In general, the ancient Romans were a practic...

In general, the ancient Romans were a practical people. They cared less about philosophy and pure mathematics than did the Greeks. The Romans were the best of the ancient engineers and architects. They were brilliant students of Greek geometry and trigonometry, and they applied their knowledge to the construction of fine bridges, roads, and public buildings.

They knew about the smelting of iron ore, but they used the iron they produced mainly for spears, swords, and shields, rather than for building construction.

While the Romans accomplished practical wonders, they did very little theoretical scientific thinking. Because of their frequent wars, many of their inventions were no more than improvements in the design of Greek weapons with which they were familiar.

There are two reasons for the Roman neglect of philosophy and pure mathematics. First, they were apparently too busy conquering nearby nations and forming them into a rapidly growing empire to waste much time on abstract thinking. Secondly, they were handicapped by the rigidity of their numerical system. (Try to multiply XI by LVII or to divide CXLIII by IX; it simply cannot be done with pencil and paper.) The Romans did all of their arithmetic on an abacus, the ancient counterpart of the modem computing machine. Their number system discouraged the study of pure mathematics.

1.The author calls the Romans “practical" because they________.

A.they didn't care about philosophy

B.they just learned from Greek geometry

C.they applied what they learned to construction

D.they thought little of theoretical scientific thinking

2.According to the passage, the Romans excelled in________.

A.smelting iron ore B.engineering and architecture

C.improving Greek weapons D.producing spears, swords, and shields

3.The underlined word “counterpart" in the last paragraph means ________.

A.equivalent B.calculator

C.appearance D.partner

4.The passage mainly talks about ________.

A.why Romans ignored mathematics

B.Romans' discouraging number system

C.how Romans accomplished practical wonders

D.Romans who neglected theoretical thought

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The first drawings on walls appeared in caves thousands of years ago. Later the Ancient Romans and Greeks wrote their names and protest poems on buildings. Modern graffiti seems to have appeared in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, and by the late sixties it had reached New York. The new art form really took off in the 1970s, when people began writing their names, or “tags”, on buildings all over the city. In the mid-seventies it was sometimes hard to see out of a subway car window, because the trains were completely covered in spray paintings known as masterpieces.

In the early days, the “taggers” were part of street crowds who were concerned with marking their territory(领地). They worked in groups called “crews” and called what they did “writing” — the term “graffiti” was first used by The New York Times and the novelist Norman Mailer. Art galleries in New York began buying graffiti in the early seventies. But at the same time that it began to be regarded as an art form, John Lindsay, the then mayor of New York, declared the first war on graffiti. By the 1980s it became much harder to write on subway trains without being caught, and instead many of the more established graffiti artists began using roofs of buildings.

The debate over whether graffiti is art or deliberate damage is still going on. Peter Vallone, a New York city councilor, thinks that graffiti done with permission can be art, but if it is on someone else’s property it becomes a crime. “I have a message for the graffiti destroyers out there,” he said recently, “and your freedom of expression ends where my property begins.” On the other hand, Felix, a member of the Berlin-based group Reclaim Your City, says that artists are reclaiming cities for the public from advertisers, and that graffiti represents freedom and makes cities livelier.

For decades graffiti has been a springboard to international fame for a few. Jean-Michel Basquiat began spraying on the street in the 1970s before becoming a respected artist in the 80s. The Frenchman Blek le Rat and the British artist Banksy have achieved international fame by producing complex works with stencils(模板), often making political or humorous points. Works by Banksy have been sold for over £ 100,000. Graffiti is now sometimes big business.

1.Why was the seventies an important decade in the history of graffiti?

A. That was when modern graffiti first became really popular.

B. That was when modern graffiti first appeared.

C. That was when graffiti first reached New York.

D. That was when graffiti first appeared on subway car windows

2.What does the underlined word “taggers” in the second paragraph mean?

A. Names of people who graffitied.

B. Building where paints were sprayed.

C. People who marked surface with graffiti.

D. People who were interested in graffiti.

3.What can we know from the third paragraph?

A. New Yorkers think graffiti is art.

B. Graffiti was accepted by officials completely.

C. Buildings can be covered with graffiti freely.

D. There were once advertisements on city surface.

4.What is the author’s final opinion about graffiti?

A. Graffiti has now become mainstream and can benefit artists.

B. Graffiti is not a good way to become a respected artist.

C. Some popular graffiti artists end up being ignored by the art world.

D. Some graffiti caused inconvenience to the local environment.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

The first drawings on walls appeared in caves thousands of years ago. Later the Ancient Romans and Greeks wrote their names and protest poems on buildings. Modern graffiti seems to have appeared in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, and by the late sixties it had reached New York. The new art form really took off in the 1970s, when people began writing their names, or “tags”, on buildings all over the city. In the mid-seventies it was sometimes hard to see out of a subway car window, because the trains were completely covered in spray paintings known as masterpieces.

