In the countries of South and Southeast Asia, the elephant has been an important part of the culture, economy and religion for centuries．And nowhere more so than in Thailand．Unlike its African cousin, the Asian elephant is easily domesticated（驯化）．The rare so-called white elephants have actually lent the power of royalty to its rulers，and until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background．To the early Western visitors, the country's romantic name was“ Land of the White Elephant"．
Today, however, the story is very different．Out of work and out of land, the Thai elephant struggles for survival in a nation that no longer needs it．The elephant has found itself more or less deserted by previous owners who have moved on to a different economic world and a society in the western part．And while the elephant's problems began many years ago, now it has a very low national advantage．
How does the national symbol turn into ignored animals? It is a story of worse environment and the changing lives of the Thais themselves．According to Richard Lair, Thailand's expert on the Asian elephant and author of the report Gone Astray, at the turn of the last century, there may well have been as many as 100,000 national elephants in the country．
In the north of Thailand alone, it was estimated（估计）that more than 20,000 elephants were employed in transport, 1,000 of them alone on the road between the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen．
This was at a time when 90 percent of Thailand was still forest---a habitat that not only supported the animals but also made them necessary to carry goods and people．Nothing ploughs through thick forest better than lots of sure-footed elephants．
By 1950 the elephant population had dropped, but still to the number of 13, 397．However, today there are probably no more than 3,800, with another l,350 wandering free in the national parks．But now, Thailand's forest covers only 20 percent of the land．This deforestation（采伐森林）is the central point of the elephant's difficult situation, for it has effectively put the animals out of work．This century, as the road network grew, the elephant's role as a beast of burden decreased．
1.What can we know about African elephants from the passage?
A. It is of little value to domesticate them．
B. It is hard to domesticate them．
C. They are living a better life than Asian elephants
D. Their fate is quite similar to that of Asian elephants．
2.Thailand was once called "Land of the White Elephant" because ________．
A. white elephant was a national symbol until the 1920s
B. white elephant is rarely seen and thus very special
C. white elephant has helped kings to gain the ruling power
D. this name was so romantic that it was popular among visitors
3.Why is the Thai elephant "out of work", according to the author?
A. Because there are too many elephants but too few jobs．
B. Because the elephants can't do labor work any longer．
C. Because the government pays little attention to the problem．
D. Because the elephants are no longer useful to their owners．
4.The passage is most probably from ________．
A. a travel guide B. a history book
C. a popular science magazine D. an official announcement
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
In the countries of South and Southeast Asia, the elephant has been an important part of the culture, economy and religion for centuries．And nowhere more so than in Thailand．Unlike its African cousin, the Asian elephant is easily domesticated（驯化）．The rare so-called white elephants have actually lent the power of royalty to its rulers，and until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background．To the early Western visitors, the country's romantic name was“ Land of the White Elephant"．
Today, however, the story is very different．Out of work and out of land, the Thai elephant struggles for survival in a nation that no longer needs it．The elephant has found itself more or less deserted by previous owners who have moved on to a different economic world and a society in the western part．And while the elephant's problems began many years ago, now it has a very low national advantage．
How does the national symbol turn into ignored animals? It is a story of worse environment and the changing lives of the Thais themselves．According to Richard Lair, Thailand's expert on the Asian elephant and author of the report Gone Astray, at the turn of the last century, there may well have been as many as 100,000 national elephants in the country．
In the north of Thailand alone, it was estimated（估计）that more than 20,000 elephants were employed in transport, 1,000 of them alone on the road between the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen．
This was at a time when 90 percent of Thailand was still forest---a habitat that not only supported the animals but also made them necessary to carry goods and people．Nothing ploughs through thick forest better than lots of sure-footed elephants．
By 1950 the elephant population had dropped, but still to the number of 13, 397．However, today there are probably no more than 3,800, with another l,350 wandering free in the national parks．But now, Thailand's forest covers only 20 percent of the land．This deforestation（采伐森林）is the central point of the elephant's difficult situation, for it has effectively put the animals out of work．This century, as the road network grew, the elephant's role as a beast of burden decreased．
1.What can we know about African elephants from the passage?
A. It is of little value to domesticate them．
B. It is hard to domesticate them．
C. They are living a better life than Asian elephants
D. Their fate is quite similar to that of Asian elephants．
2.Thailand was once called "Land of the White Elephant" because ________．
A. white elephant was a national symbol until the 1920s
B. white elephant is rarely seen and thus very special
C. white elephant has helped kings to gain the ruling power
D. this name was so romantic that it was popular among visitors
3.Why is the Thai elephant "out of work", according to the author?
A. Because there are too many elephants but too few jobs．
B. Because the elephants can't do labor work any longer．
C. Because the government pays little attention to the problem．
D. Because the elephants are no longer useful to their owners．
4.The passage is most probably from ________．
A. a travel guide B. a history book
C. a popular science magazine D. an official announcement
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
All of us still remember the terrible tsunami that _____ the areas in the southeast of Asia in 2004.
