The snow cap of Mount Kilimanjaro, famous in ...

The snow cap of Mount Kilimanjaro, famous in literature and beloved by tourists, initially formed some 11,000 years ago, but will be gone in two decades, according to researchers who say the ice fields on Africa’s highest mountain shrank by 80 percent in the past century.

Lonnie G. Thompson,one professor from Ohio State University, said measurements using modern navigation satellites show that the oldest ice layers on the famous mountain were deposited during an extremely wet period starting about 11,700 years ago.The mountain appears in literature, most notably Ernest Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and some ancient beliefs in Africa hold the mountain to be a sacred place.

But a temperature rise in recent years is destroying the 150-foot-high blocks of ice that gave Kilimanjaro its unique white cap.“The ice will be gone by about 2030,” said Thompson. The disappearing ice already has reduced the amount of water in some Tanzanian rivers and the government fears that when Kilimanjaro is bald of snow the tourists will stop coming.

“Kilimanjaro is the number one foreign currency earner for the government of Tanzania,” said Thompson. “It has its own international airport and some 20,000 tourists every year. The question is how many will come if there are no ice fields on the mountain.”

Africa was not alone in the global drought. Thompson said other records show that civilizations during this period collapsed in India, the Middle East and South America.

Researchers put markers on the ice field blocks in 1962 and Thompson said measurements using satellites show the summit of the ice has been lowered by about 56 feet in 40 years. The margin of the ice also has moved back more than six feet in the past two years, much smaller than before.

“That’s more than two meter’s worth of ice lost from a wall 164 feet (50 meters) high,” said Thompson. “That’s an enormous amount of ice.”

1.The snow cap of Mount Kilimanjaro ________.

A. will disappear in two centuries

B.first developed some 11,000 years ago

C. resulted in a temperature rise in recent years

D. has decreased to 80 percent over the past century

2.According to Thompson, the disappearing of the snow may mainly influence________.

A. the local water supply

B. the local tourism

C. the weather in the surrounding areas

D. the government foreign currency exchange

3.The underlined word “margin”inParagraph6 means__________.

A. center　 B. Top　 C. edge　　 D. back

4.The writer’s tone in this article is___________.

A. concerned　　　　　　 B. casual

C. doubtful　　　　　　 D. angry

5.Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?

A.Risks of Visiting Mount Kilimanjaro

B. ASacred Place— Kilimanjaro

C. Africa’s Highest Mountain

D. Kilimanjaro Snow Cap May Melt Soon

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the shadow of Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro, nine Rothschild giraffes, the rarest giraffes on the planet, are free to wander at the English-style manor (庄园). Every day shortly before 9am, they come up to the house and stick their heads through the windows and doors in search of morning treats. The manor’s owners, Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley, share their dining table with them. And now the couple are sharing the fantastic experience with the public by opening the manor gates to guests at the giraffe hotel, the only hotel of its kind in the world. Now, guests can feed the giraffes at breakfast but can also get up close to them from their second-floor bedrooms.

Mr and Mrs Carr-Hartley，both 38, spent their childhood living close to the house in Nairobi and have always been enthusiastic about the animals. Tanya said, “Mikey and I grew up near this manor house when we were children. We are both third generation Kenyans and have always wanted to work in conservation. Mikey’s family have been related to the protection of animals for many generations. His granddad helped the removal of giraffes as far back as the 1930s because the Rothschild giraffes lost much of their natural living space. When the house came up for sale, we jumped at the chance to buy it as we had always dreamed of owning it. Now, we were absolutely overjoyed to do something for the giraffe protection. Having the giraffes so close is very special and something which people can now experience by staying in one of the ten rooms at the hotel.”

A conservation project to save them was started at the manor in 1974 by the previous owners. “The previous owners ran a very successful breeding (繁殖) programme, where many giraffes were set free into the wild and we hope to continue,” said Tanya.

1.Why are the Carr-Hartley family unusual?

