When you think of snowy winter festivals, Sapporo in Japan probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. In Japan, there are winter festivals every year that draw great crowds and offer lots of attractions to everybody.
The biggest one is the Sapporo Snow Festival which is held every year in February on Japan's snow covered northern island, Hokkaido(北海道). The Sapporo Snow Festival was the first of its kind held in Japan, and it is still the biggest. Every year, 2 million snow lovers rush to Sapporo, the biggest city in Hokkaido, to enjoy the Snow Festival in the first two weeks of February. At the Festival, you can see hundreds of snow sculptures made by artists from all over the world. Some are a couple of building stories high and weigh tons. There are ice sculptures too, and ice bars where you can go inside and have a beer.
The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in the 1950's by a group of high school kids. Feeling very bored in winter, they started a snow sculptures competition. Every year, more kids took part in the competition and now the festival draws snow artists from 15 different countries. There are also musical performances, light shows, and snowball fights.
Every major area has its own snow festival. One of the most popular is the Iwate Snow Festival. It's held in the small town of Shizukuishi in early or mid-February. Iwate is also famous for its yearly fireworks displays, where festival-goers can watch the colors reflected off the snow. In Iwate, you can see traditional Japanese musicians and dancers perform on floats.
If you want a truly unique winter festival experience, northern Japan is a great place to go. Just make sure you dress warmly.
1.Why is the Sapporo Snow Festival famous in Japan?
A.The snow in Hokkaido is very thick.
B.it is the first and the biggest in Japan
C.There are lots of snow sculptures there.
D.its snow sculptures are the highest.
2.When is the Sapporo Snow Festival held in Japan?
A.In late February.
B.From January to February.
C.In the first two weeks of February.
D.Two weeks before February.
3.Who started the Sapporo Snow Festival at first?
A.The government of Sapporo.
B.Artists from all over the world.
C.Kids who liked outside activities..
D.A group of high school students.
4.The author wrote the passage to _______.
A.introduce Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival
B.attract people to take part in northern Japan’s winter festival
C.introduce Japan’s winter festival activities
D.tell us the history of Japan’s winter festivals
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
When you think of snowy winter festivals, Sapporo in Japan probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. In Japan, there are winter festivals every year that draw great crowds and offer lots of attractions to everybody.
The biggest one is the Sapporo Snow Festival which is held every year in February on Japan's snow covered northern island, Hokkaido(北海道). The Sapporo Snow Festival was the first of its kind held in Japan, and it is still the biggest. Every year, 2 million snow lovers rush to Sapporo, the biggest city in Hokkaido, to enjoy the Snow Festival in the first two weeks of February. At the Festival, you can see hundreds of snow sculptures made by artists from all over the world. Some are a couple of building stories high and weigh tons. There are ice sculptures too, and ice bars where you can go inside and have a beer.
The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in the 1950's by a group of high school kids. Feeling very bored in winter, they started a snow sculptures competition. Every year, more kids took part in the competition and now the festival draws snow artists from 15 different countries. There are also musical performances, light shows, and snowball fights.
Every major area has its own snow festival. One of the most popular is the Iwate Snow Festival. It's held in the small town of Shizukuishi in early or mid-February. Iwate is also famous for its yearly fireworks displays, where festival-goers can watch the colors reflected off the snow. In Iwate, you can see traditional Japanese musicians and dancers perform on floats.
If you want a truly unique winter festival experience, northern Japan is a great place to go. Just make sure you dress warmly.
1.Why is the Sapporo Snow Festival famous in Japan?
A.The snow in Hokkaido is very thick.
B.it is the first and the biggest in Japan
C.There are lots of snow sculptures there.
D.its snow sculptures are the highest.
2.When is the Sapporo Snow Festival held in Japan?
A.In late February.
B.From January to February.
C.In the first two weeks of February.
D.Two weeks before February.
3.Who started the Sapporo Snow Festival at first?
A.The government of Sapporo.
B.Artists from all over the world.
C.Kids who liked outside activities..
D.A group of high school students.
4.The author wrote the passage to _______.
