The Boy Who Harnessed (利用) the Wind is an inspirational true-story film based on a memoir—an account of the author’s personal experiences—by the Malawian engineer William Kamkwamba. As a teenager, Kamkwamba built a wind turbine for his famine-stricken town in Malawi, helping to power small appliances and eventually irrigate crops. But though the film points toward that technological breakthrough, it spends much of its running time depicting (描绘) its hero’s community and avoids many of the damaging language that tend to accompany pop-cultural description of poverty or conflicts in African countries.
This approach is what makes the movie, much more attractive than other such docu-dramas. Chiwetel Ejiofor, an English actor, is making his feature appearance as a writer and director to draw attention to Kamkwamba’s story—but he’s just as focused on depicting the boy’s family life and the dangers of farming in early-2000s Malawi. Famine isn’t just a thing that happens to the Kamkwambas. It’s the result of a series of unpredictable catastrophes that trickle down to this small village and leave its people struggling to grow and sell food. By examining the many structural reasons for the town’s crisis, Ejiofor makes Kamkwamba’s achievement feel better-earned from a narrative (叙述的) perspective.
The Kamkwambas are not lacking in food, at first, though they do live harvest to harvest. Soon, a series of dramatic floods, combined with government unrest (动荡), begins to take a toll on (have a bad effect on) their life. Through it all, William shows his gift for invention, taking apart whatever machines he can get his hands on and figuring out how they work. In one crucial (and cleverly written) scene, some local teenagers beg William to fix their radio so that they can listen to a soccer game, and he does, making use of a battery from several drained power cells. As the radio jolts to life, it delivers a news report of planes hitting buildings in the U.S., which serves as the first real acknowledgment of the film’s exact time period. The uninterested teens immediately switch over to the game, but Ejiofor included that detail for a reason. Though Malawi is on the other side of the world from the U.S., and the Kamkwambas’ village is far from the country’s biggest city, the negative effects of 9/11 are felt even there—unsettling the government and setting off a chain reaction that quickly turns things terrible. Moments like these affirm Ejiofor’s particular skill for storytelling. To William and his young friends, the event barely registers, but it still has huge consequences for their lives.
The latter half of the film is tougher going than the light, community-oriented opening, but it’s anchored by strong performances. Trywell, William’s father, isn’t a bad dad, but as his family gets hungrier, his anger toward his government, which was supposed to help him thrive, rises to the surface. As William’s mother, Maïga is a calmer, steadier figure, but her pride is damaged, too. She speaks of never wanting to be the stereotypical (老套的) family “praying for rain,” as her ancestors did, and despairs as Trywell’s strategy to save the farm becomes almost exactly that.
At a certain point, I started mentally checking my watch—Isn’t it time for the boy to start harnessing the wind? But Ejiofor doesn’t want William’s massive achievement to look easy. Not only does William need to gather the practical materials needed for a windmill in a nearly abandoned town, but he also has to challenge his father’s skepticism and persuade him to give up the few possessions he still has, including a bicycle, to create something that appears impossible. It’s striking, and deeply sad, to consider that superficially (表面上) the only thing keeping William’s town from starvation was basically wind power. In Ejiofor’s hands, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind builds realism and context into both sides of that story and manages to be a winning adaptation as a result.
1.In the film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a considerable part is about _______.
A. the miserable life in Malawi B. the irrigation of the crops
C. the building of the turbine D. the technology breakthrough
2.How does Ejiofor make Kamkwamba’s achievement more noticeable?
A. By shooting the film in the form of story-telling.
B. By analyzing the reasons for the village’s poverty.
C. By listing unpredictable catastrophes attacking the village.
D. By strengthening the difficulty in growing and selling the food.
3.What is the purpose of the scene about the radio in Paragraph 3?
A. To report the terror event in the US B. To reveal the setting of the film.
C. To stress the teens’ interest in games. D. To show the hero’s willingness of help.
4.The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 4 refers to _______.
A. Maïga’s pride B. Trywell’s anger
C. the family praying for rain D. the despair of saving the farm
5.The scene of William harnessing the wind appears quite late in the film so as to _______.
A. build realism and context into both sides of the story
B. underline the local people’s suffering from starvation
C. show his father’s skepticism and reluctance to help him
D. impress on viewers the difficulty of making the machine
6.What would be the best title for this passage?
