couldn’t even speak the language? And anyway, what was so special about Gaviotas?

My dad told me that Gaviotas was an example of how people could live without destroying the environment. This got me a bit more interested, so I did some research. I found out that Gaviotas was founded in 1971 by a group of scientists and artists. They had decided to build a completely new town in the remote, war-worn eastern Colombia where there was nothing.

When we eventually arrived, I was amazed by how green it was and my dad explained that they had replanted millions of trees. There were many different species of birds flying about and flowers everywhere. I was beginning to like it. My dad’s contact in Gaviotas has a son exactly my age Ricardo. He speaks really good English and so for the next week he was my guide to this amazing place. The first thing he pointed out to me was all the fantastic technology that had been invented there. Ricardo told me that they produce 70% of all their own energy and food with very little waste. The trees they planted more than compensate for any greenhouse gases they emit（排放）.

But Gaviotas is not a success just because of its green technology, it’s also a model for how people can live more peacefully together. Every family gets a free home, free meals and free schooling for the children. So there is no poverty. People get on well with each other. It’ s fantastic.

I was really sad to leave Gaviotas, but now I have a new dream: I hope that 20 years from now, we’ll all be living in towns like Gaviotas.

1.What can best describe the author's feeling at the very beginning?

A.Annoyed. B.Uninterested.

C.Guilty. D.Worried.

2.What kind of town did Gaviotas use to be?

A.Bare and war- stricken. B.Green and efficient.

C.Modern but polluted. D.Small but advanced.

3.Where can you find the evidence to show that Gaviotas is a green town?

A.Paragraph 2. B.Paragraph 3.

C.Paragraph 4. D.Paragraph 5.

4.What does paragraph 4 focus on?

A.How scientists and artists founded Gaviotas.

B.How people in Gaviotas avoid waste.

C.Gaviotas is famous for its green technology.

D.Gaviotas is an ideal model of community.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）

Surrounded by rolling green hills dotted with horses and cows, the town of Waimea on Hawaii’s Big Island is a peaceful and friendly place. One afternoon, while staying with friends at their house there, my husband and I decided to go for a 36 along the many, mostly traffic-free, country lanes in the area.

We met a beautiful Golden Retriever. He seemed 37 friendly so we stopped to play with him, 38 a stick which he retrieved(取回) several times happily. When we 39 our walk, he followed us, and although I worried that he 40 be going too far from his home, I couldn’t deny that we were enjoying his 41.

After about twenty minutes, we found ourselves walking along a dirt road in an unfamiliar area. One house, almost hidden by shrubbery(灌木林) and shaded by tall trees，seemed 42 strange. I felt an urge to be as far away from that place as possible.

Just then, the door to the house creaked open and five dogs 43, barking and growling as they ran toward us. I felt 44 and couldn’t move. There was nowhere to 45 and no time to run..

All of a sudden, our new friend appeared between the dogs and us. He faced them – all five of them – growling and baring his teeth. I was 46 to see the attacking dogs stop in their tracks ten feet away from him. Our protector 47them there while we escaped. 48 a safe distance, we looked back and saw the five dogs 49 back toward their house.

But the Golden Retriever was 50 in sight. I felt an ache in my 51; I missed our friend already. Instinctively, I knew he was not hurt. With a feeling of 52, we made our way back to the house, 53 the whole way that we would see him again. But it was not to be.

When I told our friend about the encounter, her eyes flew wide open54 she exclaimed, “It was an angel!”

To this day I have no55 that a four-legged angel protected us.

1.                A．walk           B． sightseeing     C． picnic   D． trip

2.                A．increasingly     B． deliberately     C．personally D． exceptionally

3.                A．holding         B． talking         C． throwing D． picking

4.                A．started         B． continued      C． went    D． kept

5.                A．should         B． must          C． would   D． might

6.                A．accompany      B． company       C． companion   D． fellow

7.                A．hardly          B． otherwise      C． somehow    D． anyhow

8.                A．came out       B． rushed out     C． walked out   D． headed out

9.                A．terrified        B． excited        C． astonished   D． strange

10.               A．see            B． go            C． hide D． find

11.               A．amazed        B． pleased        C． amused  D． crazy

12.               A．stopped        B． held          C． ordered D． forced

13.               A．With           B． On           C． In   D． At

14.               A．heading        B． returning      C． barking   D． jumping

15.               A．everywhere     B． somewhere    C． anywhere D． nowhere

16.               A．foot           B． hand          C． mind D． heart

17.               A．tiredness       B． sadness        C． emptiness D． happiness

18.               A．hoping         B． thinking       C． imaging   D． believing

19.               A．after           B． as            C． since D． though

20.               A．wonder        B． regret         C． doubt    D． idea

高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

I had worked for long at the same dead-end job with no pay increases. So I was considering ______ the profession when being offered the job of Office Manager for a company that had been ______ for long. My job would be to change the situation, which meant organizing the office and turning the company profitable.

