Coffee has a history dating back to at least the 9th century and has been a catalyst for social interaction across cultures and eras. Originally discovered in Ethiopia, coffee beans were brought into the Middle East by Arab traders, spreading to Egypt, Yemen, Persia, Turkey, and North Africa by the 15th century. Muslim merchants eventually brought the beans to the thriving port city of Venice, where they sold them to wealthy Italian buyers. Soon, the Dutch began importing and growing coffee in places like Java and Ceylon (largely through slave labor), and the British East India Trading Company was popularizing the beverage in England. Coffee spread across Europe and even reached America.
Where there has been coffee, there has been the coffeehouse. From the 15th century Middle Eastern establishments where men gathered to listen to music, play chess, and hear recitations from works of literature, to Paris' Cafe le Procope where luminaries of the French Enlightenment such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot came to enjoy a hot cup of joe, coffeehouses have traditionally served as centers of social interaction, places where people can come to relax, chat, and exchange ideas.
The modern coffee shop is modeled on the espresso and pastry-centered Italian coffeehouses that arose with the establishment of Italian-American immigrant communities in major US cities such as New York City's Little Italy and Greenwich Village, Boston's North End, and San Francisco's North Beach. New York coffee shops were often frequented by the Beats in the 1950's. It wasn't long before Seattle and other parts of the Pacific Northwest were developing coffee shops as part of a thriving counterculture scene. The Seattle-based Starbucks took this model and brought it into mainstream culture.
Although coffeehouses today continue to serve their traditional purpose as lively social hubs in many communities, they have noticeably adapted to the times. Rediscovering their purpose as centers of information exchange and communication, many coffee shops now provide their customers with internet access and newspapers. It has become extremely common to see someone sitting at a Starbucks listening to music or surfing the web on his or her laptop. Coffee stores today also maintain a fairly identifiable, yet unique aesthetic: wooden furniture and plush couches, paintings and murals drawn on walls, and soft-lighting combine to give coffee shops the cozy feeling of a home away from home.
Today, big business retail coffee shops are expanding quickly all over the world. Starbucks alone has stores in over 40 countries and plans to add more. Despite its popularity, Starbucks has been criticized and labeled by many as a blood-sucking corporate machine, driving smaller coffee shops out of business through unfair practices. This has even spawned an anti-corporate coffee counterculture, with those subscribing to this culture boycotting big business coffee chains. Increasingly popular coffee stores such as The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are also giving Starbucks some stiff competition. In any case, it seems pretty clear that coffee has weaved itself into the fabric of our consumer-oriented culture.
小題1: Which of the following is the correct order of coffee spreading in history?
①Egypt         ②America   ③the Middle East   ④Netherlands   ⑤Venice
A.①③④②⑤B.③①⑤④②C.①⑤④③②D.③②⑤④①
小題2:We can infer from the passage ________.
A.Starbucks has beaten all the competitors
B.there are no changes in the development of coffee culture
C.the taste of coffee has changed a lot
D.Starbucks has some effect on the development of coffee culture
小題3:The famous coffeehouse “Starbucks” originally come from _______.
A.SeattleB.EthiopiaC.JavaD.France
小題4: Nowadays, if you come to a coffeehouse, you can _______.
A.play chess with other customers
B.enjoy delicious dishes from South America
C.surf the internet
D.watch a TV play

小題1:B
小題2:D
小題3:A
小題4:C
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.
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小題1:What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?
A.Aliens.B.The human race.C.Climate change.D.A killer disease.
小題2:What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?
A.Making sth. stronger..B.Putting gas into a car.
C.Producing power or heat.D.Burning
小題3:Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?
A.A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park.
B.All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012.
C. The old Mayan story says that the world will end in
D.Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation
小題4:Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?
A.Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future.
B.Because aliens often threaten the human race.
C.Because killer diseases happen at times.
D. Because the old Mayan story says that the world will

