The city can seem a cold, mean place. In the ...

The city can seem a cold, mean place. In the middle of so many people hurrying about their own business, a person can feel alone among the millions of others.

There is a popular view that in cities, strangers are less likely to help an elderly person cross a street or call the police when they see a bike being stolen. Recently, a New Yorker named Casey Neistat did an experiment. He chained up his bike in several public places, then "stole" it in a number of obvious ways, such as using a hacksaw (钢锯). He filmed everything to see whether other New Yorkers would try to stop a shameless bike theft. The result? People just walked on by.

Is this evidence of an immoral, selfish urban society? Not necessarily. According to another recent study, the way city people mind their own business is about other factors besides morality (道德).

This is called the Bystander Effect, the theory that city people do not react because of the urban enviromnent they live in.

Psychologist Dr. Harold explained why people did not involve themselves in Neistat's bike theft experiment with the Bystander Effect.

First, people who live in cities are surrounded by so much activity that they stop noticing what is going on around them. Second, they are less easy to surprise and assume every activity has a logical explanation.

"The third is that people notice it, but they don't know what to do," he continued. "And the fourth is fear — they know they should do something, but they're afraid to challenge someone with a hacksaw."

A lack of concern is only a small reason why people don't take action, concludes Dr. Harold.

Despite the results of Neistat's experiment, there is also evidence of a sense of team spirit that connects people in cities. All it takes is a funny joke or a shared interest to start a conversation with someone at a bus stop. When city folk are in trouble, they come together for support — famously in New York on September 11, 2001.

City society is different, but that doesn't mean it's cold or mean — it just means it's busy!

1.Casey Neistat fihned everything in the experiment with the purpose of________.

A. proving that he was not the thief

B. telling people that bike theft was immoral

C. finding out who had a sense of right and wrong

D. making his experiment well-known to the public

2.We can infer from the third paragraph that morality________.

A. can partly explain a selfish urban society

B. is what our society should pay special attention to

C. is the only factor that leads to a selfish urban society

D. is the root of the Bystander Effect mentioned in the passage

3.The underlined part September 11, 2001 in Paragraph 9 serves as .

A. a reminder of the sad memories

B. a way to prove Dr Harold's Bystander effect

C. evidence that city life can be really dangerous

D. an example to show team spirit connecting city people

4.As can be inferred from the passage, the writer probably________.

A. criticizes the loss of morality in urban society

B. feels sad about the result of Neistat's experiment

C. thinks city people are too busy to care about others

D. disagrees that city life sometimes can be cold and mean

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

People and the sources of air pollution are found in the same places. This means that cities with large populations have the biggest problem of dirty air. Air pollution is caused by many different things. A major source of air pollution is the gas fumes from cars. Statistics show that 93 percent of all auto trips are within cities. Another major source of dirty air is the burning of coal and oil for energy. This energy is needed to make electricity. Of course, much more electricity is used in the city than in the country.

On the average, we throw away more trash and garbage than the year before. The burning of garbage contributes to air pollution. Many major industries are also responsible for the dirty air in the around cities. The fumes from iron, steel, chemical, and petroleum production add particles to the air.

The effects of air pollution range from mild headaches to death. The levels of pollution found in heavy for traffic may cause headaches for loss of clear vision. Wherever coal and oil are used for fuel, fumes may kill trees and plants and cause metal to corrode. In some of the larger cities, these fumes endanger the live of human beings by contributing to lung diseases and causing early death.

1.The key point of the passage is that _________.

A．the cause of air pollution is people

B．the causes and the effects of air pollution are both found in cities

C．the effects of air pollution range from headaches to death

D．air pollution is caused by dirty air

2.What is the purpose of this passage?

A．to persuade people to stop polluting the air

B．to tell the causes of air pollution

C．to tell why cities are bad places to live

D．to describe why cities are bad places to live

3.Why is air pollution more grave in the city than in the country?

A．Because there are larger populations in cities.

B．Because the air in the city is dirty.

C．Because there are more cars in the city.

