If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2012. The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012.
“It’s next ‘wow’ vehicle,” said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh. “Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car-plane has wings that unfold for flying-a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go. When you land, you hold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport-you park it in the garage at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Thrrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under the bad weather instead of flying into marginal(臨界的) conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000. But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, , a transponder or a GPS. Another option is a full-plane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option.” Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. “We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.
小題1:We can learn from the first two paragraphs that _________.
A.car-planes will be popular in 2012-4-6
B.people might drive a car-plane in 2012
C.both the Transition and Ferrari can take off and land
D.Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts
小題2:It takes the car-plane one minute to _________.
A.fold and unfold its wingsB.unfold wings for flying
C.land in the airportD.meet flying safety regulations
小題3:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.
B. To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
C. The car-plane may fly as high as normal planes.
D. People can park the car-plane in the garage at their home.

小題1:B
小題2:B
小題3:C
文章講述的是一種新式的汽車,可以飛,并且對(duì)其各個(gè)方面進(jìn)行了介紹。
小題1:推理判斷題,根據(jù)第一段Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012可知,2012年底即可拿到汽車
小題2:事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題,根據(jù)第三段process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving可知,一分鐘是用來(lái)折疊機(jī)翼的
小題3:推理判斷題,根據(jù)第六段可知,這種飛機(jī)飛不到普通飛機(jī)的高度,也沒(méi)有普通飛機(jī)的載重量。
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Some expressions in English can be really puzzling. Have a look at the following to see how it challenges your brainpower.
Homeric laughter
The "Homer" in this expression is the Greek poet. People laugh differently. Some laugh silently, while others tend to laugh loudly. "Homeric laughter" refers to laughter of the latter kind. It is at times uncontrollable, and the entire body shakes during the process. This kind of laughter is called Homeric laughter because this is how the gods laughed in Homer's classics.
A three-ring circus
When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion. There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed. The expression comes from the world of entertainment — the circus. The area where the artists perform their acts is called the "ring". In the past, some of the circuses were so grand that they had three acts taking place simultaneously in three different "rings". The audience had to decide which "ring" they wanted to focus on.
In the swim (of things)
When someone is in the swim of things, the individual is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in "I've been ill, but soon I’ll be back in the swim of thing." In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word "swim" to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty. So, if you are a fisherman and wish to catch a lot offish, where would you be? You would be "in the swim".
Chickens have come home to roost
The word "roost" refers to the place where birds rest. It could be anything — the branch of a tree, a henhouse, etc. The expression is normally used to mean that the bad things that someone did in the past have come back to bite or upset the individual. In other words, one has to face the consequences of the deeds done in the past. The original form of this 700-year-old expression was "curses are like chickens; they always come home to roost".
小題1:Which of the following can best describe the picture?
A.Homeric laughterB.A three-ring circus
C.In the swim (of things)D.Chickens have come home to roost
小題2:What does the underlined word "simultaneously'(Paragraph 3) mean?
A.At the same time.B.Step by step.
C.All of a sudden.D.One after another.
小題3:lf you want to know more about such expressions, which website will you probably visit?
A.www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/China.html
B.www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/university.html
C.www.chinadaily.com.cn/culuture/language.html
D.www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/fashion.html
小題4:The passage is written to       .
A.tell readers some old and interesting stories
B.indicate the development of English phrases
C.correct some misunderstandings about words
D.explain the meanings and origins of some phrases

