From Rome and Venice to the rolling hills of ...

From Rome and Venice to the rolling hills of Tuscany and the charm of Milan, Italy is a bottomless well of attractions. It is a motherland of artists and scientists that changed the shape of the world. Here are some places you should see on your vacations to Italy.

Valley of the Temples

Welcome to Sicily and one of its most amazing attractions. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is an extensive archaeological site containing the well-preserved remains of various Doric temples dating from the 5th century B.C. In accord with standard criteria (标准) for both Greek and Roman temples, all structures face east so that the statue of the god housed inside will be illuminated (照亮) by the rising sun. The site being located on a ridge overlooking the town, the term “valley” is obviously a misnomer (误称)，but it quite captures the vastness of the place.

Uffizi Gallery

The reputation for being one of the finest universally acclaimed (受到高度赞扬的) museums of all time comes courtesy of masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Rubens. Their timeless works are proudly displayed on the top floor of the palace in Florence.

Historic Centre of Siena

Siena may not equal Florence in overall artistic achievement, but its charm makes it a place that no other can compare to. Centered on Piazza del Campo, the historic district is a container of 12th –century Gothic, and a mirror of the Middle Ages. Full of pearls of architecture and cultural highlights, the historic centre of Siena is an excellent trip back in time, ideally to be taken in summer.

Grand Canal

Taking the water bus along the Canal Grande is like going back through centuries of history. The famous Venetian waterway runs more than 3.5 km through all six districts of the historic center. The impressive Renaissance palaces rub shoulders with Gothic arches and marble mixes with gold. Numerous landmarks never cease to provoke (激起) admirable sighs on the way.

1.Which of the following would be better to visit in summer?

A. Uffizi Gallery. B. Valley of the Temples.

C. Grand Canal. 　　 D. Historic Centre of Siena

2.The main purpose of the passage is ______.

A. to tell visitors about the advantages of travelling in Italy

B. to supply visitors with information about some famous museums

C. to show visitors the features of Italy

D. to suggest some good places to go in Italy to visitors

3.Which are the unique features of the Grand Canal?

① There are many Gothic arches.

② You can see many Renaissance palaces there.

③ The length of the Venetian waterway is three kilometers.

④ You can take the water bus to enjoy its beauty.

A. ①②③ B. ①②④　 C. ②③④D. ①③④

4.Where can one probably find this passage?

A. In a sports newspaper. 　 B. In a geography report.

C. In a traveling magazine. D. In a novel.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

There was once a young man walking down the streets of Rome, from one end of the city to the other, on his way to visit a relative. While walking, he happened to 　　　　 a beautifully impressive church and heard 　　　　 sounds coming from the building. They sounded like a lot of pounding（冲击）.

Deciding to satisfy his 　　　　 , he approached the building, opened the heavy door and looked inside the church. Well , all he could 　　　　 was an old man in front of a big piece of marble , 　　　 the marble with a chisel（凿子） and hammer.

“Well , it must be something very 　　 ,” the young man probably thought to himself, “　　　　 he doesn’t even notice me.” He then left the church and continued with his 　　 .

Several days later, he returned on the same 　　　 . It seemed that the old man was still going at it, so he decided to ask him what he was 　　　　 doing.

He again went to the door, opened it and looked inside. To his 　　 , there was a big statue of an angel 　　　 with wings spreading out wide open, light 　　　　 on it through the stained glass windows, and it　　　　 the front of the church.

He could not help it but the next moment he was right next to the old man, 　　　　 his jaw hanging wide open. He 　　　　 with absolute amazement and a puzzled look on his face.　 He just could not understand how the old man knew that there was an angel in that piece of 　　 and he could not help but 　　　　 him, “Sir , how did you know that there was an 　　 in that piece of marble?”

The old man 　　　　 and replied, “Son, there is an angel in every one of us. All we need to do is to take a hammer and a chisel and chip away at all those little piece that do not look like an angel.”

