"Two weeks ago, I sat down and read the New York Times. I haven't done that in maybe thirty years. "says Howard Turman, OrCam user, in this CNN Techvideo. Turman, who is legally blind, started losing his vision when he was a child. The OrCam smart glasses for blind people do not fix his sight but they do "the next best thing". The Orcam uses OCR technology to read and relay the message to the user via a mini ear piece. Thanks to the device, Howard was able to enjoy the independence of reading the newspaper on his own.
Amnon Shashua, co-founder of OrCam, explains that reading text, recognizing faces and products is just the beginning with the Orcam. "Where we want to get is complete visual understanding at the level of human sense such that if you are disoriented you can start to understand what is around you."
OrCam has received many requests from people all over the world wanting the device in their language. Currently, the device works in English, Hebrew, German, French, and Spanish. The OrCam team is working very hard to add more languages and there are plans for new additions in the near future. Since the first device, new features have been added as well such as the pause feature allowing users to pause the reading whenever they would like.
Unlike other devices, the OrCam is portable. Turman says that the OrCam smart glasses for blind give him a sense of normalcy(常态) and he is very excited about them. "Picture a kid the first time he got his favorite toy, just the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, " says Turman. OrCam's goal is to make the device accessible to as many people as possible and help people who are visually impaired regain their independence.
1.What does OrCam help Howard Turman to do?
A.Find his way. B.Read newspapers.
C.Have his sight fixed. D.Hear what is happening around.
2.Which of the following best explains "disoriented" underlined in paragraph 2?
A.unconscious B.confused
C.lost D.determined
3.What can we infer from the third paragraph?
A.OrCam is in great demand.
B.OrCam can easily break down.
C.OrCam doesn't work well now.
D.OrCam fails in its use of languages.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.An Excited OrCam User.
B.Smart Glasses for the Blind.
C.Newspaper Reading for the Blind.
D.Help the Blind to Become Independent.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
"Two weeks ago, I sat down and read the New York Times. I haven't done that in maybe thirty years. "says Howard Turman, OrCam user, in this CNN Techvideo. Turman, who is legally blind, started losing his vision when he was a child. The OrCam smart glasses for blind people do not fix his sight but they do "the next best thing". The Orcam uses OCR technology to read and relay the message to the user via a mini ear piece. Thanks to the device, Howard was able to enjoy the independence of reading the newspaper on his own.
Amnon Shashua, co-founder of OrCam, explains that reading text, recognizing faces and products is just the beginning with the Orcam. "Where we want to get is complete visual understanding at the level of human sense such that if you are disoriented you can start to understand what is around you."
OrCam has received many requests from people all over the world wanting the device in their language. Currently, the device works in English, Hebrew, German, French, and Spanish. The OrCam team is working very hard to add more languages and there are plans for new additions in the near future. Since the first device, new features have been added as well such as the pause feature allowing users to pause the reading whenever they would like.
Unlike other devices, the OrCam is portable. Turman says that the OrCam smart glasses for blind give him a sense of normalcy(常态) and he is very excited about them. "Picture a kid the first time he got his favorite toy, just the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, " says Turman. OrCam's goal is to make the device accessible to as many people as possible and help people who are visually impaired regain their independence.
1.What does OrCam help Howard Turman to do?
A.Find his way. B.Read newspapers.
C.Have his sight fixed. D.Hear what is happening around.
2.Which of the following best explains "disoriented" underlined in paragraph 2?
A.unconscious B.confused
C.lost D.determined
3.What can we infer from the third paragraph?
A.OrCam is in great demand.
B.OrCam can easily break down.
C.OrCam doesn't work well now.
D.OrCam fails in its use of languages.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.An Excited OrCam User.
B.Smart Glasses for the Blind.
C.Newspaper Reading for the Blind.
D.Help the Blind to Become Independent.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
NEW YORK — Video producer and musician Justin Scholar enjoyed his exciting moment weeks ago when he spotted his latest work — a tourism video for Southwest China’s Chongqing city — playing on a huge LED screen at New York's Times Square.
The video was shot and produced in China, where Scholar now lives and owns a media company. After taking his first Mandarin (普通话) class in high school seven years ago, Scholar had listed China as a future destination and made his first trip to Shanghai in 2015 through a study-abroad program when he was a student in New York University.
