Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew. And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch(縫合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.
Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(腳踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement(侵犯). Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties(版稅). In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.
小題1:Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________.
A.people did not know how to put out the fire
B.Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention
C.the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally
D.workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire
小題2:Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer.
B.The Singer sewing company became more practical.
C.The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free.
D.Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines.
小題3:Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elisa Howe a lifetime of royalties?
A.Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude.
B.Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.
C.Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.
D.Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.
小題4:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.Stitch in Time Saves Nine
B.The Case between Howe and Singer
C.Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine
D.The Early History of the Sewing Machine

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:B
小題4:D

試題分析:文章介紹了縫紉機(jī)的萌芽和早期發(fā)展歷程。以前都是手工操作,后來,不斷有人對(duì)縫紉機(jī)的發(fā)展做出了貢獻(xiàn)。
小題1:根據(jù)第三段“he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
”可知,一些工人放火燒服裝廠是害怕因?yàn)闄C(jī)器的發(fā)明而丟掉工作。故選D。
小題2:根據(jù)第五段第一句“Isaac Singer, another American inventor...”可知,A、D正確;根據(jù)“This improvement left the sewer’s hands free”可知,C正確;根據(jù)“the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical”可知,B項(xiàng)錯(cuò)誤;故選B。
小題3:根據(jù)最后一段的第一句“Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented”可知,Singer侵犯了Howe的專利,故選B。
小題4:考查主旨大意。文章介紹了縫紉機(jī)的早期發(fā)展歷史,A、B、C太片面。故選D。
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Life is to be enjoyed. There’s no point in giving up something you enjoy unless you get something back that’s even better. When people eat more healthfully, exercise, quit smoking, and manage stress better, they find that they feel so much better that it reconstructs the reason for making these changes from fear of dying to joy of living. The latest studies show that when you exercise and eat right:
YOUR BRAIN receives more blood flow and oxygen, so you become smarter, think more clearly, have more energy, and need less sleep. Two studies showed that just walking for three hours per week for only three months caused so many new neurons (神經(jīng)細(xì)胞) to grow that it actually increased the size of people’s brains!
YOUR FACE receives more blood flow, so your skin glows more and wrinkles less. You look younger and more attractive. In contrast, an unhealthy diet, chronic emotional stress and smoking reduce blood flow to your face so you age more quickly. Smoking accelerates aging because nicotine causes your arteries (動(dòng)脈) to narrow down, which decreases blood flow to your face and makes it wrinkle earlier. This is why smokers look years older than they really are.
YOUR GENES change. In May, a study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that changing your lifestyle changes your genes.
YOUR TELOMERES (染色體端粒) get longer. Telomeres are the ends of our chromosomes (染色體) that control how long we live. As telomeres become shorter, then cells age more quickly, thus shortening your life.
Besides, one of the most interesting findings in the study was that the mothers’ awareness of stress was more important than what was really occurring in their lives. The researchers gave the women a questionnaire and asked them to rate on a three-point scale how stressed they felt each day, and how out of control their lives felt to them. The women who were aware that they were under heavy stress had significantly shortened and damaged telomeres compared with those who felt more relaxed. On the contrary, some of the women who felt relaxed despite raising a disabled child had more normal-appearing telomeres.
In other words, if you feel stressed, you are stressed; if you feel fine, you are fine.
小題1:Which of the following are good for lengthening one’s life, according to the passage?
① eat healthy food ② drink plenty of water ③ take exercise ④ get up early
⑤ go to sleep early ⑥ release one’s stress
A.①③⑥B.①②③C.①⑤⑥D.③④⑥
小題2:The underlined words “your skin glows” in Paragraph 3 are closest in meaning to _________.
A.your skin becomes white as there is plenty of sunshine
B.your skin becomes smooth as there is much blood in it
C.your skin looks pink as you are healthy
D.your skin becomes soft as you exercise enough
小題3:In the author’s opinion, when you exercise and eat right, you will experience some changes EXCEPT _________.
A.brains becoming clevererB.faces having fewer wrinkles
C.a(chǎn)rteries turning narrowerD.genes being changed
小題4:From the last but one paragraph we learn that _________.
A.mothers will have more damaged telomeres if they raise a disabled child
B.mothers don’t know how to handle stress effectively
C.some women were asked to fill out a questionnaire about educating children
D.mothers’ positive attitudes are the key to managing their stress
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Speaking in any language is all about imitating (模仿) other people. You want to be able to speak like native speakers do. Before you can form your own correct sentences, you first need to see lots of similar ones in the language you are learning.
When you speak in your native language, you don't have to think about the grammar or the words you use. Correct sentences just come to you. In fact, your brain uses sentences you've already seen or heard. If you want to speak a foreign language fluently, you have to learn it the way you learned your native language--- by massive(大量的) input.
Reading and listening will help you develop language intuition(直覺). It's all about putting lots of correct sentences in your head. Then your brain can imitate them, producing similar sentences to express the meaning you want. When you read and listen a lot, paying attention to useful vocabulary, you will soon start to use new words and phrases in your speaking and writing, and you will develop language intuition. You will start to feel what sounds good and what sounds bad --- just as you do in your native language.
It may seem like you need more time to learn a language by reading and listening, as opposed (相反的)to learning based on grammar rules. For example, to get a good feeling for the use of articles in English you need to read lots of sentences, analyzing them closely. Wouldn't it be easier to read a unit on articles in a grammar book? Well, the problem is that it takes lots of time to build a sentence when you have to think of grammar rules. When you talk to someone, you don't have time for that. The input-based approach may seem to be more demanding, but it's the only way to achieve fluency.
小題1:According to the passage, if you want to speak a foreign language like a native speaker, you must_________.
A.learn grammar very well
B.input many sentences in your head
C.read many books in the foreign language
D.write many compositions
小題2:Which of the following sentences can explain the meaning of language intuition?
A.Ability to understand a foreign language
B.Ability to use a foreign language without thinking about it
C.Ability to speak a foreign language
D.Ability to imitate a native speaker
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A.Listening and Reading
B.Writing and Listening
C.Reading and Translating
D.Listening and Translating
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A.You can speak your native language without think about grammar
B.Before you can speak your native you must hear millions of sentences
C.The input-based approach is the only way to speak a language fluently
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

