E
City officials are hoping to use the power of dog droppings. San Franciscans already recycle more than 60% of their dogs’ droppings, but in this dog-friendly town, such wastes make up nearly 4% of residential waste, or 6,500 tons a year.
Within the next few months, Norcal Waste, a company that collects San Francisco’s wastes, will begin a trial program under which it uses biodegradable (生物分解的) bags and dog-waste carts to pick up droppings at a popular dog park.
The droppings will be thrown into a machine called a methane digester (沼气处理机), which is basically a tank in which bacteria feed on droppings for weeks to create methane gas.
The methane could then be piped directly to a gas stove, a steam heater, an air turbine or anything else powered by natural gas. It can also be used to produce electricity.
Someone doubts whether this plan is practical. But Norcal Waste spokesman, Robert Reed points to San Francisco’s creative food composting (混合肥料) program, which began 10 years ago. It is a proof that an unusual idea can work in this forward-thinking city. Norcal Waste collects 300 tons of food left over after meals per day from homes and restaurants and changes it into a rich fertilizer sold to grape farms and organic farms.
Methane digesters are nothing new. The technology was introduced in Europe about 20 years ago, and more than 600 farm-based digesters are in operation there. Nine are in use on California cow farms, and chicken and pig farms elsewhere in the United States also use them.
“The main obstacle is probably getting communities around the country the courage to collect dog droppings, to give value to something we’d rather not talk about,” Brinton, a recycling and composting consultant, said. “San Francisco is probably the king of pet cities. This could be an advantage of it, which is very important.”
Some other experts believe energy production from dog droppings must become more attractive economically before it gets popular. Landfill space is relatively cheap, and natural gas and electricity also remain fairly inexpensive. However, Reed said confidently, “Now, the city authorities asked us to look at dog waste specifically.”
61. How many dogs’ droppings can be recycled at present per year in San Francisco?
A. About 6,500 tons. B. About 169,000 tons.
C. About 260 tons. D. About 3,900 tons.
62. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. there are many pets that are treated well in San Francisco
B. Norcal Waste is a company of refuse (垃圾) treatment, which collects dog wastes only
C. most of the farms in Europe use Methane digesters
D. Brinton doesn’t feel optimistic about the collection of dog droppings in San Francisco
63. The underlined word “obstacle” in Paragraph 7 most probably means .
A. interest B. effect C. difficulty D. purpose
64. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. San Francisco is a city full of innovation.
B. Dog droppings can be changed into methane gas in several days.
C. It is the first time to utilize animal waste in San Francisco.
D. Utilizing dog droppings presently is more economical than the landfill.
65. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Animal wastes collection by Norcal Waste
B. Changing dog droppings into energy
C. Methane digester technology in San Francisco
D. A dog droppings composting program
高二英语阅读理解简单题
E
City officials are hoping to use the power of dog droppings. San Franciscans already recycle more than 60% of their dogs’ droppings, but in this dog-friendly town, such wastes make up nearly 4% of residential waste, or 6,500 tons a year.
Within the next few months, Norcal Waste, a company that collects San Francisco’s wastes, will begin a trial program under which it uses biodegradable (生物分解的) bags and dog-waste carts to pick up droppings at a popular dog park.
The droppings will be thrown into a machine called a methane digester (沼气处理机), which is basically a tank in which bacteria feed on droppings for weeks to create methane gas.
The methane could then be piped directly to a gas stove, a steam heater, an air turbine or anything else powered by natural gas. It can also be used to produce electricity.
Someone doubts whether this plan is practical. But Norcal Waste spokesman, Robert Reed points to San Francisco’s creative food composting (混合肥料) program, which began 10 years ago. It is a proof that an unusual idea can work in this forward-thinking city. Norcal Waste collects 300 tons of food left over after meals per day from homes and restaurants and changes it into a rich fertilizer sold to grape farms and organic farms.
Methane digesters are nothing new. The technology was introduced in Europe about 20 years ago, and more than 600 farm-based digesters are in operation there. Nine are in use on California cow farms, and chicken and pig farms elsewhere in the United States also use them.
“The main obstacle is probably getting communities around the country the courage to collect dog droppings, to give value to something we’d rather not talk about,” Brinton, a recycling and composting consultant, said. “San Francisco is probably the king of pet cities. This could be an advantage of it, which is very important.”
