A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women’s shoes.
Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.
A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy’s, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company’s co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women’s feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe’s outer part, called the sole (鞋底). This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.
Rothy’s shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We’re not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.” When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled materials to make other products.
For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.
1.How are used plastic bottles usually dealt with?
A.They are buried or burned.
B.They are used to make shoes.
C.They are changed into soft materials.
D.They arc returned to factories for reuse.
2.What does the underlined word knitted in the third paragraph mean?
A.Attached. B.Fixed.
C.Combined. D.Repaired.
3.Which of the following directly helped to increase the sales of Rothy’s shoes?
A.The design and color. B.The reasonable price.
C.The company’s advertisement. D.The star power of Gwyneth Paltrow.
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To advertise a new kind of shoes.
B.To describe the process of making shoes.
C.To introduce a new way of recycling plastic waste.
D.To stress the importance of environmental protection.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women’s shoes.
Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.
A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy’s, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company’s co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women’s feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe’s outer part, called the sole (鞋底). This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.
Rothy’s shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We’re not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.” When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled materials to make other products.
For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.
1.How are used plastic bottles usually dealt with?
A.They are buried or burned.
B.They are used to make shoes.
C.They are changed into soft materials.
D.They arc returned to factories for reuse.
2.What does the underlined word knitted in the third paragraph mean?
A.Attached. B.Fixed.
C.Combined. D.Repaired.
3.Which of the following directly helped to increase the sales of Rothy’s shoes?
A.The design and color. B.The reasonable price.
C.The company’s advertisement. D.The star power of Gwyneth Paltrow.
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To advertise a new kind of shoes.
B.To describe the process of making shoes.
C.To introduce a new way of recycling plastic waste.
D.To stress the importance of environmental protection.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women's shoes.
Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.
A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy's, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company's co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women's feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe's outer part, called the sole. This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.
Rothy's shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We're not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.” When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled material to make other products.
For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.
1.How are used plastic bottles usually dealt with?
A. They are used to make shoes. B. They are buried or burned.
C. They are changed into soft materials. D. They are returned to factories for reuse.
2.What does the underlined word “knitted” in the third paragraph mean?
A. Combined. B. Fixed.
C. Spotted. D. Repaired.
3.Which of the following directly helped to increase the sales of Rothy's shoes?
A. The design and color. B. The reasonable price.
C. The company's advertisement. D. The star power of Gwyneth Paltrow.
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A. To advertise a new kind of shoes.
B. To introduce a new way of recycling plastic waste.
C. To describe the process of making shoes.
D. To stress the importance of environmental protection.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When Steve Jobs was born on Febuary24,1955, in San Francisco , California, his unmarried mother decided to put him for adoption(收养)because she wanted a girl. So in the middle of the night, his mother called a lawyer named Paul Jobs and said, “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” But his mother told his future parents to promise that they would send Jobs to college. After Steve Jobs graduated from high school, he went to college but only after six months did he decide to drop out because it was so expensive that he had to sleep on the floor in his friends’ rooms.
Jobs and a friend(Steve Wozniak) started a company in a garage on April 1, 1976. He named their company ----Apple in memory of a happy summer he had spent as a fruit garden in Oregon.
After 10 years of hard time and failures, starting from two kids working in a garage, Apple computer eventually grew into a big company with over 4000 employees.
At 30, Jobs , however, was fired from the company he co-founded. But after he had to leave the company, Apple was under heavy pressure from competitor Microsoft and suffered heavy losses. Apple needed Steve Jobs and he was appointed as Apple’ CEO in1997. Under his leadership, Apple returned to profitability(盈利) and introduced new products such as the IPod, the IPhone and the IPad.
Steve Jobs once said, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t be discouraged. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find your interest. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.”
1.Why did Jobs’ mother abandon him? ( within 6 words)
2.What did Jobs do half a year later in college? ( within 5 words)
3.When was Jobs removed from Apple? ( within 2 words)
4.What happened to Apple after Jobs left it? ( within 10 words)
5. What do you think is the most important thing to lead Jobs to success? (1 word )
高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析
When Steve Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco, California, his unmarried mother decided to put him for adoption because she wanted a girl. So in the middle of the night, his mother called a lawyer named Paul Jobs and said, “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” But his mother told his future parents to promise that they would send Jobs to college. After Steve Jobs graduated from high school, he went to college but decided to drop out because it was so expensive that he had to sleep on the floor in his friends’ rooms.
