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 in 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 was 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 tell a heartbreaking story of a war.
C.To show the importance of money
D.To give a warning to other countries
小題2:What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
A.Rich and powerful B.Peaceful and attractive
C.Modern and openD.Greedy and aggressive
小題3:The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from _______.
A.phosphate overmining      B soil pollution
C.farming activity             D.whale hunting
小題4:Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem? 
A.Its phosphate mining cost much money
B.It spent too much repairing the island
C.Its leaders misused the 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

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:A
小題4:C
小題5:A
文章介紹了一個美麗的島嶼因?yàn)檫^度開發(fā)而陷入困境的故事。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第一段最后一句other countries might learn from its mistakes.可知D正確,是為了警告其他國家不要重蹈覆轍。
小題2:推理題。根據(jù)第二段內(nèi)容可知這個島遠(yuǎn)離西方文明,那么應(yīng)該是很peaceful,再根據(jù)第二段最后一句He called the island Pleasant Island.可知這個島很漂亮。故B正確。
小題3:推理題。根據(jù)文章最后一段可知是因?yàn)檫^度開發(fā)礦產(chǎn)資源。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后以段第一句the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars.可知C正確。
小題5:推理題。根據(jù)文章最后一句.Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island.This will probably never happen.可知這種破壞是難以修復(fù)的。故A正確。
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

If I see one more article about how wonderful alternative energy is compared to oil, I will flip(翻頁). Alternative energy sources can be good---- very good in fact. And it’s pretty obvious that we’re going to need them, and that our dependence on oil is a Bad Thing. But accepting that does not mean accepting that any kind of alternative energy is a good thing.
To be a good thing, it has to have three properties: 1) It has to help reduce our dependence on oil, 2) It has to be no worse for the environment, and 3) It has to be economically practical.
Many of the things praised meet one or even two of those properties. Solar panels, for example. They can reduce our need for oil, at least in certain regions, and they’re certainly not bad for the environment. But they’re expensive. If you spend the money to make your home solar-powered, you probably won’t get back your costs for at least 15 years, which approaches the lifespan of the panels.
Certainly we need to clean up our act big time and find workable sources of alternative energy. But we also have to keep in mind that every one of these alternative-energy sources comes at a cost, which is something people seem to forget. They hear the phrase “alternative energy” and automatically assume it’s got to be good. But green isn’t always good, and oil isn’t always bad.
One seemingly “green” technology that pops up again and again is electric cars. It is praised by well-meaning people as good for the environment and a way to reduce our oil dependence, especially as oil prices continue to rise.
Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins.
People in California love to talk about “ zero-emissions vehicles”, but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants mostly use fire to make it. Aside from the new folks who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators. Generators are fueled by something---- usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal(地?zé)岬模?plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.
In other words, those “zero-emissions” cars are likely coal-burning cars. It’s just because the coal is burned somewhere else that it looks clean. It is not. It’s as if the California Greens are covering their eyes ---- “ If I can’t see it, it’s not happening. “ Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas ( or another fue) and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat ---- at the generator, through the transmission(傳送) lines, etc.
A gallon of gas may propel your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won’t get you nearly as far ---- so electric cars burn more fuel than gas- powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from nukes; or geothermal, or hydro, or solar, or wind, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don’t use much of those energy sources.
In addition, electric cars’ batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill. And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it’s a power plant, though, all the junk is in one lace. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.
小題1:Which of the following statements will the writer support?
A.Any kind of alternative energy is a good thing.
B.Alternative energy is bound to take the place of oil.
C.People should have an objective view towards alternative energy.
D.Solar panel is a good example of alternative energy that meets three properties.
小題2:What does “ clueless” mean in Paragraph 7?
A.People see the California Greens everywhere.
B.People in California love to talk about zero-emissions vehicles.
C.People in California love to have their roofs covered with solar cells.
D.People there have no idea that so far electrically mainly comes from burning coal, oil, etc.
小題3:What is the main idea for the text?
A.Green technology is not always green.
B.Alternative energy is economically practical.
C.Electric cars are not clean at all.
D.Gasoline is an efficient way to power a vehicle.
小題4:According to the text, electric cars ___________.
A.a(chǎn)re more environmentally friendly
B.burn more fuel than gas-powered ones
C.a(chǎn)re very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated
D.a(chǎn)re poisonous for a long time and will eventually end up in a landfill
小題5:It can be inferred from the text that _________.
A.being green is good and should be encouraged in communication
B.electric cars are not clean in that we get electricity mainly by burning something
C.zero-emissions vehicles should be chosen to protect our environment
D.electric cars are now the dominant vehicle compared with gasoline-powered cousins