1.A. enter　　　　 　　　 B. build　　　　　　 C. pass　　　　　　　 D. visit

2.A. loud　　 　　 　　 B. noisy　　　　　　 C. pleasant　　　　　 D. rough

3.A. relative　　 　　 B. curiosity　　　　 C. owner　　 　　　　 D. wife

4.A. hear　　　 　　　 B. see　　　 　　　 C. feel　　　 　　　　 D. smell

5.A. wiping　　 　　 　 B. cutting　　 　　　 C. taking　　　 　　　 D. turning

6.A. mysterious　 　　 B. optimistic　　　　 C. important　　　　 D. strange

7.A. because　　　 　　 B. although　　　　 C. unless　　　　　　 D. if

8.A. thought　　 　　 B. work　　 　　　 C. journey　　　　　　 D. pray

9.A. route　　　 　　 B. square　　 　　　 C. business　　　　　 D. time

10.A. usually　　　　　　 B. secretly　　　　　 C. really　　　　　　 D. absolutely

11.A. disappointment　 B. amazement　　　 C. relief　　 　　　　 D. joy

12.A. sitting　　 　　　 B. kneeling　　　　 C. lying　　　　　　　 D. standing

13.A. shining　　 　　　 B. bathing　　　　　 C. throwing　　　　　 D. looking

14.A. decorate　　 　　 B. exposed　　　　　 C. shaded　　　　　　 D. beautified

15.A. for　　　　　　　　 B. at　　　　　　　　 C. with　　　　　　　 D. in

16.A. shared　　　　　　 B. wondered　 　　 C. frowned　　　　　 D. noticed

17.A. stone　　　　　　 B. clay　　　　　　　 C. marble　　 　　 　 D. wood

18.A. challenge　　 　　 B. ask　　　　 　　　 C. praise　　　　　　 D. question

19.A. admire　　　　 　　 B. inventor　　 　　 C. eagle　　　　　　　 D. angel

20.A. sat down　　　　 B. turned around 　　 C. looked up　　　　 D. came out

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Standing on the top of a church tower not far from our home in Rome, Father said to me, “Look down, Elsa. Be brave.” I gathered all my ________ and looked down. I saw the crossing of twisting, turning streets ________ to the square in the center of the village. “See, my dear,” Father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get where you want to go by one road, try ________.”

Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged Mother to do something about the ________ lunches that were served at school. But she ________ because she could not believe the lunches were so bad. When I turned to Father for help, he would not ________. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a(n) ________.

At school the next day, I secretly ________ my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I talked the cook into serving it to Mother at dinner. The plan worked ________. She swallowed one spoonful, “The cook must have gone mad!” Having known what I had done, Mother stated firmly that she would ________ the matter of lunches at school the next day!

In the years that followed I often remembered what Father told me. And on the way to my first small success I found the road ________. As a fashion-design lover, I was busy getting ready to ________ my winter fashions. Then just 13 days before the presentation the sewing girls were called out on ________. I felt so depressed that I was ________ that we would have to cancel the presentation ________ show the clothes unfinished. Then it ________ on me. Why not show the clothes unfinished?

We worked hurriedly and the showing took place as ________. Some coats had no sleeves; others had only one. Many of our clothes were only ________ made of heavy cotton cloth. But on these we pinned sketches and pieces of material. In this way we were able to show what colors and textures (结构) the clothes would have when they were finished. It was our ________ showing that caught the attention of the public, and ________ for the clothes poured in.

Father’s wise words had guided me again. There is always more than one way to the square.

1.A. strength        B. breath        C. courage        D. concentration

2.A. linking            B. appealing    C. taking        D. leading

3.A. each            B. another        C. none            D. the other

4.A. awful            B. special        C. fascinating    D. delicious

5.A. regretted        B. agreed        C. complained    D. refused

6.A. respond            B. admit        C. oppose        D. handle

7.A. conclusion        B. plan            C. rest            D. image

8.A. drank            B. spat            C. poured        D. flowed

9.A. terribly        B. naturally    C. perfectly    D. shortly

10.A. get through    B. take up        C. look into    D. make up

11.A. occupied        B. smoothed        C. blocked        D. widened

12.A. show            B. provide        C. follow        D. lead

13.A. business        B. trip            C. chance        D. strike

14.A. curious        B. skeptical    C. determined    D. sure

15.A. apart from        B. or else        C. rather than    D. or rather

16.A. realized        B. lighted        C. dawned        D. cleared

17.A. usual            B. supposed        C. scheduled    D. unexpected

18.A. patterns        B. dresses        C. rags            D. scarves

19.A. meaningful        B. prepared        C. ordinary        D. unusual

20.A. criticisms        B. orders        C. designs        D. budgets

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists are using robots to study the health of waters in and around Venice，Italy．The robots are designed to act like fish，other underwater creatures and plants．The scientists are working with several universities and research centers as part of a group called subCULTron．The European Union gives money to the project as part of its Horizon 2020 program whose aim is to take great ideas from the lab to the market and support science and innovation(创新)in Europe．The scientists want to use the artificial intelligence of the robots to help humans understand what is happening under the water of the Venice lagoon(潟湖)．

