Vampires (吸血鬼), creatures of myth, have been around in one form or another for centuries. Terrifying but also attractive, they are as popular in the early 21 st century as ever, as the current popularity of Twilight series, and its hero Edward Cullen, show.
Vampires first appeared in fiction in the 1700s. in 1895 Irish novelist Bram Stoker published Dracula, introducing the world’s most famous vampire.
But just what is it about these drinkers of human blood that continues to fascinate us? Speaking to Eric Lewis of the Times and Transcript website, academic Deborah Wells said that vampires are “culturally adaptive”. “We create very different vampires to fit different times. Edward Cullen is not the same as Count Dracula,” she said.
Different as they are, Wells believes vampires are “the perfect containers into which we can pour our current cultural anxieties”, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is powerful, yet old and physically ugly. Stoker’s book dealt with fear of the fall of the British Empire, real fears in the day in which it was written.
According to the website Bookrags, today’s vampires have all our cultural desires, money, power and sexual attraction. Represented by Cullen, they are noble, handsome young men whom women find irresistible. What’s more, vampires challenge traditional ideas about death, science and parental authority. This may be why teenagers are drawn to vampire tales.
“In many ways, the vampire story shows up teenage concerns,” said wells. “The emotional intensity (強(qiáng)度) of the relationship with the vampire matches the intensity of how it feels to have your first real love affairs. Your first real love, it really feels like life and death.”
55．The best title for this passage should be_______.
A．Vampires may continue to drink our blood
B．Vampires have been around us for long
C．Why Twilight is so popular nowadays
D．We still like the story about vampires
56．What is the image of the vampire in Bram Stoker’s book?
A．Anxious but perfect.
B．Powerful, old and ugly.
C．Terrifying but also attractive.
D．Afraid of the fall of the British Empire.
57．According to the website Bookrages, today’s vampires_______.
A．desire money, power and sexual attraction
B．may not think highly of parental authority
C．dare to give up traditional ideas
D．a(chǎn)re likely to be resisted by women
58．Which of the following statements is true according to Wells?
A．People need different vampires in different times.
B．Our current cultural anxieties are hidden in vampires.
C．The vampire story reflects the conches of the teenagers.
D．The relationship with the vampire equals your first real love.
練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

People with disabilities make up a large part of the population. It is estimated that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. About half of these disabilities are “developmental", i.e., they occur before the individual's twenty-second birthday, often from genetic conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as mobility, communication, employment, etc. Most other disabilities are considered “adventitious", i.e., accidental or caused by outside forces.
Prior to the 20th century, only a small percentage of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for these disabilities was unavailable. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which people with disabilities can expect to have such basic needs as food, shelter, and medical treatment. Unfortunately, these basics are often not available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.
In recent decades, the disability rights movement has been organized to fight against these infringements（違反；侵犯）of civil rights. Congress responded by passing major legislation recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class under civil rights statutes.
Still today, people with disabilities must fight to live their lives independently. It is estimated that more than half of qualified Americans with disabilities are unemployed, and a majority of those who do work are underemployed. About two-thirds live at or below the official poverty level.
Significant barriers, especially in transportation and public awareness, prevent disabled people from taking part in society. For example, while no longer prohibited by law from marrying, a person with no access to transportation is effectively excluded from community and social activities which might lead to the development of long-term relationships.
Only when public attitudes advance as far as laws have will disabled people be fully able to take their rightful place in society.
36. A “developmental" disability ______.
A. develops very slowly over time
B. is caused by forces
C. occurs in youth and affects development
D. is getting more and more severe
37．Most disabled people used to die early because ______.
A. disabilities destroyed major bodily functions
B. they were not very well looked after
C. medical techniques were not available
D. they were too poor to get proper treatment
38. In the author's opinion, to enable the disabled people to take their rightful place in society, ______.
A．more laws should be passed
B．public attitudes should be changed
C．government should provide more aids
D．more public facilities should be set up
39. Which of the following cannot be inferred（推斷）from the passage ?
A．Many disabled people may remain single for their whole life.
B．The public tends to look down upon the disabled people.
C．The disabled people feel inferior to those surrounding them.
D．  Discriminatory laws prevent the disabled from mixing with others.
40. The best title for this passage might be ______.
A．Handicaps（不利條件；障礙；）of People with Disabilities
B．The physical difficulties of the Disabled
C．The Causes for Disabilities
D．Medical Treatments for Disabilities