At 20, he and a friend started a company in a garage on April 1, 1976. Jobs named their company ----Apple in memory of a happy summer he had spent as an orchard (果园) in Oregon.
After 10 years of hard time and failures, starting from two kids working in a garage, Apple computer eventually grew into a big company with over 4,000 employees.
At 30, Jobs , however, was fired from the company he co-founded. But after he had to leave the company, Apple was under heavy pressure from rival (对手) Microsoft and in 1996 posted billions of dollars in losses. Apple needed Steve Jobs and he was appointed as Apple’ CEO in1997. Under his leadership, Apple returned to profitability and introduced new products such as the iPhone and the iPad.
Steve Jobs once said, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick, Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.
1.Why did Steve Jobs stop his college education?
A. He had financial problems
B. He took no interest in his major
C. He wanted to start a company
D. He hated to share rooms with his friends
2.What can be inferred about Apple from the passage?
A. It was founded in Oregon B. It had a difficult beginning
C. It developed from a garage D. It had a successful beginning
3.What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
A. Steve Jobs invented the iPhone
B. Steve Jobs joined Microsoft in 1987
C. Steve Jobs gave Apple a second life
D. Steve Jobs set up another company at 30
4.What does what Steve Jobs said suggest?
A. Courage goes with confidence B. Attitude is everything
C. Hope helps us succeed D. Enthusiasm is the key to success
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco,California is one of the world's most beautiful bridges. It is also one of the most visited places in the world. More than 1800 hundred million vehicles have used the bridge since it opened more than 70 years ago.
The bridge was painted “International Orange” because that color went well with the natural surroundings. The color also is easier to see in the heavy fog that often covers the area. But the Golden Gate Bridge was not named for its orange color. It was named for the body of water that it crosses, the Golden Gate Strait, which is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean
Planning for the bridge began in the 1920s when the area around San Francisco was growing. People living in the area needed another way to get to the city besides small ferries. Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer for the project. Work began in 1934.Mr.Strauss demanded the strongest safety protections in the history of bridge building. These included the first use of “hard hats” to protect the workers' heads and special glasses to protect their eyes. A special safety net was suspended under the bridge. This net saved the lives of 19 men during the construction.
The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937.It extends 1280 meters across the water. The total length is 2737 meters. It was the largest suspension bridge(吊桥)in the world until 1964.That is when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in New York City. Today, the Golden Gate Bridge is the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world.
1.What was the Golden Gate Bridge named after?
A. The Strait it crosses B. The color of a paint
C. The local climate D. Its natural surroundings
2.How did people cross the Golden Gate Strait before the bridge was built?
A. By plane. B. By train.
C. By road. D. By boat.
3.Why was a special safety net suspended under the bridge?
A. Because it can protect the environment
B. Because it can prevent workers from falling
C. Because it can make construction easier
D. Because it can save building materials from falling
4.What do we know about Joseph Strauss?
A. He built the first suspension bridge in the world.
B. His safety measures were not of practical value.
C. He attached importance to the workers' safety.
D. He demanded strong measures to ensure the safety of the bridge.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The ride-sharing company Uber has removed its self-driving cars from the streets of San Francisco,California. The action came after a dispute between Uber and state officials over whether the vehicles needed special permits to operate.
Uber recently launched testing of its self-driving service in San Francisco.But shortly after the launch, California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) told the company to stop the self-driving vehicles.State officials said the Uber cars needed the same special permit given to about 20 other companies testing self-driving technology in California.Uber argued that its technology does not make vehicles fully autonomous,and so the special permit was not needed.It added that all of Uber's "self-driving" cars have a driver sitting in the passenger seat to take over if needed.
The head of Uber's self-driving technology,Anthony Levandowski,explained the company's position in a blog post.He said the self-driving Uber vehicles do use high-technology tools to assist drivers.But they are not fully autonomous and require a driver to be at the controls at all times..He compared the technology to solar carmaker Tesla's advanced driver assist tools.Telsa's Autopilot system allows its cars to steer in a lane,change lanes,and speed up or slow down based on nearby traffic.The company tells drivers that,when using Autopilot,they should still always be ready to take control of the vehicle.Vehicles equipped with these high-tech driver assist tools do not need a special permit to operate in California.
It's hard to understand why the DMV would seek to require self-driving Ubers to get permits when it accepts that Tesla's autopilot technology does not need them,"Levandowski wrote.San Francisco's mayor,Ed Lee,praised the DMV for stopping Uber's self-driving vehicles.He said he supports self-driving development and testing.But only under conditions that put human bicyclists' and pedestrian safety first."