A.introduce Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival
B.attract people to take part in northern Japan’s winter festival
C.introduce Japan’s winter festival activities
D.tell us the history of Japan’s winter festivals
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan.After all, there are no
children begging on the streets in major cities here.You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline.But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth highest rate of child poverty among developed countries.
She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a
week.Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class.
“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals,but it’s
there.It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said.
Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics(人口统计),
struggling economy and high social security premiums(保险费).She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work.The number of single mothers has increased.The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn.Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the edge of poverty.
Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD ) point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008.But the Japanese government and the public refused to acknowledge it until then partly because of the shame associated with poverty.
“It was very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said
Abe.“Even though OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, Japanese media didn’t make it into the articles.”
Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate
(缓解) the problem.Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families.
But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more.She wants it to simplify
the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges.The country now only offers loans.
Abe also says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get
worse in the next few years.
1.The passage is intended to _______.
A.report the result of the studies conducted by OECD
B.tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty
C.prove that Japan is no longer a developed country
D.introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher
2.It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______.
A.no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan
B.its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline
C.it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world
D.its government and public refused to acknowledge it
3.According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except_______.
A.high social security premiums
B.the increase of the number of single mothers
C.the decrease of the salary for young fathers
D.the expansion of three-generation households
4.Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?
A.The Japanese public didn’t think it true.
B.It was forbidden by the Japanese government.
C.The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor.
D.OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese.
5.Which of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?
A.Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families.
B.Expanding government’s financial help even more.
C.Providing educational grants for poor students.
D.Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan. After all, there are no children begging on the streets in major cities here. You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline. But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth highest rate of child poverty among developed countries.
She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a week. Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class.
“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals, but it’s there. It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said.
Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics(人口统计), struggling economy and high social security premiums(保险费). She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work. The number of single mothers has increased. The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn. Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the edge of poverty.
Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ) point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008. But the Japanese government and the public refused to acknowledge it until then partly because of the shame associated with poverty.
“It was very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said Abe. “Even though OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, Japanese media didn’t make it into the articles.”
Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate (缓解) the problem. Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families.
But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more. She wants it to simplify the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges. The country now only offers loans.
Abe also says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get worse in the next few years.
1. The passage is intended to _________.
A. report the result of the studies conducted by OECD
B. tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty
C. prove that Japan is no longer a developed country
D. introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher
2. It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______.
A. no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan
B. its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline
C. it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world
D. its government and public refused to acknowledge it
3. According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except________.
A. high social security premiums
B. the increase of the number of single mothers
C. the decrease of the salary for young fathers
D. the expansion of three-generation households
4. Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?
A. The Japanese public didn’t think it true.
B. It was forbidden by the Japanese government.
C. The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor.
D. OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese.
5. Which of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?
A. Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families.
B. Expanding government’s financial help even more.
C. Providing educational grants for poor students.
D. Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
There is more to tourism in Britain than you might think.
When you think of tourist sites in Britain, what do you think of? Big Ben and the Tower of London? Lock Ness? Shakespeare’s birthplace at Strafford-upon-Avon? There are many famous tourist attractions in the UK and they attract millions of visitors each year. But along with the famous names there are thousands of other interesting places that are only open to the public for a few days each year. Heritage Open Days takes place each September and lets the public visit places that would normally be out of bounds. Among the thousands of historic sites there are castles and factories, town halls and churches. Here we look at some of the places that most tourists might not know about.
Roman Baths --- Chester
These Roman baths are almost two thousand years old and a fascinating insight into the history of the city but they aren’t often open to visitors because they are under a clothes shop and a shop that sells baked potatoes! In Open Days week, visitors can go downstairs to the basement of the shops and find a little piece of history.
Tennis Club --- Birmingham
Edgbaston Tennis Club opened in 1860 and is the oldest tennis club in the world. Visitors can see the club’s collection of tennis clothes and equipment and learn about the game’s rich history.
Ardman Animation --- Bristol
The studios that produced the famous Wallace and Gromit animated films open its doors to the public to let people find out more about how the films are made.