A.They’re living on the rarest giraffes. B.They share their home with giraffes.

C.They’re good at making giraffes’ food. D.They train giraffes to manage the hotel.

2.What can we know about Mikey’s family?

A.It has had a long connection with giraffes. B.It used to raise giraffes around the manor.

C.It built a new manor for the wild giraffes. D.It removed giraffes to Mount Kilimanjaro.

3.Which can best describe the manor’s previous owners’ conservation project?

A.Visitor-friendly. B.Energy-saving. C.Costly. D.Fruitful.

4.What is the suitable title for the text?

A.Giraffes’ breakfast by guests B.Reasons for giraffe protection

C.The world’s only giraffe hotel D.History of the giraffe manor

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Looking for somewhere to go during the months of December, January and February? From snow-capped ski resorts to sunny islands, these are the hottest travel destinations to visit this winter.

St. Lucia

Longing for a tropical （热带的）getaway? Set your sights on St. Lucia. With Kayak reporting a 197 percent surge （激增）in interest, this Eastern Caribbean island nation is on the verge of blowing up.　Which shouldn't be a shock given that it delivers a mix of volcanic coastline, lush rainforests, dramatic mountains, coral reefs, and high-end resorts. Simply put： whether you're seeking romance or adventure, you'll find it in St. Lucia.

Mexico City, Mexico

With mouth-watering food, fashionable hotels, superb shopping, and tons of historic sites, Mexico City is definitely one to add to your list for the upcoming winter season. Since it's a major international airport, you can usually score flight deals.

New York City

While there's no bad month to experience the Big Apple, the frosty season is particularly magical. Guess that's why New York City ranks among the most searched winter travel destinations, according to Expedia. The most cherished attractions? The ice skating rink（溜冰场）at Rockefeller Center and sledding in Central Park.

Paris

“Many people frequent Paris in spring and summer,” reveals Hudson. “The trade-off for picture-perfect weather? Long lines at museums, plus a Metro chock-full of map-toting tourists. ” Based on Expedia data, the cheapest month to go to Paris is February. Our advice? Pack your most fashionable raincoat and let the winter sadness fade away in the City of Light.

1.Where will you go if you long for a risky trip?

A.St. Lucia. B.Mexico City, Mexico.

C.New York City. D.Paris.

2.What is special about Mexico City?

A.Its weather is always great.

B.It often offers discounted air tickets.

C.It provides magical experience in winter.

D.It is the most searched winter travel destination.

3.What can we learn about Paris?

A.It is a fashionable city.

B.Its climate is quite perfect.

C.Its winter sports are attractive.

D.It is a popular tourist destination in spring.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Ann _______ English literature in college, but now she's one of the most famous designers.

A.studied B.had studied C.has studied D.was studying

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the famous fairy tale, Snow White eats the Queen's apple and falls victim to a curse（诅咒）;in Shakespeare's novel, Romeo drinks the poison and dies; some ancient Chinese emperors took pellets（药丸）that contained mercury（水银）, believing that it would make them immortal, but they died afterward.

Poison has long been an important ingredient in literature and history, and it seems to always be associated with evil, danger and death. But how much do you really know about poison?

An exhibition, The Power of Poison, opened last month at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, intended to give the audience a more vivid understanding of poison.

The museum tour starts in a rainforest setting, where you can see live examples of some of the most poisonous animals: caterpillars（毛毛虫）, frogs and spiders. Golden poison frogs, for instance, aren't much bigger than a coin, but their skin is covered with a poison that can cut off the signaling power of your nerves, and a single frog has enough venom to kill 10 grown humans.

"Poisons can be bad for some things," Michael Novacek, senior vice president of the museum, told NBC News. "Yet they can also be good for others."

A poisonous chemical found in the yew tree is effective against cancer, which is what led to the invention of a cancer-fighting drug called Taxol.