With the popularity of 3D movies over the past several years , there was no doubt that the technology would make its way into our homes, The question is: Is it really a technology that is going to stay with us , thus deserving an upgrade(升級(jí)) at this time?
Many families have recently bought a new TV set, and the idea of changing it just to take advantage of a technology in its infancy(初期)will put many people off the idea. Then there are the additional costs that come along with a 3Dset from needing to get a Blu-ray player that can process the signal to purchasing enough glasses for the entire family to be able to watch a program at the same time.
Another issue is that the glasses are expensive as well as complicated, and have also been known to cause headaches, none of which makes for a pleasant experience.
While manufacturers are working towards glasses-free technology, it just isn’t here yet, and it could be several years before it is commercially successful. That is one of main things that will keep 3D completely in the “fashion” zone for the time being . If the television manufacturers are willing to hold onto the idea until glasses-free choices are available—and they can reach a higher installed(安裝)user base—this might very well catch on. Everyone needs to remember, however, that these are businesses, and they are in it to make money. If 3D isn’t selling at the rate they are comfortable with, then they will dump it and move on to the next thing.
Many homes are filled with products that didn’t catch on rapidly and companies ended up leaving them with no support. Do you have an HD DVD player? Remember how the MiniDisc was supposed to replace the CD? For now, it’s easy to see how 3D televisions could join this list of technologies.
There is one upside to the 3D television problem: They have beautiful 2D images. Even if 3D goes away, you still have a great –looking screen and beautiful images. If you are in the market for a new TV and you can afford to drop the couple extra hundred dollars to buy one, you can view it as guaranteeing your purchase in case the technology proves to be effective.
小題1:We know from the text that 3D TV   .
A.is easy to operate
B.has been fully developed
C.has many products attached to it
D.has already replaced normal TV sets
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A.3D is fashionable and expensive.
B.It’s hard for 3D to be commercially successful.
C.Television manufacturers’ only purpose is to make money.
D.It’s impossible to create glasses-free technology at the moment.
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A.they are not necessary
B.they are bound to be replaced
C.3D TV might not be here to stay
D.3D technology needs improving
小題4:The underlined word “upside” in the last paragraph probably means    .
A.solutionB.exceptionC.characterD.benefit
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B. He thinks highly of it.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