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

To many basketball fans in Taiwan, the William Jones Cup or the Basketball Association may be their sweetest memory. But if you ask them, “What’s the hottest basketball event now?” There is the only answer: HBL, the High School Basketball League.
Founded in 1988, the HBLwas at first just a high school basketball tournament. After the Taipei School Sport Federation took charge in 1996 and renamed it HBL, everything changed. The Federation decided to co-operated with Nike, the well-known sportswear manufacturer, and use its experience in marketing to promote the game.
The HBL started with 129 teams; today there are more than 250. no longer just of interest to the players, it’s now Taiwan’s biggest basketball event. Fellow students, alumni (男畢業(yè)生,男校友), and sports fans all over Taiwan cheer for their favorite teams. At last year’s finals, Taipei and Kaohsiung mayors came to cheer for their teams.
The HBL starts in September with qualifying and preliminary(預(yù)備的,初步的) rounds and continues through April of the following year, when the finals are held. Broadcasting the games on television has helped make the HBL a wildly popular event. It’s become the place to spot young basketball talent. Today’s HBL players are tomorrow’s professionals.
Recent HBL tournaments have been very competitive, with no one school taking the advantage. This wide-open quality of the tournament makes it more exciting. Everyone wants to see how this year’s games will come out. HBL fever just keeps getting hotter.
小題1:What is the hottest event in the eyes of most basketball fans in Taiwan?
A.HBLB.The William Jones Cup
C.The Basketball AssociationD.NBA
小題2:What was it that helped to make the High School Basketball League wildly popular to the public?
A.The co-operation with Nike, the well-known sportswear manufacturer.
B.Broadcasting the games on television.
C.Taipei and Kaohsiung mayors’ coming to cheer for their teams at last year’s finals.
D.Many tomorrow’s professionals’ joining.
小題3:Why does the writer say“Recent HBL tournaments have been very competitive”?
A.Because there isn’t a school taking the advantage.
B.Because HBL fever just keeps getting hotter.
C.Because it’s become the place to spot young basketball talent.
D.Because the Taipei School Sport Federation took charge of it.
小題4:What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Today’s Players---Tomorrow’s Professionals
B.The High School Basketball League of Taiwan
C.The Basketball Fans in Taiwan
D.HBL Fever---Just Keeping Getting Hotter
小題5:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.At first, the HBL was no more than a high school football ball tournament.
B.It was the successful co-operation with Nike, the well-known sportswear manufacturer that changed everything of HBL.
C.Many of the mayors came to cheer for their teams during the event.
D.Everyone wants to see how the teams will come out to take part in the games.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The Winter Olympics proved no match for television's gold-medal winner, "American Idol". Fox's unbelievable successful contest crashed the Olympics in head-to-head competition on Tuesday night, 27 million viewers to 16.1 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The Olympics recovered a bit after "Idol" went off the air, but its overall audience of 18.6 million was the least-watched winter Olympics telecast since Nagano's closing ceremonies in 1998, Nielsen said.
Since its opening on Friday, the Turin games have been running well below the 2002 Salt Lake City games in viewership interest. Much of that was expected, but Tuesday's rating was the first alarming sign for NBC that increased TV competition has taken a toll.
"The competition from 'Idol' is heavier than the Olympics has ever seen," said NBC Sports spokeswoman Alana Russo.
It doesn't figure to get any easier, with "Idol" and ABC's "Lost" on the air Wednesday. CBS' "Survivor" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" offer more competition on Thursday.
Even figure skating, the most popular winter Olympics sport for viewers, didn't help much on Tuesday. NBC filled about two-thirds of the hour during which it competed with "American Idol" with tape of the men's figure-skating competition.
Through five nights of Olympics coverage, NBC's average prime time rating is 12.7 ( a rating point represents 1,102, 000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 110.2 million TV homes). NBC said before the games started that it had promised its advertisers a rating of between 12 and 14. If it slips below that, NBC will have to make it up to advertisers with free commercial time.
" ‘American Idol' is clearly a phenomenon," said Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal Television Group. "But we expected it and are tracking fight where we planned to be at this point." Between NBC and its networks, about 65 percent of the nation's television homes have tuned in at least some of the games.
小題1:How many viewers watched the Winter Olympics on Tuesday night?
A.110.2 millionB.12.7 million
C.27millionD.16.1million
小題2:What did NBC do on Tuesday night to attract more viewers?
A.To ask the "idol" to go off the air.
B.To play the tapes of men's figure skating.
C.To add "Survivor" to its program.
D.To do more advertising.
小題3:If the rating slips below 12, NBC will          .
A.do more advertising for nothing
B.stop running normally
C.never cover the Olympics
D.pay extra money for advertisers
小題4:What does the underlined word "taken a toll" mean?
A.paid off.B.caused loss.C.broken out.D.picked up.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Spring is coming, and it is time for those about to graduate to look for jobs. Competition is tough, so job seekers must carefully consider their personal choices. Whatever we are wearing,our family and friends may accept us, but the workplace may not.
A high school newspaper editor said it is unfair for companies to discourage visible tattoos (紋身)nose rings, or certain dress styles. It is true you can’t judge a book by its cover, yet people do “cover” themselves in order to convey (傳遞)certain messages. What we wear, including tattoos and nose rings, is an expression of who we are. Just as people convey messages about themselves with their appearances, so do companies. Dress standards exist in the business world for a number of reasons, but the main concern is often about what customers accept.
Others may say how to dress is a matter of personal freedom, but for businesses it is more about whether to make or lose money. Most employers do care about the personal appearances of their employees (雇員),because those people represent the companies to their customers.
As a hiring manager I am paid to choose the people who would make the best impression on our customers. There are plenty of well-qualified candidates, so it is not wrong to reject someone who might disappoint my customers. Even though I am open-minded, I can’t expect all our customers are.
There is nobody to blame but yourself if your set of choices does not match that of your preferred employer. No company should have to change to satisfy a candidate simply because he or she is unwilling to respect its standards, as long as its standards are legal.
小題1:Which of the following is the newspaper editor’ opinion according to Paragraph 2?
A.People’s appearances carry messages about themselves.
B.Customers’ choices influence dress standards in companies.
C.Candidates with tattoos or nose rings should be fairly treated.
D.Strange dress styles should not be encouraged in the workplace.
小題2:What can be inferred from the text?
A.Candidates have to wear what companies prefer for an interview.
B.What to wear is not a matter of personal choice for companies.
C.Companies sometimes have to change to respect their candidates.
D.Hiring managers make the best impression on their candidates.
小題3:Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Employees Matter
B.Personal Choices Matter
C.Appearances Matter
D.Hiring Managers Matter
小題4:The author’s attitude towards strange dress styles in the workplace may best be described as        .
A. enthusiastic     B. negative      C positive    D. sympathetic

