What will power your house in the future? Nuclear, wind, or solar power? According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, it might be leaves –but artificial ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用). Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip (硅片) with catalysts (催化劑). Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell (電池), which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card, scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Docera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
An artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf, by contrast, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prorotype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements come from Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation (轉(zhuǎn)換) inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available; that is, it doesn’t need pure water. This is important for some countries that don’t have access to pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new application could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.
小題1:Which of the following order correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
a. artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
b. the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
c. the artificial leaves are put in water
d. the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity
A．cbadB．cabdC．bcadD．cadb
小題2:Which of the following statements about new artificial leaves is TRUE according to the article?
A．They are inexpensive but unstable.
B．They are as efficient at carrying out photosynthesis as natural leaves.
C．They can work only in pure water.
D．They need several catalysts to help them work efficiently.
小題3:The aim of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaves is to         .
A．build-up more power stations in the world
B．provide cheaper energy for developing countries
C．offer people in developing countries access to pure water
D．gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process
小題4:What is the main point of the article?
A．Introduction to the history of artificial leaves.
B．An invention copying photosynthesis.
C．Giving energy to the poor.
D．A mixture of water power and solar energy.

小題1:B
小題2:D
小題3:B
小題4:B

小題1:細(xì)節(jié)理解題，根據(jù)文中語句“Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell (電池), which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house.”理解可知。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)理解題，根據(jù)文中語句“These catalysts make the energy transformation (轉(zhuǎn)換) inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available; that is, it doesn’t need pure water.”理解可知。
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)理解題，根據(jù)文中語句“With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new application could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.”理解可知。
小題4:理解歸納題，根據(jù)文中語句“”理解可知。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is one of the world’s greatest art museums. Millions of people have entered its doors to see paintings by the world’s fine artists. But if these priceless masterpieces are to be preserved, the Gallery must protect them carefully. The Gallery’s 135-man guard force has successfully prevented them from being stolen, but protecting the paintings from nature is a greater problem.
In past times, the owners of paintings did not protect them from damaging changes in humidity（濕度）and temperature. As a result, the life of these paintings were shortened. In the National Gallery, however, humidity and temperature are carefully controlled. The building is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter. The air-conditioning and heating system are so important to the life of the painting that the Gallery has two of each system. If one should fail, the extra one can take over.
Light is another enemy of paintings. Ultraviolet rays（紫外線）in light cause paintings to fade（褪色）. Long ago, paintings often hung in dark churches and palaces. A coat of varnish（清漆）was a protection from the weak light. But when museums took over the care of many paintings, they were often hung in brighter light than before. Soon they were in danger of fading. The damaging effects of light were increased when the museums removed the varnish coating, yellowed with age.
To protect its paintings, the National Gallery put a special kind of glass in its skylights. This glass allows visible lights to enter the building but it keeps out harmful ultraviolet rays. The Gallery has also developed new and better varnishes which help to keep paintings from fading. Thanks to these new precautions, many of the world’s greatest paintings are being well protected for future generations to enjoy.
小題1:The text mainly tells us about_________________________.
A．the guard force in the National Gallery
B．protecting great paintings from nature
C．priceless paintings of past times
D．the air-conditioning and heating systems in the National Gallery
小題2:Which of the following is NOT an enemy of paintings?
A．Varnish.B．Temperature.C．Light.D．Humidity.
小題3:The underlined word “precautions” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ____________.  
A．decorationsB．problemsC．suggestionsD．a(chǎn)pplications
小題4:From the text we can infer that________________________.
A．great artists painted in dark churches and palaces
B．you can touch these paintings while you are in the National Gallery
C．the care of the world’s greatest paintings is both a big responsibility and a great challenge
D．the guard force in the Gallery has not done a good job

