A few years ago, Darla Hoff painted a pumpkin...

A few years ago, Darla Hoff painted a pumpkin face onto a round straw bale(捆)at A1 and Karen Goldman's farm in Idaho Palls to advertise her U-pick pumpkin field. While Darla has stopped growing pumpkins, the annual tradition of straw bale art lives on at the farm and has drawn friends and neighbors to participate in it. Past creations have included an owl, Minions, tractors and a teddy bear.

To make the tractors, A1 baled round straw bales in two different sizes smaller ones for the tractor's front tires and larger ones for the rear(尾部). Large square bales made up the bodies. Jerry Kienlen used his farming equipment to arrange the bales in the shape of two tractors. Then it was time to bring the tractors to life. Karen and her daughter. Lana Hedrick, secured some green paint, and A1 got some red paint. Darla's husband, James, sprayed the creation with a paint gun. For the finishing touches, Steven donated two shiny exhaust stacks (排气管),and A1 and Karen donated two steering wheels from their farm parts.

The farm's annual straw bale art projects have now become a way for everyone to celebrate the end of another growing season. It's just something fun to do together after harvest. This neighborhood has always been close. Generations of these families have grown crops in this soil. Raised on the farms where they live now, they grew up together as their elders did before. A1 and Karen are truly super neighbors. Every year they also grow about two acres of corn to give away. Anyone can pick some, or A1 and Karen will even deliver. And during long Idaho winters, everyone gathers at the farm to enjoy fresh coffee and cookies.

This year's straw hale creation theme is Straw Wars. And all eyes will be on A1 and Karen's farm as their creation takes shape.

1.Why did Darla paint a pumpkin face onto a straw bale?

A. To recycle straw bales.

B. To please his neighbors.

C. To create a new tradition.

D. To make an advertisement.

2.What does the underlined phrase “the creation" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. The straw bale tires.

B. The square straw bales.

C. The straw bale tractors.

D. The farming equipment.

3.What do local people think of the straw bale art show?

A. It needs something fun.

B. It’s a good way to celebrate harvest.

C. It makes A1 and Karen famous in the town.

D. It stands for the beginning of a new season.

4.What kind of neighbors are A1 and Karen according to Paragraph 3?

A. Generous.　　 B. Creative.

C. Funny.　　 D. Determined.

☞文章内容To make the tractors, Al baled round straw bales in two different sizes- smaller ones for the tractor's front tires and larger ones for the rear(尾部).得知他们都在制作圆草捆拖拉机。

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Aristotle thought the face was a window onto a person’s mind. Cicero agreed. Two thousand years passed, and facial expressions are still commonly thought to be a universally valid way to judge other people’s feelings, irrespective of age, sex and culture. A raised eyebrow suggests confusion. A smile indicates happiness.

Or do they? An analysis of hundreds of research papers that examined the relationship between facial expressions and underlying emotions has uncovered a surprising conclusion: there is no good scientific evidence to suggest that there are such things as recognizable facial expressions for basic emotions which are universal across cultures. Just because a person is not smiling, the researchers found, does not mean that person is unhappy.

This may raise questions about the efforts of information-technology companies to develop artificial-intelligence algorithms (算法) which can recognize facial expressions and work out a person’s underlying emotional state. Microsoft, for example, claims its “Emotion API” is able to detect what people are feeling by examining video footage of them. Another of the study’s authors, however, expressed scepticism. Aleix Martinez, a computer engineer at Ohio State University, said that companies attempting to obtain emotions from images of faces have failed to understand the importance of context.

For a start, facial expression is but one of a number of non-verbal ways，such as body posture, that people use to communicate with each other. Machine recognition of emotion needs to take account of these as well. But context can reach further than that. Dr Martinez mentioned an experiment in which participants were shown a close-up picture of a man’s face, which was bright red with his mouth open in a scream. Based on this alone, most participants said the man was extremely angry. Then the whole picture was shown. It was a football player with his arms outstretched, celebrating a goal. His angry-looking face was, in fact, a show of pure joy.

Given that people cannot guess each other’s emotional states most of the time, Dr Martinez sees no reason computers would be able to. “There are companies right now claiming to be able to do that and apply this to places I find really scary and dangerous, for example, in hiring people,” he says. “Some companies require you to present a video resume, which is analyzed by a machine-learning system. And depending on your facial expressions, they hire you or not, which I find really shocking.”

