-
The United States government is back in business. Early Thursday morning, President Barack Obama signed a bill to reopen the government. The budget bill, drafted by Senate late on Wednesday night, raised the government’s debt ceiling and averted(避免)a serious economic crisis. “With the shutdown behind us,” Obama said after the Senate vote, “we now have an opportunity to focus on a sensible budget that is responsible, that is fair and that helps hardworking people all across this country.”
Now that a settlement has been reached, formerly furloughed(休假)employees have returned to work, national museums and parks are reopening, and the government’s gears are slowly beginning to turn again.
Before the shutdown, a federal funding bill went back and forth between the Senate and the House. A major issue was whether or not the government would pay for changes in Obama’s healthcare plan. The Senate, with a Democratic majority, wanted to pass a budget that would fund the new healthcare law. But the House, which has a Republican majority, did not want government money used that way. Because an agreement could not be reached on a budget plan, the government was forced to partially shut down.
Sixteen days later, the two sides have come together to pass a measure that raised the country’s debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is the strict legal limit Congress places on the amount of money that can be borrowed each year. Had this agreement not been met by October 17, the U.S. may not have been able to pay its promised payments. This legislation, or law, will fund the government through January 15. During this time, Obama and Congress will work on a long-term spending plan.
The effects of the two-week government shutdown were widespread. In addition to national parks, museums, memorials and monuments were off-limits to visitors. Workers at government-run organizations like NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency were furloughed. Part of the new legislation will pay back the 800,000 workers who were without pay during the shutdown.
Early Thursday, the Smithsonian Institution celebrated the government’s reopening on Twitter. “We’re back from the shutdown!” they wrote, announcing that museums would reopen Thursday and the National Zoo in Washington on Friday.
To the delight of many people, that also means the return of the zoo’s popular live Panda camera.
1.What may have lead to the government shutdown?
A. Economic crisis.
B. The senate voting.
C. Dispute on the budget bill.
D. Lazy people across the country.
2.What does the underlined phrase “two sides” in paragraph four refers to?
A. The senate and the house.
B. The senate and the president.
C. The president and the congress.
D. The legislator and the government.
3.What can we learn about the U.S. Government from the shutdown?
A. It is run by lazy workers.
B. It is affected by different political forces.
C. The people has no say in the decision making process.
D. Obama decides whether his health care bill will be passed or not.
4.In mentioning the live Panda camera, the author suggests that ______.
A. zoos were government-run
B. pandas were popular among the public
C. the effects of the shutdown were widespread
D. tourists were affected the most by the shutdown
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
In the United States in the early 1800’s, individual state governments had more effect on the economy than did the federal government. States controlled manufacturing, banking, mining and transportation firms and participated in the construction of various internal improvements such as canals, turnpikes（收费关卡）, and railroads. The states encouraged internal improvements in two distinct ways: first, by actually establishing state companies to build such improvements; second, by providing part of the capital for mixed public-private companies setting out to make a profit.
In the early nineteenth century, state governments also engaged in a surprisingly large amount of direct restricting activity, including extensive licensing and inspection programs. Licensing targets reflected both similarities in and difference between the economy of the nineteenth century and that of today: in the nineteenth century, state regulation through licensing fell especially on drug dealers, innkeepers and retail merchants of various kinds. The goods of trade generally came under state inspection and such important raw material as lumber and gunpowder were also subject to state control. Finally, state governments experimented with direct labor and business regulation designed to help the individual laborer or consumer, including setting maximum limits on hours of work and restrictions on price-fixing by business.
Although the states dominated economic activity during this period, the federal government was not inactive. Its goals were the facilitation of western settlement and the development of native industries. Toward these ends the federal government pursued several courses of action. It established a national bank to stabilize banking activities in the country and, in part, to provide a supply of relatively easy money to the region, where it was greatly needed for settlement. It permitted access to public western lands on increasing easy term, with a summit in the Homestead Act of 1862, by which title to land could be claimed on the basis of residence alone. Finally, it set up a system of tariffs（关税） that was basically protectionist in effect, although maneuvering for position by various regional interests produced frequent changes in tariff rates throughout the nineteenth century.
1.What does the passage mainly discuss？
A. States rights versus federal rights.
B. The participation of state governments in railroad, canal, and turnpike construction.
C. The roles of state and federal government in the economy of the nineteenth century.
D. Restricting activity by state government.
2.It can be inferred from the first paragraph that in the nineteenth century canals and railroads were ______.