A．attacked B．struck C．knocked D．beat
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
______ stable China-Japan relationship is in _____ interests of two countries, Asia and the world, participants in the Beijing-Tokyo Forum agreed on Sunday.
A. The; /; / B. A; the, the
C. A; /; the D. The; /; the
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
They have rich and beautiful forests _____ in the south of the country.
| A．grown | B．growing | C．planted | D．planting |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Himalayas are mountains that are located in South Asia. They are a part of Nepal, India, Pakistan, China and Bhutan. The mountains are the highest in the world, reaching almost 9,000 meters sea level. The Himalayas separate the Indian subcontinent from the inner part of Asia. The word Himalaya means “ home of snow”.
14 mountains are over 8,000 meters high, among them the K2, Nanga Parbat and Mount Everest, at 8,848 meters, the world’s highest mountain. The Himalayas extend over 1,500 miles( 2,400km ) from the Indus valley in the west to the Brahmaputra Valley in the east.
Many of the mountain peaks are sacred to the people who live in the surrounding areas . Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims go there and pray to God.
The Himalayas belong to the youngest mountain ranges in the world. They were formed when the Indian subcontinent, which was originally a part of the southern landmass, drifted to the north and crashed into Asia. This movement started about 70 million years ago and has been going on up to the present day. The Himalayas are still becoming taller, moving at about 7 cm per year. Earthquakes and volcanoes are evidences that the area is still very active.
Glaciers and permanent snow fields cover the higher regions of the Himalayas. They are the source of streams that flow into the two big rivers of the region. The Indus flows to the west and through Pakistan into the Arabia Sea. The Ganges and Brahmaputra flow to the east and get together in Bangladesh. They form the largest delta in the world.
1. How many countries do the Himalayas belong to?
A. 7 B. 6 C. 4 D. 5
2.Why do Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims go to Himalayas and pray to God?
A. Because they live in the surrounding areas.
B. Because they believe the mountain peaks are sacred.
C. Because the word Himalaya means “ home of snow”.
D. Because the Himalayas are the youngest mountain ranges in the world.
3. What does the author stress in Paragraph 4?
A. The process where the Himalayas were formed.
B. Earthquakes and volcanoes in the Himalayas.
C. The forming of the Indian subcontinent.
D. The landscape features of the Himalayas.
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The Himalayas influence the climate in both India and China.
B. The Ganges and Brahmaputra get together in Pakistan.
C. The Himalayas are still young and moving at about 7 cm per year.
D. The Indus flows through Bangladesh into the Arabia sea.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In South-East Asia, many farmers cannot afford _____ farm equipment such as tractors, so most of the work is done with human labour.
A. considerate B. conventional
C. confidential D. correctional
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Several countries in Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year in their own way. But dragon and lion dances in Chinatowns all over the world have helped to make China’s New Year the most famous. These days growing 1. (number) of people who are not of Chinese origin are joining in. In Tokyo window cleaners dress up 2. the animals of the Chinese Shengxiao. America, Canada and New Zealand have published memorial stamps for the year of the chicken. Last year New York City made the Lunar New Year 3. school holiday for the first time.
The spread of the Spring Festival is 4.(part) due to recent immigration from China. 9.5 million Chinese people 5. (move) abroad since 1978, many of 6. are far richer than earlier waves of immigrants.
Aware of China's growing economic and political influence, foreign leaders have noticed the occasion. Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, has given a video address, a tradition 7. (start)
in 2014 by her predecessor (前任) . This year’s World Economic Forum in Davos was held a week earlier than usual 8. (avoid) conflicting with China’s New Year.
It 9.(hope) that the festival will promote its cultural “soft power” abroad. So it may give the Chinese people 10. (satisfy) to see foreigners enjoy such festivities.
高三英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Humans and elephants don’t always get along. In Africa and Asia, elephants damage infrastructure (基础设施), farmers’ crops, and natural habitat critical for other species. If an elephant becomes a problem, humans may kill it. So local people and conservationists are trying to find better ways to keep elephants away from sensitive places. Now, researchers think they have a good tool to stop elephants: honeybee pheromones (信息素).
“Elephants hate being stung (刺) in the trunk, so it’s an extremely sensitive organ. Imagine being stung in your nose by a bee, and multiply that a few thousand times.” said Mark Wright, a professor of entomology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Kenyan farmers have long known that if they hang live beehives around their farms, they will repel elephants. “The problem is logistical, how do you manage hundreds of thousands of hives, if you have a huge area to protect? And then the idea came up to look at the alarm pheromones, which are chemicals that the bee release to launch an attack on something that’s damaging the hive.” Because elephants have a highly developed sense of smell, Wright and his team thought they might be able to use the bees’ alarm signal to affect elephant behavior.
So the researchers tested out a synthetic blend (合成混合物) of chemicals that imitates honeybees’ alarm pheromones. In Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa, the team hung white socks treated with the synthetic mixture as well as untreated control socks around an elephant watering hole, and then observed the animals’ behavior. “Elephants are really curious organisms, they’ll walk along and see something like a sock hanging on a branch in the environment, and they’ll inspect it. And if it’s not treated with the alarm pheromones, they’ll pick it up, throw it around, try to taste it, things like that. And in the case of the treated ones, we found that they would show immediate signs of unease or uncertainty, and they’d eventually back off from them. Very seldom would they go to pick them up and play with them.” The study is in the journal Current Biology.