Some other experts believe energy production from dog droppings must become more attractive economically before it gets popular. Landfill space is relatively cheap, and natural gas and electricity also remain fairly inexpensive. However, Reed said confidently, “Now, the city authorities asked us to look at dog waste specifically.”
61. How many dogs’ droppings can be recycled at present per year in San Francisco?
A. About 6,500 tons. B. About 169,000 tons.
C. About 260 tons. D. About 3,900 tons.
62. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. there are many pets that are treated well in San Francisco
B. Norcal Waste is a company of refuse (垃圾) treatment, which collects dog wastes only
C. most of the farms in Europe use Methane digesters
D. Brinton doesn’t feel optimistic about the collection of dog droppings in San Francisco
63. The underlined word “obstacle” in Paragraph 7 most probably means .
A. interest B. effect C. difficulty D. purpose
64. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. San Francisco is a city full of innovation.
B. Dog droppings can be changed into methane gas in several days.
C. It is the first time to utilize animal waste in San Francisco.
D. Utilizing dog droppings presently is more economical than the landfill.
65. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Animal wastes collection by Norcal Waste
B. Changing dog droppings into energy
C. Methane digester technology in San Francisco
D. A dog droppings composting program
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Scientists are attempting to extract (提取) cells from a 40,000-year-old horse in hope of using the sample to clone the extinct (灭绝的) species back into existence. The male baby horse was discovered in 2018 in permafrost (永冻土) in northeastern Siberia of Russia.
A team of scientists from South Korea and Russia believes the young horse, called the Lenskaya or Lena horse, was about 20 days old when it died. The species of horse, now extinct, is between 30,000 and 40,000 years old. Thanks to the terrible coldness, the animal’s tissue was preserved enough for the scientists to obtain samples.
Semyon Grigoriev, head of the lab at the Mammoth (猛犸象) Museum of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, said the horse was “well - preserved” and a “great find”. There is no damage to the horse’s body and even its hair is undamaged. The unfortunate animal, according to Gngo-riev, “could have drowned after falling into some kind of a natural trap.”
Hwang Woo-suk, a researcher from South Korea working on the project, said, “If researchers find a cell, they will do their best to clone the animal. If we get live cells from this ancient baby horse, it would be wonderful in terms of cloning.”
After that, they will make a cloned embryo (胚胎) and a female horse carry it as its mother. Hwang said modern-day horses are “very similar to the ancient one,” so there would be no problem getting help from a modern-day female horse.
The scientists are hoping the experiment on the baby horse will give them experience in progressing toward their ambitious goal-bringing back the extinct woolly mammoth.
“If we manage to clone the horse-it will be the first step to cloning the mammoth.” Hwang said.
1.Why was the Lenskaya horse kept in good condition?
A.The temperatures were extremely low. B.It was buried under the ground.
C.Alocal museum had preserved it. D.It died quite young.
2.What do we know about the baby horse?
A.It was a female horse. B.It might have died by accident.
C.Its hair was partly destroyed. D.Its tissue can hardly be found.
3.What must the researchers do before cloning the extinct horse?
A.Know more about extinct ancient horses. B.Make an embryo i a female horse.
C.Find an ideal modern - day female horse. D.Get live cells from the baby horse.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.A new horse species found in Siberia B.How to preserve ancient animals’ tissues
C.Scientists attempt to clone extinct horse D.How to extract cells from extinct species
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Dogs have a very good____ of smell and are often used to search for survivors in an earthquake.
A. sense B. manner C. means D. idea
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Rescue officials in Poland are working quickly to clear one of the country’s highways. The roadway is covered with a sticky brown material. It is blocking cars from both directions.
What is causing the mess? Milk chocolate. The problems began early Wednesday, after a huge truck carrying many tons of liquid chocolate overturned. Chocolate spilled out. It spread across six driveways of Poland’s A2 highway.
The liquid chocolate solidified(凝固)as it cooled, causing even more difficulties. The accident happened near the western Polish town of Slupca. Bogdan Kowalski is with the fire fighters of Slupca. He told the Associated Press that “the cooling chocolate is worse than snow”.
Videos published on social media showed rescuers and cleaners were trying to move the sticky brown mess with a bulldozer(推土机).
The private Polish broadcaster TVN24 reported that the driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with a broken arm. The accident happened in the morning when there was little traffic. Nobody else was harmed.
