A 525-year-old copy of a letter by Christopher Columbus, stolen from the Vatican, was returned this week. An investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Vatican located the letter.
“We are returning it to its rightful owner, ” said U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Callista Gingrich, at a ceremony in the Vatican Library. Columbus wrote the letter to the king and queen of Spain after discovering “The New World.” He described what he had found and requested money for another trip. His original letter was written in Spanish. But several copies of a Latin translation were made to spread news of his discovery to the royal courts of Europe and the Pope.
One of the Latin letters, copied by Stephan Plannack in 1493, was put in the Vatican Library. Known as the Columbus Letter, it has eight pages, each about 18.5 cm by 12 cm. In 2011, an American expert in rare manuscripts received a similar looking letter. After reviewing it, he decided that it was real. The year before, the same expert had studied a Columbus Letter in the Vatican Library and suspected that it was a fake. One reason was that the stitching (针脚) marks on the letter were not the same as those on the cover. The letter in the United States, however, had the exact same stitching marks as the leather cover of the fake letter he had studied in the Vatican.
The expert, who was not identified, contacted Homeland Security art investigators, who began working with Vatican inspectors and rare book experts. They believed that someone took the real letter out of its cover at the Vatican Library and replaced it with an artificial one. Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues is the Vatican’s chief librarian. He said, “We do not know exactly when the substitution took place. We will probably never know who the forger (伪造者) was.”
Their investigations found that Marino Massimo De Caro, a well-known Italian book thief, had sold the real letter to a New York book dealer. De Caro is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Italy for stealing about 4,000 ancient books and manuscripts from Italian libraries and private collections. The late collector David Parsons bought the letter for $875,000 in 2004. After the investigations, his widow agreed to return the letter to the Vatican Library. Officials said the letter is now worth about $1.2 million.
1.What does the underlined word “artificial” in paragraph 4 mean?
A. criminal. B. real. C. false. D. valuable.
2.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. We know when the theft took place.
B. Christopher Columbus discovered “The New World” about 500 years ago.
C. Columbus’s letter was first written in Latin.
D. A Vatican inspector suspected that Columbus Letter in the Vatican Library was a fake.
3.Now you can see the once stolen letter in ________.
A. Callista Gingrich’s
B. Jean-Louis Brugues’
C. David Parsons’s
D. the Vatican Library
4.What can we infer from the text?
A. Columbus wrote the letter both in Spanish and Latin.
B. One of the Latin letters was copied by Stephan Plannack.
C. The letter in the United States is not a fake letter.
D. David Parsons returned the letter to the Vatican Library.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
A 525-year-old copy of a letter by Christopher Columbus, stolen from the Vatican, was returned this week. An investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Vatican located the letter.
“We are returning it to its rightful owner, ” said U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Callista Gingrich, at a ceremony in the Vatican Library. Columbus wrote the letter to the king and queen of Spain after discovering “The New World.” He described what he had found and requested money for another trip. His original letter was written in Spanish. But several copies of a Latin translation were made to spread news of his discovery to the royal courts of Europe and the Pope.
One of the Latin letters, copied by Stephan Plannack in 1493, was put in the Vatican Library. Known as the Columbus Letter, it has eight pages, each about 18.5 cm by 12 cm. In 2011, an American expert in rare manuscripts received a similar looking letter. After reviewing it, he decided that it was real. The year before, the same expert had studied a Columbus Letter in the Vatican Library and suspected that it was a fake. One reason was that the stitching (针脚) marks on the letter were not the same as those on the cover. The letter in the United States, however, had the exact same stitching marks as the leather cover of the fake letter he had studied in the Vatican.
The expert, who was not identified, contacted Homeland Security art investigators, who began working with Vatican inspectors and rare book experts. They believed that someone took the real letter out of its cover at the Vatican Library and replaced it with an artificial one. Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues is the Vatican’s chief librarian. He said, “We do not know exactly when the substitution took place. We will probably never know who the forger (伪造者) was.”