The ______ knew that would be no easy task, so he offered me a good salary. And I ______ it. Later, my husband joined me and became my ______. With our efforts together, our company became profitable. So I was ______ becoming State Manager with a big salary increase. As our income increased, so did our ______. My husband and I moved into a large, beautiful home with great furniture and ______ two beautiful cars. To all appearances, we were living the American Dream.

Later, ______ the downturn in the economy, the company reorganized and my ______ was removed, and so was my husband’s. ______, we got new ones, but made minimum wages. We had to move into a tiny apartment. It was ______. I measured personal success by how many expensive things I ______. Without them, I felt unimportant and unsuccessful.

Unexpectedly, our loss later turned out to be a(n) ______. It forced us to come to a complete stop and ______ what we really wanted out of life. We realized that to keep that company afloat, we had been so ______ every day that we had sacrificed time that should have been spent with our family and friends. We had ______ important births, graduations and weddings. We knew we needed a change. Now — years later — we are living a more ______ life. Our home is modest; ______, it’s fully paid for. We don’t have many things that need dusting -- only the necessities. Now we are truly living and ______ the American Dream.

1.A.leaving B.regulating C.recommending D.observing

2.A.operating B.consulting C.struggling D.advocating

3.A.partner B.boss C.customer D.employee

4.A.handled B.recognized C.honored D.accepted

5.A.colleague B.competitor C.doctor D.barber

6.A.hired B.comforted C.promoted D.prepared

7.A.experiences B.connection C.spending D.savings

8.A.lent B.changed C.discovered D.purchased

9.A.due to B.regardless of C.in case of D.in comparison to

10.A.allowance B.position C.chance D.office

11.A.Initially B.Apparently C.Gradually D.Luckily

12.A.amusing B.discouraging C.boring D.surprising

13.A.designed B.possessed C.sorted D.donated

14.A.blessing B.surprise C.explanation D.memory

15.A.ignore B.abandon C.consider D.give

16.A.confident B.confused C.joyful D.occupied

17.A.remembered B.missed C.mentioned D.loved

18.A.boring B.demanding C.privileged D.relaxed

19.A.however B.instead C.therefore D.meanwhile

20.A.expecting B.reporting C.enjoying D.replacing

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Two decades ago this city was ______ but a small unknown town.

A. something            B. anything             C. everything               D. nothing

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Two decades ago this city was ______ but a small unknown town.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

D

1.If you are not free until late May，you may travel to________.

A．London                 B．Amsterdam

C．Washington D．C.       D．Tokyo

2.If you want a guide，you may choose________.

A．London’s Chelsea Flower Show

B．Spring Flowers of Amsterdam

C．Cherry Blossoms in D．C.

D．Tokyo Spring Fun

3.The minimum cost for the closest show is________.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

You can’t make a call or send a text on your mobile phone in the US town of Green Bank, West Virginia. Wireless Internet is outlawed, as is Bluetooth. As you approach the tiny town on a two-lane road that snakes through the mountains, your mobile phone signal drops out, and your radio stops working. The rusted pay phone on the north side of town is the only way for a visitor to reach the rest of the world. It’s a pre-modern place by design, lacking of the latest technologies that define life today.

The reason for the town’s empty airwaves is apparent the moment you arrive. It’s the Robert C. Byrd telescope, also known as the GBT, a shiny white, 147-metre-tall satellite dish. It’s the largest of its kind in the world and one of nine in Green Bank, all of them government owned and operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

You don’t look through these kinds of telescopes. They’re radio telescopes, so instead of looking for distant stars, they listen for them. There’s a long line of astronomers all over the world who want to use the telescope which is so sensitive that it could hear a single snowflake hitting the ground 1,000 miles away.

Such a sensitive listening tool needs total technological silence to operate, so in 1958 the US government created a National Radio Quiet Zone, a 33,000 km2 area covering Green Bank where, to this day, electronic and radio signals are forbidden every hour of every day.

People who live within a 15km of the Green Bank telescope are allowed to use landline telephones, wired Internet and cable televisions, but microwave ovens, wireless Internet and radios are forbidden. You can have a mobile phone, but you won’t get a signal.

Because of how much its way of life varies from the rest of America, Green Bank seems to be a somewhat isolated (隔绝), even alien place. For locals, the technology ban is annoying. For others who come to Green Bank for a little rest and relaxation, the town has become a refuge.

1.What do we know about the town of Green Bank from Paragraph 1?

A. It’s located at the base of a large mountain.

B. It is geographically and technologically isolated.

C. Its telecommunications are affected by its geography.

D. Many people live in the town and its surrounding areas.

2.How does the GBT work?

A. It traps light waves in its huge dish.

B. It stops all electronic and radio signals.

C. It receives pictures from space satellites.

D. It listens for and receives noises from space.

3.What equipment are locals of the Green Bank allowed to use?

