In 1492，Columbus ________ on one of the Baham...

In 1492, Columbus_______ on one of the Bahama Islands, but he mistook it for an island of India.

　A lands          B landed          C has landed        D had landed

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In 1492，Columbus ________ on one of the Bahama islands，but he mistook it for an island off India.

A．lands　 B．landed

C．has landed　 D．had landed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In 1942，Columbus_______ on the of the Bahama islands, but he mistook it for an island off India.

A. lands        B. landed          C. has landed        D. had  landed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

On the morning of October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus and his crew came to the shores of the Caribbean islands, mistakenly believing they ________ in Southeast Asia.

A. arrived　 　　　　　　　　 B. had arrived

C. has arrived　　　　　　 D. would arrive

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The story of chocolate begins with the discovery of America in 1492. Columbus was the first European to come into contact with cacao. Columbus was struck by how much value the Indians placed on them as he did not know the beans were used by currency. It is unlikely that Columbus brought any of these beans back to Spain and it was not until about 25 years later that Cortez grasped the commercial possibilities when he found the Aztecs using the beans to make the royal drink “chocolate”.

The Spanish, in general, were not fond of the bitter drink so Cortez and his followers made it more palatable by adding cane sugar and later cinnamon and vanilla were added. Spanish monks let the secret out back home and, although the Spanish hid it from their neighbors for a hundred years, finally chocolate’s popularity grew until it was their fashionable drink at the French court and the wise choice of customers at London meeting houses.

The cacao tree is strictly a tropical plant only in hot, rainy climates. Thus, its cultivation is limited to countries not more than 20 degrees north or south of the equator (赤道). The cacao tree is very delicate and sensitive. It needs protection from the wind and requires a fair amount of shade under most conditions. This is true especially in its first two or three years of growth. A newly planted young cacao tree is often sheltered by a different type of trees. It is normal to plant food crops for shade such as bananas, plantain, coconuts or cocoyams. Rubber trees and forest trees are also used for shade. Once established, however, cacao trees can grow in full sunlight, provided there are fertile soil conditions and intensive farming. With cutting and careful cultivation, the trees of strains will begin bearing fruit in the fifth year. With extreme care, some strains can be stimulated to produce good crops in the third and fourth year.

The process of turning cacao into chocolate hasn’t changed much since the Swiss made the major breakthroughs in the process in the late 1800s. First the beans go through a process of fermentation ( 发酵 ) and drying. They are then sorted by hand before cleaning and then roasting. Winnowing ( 风 扬 ) follows which removes the hard outer layers and leaves what is as the “grains”. A crushing and heating process known as Hunte’s Process is then used to remove nearly half of the cocoa butter from the nibs. This makes unsweetened chocolate. Basic eating chocolate is made from a mixture of the unsweetened chocolate with some of the cocoa butter along with other ingredients such as sugar and vanilla. The resulting product is then “purified” and this purifying gives chocolate the silky texture that we know so well. The finished result is then shaped, cooled, packaged by machine, distributed, sold and of course, eaten!

1.Why didn’t Columbus bring beans back to Spain at once when he found cacao?

A.Because he couldn’t afford to buy the cacao bean.

B.Because he didn’t know how to turn cacao bean into chocolate.

C.Because he was not aware of the monetary value of cacao bean then.

D.Because Spaniards then didn’t favour the chocolate that the Aztecs originally drank.

2.The underlined word “palatable” in paragraph 2 probably means　 .

A.affordable B.agreeable C.patent D.portable

3.Which of the following is correct about cacao tree?

A.Cacao trees need a lot of looking after to be used commercially.

B.Cacao trees require hot, rainy climates and adequate sunlight.

C.Cacao trees won’t produce fruit until the fifth year.

D.Cacao trees can grow well in all continents.

4.Which is the correct order of turning cocoa into chocolate?

① The chocolate is reheated to melt it, put into patterns and then cooled to make its final shapes.

② The beans are harvested on the farm.

③ Some cocoa butter is then obtained using Hunte’s Process to make cooking chocolate.

④ The cooking chocolate is then mixed with other ingredients to make the various types of eating chocolate available today.

⑤ The beans are winnowed after fermentation and drying and these two processes produce the grains.

⑥ The finished product is wrapped, sent to shops and then sold.

A.②①③④⑤⑥ B.②③①⑤④⑥ C.②④⑤①③⑥ D.②⑤③④①⑥

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Thousands of puffins(海鹦) live in Maine and on islands in the Gulf of Maine. But the puffins may be in danger. Last summer, the percentage of laid eggs that successfully produced baby puffins took a dive. Scientists also found a decline in the average body weight of the adult and baby puffins on Machias Seal Island, home to the area’s largest colony. Over the winter, dozens of the seabirds from the region were found dead, likely from starvation.

What’s causing the puffin trouble? Scientists think it may be a shortage of food. With ocean temperatures rising, fish populations have moved around. Normally, puffins’ primary food source is herring, a type of fish. A lack of herring in the area could be causing the problem.

Butterfish from the south have become more abundant in the Gulf of Maine and could be a new food source for birds. But Steve Kress says butterfish may be too big and round for baby puffins to swallow.