Their investigations found that Marino Massimo De Caro, a well-known Italian book thief, had sold the real letter to a New York book dealer. De Caro is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Italy for stealing about 4,000 ancient books and manuscripts from Italian libraries and private collections. The late collector David Parsons bought the letter for $875,000 in 2004. After the investigations, his widow agreed to return the letter to the Vatican Library. Officials said the letter is now worth about $1.2 million.
1.What does the underlined word “artificial” in paragraph 4 mean?
A. criminal. B. real. C. false. D. valuable.
2.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. We know when the theft took place.
B. Christopher Columbus discovered “The New World” about 500 years ago.
C. Columbus’s letter was first written in Latin.
D. A Vatican inspector suspected that Columbus Letter in the Vatican Library was a fake.
3.Now you can see the once stolen letter in ________.
A. Callista Gingrich’s
B. Jean-Louis Brugues’
C. David Parsons’s
D. the Vatican Library
4.What can we infer from the text?
A. Columbus wrote the letter both in Spanish and Latin.
B. One of the Latin letters was copied by Stephan Plannack.
C. The letter in the United States is not a fake letter.
D. David Parsons returned the letter to the Vatican Library.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was 80 years before Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Zheng He had sailed to East Africa.
A.when B.that
C.after D.since
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported to other countries like America and West Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.
1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. How Columbus found Costa Rica.
B. How Costa Rica got its name.
C. What the Costa Ricans wore.
D. What language the Costa Ricans spoke.
2.The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.
A. pink and red. B. grey and black
C. blue and green. D. yellow and orange
3.From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.
A. have lessons every day
B. have their examinations
C. help their parents pick coffee beans
D. go to separate schools
4.This passage is mainly about ______.
A. Christopher Columbus
B. Costa Rica
C. some products from Costa Rica
D. the education of Costa Rica
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When Christopher Columbus landed on a land without name in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported to other countries like America and West Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.
1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
A．How Columbus found Costa Rica. B．How Costa Rica got its name.
C．What the Costa Ricans wore. D．What language the Costa Ricans spoke.
2.The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.
A．pink and red B．grey and black C．blue and green D．yellow and orange
3.In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.
A．must go to school B．study in the same school
C．do not have to go to school at all D．can choose to stop schooling at any time
4.From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.
A．have lessons every day B．have their examinations
C．help their parents pick coffee beans D．help their parents decorate their houses
5.This passage is mainly about ______.
A．Christopher Columbus B．Costa Rica
C．some products from Costa Rica D．the education of Costa Rica
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was 80 years before Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic______ Zheng sailed to East Africa
A．when B．that C．after D．since
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smart phone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic(怀旧的) skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technologies in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful ---both in school and in life. Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete senten3ces and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active, which helps us access our vocabulary, word meanings and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas. Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe (转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct them over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
1.What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?
A. The absence of blackboard in classroom.
B. The use of new technologies in teaching.
C. The lack of practice in handwriting.
D. The popular use of smart phones.
2.Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?
A. Spelling improves ones memory of words.
B. Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability.
C. Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.
D. Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.
3. What does minds eye in paragraph 4 mean?
A. Window B. Soul C. Picture D. Imagination
4. What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A. Computers can help people with their choice of words.
B. Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.
C. Handwriting still has a place in todays classrooms.
D. Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphones, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (怀旧的) skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful—both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks—both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active, which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe (转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct them over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
1.What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?
A. The popular use of smartphones.
B. The absence of blackboard in classrooms.
C. The lack of practice in handwriting.
D. The use of new technologies in teaching.
2.Berninger’s study published in 2009 _________.
A. discussed the importance of writing speed
B. found that good essays are made up of long sentences
C. indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper
D. focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer
3.What does “mind’s eye” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. Imagination. B. Soul. C. Picture. D. Window.
4.What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A. Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms.
B. Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.
C. Computers can help people with their choice of words.
D. Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smart phones, writing by hand has become something of a nostalgic(怀旧的) skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful—both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks－both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active, which helps us understand our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe (转换) “those words in the mind into written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct them over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks，” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the choices given by the computer.”
1.What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?
A．The absence of blackboards in classrooms.
B．The use of new technologies in teaching.
C．The lack of practice in handwriting.
D．The popular use of smart phones.