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth . Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July , a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion . About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?
1．What is mainly described in the passage?
A．A historic discovery .    B．An event of imagination
C．A research on space .    D．A scientific adventure.
2．When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes  ________  .
A．a(chǎn)n earthquake   B．damages to cities   C．a(chǎn)n Earth explosion   D．huge waves
3．Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long ?
A．Because the land is covered with water
B．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth .
C．Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero .
D．Because wars break out among countries .
4．By giving the example of dinosaurs , the author tries to prove ________ .
A．a(chǎn)nimals could not live in the cold climate
B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story
C．the human beings will die out in 2094
D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第三部分：閱讀理解（共15小題；每小題2分，共兩節(jié), 滿分30分）
第一節(jié): 閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳。
In today’s world, almost everyone knows that air pollution and water pollution are harmful to people’s health. However, not all the persons know that noise is also a kind of pollution, and that is harmful to human health, too.
People who work and live under noisy conditions usually become deaf. Today, however, scientists believe that 10 percent of workers in Britain are being deafened by the noise where they work. Many of the workers who print newspapers and books, and who weave（織） cloth become deaf. Quite a few people living near airports also become deaf. Recently it was discovered that many teenagers in America could hear no better than 65-year-old persons, for these young people like to listen to pop music and most of pop music is a kind of noise. Besides, noise produced by jet planes or machines will make people’s life difficult and unpleasant, or even make people ill or even drive them mad.
It is said that a continuous noise of over 85 decibels（分貝） can cause deafness. Now the governments in many countries have made laws to control noise and make it less than 85 decibels.
In China, the government is trying to solve not only air and water pollution problems but also noise pollution problems.
61. The passage is mainly about ______ .       
A. air pollution  B. water pollution    C. noise pollution   D. world pollution      
62. According to the passage, a continuous noise of _______decibels can make people deaf.
A. less than 85   B. less than 65       C. about 65             D. more than 85   
63. 10 percent of the workers in Britain are being deafened because _______ .
A. they are working in noisy places   B. they often listen to pop music
C. they live near airports           D. they are too busy to listen to others’ talk      

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


The January fashion show, called FutureFashion, exemplified how far green design has come．Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, the show inspired many top designers to work with sustainable fabrics for the first time．Several have since made pledges to include organic fabrics in their lines.
The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges．Scott Hahn, cofounder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality sustainable materials can still be tough to find．“Most designers with existing labels are finding there aren’t comparable fabrics that can just replace what you’re doing and what your customers are used to,” he says．For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable once put into a dress．But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equivalents.
Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support．Last year the influential trade show Designers & Agents stopped charging its participation fee for young green entrepreneurs（企業(yè)家） who attend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special recognition to designers whose collections are at least 25% sustainable．It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago．This week Wal-Mart is set to announce a major initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional cotton at higher prices, thus helping to expand the supply of a key sustainable material．“Mainstream is about to occur,” says Hahn.
Some analysts are less sure．Among consumers, only 18% are even aware that ecofashion exists, up from 6% four years ago．Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example of the unconverted consumer．When asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied: “Not that I’m aware of.” Like most consumers, she finds little time to shop, and when she does, she’s on the hunt for “cute stuff that isn’t too expensive.” By her own admission, green just isn’t yet on her mind．But—thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliers—one day it will be.
67．What is said about FutureFashion?
A．It inspired many leading designers to start going green.
B．It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far.
C．It served as an example of how fashion shows should be organized.
D．It convinced the public that fashionable clothes should be made durable.
68．According to Scott Hahn, one big challenge to designers who will go organic is that        .
A．much more time is needed to finish a dress using sustainable materials
B．they have to create new brands for clothes made of organic materials
C．customers have difficulty telling organic from non-organic materials
D．quality organic replacements for synthetics are not readily available
69．What is Natalie Hormilla’s attitude toward ecofashion?
A．She is doubtful of its practical value.     B．She doesn’t think it is sustainable.
C．She doesn’t seem to care about it.   D．She is very much opposed to the idea.
70．What does the author think of green fashion?
A．Green products will soon go mainstream．
B．It has a very promising future.
C．Consumers have the final say.         
D．It will appeal more to young people.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

