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The name might sound like that of a superhero, but Pooperman’s task is much more basic.
He, or she, is trying to shame the irresponsible dog owners of Lincoln into cleaning up behind their pets.
Pooperman sticks notes into dog waste that owners have failed to clean up, warning them not to do it again. The typed notes read, "Don’t leave it. You might be the one who steps in it the next time you walk this way."
While welcoming the purpose of the message, local government officers have rounded on Pooperman for producing even more rubbish.
They say they would prefer it if people told them when there was a problem rather than adding to the rubbish problem. The city of Lincoln government’s environmental officer, Tony Garner, said, "The public can help instead by observing dog owners to make sure they clean up after their pets, perhaps asking them to remove the waste if they try to leave it."
"If this doesn’t work we can take action — people can tell us who the owner is, give us a description of the owner and the dog, or simply tell us when and where they allow their dog to produce the waste."
"We can then focus our patrols(巡逻) and take action against irresponsible owners."
Sue Grace, a dog owner from Birchwood, Lincs, said, "I always clean up after my dog. It’s very irresponsible if you don’t."
"There’s nothing worse than stepping in dog waste or dragging your long lead through it, but I don’t know that putting notes on it is the answer."
"It’s good that the local government is fighting against dog waste, though it might take one or two prosecutions(起诉) to make any difference."
1.What does Pooperman try to do?
A.To have irresponsible dog owners remove dog waste.
B.To advise the local government to protect the environment.
C.To praise responsible dog owners for protecting the environment.
D.To remind the local government to deal with the dog waste problem.
2.What does the underlined part "rounded on" in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Punished. B.Blamed.
C.Laughed at. D.Worried about.
3.According to the environmental officer, the public can .
A.punish irresponsible dog owners when necessary
B.report irresponsible dog owners to the police if possible
C.force irresponsible dog owners to clean up dog waste in some way
D.request irresponsible dog owners to clean up dog waste then and there
4.The dog owner Sue Grace believes that .
A.the local dog owners are irresponsible
B.Pooperman is responsible and doing an effective job
C.the law may play a role in fighting against dog waste
D.the local government’s fighting against dog waste is successful
Skydive Greene County
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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It sounds like the perfect end to a long, hard day at work. But sitting in front of the TV might make you feel worse _____ better.
A. other than B. less than
C. or rather D. rather than
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Vans, Keds, Dollies—they sound like the names of rock bands, but if you have teenagers, you'll know they're actually the latest in teenage footwear.
But experts are now warning that the current shoe fashions will be causing teenagers discomfort in the short term and storing up years of foot, knee and back pain in the future.
Here, the experts identify the problems caused by teenagers' shoe choice.
KEDS/VANSSlip-on shoes with elastic (弹性的）sides are particularly popular among teenage boys - with Keds and Vans the most sought-after brands.
The main problem is that they are just too flat—so flat that the heel, which strikes the ground first, also becomes damaged and painful.
BALLET PUMPS
The worst shoes of all are such light and thin dolly shoes. The problem is partly their flatness, as with Keds and Vans. However ballet pumps, which have no string or heel, have other specific problems.“As the shoe has no fastening device, it relies on the toes to keep the shoe on, causing an awkward gait（步法）, this leads to short- and long-term problems such as calluses（茧子）, heel and knee pain.”
WEDGES AND STILETTOS
These shoes can also cause problems with gait. They may look good, but the heels on these are so high they can force the wearer's body weight forward, making them very unstable.Teens who wear these shoes regularly are also in danger of joining those millions of women with constant back pain.
SCHOOL SHOES
So what do podiatrists（足科医生）have on their wish list, especially for everyday wear?
Something in a natural, breathable fabric, with a string to hold it on, with a small heel and a deep toe-box that does not press the toes, such as Clark's, Marks & Spencer or Rhino.
If your teen insists on wearing 'bad' shoes, get them some simple foot orthotics(矫形器) in the shoes. These support and correct the movement of the foot and, properly fitted by a podiatrist, can often transform their walk and halt the damage.
