Every day we are exposed to images, videos, music and news．In this age of visual and aural hyper stimulation, the medium of radio is making a great comeback.

“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of audio,” said US based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald．In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast (播客)．These statistics, released by Edison Research, show the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day’s digital podcast format．The term “podcast” was invented in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years．With the sharp increase in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast sales have jumped.

The appeal of the podcast partly lies in its multiplatform delivery and on demand capabilities (功能)．You can listen during those extra minutes of the day when you’re walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway．Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.

Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney University media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTurns．“I listen while I’m wandering around the house doing something else．It makes completing a boring task much more enjoyable… And it’s an easy way of keeping in touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” she said, “I mainly listen to BBC podcasts, but recently I’ve also been listening to This American Life and Serial．They have a special skill to really draw you in.”

Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers．Blumberg says this owes to the podcast’s ability “to create close relationship and emotional connection.” Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, majoring in social work and arts, agrees．“When you’re listening, it feels as if the voice of the podcast’s storyteller is talking directly to you．It’s comforting, ” said Proust.

It seems the age old tradition of verbal storytelling is very much alive and well.

1.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.

A．traditional broadcast has come back

B．Americans love listening to the radio

C．podcasts have become very popular today

D．smartphones sell well because of podcasts

2.The writer mentions Donna Jackson mainly to ________.

A．tell how young people relax themselves

B．explain why young people like podcasts

C．introduce what programs podcasts are presenting

D．show how popular podcasts are presenting

3.Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.

A．the influence of radios

B．the advantage of podcasts

C．readers’ impression on radios

D．people’s reaction to the medium

4.What is probably the best title of the passage?

A．Return of Radio

B．Opinions of Podcast

C．Features of Radio

D．Technology of Podcast

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆山東青島市高三上單元檢測英語試卷（解析版） 題型：短文改錯

短文改錯(共10小題；每小題1分，滿分10分)

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處錯誤，每句中最多有兩處。錯誤涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號(Λ)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(＼)劃掉。

修改：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：

1．每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2．只允許修改10處，多者(從第11處起)不計(jì)分。

Dear Alice,

I have just got a good news to tell you. I win a national prize for painting last week. My father was so pleasing that he suggested I go to England for a holiday. I’d like to staying there for half a month, visiting place of interest and practicing my English as well. We’ve been written to each other for nearly a year now. I have often dreamed of talk face to face with you . I imagine you’ll be at vacation yourself by that time. Perhaps you will go out do some sightseeing together.

Best, Lily

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013-2014學(xué)年北京市西城區(qū)高三二模英語試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

Paris has some great museums ______ visitors can see fine works of impressionist painters.

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

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科目：高中英語 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年江蘇南京鹽城兩市高三一模考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：其他題

Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn’t like speaking to crowds．At parties，he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn’t even show up in the first place．He prefers the latter．Yet，with some 22 million video views under his belt，the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most watched TED Talks presenter of all time．

Sinek’s unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn’t just dumb luck．It’s the result of fears faced and erased，trial and error and tireless practice，on and off stage．Here are his secrets for delivering speeches that inspire，inform and entertain．

Don’t talk right away．

Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage．“A lot of people start talking right away，and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says．“That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear．”

Instead，quietly walk out on stage．Then take a deep breath，find your place，wait a few seconds and begin．“I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says，“but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation．”

Show up to give，not to take．

Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas，to get people to follow them on social media，buy their books or even just to like them．Sinek calls these kinds of speakers “takers,” and he says audiences can see through these people right away．And，when they do，they disengage．

“We are highly social animals,” says Sinek．“Even at a distance on stage，we can tell if you’re a giver or a taker，and people are more likely to trust a giver — a speaker that gives them value，that teaches them something new，that inspires them — than a taker．”

Speak unusually slowly．

When you get nervous，it’s not just your heart beat that quickens．Your words also tend to speed up．Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know．

“They want you to succeed up there，but the more you rush，the more you turn them off,” he says．“If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long，deep breath，they’ll wait for you．It’s kind of amazing．”

Turn nervousness into excitement．

Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics．A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question．“Were you nervous？” And all of the athletes gave the same answer: “No，I was excited．” These competitors were taking the body’s signs of nervousness—clammy hands，pounding heart and tense nerves—and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration．

When you’re up on stage you will likely go through the same thing．That’s when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud，“I’m not nervous，I’m excited！”

Say thank you when you’re done．

Applause is a gift，and when you receive a gift，it’s only right to express how grateful you are for it．This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you．

“They gave you their time，and they’re giving you their applause．” Says Sinek．“That’s a gift，and you have to be grateful．”

Passage outline

Supporting details

1.to Simon Sinek

·He is by 2.shy and dislikes making speeches in public.

·Through his 3.effort,he enjoys great success in giving speeches.