D．Because there are much more gas fumes from cars and burning of coal and oil for energy in the city than in the country.

4.The fumes from coal and oil may cause metal ______.

A．to corrode                            B．to twist

C．to turn black                           D．to become rusty

5.In larger cities, the fumes from coal and oil may contribute to ___________.

A．heart disease                          B．loss of clear vision

C．lung diseases                           D．serious headache

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Zhang Lili, a 29-year-old middle school teacher at the No 19 middle school in the city of Jiamusi in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province was crossing the road just outside the school's gate when a school bus suddenly came rushing toward nearby students at 8:38 pm on May 8, 2012.

"There were three buses at the school gate ready to pick up students, but the one in the back suddenly crashed into the second bus and pushed it into the first one. There were several students standing between the first and the second buses and they were about to be crushed," said Liu Ye, a student of No. 19 middle school.

"We were waiting to board the bus when suddenly it began moving toward the teachers and students. Zhang Lili immediately pushed the students out of the way, but unfortunately she didn't escape. The bus crushed her legs. " added Liu.

Zhang Lili was sent to hospital at about 9 pm and she was critically injured and her blood pressure was low. The situation was quite serious when rushed to hospital.

After consulting specialists, the doctors decided that the only way to save her life was cut off both of her legs.

Upon learning about the accident, the deputy mayor of the city, Sun Zhe, asked the hospital to "save the young teacher regardless of the cost"

"If necessary, we will invite more specialists from the capital city, even from whole nation," said Sun.

Fortunately, after 58 hours of emergency medical attention after being transferred to the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Zhang finally regained consciousness on May 15.

"But it cannot be ruled out that her condition may worsen, and the doctors are still working full out to save the heroic teacher," said Zhao Mingyan, ICU director at the hospital, where Zhang is now receiving treatment.

"Her courage moved all of our staff, and we will try our best to help the brave teacher in her future life. " said Wang Jianwei, the director of center.

The Ministry of Education has also named her "National Outstanding Teacher" and called on the country's educators to learn from her.

1.What does the underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to ________.

2.What can be inferred from the remark of the deputy Mayor Sun Zhe?

3.What does the underlined sentence in the ninth paragraph attempt to tell us?

4.Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Zhang Lili, a 29-year-old middle school teacher at the No 19 middle school in the city of Jiamusi in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province was crossing the road just outside the school’s gate when a school bus suddenly came rushing toward nearby students at 8:38 pm on May 8, 2012.

“There were three buses at the school gate ready to pick up students, but the one in the back suddenly crashed into the second bus and pushed it into the first one. There were several students standing between the first and the second buses and they were about to be crushed,” said Liu Ye, a student of No.19 middle school.

“We were waiting to board the bus when suddenly it began moving toward the teachers and students. Zhang Lili immediately pushed the students out of the way, but unfortunately she didn't escape. The bus crushed her legs.” added Liu.

Zhang Lili was sent to hospital at about 9 pm and she was critically injured and her blood pressure was low. The situation was quite serious when rushed to hospital.

After consulting specialists, the doctors decided that the only way to save her life was cut off both of her legs.

Upon learning about the accident, the deputy mayor of the city, Sun Zhe, asked the hospital to “save the young teacher regardless of the cost”

“If necessary, we will invite more specialists from the capital city, even from the whole nation,” said Sun.

Fortunately, after 58 hours of emergency medical attention after being transferred to the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Zhang finally regained consciousness on May 15.

“But it cannot be ruled out that her condition may worsen, and the doctors are still working full out to save the heroic teacher,” said Zhao Mingyan, ICU director at the hospital, where Zhang is now receiving treatment. “Her courage moved all of our staff, and we will try our best to help the brave teacher in her future life.” said Wang Jianwei, the director of center.

The Ministry of Education has also named her “National Outstanding Teacher” and called on the country’s educators to learn from her.

1.What does the underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to ________.

A．the bus in the back                      B．the bus in the middle

C．the bus in the front                      D．the third bus

2.What can be inferred from the remark of the deputy Mayor Sun Zhe?

