NEW YORK— The band Atomic Tom has scored an I...

NEW YORK— The band Atomic Tom has scored an Internet hit with its self-created video to the song Take Me Out. In the video, the band members ride a New York City subway while performing entirely on iPhones, with applications linked with mini-battery powered broadcasters for each instrument.

Singer Luck White says the production was a top-secret operation.

"We didn't tell anyone about this. It was completely top-secret from our family, from our friends, from management, from everybody. So the first time that people saw this video was last Friday when we put it on YouTube,"explained White.

It has been watched by more than 2 million on YouTube since debuting(首次露面) last week. "All I've wanted to do for the past few days is just stare at the YouTube page and keep refreshing it to see how far it will go, " said Espiritu, the lead guitarist of the band.

"The Internet changed everything,"Espiritu said. "It's kind of an exciting time because it forces everyone to adjust and be creative and find new ways to get your name out there."

The idea for the video came from Espiritu's 24-year-old brother Benjamin, who's hoping to go to film school. " I've seen a lot of these music applications, and they're kind of fascinating to me,"Benjamin Espiritu said. " I thought: 'What would happen if iPhones kind of took over the world? If there could actually be a band that played straight through with iPhones, what would that look like?'" So they shot(拍摄) the video —with iPhones also serving as video cameras. The band also tried Union Square but were stopped during playing because they didn't have a permit.

"The YouTube views are translating into album sales,"Espiritu said. "We've seen the jump." Their album has been in the top 10albums on iTunes.

Will their fans start cheering for iPhone-only performances? "We've gotten the most exposure(曝光)and teh most fans that we've ever gotten through this, so I wouldn't be surprised if fans are going to want to see that.: Espritu said.

1.Who first saw the ban's video to the song Take Me Out?

A. Their friends　　 　 　 B. Their family

C. The people online　　 D. Their management.

2.What did Espiritu mean by saying "The YouTube views are translating into album sales"?

A. The You Tube views make the album sales increase.

B. The band has changed the video on the YouTube into an album.

C. People need to pay for the video if they view it on the YouTube.

D. People who have viewed the video on the YouTube should buy an album.

3.What can we learn from the text?

A. It was Espiritu who came up with teh idea of the video.

B. Benjamin thought iPhones would take over the world.

C. The band also managed to shoot the video in the Union Square.

D. Espiritu thought it was possible fro their fans to prefer iPhone-only performances.

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A. Atomic Tom's iPhone Subway Performance

B. Take Me Out—Atomic Tom's New Song

C. A band's performance through YouTube

D. A Band's iPhone single Take Me Out Hits Big

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In New York, Ma witnessed the Alibaba Group opening on the New York stock exchange with the largest initial public offering (IPO，新股发行) in American history. “Alibaba, the world’s largest Internet commerce company makes China equal to the US in the rapidly increasing global competition for technological innovation (创新) and economic transformation ” commented the South China Morning Post.

It has also made Ma China’s richest man with a fortune of around $25 billion (153 billion yuan), reported Reuters.

It’s reported that Ma’s rags-to-riches journey is just as spectacular as his Internet empire. Ma failed the national college entrance exams twice before he was finally in Hangzhou Normal University on his third attempt and failed in finding a suitable job several times. Also, Mr. Ma is a big believer in perseverance, which was proved in his English study experience.

However, it was his vision and goals that launched his career.

During a short trip to the US as an interpreter in 1995, Ma first experienced the Internet. He believed in the Internet’s business potential when few other Chinese people did. He started Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment, with 17 friends and $60,000 of funds. At the time, when e-commerce was unheard of in China, “I called myself a blind man riding on the back of blind tigers,” he once said, according to The Guardian. His unusual ideas earned him the nickname “Crazy Jack Ma”.

Indeed, Ma is different. Although he is very thin and about 160cm tall, “Ma is yet animated and forceful, said The Guardian. “He is funny, creative, and a compelling (引人注目的) speaker.

Ma told Time magazine that he was “old for the Internet”. He started to slow down and looked around. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ma “plans to open a tai chi club with the actor Jet Li, build an entrepreneur (企业家) university in Hangzhou and continue to work on several environmental projects.”

1.What made him into e-commerce industry?

A. His foresight and ambitions.

B. His English learning experience.

C. His belief in perseverance.

D. His 17 friends and $60,000 funds.

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. Ma is a blind man riding on a blind tiger.

B. Ma had no confidence in his business future.

C. Ma knew little about e-commerce.

D. Ma had not enough money at that time.

3.What’s the personality of Ma Yun according to the passage?