1.We can learn from the second paragraph that __________.

A.facial expressions are universal across cultures

B.it is hard to recognize some facial expressions

C.emotions and facial expressions may not be related

D.common facial expressions convey similar meanings

2.In the passage, the word “scepticism” (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to “__________”.

A.similar interest B.fierce anger C.strong support D.great doubt

3.The experiment mentioned by Dr Martinez may prove that ___________.

A.facial expression is an important way to communicate

B.machine recognition of emotion is not reliable at all

C.facial expression is not the only way to detect feelings

D.people may misread facial expressions for lack of context

4.What does this passage mainly tell us?

A.Facial expressions are among the most universal forms of body language.

B.Computers can detect people’s mind by analyzing their facial expressions.

C.Facial expressions may not be the reliable reflection of a person’s emotions.

D.Companies can depend on machine recognition of emotion to hire people.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Aristotle thought the face was a window onto a person’s mind. Cicero agreed. Two thousand years passed, and facial expressions are still commonly thought to be a universally valid way to judge other people’s feelings, irrespective of age, sex and culture. A raised eyebrow suggests confusion. A smile indicates happiness.

Or do they? An analysis of hundreds of research papers that examined the relationship between facial expressions and underlying ( 潜在的) emotions has uncovered a surprising conclusion: there is no good scientific evidence to suggest that there are such things as recognizable facial expressions for basic emotions which are universal across cultures. Just because a person is not smiling, the researchers found, does not mean that person is unhappy.

This may raise questions about the efforts of information-technology companies to develop artificial-intelligence algorithms (算法) which can recognize facial expressions and work out a person’s underlying emotional state. Microsoft, for example, claims its “Emotion API” is able to detect what people are feeling by examining video footage of them. Another of the study’s authors, however, expressed scepticism. Aleix Martinez, a computer engineer at Ohio State University, said that companies attempting to obtain emotions from images of faces have failed to understand the importance of context.

For a start, facial expression is but one of a number of non-verbal ways, such as body posture, that people use to communicate with each other. Machine recognition of emotion needs to take account of these as well. But context can reach further than that. Dr Martinez mentioned an experiment in which participants were shown a close-up picture of a man’s face, which was bright red with his mouth open in a scream. Based on this alone, most participants said the man was extremely angry. Then the whole picture was shown. It was a football player with his arms outstretched, celebrating a goal. His angry-looking face was, in fact, a show of pure joy.

Given that people cannot guess each other’s emotional states most of the time, Dr Martinez sees no reason computers would be able to. “There are companies right now claiming to be able to do that and apply this to places I find really scary and dangerous, for example, in hiring people,” he says. “Some companies require you to present a video resume, which is analyzed by a machine-learning system. And depending on your facial expressions, they hire you or not, which I find really shocking.”

1.We can learn from the second paragraph that ______.

A.facial expressions are universal across cultures

B.it is hard to recognize some facial expressions

C.emotions and facial expressions may not be related

D.common facial expressions convey similar meanings

2.In the passage, the word “scepticism” (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to “______”.

A.great doubt B.similar interest

C.fierce anger D.strong support

3.The experiment mentioned by Dr Martinez may prove that .

A.facial expression is an important way to communicate

B.machine recognition of emotion is not reliable at all

C.facial expression is not the only way to detect feelings

D.people may misread facial expressions for lack of context

4.According to the text, which of the following statements is correct?

A.Facial expressions differ from person to person.

B.People with red face must be feeling extremely angry.

C.Artificial-intelligence algorithms can always work out a person’s inner emotional state.

D.Unbelievable to Dr Martinez is that job offers are decided by a machine-learning system.

5.What does this passage mainly tell us?

A.Facial expressions are among the most universal forms of body language.

B.Computers can detect people’s mind by analyzing their facial expressions.

C.Facial expressions may not be the reliable reflection of a person’s emotions.