Though he had been told what urban life in China was like beforehand, it was still “a far cry” from what he saw with his own eyes, says Scholar. During the semester (学期) in Shanghai, Scholar spent most of the time learning ink-and-wash painting, calligraphy, which enriched his artistic skills with a touch of Eastern aesthetics. He also ate a lot of authentic steamed meat buns (小笼包). “Shanghai is an incredibly efficient, modern city,” says Scholar. “To have this unbelievably accurate and fast metro, though sometimes crowded and to have very clean streets and bright lights at night, and people pouring in by the thousands ... that's so impressive” These may explain Scholar's return to Shanghai two years later, when his career at home was already thriving after making commercials for big names such as Coca-Cola and Jaguar. Despite his parents' doubts and worries, Scholar went back to Shanghai on his 24th birthday with an ambition to launch his own company.
Thanks to a combination of luck and talent, he achieved the goal soon with a Chinese friend as his business partner. The video that plays at Times Square — a tourism film for Southwest China's Chongqing city — was the company's first project contracted by a local government in China.
1.When did Justin Scholar begin to learn Chinese?
A.When he was seven years old.
B.After he graduated from high school.
C.After he made his first trip to Shanghai.
D.When he was a high school student.
2.What can we learn from Paragraph Three?
A.He disliked the authentic food in Shanghai.
B.What he saw was far from what he had heard of.
C.He returned to Shanghai with the support of his parents.
D.The metro system caused him more pain rather than convenience.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “thriving” in Paragraph 4?
A.achieving great success
B.suffering great loss
C.subscribing
D.declining
4.Where is this passage probably taken from?
A.A science fiction B.A travel guide
C.A news report D.A food journal.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
There's a great article in the New York Times this week about the tradition of buying a coffee for a stranger at the same time that you buy your own. They call it caffè sospeso, the name for "suspended (暂留的) coffee" in its birthplace. In some cafes, folks in need may claim a suspended coffee and drink it without cost.
No doubt the free coffee will be welcomed by people who love coffee but for one reason or another don't have the money to buy one. But I also like the opportunity it offers customers to become philanthropists (慈善家). Every time they order a coffee, they can give one to somebody in need.
This is a tradition that began some 100 years ago in Naples, Italy. In Naples, as reported by the Times, people love this kind of giving:
"To me, the philosophy of the suspended coffee is that you are happy today, and you give a coffee to the world, as a present." — Luigi Solito
"It's a simple act of generosity: an act in which donors and recipients (接受者) never meet each other. The donor doesn't show off and the recipient doesn't have to show gratitude." —Laura Cozzolino
"Coffee consumptions started earlier than the unification (统一) of Italy by more than 200 years, so the traditions around it are very ancient. In Naples, coffee is a world in itself, both culturally and socially." — Andrea Illy
The practice of buying suspended coffees has grown in popularity — with websites popping up and hundreds of cafes from Canada to Brazil to Hungary to the US offering the service.
1.Who are suspended coffees intended for?
A. Cafe goers.
B. People who can't afford a coffee.
B. Philanthropists.
D. Coffee lovers who live in Naples.
2.How can someone get a suspended coffee?
A. He can ask for one in any cafe.
B. He can apply for one on websites.
C. He can buy one in a cafe offering the service.
D. He can drink one in a cafe that has prepaid coffees.
3.What does Laura Cozzolino think of buying suspended coffees?
A. She thinks it is a great way of charity.
B. She thinks it is a cheap gift to strangers.
C. She thinks it is an ancient Italian custom.
D. She thinks it is spreading widely in the world.
4.The underlined words in Paragraph 1 are words of ______.
A. French B. Old English
C. Italian D. American English
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
On March 28th, the New York Times will begin charging all but the most infrequent users to read articles online.
In a letter to readers, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., the publisher of the paper, laid out the details of the paywall, which he said will go into effect immediately in Canada and on March 28th for the rest of the world. He called the move “an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in the Times, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world and on any platform.”
Sulzberger said that readers will be able to read 20 articles per month at no charge. Once they click on the 21st piece, however, they’ll be presented with three payment options: $ 15 for four weeks of online and mobile application access, $ 20 for access to the site and the iPad application, or $ 35 for access to everything. People who already receive the printed paper through home delivery will enjoy free and unlimited access to the Times on all platforms.
These details largely agree with earlier reports on how the paywall would work. The Times had made it clear that it did not want to imitate the total paywalls put into effect by papers such as The Times of London and Newsday, which block access to all contents unless the reader pays.
The paper also signaled that it wants to stay relevant in the social media world. According to Sulzberger's announcement, people who come to the Times site from Facebook, Twitter or from blogs will be able to read those articles even if they have gone over their monthly limit.