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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[A]. wealth. [B]. mobility. [C]. population. [D]. census takers.
小題2:The American Statistical Association
[A]. is converting statistical study from an art to a science.
[B]. has an excellent record in business forecasting.
[C]. is neither hopeful nor pessimistic.
[D]. speaks with mathematical exactitude.
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[B]. statistics is not as yet a science.
[C]. statisticians love their machine.
[D].computer is hopeful.
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A.People needn’t to work.
B.There were often against one another in cities.
C.People watched baseball games.
D.People didn’t go to any games at all.
小題2:What were those countries in Africa?
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A.They fought.B.They just talked to friends.
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小題4:Greek cities then were fighting so they_____.
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C.couldn’t go to other cities freelyD.could see each other
小題5:The best title for the story is“_____”.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The first true piece of sports equipment that man invented was the ball. In ancient(古代) Egypt, as everywhere, pitching (投擲)stones was a favorite children’s game. But a badly thrown rock could hurt(傷害) a child. Looking for something less dangerous to throw, the Egyptians made what were probably the first balls.
At first, balls were made of grass or leaves(樹葉) held together by vines(藤). Later they were made of pieces of animal skin sewed together and stuffed(塞滿)with feathers or hay.
Even though the Egyptians were warlike, they found time for peaceful games. Before long they had developed a number of ball games, each with its own set of rules. Perhaps they played ball more for instruction than for fun. Ball playing was thought of mainly as a way to teach young men the speed and skill they would need for war.
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A.throwing stones often caused injuriesB.throwing stones was not fun
C.games with stones did not have rulesD.rocks were too heavy to throw
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C.hides stuffed with hay or feathersD.grass and leaves tied with vines
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When it comes to hard, noisy traveling, we’ve found that sometimes we’d rather read about it than actually go. Here are some bestsellers for armchair travelers.
The Station by Robert Byron. In 1928, the 22-year-old man made a journey to Mount Athos, resulting in one of the best travel books ever written, matched only by Byron’s own, much more famous The Road to Osciana.
In Darkest Africa by Henry Monton Stanley. It’s about his great efforts to save an unlucky German doctor Eduard Schnitzer, who had no desire to be rescued at all.
A Traveler’s Alphabet: Partial Memoirs by Sir Steven Runciman. A to Z and around the world. He provides priceless information of long-gone princesses, priests, and places.
South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage by Sir Ernest Shackleton. As the planet started the global war, Shackleton and his brave group of explorers made an unsuccessful but heroic journey to cross Antarctica from 1914 to 1917.
The Michelin Red Guide: France 2005 Reading through this final listing of all the nice hotels and wonderful restaurants in France is better than going there, listening to Chirac talk about the poisonous American culture, and spending the price of this book for a tiny cup of tea and a cookie the size of your thumb.
The Past Is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal. This great book of an armchair exploration tells us what has happened in the past and shows the relationship between us and the past travelers.
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A. to warn readers against traveling     
B. as an introduction to famous travelers
C to sell more books about travels
D. to tell people where to travel
小題2:The underlined phrase “armchair travelers” in the first paragraph refers to those who                .
A.like to read about travels instead of travel themselves
B.find fun teaching others how to travel to other places
C.like to write about their strange traveling experiences
D.can only travel with special equipment for the disabled
小題3: which of the books has a very low price according to the passage?
A.A Traveler’s Alphabet: Partial Memoirs.
B.South: A Memoir to the Endurance Voyage.
C.The Michelin Red Guide: France 2005.
D.The Past Is a Foreign Country.
小題4:What can we learn from the passage?
A.Henry Monton Stanley, was saved by a German doctor in Africa.
B.In his book, Lowenthal focuses more on history than the present.
C.It took Shackleton and his men 3 years to cross Antarctica.
D.The Station is no more famous than The Road to Osciana.