D.Companies can depend on machine recognition of emotion to hire people.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Until about 150 years ago, the most important, expensive and renowned kind of painting was large-scale pictures that told a story, regarded as the________1.________(hard) challenge for an artist.   2. (choose) suitable subjects, artists had to be well-read. Then they had to know  ________3.________  stories could be told without words, using only gestures and expressions. To create lifelike scenes, they had to understand perspective, lighting and anatomy. So history painting needed a lot of thought and   ________4.   . (imagine). Large-scale pictures used to be reserved for grand religious or patriotic subjects, but that changed in the 19th century, as artists began creating history paintings based  ________5.  contemporary news stories. One of the first of these was The Raft of the Medusa, inspired by the wreck of________6.   French ship in 1816, which showed how art could have a powerful political impact. It presents a scene   ________7.    the survivors of the wreck on a raft littered with bodies try to signal to a distant ship. When they    ________8.  ( rescue ), they told how they had been abandoned by their captain, while he sailed to safety in a lifeboat. Starving, they had to eat each other to survive—though this picture makes   ________9.________ look heroic rather than violent. The picture caused a huge outcry. Some people thought the artist meant to criticize the French king,  ________10.   had been involved in appointing the ship's captain.

高三英语填空题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Until about 150 years ago, the most important, expensive and renowned kind of painting was large-scale pictures that told a story, regarded as the 　 1.　 (hard) challenge for an artist.　 2.　 (choose) suitable subjects, artists had to be well-read. Then they had to know　 　 3.　 　 stories could be told without words, using only gestures and expressions. To create lifelike scenes, they had to understand perspective, lighting and anatomy. So history painting needed a lot of thought and　 　 4.　 . (imagine). Large-scale pictures used to be reserved for grand religious or patriotic subjects, but that changed in the 19th century, as artists began creating history paintings based　 　 5.　 　 contemporary news stories. One of the first of these was The Raft of the Medusa, inspired by the wreck of 6.　 　 French ship in 1816, which showed how art could have a powerful political impact. It presents a scene　 　 7.　 　 the survivors of the wreck on a raft littered with bodies try to signal to a distant ship. When they　 　 8.　 ( rescue ), they told how they had been abandoned by their captain, while he sailed to safety in a lifeboat. Starving, they had to eat each other to survive—though this picture makes 9. 　　 look heroic rather than violent. The picture caused a huge outcry. Some people thought the artist meant to criticize the French king,　 10.　 　 　 had been involved in appointing the ship's captain.

高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some 30,000years ago, artists who lived in caves in Europe painted pictures of the animals around them: panthers, hyenas, rhinos, cave lions, mammoths and other creatures which have been extinct for a long time. The paintings were highly realistic. Some even showed movement.

The artwork, more than a thousand drawings, is considered the oldest group of human cave drawings which have ever been discovered. They were preserved because the cave was sealed--closed off--for more or less 23,000 years.

Fast forward to December 18, 1994, a group of French cave scientists were exploring caves in southern France. Jean-Marie Chauvet, who led the group then, describes the process of discovering the cave paintings.”At that time I was in the front, Eliette just walked behind me, Christian behind. Eliette said she saw two marks made with red ochre and she said, ‘They came here.’And at this very moment everything began. The drawings and everything linked to the parietal art (壁画). That is where it started.”

Cave art expert Jean Clottes reviewed the paintings. “I was amazed at the number of paintings there were and paintings of their quality and particularly in front of the panel of the horses.”

Scientific analysis confirmed the prehistoric date of the artwork. Studies showed the drawings were created tens of thousands of years ago, before human history was written. The United Nations’cultural agency UNESCO lists the cave as a World Heritage Site. They say that the drawings form a remarkable expression of early human artistic creation of grand excellence and variety.

The Chauvet Cave has been named after the explorer who first entered it. However, its environment and drawings are too fragile to be visited by human beings. So the cave is closed, and only people there for scientific purposes can go inside and see the artwork.

However, French authorities asked experts to create an exact copy of the cave, called Pont d’Arc Cavern. The copy, which we also call replica, cost more than 59million dollars to build. It opened at the end of April in France.

Pascal Terrasse is the president of the cavern. He says everyone will be able to experience the thrill of looking at drawings made by the first humans in Europe. He says the place is magic because it is done so well. Authorities say they think as many as 400,000people will be allowed to visit Pont d’Arc Cavern every year.

1.According to the passage, the first scientist to enter the cave was ________.

A.Christian B.Eliette

C.Clottes D.Chauvet

2.According to Jean Clottes’ words in Paragraph 4, the paintings in the cave were ________.

A.abstract B.superior

C.creative D.inspiring

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the Chauvet Cave?

A.It was closed off for more than 30, 000years.

B.It is thought to be the origin of modern parietal art.

C.The environment and artwork there are very easy to damage.

D.The majority of drawings there are about the extinct animals.