A. A Wind Turbine Invented by a Malawian Engineer
B. An Inspirational True-story Adapted into a Film
C. The Kamkwamba Family and Their Life in Malawi
D. A True Winner—The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
高三英语阅读理解困难题
The Boy Who Harnessed (利用) the Wind is an inspirational true-story film based on a memoir—an account of the author’s personal experiences—by the Malawian engineer William Kamkwamba. As a teenager, Kamkwamba built a wind turbine for his famine-stricken town in Malawi, helping to power small appliances and eventually irrigate crops. But though the film points toward that technological breakthrough, it spends much of its running time depicting (描绘) its hero’s community and avoids many of the damaging language that tend to accompany pop-cultural description of poverty or conflicts in African countries.
This approach is what makes the movie, much more attractive than other such docu-dramas. Chiwetel Ejiofor, an English actor, is making his feature appearance as a writer and director to draw attention to Kamkwamba’s story—but he’s just as focused on depicting the boy’s family life and the dangers of farming in early-2000s Malawi. Famine isn’t just a thing that happens to the Kamkwambas. It’s the result of a series of unpredictable catastrophes that trickle down to this small village and leave its people struggling to grow and sell food. By examining the many structural reasons for the town’s crisis, Ejiofor makes Kamkwamba’s achievement feel better-earned from a narrative (叙述的) perspective.
The Kamkwambas are not lacking in food, at first, though they do live harvest to harvest. Soon, a series of dramatic floods, combined with government unrest (动荡), begins to take a toll on (have a bad effect on) their life. Through it all, William shows his gift for invention, taking apart whatever machines he can get his hands on and figuring out how they work. In one crucial (and cleverly written) scene, some local teenagers beg William to fix their radio so that they can listen to a soccer game, and he does, making use of a battery from several drained power cells. As the radio jolts to life, it delivers a news report of planes hitting buildings in the U.S., which serves as the first real acknowledgment of the film’s exact time period. The uninterested teens immediately switch over to the game, but Ejiofor included that detail for a reason. Though Malawi is on the other side of the world from the U.S., and the Kamkwambas’ village is far from the country’s biggest city, the negative effects of 9/11 are felt even there—unsettling the government and setting off a chain reaction that quickly turns things terrible. Moments like these affirm Ejiofor’s particular skill for storytelling. To William and his young friends, the event barely registers, but it still has huge consequences for their lives.
The latter half of the film is tougher going than the light, community-oriented opening, but it’s anchored by strong performances. Trywell, William’s father, isn’t a bad dad, but as his family gets hungrier, his anger toward his government, which was supposed to help him thrive, rises to the surface. As William’s mother, Maïga is a calmer, steadier figure, but her pride is damaged, too. She speaks of never wanting to be the stereotypical (老套的) family “praying for rain,” as her ancestors did, and despairs as Trywell’s strategy to save the farm becomes almost exactly that.
At a certain point, I started mentally checking my watch—Isn’t it time for the boy to start harnessing the wind? But Ejiofor doesn’t want William’s massive achievement to look easy. Not only does William need to gather the practical materials needed for a windmill in a nearly abandoned town, but he also has to challenge his father’s skepticism and persuade him to give up the few possessions he still has, including a bicycle, to create something that appears impossible. It’s striking, and deeply sad, to consider that superficially (表面上) the only thing keeping William’s town from starvation was basically wind power. In Ejiofor’s hands, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind builds realism and context into both sides of that story and manages to be a winning adaptation as a result.
1.In the film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a considerable part is about _______.
A. the miserable life in Malawi B. the irrigation of the crops
C. the building of the turbine D. the technology breakthrough
2.How does Ejiofor make Kamkwamba’s achievement more noticeable?
A. By shooting the film in the form of story-telling.
B. By analyzing the reasons for the village’s poverty.
C. By listing unpredictable catastrophes attacking the village.
D. By strengthening the difficulty in growing and selling the food.
3.What is the purpose of the scene about the radio in Paragraph 3?
A. To report the terror event in the US B. To reveal the setting of the film.
C. To stress the teens’ interest in games. D. To show the hero’s willingness of help.
4.The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 4 refers to _______.