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As late as 1800, women's only place was in the home. The idea of women in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men's names instead.
Teaching was the first profession(職業(yè))open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.
Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “l(fā)adies”. Miss Nightingale opened England's first training school for nurses in 1860.
The invention of the typewriter(打字機)in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900. thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals, and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.
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A. the first profession open to them was writing
B. most schools and colleges were open only to men
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64. The article is mainly about_______.
A. women in the business world  B. the famous Bronte sisters
C. schools and colleges in America  D. rights for American women
65. Which fact does the article lead you to believe?
A. The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.
B. England's first training school for nurses was in Ohio.
C. There are more men than women in professional job.
D. Women find it necessary to work harder than before.
66. Which of the following is TRUE.
A. The typewriter was made in the 1970's. 
B. Most Englanders are doctors or lawyers.
C. People's ideas about women's work have changed.
D. The 18th century saw a changing world for women.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


The Japanese have a genius for dreaming up small, useful and fun machines. You must have used or at least heard of Sony’s walkman, Nintendo or Sega’s video games, and Bandai’s Tamagotchi. And how about karaoke, invented by Daisuke Inoue?
Daisuke, who? Not many people have heard of him, and he never made much money from his invention. But anyone who has ever experienced the thrill of singing karaoke in front of a crowd has Mr.Inoue to thank…
Daisuke Inoue is an easygoing man with a quick smile. He was born in the suburbs of Osaka in 1940. At Osaka Technical High School he took up the drums, because he says, “All you have to do is hit them.” Before long he was making money as a drummer in a Hawaiian band that played in the old dance-halls left behind by American soldiers.
By 1970, he and six partners were playing in the clubs of nearby Kobe, accompanying middle-aged businessmen who wanted to sing traditional Japanese country and even army songs. His friends, Inous says, could all read music and so they could pick up the latest tunes (曲調(diào)). He, on the other hand, had to rely on memory and play by following the lips of the singer as they moved. “Out of 108 club musicians in Kobe,” he says. “I was the worst! And the clients (顧客) in my club were the worst singers!”
One client, president of a small steel company, was especially fond of Inoue’s slow, follow-along style. It made the president’s bad, out-of–time singing sound much better. One evening he wanted Inoue to play for him on a trip to a hot spring resort (勝地). The boss wanted to sing Frank Nagai’s Leaving Haneda Airport on a 7:50 Flight for his friends. But Inoue was unable to leave his job.
To help out his most loyal client, he decided to provide him with a tape. Inoue wouldn’t be there, but the singer would still have his accompaniment. Karaoke was born. 
1. Daisuke Inoue took up the drums at high school because _______.
A. they were his favorite musical instruments
B. he knew they would help him make money
C. he thought they were easy to learn
D. it was easy for a drummer to find a job
2. What does the underlined word “they” stand for?
A. His partner      B. His friends    C. The latest tunes    D. The singer’s lips
3. From this passage we know Daisuke Inoue was ______.
A. an outstanding musician            B. not quite good at music
C. a good singer and dancer           D. good at inventing things
4. Why did the president like Inoue’s playing so much?
A. Because Inoue followed his singing.
B. Because Inoue played very well.
C. Because he had got used to Inoue’s fast, exciting style.
D. Because Inoue was an easy-going man with a quick smile.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a(通用語) in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite (精英)of the workforce.
In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses.However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice.
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English.For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company.United Pan-European Communications (UPC), was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam.The job involved many electricians—more than the company could find in the Netherlands.There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language.So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings.
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t.They are also eligible (有條件被選中的) for a wider range of high-level jobs.
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it.According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation.Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace.English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools.
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing. According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can.Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents.
小題1:In European companies, workers who speak English ________.
A.find it easy to carry on a conversationB.have an advantage over other workers
C.must be white-collar workersD.travel to many different countries
小題2:Why did the UPC hire the British electricians?
A.There were not enough electricians in nearby France and Belgium.
B.British electricians were more qualified than those in the Netherlands.
C.The UPC wanted all the employees to speak English.
D.The UPC meant to show they were rich enough to accommodate and fly them.
小題3:What can you learn from the passage about European people?
A.More young people can speak English well than older people.
B.67% Europeans can speak English very well.
C.18% of the people over 55 can't speak English.
D.Over half the people can speak English.

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