Living on mountainous La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off West Africa, Juan Cabello takes pride in not using a mobile phone or the Internet to communicate. Like his father and grandfather, he uses Silbo Gomero, a language that is whistled (吹口哨), not spoken, and that can be heard more than two miles away.
“I use it for everything: to talk to my wife, to tell my kids something, to find a friend if we get lost in a crowd,” Cabello says. “I also make a living from Silbo, performing daily exhibitions at a restaurant.”
People throughout La Gomera are known to have used Silbo in the past as a way of communicating over long distances. A strong whistle saved farmers from walking over the hills to give messages or news to neighbors. Then came the phone. Nowadays, it’s hard to know how many people still use Silbo. In 1999, it was introduced as a compulsory subject (必修学科) in La Gomera’s primary schools, in an effort to prevent the language from going silent. Now 3,000 students are studying it, but only a few people are believed to be able to communicate fully in the whistling language.
“Silbo is said to be the most important cultural heritage (遗产) we have,” said Moises Plasencia, the director of the Canary Islands’ government’s historical heritage department.
In fact, little is known about Silbo’s origins. Silbo-like whistling has been found in parts of Greece, Turkey, China and Mexico, but none is as developed as Silbo Gomero. One study is looking for signs of Silbo in Venezuela, Cuba and Texas, all places to which Gomerans have gone in the past during hard economic times.
“Silbo has many historical and linguistic (语言学上的) values,” Plasencia said. And, as Cabello explains, “It’s good for just about anything except for romance: everyone on the island would hear what you’re saying!”
1.Juan Cabello uses Silbo Gomero _____.
A.in his daily life. B.to learn computers.
C.just to make a living. D.only when eating at restaurants.
2.What can we learn about Silbo Gomero?
A.It first started in Greece. B.It is in danger of dying out.
C.It is helpful in keeping secrets. D.It is the oldest way of communicating.
3.Plasencia thinks it’s very important to _____.
A.know the origins of Silbo Gomero. B.find the values of Silbo Gomero.
C.have more cultural heritages. D.protect Silbo Gomero.
4.What is mainly described in the text?
A.A school’s subject. B.A famous performer.
C.An unusual language. D.A mountainous island.
高二英语阅读理解简单题
Living on mountainous La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off West Africa, Juan Cabello takes pride in not using a mobile phone or the Internet to communicate. Like his father and grandfather, he uses Silbo Gomero, a language that is whistled (吹口哨), not spoken, and that can be heard more than two miles away.
“I use it for everything: to talk to my wife, to tell my kids something, to find a friend if we get lost in a crowd,” Cabello says. “I also make a living from Silbo, performing daily exhibitions at a restaurant.”
People throughout La Gomera are known to have used Silbo in the past as a way of communicating over long distances. A strong whistle saved farmers from walking over the hills to give messages or news to neighbors. Then came the phone. Nowadays, it’s hard to know how many people still use Silbo. In 1999, it was introduced as a compulsory subject (必修学科) in La Gomera’s primary schools, in an effort to prevent the language from going silent. Now 3,000 students are studying it, but only a few people are believed to be able to communicate fully in the whistling language.
“Silbo is said to be the most important cultural heritage (遗产) we have,” said Moises Plasencia, the director of the Canary Islands’ government’s historical heritage department.
In fact, little is known about Silbo’s origins. Silbo-like whistling has been found in parts of Greece, Turkey, China and Mexico, but none is as developed as Silbo Gomero. One study is looking for signs of Silbo in Venezuela, Cuba and Texas, all places to which Gomerans have gone in the past during hard economic times.
“Silbo has many historical and linguistic (语言学上的) values,” Plasencia said. And, as Cabello explains, “It’s good for just about anything except for romance: everyone on the island would hear what you’re saying!”
1.Juan Cabello uses Silbo Gomero _____.
A.in his daily life. B.to learn computers.
C.just to make a living. D.only when eating at restaurants.
2.What can we learn about Silbo Gomero?
A.It first started in Greece. B.It is in danger of dying out.
C.It is helpful in keeping secrets. D.It is the oldest way of communicating.
3.Plasencia thinks it’s very important to _____.
A.know the origins of Silbo Gomero. B.find the values of Silbo Gomero.
C.have more cultural heritages. D.protect Silbo Gomero.
4.What is mainly described in the text?
A.A school’s subject. B.A famous performer.
C.An unusual language. D.A mountainous island.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
-----What’s one of the major problems _____ the children living in remote mountainous areas?
----- It’s poverty.
