IMAGINE that your parents have bought you the most advanced robot. He looks like a real person. He talks to you and plays with you. He can even think for himself and figure out what you need.
It may feel as if you have a considerate new brother who keeps you company all the time. But come to think of it, can you really trust him?
Ever since the first robot was created decades ago, scientists have kept thinking about the task of making robots more like humans. However, as they have gotten closer to that goal, doubts have grown. According to the BBC, Japanese robot designer Masahiro Mori argues that the more lifelike robots become, the more humans feel a connection to them. But once they become too similar to humans, people begin to feel uncomfortable.
This theory is what led to the creation of a brand new robot in Switzerland earlier this month. Roboy, as the new machine is called, has various human-like abilities such as hand-shaking and bicycle-riding, but instead of a skin-like covering, Roboy is wrapped in shiny white armor (盔甲) that clearly shows its robot status.
“As long as people can clearly see that the robot is a machine, even if they project their feelings into it, then they feel comfortable,” Rolf Pfeifer, the creator of Roboy from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, told the BBC.
But the problem that people have with robots is not just with the way they look. It also has to do with the roles that they play in our lives.
A survey last year of European Union countries showed that 88 percent of those interviewed agreed that robots are “necessary as they can do jobs that are too hard or dangerous for people”, such as space exploration and war fighting. But when it comes to taking care of children, 60 percent said that robots should not be allowed to participate, because as robots become more advanced and complicated, parents may tend to hand over too much responsibility to them.
No matter what, robots will soon enter our homes, Pfeifer said. What is not yet clear is whether they will act more like servants who work for us or companions who live with us.
1.What is the purpose of the text?
A. To introduce the newly-invented robot, Roboy.
B. To discuss problems related to designing robots.
C. To explore the roles robots will play in our future lives.
D. To argue what kinds of robots appeal to people more.
2.Why did Pfeifer make Roboy look like a robot?
A. To better protect it.
B.To make it look cool and modern.
C. To make it clearly different from a human.
D. To keep its price down.
3.Which best describes the author’s tone in the article?
A. Objective(客观的). B. Critical(批评的).
C. Admiring. D. Anxious.
4.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The brand new robot in Switzerland can do everything human beings can.
B. Scientists have long been dreaming of creating human-like robots.
C. Robots in the future will serve as human beings’ good friends.
D. People won’t be comfortable with robots like a machine in the house.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
IMAGINE that your parents have bought you the most advanced robot. He looks like a real person. He talks to you and plays with you. He can even think for himself and figure out what you need.
It may feel as if you have a considerate new brother who keeps you company all the time. But come to think of it, can you really trust him?
Ever since the first robot was created decades ago, scientists have kept thinking about the task of making robots more like humans. However, as they have gotten closer to that goal, doubts have grown. According to the BBC, Japanese robot designer Masahiro Mori argues that the more lifelike robots become, the more humans feel a connection to them. But once they become too similar to humans, people begin to feel uncomfortable.
This theory is what led to the creation of a brand new robot in Switzerland earlier this month. Roboy, as the new machine is called, has various human-like abilities such as hand-shaking and bicycle-riding, but instead of a skin-like covering, Roboy is wrapped in shiny white armor (盔甲) that clearly shows its robot status.
“As long as people can clearly see that the robot is a machine, even if they project their feelings into it, then they feel comfortable,” Rolf Pfeifer, the creator of Roboy from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, told the BBC.
But the problem that people have with robots is not just with the way they look. It also has to do with the roles that they play in our lives.
A survey last year of European Union countries showed that 88 percent of those interviewed agreed that robots are “necessary as they can do jobs that are too hard or dangerous for people”, such as space exploration and war fighting. But when it comes to taking care of children, 60 percent said that robots should not be allowed to participate, because as robots become more advanced and complicated, parents may tend to hand over too much responsibility to them.
No matter what, robots will soon enter our homes, Pfeifer said. What is not yet clear is whether they will act more like servants who work for us or companions who live with us.
1.What is the purpose of the text?
A. To introduce the newly-invented robot, Roboy.
B. To discuss problems related to designing robots.
C. To explore the roles robots will play in our future lives.
D. To argue what kinds of robots appeal to people more.
2.Why did Pfeifer make Roboy look like a robot?
A. To better protect it.
B.To make it look cool and modern.
C. To make it clearly different from a human.
D. To keep its price down.
3.Which best describes the author’s tone in the article?
A. Objective(客观的). B. Critical(批评的).
C. Admiring. D. Anxious.
4.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The brand new robot in Switzerland can do everything human beings can.
