Director James Cameron went to new depths for...

Director James Cameron went to new depths for his film-making on Sunday by setting the world record for the deepest ocean dive by a single person.

This type of extreme research is nothing new to the director. Cameron, 57, is most famous for directing Titanic (1997) and Avantar (2009). During the several years of research for Titanic, he famously traveled to the bottom of the ocean to visit the sunken ship. He also visited the deep sea as research for his fictional 1989 film. The Abyss, which is about a submarine that comes across an alien species. "Most people know me as a film-maker, "Cameron said. "But the idea of exploring the ocean has always been the stronger drive in my life.

Cameron and his team had been preparing for the trip for seven years. On Sunday, Cameron took more than two and a half hours to make the dangerous 6.8-mile journey down to the Trench, an area with near-freezing temperatures, no sunlight, and heavy water pressure. Cameron traveled in a 24-foot-long mini-submarine he helped design, equipped with lights and 3D cameras for filming the adventure. It also had a mechanical arm for collecting samples of soil and deep-sea creatures. Humans had not visited the Mariana Trench since two divers first reached the deep-sea spot in 1960. The divers Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard spent 20 minutes there but could hardly see anything. They took no pictures.

In his well-equipped submarine, Cameron was able to spend three hours in the Trench, exploring and filming. He plans to use his recordings in a 3D film production for movie theaters and for a National Geographic TV special. “I see this as the beginning,” Cameron said. “It's not a one-time deal. This is just the beginning of opening up this new frontier.”

1.We learn from the passage that James Cameron______

A. won't dive again in the future

B. is known as a film-maker to most people

C. is the only one who has ever been to the deep ocean

D. is famous for having reached the deepest ocean with his friends

2.Which of the following is TRUE about the film The Abyss?

A. It takes place underwater.

B. It was Cameron's first fictional film

C. Cameron spent seven years researching for it

D. Cameron dived to the bottom of the Trench for it

3.It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A. Cameron is very interested in high-tech

B. Cameron plans to use his recordings in the deep sea in all his films

C. Cameron will continue his exploration of the deep ocean

D. Cameron wants to make a lot of money from his exploration

4.What's the best title for the passage?

A. The Great Movies of James Cameron

B. James Cameron’s Autobiography

C. Hardship Under Water

D. A Director's Deep Dive

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the action adventure movie Avatar, James Cameron, ______director of Titanic, takes us to __________ new world beyond our imagination.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

The managing director was to _______ the accident, although it was not his fault.

A. be blaming for B. be blamed on C. blame for    D. blame on

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

When Luke went to university he thought he would be on a new journey in life and getting his own place. In the UK, it’s common to fly the nest at a fairly young age. Many choose a flat-share; others make plans to get on the property ladder.

But the current economic situation forced Luke back to his mum’s house at the age of 27. And he’s not alone: a quarter of young adults in the UK now live with their parents. The Office for National Statistics said more than 3.3 million adults between the ages of 20 and 34 were living with their parents in 2013.

Lack of jobs and the high cost of renting accommodation made Luke change his plans. He’s upset. "There’s something very difficult about being an adult living in an environment where you’re still a child," he says. "It limits me socially; sometimes I feel it limits me professionally."

Indeed, many young people have no choice but to stay at "the hotel of Mum and Dad".

Krissy had to return home after a year away and now lives in rather terrible conditions, sharing the family’s three-bedroom house with her sisters. She says they end up getting on each other’s nerves when it’s time to use the bathroom in the morning.

Of course, living with your parents is not unusual in some countries. Economic conditions, culture, or family traditions mean many young people stay at home until they get married. Even then, it can be too expensive to rent or buy a house and the married couples continue to live at one of their parents’ homes.

But some parents seem to enjoy having their kids back at home. Janice’s daughters are part of what’s being called "the boomerang generation". She says, "I get to share their lives with them, and I’ve got to know them all as adults. We have the sort of conversations that good friends do."

So for some it’s a win-win situation — spending time with your families, and saving money.

1.How is the passage developed?

A. By listing figures

B. By making comparisons

C. By analyzing causes

D. By giving examples

2.We can learn from the passage that.

A. living with parents is common in some countries

B. all the parents enjoy living with their children

C. the author approves of children’s living with parents

D. Janice belongs to a group called "the boomerang generation"

3.What does the underlined sentence mean in the fifth paragraph?