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


The concept of solar power satellites, or SPS, first put forward in the 1960s, is still not widely known by the general public. For example, at many public exhibitions about energy, SPS is not even mentioned. This is mainly because very little money has been spent on SPS research
There are people who claim that SPS is unrealistic － because launch costs are much too high today; or because it is too far away. So why do we believe that it is important to continue to do researches on SPS? The reason is very simple.
Humans are going to need huge amounts of electric power in coming decades. Within 50 years the world population is expected to double, while economic growth will continue around the world, especially in the poorer countries. But existing energy sources already face serious problems. They are limited; they are polluted; they are dangerous. So 50 or 100 years from now, where is our power going to come from? Nobody knows. And so we believe that new large-scale possibilities should be studied further.
We must remember that humans have some choices concerning our future. To some extent we can choose the direction in which our civilization develops. And choices that are made in the coming decades － such as the energy sources that we will or will not use, will have major, long-term meaning for human life on earth. We believe that if research continues to show that SPS is environmentally and economically attractive, SPS will open the door to a much more attractive future for human civilization than any ground-based energy source, and one that the public will support and that young people will find challenging and exciting. Furthermore energy from SPS can be readily used in developing countries, as the SPS 2000 project will show, thus aiding economic development worldwide. In addition, by creating large commercial fund for space engineering, SPS will open the frontier of space to economic development, thus creating a limitless new field for the growth of the world economy.
小題1:Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?
A．The Future Energy－ SPSB．The Concept of SPS
C．Humans and SPSD．Advantages of SPS
小題2:Which of the following statements about SPS is TRUE?
A．The research on SPS started in the 1960s is still not appreciated by the public.
B．The research is showing SPS can benefit environment and economy at present.
C．The energy from SPS is now being used in some developing countries.
D．The public don’t know about SPS because little time is devoted to the research.
小題3:Paragraph 3 mainly talks about ______.
A．the present serious energy problems
B．where to get energy sources in the future
C．the importance of controlling world population
D．the need to explore new energy sources
小題4:The writer’s attitude towards the research can best be summarized by the saying “______”.
A．In time of peace prepare for war
B．Put the cart before the horse
C．One man’s meat is another man’s poison
D．Easier said than done

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

What picture do you have of the future? Will life in the future be better, worse of the same as now? What do you hope about the future?
Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050 in all the fields of activity, from entertainment to technology. First of all, it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050. Instead, people will choose a programme from a menu and a computer will send the programme directly to the television. Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programmes, newspapers and books will come to us by computer.
In what concerns the environment, water will have become one of our most serious problems. In many places, agriculture is changing and they are growing fruit and vegetables to export. This uses a lot of water. Demand for water will increase ten times between now and 2050 and there could be serious shortages. Some futurologists predict that water could be the cause of war if we don’t act now.
In transport, cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed of the car and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell the drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. On the other hand, space planes will take people half way around the world in two hours. Nowadays, the United States Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angels to Tokyo in just two hours.
In the field of technology, robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big companies prefer robots — they do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere — in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.
In particular, medicine technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are electronic devices that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again and scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look, how they behave and how much intelligence they have. Scientists will be able to do these things — but should they?
小題1:. What may happen in the field of entertainment in the future?
A．The programme made by yourself may be sent to TV.
B．A computer may choose TV programmes for you.
C．You may choose the channels from the menu in a computer.
D．What to broadcast on TV is decided by yourself.
小題2:. After reading Paragraph 3, we can know _______.
A．we should take measures to save water from now on
B．fruits will be more and more expensive
C．people will be short of supplies of vegetables
D．planting will need much less water in the future
小題3:. ________ is the main factor that makes driving much safe in the future
A．Good traffic conditionB．A good knowledge of driving skill
C．The role played by computerD．The use of new fuel in cars
小題4:. The following statements are wrong EXCEPT ________ according to the text.
A．The future world will be controlled by robots.
B．People won’t be blind or deaf in the future.
C．Fewer and fewer workers are needed in the future in factories.
D．Scientists have the right to clone people of different kinds.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Some plants get so hungry they eat flies, spiders, and even small frogs. What’s more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environment) in every state. In fact, they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.
You’ve probably seen a Venus’ flytrap. It’s often sold in museum gift stores, department stores, and even supermarkets. A small plant, it grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks（莖）are specially modified leaves that act like traps. Inside each trap is a lining of tiny trigger(觸發(fā)) hairs. When an insect lands on them, the trap suddenly shut. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.
The Venus’ flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International Carnivorous Plant Society’s Newsletter. Note: Despite any science –fiction stories you might have read, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.
Dr. Meyers-Rice says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following: “attract, kill, digest, and absorb” some forms of insects, including flies, butterflies, and moths. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants ---well, most of the time.
All green plants make sugar through a process called photosynthesis(光合作用). Plants use the sugar to make food. What makes “meat-eating” plants different is their bug-catching leaves. They need insects for one reason: nitrogen(氮). Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can’t obtain any other way. Why almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil “Meat-eating” plants can’t. They live in places where nutrients are hard or almost impossible to get from the soil because of its acidity(酸度). So they’ve come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soil is poisonous to “meat-eating” plants. Never fertilize(施肥)them! But don’t worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they’ll grow very slowly.
小題1:According to the passage, carnivorous plants       .
A．only grow in wild fieldB．a(chǎn)re rare to see
C．a(chǎn)re as common as fliesD．cannot grow on Antarctica
小題2:Venus’ flytrap preys on insects by          .
A．its numerous long stalksB．a(chǎn) container where it grows
C．its insect-catching leaves D．the lining of tiny trigger hairs
小題3:We can conclude from the third paragraph that_____.
A．carnivorous plants are dangerous
B．carnivorous plants are fictional
C．carnivorous plants occasionally eat books
D．carnivorous plants are harmless to humans
小題4:In the eyes of the author, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．Carnivorous plants cannot grow in acid soil.
B．Carnivorous plants can grow in nutrient-poor soil.
C．Carnivorous plants will die if they cannot catch any insects
D．Carnivorous plants can get nitrogen from nutrient-rich soil.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

