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For the first time in modern history, less than half of the U.S. adult population now reads literature, according to a recent survey. Reading at Risk: A survey of Literary Reading in America presents a detailed review of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture.
Reading at Risk is a survey of national fashion in adult literary reading. The data source for Reading at Risk is as reliable and objective (客观的) as any such survey can be. The key results of the survey are presented in the “Summary”, but the report can be further explained as: literary reading in America is not only declining rapidly among all groups, but the rate of decline has been speeded up, especially among the young. Reading at Risk merely shows a great cultural change that most Americans have already noted － our society’s great turn to electronic media for entertainment and information.
Reading a book requires a degree of active attention and devotion. Indeed, reading itself is a progressive skill that depends on years of education and practice. On the contrary, most electronic media such as television, recordings, and radio make fewer demands on their audiences, and indeed often require no more than passive participation. While oral culture has a rich reality and electronic media offer the considerable advantages of variety, print culture affords irreplaceable forms of focused attention and thought that make various communications and views possible. The decline in reading, therefore, equals a larger retreat (减少) from participation in public and cultural life.
What is to be done? There is surely no single solution to the present problem, just as there is no single cause. The important thing now is to understand that America can no longer take active and devoted reading for granted.
Reading is not a timeless, common ability. As more Americans lose that ability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent minded. These are not qualities that a free, inventive, or productive society can afford to lose.
1.The main purpose of the survey is to __________.
A. focus on the role of electronic media and reading
B. show that American young people read less and less
C. give a report of the national fashion of literary reading
D. review that less than half of the population now reads literature
2.According to the passage, reading __________.
A. requires less attention and devotion
B. demands no more than passive participation
C. limits various communications and views
D. means active participation in public and cultural life
3.The underlined phrase “cultural change” in Paragraph 2 refers to the change __________.
A. from oral culture to electronic media
B. from print culture to electronic media
C. from electronic media to oral culture
D. from electronic media to print culture
4.The author of the passage __________.
A. misunderstands oral culture
B. doubts the results of the survey
C. encourages the Americans to read more
D. agrees to the solution to the present problem in reading
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Some people prefer to work and live in Chengdu, for the price of an apartment is less than half of ________ of big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
A. it B. what C. that D. One
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The voice of an ancient Egyptian priest has been heard for the first time in more than 3,000 years, thanks to a detailed reconstruction of his vocal tract (声带) from his mummified remains.
A team of scientists in England used medical scans of the famous mummy of Nesyamun to create a digital, 3D model of the insides of the individual’s throat and mouth, which were reproduced on a 3D printer. Then the researchers created an artificial larynx (喉头) with a loudspeaker using an electronic waveform. The sound was then played through the speaker into the 3D printed vocal tract to produce a short bust of Nesyamun’s voice — a sound not heard since the 11th century B.C.
Previous efforts to reproduce ancient voices could only approximate them, by animating facial reconstructions with software. In comparison, the sound of Nesyamun’s voice is based on “an extant (现存的) vocal tract preserved over 3,000 years,” the researchers wrote.
Nesyamun lived around 1100 B.C. He is thought to have died in his late 50s from a severe allergic reaction. Almost 3,000 years later, his mummy was discovered at Karnak and transported to the Leeds City Museum in 1823. His remains and ornate coffin (棺材) have since become some of the world’s best researched relics of ancient Egypt.
“Nesyamun’s mummy was a good choice for studying the sound of an ancient voice,” said David Howard, the lead author of the new research, “It was particularly suited, given its age and preservation of its soft tissues, which is unusual.”
He said he hopes the scientific understanding of how human voices are created can be combined with knowledge of the ancient Egyptian language to reconstruct longer passages of Nesyamun’s speech.
Before examining the mummy, the researchers had to deal with ethical (道德的) concerns related to examining a person without their consent. They used nondestructive research methods, and took into account words on his coffin, relating that Nesyamun hoped again to address the gods as he had in his working life.
The researchers interpreted that to indicate his desire to speak again after death. “We are in a way fulfilling his declared wishes,” Howard said.
Howard and Schofield said they hope a reconstruction of Nesyamun’s speech, perhaps reciting an ancient Egyptian prayer, can be featured at the Karnak temple in Egypt for modem tourists.
“When visitors encounter the past, it is usually a visual encounter,” said Schofield. “With this voice, we can change that.”
1.The voice of Nesyamun was recreated by _____.
A.repairing his vocal tract
B.bringing Nesyamun back to life
C.using some advanced technologies
D.combining it with facial movements
2.Why was Nesyamun’s mummy suitable for research?
A.He often gave long speeches.
B.His vocal tract is well preserved.
C.A severe disease resulted in his death.
D.His remains are displayed in the museum.
3.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 8 refer to?
A.The researchers took into account words on his coffin.
B.Nesyamun’s mummy was examined without his consent.
C.The researchers hope to reconstruct longer passages of his speech.
D.Nesyamun hoped to address the gods as he had in his working life.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.A 3000-year-old mummy speaks again
B.The voice of a mummy excites visitors
C.A 3D-printed vocal tract has been created
D.The dream of Nesyamun has been achieved
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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What a wonder! They have finished _______ half of the project in such a short time.
A. no more than B. no less than C. not more than D. much less 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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What a wonder! They’ve finished _________half of the project in such a short time．
A．no more than B．no less than C．not more than
much less than高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
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What a wonder! They’ve finished _________half of the project in such a short time．
A．no more than B．no less than C．not more than D．much less 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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Humanity uses a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet occurrences of shortages and droughts (干旱) are causing famine and distress in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world's population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.
But that doesn't have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world---if we start valuing water more than we did in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.
Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.
Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound (健康的) ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.