1.What does the underlined word "dispute" in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Discussion. B. Disagreement.
C. Fighting. D. Meeting.
2.Why does Uber say that the special permit was not needed?
A. Because Uber's "self driving" cars are fully autonomous.
B. Because there are passenger seats in Uber's "self-driving" cars.
C. Because no drivers are needed in some Uber's "self-driving" cars.
D. Because Uber's "self-driving" cars can be operated by humans when necessary.
3.What can we know from the passage?
A. Uber's self-driving cars need human drivers.
B. Telsa's Autopilot needs special permits too.
C. Uber's self-driving cars are completely autonomous.
D. Telsa's Autopilot system is better than Uber's self-driving technology.
4.What can we infer from Ed Lee's words?
A. He doesn't think DMV is right.
B. Uber's self-driving cars should he supported.
C. Uber's serf-driving cars are not safe enough.
D. One should be careful while walking or cycling in streets.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Twelve years ago, a young traveler named Rhett Butler from San Francisco, California, visited the Sabah rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. In one area of the rainforest, he watched a bird flying through the trees. The beautiful sight left quite an impression on him. But weeks later, back home, Rhett Butler got the news that trees had been cut down in the area he visited.
To keep his website going, he travels around the world on several major trips each year. His working tools are a laptop computer, cameras and sometimes diving equipment. He often calls on experts for information. For example, he interviewed Alison Jolly, a top experts on lemurs(狐猴). He interviewed Rodney Jackson, a biologist who established the Snow Leopard Conservancy.
Stories like these have made Mongabay a favorite place on the Internet for researchers, students and teachers. In April, Time.Com named it one of the fifteen top climate and environment websites in the world.
1. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Rhett Butler and his website.
B. Rainforest on Malaysian Borneo.
C. How Rhett Butler protected rare animals.
D. How Rhett Butler made his website popular.
2.Rhett Butler didn’t publish his book about rainforests because _______.
A. making websites earns more money than writing books
B. he didn’t want to become a writer
C. the book was not about rainforest protection
D. he wanted to use the information to create a website
3.Which of the followings is NOT true about the Mongabay. Com?
A. It was set up in 1999.
B. It attracted many advertisers.
C. At least two related websites grew from it.
D. Rhett Butler made a lot of money from it.
4.To keep his website going, Rhett Butler ________.
A. kept visiting the rainforest
B. traveled around and interviewed experts
C. raised rare snow leopards
D. made a great number of advertisements
5.We can learn from the passage that _________.
A. Mongabay.Com was loved by researchers as well as students
B. kids. Mongabay.Com. has many stories written by kids
C. WildMadagascar.org is better known than Mongabay.Com
D. Rodney Jackson was once a businessman
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
We will be traveling to the Presidio in San Francisco to visit the newly opened Walt Disney Family Museum. Your whole family will be fascinated by over 1,400 works of art featuring Disney characters. There are countless exhibits and even a model of the early Disneyland Park.
We will have a timed entry into the museum, and then each family is free to explore at their leisure. Lunch will be on your own. So bring your lunch or money for the Museum Restaurant. The Walt Disney Family Museum is a must-see for everyone who loves Disney.
Date: July 22, 2011
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00pm
Location: Presidio, San Francisco
Cost per person: $35.00 for adults,$25.00 for young people of 6-17 years old and seniors over 65 years old, and $10.00 for children under 6 years of age. Cost includes round-trip bus transportation to and from Alameda and admission into the Museum.
Pick-up location: Bayport Recreation Center(301 Jack London Avenue, near Ruby Bridges Elementary School)
It’s easy to register! You may register in person or mail the completed form and the payments to Alamede Recreation and Park Department 2226 Santa Clara Avenue,Alameda,94501.
Phone registrations begin from Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00pm with MasterCard or VISA only. Have your credit card and class activity number ready just before calling (510) 7477529.Fax the completed registration form with MasterCard/VISA, (510) 5234071.Registration is not accepted for anyone under 18 years of age.
1.The cost of the trip doesn’t include____.
A. the lunch at the Museum B. the transportation to Alameda
C. the transportation from Alameda D. the admission into the Museum
2.The Walt Disney Family Museum is open for____.
A. three days B. nine hours
C. two days D. seven hours
3.If Mr and Mrs Green visit the museum with a 9-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, they will spend____.
A. $90 B. 95
C. $105 D. $120
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When 12 girls from San Fernando High School in California received a grant(经费) to develop an invention to solve a real-world problem, they decided to create a solar-powered shelter to help the homeless.