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The laptop is a machine which can be a mobile office;it can be used to entertain us and people can play computer games on them. One machine can perform many tasks at the same time. As technology grows,the size of the new laptop machines is decreasing. Now laptops are lighter,have smaller screen sizes,and perform better. Smaller screen laptops,which are more convenient to take along with,have been specially designed for professionals. Huge display screen laptops are still used by graphic(繪畫的)designers and those who like playing computer games.
Laptops are advanced machines,and they can be very expensive. When we spend much money on something,we should take good care of it. I know some people who buy a new laptop every year. The reason they do this is that the old one either is broken or has some problems which cannot be fixed. Common problems are the breaking of the screen,the breaking of joints of the laptop,display problems,and keyboard problems.
Different problems will always come up with machines,and they cannot be avoided(避免).Old machines will always have to be replaced by new ones. However,if we are more careful and handle our laptops with care,they will last for a longer period of time,and they will perform better. This is not a hard thing to do,but it will greatly increase the life and performance of laptops.
小題1:According to the first paragraph,the laptop is a machine which________.
A.is being used by more and more people in the office
B.will take the place of desktops sooner or later
C.is specially designed for people who like playing computer games
D.can be used for both work and entertainment purposes
小題2:The underlined word in the first paragraph means “________”.
A.becoming smaller
B.becoming more important
C.becoming more popular
D.becoming better
小題3:We infer that graphic designers still use huge display screen laptops most probably because________.
A.huge display screen laptops are very cheap
B.small display screen laptops are not on sale yet
C.they can see their drawings more clearly
D.they also want to play computer games
小題4:What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A.That laptops can only be used for one year.
B.That laptops are not as good as desktops.
C.That the prices for laptops are too high.
D.That laptops may have problems which cannot be fixed.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

For some people, the prospect of starting college, especially going away to school, is scary. It’s probably the first time that you’ll be totally responsible for your own schedule. What if you intend to go to college but just don’t feel ready to start yet-for whatever reason-and you don’t want to take on a full-time job after graduation? You might want to take a year off to pause and regroup. This practice is common in some countries, like the United Kingdom, where it’s called a “gapyear”.
Taking time off doesn’t mean you should ignore the idea of applying to college. In fact, you may want to consider making your college plans before you become involved in other things, especially if you’ll be travelling. Apply to schools and make your choice, then ask for a deferred admission. Rachel took a year off and worked in New York City between college and medical school. She says that she had to be extremely well organized about planning for medical school so she didn’t miss any of her deadlines. “Not only did I have to apply to schools and make plans to take my MCAT exams, I also had to make all my living arrangements and other plans for my year off!”
Even if you decide not to apply to college, it can be a great idea to take a year to do something you may not have an opportunity to do again. Lots of volunteer organizations would welcome your time and energy and would provide you with a wonderful learning experience. If you take a year off you will learn some great life skills-like living on a tight budget! If you take a year off you’ll pay your way while you are traveling or doing volunteer work.
小題1:What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Taking Time Off
B.Disadvantages of a “Gap Year”
C.Plans after Graduation
D.How to Apply to College
小題2:Going on a “gap year” means _____.
A.a(chǎn)sking for a year’s leave to rest at home
B.taking a year off to pause and regroup
C.ignoring the idea of applying to college
D.travelling around the world before going to college
小題3:The author takes Rachel for example in the second paragraph in order to show _____.
A.it’s not easy to take a year off
B.it’s interesting to take a “gap year”
C.what taking time off is like
D.how to apply to schools
小題4:Which of the following is NOT the benefit of taking a year off?
A.You’ll learn some great life skills.
B.You’ll make full preparation for starting college.
C.You’ll earn much money by taking on a full-time job.
D.You’ll gain a wonderful learning experience by joining in a volunteer organization.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below 16℃.Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere,warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources (資源): land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example,a lot of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’ s wood supply.
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.
小題1:Why did humans destroy rainforests in the past hundred years?
A.They tried to get crops and paper
B.They needed other products
C.They wanted to raise farm animals
D.They aimed to get three major resources.
小題2:Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they________.
A.reflect more heat into the atmosphere
B.bring about high rainfall throughout the world
C.rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃
D.reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth
小題3:What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?
A.We will lose much more than we can gain.
B.Humans have begun destroying rainforests.
C.People have a strong desire for resources.
D.Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.
小題4:It can be inferred from the text that________.
A.we can get enough resources without rainforests
B.there is great medicine potential in rainforests
C.we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land
D.the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns
小題5:What might be the best title for the text?
A.How to Save Rainforests
B.How to Protect Nature
C.Rainforests and the Environment
D.Rainforests and Medical Development