In the early days, the “taggers” were part of street crowds who were concerned with marking their territory (领地）. They worked in groups called “crews” and called what they did “writing”-the term “graffiti” was first used by The New York Times and the novelist Norman Mailer. Art galleries in New York began buying graffiti in the early seventies. But at the same time that it began to be regarded as an art form, John Lindsay, the then mayor of New York, declared the first war on graffiti. By the 1980s it became much harder to write on subway trains without being caught, and instead many of the more established graffiti artists began using roofs of buildings.

The debate over whether graffiti is art or deliberate damage is still going on. Peter Vallone, a New York city councilor, thinks that graffiti done with permission can be art, but if it is on someone else’s property it becomes a crime. “I have a message for the graffiti destroyers out there,” he said recently, “and your freedom of expression ends where my property begins.” On the other hand, Felix, a member of the Berlin-based group Reclaim Your City, says that artists are reclaiming cities for the public from advertisers, and that graffiti represents freedom and makes cities livelier.

For decades graffiti has been a springboard to international fame for a few. Jean-Michel Basquiat began spraying on the street in the 1970s before becoming a respected artist in the 80s. The Frenchman Blek le Rat and the British artist Banksy have achieved international fame by producing complex works with stencils (模板), often making political or humorous points. Works by Banksy have been sold for over £ 100,000. Graffiti is now sometimes big business.

1.Why was the seventies an important decade in the history of graffiti?

A. That was when modern graffiti first appeared.

B. That was when modern graffiti first became really popular.

C. That was when graffiti first reached New York.

D. That was when graffiti first appeared on subway car windows

2.What does the underlined word “taggers” in the second paragraph mean?

A. Names of people who graffitied.

B. Building where paints were sprayed.

C. People who marked surface with graffiti.

D. People who were interested in graffiti.

3.What can we know from the third paragraph?

A. New Yorkers think graffiti is art.

B. Graffiti was accepted by officials completely.

C. Buildings can be covered with graffiti freely.

D. There were once advertisements on city surface.

4.What is the author’s final opinion about graffiti?

A. Graffiti has now become mainstream and can benefit artists.

B. Graffiti is not a good way to become a respected artist.

C. Some popular graffiti artists end up being ignored by the art world.

D. Some graffiti caused inconvenience to the local environment.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to the sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

1.From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.

A. worked very hard for centuries

B. dreamed of having a better life

C. were poor but somewhat content

D. lived a different life from their forefathers

2.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A. the frogs were easy money

B. They needs money to buy medicine

C. they wanted to please the visitors

D. the frogs made too much noise

3. What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A. the crops didn’t do well

B. there were too many insects

C. the visits brought in diseases

D. the pesticides were overused

4.What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country

B. Health is more important than money

C. The harmony between man and nature is important

D. good old day will never be forgotten

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. The told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other place.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a batter future. But the dream didn’t last long.

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

1.From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.

A. were poor but somewhat content      B. dreamed of having a better life

C. worked very hard for centuries        D. lived a different life from their forefathers

2.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A. They needs money to buy medicine      B. The frogs were easy money .

C. They wanted to please the visitors    D. The frogs made too much noise

3.What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A. there were too many insects           B. the crops didn’t do well

C. the visits brought in disease         D. the pesticides were overused

4.What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country

B. Health is more important than money

C. Good old day will never be forgotten

D. The harmony between man and nature is important.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. The told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other place.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a batter future. But the dream didn’t last long.

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

1.From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.

A. worked very hard for centuries     B. dreamed of having a better life

C. were poor but somewhat content   D. lived a different life from their forefathers

2.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A. the frogs were easy money              B. They needs money to buy medicine

C. they wanted to please the visitors         D. the frogs made too much noise

3.What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A. the crops didn’t do well   B. there were too many insects

C. the visits brought in diseases D. the pesticides were overused

4.What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country  B. Health is more important than money

C. The harmony between man and nature is important  D. good old day will never be forgotten

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was a village in India.The people were poor.However，they were not unhappy.After all，their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day，some visitors from the city arrived.They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs.However，they did not have enough frogs of their own，and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.

This seemed like money for nothing.There were millions of frogs in the fields around，and they were no use to the villagers.All they had to do was catch them.Agreement was reached，and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs.Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money.For the first time，the people were able to dream of a better future.But the dream didn’t last long.

The change was hardly noticed at first，but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well.More worrying was that the children fell ill more often，and，there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak.They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines.Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening.It was the frog.They hadn’t been useless.They had been doing an important job—eating insects.Now with so many frogs killed，the insects were increasing more rapidly.They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now，the people are still poor.But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs.These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

(2010·辽宁，A)

1.From Paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers ________.

A．worked very hard for centuries

B．dreamed of having a better life

C．were poor but somewhat content

D．lived a different life from their forefathers

2.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A．The frogs were easy money.

B．They needed money to buy medicine.

C．They wanted to please the visitors.

D．The frogs made too much noise.