2.Berninger’s study published in 2009 ________.
A．focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer
B．indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper
C．found that good essays are made up of long sentences
D．discussed the importance of writing speed
3.Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?
A．Spelling improves one’s memory of words.
B．Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability.
C．Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.
D．Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.
4.What does “mind’s eye” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A．Window B．Soul C．Picture D．Imagination
5.What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A．Computers can help people with their choice of words.
B．Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.
C．Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms.
D．Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
An earthquake is a trembling or shaking of the ground caused by the sudden release(释放) of energy stored in the rocks below the surface. Generally, earthquakes last only seconds. Strong ground shaking during a medium（中等的） to large earthquake generally lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Aftershocks（余震） can occur once in a while for weeks or even months.
Many people think that there is an “earthquake season” or a kind of “ earthquake weather ”.As a matter of fact, there isn’t. Earthquakes can occur at any time of the year and at time of day or night. Earthquakes occur under all weather conditions-sunny, wet. or cold without any special weather tendency(倾向).
Also, you don’t need to worry that the ground will open up and swallow people when earthquakes occur. Open ground cracks may form during an earthquake, for example, to land sliding or ground falling. However, such cracks tend to be open gaps (they don’t “ swallow”) that a person could stand in afterwards.
The safest place in an earthquake is an open field because buildings and falling objects can injure or kill you. If you are indoors, when you feel the ground start to shake, take cover immediately under a table or strong piece of furniture, placing something between falling objects and yourself. Don’t “ attempt to use the stairs or an elevator to get out of the building..
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?.
A. Earthquakes usually last 10 to 30 seconds.
B. After a big earthquake, there are many more quakes.
C. Cracks in an earthquake are very dangerous.
D. What usually injures people during an earthquake are falling buildings.
2.The reason why there isn’t “earthquake weather” is that._________.
A. an earthquake only lasts seconds and doesn’t happen frequently.
B. an earthquake can happen at any time and in any kind of weather.
C. when an earthquake happens is related to the weather
D. earthquakes don’t change with the seasons
3.The underlined word “swallow” in Paragraph3 probably means“________”?
A. Take sb/sth in.
B. make sb frightened.
C. make room for sb to stand in.
D.make the ground slide.
4.During an earthquake, which of the following things should you NOT do?
A. Find an open filed and stay there.
B. Stay away from buildings.
C. Take cover under a table.
D. Take an elevator.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
An earthquake is a trembling or shaking of the ground caused by the sudden release(释放) of energy stored in the rocks below the surface. Generally, earthquakes last only seconds. Strong ground shaking during a medium（中等的） to large earthquake generally lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Aftershocks（余震）can occur once in a while for weeks or even months.
Many people think that there is an “earthquake season” or a kind of “earthquake weather”. As a matter of fact, there isn’t. Earthquakes can occur at any time of the year and at time of day or night. Earthquakes occur under all weather conditions-sunny, wet. or cold without any special weather tendency(倾向).
Also, you don’t need to worry that the ground will open up and swallow people when earthquakes occur. Open ground cracks may form during an earthquake, for example, to land sliding or ground falling. However, such cracks tend to be open gaps (they don’t “ swallow”) that a person could stand in afterwards.
The safest place in an earthquake is an open field because buildings and falling objects can injure or kill you. If you are indoors, when you feel the ground start to shake, take cover immediately under a table or strong piece of furniture, placing something between falling objects and yourself. Don’t attempt to use the stairs or an elevator to get out of the building.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Earthquakes usually last 10 to 30 seconds.
B. After a big earthquake, there are many more quakes.
C. Cracks in an earthquake are very dangerous.
D. What usually injures people during an earthquake are falling buildings.
2.The reason why there isn’t “earthquake weather” is that ____________.
A. an earthquake only lasts seconds and doesn’t happen frequently.
B. an earthquake can happen at any time and in any kind of weather.
C. when an earthquake happens is related to the weather
D. earthquakes don’t change with the seasons
3.The underlined word “swallow” in Paragraph3 probably means “___________”?
A. take sb. / sth. in B. make sb. frightened
C. make room for sb. to stand in D. make the ground slide
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析