The benefits from natural poisons are not limited to just medicine. Believe it or not, many substances（物质）that we regularly ingest（摄入）-chili, coffee and chocolate-owe their special flavors or stimulating（提神的）effects to chemicals that plants make to poison insects.

1.What does the underlined word "immortal" in Paragraph 1 mean?

A. happy　　 B. not moral

C. living forever　　 D. sick

2.What is the main purpose of the exhibition The Power of Poison?

A. To give people more in-depth knowledge about poison.

B. To teach people how to handle poisonous animals.

C. To inform people about which animals are the most poisonous.

D. To show how poison has been used for medical treatment.

3.Which of the following statements about the Golden poison frog is TRUE according to the article?

A. Its skin can cut off the signaling power of your nerves.

B. It's about the size of a coin.

C. It's the most poisonous animal on display.

D. You can only see it in a rainforest setting of the museum.

4.The stimulating effects of coffee come from ________.

A. natural poison made by the plant

B. the substances that we regularly ingest

C. chemicals produced by poisonous insects

D. its special flavor

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A scientific report has found that snow and ice on Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro ______rapidly and could vanish within 20 years.

A．has been melted                        B．will melt

C．is melting                             D．was being melted

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was the end of my first day as waitress in a busy New York restaurant.My cap had gone away，and my feet were ____.The loaded plates I carried ____ to be heavier and heavier.Tired and discouraged，I wasn’t able to do anything ____.As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their ice­cream ____ a dozen times，I was ready to stop.Then the father ____ at me as he handed me my tip.“Well done，”he said，“you’ve ____ us really well.” Suddenly my tiredness ____.I smiled back，and later，when the ____ asked me how I’d like my first day，I said，“Fun！” Those few words of praise had ____ everything.Praise is like ____ to the human spirit；we cannot grow without it.And ___，while most of us are only too ____ to apply to others the cold wind of criticism，we are ___ to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.Why—when one word of praise can bring such ____？

It is strange how chary(吝啬的) we are about praising.Perhaps it’s ____ few of us know how to accept it.It’s ____ rewarding to give praise in areas in which ___ generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned.An artist gets admired for a glorious picture，a cook for a ____ meal.But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are ____ just right？In fact，to give praise ____ the giver nothing but a moment’s thought and a moment’s effort.

1.A.small　                             B．painful

C．tough　                         D．white

2.A.remained　                         B．looked

C．seemed　                         D．turned

3.A.happy　                             B．special

C．strange　                         D．right

4.A.order　                             B．price

C．colour　                         D．shape

5.A.stared　                             B．smiled

C．called　                         D．nodded

6.A.talked about　                     B．looked after

C．depended on　                     D．thought of

7.A.increased　                         B．continued

C．disappeared　                     D．developed

8.A.children　                         B．manager

C．father　                         D．friends

9.A.made　                             B．changed

C．found　                         D．improved

10.A.heat　                             B．shadow

C．snowstorm　                     D．sunlight

11.A.then　                             B．thus

C．now　                         D．yet

12.A.ready　                         B．doubtful

C．satisfied　                         D．disappointed

13.A.unable　                         B．unwilling

C．bored　                         D．anxious

14.A.attention　                         B．choice

C．pleasure　                         D．advance

15.A.because　                         B．when

C．whether　                         D．that

16.A.finally　                         B．especially

C．probably　                     D．fortunately

17.A.effort　                         B．effect

C．deed　                         D．feeling

18.A.daily　                             B．light

C．perfect　                         D．main

19.A.done                              B．sold

C．chosen　                         D．given

20.A.takes　                         B．leaves

C．offers                          D．costs

高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The big snow lasted five days.People trapped in the station were badly in_______ of food and water.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

The faces of the four famous American presidents on Mount Rushmore can be seen from a ______ of 60 miles.

A. length    B. distance   C. way   D. space

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Moyan has won the Noble Prize in Literature, which has made him world-famous, but before that no one could have imagined how great a role he _______ in the literary world.

A. had played         B. has played           C. is playing            D. was to play

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析