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸鹽)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.
小題1:What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To seek help for Nauru’s problems.
B.To give a warning to other countries
C.To show the importance of money
D.To tell a heartbreaking story of a war.
小題2:What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
A.Rich and powerful B.Modern and open
C.Peaceful and attractive D.Greedy and aggressive
小題3:The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from _______.
A.soil pollutionB.phosphate overmining
C.farming activity D.whale hunting
小題4:Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?
A.Its leaders misused the money
B.It spent too much repairing the island
C.Its phosphate mining cost much money
D.It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.
小題5:What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?
A.The ecological damage is difficult to repair.
B.The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously.
C.The island was abandoned by the Nauruans
D.The phosphate mines were destroyed

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


A group of teenagers: they laugh and talk over each other, dance and make faces — you wouldn’t believe they had just played on the same stage as famous American singers Kid Cudi and Eminem.
These seven kids, all under the age of 20, are members of the band Kids These Days (KTD).
Fresh out of high school, the band already has done things that most teens couldn’t even imagine. They played at festivals including the recent SXSW in Austin and Lollapalooza in their hometown, Chicago, to crowds of loyal fans.
KTD uses a mix of hip-hop, jazz, blues and classic rock to make a sound of their own.
“KTD simply mixes most, if not all of my favourite music styles,” said Kamia Jones, as Chicago high school student.“I like that they aren’t afraid to be different and that their music is real and speaks to the soul.”
The band formed two years ago. Now, as well as local fans, they are becoming popular around the world. Their facebook page is filled with supportive posts from admirers from California to Tokyo.
“It’s really strange to me that people from London, Australia and Russia... They have heard
of us and they like our music because it’s really cool feeling,” says Marcie Stewart, who plays keyboard for the band.
Despite their recent fame, KTD is a group of normal teenagers and they remain very close to one another. While talking to the reporters, they dance and make fun of each other.
When asked what advice they would give to other teen musicians, Greg Landfair, KTD’s drummer, said, “Keep your heart in it. Never lose the music and what you are doing, because that’s what you’re here for. Let the music always be first.”
小題1:KTD’s music is popular among teenagers mainly because ________.
A.it is about the strange life of teenagers
B.it mixes many music styles teenagers love into their music
C.a(chǎn)ll the band members are young and handsome
D.the band members dance and make fun of each other
小題2:What do we know about KTD?
A.They are all of the same age.
B.They are as famous as Kid Cudi and Eminem.
C.There are five members in the band.
D.They have fans around the world.
小題3:According to Greg, teen musicians should___________.
A.make music close to their lives
B.a(chǎn)lways think of the needs of the fans
C.love the music they are playing
D.stay close to the group member
小題4:The author wrote this article to___________.
A.show the kind of music teenagers love
B.encourage young musicians to play music
C.describe a special music style
D.introduce a successful band of teenagers

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


“Eat local.” It’s one way to reduce human effect on the planet. Eating local means to try to buy and consume foods that are grown in places close to home. However, most of the food sold at supermarkets is not locally grown or produced. Trucks and planes deliver these foods from hundreds or thousands of miles away. During the transportation, greenhouse(溫室)gases are produced, causing global warming. So the shorter the distance your foods must travel, the less the harm is done to the environment.
But how do you get local food if you live in a large city, hundreds of miles away from farms?Environmental health scientist Dickson Despommier and his students came up with the idea of a “vertical(垂直的)farm”.