B. Scientists have long been dreaming of creating human-like robots.
C. Robots in the future will serve as human beings’ good friends.
D. People won’t be comfortable with robots like a machine in the house.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“Love your neighbor as yourself" is a saying familiar to most of us. It means that you must have the ability to love and accept yourself in order to form and keep satisfying relationship with others. Self-esteem means accepting yourself for who you really are, and believing that you are indeed a worthwhile person who is deserving of love and respect from others.
Self-esteem is our sense of how good we feel about ourselves. It is based on our judgment of ourselves, not on other people's assessment, but simply on our own. Our self-esteem is not dependent on our talent. Some very ordinary people feel very good about themselves, while other extraordinarily high achievers hold low opinions of themselves.
Self-esteem is the primary key to long-term stress management. Why? The first three sources of stress are: predictable life event, unexpected changes and build-up of daily stresses. These are much easier to handle when we believe in ourselves. A positive, healthy self-esteem gives us the “hardiness” (强健) to deal with the difficulties of life, and to see them as challenges to be met, rather than threats to be feared.
The fourth category of stress is entirely the result of a low self-esteem. It is the category of stress that is most common and tiring over the long run. This kind of stress cannot be overcome, or even changed, until the self-esteem problems that cause it are corrected.
Learning to love yourself for who you are is the key to overcoming stress. Self-esteem comes from the self, and cannot be promoted by others. A person who feels that his self-esteem comes from the approval of those around him or her is bound to self-destruct (自毁). One cannot keep the level of “performance” required to please everyone else, especially if that performance disagrees with who you are and is simply a facade that makes you popular with the world. When the applause is gone, there is nothing left.
Only those who can feel the strength of knowing who they are and those who can feel good about that will survive the stresses of life. Self-esteem is the basis of contentment and positive living.
1.What is the key to overcoming stress according to the passage?
A. Removing yourself from stressful situation.
B. Learning to love yourself for who you are.
C. Facing the stress and dealing with it.
D. Getting help from friends.
2.What does the underlined word "facade" (in Para 5) mean?
A. A false appearance. B. A big worry.
C. A wrong action. D. A strange feeling.
3.The passage is written to ______.
A. tell people how to overcome stress
B. help people form good relationship with others
C. show the importance of feeling good about yourself
D. provide the different methods to get a clear view of yourself
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
[1] Have you ever had the wish to live another 100 years or more? Experts say that scientific advances will some day enable us to live tens of years longer than what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
[2] “I guess we are knocking at the door of living longer,” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “I think by 2075 we will ____________ and that’s a conservative estimate（保守的估计）.”
[3]At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louris, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology（纳米技术） make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said.
[4]However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to live past about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
[5]Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have a good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Centre. “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
1.What is the main idea of the passage? （no more than 10 words）
2.Please fill in the blanks in the second paragraph with proper words.（no more than 5 words）
3.According to Donald Louris, what will enable humans to live longer?（no more than 8 words）
4.What does the word “it” （Line 1, Paragraph 4) probably refer to? （no more than 10 words）
5.What did Leonard Poon worry about? （no more than 15 words）
高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析
Have you been told you have penicillin allergy? Did your parents tell you that you had a reaction as an infant or child, so you should never take it again? Has it been so long since you had a reaction to penicillin that you don’t remember what happened? If you fit any of these descriptions or are just not sure if you have penicillin allergy, there’s good news for you: Chances are, you probably don’t have it.
Between 10 to 20 percent of Americans believe they have a penicillin allergy, but a recent study at Mayo Clinic found that only 10 percent of those people are truly penicillin allergic. In other words, 9 out of 10 people who think they have penicillin allergy are avoiding it for no reason. Even in people with documented allergy to penicillin, only about 20 percent are still allergic 10 years after their initial allergic reaction. It’s not necessarily a permanent condition.
Why is this important? Aren’t there many other antibiotics you can use if you have penicillin allergy? Penicillin has been around since 1928. Penicillin and its related medicines include amoxicillin, methicillin and amoxicillin-clavulnate. These medicines are highly effective treatments for many bacterial infections, such as strep throat and ear infections. Of course, there are alternative antibiotics, but these are often much more expensive and carry a higher risk of side effects. Typically, these alternative antibiotics are broad-spectrum, meaning they fight many types of bacteria, both good and bad. That can lead to development of drug-resistant bacteria, or deadly “superbugs”. This increases the risk for all of us in the future of not having an effective antibiotic to treat our infection.