.
Cities of Tomorrow
Middle school students combine science and imagination as they celebrate National Engineers
Week in a Future City Competition．
In the African city of Mwinda，floating farms are quite common．The city’s residents zip around in hydrogen-powered hover（盤旋的）vehicles，and renewable energy resources provide the city’s power．That’s how Jake Bowers，12，Emily Ponti，14，and Krisha Sherburne，12，imagined their future city．
The students，who attend St．Thomas More School in Baton Rouge，Louisiana，took first place
for their design last week in the 2007 National Engineer Week Future City Competition held in
Washington，D．C．The students won a trip to the U．S Space Camp in Huntsville，Alabam．
Kids from 35 middle schools across the country made it to Washington．They had teamed up
with teachers and volunteer engineer mentors（顧問，導(dǎo)師）to develop cities．Each team began by
creating a fictional city on SimCity 3000，a computer game that allows players to construct towns．
The students then built a tabletop model of the city，wrote an essay and presented their creation to a
panel（專門小組） of judges．This year’s theme asked students to design fuel cell powered
communities．Fuel cell technology works by using hydrogen and oxygen to produce power．The
process is environmentally friendly．
Organizers hope the competition provides a fun and educational way to spark young people’s
interest in engineering．“As the number of graduates in engineering（decreases），it’s ever more
important to encourage students to build these skills at an early age，”says John Hofmeister，
President of Shell Oill Company．Shell is a sponsor of the annual Future City contest．Judging by
this year’s competition，plenty of kids are getting the message．Some 30，000 students from more
than 1，000 schools participated in the 2006 －2007 Future City Competition．
64．What is not imagined in the three teenagers’ mind for their future city？
A．Hydrogen-powered hover vehicles．
B．The city’s power provided by renewable energy resources．
C．Floating farms．
D．Oxygen-powered floating factories．
65．Which statement is True according to the passage？
A．St．Thomas More School in Baton Rouge is in Alabama．
B．The 2007 National Engineer Week Future City Competition was held in Lounisiana．
C．The students who took first place for their design won a trip to U．S．Space Camp in
Huntsville．
D．The U．S Space Camp lies in Washington，D，C．．
66．Kids from 35 middle schools_________．
A．could use computers to help them construct their future cities
B．created a real city on Simcity 3000
C．teamed up on their own to develop cities
D．built a tabletop model of the city and presented it to their teachers for judgment
67．It can be inferred that the 2006 －07 Future City Competition_________．
A．will spark young people’s interest in living in Space Camp
B．will decrease the number of graduates in engineering
C．will encourage college students to build engineering skills after their graduation
D．was participated in by 30 students on average in each school

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第三部分閱讀理解
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
By analyzing academic data from 10 states, representing the testing of more than 7.2 millions of youths, U.S. researchers found that gender differences in math scores were extremely small among all ethnic groups in grades 2-11.
These findings are in contrast to earlier results from 1990 that indicate measurable differences favoring males in complex problem-solving, beginning in the high school years.
Janet Hyde from University of Wisconsin and colleagues reported their study results in the journal Science on Friday.
Currently, women are largely absent from the highest levels of careers in mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering. In the United States, Ph.D. programs in engineering currently average only about 15 percent women, and similar statistics have led to stereotypes (成見)about girls and women lacking in mathematical ability.
Now, it is clear that the general population no longer shows a gender difference in mathematical skills, according to this latest report.
And this new data on academic performance in the United States shows that students are tested frequently on "recall" and "skill/concept" items, but rarely on "strategic thinking"(戰(zhàn)略思維) or "extended thinking" concepts.
If standardized tests do not assess (評估)the sorts of reasoning that are crucial to careers in science and math, then the skills may not be taught, putting American students at a disadvantage to students in other countries where testing and instruction focuses on more challenging content. "This is a gap that should be fixed," Hyde said.
56. What is the best title of the passage?
A. A new study result about math.                   B. No gender differences in math.
C. Girls are not good at math.                       D. Girls do better in math than boys.
57. The underlined word “crucial” in the last paragraph most probably means______.
A. necessary      B. unimportant         C. important    D . cruel
58. What Hyde said in the last paragraph means that ________.
A. standardized tests should assess the sorts of reasoning so that the skills may be taught
B. testing and instruction focuses on more challenging content in the USA
C. students in other countries are cleverer than American students
D. students should be tested frequently on "recall" and "skill/concept" items
59. The passage is most probably taken from _______.
A. a science magazine B. a research paper        C. a personal diary D. a newspaper