However, Sulzberger said that a limit will be placed on “some search engines”, meaning that after readers have accessed a certain number of articles from search engines, any further articles they access from there will be added to their monthly count. It was reported that the only search engine that will be affected this way is Google, where there will be a five-article limit. This marks a clear attempt by the Times to close what could be a giant loophole (漏洞), since so much online traffic is directed through Google. But it also presents a risk for the Times for the same reason.
Sulzberger seems well aware of the risk. “The challenge now is to put a price on our work without walling ourselves off from the global network,” he said, adding that the Times must “continue to engage with the widest possible audience.”
1.The author’s main purpose in the text is to _______.
A. describe research findings B. report a piece of news
C. make advertisements D. suggest a solution
2.Why will the Times charge their online readers?
A. It wants to stay relevant in the social media world.
B. It has too many readers coming from the other sites.
C. It is seeking new financial sources for its development.
D. It is trying a way to offer better service to its readers.
3. Who will be limited to the New York Times articles?
A. Those subscribing to the printed newspapers
B. Readers clicking through from Facebook.
C. Those using Google research engine
D. Readers paying $ 35 a month.
4.What challenge may the paywall bring to the New York Times?
A. It may bring the Times more competition with the other media
B. It may stop the Times connecting to the global network
C. It may block the readers from the other websites
D. It may result in huge drops in papers' online readership
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Two years ago, Kiirsat Ceylan was in New York to give a talk about disability rights at the U. N. Blind since birth, the Turkish man was struggling to find his hotel, holding a cane in one hand and pulling his luggage with the other.
"Not surprisingly, suddenly I bumped into a pole, and he says, "It was a bit bloody."
The problem with a cane is that, while it can tell you what's on the grounds it doesn't help with objects at the body or head level. It wasn't the first time Ceylan had run into something, injuring himself.
"" I have no problem with my scars, which make me more handsome I guess," Ceylan says, laughing. "But I don't need hew ones."
With WeWalk, a new smart cane, Ceylan hopes to help other blind people navigate their environments more easily.The cane uses an ultrasonic(超声波)sensor which detects objects at body or head level and gives a warning vibration. WeWalk users pair the cane with their smartphones and then use the cane's touchpad to access features like voice assistant or navigation*Before leaving home, they can plug their destination into Google Maps and get spoken directions as they walk In the future, Ceylan hopes to connect WeWalk with public transportation and ridesharing services.
Assistive technology is often expensive for blind people, says Eelke Folmer, a computer science professor at the University of Nevada! Reno. "But developers fail to realize their devices are out of reach for many blind people, To Folmer, the price point-﹩ 500-- sets the WeWalk cane apart from other technologies.
Ceylan sees WeWalk as part of an attempt to help blind people achieve greater freedom of movement, which he believes will give them greater access to education and jobs. The canes are already having an impact on users, Ceylan says. He recently received an email from a teacher in Ireland who had become blind as an adult. He'd been depressed and housebound. But since getting a WeWalk cane, your device forced me to go out. It became my anti- depressant. " he wrote.
1.Why is a story about Kursat Ceylan given at the beginning of the text? ______
A.To stress the difficulty caused by blindness.
B.To show his reason for developing his cane.
C.To indicate the problems with present canes.
D.To show his positive and humorous character.
2.What can WeWalk do at present according to the text? ______
A.Provide fast Internet access.
B.Start conversations with users.
C.Tell users what is around them.
D.Connect with ridesharing services.
3.What does Folmer think is the advantage of WeWalk over other assistive technologies? ______
A.It is easily affordable, B.It is easily controllable.
C.It works better for users. D.It looks more attractive.
4.What is the text mainly about? ______
A.The increasing demand for smart canes.
B.A blind man’s devotion to smart canes.
C.A smart cane's effects on blind people.
D.An assistive technology for the blind.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The kindergartener sat them down to read and paint,________ all the children wanted to do was to make a mess.
A. as B. then C. until D. while
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Today I learned–The New York Times’ fun column always highlights some surprising and interesting facts. In that spirit,The New York Times lists some of the most eye-catching things out of the column and edits them into What I Learned This Year.Following are some facts out of What I Learned in 2016.
The world’s most-used natural resource (apart from water,listed at the second place and air,as the champion) is sand,which consists of extremely small pieces of stone-and it’s disappearing.
A team’s success (at work) is often driven by 3 factors (with the importance from high to low) —its culture,the interpersonal relationship and the IQ or talent of its individuals.
Giraffes have been keeping a secret from most of us for a long time: They’ really four different species,not one. The Greenland Shark lives at least 272 years and it could live as long as 512 years,which makes it the oldest living thing with a backbone(脊椎)on Earth.
