British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said "dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries”, he added. “The first known recorded use of the expression ‘couch potato’ was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article,” Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1.British potato farmers were taking to the streets _____.
A.to advertise their production
B.to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C.to remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary
D.to let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives
2.The farmers think that_________.
A.potatoes have had a bad imagine
B.potatoes are good for people by nature
C.potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D.it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3.John Simpson thinks that _________.
A.the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B.dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C.little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D.it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4.What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A.It is connected with unfavorable meaning.
B.Potato should be used in the expression.
C.It is borrowed from American English.
D.It refers to a kind of person.
高三英语阅读理解简单题
British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said "dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries”, he added. “The first known recorded use of the expression ‘couch potato’ was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article,” Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1.British potato farmers were taking to the streets _____.
A.to advertise their production
B.to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C.to remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary
D.to let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives
2.The farmers think that_________.
A.potatoes have had a bad imagine
B.potatoes are good for people by nature
C.potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D.it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3.John Simpson thinks that _________.
A.the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B.dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C.little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D.it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4.What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A.It is connected with unfavorable meaning.
B.Potato should be used in the expression.
C.It is borrowed from American English.
D.It refers to a kind of person.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said "dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries”, he added. “The first known recorded use of the expression ‘couch potato’ was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article,” Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1.British potato farmers were taking to the streets _____.
A.to advertise their production
B.to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C.to remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary
D.to let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives
2.The farmers think that________.
A.potatoes have had a bad imagine
B.potatoes are good for people by nature
C.potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D.it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3.John Simpson thinks that ___ .
A.the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B.dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C.little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D.it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4.What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A.It is connected with unfavorable meaning.
B.Potato should be used in the expression.
C.It is borrowed from American English.
D.It refers to a kind of person.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package: What food might it contain? He was astonished to discover that it was a mouse trap!
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse declared the warning, “There is a mouse trap in the house, there is a mouse trap in the house.”
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr Mouse, I can tell you this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me, I cannot be bothered by it.”
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mouse trap in the house.” “I am so sorry, Mr Mouse,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray; be assured that you are in my prayers.”
The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, “A mouse trap, am I in grave danger, huh?”
So the mouse returned to the house, head down and depressed to face the farmer’s mouse trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was an evil snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knew to treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well, in fact, she died, and so many people came for her funeral. The farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.
So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when the least of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
1.We could see from the passage that the mouse was ______.
A. kind and warm-hearted B. well-informed
C. good at cheating others D. foolish and rude
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The pig was comparatively less friendly than the others in the farmyard.
B. The mouse trap that the mouse discovered was not a practical one.
C. The farmer and his wife trapped an evil snake that night.
D. The farmer’s family was in fact poor and they had no friends.
3.The underlined word “ingredient” (Paragraph 7) refers to ______.
A. the mouse B. the pig
C. the snake D. the chicken
4.What can we learn from the story?
A. Better safe than sorry.
B. Traps are usually well disguised.
C. To help others is just to save you.
D. To keep the balance of nature is the duty of us all.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
On October 12,1989,some British scientists were working at the computers to look for the information they needed.Suddenly they saw a lot of very bright points crossing the computer screens.At the same time the computers were working much slower.To find out what was happening they stopped their work to check some parts of the computers.To their horror,they found out that most of their stored information was got rid of by computer viruses(病毒)!Clearly all these computers had been infected by computer viruses.
It is said that the computer viruses were made by a group of young men fond of playing tricks.They all had excellent education.They created the viruses just to show their intelligence. These kinds of computer viruses are named Jerusalem Viruses.These viruses can stay in computers for a long time.When the time comes they will attack(袭击)the computers by lowering the functions,damaging their normal programs or even getting rid of all the information.
We now come to know that Jerusalem Viruses often attack computers on Friday and that they are spreading(传播)to a lot of computers.Among the countries that were attacked by computer viruses last year are Britain,Australia,Switzerland and the U.S.But till now,how to get rid of the terrible viruses remains a problem.
1.When the viruses attack the computers,the computers will work________.
A.normally B.slowly C.faster D.well
2.The group of young men created the viruses to________.
A. damage the computers
B. test their ability
C. tell people that they were intelligent
D. play a trick on users of the computers
3.According to the passage,computer viruses seem to ________.
A. have been in nature for years
B. stay in any computers
C. be difficult to get rid of at present
D. be able to be got rid of in the near future
4.According to the passage,which of the following is TRUE?
A. Last year six countries found their computers were infected by viruses.
B. The viruses will come to a new computer after staying in the old one for some time.
C. Scientists are trying to find a way to get rid of the viruses.
D. The Jerusalem Viruses are dangerous to human health.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Farmers in China began to use tractors cattle for farming work.
A.to take the place of | B.to take place of |
C.to in place of | D.in the place of |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
In the late 1950s, a Russian geneticist called Dmitry K. Belyaev attempted to create a tame (驯化的) fox population. Through the work of a breeding programme at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics at Novosibirsk, in Russia, he sought to find the evolutionary pathway of tame animals. His test subjects were silver-black foxes, a melanistic (带黑色的) version of the red fox that had been bred in farms for the color of their fur.
He selected the animals based on how they responded when their cage was opened. About 10% of the foxes displayed a weak “wild-response”, meaning they were docile around humans. Those that hid in the corner or made aggressive voices were left in the farm. Of those friendly foxes, 100 females and 30 males were chosen as the first generations of parents.