Tips on deliveing speeches

·Avoid talking 4.for it indicates you’re nervous.

·Keep calm and wait a few seconds before talking, which will create an 5.that you are confident.

·Try to be a giver rather than a taker because in 6.with a taker, a giver can get more popular and accepted.

·Teach audience something new that they can 7.from.

·Speak a bit slowly just to help you stay calm.

·Never speed up while speaking in case you 8.the audience.

·Switch nervousness to excitement by 9.the example of Olympic athletes.

·Express your 10.to the audience for their time and applause to conclude your speech.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年湖南省懷化市高三一�？荚囉⒄Z試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

In my first week as a graduate student at Cambridge University in 1964 I met with a fellow student, two years ahead of me in his studies; he was unsteady on his feet and spoke with great difficulty．This was Stephen Hawking．I learned that he had a bad disease and might not live long enough even to finish his PhD degree．

But, amazingly, he has reached the age of 73．Even mere survival would have been a medical miracle, but of course, he didn’t merely survive．He has become arguably the most famous scientist in the world for his brilliant research, for his bestselling books, and, above all, for his astonishing victory over hardship．

Stephen received his “death sentence” in 1964, when I thought it was hard for him to go on with his study．Stephen went from Albans School to Oxford University．He was said to be a “l(fā)azy” undergraduate, but his brilliance earned him a first class degree, an “entry ticket” to a research career in Cambridge and a uniquely inspiring achievement．Within a few years of the burst of his disease he was wheelchair bound, and his speech was so unclear that it could only be understood by those who knew him well．But his scientific career went from strength to strength: he quickly came up with a series of insights into the nature of black holes (then a very new idea) and how the universe began．In 1974 he was elected to the Royal Society at the exceptionally early age of 32．

The great advances in science generally involve discovering a link between phenomena that were previously conceptually unconnected — for instance, Isaac Newton realized that the force making an apple fall to earth was the same as the force that holds the moon and planets in their orbits．Stephen’s revolutionary idea about a link between gravity and quantum(量子) theory has still not been tested．However, it has been hugely influential; indeed, one of the main achievements of string theory(弦理論) has been to confirm and build on his idea．He has undoubtedly done more than anyone else since Einstein to improve our knowledge of gravity and he is one of the top ten living theoretical physicists．

1.What impressed the author most about Stephen Hawking?

A．His brilliant research．

B．His bestselling books．

C．His serious disease．

D．His defeating hardship．

2.What made Stephen Hawking start his research career at Cambridge?

A．His death sentence．

B．His “l(fā)azy” attitude．

C．His above average talent and ability．

D．His rich experience．

3.It can be inferred that Stephen Hawking was born ________．

A．in the early 1940s

B．in the late 1940s

C．in the early 1930s

D．in the late 1930s

4.What can we learn from the text?

A．Hawking’s theory was proved years ago．

B．Hawking was not as successful as Newton．

C．String theory built on Hawking’s idea．

D．Hawking’s theory has had little influence on others．

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B．He couldn’t walk when the author first met him at Cambridge．

C．He not only survived his disease but contributed greatly to science．

D．He is among the greatest scientists to improve the knowledge of gravity．

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You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.

It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.

Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine(重新定義) the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.

Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship(創(chuàng)業(yè)) is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.

So what has led to this huge change?

Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation(停滯),”noted The Daily Beast.

“The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.

The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.

Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations.”This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them.”

1.The underlined word “cornerstone” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “ ”.

A. growth B. balance C. basis D. purpose

2. What has changed Millennials’ view of the American Dream according to the passage?

A. A lack of confidence in themselves

B. Fierce competition in the job market

C. Their dissatisfaction with the government

D. The discouraging economy and unemployment

3.Dan Kadlec thinks Millennials’ new definition of the American Dream is ______.

A. beautiful B. understandable

C. worrying D. positive

4.What can be the best title for this passage?

A. Redefinition of American Dream

B. Meaning of American Dream

C. Value of Achieving American Dream

D. History of Changing American Dream

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Don't phone me between 10:00 and 11:30 tomorrow morning． I a meeting then．

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆山東鄒城市高三10月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.

Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.

Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremons knew something special about wood for violins.

But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut into the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.

Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new ones still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish (清漆), which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.

There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Secrets of Cremona Violins

B. The History of Italian Violins

C. Special Musical Instruments

D. How to Make the Best Violins

2.The main purpose of the first paragraph is to _______.

A. list some facts B. raise a question

C. give an opinion D. offer an answer

3.What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?

A. The shape. B. The size.

C. The wood. D. The varnish.

4.What can we learn from this passage?

A. Modern things are always better than ancient ones.

B. Ancient things are always better than modern ones.

C. Once a cultural relic is lost, it can never be recovered.

D. Varnish for violins will become more and more precious.

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