No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate (调整) water policy.
1.What is the real cause of the potentials water crisis.
A. Only half of the world's water can be used.
B. The world population is increasing faster and faster.
C. Half of the world's water resources have been seriously polluted.
D. Humanity has not placed enough value on water resources.
2.As is indicated in the passage, the water problem _________ .
A. is already serious in certain parts of the world.
B. has been exaggerated by some experts in the field
C. poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs(水库)
D. is underestimated by government organizations at different levels
3. According to the author, the water price should _______ .
A. be reduced to the minimum B. stimulate domestic demand
C. go with its real value D. take into account the occurrences of droughts
4.In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ______ .
A. guarantee full protection of the environment
B. centralize the management of water resources
C. increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels
D. encourage local and regional water resources
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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In America，the number of people killed in car crashes in 2016 was above 40，000 for the first time in a decade，data released on Wednesday shows．
“Americans believe there is nothing we can do to stop crashes from happening，but that isn't true．We are behind the rest of the developed world in addressing highway fatalities(死亡)．We just haven't been willing to do what needs to be done，”said Deborah A．P．Hersman，president of the National Safety Council．
The National Safety Council data shows a 6 percent increase in deaths in 2018 when compared with 2015 and a 3 percent increase in the number of miles Americana drove in 2016．
“Motor vehicle fatality numbers have been ringing the alarm for two years，”Hersman said．“Unfortunately，we have been blind to the data and the killings on our roadways．If we fail to take action，the death tell will continue to rise．”
“The trend is clear：After years of progress，highway deaths are heading in the wrong direction，”said Jonathan Adkins，a state safety official．
The number of people killed reached a record low of 32，675 in 2014，according to NHTSA statistics．That record followed a fairly steady downward track for the past six years that experts attributed it primarily to safety features that have been built into cars and trucks．
Safety advances including increased seat-belt use，air bags，anti-lock braking，stability controls and electronic warnings and cameras．
The bad economy and high gas prices also influenced the reduction in deaths．Now，with unemployment and gas prices both low，more people are driving for work and pleasure trips．
“It’s not just that Americans drive more miles when the economy improves ；it’s the kind of miles they drive，”said Adrian Lund，president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety．
1.What’s Hersman’s attitude towards the present situation?
A. It has been getting better． B. It can hardly be improved．
C. The efforts are far from enough． D. Much work hart already been done．
2.What do we learn about the number of highway deaths in 2013 in America?
A. It’s lower than that in 2014． B. It’s lower than that in 2010．
C. It’s the lowest in recent years． D. It’s the highest in recently years．
3.What will happen with the economic recovery?
A. The gas prices will go up． B. The gas price will go down．
C. There will be more highway deaths． D. There will be fewer highway deaths．
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Traffic Deaths Are on the Rise B. Highway Deaths Will Drop off
C. Measures to Handle Car Crashes D. Safety Advances in Cars Are Made
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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In the less than two months since the reality television show—"Where Are We Going , Dad?" first aired, the show to the top of Chinese television ratings．
A． had climbed B． has climbed C． climbed D． was climbing
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, two plants were brought to England, for the first time, by Sir Walter Raleigh, both of which are now very much used—the tobacco-plant and the potato. Sir Walter had sailed across the seas to America, in search of new lands; and he brought back both these plants with him.
When he was in America, he had seen the Indians smoke, and before long he acquired the habit himself. He became extremely fond of smoking, and frequently indulged in the practice.
When he returned to England, he was sitting by the fire one day, and began to smoke. In the middle of his smoking, the door opened, and in came his man-servant. Now this man had never in his life seen any one smoke, and did not know that where was such a plant as tobacco. So, when he saw the smoke coming from his master’s mouth, he thought that he was on fire!
But very soon the old servant got used to seeing people with smoke coming out of their mouths; and all the young nobles of the court began to smoke because Sir Walter did so.
At first, people did not like the potato at all: nobody would eat it. Yet Sir Walter told them how useful it would be. The potato, he said, could be made to grow in England. He told them that, when the corn-harvest failed—which it often used to do—people need not starve if they had plenty of potatoes.
Queen Elizabeth, who was a very clever woman, listened to what Sir Walter said, and had potatoes served up at her own table. There the grand people who dined with her majesty were obliged to eat them. But they spread a report that the potato was poisonous, because it belongs to the same order as the deadly nightshade(龙葵属植物) and many other poisonous plants. So, in spite of all that the Queen could do, no one would eat potatoes, and they were left for the pigs.
The people did not find out their mistake till many years afterwards when the French king Louis XVI asked his people to eat them. And people began to find out how good and wholesome they were. The potato was more and more liked; and now there is hardly any vegetable that is more highly esteemed.
1.What do we know about Sir Walter?
A.He introduced the tobacco-plant and the potato to England.
B.He went to America in order to do research on plants and animals.
C.He was forced to smoke by the Indians in America during his stay there.
D.He taught Queen Elizabeth how to smoke in court with the young nobles.
2.People were afraid of the potatoes at first because ___________.
A.the Queen refused to eat them herself
B.they were used as poison by the Indians
C.they were long used as food for the pigs
D.they belong to the poisonous nightshade
3.What can we learn from the text?
A.Both the tobacco plant and the potato were native to France.
B.Young nobles in England refused to smoke for the terrible smell.
C.It was not easy to grow corn back in the age of Queen Elizabeth.
D.The English people were the first to accept potatoes as tasty food.
4.What conclusion can we draw from the two stories?
A.Only those who are willing to take risks can succeed in the end.
B.They are lots of new plants on the earth that can be used as food.
C.All people are afraid to try things that are new and strange to them.
D.The upper class had huge influence on the way people lived in the past.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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