A. Maïga’s pride B. Trywell’s anger
C. the family praying for rain D. the despair of saving the farm
5.The scene of William harnessing the wind appears quite late in the film so as to _______.
A. build realism and context into both sides of the story
B. underline the local people’s suffering from starvation
C. show his father’s skepticism and reluctance to help him
D. impress on viewers the difficulty of making the machine
6.What would be the best title for this passage?
A. A Wind Turbine Invented by a Malawian Engineer
B. An Inspirational True-story Adapted into a Film
C. The Kamkwamba Family and Their Life in Malawi
D. A True Winner—The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
B
This is a true story about a boy who, the world might say, was a terrible underachiever. While in the eighth grade, he failed subjects repeatedly. High school wasn’t much better; he flunked Latin, algebra, English, and received a grade of zero in physics. The boy managed to make the school golf team, but he lost the most important golf match of the season.
It’s not that his peers(同龄人) disliked this boy; it’s just that they never really seemed to notice him much. Even “Hellos” in the hall were a rarity. Out of all the failures in his life, there was something that did hold great importance to this boy, his love of drawing. Although in high school, the cartoons he submitted to the yearbook were rejected, once out of school, the boy was so sure of his artistic talent that he approached Walt Disney Studios with drawing works. I wish I could say the studios loved his work and immediately hired him, but such was not the case; another huge rejection.
Despite his lack of successes, this boy did not give up. He then decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons, about a little boy who was regarded as a loser and a nobody.
The name of this boy was Charles Schulz, the creator of the famous Charlie Brown and comic dog Snoopy.
In life, it is sometimes easy to feel like a nobody. We pass hundreds of people on the street on our way to work, or walk through a faceless crowd in a mall, and no one seems to notice or care. Deep inside, we may know we are special and unique and have lots to offer, but unless someone takes the time to look our way and give us a chance, we may feel worthless, just like Charlie Brown who couldn’t even manage to fly a kite or kick a football properly.
Just as Charles Schulz had faith in his artistic talent, so too, we must realize that nobody is a nobody. We all have special gifts and talents, and every human being is deserving and capable of being loved and appreciated.
1.The underlined word “flunked” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. failed B. learned
C. achieved D. misunderstood
2.What can we infer about the boy in Paragraph 2?
A. He was hated by his peers.
B. He achieved great success in drawing in high school.
C. His work was refused by Walt Disney Studios.
D. He earned the praise from Walt Disney Studios.
3.When the boy suffered many defeats, he ________.
A. gave up his dream finally
B. wrote some articles in magazines
C. he turned to others for help
D. he wrote himself as a loser in cartoons
4.In the last two paragraphs, we are advised _______.
A. to open up our eyes
B. to believe we can make some difference
C. to learn more skills for development
D. to ask for more appreciation and love
5.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Nobody Is a Nobody.
B. A Hard-working Boy Is Successful.
C. We Should Turn Failure into Success.
D. One Cannot Succeed without Talents.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
A letter to the teacher who inspired my young son
I was so worried about handing my little boy, Carol, over during his first week of school, but you made it easier. You, _______ at him like a mother would at her own child. You showed warmth and your hugs were always on _______.
After a day in class with you, Carol would come home _______. Whenever I hear Do Your Ears Hang Low or to see him _______ to the sky when singing about the days of the week, I will think of you. The first time we sang it after _______ you was hard but, as time passes, I take _______ in the knowledge that, even though you are not here, you work _______ to make children happy.
Your creativity was _______. I’ll never forget the children’s faces when you’d beautifully _______the classroom into the Deep Dark Wood. I remember their ________ faces talking about the Magnificent Tower Building you’d ________.
In the short time I knew you, you never seemed ________ by the mountain of paperwork or impossible work-life balance that comes with the role. Instead, you appeared to ________ every minute.
I can’t comprehend why you’ve been ________ from us. Telling Carol was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I’m not sure whether he fully understands, ________ he told me he loved you and has been asking whether your “robot powers” will work in ________. I hope that you will shine on him from heaven and ________ him always.
I ________ I had told you all of this when you were with us. I hope that you ________ the extent of your magic, how you brought ________ to everyone you met and how loved you were. Goodbye, Dear Friend.