A. They get on very well with each other.

B. They shout at each other angrily.

C. They finally make each other annoyed.

D. They are unwilling to share with each other.

4.What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To persuade children into living on their own after getting married.

B. To show the present situation of young people living with their parents.

C. To compare the advantages and disadvantages of living with parents.

D. To present the problems young adults may face after going to university.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The USA

Well, imagine how my sister felt when she went off for the first time to New York for a business trip. After a few days she was still amazed at how friendly everyone was to her until she took a taxi back to her hotel one night. First she gave just the name of the hotel, but when asked she said the address too. Then she was asked how to get there, but of course she didn’t know. Imagine how frightened she was when the driver started shouting at her for not knowing the way.

The UK

A friend was in London for a conference. He took a taxi and there were no problems: the driver knew the way and was very cheerful. The problem started when he realized he had stupidly left his laptop on the back seat! He called the company up and, in a panic, went straightaway to their Lost and Found office. He was over the moon to find the laptop waiting for him, and then very surprised that it was one of 2,900 left in taxis over the past six months!

Tunisia

Well, my brother took a Mediterranean cruise(巡游) one summer and had a day in Tunis. He spent most of the afternoon in the Medina buying presents when he suddenly realized he’d completely lost track of time and there was only half an hour before the ship left the port. There had been loads of yellow taxis in the centre so he wasn’t too bothered until he stood on the pavement and waited for one to appear——and of course there wasn’t a single one in sight! Nothing! He questioned a passer-by who explained that the cost for the taxi ride goes up in the evening so the taxi drivers disappear until they can charge higher prices! Luckily for my brother the man then offered to give him a lift and he caught the boat on time!

1.What was the author’s sister’s trip by taxi in the US like?

A. Unpleasing and scary.　　　　　　　 B. Tiring but impressive.

C. Relaxing and exciting.　　　　　　　 D. Interesting but strange

2.The underlined part “over the moon” in Paragraph 2 can best be replaced by “________”.

A. very happy　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. extremely sad

C. quite surprised　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. pretty annoyed

3.Why couldn’t the author’s brother find a taxi in Tunis?

A. Because it was too late.

B. Because the weather was bad.

C. Because he didn’t know how to call a taxi.

D. Because the taxi drivers disappeared on purpose.

4.What do the three stories have in common?

A. They are all about taking a taxi.

B. They are all about business trips.

C. They are all about great services.

D. They are all about the author’s family.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Every night for a year, Neil Simons quietly went out of his house. He wanted to “talk” to an owl (猫头鹰)settling for the night at the end of his garden. He made owl cries like a real wild owl and was happy to hear the bird “hooting (大声叫嚣)” back to him.

Last year Fred Cornes moved in next door. He heard an owl hooting and answered back. For 12 months the neighbors got into the back gardens of their homes, thinking they were talking with nature. Mr. Simmons kept a diary of all his talks with his bird friend. They would both be out again tonight if it wasn’t for a chance talk between their wives.

Mr. Simmons said. “My wife Kim was telling Fred’s wife Wendy about my owl watching and described how I got the birds to boot back. She said, ‘That’s funny — that’s just what Fred has been doing.’ Then the penny dropped, I felt such a fool when I found out. The trouble is that owl calls aren’t exactly the same and it’s easy to make a mistake.”

Mr. Cornes said, “I’m really flattered (过奖). I didn’t know I sounded so real. I love nature and I couldn’t resist hooting at the owls. I was very excited when they hooted back. I’m sorry that I was fooling my neighbor who was fooling me.”

1.After the talk between the wives, the two men would probably _________ .

A. stop observing owls                   B. not stay up hooting again

C. not enter the back garden again      D. make no mistakes about wild owl cries

2.“Then the penny dropped.” most probably means “Then __________.”

A. I understood                          B. everybody knew about it

C. I heard the noise                     D. no money was paid

3.Mr. Simmons felt upset about the whole thing because __________.

A. all his efforts seemed to be meaningless  B. his wife let out his secret by chance

C. garden owls hooted so differently       D. Fred had been doing the same

4.The text suggests that __________.

A. Nail seldom heard natural owl calls      B. the owl never hooted back to Neil

C. Fred was always good at pleasing owls   D. owl watching is no longer interesting to Fred

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

短文改错

Yesterday I buy a new coat in a shop，and I found it was too big for me．This morning，I went to the shop and change the coat I bought yesterday．But the salesgirl treated me cold．Firstly，she didn't admit　 that I buy the coat in her shop．Then，she said I made it be dirty．So I got very angry and quarreled with　 him，pointing to the rules on the wall．Just then，manager turned up．He said sorry to me．At last they changed other one for me．Then I said good-bye to them and took the new coat home happy．

高二英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mark felt that it was time for him, to take part in his community, so he went to the neighborhood meeting after work. The area’s city councilwoman (女议员) was leading a discussion about how the quality of life was decreasing. The neighborhood faced many problems.