The sticky situation became a hot topic on social media. Some people offered to help the clean-up workers by eating the chocolate themselves.
Marlene Kukawa is a media officer for Slupea police. She told the New York Times that rescue workers needed to remove the truck from the highway first. “The cleanup”, she said at the time, “will take a few hours or more.” She added that accidents are rare in this part of the A2 highway. And, she told the New York Times, she is sure the area has never experienced something quite like a huge chocolate spill.
1.What caused the traffic trouble?
A. A broken-down car. B. Cars stuck on the highway.
C. Serious traffic accidents. D. The liquid chocolate.
2.What made the situation even worse?
A. The difficulty to get rid of the chocolate. B. Fear caused by videos on social media.
C. The chocolate becoming hard. D. Snow falling on the highway.
3.Why did some people offer to eat the chocolate?
A. To avoid wasting the chocolate. B. To reduce loss for the driver.
C. To play a joke. D. To solve the problem.
4.What did Marlene Kukawa think of the incident?
A. It happened very rarely. B. It was the most serious accident.
C. It was unexpected by other drivers. D. It was lucky that no one was killed.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Dear Teresa Silva,
The official of the university has reported to us that you are an English major who meets the high standards for membership in Sigma Tau Delta. As is known, Sigma Tau Delta was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. It is an international collegiate honor society for students of English. It presently has over 850 chapters in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Over 9,000 new members are admitted into the organization annually.
Sigma Tau Delta’s purpose is to promote literature and writing and to advance the study of the written word. Members gather annually in the spring at the international meeting to present papers and share experiences and ideas within the English subject. The Society offers tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships, awards, as well as publication chances in its journals The Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review.
It is our pleasure if you can complete the application for Sigma Tau Delta membership. If you would like to be included in this spring’s induction (入会) ceremony, please complete the application form, and include amount to cover both local and international fees. Your completed form must be received by date to be considered for the upcoming induction ceremony.
We congratulate you on your outstanding academic record and hope you will join us as a Sigma Tau Delta member. If you want to get more information, please visit our website www.sigmataudelta.org, or give us a call. The phone number is 583-2864.
Sincerely,
Emily Lister
1.According to the passage, Sigma Tau Delta ______.
A. deals with language learning
B. opens its door to all the students of English
C. changes its members every year
D. mainly takes charge of scientific publications
2.At the annual meeting, members of Sigma Tau Delta have the chance to ______.
A. meet all the chapter leaders
B. receive tens of thousands of dollars
C. share experiences and views
D. choose a particular subject as a major
3.This passage is basically a letter of _____.
A. introduction B. congratulation C. thanks D. invitation
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Dear Teresa Silva,
The official of the university has reported to us that you are an English major who meets the high standards for membership in Sigma Tau Delta. As is known, Sigma Tau Delta was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. It is an international collegiate honor society for students of English. It presently has over 850 chapters in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Over 9,000 new members are admitted into the organization annually.
Sigma Tau Delta’s purpose is to promote literature and writing and to advance the study of the written word. Members gather annually in the spring at the international meeting to present papers and share experiences and ideas within the English subject. The Society offers tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships, awards, as well as publication chances in its journals The Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review.
It is our pleasure if you can complete the application for Sigma Tau Delta membership. If you would like to be included in this spring’s induction (入会) ceremony, please complete the application form, and include amount to cover both local and international fees. Your completed form must be received by date to be considered for the upcoming induction ceremony.
We congratulate you on your outstanding academic record and hope you will join us as a Sigma Tau Delta member. If you want to get more information, please visit our website www.sigmataudelta.org, or give us a call. The phone number is 583-2864.
Sincerely,
Emily Lister
1.According to the passage, Sigma Tau Delta ______.
A.deals with language learning |
B.opens its door to all the students of English |
C.changes its members every year |
D.mainly takes charge of scientific publications |
2.At the annual meeting, members of Sigma Tau Delta have the chance to ______.
A.meet all the chapter leaders |
B.receive tens of thousands of dollars |
C.share experiences and views |
D.choose a particular subject as a major |
3.This passage is basically a letter of _____.
A.introduction | B.congratulation | C.thanks | D.invitation |
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
With 10, 600 bicycles in circulation, Paris city officials are hoping the program will provide people with more environmentally friendly transportation.
