An early invention by Albert Einstein has been rebuilt by scientists at Oxford University. They are trying to develop an environmentally friendly refrigerator that runs without electricity.
We all know that modern fridges cause damage to the environment. They work by using a kind of man-made greenhouse gas called Freon (氟里昂), which is far more damaging than carbon dioxide.
Now Malcolm McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford, is leading a three-year project to develop appliances that can be used in places without electricity.
His team has completed a prototype (樣機) of a fridge patented in 1930 by Einstein. It used only pressurized gases to keep things cold. The design was partly used in the first refrigerators, but the technology was dropped when more efficient compressors (壓縮機) became popular in the 1950s. That meant a switch to using Freon.
Einstein's idea uses butane (丁烷) and water and takes advantage of the fact that liquids boil at lower temperatures, when the air pressure around them is lower.
"If you go to the top of Mount Qomolangma, water boils at a much lower temperature than it does when you're at sea level and that's because the pressure is much lower up there," said McCulloch.At one side is the evaporator (蒸發(fā)器), a bottle that contains liquid butane. "If you introduce a new vapor above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so," says McCulloch. "That's what makes it cold."
The gas fridges based on Einstein's design were replaced by Freon-compressor fridges partly because Einstein's design was not very efficient. But McCulloch thinks that by changing the design and replacing the types of gases used it will be possible to quadruple (翻兩番) the efficiency.
However, McCulloch's fridge is still in its early stages. "It's very much a prototype," he said. "Give us another month and we'll have it working."
小題1: According to the passage, an early invention by Albert Einstein _______.
A．has been rediscovered because it costs much less and works more efficiently
B．is being redesigned because it could be used in places without electricity
C．has just been found to be energy-saving and environmentally friendly
D．will be fully made use of and become the fridge of the future
小題2:Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A．Freon was used in fridges long before the 1950s.
B．Freon is what makes current fridges big polluters.
C．McCulloch thinks he could improve Einstein's design by using other types of vapors.
D．The fridge Malcolm McCulloch and his team designed will be put into production soon.
小題3:We can learn from the text that the prototype completed _______.
A．changed the air pressure around it
B．was tested on the top of Mount Everest
C．increased the liquid boiling temperature
D．used only pressurized gases to keep things cold
小題4:McCulloch's words in Paragraph 6 _____.
A．serve as an explanation for the principle behind Einstein's fridge
B．give you the reason why Einstein's fridge was not efficient
C．tell you how to take advantage of low air pressure
D．show you how Einstein's fridge works

小題1:B
小題1:B
小題1:D
小題1:A
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

We are warned by our teachers not to waste time because time 21 will never return. I think it quite 22. What does time look 23? Nobody knows, and we can’t see it or touch it and no 24 of money can buy it. Time is abstract(抽象的), so we have to  25about it.
Time passes very quickly. Some students say they don’t have 26time to review their lessons. It is 27 they don’t know how to make use of their time. They waste it in going to theatres or playing, and 28 other useless things. Why do we study everyday? Why do we work? Why do most people 29 take buses instead of walking? The answer is very 30 .We wish to save time because time is31.
Today we are living in the 21st century. We 32 time as life. When a person dies, his life ends. Since life is short, we must 33 our time and energy to our study so that we 34 be able to work and live well in the future. Laziness is the 35 of time, for it not only brings us 36, but also does other 37 to us. If it is necessary for us to do our work today, 38 we do it today and not 39 it until tomorrow. Remember that time is much more 40.
小題1:
A．lostB．passedC．missedD．used
小題2:
A．importantB．trueC．interestingD．usual
小題3:
A．for B．like C．a(chǎn)fterD．over
小題4:
A．a(chǎn)mountB．qualityC．quantityD．price
小題5:
A．think B．imagineC．examineD．check
小題6:
A．spare B．freeC．enoughD．much
小題7:
A．thatB．whyC．becauseD．certain
小題8:
A．doingB．makingC．takingD．getting
小題9:
A．needn’tB．have toC．had betterD．would rather
小題10:
A．easyB．simpleC．stupidD．interesting
小題11:
A．worthlessB．pricelessC．readyD．little
小題12:
A．look uponB．a(chǎn)gree C．thinkD．believe
小題13:
A．spendB．giveC．setD．devote
小題14:
A．mustB．shouldC．mayD．would
小題15:
A．helperB．thiefC．friendD．teacher
小題16:
A．wealthB．healthC．failureD．illness
小題17:
A．dangerB．harmC．troubleD．difficulty
小題18:
A．helpB．makeC．haveD．let
小題19:
A．keepB．remainC．manageD．leave
小題20:
A．valuableB．expensiveC．worthD．rich