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


B
　　Chinese children will be able to get a taste of adult working life in a theme park planned for Hang-zhou city,East China's Zhejiang Province.The Kids City,the first of its kind in China,will allow children aged five to ten to try out jobs of their choice after it opens in October 2008.
　　Located in eastern Hangzhou,the indoor entertainment and educaion park,similar to "Kidzania" in Mexico and Japan,offers more than 50 professions,including pilot,doctor,police officer and lawyer,according to Hangzhou Youth Activity Center(HYAC),the organizer of the park,The park will be a 7:10 scale (比例尺) city with streets,hospitals,museums,supermarkets, schools,airport and other facilities.Construction has begun on the indoor section.
　　Inside the 7,000-square-meter city,every kid would get a bank account holding special money that they can only spend in the park.They could earn more money by working in different booths or workshops.One job would take about half an half an hour and the whole tour would usually last five to six hours."The interactive(交互式) experience will help kids to learn about the adult life,which is good for their future career planning.They will have a lot of fun here,"said Huang Jianming,chief of HYAC.Parents are not allowed to enter the city,but they can take pictures from outside the huge glass house.
　　The ticket price has not been decided yet.But HYACsaid it might be lower than Kidzania Tokyo's and around several hundren yuan.With the majority of investment(投資) coming from the government,the project also needs financial support from companies and organizations,according to HYAC.
　　The world's first Kidzania was opened in Mexico City in 1999.It has turned out to be a huge success receiving about 800,000 visitors every year.In 2006,Kidzania opened its Tokyopark in Japan,which also became an attraction to kids."We are confident that the Chinese version(版本) wll be very successful."said Huang.
　　60.The theme park is aimed at letting the kids_______.
　　　A.work with adults B.experience adult careers
　　　C.imitate adults looking after a family D.watch adults work
　　61.The Kids City will________.
　　　A.be more than half the size of Hangzhou City
　　　B.consist of two parts,one larger than the other
　　　C.contain buildings smaller than those we use
　　　D.have lower buildings than Kidzania Tokyo's
　　62.A visitor to the Kids City ______.
　　　A.has nothing in his bank unless he's worked
　　　B.always leaves his tour with much money in his bank
　　　C.learns to earn money as well as to use it
　　　D.can try out all the professions on one tour
　　63.How many of such theme parks are open to visitors at present in the world?
　　　A.Only one B.Two C.Three D.None

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


B
America has long been considered the land of opportunity(機(jī)遇)by those from other countries. Americans, too, believe that the United States gives almost limitless opportunities for those who want to open business on their own.
Today, Americans are still fond of trying their hand at becoming small business people, even though only one out of two survives in the first two years. Many of these people start their business for the wrong reason; to get away from the paper work of their present jobs or to exchange the responsibility(責(zé)任) of their present jobs for freer life styles. But more, not less paper work and responsibility come with the ownership of a small business.
Not all small businesses succeed. Fifty percent of the 4 550 000 that start in the United States ever fail. Still ninety-five percent of businesses in the U.S. can be regarded as small, and these businesses altogether produce forty percent of America’s total national products.
60．According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A．People from other countries and Americans think there are a lot of opportunities in the U.S.
B．Only the Americans think the U.S. can give them many opportunities.
C．Both people from other countries and Americans believe they have many opportunities in the U.S so that they can do whatever they like.
D．People from other countries and Americans all think the U.S. the place where they can realize their dreams.
61．From this passage, we know that________.
A．many people from other countries think that in the past there were many opportunities in the U.S. but not now
B．now Americans don’t believe the U.S. can give them a lot of opportunities
C．people from other countries still think they have more opportunities in the U.S. than in their own countries
D．Americans think they have more opportunities to start their own business than those from other countries
62．According to this passage, many American people like to start their own business because___.
A．they want to become rich soon
B．they not only dislike their present jobs but also want a freer life style
C．they don’t want to do paper work
D．they want to have more chances
63．From this passage, we can get the idea that________.
A．it is easy to do business successfully in the U.S
B．it is easy to start a business but hard to make it successful
C．there are more big business than small business in the U.S
D．only big business can succeed in the U.S

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案