C
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure--and so soon--that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead--take me away” when it is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead---take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait— I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory, Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical overrides the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest.
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.
小題1:What is the function of the first paragraph?
A.Leading the following paragraphs.
B.Showing the main idea of the passage.
C.Introducing the background of the passage.
D.Giving a summary of the passage.
小題2:Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?
A.is weaker thanB.is stronger thanC.is better thanD.is worse than
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A.Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.
B.When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.
C.A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.
D.Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.
小題4:Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?
A.Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.
B.Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.
C.Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior,and then did some tests to prove his theory.
D.Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

If you're networking (建立人際關(guān)系) and nothing is happening, you might need to evaluate how you're doing it. Maybe you show up at each event and still feel challenged by the process. You aggressively talk to people, give out your cards, call endlessly to schedule an appointment but have no real success from your efforts. To help you gain a different future, here are ten habits you should avoid.
Ineffective networkers:
1. Lack patience. They expect immediate results and want business now, not tomorrow.
2. Constantly “selling” something. They see dollar signs every time they shake hands with someone.
3. Too many choices. If they offer a variety of products, they might try too hard to tell about all of them. Offering too much information sends a confusing message making it difficult for people to send referral (指點(diǎn)). Opportunities are all around us but when you're networking, only focus on one.
4. Change positions too often. If they move from company to company or do something totally different, it might be difficult for people to keep up with them.
5. Lack manners and respect. They interrupt others, talk with food in their mouth, aren't very polite and appear unprofessional. They call people during dinner or on the weekends without thinking whether the occasion is suitable.
6. Distribute too many cards and sales literature. They come while loading with brochures, flyers (傳單), catalogues and samples.
7. Focus on themselves. Too much self­ promotion can leave the other person to feel unappreciated. Every sentence begins with “I” and is all about their business.
8. “Talking” instead of “giving”. They don't realize what other people sense when they are being very selfish. Others may think that they are being taken advantage of.
9. Lack authenticity (可靠性) and personal values. They may create unrealistic expectations and not deliver on their promises. Sometimes doing things without integrity (誠實(shí)) possibly twists the truth.
10. Poor communication and interpersonal skills. They have trouble speaking effectively, building relationships and following up.
Networking is a process that is an investment of time and money. If you find you're doing any of these habits, consider learning how to improve on these and maximize your results while networking. You'll start to get better at connecting with people and obtain more referrals.
小題1:This passage is meant for people who ______.
A.want to do more businesses
B.often take instead of giving
C.have poor communication and interpersonal skills
D.want to improve their interpersonal relationship
小題2:According to the second habit, we shouldn't ______ when we are networking.
A.sell thingsB.talk about dollars
C.pay attention to money onlyD.shake hands with everyone
小題3:When talking with others, you should ______.
A.give out your cards and brochures every now and then
B.talk about the quality of your product as much as possible
C.interrupt others when they make a mistake
D.let other people express themselves completely
小題4:Which of the following is NOT correct about a salesman's behavior?
A.He offers too much self­promotion during the conversation.
B.He considers carefully when he can get what he expects.
C.He only focuses on one opportunity when networking.
D.He keeps his promises and doesn't expect too much from others.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The octopus’s(章魚)reputation as a human-killer isn’t simply an exaggeration(夸張)—it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural victims. Some shellfish(殼類動(dòng)物)and an occasional sick or incautious fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed hunter, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even the largest among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to swallow a ship, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopus, found on the Pacific coast, weighs around 110 pounds and grows to no more than ten feet in width.
The hard, parrot-like beak(喙)of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open shellfish. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. Instead, it feeds by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A shellfish that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to go close enough to these careful creatures to get a good look at them.
小題1:This passage is mainly about          .
A.the horrors of the octopus
B.the largest octopus in the world
C.octopi and their behavior
D.the octopus’s deadly hunting method
小題2:It is implied but not stated in the passage that          .
A.people have unreasonable fears about the octopus
B.the octopus is not interested in human beings
C.the octopus is afraid of human beings
D.the octopus is a very cruel sea animal
小題3:What does the underlined part “careful creatures” refer to in the last paragraph?
A.Octopi.B.Shellfish.C.Fish.D.The victims.
小題4:The hard beak of the octopus is used for          .
A.a(chǎn)ttacking deep-sea diversB.cutting up large pieces of meat
C.cutting open its victimsD.defending itself
小題5:From the passage, we can conclude that          .
A.the octopus is not dangerous to man
B.people often fear creatures that are not dangerous to them
C.the octopus only hunts its natural victims
D.things described in movies are not to be believed