1.A.pointed B.smiled C.came D.aimed
2.A.display B.duty C.sale D.offer
3.A.complaining B.dancing C.singing D.weeping
4.A.stretching B.shouting C.shooting D.submitting
5.A.losing B.contacting C.leaving D.pleasing
6.A.pride B.delight C.part D.comfort
7.A.promises B.happens C.continues D.ceases
8.A.complex B.inspiring C.shabby D.temporary
9.A.transformed B.divided C.enlarged D.shrunk
10.A.frustrated B.cheerful C.panicked D.funny
11.A.observed B.purchased C.discovered D.created
12.A.motivated B.interrupted C.disturbed D.rejected
13.A.waste B.enjoy C.share D.seize
14.A.taken B.hidden C.claimed D.saved
15.A.because B.while C.but D.and
16.A.school B.heaven C.music D.performance
17.A.inspect B.imitate C.satisfy D.guide
18.A.wish B.regret C.assure D.forget
19.A.lost B.expected C.knew D.managed
20.A.convenience B.argument C.sympathy D.happiness
高三英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析
I know the boy, _____father is an engineer.
A. whose B. his
C. whom D. who
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The poor little boy who _____caught stealing a cake over there is an orphan．
A．has B．had C．got D．is
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
For most city people, the elevator is an unremarkable machine that inspires none of the enthusiasm or interest that Americans afford trains, jets，and even bicycles. Dr. Christopher Wilk is a member of a small group of elevator experts who consider this a misunderstanding. Without the elevator, they point out, there could be no downtown skyscrapers or tall buildings, and city life as we know it would be impossible. In that sense, they argue，the elevator’s role in American history has been no less significant than that of cars. In fact, according to Wilk? the car and the elevator have been locked in a “secret war” for over a century, with cars making it possible for people to spread horizontally (水平地)，and elevators pushing them toward life in close groups of towering vertical (垂直的)columns.
If we tend to ignore the significance of elevators, it might be because riding in them tends to be such a brief, boring, and even awkward experience^one that can involve unexpectedly meeting people with whom we have nothing in common, and an unpleasant awareness of the fact that we’re hanging from a cable in a long passage.
In a new book, Lifted, German journalist and cultural studies professor Andreas Bernard directed all his attention to this experience, studying the origins of elevator and its relationship to humankind and finding that riding in an elevator has never been a totally comfortable experience. “After 150 years, we are still not used to it”， Bernard said. “We still have not exactly learned to cope with the mixture of closeness and displeasure.” That mixture, according to Bernard, sets the elevator ride apart from just about every other situation we find ourselves in as we go about our lives.
Today，as the world’s urban population explodes，and cities become more crowded, taller, and more crowded, America’s total number of elevators—900,000 at last count, according to Elevator World magazine’s “2012 Vertical Transportation Industry”一are a force that’s becoming more important than ever. And for the people who really, really love them, it seems like high time that we looked seriously at just what kind of force they are.
1.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A. The general view of elevators.
B. The particular interests of experts.
C. The desire for a remarkable machine.
D. The enthusiasm for transport vehicles.
2.The author’s purpose in mentioning cars is .
A. to contrast their functions with elevators,
B. to emphasize the importance of elevators
C. to reveal their secret war against elevators
D. to explain people’s preference for elevators
3.According to Prof. Bernard, what has made the elevator ride different from other life experiences?
A. Vertical direction.
B. Lack of excitement.
C.Little physical space.
D. Uncomfortable conditions.
4.The author urges readers to consider .
A. the exact number of elevator lovers
B. the serious future situation of elevators
C. the role of elevators in city development
D. the relationship between cars and elevators
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.So naughty a boy he is that he has been labeled as a trouble maker by
B.Down did the vase fall, breaking into pieces
C.On top of the mountain can be seen a monument clearly
D.Not until then had he realized the importance of obeying the traffic rules
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
This is by far ______movie that I have ever seen.
A. an inspiring B. a much inspiring C. the most inspiring D. the more inspiring
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
This is by far ________movie that I have ever seen.
A．an inspiring B．a more inspiring C．the most inspiring D．a much inspiring
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The point is not who said the words, _____ they are true or not.
| A．but whether | B．and whether |
| C．but how | D．and how |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析