When the young foxes were born, the researchers hand-fed them. They also attempted to touch or pet the foxes when they were two to two-and-a-half months old, for strictly measured periods at a time. If the young foxes continued to show aggressive response, even after significant human contact, they were thrown away from the population—meaning they were made into fur coats. In each selection, less than 10% of tame individuals were used as parents of the next generation.
By the fourth generation, the scientists started to see dramatic changes. The young foxes were beginning to behave more like dogs. They wagged their tails and “eagerly” sought contact with humans. By 2005-2006, almost all the foxes were playful, friendly and behaving like domestic dogs. The foxes could “read” human hints and respond correctly to gestures or glances.
1.What do we know about Belyaev’s breeding plan?
A. It explains how red foxes were bred.
B. It focuses on how tame animals evolved.
C. It explains why pet foxes became popular.
D. It concentrates on why tame animals disappeared.
2.How did he choose his test foxes in the experiment?
A. By appearance.
B. By color.
C. By reaction.
D. By flexibility.
3.What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
A. Smart foxes were used for testing.
B. The purpose of selection was unclear.
C. Friendly foxes were kept on testing.
D. The selection was not exact and thorough.
4.What is the distinguishing characteristic of the fourth generation foxes?
A. Behaving in a friendlier way.
B. Eating plants.
C. Having drooping ears.
D. Having shortened legs.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
It was not surprising that when some of the terracotta warriors were taken to the British Museum for
an exhibition, they were a(n) ______ success. It seems that they’ll remain the number one tourist
attraction for foreigners for many years ________.
A. immediate; along B. instant; ahead C. accurate; beyond D. primitive; through
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
C
Not many years ago, some American farmers began to complain about hawks(鹰). The hawks were killing chickens. The farmers did not know what to do. They went to the government officials and asked for help.
The officials said, “ We’ll pay you for each hawk you kill.” The farmers began to kill the hawks. Many hawks were killed, but the farmers now had another problem. The field mice were growing in number and they were eating up the farmers’ corn. Hawks eat not only chickens but also field mice. They eat more field mice than chickens. But if the farmers had known that, they would not have upset(打乱) the balance of nature. In one part of the USA, there are deer which eat a kind of wild rose. The deer are eaten by mountain lions. The number of deer, mountain lions, and wild rose does not change much if people stay away from them. If there are too many deer, mountain lions will increase rapidly in number and kill many deer. If there are too many mountain lions, there will be fewer deer and there will be more roses.
It is always necessary for us to keep the balance of nature. The government once killed almost all the mountain lions to protect the deer. Soon there were so many deer that they ate up all the wild roses. Then they began to eat the green leaves of young trees which were important to the farmers.
So the farmers protected their trees from the deer. The deer had nothing to eat, and many of them died.
The government learned a valuable lesson from nature.
44. What had happened after the hawks were killed?
A. People wouldn’t worry about their chickens.
B. The number of the field mice became too large.
C. The number of the field mice became small.
D. The field mice were eating up the farmers’ corn.
45. Why did American people have to protect their trees?
A. Because the mountain lions destroyed the trees.
B. Because there were so many deer that they began to eat the green leaves.
C. Because they wanted the trees to grow well.
D. Because the trees are more important than the deer.
46. What can we learn from the article?
A. We must keep the balance of nature.
B. We must not kill any animals.
C. we must feed the hawks with our corn to keep the balance of nature.
D. Both A and B.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
The farmers were sure that fresh water lay ____ in the earth, so they dug ____ to find
it.
A.deeply, deeply | B.deep, deeper | C.deeply, deeper | D.deep, more deeply |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Today we spent the morning going through our personal belongings .We were looking for items to __ for free at a local park. Not just any items but things people really ________. Our aim was not to find things we no longer ________ but things we use every day that would be ________ to others.
We packed these things ________ boxes and added some small toys. We added a list of local addresses and phone numbers of local ________ agencies. Inside the boxes a simple letter was placed. It ________: “Please take these items and know that your life is important. are difficult but these days will pass. We share what we have believing that it will matter. Use the food to nurture your ________; use the blankets to stay warm. Be safe and know that the human ________ can overcome anything. Do not hold your head ________ for having a need to stay warm. Someday please do the same when you can.”
This kind ________ was not because the phone rang or for any reason. It was ________ because it was the right to do. We have often seen ________ people at the park where we left the belongings. I ________ that my wife had put her favorite green coat into one of the boxes. I asked if she was ________ about it and she just replied that it had a hood (兜帽) . Her answer told me why it is I who love her. She liked the coat but knew the hood could ________ someone from the rain.
Who knows where these gifts of sympathy will ________? How many uses can a blanket serve ________ what it was designed to do? We never go back and see what happens. It is unimportant. The right things will find the right people and that is all that ________.
1.A. put off B. put up C. give away D. give up
2.A. needed B. collected C. produced D. searched
3.A. accepted B. wanted C. carried D. bought
4.A. wonderful B. beautiful C. hopeful D. useful
5.A. around B. upon C. into D. above
6.A. working B. parking C. delivering D. helping
7.A. spoke B. read C. marked D. indicated
8.A. Ways B. Problems C. Times D. Situations
9.A. body B. mind C. brain D. figure
10.A. imagination B. spirit C. health D. wisdom
11.A. forward B. aside C. around D. down
12.A. attempt B. manner C. act D. habit
13.A. suddenly B. simply C. strangely D. usually
14.A. aimless B. homeless C. childless D. friendless
15.A. believed B. dreamed C. approved D. noticed
16.A. sure B. sad C. worried D. anxious
17.A. separate B. prevent C. shelter D. hold
18.A. affect B. go C. use D. help
19.A. other than B. rather than C. more than D. better than
20.A. attains B. counts C. moves D. contains
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析