1. Of all the shoes mentioned in the passage, which can cause the worst problems?
A. Marks & Spencer. B. Wedges & Stilettos.
C. Keds and Vans. D. Ballet Pumps.
2. Which pair of shoes may not be found on the podiatrists’ wish list?
3. The underlined word “halt” in the last paragraph probably means _______.
A. increase B. worsen C. stop D. cure
4. From this passage we can infer _______.
A. trendy shoes may ruin teenagers’ health
B. fashionable shoes all have orthotics in them
C. experts are strongly against wearing popular shoes
D. podiatrists are expert at producing branded shoes
5. In which column of Mail Online can you find this passage?
A. Sports. B. Science. C. Health. D. Shopping.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Mention the word superhero, and the images that come to mind are of fictional characters like Spiderman, Wonder Woman, or Batman. However, photographer Josh Rossi has used his camera to show the world’s real superheroes — young children who are battling severe diseases and disabilities.
The event leading to the creative project began in 2016, when Rossi fulfilled his then three-year-old daughter’s dream of becoming Wonder Woman. Thanks to the handmade costume and Rossi’s impressive Photoshop skills, the photoshoot instantly became a hit.
Since it was Wonder Woman that brought about the idea, Rossi decided to focus on the superheroes that will appear alongside her in the upcoming movie, Justice League. To make the photoshoot more meaningful to the kids, he matched each child with a superhero with whom they had the most in common.
The first member of the real-life “Justice League” was Kayden Kinckle. The five-year-old uses prosthetics (假肢) to walk because both his legs had to be cut off due to a born disorder. To Rossi, Kayden’s perfect superhero was Cyborg, who was a healthy boy before a terrible accident left him injured, forcing his father to keep him alive with robotic parts.
Teagan Pettit was born with only half a heart and has already gone through three open-heart surgeries. According to Rossi, the nine-year-old fits the bill for Superman because they both have a weak heart. The fictional superhero grows weak when near Kryptonite (氪), while Teagen’s half heart is too weak to control his body temperature. The photographer says, “Superman and Teagan both have hearts of steel!”
1.What led Rossi to begin his heartwarming project?
A.He was a big fan of superheroes.
B.He photographed his daughter as Wonder Woman.
C.He was asked by many parents to film their children.
D.He wanted to advertise the upcoming movie.
2.Kayden is similar to ________ according to Rossi.
A.Cyborg. B.Wonder Woman. C.Teagan. D.Batman.
3.What does the underlined phrase “fits the bill for” in the last paragraph mean?
A.loves. B.matches. C.orders. D.watches.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.A Superhero Photographer B.Fictional Superheroes
C.Fans of Superheroes D.Real-life Superheroes
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The term modern art sounds like it means art that is popular at the moment, but in fact, modern art is a style that originated over 150 years ago, and includes artists that by now have attained classic status, such as Picasso, Matisse, and Gauguin. And what’s even more ironic (讽刺的) is that the movement they pioneered, considered revolutionary at the time, was inspired largely by an object of a traditional and ancient design.
As far back as the Renaissance, the primary European art movements emphasized conventional representation and adherence (遵循) to classical forms. But that began to change in the late 19th century as artists like Van Gogh and Cezanne expanded the boundaries of painting. Soon, a movement arose that sought to create an entirely new style of art, and one way of doing so was to look beyond Western civilization.
Henri Matisse showed his friend Picasso a mask he had acquired made by the Dan tribe of the Ivory Coast. The mask awoke Picasso’s curiosity, leading him to visit the Trocadero Ethnographic Museum in Paris in 1907. The visit was eye-opening for Picasso, who declared that African masks were what painting was all about. At this time, Picasso had been working on a painting of five naked women in a style that would later come to be known as Cubism. And while three of these ladies show facial features found in ancient Iberian art, a nod to Picasso’s Spanish heritage, the faces of the two on the right closely resemble African masks. Created in 1907 after hundreds of sketches and studies, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” has been considered the first truly 20th century masterpiece, breaking with many previously held notions in art.
Inspiration from ancient cultures started one of the most revolutionary movements in art history, but were these artists playing the role of explorers or conquerors, stealing ideas and profiting from cultures they considered primitive? Questions like this deserve scrutiny (审查), as artists continue to redefine standards. Perhaps not too long from now, the bold innovations (单新) of modern art will be overturned by a new set of pioneers drawing inspiration from another unlikely source.