A. Cable TV, wired Internet and radio.

B. Landline phones, wired Internet and cable TV.

C. Public phones, wireless Internet and mobile phones.

D. Landline phones, microwave ovens and cable internet.

4.What does the underlined word “refuge” in the last paragraph most probably mean?

A. A place of escape.　　 B. A source of confusion.

C. An area of interest.　　 D. A sign of danger.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You can’t make a call or send a text on your mobile phone in the US town of Green Bank, West Virginia. Wireless Internet is outlawed, as is Bluetooth. As you approach the tiny town on a two-lane road that snakes through the mountains, your mobile phone signal drops out, and your radio stops working. The rusted pay phone on the north side of town is the only way for a visitor to reach the rest of the world. It’s a pre-modern place by design, lacking of the latest technologies that define life today.

The reason for the town’s empty airwaves is apparent the moment you arrive. It’s the Robert C. Byrd telescope, also known as the GBT, a shiny white, 147-metre-tall satellite dish. It’s the largest of its kind in the world and one of nine in Green Bank, all of them government owned and operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

You don’t look through these kinds of telescopes. They’re radio telescopes, so instead of looking for distant stars, they listen for them. There’s a long line of astronomers all over the world who want to use the telescope which is so sensitive that it could hear a single snowflake hitting the ground 1,000 miles away.

Such a sensitive listening tool needs total technological silence to operate, so in 1958 the US government created a National Radio Quiet Zone, a 33,000 km2 area covering Green Bank where, to this day, electronic and radio signals are forbidden every hour of every day.

People who live within a 15km of the Green Bank telescope are allowed to use landline telephones, wired Internet and cable televisions, but microwave ovens, wireless Internet and radios are forbidden. You can have a mobile phone, but you won’t get a signal.

Because of how much its way of life varies from the rest of America, Green Bank seems to be a somewhat isolated (隔绝), even alien place. For locals, the technology ban is annoying. For others who come to Green Bank for a little rest and relaxation, the town has become a refuge.

1.What do we know about the town of Green Bank from Paragraph 1?

A. It’s located at the base of a large mountain.

B. It is geographically and technologically isolated.

C. Its telecommunications are affected by its geography.

D. Many people live in the town and its surrounding areas.

2.How does the GBT work?

A. It traps light waves in its huge dish.

B. It stops all electronic and radio signals.

C. It receives pictures from space satellites.

D. It listens for and receives noises from space.

3.What equipment are locals of the Green Bank allowed to use?

A. Cable TV, wired Internet and radio.

B. Landline phones, wired Internet and cable TV.

C. Public phones, wireless Internet and mobile phones.

D. Landline phones, microwave ovens and cable internet.

4.What does the underlined word “refuge” in the last paragraph most probably mean?

A. A place of escape.　　 B. A source of confusion.

C. An area of interest.　　 D. A sign of danger.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Over a decade ago, scientists already recognized the potential smart cloths with sensors (传感器) could improve well-being. Nowadays the industry is starting to target specific health conditions. One example is diabetes. Now, Siren Care has developed an injury-detecting sock that could help people with diabetes prevent disability. Early detection is important in this process. Since skin ulcers (溃疡) are accompanied by a rise in temperature, studies show that detecting foot skin temperature at home could significantly reduce skin ulcers. Based on this, Siren produced a sock that can measure foot temperature in real time.

What’s special about Siren’s product is that the sensors exist in the fabric of the sock. The product is powered by “SirenSmart”, a kind of electronic yarn (纱线). They weave the yarn into a sock using ordinary weaving machines and connect the final product to a PCB battery, whose lifetime is two months if used daily. The socks are only on when they’re worn; they go into sleep mode when off.

All data from the socks is sent to the Siren app using Bluetooth technology, so the user can know the condition of his/her feet in real time. The application gives foot health scores and, when necessary, warns the user to adjust activity or see a healthcare professional.

Ran Ma, the company’s CEO, explains the sock can tell the user when to see a doctor. The socks are machine-washable, and don’t need to be charged. Every six months, the user gets a new box with seven pairs of socks to replace the used ones.

Siren presented their product this year in Las Vegas and announced that they’re planning to start shipping their socks this summer. More excitingly, Siren is already planning future applications that will go beyond diabetes care. Anyway, as smart clothing becomes accessible, you’ll begin to see this health technology become more common.

1.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A. The result of the study.　　 B. The problem with skins.

C. The cause of skin ulcers.　　 D. The importance of early detection.

2.What can we learn about Siren’s smart sock from the second paragraph?

A. It can be charged.　　 B. It is sensitive to skins.

C. Its sensors can be seen.　　 D. It is comfortable to wear.

3.What should be the function of the smart sock?

A. It cures its user of possible illness.

B. It informs its user of his/her foot health.

C. It assists its user to make a quicker recovery.

D. It tests its user’s physical strength in real time.

4.What does the author think of the smart clothing industry?

A. It has a bright future.　　 B. It is a profitable industry.

C. It is readily available.　　 D. It has widely applied.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析