4.The purpose of creating Pont d’Arc Cavern is to ________.

A.show admiration for the earliest artists in Europe

B.arouse visitors’awareness of protecting ancient art

C.offer visitors chances to view the wonderful artwork

D.collect money for the perseverance of the Chauvet Cave.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When did the man hurt himself?

A. A few weeks ago.　　 B. A few months ago.　　 C. A few years ago.

高三英语短对话中等难度题查看答案及解析

The computers made by our company sell best, but several years ago no one could have imagined the role in the markets that they ________.

A. were playing       B. were to play       C. had played        D. played

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

About 30 years ago, Marie Roth taught a painting class. When some of her ______ expressed an interest in purchasing her works, she turned painting into a profession.

She’s 70 now, an age when many folks are starting to be ______ on the sofa in front of the TV. But ______ are if there’s a (n)______ barn (谷仓) coming down somewhere in northeastern Illinois, Marie will be there. Wearing leather gloves, Marie will pick through the piles of wood and ______ pieces that, as she describes, “whisper” to her. She’ll remove the ______ boards to her home, where she’ll ______ them and allow them to dry out before ______ the pieces together and gluing them into place. But it’s only when Marie ______ painting them in the eye-catching, beautiful colors loved by every American that it becomes clear what she’s ______. From the broken-down barns, she constructs fine wooden reproductions of the American ______.

“The wood is continually ______ by animals, or sometimes nailed and hammered by humans,” she said. “Recently, I had a piece of wood from the floor of a barn that was ______ by hooves (蹄子). I used it to paint flags from the Civil War era—the marks made me ______ all those brave soldiers.”

Marie comes by her love of barn wood ______ because her father is a carpenter. She painted her first flag on a shipping pallet (托盘) more than 30 years ago. The old pallet, she ______, “______ looked like a flag.”

The self-taught artist paints American flags ______ she is really good at drawing straight lines. Creating art is ______ she has to do. She sometimes ______ that she hopes one day she dies with a paintbrush in her hand.

1.A. students　　 B. employees　　 C. customers　　 D. managers

2.A. bravely　　 B. modestly　　 C. gratefully　　 D. comfortably

3.A. tasks　　 B. processes　　 C. chances　　 D. purposes

4.A. small　　 B. old　　 C. ordinary　　 D. dangerous

5.A. look for　　 B. wait for　　 C. work on　　 D. get through

6.A. borrowed　　 B. selected　　 C. limited　　 D. carved

7.A. wash　　 B. repair　　 C. cut　　 D. store

8.A. fitting　　 B. founding　　 C. replacing　　 D. holding

9.A. continues　　 B. starts　　 C. avoids　　 D. risks

10.A. collecting　　 B. showing　　 C. writing　　 D. creating

11.A. flag　　 B. picture　　 C. scene　　 D. toy

12.A. chewed　　 B. kicked　　 C. smashed　　 D. made

13.A. disturbed　　 B. spotted　　 C. printed　　 D. marked

14.A. think of　　 B. care for　　 C. attend to　　 D. bring back

15.A. frequently　　 B. naturally　　 C. quickly　　 D. secretly

16.A. imagined　　 B. nodded　　 C. pretended　　 D. remembered

17.A. just　　 B. yet　　 C. even　　 D. still

18.A. because　　 B. or　　 C. though　　 D. so

19.A. anything　　 B. nothing　　 C. something　　 D. everything

20.A. admits　　 B. declares　　 C. cries　　 D. jokes

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读理解。

Years ago, when I was a poor artist trying to sell my paintings in local galleries, I_1. (live) in the heart of a city. The rent for my apartment was really cheap 2. it was in the middle of one of the busiest neighborhoods in town. People who visited me used to ask me 3. I could sleep. “Doesn't the sound of the traffic bother you? How can you get used to _4. much noise？” You see, there were also rows and rows of shops and bars playing loud music day and night and my apartment was above a really loud and noisy 5.. But I found it all fascinating. If I were ever short6. cash and couldn't afford to do anything much, which in those days was usually the case, I could　 always go outside and take 7. look around. You see, there were always a great number of tourists visiting the shops, so I could always find someone 8.(interest) to talk with. And Joe, the owner of the bar below me, could always give me a little money to survive on in exchange for _9._ (do) a few odd jobs for him. At the time, I suppose, I thought I was poor. Sometimes, we don't realize how _10. (fortune) we are, do we?

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析