How can you hear your friends’ voices when they are far away and you can’t make a long—distance call? Besides the web camera system with your computer, we have a new high-tech way to solve the problem and ease your pain of missing them.
The Japanese company Combiwith created a system—“talking picture”. It makes people in pictures speak!
The “talking picture” has a special pen. It is actually a pen-shaped scanner. It can scan information in special—made pictures. A connected player will then play the information out loud.
First, you need to take a picture and record what you want to say with the company. The company will then make special barcodes(條形碼) onto your picture(you can’t see those codes). Those codes are your voice and your words. When you hold up the pen to scan your picture with barcodes, a player connected to the pen will start to play. It plays things you’ve recorded. That way the invention makes the “you” in the picture speak!
Do you want your friends and families talking out of pictures? Have them make pictures like that, and you can hear them whenever you want, only with the “talking picture” system. The system can play messages for up to 12 minutes.
“The pictures would be useful for those who hope to hear the voice of someone living far away,” said Mayumi Fuji, a spokeswoman for the company. “Grandparents, for example, longing to know about their grandchildren, would be happy to hear their voice when they see the picture,” Fuji said.
But it is troublesome to go to the company for taking a special picture first. And, it is much more expensive than using a telephone. The photo with barcodes costs between 17,040 and 17,990 yen(日元)(160 and 169 dollars). The larger picture you want, the more you pay.
Now, just raise a finger, lonely people can have their loved ones speak out of pictures. But, whether the “talking picture” is practical or not, let’s wait and see.
小題1:What does “talking pictures” mean according to this article?
A．The picture can play what’s been recorded as if the person in the picture “talks”.
B．You can have a talk with the person in the picture whenever you want to.
C．The picture can tell you wonderful stories to ease your pain.
D．The picture can tell what’s on your mind when you are looking at it.
小題2:If you want to make a talking picture, you need to ________.
A．take a picture and record what you want to say with the company
B．make special barcodes onto your picture
C．a(chǎn) pen—shaped scanner to go with the picture
D．All of the above
小題3:Which of the following is NOT true accordingly?
A．The talking picture system can play messages for 12 minutes at most.
B．It will cost you more to take a larger talking picture.
C．It might take a lot of trouble to make a talking picture.
D．You can make a talking picture by just raising a finger.
小題4:What is the attitude of the author?
A．Optimistic.B．Uncertain.C．Positive.D．Pessimistic.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1分，滿分20分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從1～20各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C或D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Butterfly’s wings
One day a small opening appeared on a cocoon(繭), a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it was struggling to  1  its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten  2  it could and it could go no further. So the man decided to  3  the butterfly: he took a pair of scissors and  4  the remaining part of the cocoon. The butterfly then  5  easily.
But it has a swollen(腫脹的) body and  6  wings. The man continued to  7  the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the  8  would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would  9 in time. Neither happened!  10,  the butterfly spent the rest of its life  11 around with a swollen body and small, shriveled(褶皺的) wings. It  12  was able to fly. What the man did in his  13 and haste(匆忙)did no good to the butterfly. He didn’t know the  14  cocoon and the struggle  15  for the butterfly to get through the tiny  16 were the natural way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings  17  it would be ready for flight once it achieved its  18  from the cocoon.
Sometimes the  19  is exactly what we need in our life. If we are allowed to go through our life without any  20, it would not be a good thing to us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
小題1:
A．build B．forceC．formD．destroy
小題2:
A．a(chǎn)s far asB．a(chǎn)s long asC．a(chǎn)s soon asD．a(chǎn)s quick as
小題3:
A．seize B．leaveC．bringD．help
小題4:
A．took offB．made upC．cut offD．picked up
小題5:
A．spread overB．came outC．stayed in D．flew away
小題6:
A．hardB．strong C．smallD．large
小題7:
A．watchB．look forC．look afterD．follow
小題8:
A．butterfly B．wings C．cocoonD．scissors
小題9:
A．disappear B．enlargeC．lose D．contract
小題10:
A．LuckilyB．Probably C．In allD．In fact
小題11:
A．crawling B．a(chǎn)pproachingC．running D．wandering
小題12:
A．ever B．seldomC．a(chǎn)lways D．never
小題13:
A．fearB．kindnessC．evil D．confidence
小題14:
A．restricting B．loose C．soft D．little
小題15:
A．prepared B．wanted C．a(chǎn)llowed D．required
小題16:
A．place B．room C．opening D．space
小題17:
A．even if B．otherwise C．whenD．so that
小題18:
A．life B．success C．progress D．freedom
小題19:
A．courage B．struggle C．wisdom D．strength
小題20:
A．fun B．friends C．obstacles D．a(chǎn)chievement