A. face B. facing C. faced D. faced with
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
La Gomera is the only place in the world that has a whistle(口哨) language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of a valley can not easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard. Some of the best whistlers can be heard from four miles away and the record is seven miles.
The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of telephone. If the sick person is quite far away from the town, people pass the message from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help one another in the same way when a car breaks down or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live on for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in different parts of a country. But on La Gomera you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.
1.If a person on La Gomera is ill, ______.
A. the whistle language will help pass the message to the doctor
B. people will take him to town by carriage
C. his family will take him to the hospital
D. others will phone the doctor in town
2.La Gomera is special because ______.
A. we don’t know its complete history
B. people have to shout if they want to communicate
C. people there have good teeth and ears
D. people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer.
B. The whistle language can only be found on La Gomera.
C. It is not easy for a person to live on La Gomera if he cannot whistle.
D. The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others from seven miles away.
4.Which of the following will be the best title of this passage?
A. The Secret Language
B. Do You Know the Whistle Language?
C. The Life of Islanders
D. La Gomera－a Mystery
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
One advantage of living on the top floor is that you can get a good ______.
A. sight B. view
C. scene D. scenery
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Living in a house on a mountain top ______ be rather cold, especially in winter.
A. can B. shall C. need D. should
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Spain’s Literary Genius
Four centuries ago, the author of one of the greatest comedic characters in world literature took his last breath. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), the author of Don Quixote, is to the Spanish what Shakespeare is to the English and Dante is to Italians — a national literary icon.
Cervantes’ book is still appreciated today, hundreds of years after its publication, because it’s a wonderfully truthful comedy. Don Quixote, like human beings generally, has great difficulty distinguishing reality from imagination. Readers may laugh at his strange behavior, but we laugh, we laugh with recognition.
The book records the adventures of Alonso Quijano, an older Spanish gentleman who loves romance novels. In truth, he reads far too many romances, and they have affected his mind. Quijano is so mixed up that he decides that he must become a knight himself. Imagine a comic book fan who decides to dress up as a superhero to fight crime, and I’ll get the picture.
Setting the scene
Alonso Quijano reinvents himself as “Don Quixote de La Mancha”, an aristocratic (贵族的) name that suits his ambition of being a knight. Next, since every knight needs a horse, he finds himself an old one named Rocinante. But Rocinante is not exactly cut out for lite as a knight’s horse. He’s tired from years of farm work. He’s unlikely to be of much help in any fight against an enemy.
The heroes in the romances Quijano reads all had a lady to love. They were highborn, like the knights themselves. Quijano chooses Aldonze Lorenzo, a farmer’s daughter, to be his beloved. She becomes “Dulcinea del Toboso”, or “the sweet woman of Toboso”. How does Aldonza feel about Quijano’s attentions? She doesn’t feel much at all, actually. Aldonza is yet another byproduct of Quijano’s imagination, like so many things.
Finding a sidekick
Now comes Cervantes’ second great creation: Sancho Panza. Once servant in Qiujano’s house, Panza is promoted to the role of squire (随从), because every self-respecting knight needs a squire. Panza has a sensible head on his shoulders, and he is a foil (衬托) to his foolish master.
The pair faces many adventures, but none are as heroic as a knight’s should be. We laugh, rather than cry, as we read. Quijano tries to act on behalf of justice, but he doesn’t often succeed.
Cervantes’ novel inspired a word that sums up Qiujano’s romantic nature: “quixotic”. In English we use the word to describe someone who is idealistic but foolish in pursuit of his ideals. It is a mark of Cervantes’ genius that he was able to identify this trait and personify it using such a great comedic character. We should appreciate him for it on this significant occasion.
1.On what occasion did the author write this review?
A.The 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote.
B.An Italian Poet, Dante’s 800th birth anniversary.
C.An English genius, William Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary.
D.Miguel de Cervantes’ 400th anniversary of his death.
2.Which role is Alonso Quijano most likely to identify with?
A.Miguel de Cervantes. B.Don Quixote de La Mancha.
C.Dulcinea del Toboso. D.Sancho Panza.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Don Quixote’s failure to distinguish reality from imagination amuses the readers.
B.Quijano manages to bring justice to the world by means of force.
C.Quijano is a Spanish aristocrat with great ambition.
D.Reading romance novel will make people behave in a foolish way.