A. Funny and competitive.

B. Determined and creative.

C. Rich and different.

D. Attractive and believable.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. The Development of Alibaba Group

B. Ma Yun’s Personal Life

C. Ma Yun’s Crazy Success

D. E-commerce in China

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In New York, Ma witnessed the Alibaba Group opening on the New York stock exchange with the largest initial public offering (IPO，新股发行) in American history. “Alibaba, the world’s largest Internet commerce company makes China equal to the US in the rapidly increasing global competition for technological innovation (创新) and economic transformation ” commented the South China Morning Post.

It has also made Ma China’s richest man with a fortune of around $25 billion (153 billion yuan), reported Reuters.

It’s reported that Ma’s rags-to-riches journey is just as spectacular as his Internet empire. Ma failed the national college entrance exams twice before he was finally in Hangzhou Normal University on his third attempt and failed in finding a suitable job several times. Also, Mr. Ma is a big believer in perseverance, which was proved in his English study experience.

However, it was his vision and goals that launched his career.

During a short trip to the US as an interpreter in 1995, Ma first experienced the Internet. He believed in the Internet’s business potential when few other Chinese people did. He started Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment, with 17 friends and $60,000 of funds. At the time, when e-commerce was unheard of in China, “I called myself a blind man riding on the back of blind tigers,” he once said, according to The Guardian. His unusual ideas earned him the nickname “Crazy Jack Ma”.

Indeed, Ma is different. Although he is very thin and about 160cm tall, “Ma is yet animated and forceful, said The Guardian. “He is funny, creative, and a compelling (引人注目的) speaker.

Ma told Time magazine that he was “old for the Internet”. He started to slow down and looked around. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ma “plans to open a tai chi club with the actor Jet Li, build an entrepreneur (企业家) university in Hangzhou and continue to work on several environmental projects.”

1.What made him into e-commerce industry?

A.His foresight and ambitions.

B.His English learning experience.

C.His belief in perseverance.

D.His 17 friends and $60,000 funds.

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?

A.Ma is a blind man riding on a blind tiger.

B.Ma had no confidence in his business future.

C.Ma knew little about e-commerce.

D.Ma had not enough money at that time.

3.What’s the personality of Ma Yun according to the passage?

A.Funny and competitive.

B.Determined and creative.

C.Rich and different.

D.Attractive and believable.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A.The Development of Alibaba Group

B.Ma Yun’s Personal Life

C.Ma Yun’s Crazy Success

D.E-commerce in China

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In New York, Ma witnessed the Alibaba Group opening on the New York stock exchange with the largest initial public offering (IPO，新股发行) in American history. “Alibaba, the world’s largest Internet commerce（贸易） company makes China equal to the US in the rapidly increasing global competition for technological innovation (创新) and economic transformation ” commented（评论） the South China Morning Post.

It has also made Ma China’s richest man with a fortune of around $25 billion (153 billion yuan), reported Reuters.

It’s reported that Ma’s rags-to-riches journey is just as spectacular as his Internet empire. Ma failed the national college entrance exams twice before he was finally in Hangzhou Normal University on his third attempt and failed in finding a suitable job several times. Also, Mr. Ma is a big believer in perseverance, which was proved in his English study experience.

However, it was his vision and goals that launched his career.

During a short trip to the US as an interpreter in 1995, Ma first experienced the Internet. He believed in the Internet’s business potential when few other Chinese people did. He started Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment, with 17 friends and $60,000 of funds. At the time, when e-commerce was unheard of in China, “I called myself a blind man riding on the back of blind tigers,” he once said, according to The Guardian. His unusual ideas earned him the nickname “Crazy Jack Ma”.

Indeed, Ma is different. Although he is very thin and about 160cm tall, “Ma is yet animated and forceful, said The Guardian. “He is funny, creative, and a compelling (引人注目的) speaker.

Ma told Time magazine that he was “old for the Internet”. He started to slow down and looked around. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ma “plans to open a tai chi club with the actor Jet Li, build an entrepreneur (企业家) university in Hangzhou and continue to work on several environmental projects.”

1.What made him into e-commerce industry?

A. His belief in perseverance.

B. His English learning experience.

C. His foresight and ambitions.

D. His 17 friends and $60,000 funds.

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. Ma knew little about e-commerce.

B. Ma had no confidence in his business future.

C. Ma is a blind man riding on a blind tiger.

D. Ma had not enough money at that time.

3. What’s the personality of Ma Yun according to the passage?

A. Funny and competitive.

B. Attractive and believable

C. Rich and different.

D. Determined and creative.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A.The Development of Alibaba Group

B． Ma Yun’s Crazy Success.

C. Ma Yun’s Personal Life

D. E-commerce in China

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in four weeks has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory (呼吸的) illnesses and led to calls for laws to control the pollution.