3.What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A．The crops didn’t do well.

B．There were too many insects.

C．The visitors brought in diseases.

D．The pesticides were overused.

4.What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

A．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country.

B．Health is more important than money.

C．The harmony between man and nature is important.

D．Good old days will never be forgotten.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides (杀虫剂）and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job — eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

1..

. From Paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers________.

A. worked very hard for centuries          B. dreamed of having a better life

C. were poor but somewhat content         D. lived a different life from their forefathers

2..

Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A. The frogs were easy money.             B. They needed money to buy medicine.

C. They wanted to please the visitors.        D. The frogs made too much noise.

3..

. What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A. The crops didn’t do well.               B. There were too many insects.

C. The visitors brought in diseases.          D. The pesticides were overused.

4..

What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country.

B. Health is more important than money.

C. The harmony between man and nature is important.

D. Good old days will never be forgotten.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

People without homes have always been present in America. In the past，they were called hobos，bums，or drifters. It was not until the early 1980s that these people received a new name，when activists named them the homeless.

The types of people who were homeless also changed in the 1980s. No longer were they primarily older men. They were younger，with an average age of 35. Their numbers consisted of women，children，adolescents and entire families. They were of many races and cultures. No longer were they only in the inner city. They lived in rural areas and in large and small cities. No longer were they invisible to the people with homes and jobs. The homeless of the 1980s lived in packing crates (装货箱) and doorways. They slept on sidewalks and in public parks. They begged money from passers­by.

Counting the numbers of homeless people is difficult. However，in 1984 the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated the homeless population at between 250,000 and 350,000. In 1990 the Census Bureau counted about 459,000 people in shelters，in cheap hotels，and on the streets. In 1995 the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that there were 750,000 homeless Americans.

The homeless of the 1980s also began to speak out for themselves. Some spoke to Congress and to government committees controlling funding for social programs. Street newspapers，such as Chicago’s Streetwise and Boston’s Spare Change，had stories，poems，and essays that expressed the homeless viewpoint. The visible and vocal presence of the homeless prompted help from volunteers and government agencies. But what is still needed is a solution to the plight of America’s homeless population.

1.This passage is mainly about________.

A．one homeless person’s story

B．the history of the homeless

C．the changes of the homeless in the late 20th century

D．a way to provide homes for the homeless

2.How did the homeless speak out about their problems?

A．By writing books.

B．By moving to rural areas.

C．By being elected to the government committees.

D．By expressing their viewpoints in street newspapers.

3.Who is responsible to get the number of the homeless population according to the passage?

A．Government agencies.

B．Street newspapers.

C．The homeless themselves.

D．The volunteers.

4. The underlined word “plight” in the last paragraph means “______”.

A. income　　 B. flight

C. difficulty　　 D. employment

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The homeless all lived in urban cities in America.

B．The name “the homeless” was given in the early 1980.

C．Not only the disabled belong to the homeless family.

D．There were about 800,000 homeless people in western countries.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

People without homes have always been present in America.In the past，they were called hobos，bums，or drifters.It was not until the early 1980s that these people received a new name，when activists named them the homeless.

The types of people who were homeless also changed in the 1980s.No longer were they primarily older men.They were younger，with an average age of 35.Their numbers consisted of women，children，adolescents and entire families.They were of many races and cultures.No longer were they only in the inner city.They lived in rural areas and in large and small cities.No longer were they invisible to the people with homes and jobs.The homeless of the 1980s lived in packing crates (装货箱) and doorways.They slept on sidewalks and in public parks.They begged money from passers­by.

Counting the numbers of homeless people is difficult.However，in 1984 the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated the homeless population at between 250,000 and 350,000.In 1990 the Census Bureau counted about 459,000 people in shelters，in cheap hotels，and on the streets.In 1995 the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that there were 750,000 homeless Americans.

The homeless of the 1980s also began to speak out for themselves.Some spoke to Congress and to government committees controlling funding for social programs.Street newspapers，such as Chicago’s Streetwise and Boston’s Spare Change，had stories，poems，and essays that expressed the homeless viewpoint.The visible and vocal presence of the homeless prompted help from volunteers and government agencies.But what is still needed is a solution to the plight of America’s homeless population.

1.This passage is mainly about________.

A．one homeless person’s story

B．the history of the homeless

C．the changes of the homeless in the late 20th century

D．a way to provide homes for the homeless

2. How did the homeless speak out about their problems?

A．By writing books.

B．By moving to rural areas.

C．By being elected to the government committees.

D．By expressing their viewpoints in street newspapers.

3.Who is responsible to get the number of the homeless population according to the passage?

A．Government agencies.

B．Street newspapers.

C．The homeless themselves.

D．The volunteers.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The homeless all lived in urban cities in America.

B．The name “the homeless” was given in the early 1980.

C．Not only the disabled belong to the homeless family.

D．There were about 800,000 homeless people in western countries.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析