Puffins spend most of their lives at sea. They come ashore to breed each spring and return to the ocean in August. The chicks swim to sea about 40 days after hatching. Puffin populations stretch across the North Atlantic, from Maine to northern Russia.

Maine’s puffin population has been at risk in the past. In the 1800s, they were hunted for their food, eggs and feathers. By 1901, only one pair of puffins remained in the state. Thanks to the help of local lighthouse keepers and seabird restoration programs, the state’s puffin population has been restored to more than 2,000 birds.

Scientists aren’t sure what will happen to the Gulf of Maine’s puffins. The birds may move further north. Kress says he hopes the Gulf population will sustain itself and then he continued. “You never know what climate change will bring,” Kress said. “Historically fish could move out and more southerly fish could move in, and puffins may adapt to the new fish. Only they will know how the story will unfold.”

1.The underlined phrase “took a dive” means _______.

A. increased        B. arose　　 C. reduced        D. changed

2.In the scientists’ opinion, ________ is contributing to the puffin trouble.

A. a lack of herring            B. environmental pollution

C. the increase of birds        D. the huge size of butterfish

3.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A. Maine’s puffin once nearly became extinct

B. Maine’s puffins’ eggs were of high prices

C. baby puffins grew up quickly

D. the number of Maine’s puffins is worrying

4.Judging from Kress’s words in the last paragraph, we know ________.

A. climate change matters little

B. there is cause for concern

C. the new fish won’t harm puffins

D. puffins may move to the south

5.How is the second paragraph mainly developed?

A. By giving examples.                    B. By making comparisons.

C. By following time order.                D. By asking questions

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The city of Venice，in  Italy，is one of a kind．It is built on more than 120 islands，just off arrival．After explaining where my new house was，I told him that I had left the key under the doormat．Since I knew it would be quite late before I could get back，I suggested that be make himself at home and help himself to anything that was kept in the refrigerator（冰箱）．

　Two hours later my friend phoned me from the house．At the moment，he said，he was listening to some of my records after having had a nice meal．He had found the pan and meat in the refrigerator．Now，he was drinking a cup of tea and hoped that I would join him soon．When I asked him if he bad any difficulty finding the house，he answered that the only problem  was that he had not been able to find the key under the doormat，but luckily，the living room window by the apple tree had been left open and  he had climbed in through the window．I listened to all this in great surprise．There is no apple tree outside my window，but there is one by the living room window of my next-door  neighbor’s house！

1.When my friend arrived，I could not go to meet him because________．

2.A doormat is a mat______．

3.I listened to my friend’s phone call in great surprise because____．

4.At last my friend______．

5.The writer left the key under the doormat so that______．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In 1492, Columbus and his crew arrived ______ was so-called the New World by the westerners.

A. in what             B. in which            C. what        D. where

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

When Columbus ‘sailed the ocean blue in 1492’ wasn’t looking for America, he was searching for a route from Spain to China; America just got in the way.

The Spanish were after the riches of Asia: silk, dates, spices. Until later adventures discovered how to sail to the Far East, trade with China depended on the Silk Road. The trade between China and Europe brought huge wealth, so the Spanish had a strong desire to find a new way to the East. Eventually a way appeared; as sea traffic developed from the 17th Century onwards, the overland route diminished.

Now China is seeking to revive(复兴) the Silk Road and is preparing to invest 4 trillion pounds in new road, rail links, oil pipelines and other basic facilities. It is hoped that goods can be shipped westwards by land far more quickly and economically than by sea.

But the plan is also to attract more tourists. Actually, China does pretty well for tourists already; it’s the world’s fourth most visited country. Two cities — Beijing and Shanghai — possess the tourism business, with significant interest in destinations such as Xi’an and Chengdu. While Beijing is modern, cities such as Lanzhou and Dunhuang have one foot planted firmly in old China.

Other places featured include Xi’an, the former capital of China, where you can come face to face with the Terracotta Army built to protect China’s first emperor in the afterlife. From Lanzhou tour members take the train to Jiayuguan, China’s western gateway and a key location on the Silk Road.

There is also a four-day coach journey along the original Silk Route through the Xinjiang region to Kashgar. Along the way, at Kurla, you can visit the ruins of the Iron Fortress.

1.What does the underlined word “diminished” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. Discovered.　　 B. Disappeared.　　 C. Disturbed.　　 D. Displayed.

2.What is the purpose of reviving the Silk Road?

A. To rebuild the ruins of the Iron Fortress.

B. To construct new roads and other basic structures.

C. To make transportation westwards faster and cheaper.

D. To draw more inland tourists’ attention to the western gateway.

3.What can we learn about the Silk Road?

A. It is nothing but a trade route.

B. It may destroy some cities’ ancient style.

C. It attracts foreign investment of ₤ 4 trillion.

D. It promotes the tourism industry of China.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. The Charming of the Silk Road　　 B. The function of the Silk Road

C. The origin of the Silk Road　　 D. The future of the Silk Road

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

About one third of the population in Beijing and Shanghai_________ netizens, but in poorer areas, only three or four percent _________online.

A. is; is             B. are; are             C. are; is         D. is; are

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析