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

We have known for a long time that flowers of different plants open and close at different times of day. This is so    1   that there seems to be no need to ask the reason for it. Yet no one    2   understands why flowers open and close like this at particular times. The process is not as    3   as we might think, as recent experiments have shown. In one study, flowers were kept in constant    4  . We might expect that the flowers, without any information about the time of day, did not open as they    5   do. As a matter of fact, they    6   to open at their usual time. This suggests that they have some mysterious(神秘的) way of knowing the    7  . Their sense of time does not    8   information from the outside world; it is, so to speak, inside them, a kind of “inner clock”.
This    9   may not seem to be very important. However, it was later found that not just plants but also    10  , including man, have this “inner clock” which    11   the working of their bodies and influences their activities. Men, then, are also influenced by this mysterious    12  . Whether we wish it or not, it affects such things in our life as our need for sleep, our need for food.
In the past, this did not really    13   because people lived in natural condition. In the    14   world, things are different; now there are spacemen, airplane pilots and, in ordinary life, a lot of people who have to work at night. It would be very   15 , then, to know more about the “inner clock”. Such things as flowers might help us understand more about ourselves.
小題1:
A．familiarB．strangeC．similarD．special
小題2:
A．partlyB．personallyC．reallyD．willingly
小題3:
A．complexB．simpleC．matureD．meaningful
小題4:
A．quietnessB．darknessC．lonelinessD．sadness
小題5:
A．finallyB．completelyC．physicallyD．normally
小題6:
A．refusedB．decidedC．continuedD．failed
小題7:
A．timeB．secretC．processD．study
小題8:
A．deal withB．a(chǎn)dd toC．give awayD．depend on
小題9:
A．discoveryB．a(chǎn)ctivityC．inventionD．method
小題10:
A．beastsB．a(chǎn)nimalsC．strangersD．humans
小題11:
A．controlsB．studiesC．measuresD．destroys
小題12:
A．worldB．flowerC．powerD．experiment
小題13:
A．happenB．existC．matterD．work
小題14:
A．a(chǎn)ncientB．modernC．wonderfulD．peaceful
小題15:
A．hardB．expensiveC．convenientD．important

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀下面的短文，并根據(jù)短文后的要求答題（請注意問題后的字數(shù)要求）。
[1] I was walking in the park with a friend recently, and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day. But I became invisible, absent from the conversation.
[2] The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Recently I was in a car with three friends. The driver told us to be quiet because he could not hear the person on the other end of his cell phone. There we were, four friends going down the highway, unable to talk to one another because of a tool designed to make communication easier.
[3]Why is it that the more connected we get, ________________________ ? Every advance in communications technology is a hurt to the closeness of human interaction (互動). With e-mail and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone.
[4] More and more, l find myself hiding behind e-mail to do a job meant for conversation. Or being relieved that voice mail picked up because I didn’t really have time to talk. The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier.
[5] So I've put myself on technology restriction: no instant messaging with people who live near me, no cell-phoning in the presence of friends, no letting the voice mail pick up when I' m home.
小題1: What does the author say about communications technology according to the first two paragraphs? (within 15 words)
_________________________________________________________________________
小題2:Which sentences in the text is the closest in meaning to the following one?
However, I felt left out as if we were not conducting the conversation.
_________________________________________________________________________
小題3: Fill in the blanks in Paragraph 3 with proper words. (within 10 words)
_________________________________________________________________________
小題4: Does the author restrict (約束) his own activity to improving the situation? Give an example. How？(within 15 words)
_________________________________________________________________________
小題5: Translate the underlined sentences in Paragraph 4 into Chinese.
________________________________________________________________________

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

We are living in a wonderful age, which has become wonderful largely through the scientific discoveries and inventions. There are always new discoveries and new knowledge ahead in every field. For example, much is yet to be discovered in electricity. Weather forecasting is an important area today. Science is doing much in the control of diseases.
Science is a never-ending road for us to go along. Every field gives changes to the person who wants to make science his life work.
Science is also a method of thinking, which can teach us how to solve problems and help us to arrive at the truth. The men and women who will be the scientists of tomorrow are in our colleges, factories and farms today. We are all potential scientists.
小題1: The main idea of this passage is _____.
A．a(chǎn)ll scientists begin to study when they are very young
B．science teaches us how to work better
C．science is a never-ending road for people to go along
D．weather forecasting is important
小題2:Discoveries and inventions are the results of the study and use of _____.
A．electricityB．scienceC．weatherD．the truth
小題3:There are always discoveries _____ for people to make.
A．in electricityB．in weather forecasting
C．in every fieldD．in thinking
小題4: Science teaches us how to work by ______ method.
A．importantB．scientificC．old D．new
小題5:The underlined word "potential" means _____.
A．worthB．probableC．learnedD．lazy