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

All Eskimos live most of their lives close to sea or fresh water. They may follow game inland for several hundred miles, but they always return to the shores of rivers, lakes, or seas. Eskimo land has a bare look. Large rocks, pebbles, and sand cover much of the surface. Plants called lichen (地衣) grow on the rocks, and where there is enough soil, grass, flowers, and even small bushes manage to live. No trees can grow on Eskimo land, so geographers sometimes call it the Arctic plains. There are some animals in Eskimo land, such as rabbits, which eat the plants. Other animals, like the white fox and the gray wolf, eat the rabbits. The Eskimo is a meat-eater, too, and may even eat a wolf when food is scarce.
The Eskimo year has two main parts: a long, cold winter and a short, cool summer. Spring and fall are almost too short to be noticed. Summer is the best time, as food is usually plentiful. But it is also the time when Eskimos are very busy. Winter is never far away, and the men must bring home extra meat for the women to prepare and store, for seldom can enough animals be killed in winter to feed a family.
The Far North is sometimes called the land of the midnight sun. This is true in the middle of summer, for between April 21st and August 21st the sun never sets in Northern Greenland. But in midwinter the Far North is a land with no sunshine at all. Around Oct. 21st the Eskimos of Northern Greenland see the sun set directly south of them, and they don’t see it again until February 22nd. All places on earth get about the same amount of daylight during a year. As a result, if summer is lighter, winter has to be darker.
Winter nights in the Far North are seldom pitch-black. As in the rest of the world, the stars and moon provide a little light. The northern lights also help the Eskimo to see. And with the ground covered with snow, even a little light is reflected back to the Eskimo’s eyes.
小題1:Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Eskimos do not usually eat wolves.
B.Eskimos like to chase one another.
C.Eskimos depend heavily on water.
D.Eskimos are meat-eaters.
小題2:What’s the meaning of the underlined words “pitch-black” in Paragraph 4?
A.Dark with a little light.
B.A little dark.
C.Not dark at all.
D.Extremely dark.
小題3:From the passage, we can infer all of the following EXCEPT that_______.
A.Eskimos are more likely to eat wolves in summer
B.Eskimo women are responsible for housework
C.meat is the main source of food for the Eskimo
D.hunting is an important part of Eskimo life

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

United States and Canada are multicultural countries with many national, religious and cultural differences, where people attach great importance to individualism—the uniqueness among people. Teachers value the qualities that make each student special and different. You can see such values through their educational systems. For example, students needn’t memorize lots of information. Instead, they work independently and find answers on their own. There are discussions for children to show their own ideas and opinions.
By contrast, people have the same language, history, and culture in most Asian societies. As a result, Asia’s educational system reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea learn to work together and help one another in assignments. And the teaching methods are often very formal and serious. In class, teachers give lectures while students listen and take notes. Discussion is replaced by reciting rules of information that have been memorized.
These two systems both have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage in Japan is that there is much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. In addition, students study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The difficult system also prepares students for a society that place emphasis on discipline and self-control. However, while memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students admit forgetting much of the information that they have memorized after exams.
On the other hand, the educational system in North American has an advantage that students learn to think for themselves, which prepares them for a society that values creativity. The disadvantage is that when they graduate from high school, they haven’t recited as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.
小題1:People in multicultural countries such as the US or Canada lay more stress on __________.
A.team workB.self-controlC.disciplineD.individualism
小題2:What is the advantage of the educational system in North America?
A.There is not much discussion.
B.Learning to think for themselves
C.Learning much less math and science
D.They haven’t memorized basic rules and facts.
小題3:Which words is most suitable to describe the author's attitude in writing this passage?
A.Supportive B.OppositeC.ObjectiveD.Subjective
小題4:The main idea of this passage is___________.
A.cultural differences in countries such as the United States or Canada
B.comparisons of educational system between North America and Asia
C.there are more advantages of Asian education system of than that of North American
D.there are more disadvantages of Asian education system than that of North American