Mark looked at the charts taped to the walls. There are charts for parking problems, crime, and for problems in vacant buildings. People were supposed to suggest solutions to the councilwoman.

It was too much for Mark. “The problems are too big,” he thought. He turned to the man next to him and said, “I think this is a waste of my time. Nothing I could do would make a difference here.”

Mark thought some more on his way to the bus stop. “People should just take care of themselves,” he decided. “That’s enough to do. I can’t take on all the problems of the world.”

As he neared the bus stop, Mark saw a woman carrying a grocery bag and a baby. She was trying to unlock her car, but she didn’t have a free hand. As Mark got closer, her other child, a little boy, suddenly darted into the street. The woman tried to reach for him, but as she moved, her bag shifted and the groceries started to fall out. Mark ran to take the boy’s arm and led him back to his mother. Then he picked up the groceries while the woman smiled in relief. ‘‘Thanks!” she said. “You’ve got great timing!”

“Just being neighborly,” Mark said. As he rode home, he glanced at the walls of the bus. On one of them was “Small acts of kindness add up.” Mark smiled and thought, “Maybe that’s a good place to start.”

1.It is known from the passage that 　　　　 .

A. Mark played an active part in community activities

B. the city councilwoman was responsible for the falling of life quality

C. visual aids were used to display the seriousness of problems

D. many people were discouraged by the many problems facing them

2.In Mark’s opinion,　　　　 .

A. nobody was so able as to solve the problems

B. he was not in the position to solve such problems

C. many people were too selfish to think about others

D. he already had more than enough work to do

3.What is the implication of the Words on the bus wall?

A. You should be kind to your neighbors and they will treat you the same way.

B. Everyone can play his own part to make things better.

C. All small acts will add up to kindness.

D. It’s a small act to help a person in need.

4.The passage is mainly about 　　　　 .

A. how individuals can help make a difference

B. running a neighborhood meeting to solve its problems

C. citizens’ reactions to the problems they face

D. solving problems through group action

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mark felt that it was time for him to take part in his community, so he went to the neighborhood meeting after work. The area city council (委员会) woman was leading a discussion about how the quality of life was decreasing. The neighborhood faced many problems. Mark looked at the charts taped to the walls. There were charts for parking problems, crime, and for problems in vacant buildings. Mark read from the charts, “Police patrols(巡逻) cut back, illegal parking up 20%”. People were supposed to suggest solutions to the councilwoman. It was too much for Mark. "The problems are too big," he thought. He turned to the man next to him and said, "I think this is a waste of my time. Nothing I could do would make a difference here."

As he neared the bus stop on his way home, Mark saw a woman carrying a grocery bag and a baby. As Mark got closer, her other child, a little boy, suddenly dashed into the street. The woman tried to reach for him, but as she moved, her bag shifted (滑落), and groceries started to fall out. Mark ran to take the boy's arm and led him back to his mother. Then he picked up the groceries while the woman smiled in relief. "Thanks!" she said. "You've got great timing!" "Just being neighborly," Mark said. As he rode home, he glanced at the walls of the bus. On one of them was “Small acts of kindness add up.”, Mark smiled and thought, "Maybe that's a good place to start."

1.Why did Mark go to the neighborhood meeting?

A. To join in the neighborhood patrols.

B. To do something for his community.

C. To voice his complaints to the city council.

D. To collect suggestions for the community problems.

2.What was being discussed when Mark arrived at the neighborhood meeting?

A. The worsening in the quality of life.

B. The increase of police patrols at night.

C. The rebuilding of vacant buildings.

D. The violation(违反) of community regulations.

3.What did Mark think of the community’s problems?

A. They may take a long time to be solved.

B. They need to be solved with the assistance from the city.

C. They have to be dealt with one by one.

D. They are too big for single efforts.

4.Why did Mark smile on his ride home?

A. He had got some groceries at a big discount.

B. He had read a funny poster near his seat.

C. He had done a small deed of kindness.

D. He had caught the bus just in time.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

He was working on a new book ________ I went to see him.

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析