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK, about half the population.                                   
Joanna Shields, vice president of Facebook Europe, made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London.                                    
She said: "We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK, which we are really excited about."                                
Globally, Facebook has more than 500 million registered users, a milestone it hit last summer. Last July, it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users. In the last eight months, it has attracted four million extra UK users, bringing the UK total to 30 million, while in January 2009, Facebook had only 150 million registered users.                                        
Last year, Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder, said it was "almost a guarantee" that the site would hit one billion users. He explained: "If we succeed in innovating, there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people...it will be interesting to see how it comes true."                  
One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up, before even going to the toilet, according to research. Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night, while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network, a study by Oxygen Media found.    
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites, such as newspapers and TV services.  
She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis. "Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits", Shields said.            
Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was "silly" that Google had recently disabled the feature (特點) which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends.
小題1:What is Joanna Shields content with?   
A．the announcementB．media conference
C．fast growing registered usersD．the benefits of Facebook
小題2:How many registered users all over the world now? 
A．26 millionB．30 million
C．150 millionD．more than 500 million
小題3:Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder, take a more          view about the future of Facebook.
A．negativeB．optimisticC．coldD．pessimistic
小題4:What kind of people are more interested in Facebook according to the passage?  
A．teenagersB．middle-aged people
C．old peopleD．young people
小題5:From the passage we know that         . 
A．Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system
B．Google didn't allow its users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends
C．Shields refused to admit the power Facebook's referrals could bring
D．Google was always silly

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Scientists have created a “ human-like robot” that can dance and do the housework.
“ Mahru” has been developed to imitate humans and can move its lips, eyebrows and pupils(瞳孔). The machine can also move its upper and lower body freely and automatically stop itself when walking.
In addition, it has been programmed to give out two kinds of pleasant smells to match its emotions.
The 1.5 tall robot was produced by researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and is the first South Korean- developed machine of its kind.
“‘Mahru’ will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework,” You Bum-Jae, leader of the development research team ,said. “‘Mahru’ can dance while walking on its legs and is able to work in place of a human.”
Through an advanced motion capture (捕獲) system, “Mahru” can follow a variety of human movements and move its hands freely enough to deal with any obstacles that may get in its way when walking.
State-funded KIST showed the robot during a presentation at its head office in Seoul.
People here were treated to an entertaining demonstration which saw the robot show off the full range of its skills, most notably s series of dance moves.
The research team added that they had designed another “ Mahru”, this time with sensors(傳感器) allowing it to distinguish(分辨) between faces and objects.
The showing of “ Mahru” came a week after researcher in Japan said they had created the “most human-like” robot in the world. A team at robotics department of Osaka University in Japan claimed that “ robogirl”, Repliee R-1, “ looks, moves and interacts (相互作用) like a human, and has silicone(硅膠) skin that feels almost human to the touch.”
小題1: “Mahru” made by KIST can do the following things EXCEPT____________
A．dance with other human –like robotsB．move its body freely
C．stop automatically when walkingD．express certain feelings through smells
小題2: According to what You Bum- Jae said in Paragraph 5, his research team wants to ________.
A．help robots with doing houseworkB．show its scientific power
C．make Mahru offer more funD．explore Mahru’s commercial use
小題3: When Mahru” meets something in its way, it will be likely to________.
A．go around itB．turn back quickly
C．deal with it using its handsD．a(chǎn)sk humans for help
小題4:According to the last paragraph, Repliee R-1 __________.
A．is another MahruB．was made by KIST
C．has skin feeling similar to humans’D．looks like a boy
小題5:The passage is probably a  __________.
A．news reportB．research reportC．healthy reportD．entertainment report