1.The style of European art didn’t experience any changes until__________
A.artists turned to nature for inspiration.
B.artists looked beyond western civilization.
C.artists began to emphasize self-expression.
D.artists expanded the boundaries of painting.
2.What can we learn about “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”?
A.It combined different cultural elements.
B.Its distinctive style invited much criticism.
C.It broke away from all conventional styles.
D.It was inspired by a visit to the Ivory Coast.
3.What does the author try to convey in the last paragraph?
A.Artistic creation involves imitation and innovation.
B.The pioneering role of modern artists is questionable.
C.Drawing inspiration from different cultures is essential.
D.It’s vital that the standards of art should change constantly.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.A Glimpse into Modern European Art
B.The Pioneering Figures of Modern Art
C.Why We Should Redefine Modern Art
D.How Ancient Art Influenced Modern Art
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Talking plants might sound like characters in a fairy tale. But recent scientific studies have shown that plants communicate with each other and with other living things in a surprising number of ways. To understand them, scientists say, we just have to learn their language. Farmers are especially interested in what plants have to say.
“Plants are able to communicate with all sorts of organisms (有机体). They can communicate with giant bacteria, with other plants and with insects. They do this chemically，” said Cahill, an Ecology Professor of the University of Alberta in Canada.
Plant scientists are just beginning to understand this chemical “language”. Cahill says studies have shown, for example, that plants can evaluate (评估) conditions in their immediate environment and take appropriate actions. Plants have an ability, for example, to signal pain or discomfort caused by anything from temperature extremes to an insect attack. Jack Schultz, a professor of chemical ecology at the University of Missouri, says when a plant senses that it's being eaten, it cannot walk away from trouble; on the contrary, it will release a chemical vapor(蒸汽) that alerts other plants nearby.
“Their language is a chemical language, and it involves chemicals that move through the air that are easy to be changeable, and most of all are smells that we are familiar with，” Schultz explained.
“All plants responded to the attack by changing their chemistry to defend themselves，” Schultz recalled. “But we were quite surprised to find that nearby plants also changed their chemistry to defend themselves, even though they were not part of the experiment.”
Studies have also shown that plants under attack release pleasant chemicals. Those chemicals attract friendly insects that attack the pests eating the plant.
In the end, plants' ability to communicate their needs—and our ability to understand them—could help farmers reduce the use of poisonous chemicals, cut operating costs and limit damage to the environment.
1.The recent scientific studies have shown that plants can ______.
A．communicate with other living things in a chemical way
B．hardly react to any sudden change in temperature
C．use a very special chemica1 language which is familiar to us
D．respond to the attack by giving off poisonous chemicals
2.When being eaten by an insect, the plant will ________.
A．walk away from trouble
B．change its chemistry to kill the insect
C．release a chemical vapor to “ask” other plants for help
D．give off nice chemicals to attract friendly insects killing the pest
3.The underlined word “alert” most probably means “______”．
A．warn B．protect
C．threaten D．allow
4.Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．Communication between Plants
B．A Chemical “Language”
C．Plants Can Talk
D．How Plants Protect Themselves
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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To the untrained eye it might seem like just a bit of a monkey trick. But when Milly the mandrill (山魈, 西非洲产的大狒狒) covers her face with her hand she is actually sending a serious message to her fellows: “Leave me alone!”
Experts believe the 15-year-old mandrill invented the gesture to warn other monkeys at Colchester Zoo to give her some space. And, surprisingly, the signal has been picked by other members of the group, who use it when they too require solitude.
Biologist Mark Laidre believes the behavior is evidence of social culture among the mandrills. Importantly, the sign language is unlikely to have been influenced by human activities because mandrills do not copy humans. Mr. Laidre expects further research will uncover other monkeys using cultural gestures — the ability to communicate with the hands in a meaningful way. “By covering their eyes with their hands, possibly conveyed to others that they wanted to be left alone and this message may have been respected as a ‘do not disturb’ sign,” said Mr. Laidre.
While the hand is in place, other monkeys are not likely to approach or touch the monkey. Those who rank lower in the social order also use the technique to avoid attacks from more powerful group members. As the discovery appears to be unique to Colchester Zoo, it suggests it is a local phenomenon that arose naturally in the community of 25 mandrills.