Pan Shiyi, a celebrity, said he is planning to propose a Clean Air Act to the local government. As a representative to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, he started an online survey at 9:20 a.m. Within three hours, more than 25,000 web users, or 99 percent of total respondents (应答者) , welcomed his proposal.

They have good reasons to stand alongside Pan. The latest round of haze（雾霾）reduced visibility to under 500 meters in many parts of the city. The smog has also led to a great increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly. Anxious parents and doctors almost all blame the smoggy air for the illnesses. Though most schoolchildren are home for the winter holidays, the bad air can easily move indoors. Besides, ordinary medical masks fail to provide enough protection, so some people have turned to gas masks.

The causes of the frightening smog are rather mysterious, though experts blame too much emissions (排放) and the mountains around Beijing that trap pollution in winter, unless there is enough wind to clear it away. Some critics blamed China’s top two oil firms, China National Petroleum Corp and China Petrochemical Corporation, saying the companies’ outdated production technologies produce large quantities of high-polluting gas fuel.

Meanwhile, some Beijingers have moved their brainstorming discussion to computers. If Pan’s proposal for a Clean Air Act is adopted, netizens say the new law should include items providing for “car-free days” in times of smog, higher standards for vehicle fuel, stricter limit to industrial and engine gas emissions, and more effective protection for the public.

Beijing is not the only city that has ever lost the blue sky. Five days of thick fog caused thousands of deaths in Britain in December 1952, urging the government to pass the first Clean Air Act in 1956, which introduced smokeless zones and cleaner fuels to reduce pollution. That may provide some experience for Beijing to refer to.

1.Why did Pan Shiyi started an online survey?

A. To know the public’s opinions on pollution

B. To tell people the danger of the smoggy weather

C. To call on people to support his proposal

D. To collect supporting evidence for his proposal

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. People are clear about the causes of the smoggy weather.

B. Children staying indoors will not get respiratory illnesses.

C. Smog is worse for people with lower resistance to diseases.

D. Masks can give people protection against the smoggy weather.

3.Britain is mentioned in the last paragraph to ______.

A. suggest Beijing should learn from other countries

B. let people know many places have this problem

C. tell people the situation in Britain is worse

D. call on the government to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act

4. What’s the best title for this passage？

A. The Use of Gas masks and Engines

B. Beijingers Call for Clean Air Act

C. Effective Protection for Blue Sky

D. The Mysterious Causes of the Scary Smog

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The band Coldplay has released (发行) a new album called “Everyday Life”. But the group has announced it won’t go on tour until it can figure out how to tour without making the climate worse.

Normally when bands have a new album, they go on tour to promote (推销) the album. They may fly from country to country and drive across countries in buses, performing in concert after concert.

Touring is an important way singers and musicians earn money. But tours are very hard on the environment. Flying is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases. During their last tour, the band flew to five different continents and played 122 shows. They traveled with 109 supporting workers, 32 trucks, and 9 bus drivers. Think about the pollution from Coldplay’s flights as well as the trucks, buses and huge amounts of electricity required to power the shows!

It’s hard to keep track of the pollution a band creates while touring, but most of the environmental cost comes from the fans. During their last tour, Coldplay entertained 5.4 million fans, all of whom had to travel to the concerts and bought “merchandise” like T-shirts, CDs and posters. Some bought food and drinks at the concerts, creating tons of plastic waste.

Instead of touring to promote the new album, Coldplay recorded two videos of the band playing their new songs live in Jordan and has put the videos of their performances up for free viewing on YouTube.

Coldplay, one of whose dreams is to have a show with no single-use plastic and have it largely sun-powered, says it won’t tour again until its members work out how to make their tours help instead of hurt. The decision will cost the band a lot of money in the short run, but it could pay off big for the planet.

1.Why is Coldplay’s last tour mentioned twice by the author?

A.To stress the necessity of the tour.

B.To describe Coldplay’s great popularity.

C.To introduce Coldplay’s basic information.

D.To show huge environmental costs of the tour.

2.How did Coldplay promote the new album?

A.By making a tour in Jordan.

B.By distributing free CDs to fans.

C.By posting their performances online.

D.By performing their new songs live on TV.

3.Which of the following best describes Coldplay’s decision to quit tours?

A.Thoughtless. B.Meaningful.

C.Temporary. D.Doubtful.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Recently, an Internet game has become a new fashion among young office workers and students. People can “farm” on a piece of “land” and “grow”, “sell” or even “steal” “vegetables”, “flowers” and “fruits” on the Net. They earn some e-money and buy more “seeds”, “pets” and even “houses”.

Joyce interviewed some young people. Here are their opinions.

Harold: I don’t quite understand why they are so mad about the childish game. Maybe they are just not confident enough to face the real world.