For over a year, the girls have been using all their free time to complete the _______
“They have this amazing internal(内心的)_______that I’ve never seen in any individual,” Violent Mardirosian, a teacher at San Fernando High who is_______with the team on the project, told The Huffington Post. “I thought_______that maybe some of them would give up, say ‘I didn’t_______this much work,’ but they haven’t. They’re just working hard and they’re not giving up and they’re super _______”.
Living in a low-income community, the girls have seen the_______of homelessness first-hand. Many of them are from immigrant families and hoped the_______, which is powered by rechargeable(可再充电的) solar panels(控制板), would help the _______.
Seventeen-year-old Maggie Mejia told The Huffington Post that ________ she had no previous ________experience, the girl figured out as a team how to________the shelter using how -to videos and books that taught them how to code. But the most important________she’s learned during the project isn’t technical.
“I’ve learned a lot about________others, helping the community and being selfless and showing a better world to other people and________someone else’s life,” she said. The project was carried out with DIY Girls, a nonprofit that helps fund STEM-science, technology, engineering and math- projects for _________
Mardirosian said all the participating students have ________their interest in STEM through this project.
“Many of them didn’t think about engineering before. They thought maybe they’re not ________out to be an engineer. But working together, now they ________their skill - whether a writing skill or a drawings skill or a speaking skill, they’re all________in this field. Everyone has found their importance in this picture,” she said.
1.A. project B. coding C. report D. course
2.A. clock B. doubt C. drive D. pressure
3.A. agreeing B. working C. meeting D. talking
4.A. once again B. all the time C. at the moment D. at the beginning
5.A. receive B. expect C. believe D. mind
6.A. surprised B. confused C. excited D. worried
7.A. problem B. adventure C. choice D. difference
8.A. equipment B. community C. machine D. shelter
9.A. families B. homeless C. team D. research
10.A. when B. until C. while D. because
11.A. engineering B. managing C. teaching D. planning
12.A. renew B. create C. protect D. describe
13.A. skill B. lesson C. fact D. subject
14.A. helping B. following C. pleasing D. questioning
15.A. changing B. leading C. experiencing D. running
16.A. children B. adults C. teachers D. girls
17.A. imagined B. remembered C. discovered D. ignored
18.A. left B. put C. picked D. made
19.A. accept B. realize C. wonder D. share
20.A. discussed B. learned C. found D. needed
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
SAN FRANCISCO—A phone app(应用程序)in San Francisco gives information about open parking spots.City officials in San Francisco introduced the app to try to reduce traffic jams in the city, but some say it raises safety concerns.
In this city, drivers searching for parking spots lead to 30 percent of all downtown jams, city officials think.Now San Francisco has found a solution — a phone app for spot-seekers that shows information about areas with available spaces.The system, introduced last month, relies on wireless sensors(感应器)fixed in streets and city garages that can tell within seconds if a spot has opened up.
But the system could come with serious consequences.Some people say that drivers searching for parking could end up focusing on their phones, not the road.“It could be really distracting(使分心的),” said Daniel Simons, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois.
City officials admitted the hidden problem.They are urging drivers to pull over before they use the city’s iPhone app, or to do so before they leave home. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said safety could actually improve if drivers quickly found a spot instead of circling and getting frustrated.
San Francisco has put sensors into 7,000 parking spots and 12,250 spots in city garages.If spaces in an area open up, the sensors communicate wirelessly with computers that in turn make the information available to app users within a minute, said Mr. Ford, of the transportation agency.On the app, a map shows which blocks have lots of places(blue)and which are full(red).
More than 12,000 people have downloaded San Francisco’s app, which is available now only for the iPhone.
1.What is the phone app mentioned in the text mainly aimed at?
A. Benefiting iPhone users.
B. Preventing traffic accidents.
C. Making the traffic flow smoothly.
D.Making full use of the parking spots.
2.According to the text, San Francisco city officials ________.
A. don’t consider the app distracting.
B. are aware of the app’s disadvantages.
C. advise drivers to park cars slowly.
D. believe more parking spots are needed.
3.The phone app mentioned in the text ________.
A. is a bit slow in reacting
B. hasn’t been put into service
C. was introduced several years ago
D. can’t be downloaded to all phones
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. A phone app has been introduced to relieve the pressure on traffic in the city.
B. Safety concerns are voiced about a phone app aimed at helping drivers find parking spots.
C. Looking for parking spots contributes greatly to downtown traffic jams.
D. Drivers’ attention is distracted in one way or another when they are driving.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析