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

While nature lovers across the world wish all humans to realize the significance of their natural surroundings ,many Australians are turning caring for the environment into a way of life.
Julie Astonis ,an Australian housewife in Brisbane is one such example, Even though autumn is approaching Australia’s Brisbane in April, one can still watch colorful blooming (盛開的)flowers in Julie’s little garden, as she tells that in her community, “Each of us has a beautiful yard, The whole community, from children to elderly people, takes care of the environment as if they are taking care of their own garden.”
“Gardening is the most popular club in our community,”she says, “A lot of retired people don’t just regularly organize gardening lectures, but also personally visit families in the community to provide gardening training , So you can see that flowers continue to bols-som in our gardens throughout the year.”
Talking about her people’s sense of care for the environment, Julie says when people in the community take along their dog, they always carry a garbage bag to deal with the dog’s waste, “In our community ,you will never experience the embarrassment of stepping on the dirty waste while you are walking on the grass,”says Julie with a smile,“Taking care of the dog’s waste can also help to develop children’s sense of responsibility!”
As to protecting water resources , the Australian government has made strict rules for families, Julie says, “We certainly would not use tap water to water the flowers!”She ways almost every family in her community has a huge tank used to store rainwater, which is later used as the resource of all outdoor water use, connect the water tank with their toilets.
小題1:From the first three paragraphs we learn that      .
A.gardening is popular in most part of Australia
B.April is a great time for people to enjoy flowers
C.it’s not easy to keep a garden without proper training
D.Julie’s community has a deep sense of caring for nature
小題2:Which of the following about Julie is true?
A.She takes pride in her community.
B.She once stepped on a dog’s waste.
C.She is quite in favor of raising a dog.
D.She finds it embarrassing to walk on the grass.
小題3:From what Julie says in the last paragraph, we know _________.
A.rainwater is not the best resource
B.her community owns a public tank
C.her community makes full use of resources
D.it is not necessary to water flowers very often
小題4:How many examples are given to show the caring for the environment in Australia?
A.TwoB.ThreeC.FourD.Five
小題5:What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Love nature, the Australian wayB.How Australians save resources
C.How Australians lead their life D.Protect nature, a must of life

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

As most university students are packing their bags,boarding trains or flying home for the Spring Festival,some will stay behind to spend the holiday on campus.
Zhou Yunyun,22,a senior finance major at Jilin University,has decided that instead of traveling to Hainan province,he will kill the time by playing computer games with his online friends.
“I'm used to chatting and playing with them every day.It’s just fun to make friends this way,”he said.“When I returned home in past years,my relatives always asked me a lot of questions about my plans after graduation.They had high expectations of me,which made me feel stressed,” said Zhou.
The campus,usually lively,will probably turn into a death town,with most restaurants,shops and student centers closed during the break.But there are also a few advantages,according to Jia Debao,2 1,a junior majoring in administration at China Agricultural University.“I might feel a bit lonely,but at least I can stay away from my parents’ complaining and enjoy the peaceful and quiet stay,” he said.“More importantly,I can enjoy the high speed of the Internet,I can always find empty seats in classrooms,and I don’t have to wait to use the bathroorm” But education experts recommend students who stay on campus to come up with more interactive plans.That’s because communication on the Internet can’t replace real life interpersonal relationships.
Society has promoted a kind of“couch potato" or close-in culture among some young people, according to Shi Tongyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He warned that this kind of lifestyle can damage students’ mental and physical development.
“When you constantly stare at a computer screen and type on your keyboard,you gradually lose the ability to socialize and survive normally,"said Shi.“A human’s most important task is to survive,which cannot be completed by staying at home all the time. Instead,it must be achieved through real life experience and communication.”
小題1:What can we learn about Zhou Yunyun?
A.He feels very lonely on campus.
B.He will promote close-in culture.
C.He will spend the Spring Festival with relatives.
D.He will spend the Spring Festival with on-line friends.
小題2:Spending the Spring Festival on campus for Jia Debao means         .
A.he will miss his parents a little bit
B.there will be more seats in classrooms
C.he will have a quiet and peaceful break
D.the speed of the Internet will get faster
小題3:The underlined phrase“couch potato” is closest in meaning to        .
A.inactive personB.close friend
C.sociable studentD.a(chǎn)ddicted gamer
小題4:What do education experts recommend students to do?
A.To do some traveling.
B.To stay more with families.
C.To find empty seats in classrooms.
D.To experience real lire and communication.

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