It seems both Parisians and tourists are taking advantage of the program. Since its launch a little over two weeks ago, Vélib has already seen almost half a million rentals. And, with the addition of 10,000 more bikes and 700 more stations in the next 12 months, city officials expect at least 200,000 regular users by year end. Parisian Olivier Bioret has already gone for a spin on one of Vélib’s vehicles and plans to make use of them more often.
“It’s a real pleasure—when, like me, you don’t have space enough in your flat to have your own bike—to be able to discover, to cross Paris and not have to take the subway. ”he said.
As a socialist and longtime green activist, Mayor Bertrand Delanoe regards Vélib as just a part of his plan to reduce car traffic and, thus, lower pollution by 2020.
Apart from its environmental benefits, Vélib is also being praised as a way of collecting money for the city, for all the money from rentals goes to the city government.
Paris is not alone in its attempt to profit from the power of the bicycles.
Across the globe, cities such as Barcelona, which stated its bike-share program in March with 1,500 vehicles and 100 stations, and New York, which launched a five-day trial program last month, are using bicycles as a way to cut back on both traffic and pollution.
However, it remains to be seen whether people’s acceptance of these programs is simply a passing fashion or whether this movement has the power to take root and transform the face of public transportation around the world.
1.The real purpose of Vélib is________.
A.to help people save money and space
B.to make some money for the city government
C.to provide convenience to both Parisians and tourists
D.to reduce traffic and pollution in the city
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.There will be 700 stations in one year’s time .
B.There will be over 20, 000 bikes in use in a year.
C.In the first two weeks there were nearly a million rentals.
D.There will be 200, 000 regular rentals each day by year end.
3.We can know from the passage that_________.
A.other cities also have such programs
B.Parisians can use the bicycles free of charge
C.Paris sets an example to many other cities
D.Paris is the first city to start such a program
4.As to the future of the program,the author is_________.
A.critical B.optimistic C.uncertain D.negative
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.
It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.
Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine(重新定义) the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.
Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship(创业) is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.
So what has led to this huge change?
Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation(停滞),”noted The Daily Beast.
“The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.
The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.
Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations. “This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them.”
1.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Meaning of American Dream
B. Redefinition of American Dream
C. Value of Achieving American Dream
D. History of Changing American Dream
2.The underlined word “cornerstone” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. growth B. balance
C. purpose D. basis
3.According to the passage, what has changed Millennials’ view of the American Dream?
A. A lack of confidence in themselves
B. Fierce competition in the job market
C. The discouraging economy and unemployment
D. Their dissatisfaction with the government
4.Dan Kadlec thinks Millennials’ new definition of the American Dream is ______.
A. understandable B. beautiful
C. worrying D. Positive
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.
It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. The dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last for a long time.
Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Tune magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.
Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And running their own business is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.
So what has led to this huge change?
Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity,” noted The Daily Beast.
“The rate of 16-to-24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.
The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.
Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations. “This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennials are feeling they can only attain a day-to-day lifestyle that suits them.”
1.Which has similar meaning to the underlined word “cornerstone”?
A. value B. average
C. reason D. basis
2.What has changed Millennials’ views of the American Dream?
A. The discouraging economy and unemployment.
B. The fierce competition in getting a degree.
C. Their dissatisfaction with the government.
D. Their lack of confidence in themselves.
3.What does Dan Kadlec’s think of Millennials’ definition of the American Dream?
A. considerate B. understandable
C. curious D. negative
4.What can be the best title for this passage?
A. Meaning of American Dream B. Redefinition of American Dream
C. Value of Achieving American Dream D. The Reasons of American Dream
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.
It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.
Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine(重新定义) the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.
Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship(创业) is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.
So what has led to this huge change?
Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation(停滞),”noted The Daily Beast.
“The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.
The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.
Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations. “This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them.”
1.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Meaning of American Dream
B. Redefinition of American Dream
C. Value of Achieving American Dream
D. History of Changing American Dream
2.The underlined word “cornerstone” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. growth B. balance C. purpose D. basis
3.According to the passage, what has changed Millennials’ view of the American Dream?
A. A lack of confidence in themselves
B. Fierce competition in the job market
C. The discouraging economy and unemployment
D. Their dissatisfaction with the government
4.Dan Kadlec thinks Millennials’ new definition of the American Dream is ______.
A. understandable B. beautiful
C. worrying D. Positive
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析