Paddock Wood --- Kent
A family house where some of the rooms are unchanged since the 1920s. The home’s owner, Sarah Hamilton, is happy to open her doors to the public, saying “I’m passionate about history and I love taking to people.”
These are just a few of the thousands of places to visit each year. If you’re visiting Britain in September ---- look out for Open Days!
1.Where is the Roman Baths --- Chester?
A.Next to a clothes shop.
B.Above a potato shop.
C.In Open Days week.
D.In a basement of two shops.
2.Which place might be most attractive to movie fans?
A.Paddock Wood --- Kent
B.Tennis Club --- Birmingham
C.Roman Baths --- Chester
D.Ardman Animation --- Bristol
3.What common things can tourists learn about at the four interesting places in the passage?
A.Collection. B.Structure. C.History. D.Style
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When you think of the future,you imagine having some sort of robot friend in your life.Musio,a new robot unveiled recently,is something like that.
Musio is an artificial intelligence software that runs on Google's Android mobile OS,and is packaged in the form of a round little robot with pointy ears.It doesn't move around,but it has a digital screen for its eyes and heart that are used to express the robot's emotions.It also comes with a remote pointer device,called Sophy,which is used to detect objects that trigger different interactions with Musio.
The robot was created by AKA,a company specializing in machine learning and natural language processing.It's designed to interact with its users with a voice interface,much like you'd use Siri.But Musio's creators,Wilmington, Delaware-based AKA Study,stress that this is a much different experience than using Siri—Musio can have interactive conversations and remember information about its users,sort of like a little person.Musio can do all sorts of things like controlling home automation and it has a number of integrated sensors.The robot is also programmable and it is able to speak naturally.It is designed to share its emotions via faces on its LCD screen.There are three versions of Musio that vary on hardware.The Simple version has a 1.2GHz dual core processor,1800 mAh battery, 16GB storage and isn't internet connected.It can only recall the last five conversations it has.
Beyond running on the open source Android platform,Musio is also Arduino compatible.The Arduino platform is an open source electronics platform built to be easy to program.Its purpose is to take different inputs through a suite of sensors and then relay commands to lights,motors,or actuators as a result.Musio is also compatible with the Zigbee wireless standard used by a range of smart home devices,so it's possible that developers could intertwine the robot with other appliances and turn it into a sort of voice-activated smart home hub with a personality.
And there are several educational accessories that come with Musio,such as flash cards and a fold-out accordion board book.Using Sophy,the pointer,Musio can interact with these objects thanks to a Bluetooth low-energy connection and a special code implanted in the printed materials.
1.What is Musio?
A. A digital e-book reader. B. A language learning software.
C. An artificial intelligence robot. D. A voice-controlled website.
2.How is Musio different from Siri?
A. It can hear and understand what its user speaks.
B. It connects a lot of programs.
C. It will give a variety of commands.
D. It can exchange verbal information with its users interactively.
3.Why could developers intertwine Musio with other appliances?
A. Because it could run on the open source Android platform.
B. Because it has a strong compatibility.
C. Because it takes different inputs through a suite of sensors.
D. Because it relays commands to lights,motors,or actuators.
4.What does the underlined word “accessories” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. Attachments. B. Sensors.
C. Pointers. D. Platforms.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
—What do you think was the highlight of your school life?
—_______.
A. When I had won championship in the school sports meeting
B. Having got the first place in a formal English examination
C. Named the Prom Queen at the graduation prom
D. That I was chosen to participate in the national physics contest
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
—How did you deal with the order?
—I handed it to ________ I think is in charge of sales.
A.who B.when
C.whoever D.whomever
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
—What do you think of the 2013 Spring Festival Party?
—Well, great! But I don't think much of ________ held last year.
A.the one B.it
C.one D.which
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
—What do you think of the 2013 Spring Festival Party?
—Well, great! But I don't think much of ________ held last year.
A.the one B.it
C.one D.which
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
—What do you think of the 2013 Spring Festival Party?
—Well,great!But I don’t think much of ________ held last year.
A.the one B.it
C.one D.which
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析