How do you find out if you have penicillin allergy? Board-certified allergists can test you. First, the allergist will get a history from you about your possible allergy. Typical questions include: How long ago did you have the reaction? What type of reaction occurred, and how soon after you took the penicillin did the reaction appear? The testing is done on the forearm by pricking the skin with a needle. If the results are negative and there is no reaction, penicillin will be injected in the skin. These tests are not painful, and results are available in 15 minutes. A positive reaction may lead to some swelling and itching where the test was placed, which usually goes away within an hour.
In very rare cases, an allergic reaction occurs. This can include hives, swelling, wheezing and/or difficulty breathing. The allergist is trained to treat this rare condition quickly if it happens. If all skin testing is negative, you may be given an oral dose of penicillin in the office. The oral drug challenge is used to verify that you don’t have penicillin allergy. Usually, you’ll be observed in the office for 30 minutes to make sure you have no problems.
If you find out you don’t have a penicillin allergy, notify your physicians that it’s now safe for you to take penicillin. They can take “penicillin allergy” off your chart for good!
1.What can we know about penicillin allergy according to the passage?
A. Most people believe that they are penicillin allergic.
B. People with documented allergy will have it forever.
C. About 90 percent of people are truly penicillin allergic.
D. Many people with initial allergy can avoid it later.
2.Which is NOT the drawback of the alternative antibiotics?
A. They cost much more than penicillin.
B. They can treat many bacterial infections.
C. They can result in drug-resistant bacteria.
D. They also fight good bacteria when used.
3.If you have a positive reaction in skin tests, _______.
A. you can’t leave the office within an hour
B. your skin is supposed to swell and itch
C. it is not safe for you to take penicillin
D. you’ll be given an oral dose of penicillin
4.Which can replace the underlined word “verify”?
A. confirm B. attach
C. declare D. control
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
.Can you imagine your doctor warning that taking a bath could be unhealthy? In the early 1800s, many doctors thought that bathtubs(浴缸) could carry diseases, so they advised against their use. The advice wasn’t based on personal experience, because few of the doctors owned bathtubs. The White House did not even have a bathtub until 1851.
In the 19th century, only one home out of six had a bathroom. A child took only one bath a week. On Saturday nights, children all lined up for their turns to wash in a wooden bathtub in the kitchen. Mothers had to boil the water on the stove and carry it over to fill the bathtub. It’s no wonder that children could not jump into a bathtub as they do today.
When the first bathtubs were introduced, even their makers weren’t sure whether the new fashion would last. They advertised their products as water containers that “could be used as bathing tubs”.
The bathtub became popular in America shortly after World War I. By then most middle-class families had indoor taps. At first most bathtubs were made of wood, but as the popularity of the product increased, so did the creativity of bathtub makers. Before porcelain(瓷) bathtubs there were rubber ones like the plastic swimming pools kids use today. In the past few years owners often invited guests to see them. They told their friends how wonderful baths in these bathtubs could be.
Now doctors no longer warn that bathtubs carry diseases. Instead, they tell their patients about the benefits of frequent bathing in the bathtubs. Maybe one of the best reasons why doctors encourage frequent trips to the bathtub is that bathed patients smell better!
47. Many doctors in the past were against using bathtubs because ______.
A. they didn’t have their own bathtubs
B. they thought bathtubs could carry diseases.
C. the children might hurt themselves in the bathtubs
D. bathtubs were too expensive for the common families
48. Why couldn’t children jump into a tub in the 19th century as they do today?
A. It was unhealthy to do so. B. The bathtubs were not enough.
C. Mothers were always busy. D. The bathtubs were made of wood.
49. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. Some different materials can be used to make bathtubs.
B. In the 19th century only one home out of seven had a bathroom.
C. The bathtub became popular when they were introduced to the market.
D. Children prefer the bathtubs made of plastic to those made of porcelain.
50. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
A. all the doctors have bathtubs in their homes
B. the doctors have realized the advantages of bathtubs
C. the doctors will make lots of money by advertising bathtubs
D. the patients should take a bath before going to see a doctor
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.
1.The purpose of the text is to _______.
A．tell us what life is like in Yemen
B．draw our attention to water shortage
C．remind us how important water is
D．show us ways of solving problems
2.The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A．buying water from shops
B．drinking dirty water
C．suffering from water shortage
D．washing clothes with used water
3. Hannan described _____.
A．what her life is like
B．how beautiful Lahej is
C．how people use water fully
D．how heavy the traffic in Lahej is
4.The Yemen Government _____.
A．has found a practical solution
B．only cares about rich people
C．may try to make use of seawater
D．can do nothing about the water supply
5.We can infer from the text that _____.
A．Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years
B．Hannan is a teenager from a rich family
C．the capital of Yemen is developing fast
D．private companies make a lot of money
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
—How about your travel?