4.According to the author, readers admire Cervantes and his masterpiece because ________
A.Cervantes is equal to Shakespeare and Dante as a national literary icon
B.Quijano’s adventure is romantic and heroic
C.Cervantes’ has a genius for personifying Quijano’s quixotic nature in a truthful comedy
D.Quijano’s vivid imagination has brought other minor characters to life.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Look at the map of Spain and point at the center. You've located the country's capital and one of Europe's most beautiful cities: Madrid. This popular destination is considered a city of contrasts with its abundant historic sites, resting in the shadows of modern skyscrapers.
History
This city of over 3 million people is proud of Western Europe's largest royal palace, and some consider it to be Madrid's most beautiful building.
Inside the Royal Palace 2,800 rooms are decorated in glory with museum-quality furniture and artworks. Tourists can tour 50 of these large and splendid rooms.
Art
The Internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive art gallery in Spain. Opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the world's most comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.
Shopping
Madrid has some of Europe's best shopping, and potential buyers love to look through the stores looking for bargains. But for 500 years, shoppers have gathered to an extremely large outdoor flea market known as the Rastro where they find everything from antiques to CDs.
Entertainment
No trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spain's famous art form, flamenco. Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.
Food
Madrid has a wide variety of restaurants, but because the Spanish typically eat late at about 9 or 10 p.m., it's difficult to find good dinner food earlier. If you get hungry before then, the best solution is to try a tapas bar where light snacks are served. Be sure to try the jamon, a kind of dry-cured ham: Spain is famous for it.
1.What do we know about the Royal Palace in Madrid?
A. It has 50 rooms for visit.
B. It can hold 2, 800 people.
C. It's been visited by 3 million people.
D. It is thought to be the largest in Europe.
2.What kind of market is “the Rastro”？
A. For discount.
B. For artworks.
C. To sell various goods.
D. To sell antiques and CDs.
3.What is a must when travelling in Madrid?
A. Having dinner earlier.
B. Enjoying flamenco.
C. Visiting Prado Museum.
D. Drinking in a tapas bar.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Living in the mountain area has its problems, ________ obtaining water is a big problem.
A. of which B. for what C. as D. whose
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Valencia is in the east part of Spain. It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia.
The city is a market center for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city's money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories.
Valencia has an old part with white buildings, colored roofs and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The university in the center of the city was built in the 13th century.
The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela named Valencia.
1.Valencia is the capital of _______.
A. Spain B. Venezuela
C. Valencia D. Uganda
2.Valencia is famous for its _______.
A. farm products B. parks and gardens
C. clothes and machines D. ships and railways
3.Which of the following things can not be seen in the old part of Valencia?
A. shops B. factories
C. white buildings D. wide streets
4.There is a city named Valencia in _______.
A. Spain and Britain B. Venezuela and Britain
C. Spain and Venezuela D. Spain and Vietnam
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Are you fond of tomatoes? Bunol, a town in Spain, held its yearly tomato festival on the last Wednesday of August. Thousands and thousands of people made their way from all corners of the world to fight in it, the world’s biggest food fight. Tons of fully-grown tomatoes were thrown in the streets.
No one knows exactly how this event started. Maybe it came from a local food fight between friends, or a joke that was played on a bad musician.
On Wednesday, at 11am, the fight began. A cannon(大炮) shot was fired to start the fight. At first, people fought one another, but slowly they began to fight in groups. After exactly one hour, the fight ended when the cannon shot was fired once more. At this point, no more tomatoes could be thrown.
Those who attend this event are encouraged to wear protective glasses. And they must press the tomatoes before throwing so that they won’t hurt others. Another rule is that no one is allowed to take anything — such as a glass bottle — into the fight. Although it is forbidden to tear(扯破) another person’s clothing, the crowd seems to tear the shirt of any clothed person, whether they are men or women.
Fire trucks are used to clean the streets after the fight with water provided from a Roman channel (海峡). The government seems more concerned with cleaning up the town than the visitors, and people go to the Bunol River for a wash.
1.What do we know about the tomato fight?
| A．Nobody knows how it really started. | B．Only people from Spain can take part in it. | C．It is held on the first Wednesday of August. | D．Green tomatoes can be used in the fight. |
2.When the cannon shot is fired the second time, ____.
| A．people start to throw tomatoes | B．people start to fight in groups | C．the whole tomato fight is over | D．the fight has lasted for two hours |
3.Which is NOT one of the rules of the tomato fight?
| A．People can’t use glass bottles. | B．People must wear protective glasses. | C．It isn’t allowed to tear other people’s clothes. | D．Tomatoes should be pressed before they are thrown. |
4.After the tomato fight, the town government ____.
| A．provides water to the people | B．cleans up the streets with fire trucks | C．takes people to the Bunol River | D．holds other activities about tomatoes |
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析