A. built with money that came from the federal government
B. much more expensive to build than they had been previously
C. built predominantly in the western part of the country
D. sometimes built in part by state companies
3.According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Homestead Act of 1862？
A. It increased the money supply in the West.
B. It was a law first passed by state government in the West.
C. It made it increasingly possible for settlers to obtain land in the West.
D. It established tariffs in a number of regions.
4.Which of the following activities was the responsibility of the federal government in the nineteenth century？
A. Control of the manufacture of gunpowder.
B. Determining the conditions under which individuals worked.
C. Regulation of the supply of money.
D. Inspection of new homes built on western lands.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
-
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Day, is a busy shopping day in the United States. Many people have a day off work on that day. Some use this to make trips; others use it to start for the Christmas season.
Many stores have special offers and their prices on some goods. Some their opening hours. There can also be traffic jams on roads to shopping destinations.
There are common theories as to why it is called Black Friday. One is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day left many black markings on the road surface, the term Black Friday. The other is from an old way of recording business accounts. were recorded in red ink and profits in black. Many businesses, small businesses, started making profits before Christmas, so they started to mark in black ink on the day after Thanksgiving.
1.A. traveling B. shopping C. visiting D. cooking
2.A. prepare B. check C. lower D. raise
3.A. shorten B. enlarge C. reduce D. extend
4.A. popular B. outstanding C. splendid D. ordinary
5.A. many B. two C. few D. no
6.A. leaving for B. leading to C. coming out D. sticking to
7.A. Prices B. Interests C. Losses D. Benefits
8.A. particularly B. specially C. obviously D. Eventually
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Harvard is older than the United States. In the early 1630s, some settlers recommended that a university 1.(found) just to improve the quality of their descendants(子孙）so that they could better build the new home. Thus ,it was established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Like many other universities at that time, Harvard at the early stage often ran into 2. financial crisis. The school board often had to go to Europe to raise 3.(donate),but as you can predict, they often came back 4.their hands empty.
5.(fortunate),in 1638,John Harvard, pastor of Charlestown, passed away. He left his library and half his estate(财产）to the institution ,6.were the biggest contribution ever since its establishment .Therefore, the university was named after his name. Today, you can find a statue of John Harvard 7.(stand) in front of the University Hall in Harvard Yard, and it is perhaps the University’s best 8.(know) landmark.
It is universally 9.(acknowledge) that John Harvard was respected and remembered by the people in the USA owing to10. he did .
高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Wednesday, October 29,2008．
The United States federal government had two young men in the state of Tennessee arrested on October 22 on unknown charges．
In court documents published on Monday, it came to light that the men had discussed attacking an African – American school and killing 14 of them．
Another crime was about planning to murder Presidential candidate Barack Obama．According to their affidavits （口供）, the suspects’ “final act of violence” would be like this: when they attacked Obama they would wear white suits and top hats and drive “their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows．”
The two suspects are Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Arkansas and Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee．According to the court papers, they met last month over the Internet through a friend．Schlesselman and Cowart are believed to share “very strong views” about White Power．
Schlesselman listed “being racist” as his occupation on his MySpace page．He further wrote: “I'm white．I'm proud．I get angry．I like guns．”
Cowart also had a MySpace page on which photos of guns were presented under a heading of “My Guns”．On his page he wrote, “Better to die quick fighting on your feet than to live forever begging on your knees．”
Some have questioned the pair's ability to carry out the charged plan, but authorities have been very concerned about Obama as the first black presidential candidate from a major party．
“We honestly don't know if they had the ability or the skill to carry out the kind of plan that they talked about．” said Malcolm Wiley, of the United Satates Secret Service in an interview with The New York Times．“But we take any threat seriously no matter how big or how small it is．”
Cowart and Schlesselman are scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursady．
1.The passage is mainly about____________．
A．Americans’ attitudes towards Barack Obarma
B．two young men planning to commit violence
C．the violence in the United States
D．the disadvantages of the Internet
2.From the passage, we can know that the two young men_________．
A．shot 14 students in an African – American school
B．came from the state of Tennessee
C．were proud of Barack Obama
D．have not been sentenced yet
3.Which of the following shows the right order of the events?
a．The two suspects were arrested．
b．The two suspects will be tried in the court．
c．Cowart set up his MySpace page on the Internet．
d．Malcolm Wiley was interviewed by The New York Times．
A．a; b; c; d B．d; c; b; a C．c; a; d; b D．c; a; b; d
4.What can we infer from the news?
A．Most of the white people in the United States don’t like Barack Obama．
B．The two young men planned to shoot President Barack Obama．
C．The two young men were innocent in fact．
D．The two young men strongly believed that the president should be a white man
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Wednesday, October 29,2008.
The United States federal government had two young men in the state of Tennessee arrested on October 22 on unknown charges.
In court documents published on Monday, it came to light that the men had discussed attacking an African – American school and killing 14 of them.
Another crime was about planning to murder Presidential candidate Barack Obama. According to their affidavits (口供), the suspects’ “final act of violence” would be like this: when they attacked Obama they would wear white suits and top hats and drive “their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows.”