Allan: I enjoy putting some “bugs” (小虫子) in my friends’' gardens and we’ve become closer because of the game. Having fun together is the most exciting thing about it.

Laura: You know, people in the city are longing for the life in the countryside. It reduces my work pressure in the office; besides, it gives me the exciting feeling of being a “thief”.

Ivy: Well, it’s just a waste of time. Teenagers playing the game spend so many hours on it that they cannot pay more attention to their study.

1.By playing the game, people can ______.

2. The people “steal” someone else’s “vegetables” to ______.

3. Among the people interviewed, ______ doesn't like the game at all.

4. What can you learn about Laura from the passage?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

―Is that Miss Liu having dinner over there?

―It________be her. She has gone to New York for an important business meeting.

A. mustn't                        B. needn't             C. can't                         D. shouldn't

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

New York has taken the title of the world’s top fashion capital from Milan. The annual survey suggest that the top five fashion cities are facing competition from Asia and Australia. New York had been the top fashion city for five years, but Milan took the title in 2009. The survey was made by the Global Language Monitor, a US based organization. It tracks the frequency（频率） of words and phrases in the media, on the Internet and throughout the blog. With the US economy recovering, New York once again took the top title. Hong Kong took second place. It was followed by London, Paris and Los Angeles. The other top 10 cities were Milan, Sydney, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid.

“Because of the new economic situation, the global fashion centers have also changed a lot, ”said Bekka Payack. the Manhattan-based fashion reporter for the Global Language Monitor. “The new list shows that global fashion centers will change now and then. Compared with the traditional fashion cities, some new ones are performing better and better. ”She said that perhaps this is new trend, and it is the first sign that the traditional top five fashion cities——New York, Paris, London, Milan, and Rome——do not control global fashion any more.

The biggest changes in the list are Hong Kong, Madrid and Melbourne. The Group said that the top newcomers to the list include Amsterdam at number 17, Cape Town at 23, Johannesburg at 25 and Vienna at 27.

The following are the 10 top fashion cities of 2010 and the changes from 2009.

1. New York（up 1）    2. Hong Kong（up 5）

3. London（up 2）    4. Paris（down 1）

5. Los Angeles（up 1）   6. Milan（down 5）

7. Sydney（up 2）    8. Miami（up 5）

9. Barcelona（up 5）     10. Madrid（up 11）

1.New York has regained the title of the world’s top fashion capital mainly because __________.

2.Compared with the 2009 list, which of the following has the greatest change?

3.We can infer from the text that __________.

4.The text is probably taken from a __________.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

With five breakout(破纪录的) games, Jeremy Lin has become the NBA’s newest star.

In the New York Knicks' 92-85 won over the Los Angles Lakers last Saturday, Lin had a career-high 38 points. A day later, he led the Knicks to their fifth victory, 100-98 to Minnesota Timberwolves. In his previous games, Lin, 23, had 23 points against the Washington, 25 points against New Jersey and 28 against Utah in his first start.

Lin is smart. Before graduating from high school in California, he had sent his application to all the Ivy League Schools(常青藤联盟). He only got into Harvard and Brown, and he chose Harvard. In 2010, Lin graduated with a degree in economics.

Lin is the first Chinese-American player in the NBA. He was born in the US and his family is Asian. Although not born in China, Lin has attracted nearly all Yao Ming's old fans, who see him as a powerful role model.

He started off on the Golden State Warriors. Lin first signed with the Warriors in July, 2010, but seldom played in games before the start of the fourth quarter. His first time on the court for the Warriors earned him seven points, three rebounds(篮板球) and two assists in just 11 minutes.

He is really perfect for the Knicks. The New York Knicks has been in need of a reliable point guard and to Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks coach who's going through a difficult season, Lin is a most unexpected figure. Lin just does everything easy and the rest of the guys around him are playing the way we want to," D'Antoni said. "I think it's for real, and it can only get better."

1.In which team did Lin start his career in NBA?

A. the New York Knicks　　 B. Minnesota Timberwolves

C. The Golden State Warriors　　 D. The Los Angles Lakers

2.From the passage, we learn that　　　 .

A. most of Yao Ming's fans take Lin as a great role model

B. Lin is an American-Chinese basketball player

C. the New York Knicks has never been defeated

D. after graduation from Harvard, Lin signed with the Knicks

3.From the passage, it can be inferred that　　　 .

A. Lin is the team leader of the Knicks

B. the Knicks' coach puts strong hopes on Lin

C. the Knicks' success only depends on Lin

D. the Knicks is sure to win the season this year

4.The author's purpose of writing the report is　　　 .

A. to introduce a newest rising NBA star

B. to express his love for Jeremy Lin

C. to report the progress of the Knicks

D. to show his support for the Knicks

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析