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

An Australian company, Smart Car Technologies, has developed a system that lets drivers know when they’re speeding. When the technology becomes commercially available, it could help lead-footed drivers avoid tickets and also save lives. The company that developed the product hopes to convince Australian government agencies to put the technology into use in their automobile fleets.
The product, called Speed Alert, links real-time location data and speed obtained with the help of GPS to a database of posted speed limits stored in a driver’s PDA or programmable mobile phone. The setup of the product does not need to be hooked up to a car’s speedometer. In fact, it is entirely portable. It will also work with newer phones and PDAs that have built-in GPS receivers. If a driver exceeds the speed limit, the speed is shown and an alert sounds.
Michael Paine, an Australian vehicle design engineer and traffic safety consultant, was hired to analyze the product. He told Live Science that his colleagues in the road safety field are “very enthusiastic” about what they’re now calling “intelligent speed alert.” Other research, according to Paine, shows that 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve speeding. There is also a potentially controversial future use: “Since the system is so portable, it would be easy to make it a requirement for teenage drivers to always use a speed alert device when driving,” Paine said. “The system even has the capability to record speeding violations, so parents can monitor their teenage drivers.”
The product will soon go on sale in Sydney.
小題1: What’s the purpose of the new product?
A．To inform us of the new car system.B．To introduce some improvement in cars.
C．To limit certain drivers to safe driving.D．To popularize the built-in car system.
小題2:The second paragraph mainly talks about        .
A．the project of the built-in productB．why the system becomes popular
C．the functions of GPS in carsD．how the product is programmed
小題3:Which of the following is true of Speed Alert according to Michael Paine?
A．Most of the traffic deaths can be avoided.B．Speeding violations can be easily found out.
C．The system will excite some teenage drivers. D．The product will not be available for adults.
小題4:What can be the best title of the passage?
A．Speed Alert and Its Future Use.B．Progress in Car-making Science.
C．Warning for Adventurous Drivers.D．New In-Car Device against Speeding.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In general, it seems reasonable to suppose that we should prefer peace and quiet to noise. And yet most of us have had the experience of having to adjust to sleeping in the mountains or the countryside because it was initially “too quiet”, an experience that suggests that humans are capable of adapting to a wide range of noise levels. Research supports this view. For example, Glass and Singer (1972) exposed people to short bursts of very loud noise and then measured their ability to work out problems and their physiological reactions to the noise. The noise was quite disruptive at first, but after about four minutes the subjects were doing just as well on their tasks as control subjects who were not exposed to noise. Their physiological reactions also declined quickly to the same levels as those of the control subjects.
But there are limits to adaptation and loud noise becomes more troublesome if the person is required to concentrate on more than one task. For example, high noise levels affect the performance of subjects who were required to monitor three dials at a time, a task not unlike that of a plane pilot or an air-traffic controller. Similarly, noise did not affect a subject’s ability to track a moving line with a steering wheel, but it did affect the subject’s ability to repeat numbers while tracking (Finkelm and Glass 1970).
Probably the most significant finding from the research on noise is that its predictability is more important than how loud it is. We are much more able to “tune out” long-lasing background noise, even if it is quite loud, than to work under circumstances with unexpected disturbance of noise. In Glass and Singer’s study, in which subjects were exposed to bursts of noise as they worked on a task, some subjects heard loud bursts and others heard soft bursts. For some subjects, the bursts were spaced exactly one minute apart (predictable noise); others heard the some amount of noise overall, but the bursts occurred at random intervals (unpredictable noise). Subjects reported finding the predictable and unpredictable noise equally annoying, and all subjects performed at about the same level during the noise portion of the experiment. But the different noise conditions had quite different after-effects when the subjects were required to proofread written material under conditions of no noise. The study shows that the unpredictable noise produced more errors in the later proofreading task than predictable noise; and soft unpredictable noise actually produced slightly more errors on this task than the loud predictable noise.
Apparently, unpredictable noise produces more fatigue than predictable noise, but it takes a while for this fatigue to take its toll on performance.
小題1:When talking about people’s difficulty in sleeping in the mountains, what can be inferred in the passage?
A．They usually do not prefer peace and quiet to noise.
B．They may be exposed to short bursts of very strange sounds.
C．They prefer to hear a certain amount of noise while they sleep.
D．They may not have adapted to a higher noise level in the city.
小題2:What did Glass and Singer find in their noise experiment?
A．Problem-solving is much easier under quiet conditions.
B．Physiological reactions prevent the ability to work.
C．Bursts of noise hardly disturb problem-solving in the long term.
D．The physiological reactions of the control subjects declined quickly.
小題3:Researchers discovered that high noise levels are not likely to affect the __________.
A．successful performance of a single task
B．tasks of pilots or air traffic controllers
C．a(chǎn)bility to repeat numbers while tracking moving lines
D．a(chǎn)bility to monitor three dials at once
小題4: What does “take its toll on performance” in the passage probably mean?
A．Destroy the performance completely.
B．Have a negative effect on the performance.
C．Improve the performance greatly.
D．Have a positive influence on the performance.

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