The two suspects are Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Arkansas and Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee. According to the court papers, they met last month over the Internet through a friend. Schlesselman and Cowart are believed to share “very strong views” about White Power.
Schlesselman listed “being racist” as his occupation on his MySpace page. He further wrote: “I'm white. I'm proud. I get angry. I like guns.”
Cowart also had a MySpace page on which photos of guns were presented under a heading of “My Guns”. On his page he wrote, “Better to die quick fighting on your feet than to live forever begging on your knees.”
Some have questioned the pair's ability to carry out the charged plan, but authorities have been very concerned about Obama as the first black presidential candidate from a major party.
“We honestly don't know if they had the ability or the skill to carry out the kind of plan that they talked about.” said Malcolm Wiley, of the United Satates Secret Service in an interview with The New York Times. “But we take any threat seriously no matter how big or how small it is.”
Cowart and Schlesselman are scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursady.
1.The passage is mainly about____________.
A．Americans’ attitudes towards Barack Obarma B．two young men planning to commit violence
C．the violence in the United States D．the disadvantages of the Internet
2.From the passage, we can know that the two young men_________.
A．shot 14 students in an African – American school B．came from the state of Tennessee
C．were proud of Barack Obama D．have not been sentenced yet
3.Which of the following shows the right order of the events?
a．The two suspects were arrested.
b．The two suspects will be tried in the court.
c．Cowart set up his MySpace page on the Internet.
d．Malcolm Wiley was interviewed by The New York Times.
A．a; b; c; d B．d; c; b; a C．c; a; d; b D．c; a; b; d
4.What can we infer from the news?
A．Most of the white people in the United States don’t like Barack Obama.
B．The two young men planned to shoot President Barack Obama.
C．The two young men were innocent in fact.
D．The two young men strongly believed that the president should be a white man
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
B
Some schools in the United States offer Chinese language classes with government support from China.
Saint Mary’s School is a private college preparatory school in Medford, Oregon.
Carly Irvine is in her fourth year of learning Mandarin(普通话).
CARLY IRVINE: “Since China and America are working so closely and our relationship is growing more and more, I think it will be very important in the future to know Chinese.”
Saint Mary’s also teaches Spanish, German and Latin. It added Mandarin in two thousand five. Two years ago, it became the first school in the country to join the Confucius Classroom program.
The program pays about half the costs of a teacher sent to a school in the United States. China’s Education Ministry also provides books and other materials.
Saint Mary’s principal, Frank Phillips, says knowing Chinese will help students in a world where China is quickly gaining economic power.
Zheng Ling, a teacher at Saint Mary’s, came from China in two thousand eight.
ZHENG LING: “People do not know much about China, especially the latest development. So I think this is a chance for them to know more about China, what China is really like. It’s quite different from what it was twenty years ago.”
The Confucius Classroom program is in about forty countries, including more than fifty American schools and universities.
A recent report said more schools in the United States are teaching Chinese and Arabic, although the numbers are still low.
45. How many American schools and universities have the Confucius Classroom program?
A. 4. B. 20. C. 40. D. 50.
46. Which of the following is true about Saint Mary’s School?
A. It is a public college preparatory school.
B. It added Mandarin in two thousand six.
C. It became the first school in America to join the Confucius Classroom program.
D. It also teaches Spanish, German and French.
47. How does Carly Irvine think learning Chinese?
A. Helpful. B. Useless. C. Unnecessary. D. Terrible.
48. What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Some US Students Learn Mandarin with China’s Help.
B. China is quickly gaining economic power.
C. Saint Mary’s School.
D. Carly Irvine.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
-
For the first time in 10 years，the United States government has changed its guidance on how much exercise people need to stay healthy and when they should start.
For children and teens
The new guidance states that the most important time for children to begin exercising is between the ages of 3 and 5. 1. That could be light activities，moderate activities，or even vigorous(剧烈的)activities.
Doctors say it is important to start young.They add that from birth to age 5，a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life. 2. Also，children who start exercising at a young age are more likely to establish healthy behaviors they will continue into adulthood.
But that does not mean putting a small kid on a treadmill(跑步机)or other exercise equipment. 3. After all，it's a kid’s nature to play freely and happily.
4. But it shouldn’t be less than one hour a day three times a week.Their activities should mostly be aerobic(有氧的)exercise，such as biking，swimming or running，which can strengthen the heart and lungs.Such exercise should also include muscle-and-bone-strengthening activities；such as climbing trees or playground equipment and playing sports.
For adults
For adults，the guidelines recommend exercising 150 minutes a week.That could be walking，gardening，dancing，etc.5. Experts say that even short amounts of aerobic exercise can provide health benefits，such as lowering blood pressure，reducing anxiety and improving sleep.