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空 (共20小題；每小題1分，滿分20分)
請(qǐng)認(rèn)真閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit（深坑）. All the other frogs  36  the pit. When they saw how  37  the pit was, they told the two frogs that they might be  38 .
The two frogs  39  what the other frogs were saying and  40  to jump up out of the pit with all of their physical strength. The other frogs  41  telling them to stop. Finally, one of the frogs  42  the comments, seriously considering them, and gave up. He  43  down and died.
The other frog continued to jump as  44  as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs shouted at him to stop the  45  and just die. He jumped even harder and finally  46  it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not  47  us?” The frog explained to them that he was  48 . He thought they were  49  him the whole time.
This story teaches two lessons: ① There is power of life and death in the  50 . An encouraging word to someone who is  51  can lift them up and help them make it through the day. ② A destructive word to someone who is down can be  52  it takes to kill them. Be  53  of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.
The  54  of words is great. It is sometimes hard to understand  55  an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times.
小題1:
A．jumped overB．keep peace withC．came downD．gathered around
小題2:
A．bigB．deepC．dangerousD．wide
小題3:
A．deadB．confusedC．quietD．safe
小題4:
A．toleratedB．understoodC．ignoredD．confirmed
小題5:
A．promisedB．triedC．managedD．a(chǎn)greed
小題6:
A．keptB．enjoyedC．finishedD．stopped
小題7:
A．lived up toB．paid attention to
C．got used toD．pushed ahead with
小題8:
A．slowedB．wentC．climbedD．fell
小題9:
A．hardlyB．difficultC．hardD．difficultly
小題10:
A．painB．diseaseC．fearD．competition
小題11:
A．workedB．turnedC．leftD．made
小題12:
A．followB．hearC．recognizeD．consider
小題13:
A．deafB．blindC．honestD．clever
小題14:
A．respectingB．comfortingC．encouragingD．beating
小題15:
A．societyB．communicationC．tongueD．misunderstanding
小題16:
A．downB．a(chǎn)ngryC．a(chǎn)wayD．up
小題17:
A．whoB．that C．whichD．what
小題18:
A．proudB．careful C．a(chǎn)fraidD．free
小題19:
A．functionB．energyC．powerD．skill
小題20:
A．whatB．thatC．howD．when

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Free energy is everywhere around us. There are many ways to make and collect energy from various sources like sun, wind and water. People also realize that everyday stuff can be a source of energy too. For example, riding a bike, running or just walking, etc. We simply have to change our way of thinking if we want to change the world.
So comes the idea of solar roadways. Are they the road of future? Why use roads just for driving and collecting tolls (過路費(fèi))? Why don’t we use them for collecting energy?
The US Department of Transportation recently awarded $100,000 to Solar Roadways to build the first ever Solar Road Panel. So how do these future roads work?
The Solar Road Panels will contain embedded (嵌入的) LEDs which “paint” the road lines from beneath to provide safer nighttime driving as well as to give drivers instant instructions such as detour (繞行) ahead. The road will be able to sense wildlife on the road and can warn drivers to “slow down”. There will also be embedded heating elements in the surface to prevent snow and ice buildup, providing safer winter driving.
Replacing asphalt (瀝青) roads and parking lots with Solar Roadway Panels will be a major step toward stopping climate change. Fully electric vehicles will be able to recharge along the roadway and in parking lots, finally making electric cars practical for long trips.
We just can’t wait to see more of these roads all over the world in the near future.
小題1:The first paragraph serves as a(n)______.
A．a(chǎn)rgumentB．commentC．explanationD．background
小題2:Which of the following is NOT true of LEDs?
A．They color the road lines.
B．They are embedded in the Solar Road Panels.
C．They are beneficial for nighttime driving.
D．They can provide instant instructions.
小題3: When some animals are on the solar road, what will the road do?
A．Guide them to a safer place.B．Remind drivers to drive slowly.
C．Frighten them away from the road.D．Advise drivers to choose another way.
小題4: From the text, we can know that the Solar Road Panels can______.
A．provide heat for drivers in winter
B．guide drivers who get lost on the highway
C．melt snow and ice soon in winter
D．help drivers see the road clearly in the sun

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