Curator （园长） Sarah Forsyth said: “We believe Milly made up the signal and over the past five years some of the younger mandrills have picked it up. We’re not sure why she started doing it but it could be as simple as ‘I can’t see them, so they can’t see me’. It really does show you how intelligent mandrills are.”
1. What’s the text mainly about?
A. How humans influenced monkeys.
B. A monkey invented a gesture.
C. A new social culture was discovered.
D. How experts made the new discovery.
2. What does the underlined word “solitude” in the second paragraph mean?
A. Aloneness. B. Comfort.
C. Protection. D. Respect.
3. According to Mark Laidre, _____.
A. human activities affect mandrills’ sign language
B. animals are slow in picking up information
C. mandrills’ social culture has nothing to do with humans
D. mandrills are the largest species of monkey in the world
4. The monkeys can also use the “do not disturb” sign to _____.
A. protect themselves from being harmed
B. struggle against more powerful group members
C. show humans how intelligent they are
5.What can be known from the text?
A. Milly invented the gesture when she was 15.
B. Mandrills are best known for their social ability.
C. Why Milly first used the sign language is known to experts.
D. Only the mandrills in Colchester Zoo use the gesture.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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It looked to all the world like something that might have graced the cover of a 1950s comic book. On September 28th, on a warm Texas evening, Elon Musk, the boss of SpaceX, a rocketry firm, introduced his company's newest machine, Starship Mkl. It stands 50 metres tall and is made from shiny plates of stainless steel. Despite its name, it is not in fact an interstellar （恒星之间的） spacecraft. But it is a prototype （雏形）of an interplanetary one. Mr Musk hopes, one day, to use its successors to ferry passengers to the Moon or to Mars — or perhaps even, according to one piece of SpaceX concept art, all the way to Saturn （土星）.
In the 17 years since its founding, SpaceX’s cheap, reusable machines have revolutionised the rocket business. The firm's ukra-low prices have seen it seized a dominant share of the commercial satellite-launching market. Along with Boeing, an American aerospace giant, SpaceX is responsible for ferrying supplies to the International Space Station, It may soon fly astronauts there as well. But all of this commercial success is merely a necessary first step in Mr Musk’ bigger plan, which is to make humanity into a "niultiplanetary species" by establishing colonies in the universe.
That is where the Starship comes in. The prototype on display in Texas is only one half of an enormous rocket stack designed with planetary colonisation in mind. When paired with a Falcon Super Heavy booster （助推火箭），which is also being developed, the result should be able of lifting around 150 tonnes into orbit. That would make it the most powerful rocket ever built, superior to the Saturn V, which sent astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s. And unlike the Saturn V, whose three stages were abandoned to the sea or to space as their fuel was used up, the Starship and its booster will be reusable which should keep costs down.
It is a bold plan. Mr Musk's shorter-term plans are bold too. Besides designing a new spaceship and booster, SpaceX engineers are busy working on a new. more efficient engine to power them. Called Raptor, it is designed to bum super-cold methane rather than the kerosene that fuels the company's current Merlin engines. The Starship will sport six Raptor engines. But each Super Heavy booster will need somewhere between 24 and 37. The result will be a repairman's nightmare.
Mr Musk has said, perhaps optimistically, that a Starship prototype might be ready for a test flight all the way to orbit (although without its booster stage) within six months. That would be of a piece with its crazy development schedule. The traditional rocket-building industry is used to generous government contracts that are about job creation as much as rocket creation. However, SpaceX has adopted a different approach, closer to the rapid-fire development practices of the software industry.
The Starship prototype, for instance, was put together in a matter of months. It was built out in the open, rather than in a carefully controlled factory environment. The firm has two teams competing against each other to produce the best design,
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Starship Mkl VS Satum V
B.Development of space travel
C.A promising company in the rocket business
D.Starship Mk 1, a new kind of rocket in a sense
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Starship Mkl was designed to beat Boeing and dominate the market.
B.SpaceX aims to realize interplanetary travel and set up space colonies.
C.SpaceX is not dependent on the government's contracts to expand its business.