SubCULTron．a collective artificial intelligence project，plans to create the biggest shoal (鱼群)of robot fish in the world．The project’s aim is to improve knowledge of the seabed and try to turn human abilities into hi-tech items．

Alexandre Campo，a computer scientist，says the scientists have looked at the way animals learn to work in groups to understand how robots can learn to work together．The subCULTron project wants its robots to learn to work together so they can watch out for changes and new problems in the water．

One problem the researchers had in the beginning was how the robots would communicate with each other. Wi-Fi and GPS equipment don’t work underwater．Instead，the robots can use sonar(声呐)and an electric field．

Another problem was charging batteries．The robots come up to the water’s surface and stay near a boat or a power station to charge without any electrical cables．Besides，how to be waterproof, especially for some key pads of the robots，was really tough．Fortunately, a special mixture has been created to be pinned on the robot，which successfully stands the test of water．

The health state of the lagoon is pretty good．There are no industrial polluters，and the city now has a modern sewer(污水管) system．It’s not like before when all the waste flushed directly into the water．The robots in Venice will continue their work until 2019. The subCULTron project hopes they develop into “an artificial society underneath the water surface” that serves “a human society above the water”．

1.What can we learn about the project in Paragraph l?

A. Its researchers are all from universities．

B. The European Union has financially supported it．

C. It uses robots to clean the waters in and around Venice．

D. It is aimed to support science and innovation worldwide．

2.What can we infer according to Alexandre Campo?

A. Scientists have got an idea for robots from the animals．

B. The robots are working separately to perform their tasks．

C. SubCULTron is to turn human abilities into hi-tech items．

D. The health state of the lagoon has greatly improved recently．

3.The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph probably refers to“__________”．

A. scientists　　 B. animals

C. robots　　 D. humans

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

___________ from the top of the hill, the town looks like a diamond.

A. Having seen       B. Seeing             C. To see           D. Seen

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

_____all over the hills and around the lake are wild flowers of different kinds.

A．To grow     B．Growing     C．Grown    D．Grow

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

Venice is the “Queen” of the Adriatic Sea (亚得里亚海). Every year thousands of people from all over the world travel to Italy to visit the city. Do you know why they like to go there for a visit?

Venice is a very beautiful city. It is quite different from other cities in the world. There aren’t any roads and streets in the city. So there aren’t any cars and buses. There are many canals(运河)in the city. There is one big canal and one hundred and seventy-seven small canals. People move up and down the canals in boats to go to work, go shopping or visit their friends.

But Venice is sinking. It is going down and the water is going up. In 2040Venice will be under water, The Adriatic Sea will cover the city. The Venetians (威尼斯人)love their city and want to stay there. So they want to save Venice? They can build some strong huge walls and gates in the sea. The gates will close to keep too much water out. Thus Venice will not sink.

1.From this short article we know Venice is ________.

2.People from all parts of the world go to visit Venice because________.

3.The Venetians usually go to work or visit their friends________.

4.Year by year the Adriatic Sea________and Venice________.

5. Because the Adriatic Sea will cover it, the Venetians________.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Venice is one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Venice is a cultural and tourist center and is famous for its museums, architecture, cityscape and world of art.

Only about 25 % of Venice’s 280, 000 people live in the historical center of the city. 1. The main method of transportation between the islands is by taking boats that travel up and down the city’s many canals. The main waterway is the Grand Canal, which winds through the heart of Venice. Hundreds of bridges connect the island.

2. The city’s most famous church, Saint Mark’s Basilica, and the Doge’s Palace which was the home of Venice’s rulers for hundreds of years, are the main attractions of the piazza. The square is a famous tourist attraction surrounded by cafes and vendor(大排档，小贩).

East of the historical center on the outer part of the lagoon (环礁湖) is Lido, a 10km long sandy island. 3. The Venice Film Festival is one of the major annual film events that take place there.

The location of the city at sea level and global warming have caused many problems for Venice. 4. From November to February they cause a situation in which sea level rises up to one and a half meters and cover many of Venice’s famous areas.

Salt water from the sea has damaged the foundations of many buildings and constant repairs are necessary. 5. Industries and tourism have steadily reduced the level of ground water in Venice, making foundations of building unstable.

A. Over the centuries the Mediterranean town has been regularly flooded by tides.

B. The central location of Venice is the Piazza San Marco or Saint Mark’s Square.

C. It attracts thousands of beach--goers throughout the summer holidays.

D. Water gets into the buildings, and destroys the walls.

E. The cost of living is also lower, in Venice.

F. The rest live on the mainland.

G. The city is full of tourists.

高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

There are rolling hills and ivy-covered brick buildings. There are small classrooms, high-tech labs, and green fields. There’s even a clock tower with a massive bell that rings for special events.