1.What will the researchers do to prevent elephants from damaging human’s habitat?
A.Kill them. B.Scare them away.
C.Apply honeybee pheromones. D.Rebuild a new ecosystem.
2.What does Mr. Wright think of Kenyan farmers’ method if it’s applied to a huge area?
A.Scientific. B.Flexible. C.Awesome. D.Impractical.
3.Why did the researcher conduct the study?
A.To confirm what they thought.
B.To attract the elephants’ attention.
C.To preserve the elephants’ habitat.
D.To test out honeybee’s alarm pheromones.
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Elephants and humans don’t get along well.
B.Honeybee pheromones can keep elephants away.
C.Elephants have a highly developed sense of smell.
D.Honeybees release pheromones to launch attacks.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
While working in Southeast Asia in the mid 1990’s, I became a branch manager in a factory. At the beginning, I used human relations principles, such as putting myself into the others place to help gain trust. After a few months, I was told that the factory team members liked and trusted me.
Then the owner, seeing how everyone thought well of me, believed that I could become an instrument of change to carry out his several unpopular programs. The factory members resisted and eventually saw me as a puppet controlled by the owner. The more I insisted that they ‘follow orders’ the more they found ways to weaken the new changes.
Finally, I was replaced by a manager who knew enough to please both masters. Even though the owner did not like the fact that his new changes were not immediately applied, the new manager gained his power by the support received from his team together with an intention to find a way. What I learned was that your team must always see you as supportive of their needs, even to the extent that the owner may not be pleased that you are unable to follow their wishes. At the end of the day, if your people do not follow you then you are no longer in charge and will be replaced.
At first I blamed my boss for putting me in such a position. Then in honest reflection, I began to realize that he had probably hoped that I would have found some middle ground. What I could have done was to first obtain their advice about why they did not wish to follow the new policy changes, and then I should have used my influence with both the owner and team members to find a better way.
Though, in fact it is a painful lesson for me, it has served me well along my career path!
1.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Obeying is the best quality.
B. Giving is always a pleasure.
C. Appreciating others will benefit a lot.
D. Dealing with relationship is important.
2.The underlined word “puppet” has the similar meaning to .
A. instrument B. assistant
C. wretch D. winner
3.Which is the right order according to the passage?
a. He was removed from his position.
b. He got on poorly with the coworkers.
c. He carried out the orders of the owner.
d. He became a branch manager.
f. He was believed in not only by coworkers but leaders.
A. a, b, d, c, f B. f, d, c, b, a
C. d, f, c, b, a D. d, c, f, b, a
4.From the third paragraph we can infer that .
A. the new manager carried out the programs at once
B. the new manager got on badly with workers
C. workers need to be recognized and supported
D. you should make full use of your power
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
While working in Southeast Asia in the mid 1990’s, I became a branch manager in a factory. At the beginning, I used human relations principles, such as putting myself into the others place to help gain trust. After a few months, I was told that the factory team members liked and trusted me.
Then the owner, seeing how everyone thought well of me, believed that I could become an instrument of change to carry out his several unpopular programs. The factory members resisted and eventually saw me as a puppet controlled by the owner. The more I insisted that they ‘follow orders’ the more they found ways to weaken the new changes.
Finally, I was replaced by a manager who knew enough to please both masters. Even though the owner did not like the fact that his new changes were not immediately applied, the new manager gained his power by the support received from his team together with an intention to find a way. What I learned was that your team must always see you as supportive of their needs, even to the extent that the owner may not be pleased that you are unable to follow their wishes. At the end of the day, if your people do not follow you then you are no longer in charge and will be replaced.
At first I blamed my boss for putting me in such a position. Then in honest reflection, I began to realize that he had probably hoped that I would have found some middle ground. What I could have done was to first obtain their advice about why they did not wish to follow the new policy changes, and then I should have used my influence with both the owner and team members to find a better way.
Though, in fact it is a painful lesson for me, it has served me well along my career path!
1.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Obeying is the best quality.
B. Giving is always a pleasure.
C. Appreciating others will benefit a lot.
D. Dealing with relationship is important.
2.The underlined word “puppet” has the similar meaning to .
A. instrument B. assistant
C. wretch D. winner
3.Which is the right order according to the passage?
a. He was removed from his position.
b. He got on poorly with the coworkers.
c. He carried out the orders of the owner.
d. He became a branch manager.
f. He was believed in not only by coworkers but leaders.
A. a, b, d, c, f B. f, d, c, b, a
C. d, f, c, b, a D. d, c, f, b, a
4.From the third paragraph we can infer that .
A. the new manager carried out the programs at once
B. the new manager got on badly with workers
C. workers need to be recognized and supported
D. you should make full use of your power
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析