D.Starship Mkl beats Satum V in that it is recyclable, cost-saving and more powerful.
3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Repairmen hate working with a powerful rocket.
B.The special fuel is in great demand and not always available.
C.Ifs no easy job to equip the rocket with the engines needed.
D.Too many engines may bring about great trouble once going wrong.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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One might expect that the evergrowing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holidaymakers.Indeed，a rosy picture is painted for the longterm future of the holiday industry.Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere.And every month another rockbound Pacific island is advertised as the ‘last paradise(天堂) on earth’．
However，the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy.In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of seaside holidays，overcrowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal.
Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most.In recent years，Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education.Its forests，full of wildlife and rare flowers，were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise.In fact，the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holidaymakers traveling through the forest land.Ancient tracks became major routes for the walkers，with the consequent exploitation of precious trees and plants.
Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism.The people as well rapidly feel its effects.Farmland makes way for hotels，roads and airports；the old way of life goes.The onetime farmer is now the servant of some multinational organization；he is no longer his own master.Once it was his back that bore the pain；now it is his smile that is exploited.No doubt he wonders whether he wasn’t happier in his village working his own land.
Thankfully，the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers.The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies.At the same time，tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people.
The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit.Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies.Increased understanding in planning worldwide tourism can preserve the market for these companies.If not，in a few years’ time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.
1.What does the author indicate in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
A．The Pacific island is a paradise.
B．The Pacific island is worth visiting.
C．The advertisement is not convincing.
D．The advertisement is not impressive.
2.The example of Nepal is used to suggest________.
A．its natural resources are untouched
B．its forests are exploited for farmland
C．it develops well in health and education
D．it suffers from the heavy flow of tourists
3.What can we learn about the farmers from Paragraph 4?
A．They are happy to work their own lands.
B．They have to please the tourists for a living.
C．They have to struggle for their independence.
D．They are proud of working in multinational organizations.
4.Which of the following determines the future of tourism ?
A．The number of tourists.
B．The improvement of services.
C．The promotion of new products.
D．The management of tourism.
5.The author’s attitude towards the development of the tourist industry is________.
A．optimistic B．doubtful
C．objective D．negative
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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One might expect that the evergrowing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holidaymakers. Indeed, a rosy picture is painted for the longterm future of the holiday industry. Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere. And every month another rockbound Pacific island is advertised as the ‘last paradise(天堂) on earth’．
However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy. In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of seaside holidays, overcrowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal.
Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most. In recent years, Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education. Its forests, full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise. In fact, the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holidaymakers traveling through the forest land. Ancient tracks became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent exploitation of precious trees and plants.
Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism. The people as well rapidly feel its effects. Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and airports; the old way of life goes. The onetime farmer is now the servant of some multinational organization; he is no longer his own master. Once it was his back that bore the pain; now it is his smile that is exploited. No doubt he wonders whether he wasn't happier in his village working his own land.
Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers. The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies. At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people.
The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit. Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies. Increased understanding in planning worldwide tourism can preserve the market for these companies. If not, in a few years' time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.
1.What does the author indicate in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
A.The Pacific island is a paradise.
B.The Pacific island is worth visiting.
C.The advertisement is not convincing.
D.The advertisement is not impressive.
2.The example of Nepal is used to suggest ________.
A.its natural resources are untouched
B.its forests are exploited for farmland
C.it develops well in health and education
D.it suffers from the heavy flow of tourists
3.What can we learn about the farmers from Paragraph 4?
A.They are happy to work their own lands.
B.They have to please the tourists for a living.
C.They have to struggle for their independence.
D.They are proud of working in multinational organizations.
4.Which of the following determines the future of tourism?
A.The number of tourists.
B.The improvement of services.
C.The promotion of new products.
D.The management of tourism.
5.The author's attitude towards the development of the tourist industry is ________.
A.optimistic B.doubtful
C.objective D.negative
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The worst shoes of all are such light and thin dolly shoes. The problem is partly their flatness, as with Keds and Vans. However ballet pumps, which have no string or heel, have other specific problems.
These shoes can also cause problems with gait. They may look good, but the heels on these are so high they can force the wearer's body weight forward, making them very unstable.