Cushing Academy has all the characteristics of a New England school, with one exception. This year, after having had a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. They have decided to give away all their books. The future, they believe, is digital.

“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology,” said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing. “We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and use technology. Instead of a traditional library, we’re building a virtual library where students will have access to millions of books on the computer. We see this as a model for the 21st-century school.”

Not everyone on campus is sold on Tracy’s vision.

Liz Vezina, a librarian at Cushing for 17 years, said she never imagined working as the director of a library without any books. “It makes me mad,” said Vezina, who has made a career of introducing students to books. “I’m going to miss them, and there’s something lost when they are done on a computer. There’s sensual side to them — the smell, the feel, the physicality of a book is something really special.”

Cushing is one of the first schools in the country to give up its books. William Powers, author of a book called the changes at Cushing “radical（激进的）” and “a huge loss for students”.

“There are modes of learning and thinking that at the moment are only available from actual books,” he said. “There is a kind of deep-dive reading that’s almost impossible to do on a screen. Without books, students are more likely to do the quick reading that screens enable, rather than be by themselves with the author’s ideas.”

1.What is special about Cushing Academy?

A. It is built in rolling mountains.

B. Its buildings are covered with ivy.

C. There will be no books in its library.

D. There is a clock tower with a big bell.

2.The underlined sentence in the passage probably means _________.

A. not all people agree with Tracy’s idea

B. Tracy’s idea is welcome in the school

C. in Tracy’s opinion not all books are sold

D. not everyone can imagine a virtual library

3.In the opinion of Powers, actual books can make students _________.

A. do a lot of quick reading

B. form the habit of reading

C. enjoy the pleasure of reading

D. understand the author’s views deeply

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Cushing is facing challenges

B. The Internet library promises a bright future

C. A library says goodbye to books

D. Cushing leads the world in digital technology

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Rolls Royce logo(标志)consisting of the two Rs clearly stands for Rolls and Royce, the two founders of this manufacturing company. In 1884 Frederick Henry Royce started an electrical and mechanical business. He made his first car, a “Royce”, in his Manchester factory in 1904.

He was introduced to Charles Stewart Rolls in a Manchester hotel on May 4 that year, and the pair agreed a deal where Royce would manufacture cars, to be sold by Rolls. A clause(条款) was added to the contract, saying the cars would be called “Rolls Royce”.

The current Toyota logo consists of three ovals: the two perpendicular(成直角的)ovals represent a relationship of trust between the customer and Toyota. These ovals combine to symbolize the letter “T” for Toyota. The space in the background implies a global expansion of Toyota’s technology and unlimited potential for the future.

The Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) is a South Korean company manufacturing automobiles. Their automobiles are available in many countries around the globe. In 2003 it was South Korea’s largest car maker and the world’s seventh largest car maker. The Hyundai logo appears to be an H (symbolizing Hyundai). The oval shape indicates the company’s global expansion and the ‘H’ is symbolic of two people (especially the company and customer) shaking hands.

The Mercedes-Benz logo represents one of the most famous brands in the world. The Benz logo is a three-pointed star that represents its domination of the land, the sea, and the air. The famous three-pointed star was designed by Gottlieb Daimler to show the ability of his motors for land, air and sea usage. It was first seen on a Daimler in 1909, and was combined with the Benz laurel wreath in 1926 to symbolize the union of the two firms. Mercedes-Benz is one of the world’s oldest automobile manufacturers.

1. Which company’s logo is a symbol of two people shaking hands?

A.Rolls Royce’s  B.Toyota’s  C.Hyundai’s  D.Mercedes-Benzs.

2.According to the text, _______.

A. Rolls Royce was founded in 1884.

B. Toyota is having difficulty expanding its technology

C. Hyundai has the same long history as Mercedes-Benz

D. Mercedes-Benz originally produced motors

3. Which company’s logo stands for both the manufacturer and the seller?

A. Rolls Royce’s B. Toyota’s C. Hyundai’s D. Mercedes-Benz’s

4.We can learn from the text that_____.

A. the ovals in the logos have the same meaning

B. Hyundai is SouthKorea’sseventh largest car maker

C. the three-pointed star of the Mercedes-Benz logo was first seen in 1926

D. the Mercedes-Benz logo is a symbol of the combination of two companies

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析