A vertical farm is a glass-walled structure that could be built as tall as a skyscraper(摩天大樓). Since the garden is built upwards, rather than outwards, it requires much less space than an ordinary farm. The world is quickly running out of room for ordinary farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. Despommier imagines a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor. The walls of the building would be clear, to allow crops to get as much sunlight as possible. Depending on a city’s water resources, Despommier thinks hydroponic(水培的) farming is another method for the vertical farm which needs no soil to grow plants.
Despommier says the hydroponic greenhouses would use a system that would use a city’s waste water and fill it with nutritions to make the crops grow. If this method works, it would provide food to a city and save millions of tons of water.
The idea of a vertical farm has attracted the attention of government officials around the world. Scott Stringer, a government official from New York City, thinks the city is suitable for the vertical farming. “Obviously we don’t have much land left for us,” Stringer said. “But the sky is the limit in Manhattan. ”
Despommier admits that there is still a lot of work to do to make vertical farms a reality. “But I think vertical farming is an idea that can work in a big way,” he says.
小題1:Why are people advised to eat local?
A.Because it means convenience(方便) to people.
B.Because it can help people save a lot of money.
C.Because local food has more nutrition.
D.Because it is environmentally friendly.
小題2:Which is one of the vertical farm’s benefits when compared with ordinary farming?
A.It produces healthier food.
B.It does less harm to the cities.
C.It needs less space of the city.
D.It requires less transport costs.
小題3:By saying “the sky is the limit in Manhattan”, Stringer means _____.
A.people can make full use of vertical space of Manhattan
B.there is a limit for using empty land in Manhattan
C.the height of buildings in Manhattan is limited
D.Manhattan can spread as far as possible
小題4:What can we learn about the vertical farming in the passage?
A.No soil is needed to grow plants in a vertical farm.
B.It has solved the problem of the food shortage in a big way.
C.It is a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor.
D.Crops are mainly grown in the rainwater in a vertical farm.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But some women show great interest in colorful beads(珠子)from Uganda made of recycled paper. The beads are sold by a nonprofit organization called BeadforLife.
BeadforLife began as a chance meeting between three American women on a trip to Uganda and a local jewelry maker. Millie Grace Akena was rolling paper beads near her home. She made paper beads as a hobby. But there was no real market in her country.
Torkin Wakefield says she and her daughters Devin and Ginny brought some of the beads back home. Immediately people started admiring the beads. The three Americans started BeadforLife in 2004. Nearly 700 women have taken part.
The group says its beaders earn an average of more than 2,000 dollars a year in the program. This is five times what they earned before. The beads are sold across Uganda and in Boulder, Colorado. They are also sold online and at jewelry shows called bead parties. “Because they have meaning, because these are gifts that help people, when folks in America and beyond buy our beads, they feel a sense of generosity. They feel a direct connection, like they can really take part in getting rid of poverty.” Torkin said.
The jewelry costs between five and thirty dollars. BeadforLife reported sales in its last budget year of more that 3.5 million dollars. It says for every ten-dollar necklace sold, the beader gets two dollars and forty-three cents in money or materials. It says more than 90% of earnings are reinvested in community development projects in Uganda. Torkin Wakefield estimates that BeadforLife has helped more than 8,000 people this way.
So what about Millie Grace Akena, the jewelry maker? Mrs Wakefield says she has gone on to organize a small group of women who work with her, and they sell their beads to a religious group.
小題1:According to the passage, BeadforLife is an organization that ______.
A.provides poor people worldwide with free education
B.mainly encourages people to learn to earn a living on their own
C.has attracted many businessmen to invest in beading
D.supports community development projects in Uganda
小題2:When Torkin Wakefield brought the beads to America, ______.
A.she didn’t know people would like them
B.she wanted to make a fortune out of them
C.people showed great interest in them at once
D.she was thinking of how to find investors
小題3:According to Paragraph 4, the beads are popular because ______.
A.people think buying them is a good way to help the poor
B.they are of good quality and can be kept for a long time
C.they symbolize the most important thing in people’s life
D.they look even more beautiful than diamonds
小題4:Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the passage?
A.Mrs Wakefield makes a great contribution to developing countries.
B.BeadforLife makes beads out of recycled paper.
C.BeadforLife uses paper beads to improve people’s lives.
D.Mrs Wakefield’s career takes off thanks to paper beads.

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