—You can hardly imagine what difficulty we have had ______ the vast desert.
| A．explored | B．exploring | C．to explore | D．explore |
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025. Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.
1.
The purpose of the text is to _______.
A. tell us what life is like in Yemen
B. draw our attention to water shortage
C. remind us how important water is
D. show us ways of solving problems
2.
The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A. buying water from shops
B. drinking dirty water
C. suffering from water shortage
D. washing clothes with used water
3.
Hannan described _____.
A. what her life is like
B. how beautiful Lahej is
C. how people use water fully
D. how heavy the traffic in Lahej is
4.
The Yemen Government _____.
A. has found a practical solution
B. only cares about rich people
C. may try to make use of seawater
D. can do nothing about the water supply
5.
We can infer from the text that _____.
A. Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years
B. Hannan is a teenager from a rich family
C. the capital of Yemen is developing fast
D. private companies make a lot of money
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The next time you get caught jumping on your bed you can tell your parents with a straight face that you are not playing, simply getting ready got a promising career in “Mattress Jumping”. Believe it or not, there are some people who actually get paid to do that! According to Reuben Reynoso, a professional mattress tester at San Francisco’s McRoskey Mattress Factory that still makes every mattress by hand, it is real work and needs some training. For a start, it’s not all about jumping to new heights or doing tricks like professional athletes, but rather about feeling each area of the mattress carefully to detect the filling. In order to do it right, every bit of the mattress has to be tested slowly and deliberately.
Over the years, Reynoso has figured out the perfect routine. He begins by placing a protective mat over the mattress so that it doesn’t get dirty or absorb the smell from his feet. Then begins the fun---he steps to the middle of an edge and then takes five steps back and five steps forward. In this way, he slowly but surely, covers the entire surface. The key according to him is to find the perfect number of jumps---Too many and he will end up destroying the mattress completely. Too few And it will not fit into the giant machine for that final sewing! Who knew a job that sounds so simple could have so many skills!
While Reuben will not reveal how he got into this profession, he will admit that it is more fun than being a carpenter, roofer, construction worker and railroad engineer---all jobs he has tried previous to finding his true profession!
1.We learn from the text that the McRoskey Mattress Factory ______.
A. is the world’s oldest mattress factory
B. make mattresses for sports
C. produces mattresses by hand
D. hires athletes as mattress testers
2.The protective mat is used to ______.
A. prevent the tester getting hurt
B. keep the mattress as clean as possible
C. protect the mattress from being destroyed
D. make the mattress fit into the sewing machine
3.According to Reynoso, the most important thing in his work is ______.
A. the timing of his jumps B. the height of his jumps
C. the number of his jumps D. the frequency of his jumps
4.We can learn from the text that Reynoso ______.
A. has been injured several times in his work
B. liked mattress jumping in his childhood
C. didn’t choose mattress testing as his first job
D. dreamt about becoming a jumping athlete
高二英语长对话或独白简单题查看答案及解析
Have you ever posted letters to your friends or parents? If so, you must have put stamps on the letters before you sent them. But, how did people receive letters before stamps were invented, and who came up with the idea of using stamps?
In the past, stamps and envelopes were not used. When people wanted to send a letter, they would close the paper with a seal（封印）. The person who got the letter had to pay for it. Because costs at that time were very high, most people refused to accept letters. In fact, the sender would often place secret marks on the outside of the letter. The person who was sent the letter would read the secret message. Then, they would refuse to accept the letter and did not have to pay for it.
In Britain, Sir Rowland Hill introduced the “Post Office Reforms” in 1837. He decided that letters could go to any place in the country for a penny even if the letter had to go far away. The cost was to be paid by the sender of the letter. Payment was recorded by placing a small piece of coloured paper on the letter, the stamp! On May 6,1840, the first stamp called the “Penny Black” was born. Because the stamp was printed in black, the stamp became known as the “Penny Black”. This is now the world’s most famous stamp. This new system spread fast.
1.The best title for this passage should be______
| A．The First Stamp. | B．How Stamp Was First Made |
| C．Why the First Stamp Was Made | D．When Was Stamp First Made |
2.Before stamps were used,______ would pay for the letter.
| A．the sender | B．the receiver | C．the government | D．no one |
3.The first stamp was made______.
| A．more than 160 years ago | B．more than two centuries ago |
| C．less than 100 years ago | D．about 100 years ago |
4.Which of the following is true about the first stamp of China?
| A．It was made much earlier than the first stamp of the US |
| B．The stamp had a snake on it |
| C．The stamp couldn’t be found now |
| D．The stamp had a picture of a dragon on it |
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析