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

They may be just passing your office, computer bag slung (懸掛) over one shoulder. Or they may be sitting in a car outside it, causally tapping away at a laptop. They look like innocent passers-by. In fact, they are stealing your corporate secrets.
Drive-by hacking is the trendy term given to the practice of breaking into wireless computer networks from outside the buildings that house them. A recent study in the UK, sponsored by RSA Data Security, found that two-thirds of organizations with wireless networks were risking their data in this way. Security experts patrolled (巡邏) several streets in the City of London seeking evidence of wireless networks in operation.
Of 124 that they identified, 83 were sending data without encrypting(加密)them. Such data could readily be picked up by a passer-by armed only with a portable computer, a wireless modem and a few pieces of software that can be freely downloaded from the Internet.
The data could include sensitive company documents containing valuable information. Or they could be e-mail identities and passwords that could be used by hackers to log into corporate networks as if they were legal users.
Most companies using wireless networking technology do not take even the simplest of measures to protect their data. Nearly all wireless network technology comes with some basic security features that need only to be activated (激活) in order to give a minimum level of security, for example, by encrypting the data being passed over the network.
Raymon Kruck, business development manager at Check Point Software, a security technology specialist, believes this could be partly a psychological problem. People see the solid walls of their building as safeguards and forget that wireless networks can extend up to 200 meters beyond physical walls.
Companies without any security at all on their wireless networks make it ridiculously easy for hackers to break in. Switching on the security that comes with the network technology should be automatic. Then there are other basic steps a company can take, says Mr. Kruck, such as changing the passwords on the network from the default (默認(rèn)) setting.
Companies can also install firewalls, which form a barrier between the internal network and the public Internet. They should also check their computer records regularly to spot any abnormal activity, which might betray the presence of a hacker.
小題1:According to the study sponsored by RSA Data Security, two thirds of the subjects _______.
A.had most of their company data stolen
B.depended on wireless computer networks
C.were exposed to drive-by hacking
D.were unaware of the risk of wireless hacking
小題2:Which of the following is NOT considered in the study?
A.The number of computer hacking incidents.
B.The number of wireless computer networks identified.
C.The way in which data are sent and received.
D.The way in which data are hacked and stolen.
小題3:Most wireless network technology has_________.
A.data encryption program
B.password security programs
C.illegal-user detection
D.firewall
小題4:Raymond Kruck most probably agrees that wireless network security involves ________.
A.wireless signal administration
B.changes in user’s awareness
C.users’ psychological health
D.stronger physical walls
小題5:The passage is most likely to be seen in a __________
A.book reviewB.science fictionC.textbookD.computer magazine

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

By 2050
Futurologists(未來學(xué)家)predict that life will probably be very different in 2050.
TV channels(頻道)will have disappeared. Instead, people will choose a program from a “menu” and a computer will send the program 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, programs, newspapers, and books will come to us by computer.
Cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Space planes will take people halfway around the world in 2 hours. Today, the United States Space 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 Angeles to Tokyo in just 2 hours.
Robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big computers prefer robots—they don’t 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.
Medical technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are devices(設(shè)備)that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people to see and hear again.
Scientist will have discovered how to control genes(基因). Scientists have already produced clones(克。﹐f animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people, and decide how they look, how they behave and how clever they are. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?
小題1:According to the passage, the following can be realized today EXCEPT __________.
A.reading newspapers on a computer
B.making a space shuttle go into space and land on Earth again
C.creating cloned animals
D.choosing TV programs freely from a “menu”
小題2:We can learn from the passage that some big companies prefer robots to human workers, because human workers __________.
A.can work 24 hours a day
B.often ask for more pay
C.a(chǎn)re not clever enough
D.a(chǎn)re often late for work
小題3:From Paragraph 5 we can infer that __________.
A.there will be no blind and deaf people by 2050
B.few diseases will attack people by 2050
C.devices are connected directly to the brain to help people hear
D.medical technology will be more effective by 2050
小題4:What is the author’s attitude towards the cloning technology?
A.The author does not support the use of cloning technology.
B.The author thinks human cloning is impossible.
C.The author does not really support the idea of human cloning.
D.The author is quite excited about human cloning.

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