A．Every possible means is being carried out to save the brave teacher.

B．It’s increasingly difficult to save the brave teacher.

C．The only way to save the brave teacher is to cut off her legs.

D．No more experts will be needed in the operation to save the brave teacher.

3.What does the underlined sentence in the ninth paragraph attempt to tell us?

A．The woman teacher’s condition will definitely get worse.

B．It is obvious that the woman teacher will recover shortly after.

C．There is little possibility that the woman teacher’s condition will improve.

D．It’s likely that the teacher will suffer from a worse medical condition.

4.Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?

A．National Outstanding Teacher              B．A Heroic Teacher

C．An Example of Top Teachers               D．An bus accident

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In some places around the world, summer heat can be cruel. But city planners in Dubai, a major city in the Middle Eastern country of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have come up with their own solution to the summer temperatures, which there can increase to over 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Developers plan to build a 48-million-square-foot indoor building complex called the “Mall of the World”. The complex will be fully enclosed (封闭的) and completely climate-controlled.

This “indoor city” helps to draw visitors to the UAE even during the hot summer months. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid A1 Maktoum, the vice president of the UAE, explains, “Tourism is a key driver of economy, and we aim to make the UAE an attractive destination all year long.” Visitors will have access to the indoor city’s hotels, health-care centers, shops, entertainment, and more than 4 miles of enclosed streets. In addition, the developers plan to build the world’s largest indoor theme park. A retractable glass roof will cover the park. The roof will open up in the winter months, when the weather is cooler.

Plans for the mall also include a cultural center, with sections modeled on other cities around the globe. These include a theater district modeled on New　 York’s Broadway, a shopping area which is like the popular Oxford Street in London, and a walkway that echoes (模仿) Barcelona’s busy street La Rambla.

Some people worry about the large amount of energy it will take to keep the building cool. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, or natural gas, are burnt to produce the electricity needed for air-conditioning. In addition, building the mall of the world won’t be cheap. It is estimated (估计) that the development will cost more than $6.8 billion over the next 10 years. But this isn’t Dubai’s first over-the-top building. It has the tallest building in the world, the biggest flower garden in the world, one of the largest aquariums on the planet, and a human-made island in the shape of a palm tree.

1.What is the purpose of building the “indoor city”?

A. To help develop the tourism.

B. To make local people feel cool.

C. To create a new form of economy.

D. To control the outside temperature.

2.What does the underlined word “retractable” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. Being able to be recycled.

B. Being attractive to someone.

C. Being too hard to be broken.

D. Being able to be moved backwards.

3.According to the passage, which of the followings is true about the cultural center？

A. It helps people to understand culture shock.

B. It shows people the development of Dubai.

C. It provides chances for people to exchange views.

D. It makes people experience lives of different countries.

4.What may be the result of building the Mall of the World?

A. There will be no materials to be used soon.

B. The building will not be as cool as expected.

C. The environment will be damaged to some degree.

D. Dubai will become a poor country due to the high costs.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

By the middle of the 21^st century, the vast majority of the world’s population _____ in cities rather than in the country.

A．are living          B．will be living        C．have lived         D．will have lived

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

With the rapid development of the city, he can hardly find the place __ he used to play with his childhood friends.

A. where       B. when       C. there       D. which

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

In many places in China,　　　 bicycle is still　　　 poplar means of transportation.

A.a; the B./; a

C.the; a D.the; the

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

—Do you know the tower ___ in the heart of the city?

—Do you mean the one ___ to the north of the city library?

A．locating; lay                B．located; lying

C．being located; lying         D．located; lay

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Where are the speakers probably?

A.In the middle of a city. B.In a boat. C.On a hill.

2.What are the speakers looking at?

A.The ocean. B.The city lights. C.The stars.

3.Why was the man probably surprised?

A.A lot of birds flew around him.

B.He wasn't expecting to see his father.

C.A wild animal was coming toward him.

高二英语长对话中等难度题查看答案及解析