A.Any kind of activity that gets people exercising will do.
B.Aerobic activity works only if it lasts for at least 10 minutes.
C.Simply giving a kid the time and space to play actively is enough.
D.Children above 5 can have a relatively shorter time for daily exercise.
E.Children in this age range require about three hours’active activities daily.
F.Attaining the health benefits from exercise may be harder than earlier thought.
G.These developments have a 1asting effect on a child’s ability to succeed in life.
高三英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
-
Why Mars (火星) is New Settlement
Is it possible to live on other planets? The United States government is taking a serious look at the moon and Mars as potential places for future human settlement. The moon could serve as a training ground for later journeys to Mars. Currently, with Mars becoming the eventual long-term goal, serious questions exist as to whether the dangers of the settlement on the moon are too extreme and unnecessary.
One major reason the settlement on the moon is too dangerous is the difference between the atmosphere environment of the moon and Mars. Atmosphere is important because it protects humans and all other life from a continuous attack of radiation (辐射) caused by sources such as the sun. This radiation is especially dangerous to humans because it increases the risk of cancer and can negatively change DNA. The fact that the moon has no atmosphere can cause great harm to human beings. Although Mars’ atmosphere is significantly thinner than Earth’s, at least it has one and would create some sort of protective barrier for humans.
Another important characteristic necessary for human settlement is natural resources like water, of which the moon is believed to have none. Mars, however, contains vast quantities of water ice, dry ice, and also snow. There is also sufficient evidence that water once existed at the surface of Mars and might return in the future if the planet warms. With increased technologies, the potential for settlers to remain on Mars by being increasingly self-sufficient makes Mars a much more attractive goal as the space settlement than the moon.
Future settlers will not only benefit from potential water on Mars; the planet is also rich in other natural resources such as oxygen, hydrogen, and minerals, which can be well used in productive ways. For example, hydrogen can be used as fuel, and it can be combined with nitrogen (氮气) to form new materials necessary for human settlement. Due to these advantages,
Mars would be a more successful planet for exploration and settlement because it contains the basic resources necessary for humans to survive.
Since the environment of Mars is more similar to that of Earth and it contains resources necessary to help life exist, it should be the only option for any kind of long-term human settlement. The settlement on Mars would not only be a milestone in space but also an excellent chance for mankind to improve itself from past adventures on Earth and preserve and make the best use of the natural resources Mars has to offer.
1.According to Paragraph 2, the atmosphere on Mars would .
A. change the DNA structure of humans
B. measure the harmful radiation from space
C. provide protection against dangerous effects
D. cause humans to be exposed to serious illnesses
2.What can be inferred about water on Mars?
A. It is not present in a liquid state.
B. It doesn’t exist in large quantities.
C. It will bring potential dangers to settlers.
D. It can be easily changed into liquid forms.
3.The author believes that .
A. exploration of Mars takes great risk
B. natural resources on Mars last forever
C. settlement on Mars is perfectly acceptable
D. Mars is more suitable for settlement than Earth
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A.
B. 
C.
D. 
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
-
In the early part of the twentieth century, racism was widespread in the United States. Many African Americans were not given equal opportunities in education or employment. Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was an African American woman who gained fame as a concert singer in this climate of racism. She was born in Philadelphia and sang in church choirs during her childhood. When she applied for admission to a local music school in 1917, she was turned down because she was black. Unable to attend music school, she began her career as a singer for church gatherings. In 1929, she went to Europe to study voice and spent several years performing there. Her voice was widely praised throughout Europe. Then she returned to the US in 1935 and became a top concert singer after performing at Town Hall in New York City.
Racism again affected Anderson in 1939. When it was arranged for her to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, the Daughters of the American Revolution opposed it because of her color. She sang instead at the Lincoln Memorial for over 75 000 people. In 1955, Anderson became the first black soloist to sing win the Metropolitan Opera of New York City. The famous conductor Toscanini praised her voice as “heard only once in a hundred years”. She was a US delegate to the United Nations in 1958 and won the UN peace prize in 1977. Anderson eventually triumphed over racism.
1.According to this passage, what did Marian Anderson do between 1917 and 1929?
A．She studied at a music school.
B．She sang for religious activities.
C．She sang at Town Hall in New York.
D．She studied voice in Europe.
2.Toscanini thought that Marian Anderson .
A．had a very rare voice
B．sang occasionally in public
C．sang only once in many years
D．was seldom heard by people
3.Anderson’s beautiful voice was first recognized .
A. at the Lincoln Memorial B. in Washington, DC.
C. in Europe D. at the United Nations
4.This passage shows that Anderson finally defeated racism in the US by
A．protesting to the government
B．appealing to the United Nations
C．demonstrating in the streets
D．working hard to perfect her art
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析