More that 70 percent of Americans think Granola Bars (格拉诺拉燕麦棒)are healthy.Interesting,less than 30 percent of nutritionists(营养学家)agree.
Nearly 80 percent of teenagers say they don’t like to eat cereal porridge(燕麦粥)for breakfast,because they have to clean up the bowls after eating it.
It’s myth that closing unused apps on your smartphone will prolong battery life.And turning off Wi-Fi doesn’t help,either.
Annual percentage of highway death had been going down for the last four decades till it last year recorded the largest increase in 50 years.Blame Snapchat and other smarphone apps.
Death from gun-shooting is as enough as from car accidents in the United Stated and as scarce as from lightning strikes in Japan,which owns the reputation of one of the safest countries.
1.According to the passage,the world’s most-used natural resource is______.
A. water B. air C. sand D. stone
2.According to the passage,the most important factor of a team’s success is_____.
A. a team’s culture B. the interpersonal relationship C. individual IQ D. individual talent
3.Which of the following descriptions is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Most people still don’t know that giraffes have four species.
B. The Greenland Shark is the oldest living life on Earth.
C. Cereal porridge is as unhealthy as Granola Bars for teenagers.
D. Closing unused apps on smart phones will prolong battery life.
4.The underlined word “scarce” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ____.
A. enough B. safe C. familiar D. rare
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The New York Times’ Room for Debate blog has a panel (专门小组) considering the pluses and minuses of summer homework. This has been the subject of debate in our house. Our 11th-grade daughter’s summer assignments were very challenging, to the point where I sometimes wondered if more of her time would have been better spent just riding a bicycle or swimming around a pool.
Here are some opinions from the panel:
Harris Cooper, psychologist, Duke University: “The long summer vacation disrupts the rhythm of instruction, leads to forgetting and requires time be spent reviewing old material when students return to school in the fall. My advice? Teachers, you need to be careful about what and how much summer homework you assign. Summer homework shouldn’t be expected to overcome a student’s learning deficits; that’s what summer school is for. Parents, if the assignments are clear and reasonable, support the teachers.”
Nancy Kalish, co-author of the Case Against Homework: “Schools should rethink summer homework, and not just because it stresses out kids (and parents). The truth is, homework doesn’t accomplish what we assume it does. According to a Duke University review of more than 175 studies, there is little or no connection between homework and standardized test score or long-term achievement in primary school.”
Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University: “To the general question of whether or not schools should assign summer homework, the answer is ‘Yes.’ The reason comes not only from the brain drain of summer. It relates also to an attitude young people take toward education. They tie knowledge to the syllabus, not to themselves. They read and study to write the paper and score highly in the test, not to furnish their minds. In a word, they regard learning as a classroom thing. That’s all.”
It seems to me that summer homework is a good idea to keep the brain cells moving, but like everything else it should be given in moderation.
1.Harris Cooper seems to believe that ________.
A. more summer homework causes students’ learning difficulties
B. students should go to summer school if they have no homework
C. teachers should give careful consideration to summer homework
D. parents should tell teachers how much homework their kids need
2.In the 4th paragraph, Nancy Kalish explains her idea by________.
A. making comparisons B. giving research findings
C. raising questions D. telling stories
3.Mark Bauerlein might agree that summer homework ________.
A. should be based on the school’s teaching program
B. has no direct connection to students’ higher grades
C. brings more pressure to both students and their parents
D. helps students develop the right attitude toward learning
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In ______ new comedy series Hot Mom, which just finished airing two weeks ago, Sun Li became, as the title indicates, ______ hot mother.
A. /; a B. the; a C. the; the D. a; a
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
One evening years ago in New York, I sat on a bench in a park and watched a little boy, around 2 years old,1. (run) freely on the grass as his mother watched from a short distance away. The boy would fall to the grass,2.(get) up, and without looking back 3.his mother, run as fast as he could as if nothing had happened.
When kids fall down, they don’t think of the fall as a failure. Instead, they consider4.as a learning experience. They try again and again until they succeed. While I5.(touch) by the boy’s strong mind, I was also touched by the way he ran. With each attempt, he looked so confident and natural. He only wanted to run6.(free) and to do it as 7.(good) as he could. He was just being a child—just being himself—being completely in the moment. He never gave up. Each time he8.(fall), he got himself back up again, as if he knew that falling down was simply a part of life. He was not looking for others’ smiles, or worrying about9.someone was watching or not. He only wanted to run and to feel the experience of running fully and freely.
I learned a lot from that experience, and have successfully brought that lesson with me in many10.(part) of my life.
高三英语语法填空简单题查看答案及解析