“Eat local.” It’s one way to reduce human effect on the planet. Eating local means to try to buy and consume foods that are grown in places close to home. However, most of the food sold at supermarkets is not locally grown or produced. Trucks and planes deliver these foods from hundreds or thousands of miles away. During the transportation, greenhouse(溫室)gases are produced, causing global warming. So the shorter the distance your foods must travel, the less the harm is done to the environment.
But how do you get local food if you live in a large city, hundreds of miles away from farms？Environmental health scientist Dickson Despommier and his students came up with the idea of a “vertical(垂直的)farm”.

A vertical farm is a glass-walled structure that could be built as tall as a skyscraper(摩天大樓). Since the garden is built upwards, rather than outwards, it requires much less space than an ordinary farm. The world is quickly running out of room for ordinary farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. Despommier imagines a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor. The walls of the building would be clear, to allow crops to get as much sunlight as possible. Depending on a city’s water resources, Despommier thinks hydroponic(水培的) farming is another method for the vertical farm which needs no soil to grow plants.
Despommier says the hydroponic greenhouses would use a system that would use a city’s waste water and fill it with nutritions to make the crops grow. If this method works, it would provide food to a city and save millions of tons of water.
The idea of a vertical farm has attracted the attention of government officials around the world. Scott Stringer, a government official from New York City, thinks the city is suitable for the vertical farming. “Obviously we don’t have much land left for us,” Stringer said. “But the sky is the limit in Manhattan. ”
Despommier admits that there is still a lot of work to do to make vertical farms a reality. “But I think vertical farming is an idea that can work in a big way,” he says.
小題1:Why are people advised to eat local?
A．Because it means convenience(方便) to people.
B．Because it can help people save a lot of money.
C．Because local food has more nutrition.
D．Because it is environmentally friendly.
小題2:Which is one of the vertical farm’s benefits when compared with ordinary farming?
A．It produces healthier food.
B．It does less harm to the cities.
C．It needs less space of the city.
D．It requires less transport costs.
小題3:By saying “the sky is the limit in Manhattan”, Stringer means _____.
A．people can make full use of vertical space of Manhattan
B．there is a limit for using empty land in Manhattan
C．the height of buildings in Manhattan is limited
D．Manhattan can spread as far as possible
小題4:What can we learn about the vertical farming in the passage?
A．No soil is needed to grow plants in a vertical farm.
B．It has solved the problem of the food shortage in a big way.
C．It is a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor.
D．Crops are mainly grown in the rainwater in a vertical farm.

小題1:D
小題2:D
小題3:A
小題4:A
文章涉及一種新型的環(huán)保農(nóng)業(yè)。
小題1:推理題。根據(jù)文章第一段最后一句So the shorter the distance your foods must travel, the less the harm is done to the environment.可知D為正確答案。
小題2:推理題。根據(jù)文章第三段可以看出D為正確答案，文章中沒有提及ABC。
小題3:猜測(cè)詞義題。天空才是極限說明人們可以充分利用垂直空間。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)題。第三段最后一句Despommier thinks hydroponic(水培的) farming is another method for the vertical farm which needs no soil to grow plants.可知答案為A。
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Combining families with kids can be tough and offers even more unexpected problems. You just don’t know how things will shake out until everyone is under one roof, trying on new roles with name that start with “step”. This is what happened to Sheila and Will, and Sheila’s 8-year-old daughter Ashley. After the couple got married, and Will became the member of the new family, things got worse than expected. How did they make it work? Read the full version of the story here.
Shelia’s Turn: When Shelia and Will were dating, he seemed like kids, especially Ashley. He’d bring her presents, play games with her. But after the wedding, things took a turn. Will suddenly became a super strict stepfather, scolding Ashley for watching too much cartoons, constantly picking fights and punishing her for offenses as small as spilling milk. Shelia’s thought about leaving Will, but soon after they married, they had a son, Billy. Will adores his well-behaved boy, but Ashley hates him. Shelia doesn’t know what to do--- her daughter is miserable, but leaving her husband might mean losing her son.
Will’s turn: Will was so excited to be a male role model in Ashley’s life. He didn’t just want to be a guy living in her house; he wanted to treat her like his own daughter, which, to Will, meant giving Ashley more rules and help her learn responsibility. He’d always felt that Shelia let Ashley loose on everything. But after the wedding, Will was surprised that Shelia didn’t want him to do that. If Will takes away Ashley’s TV privileges or tells her to clean up her room, Shelia just lets Ashley do what she likes and does it herself. Will was tired of this and he’d rather take his son and go.
The advisor’s turn: The counselor(顧問) quickly recognized their conflict as a classic case of unspoken, hidden expectations. Before the wedding, when it was just Shelia and Will, everything was easy. But now, everyone in their big family is competing for attention, and the couple never sat down and discussed the biggest issue---their child-upbringing philosophies(育兒經(jīng)). The counselor suggested Shelia allow Will to give some rules on Ashley but Will’s punishments couldn’t be extreme. Once Ashley saw that her mom and stepdad had become a united front, she cooperated more.
小題1:The text is most likely to be found in a book about______.
A．popular scienceB．historical events
C．social problemsD．political systems
小題2:The reasons for Ashley’s dislike of Will are as follows except_____?
A．Will often picked fights with Ashley.
B．Ashley often spilled milk on the floor.
C．Will always punished her for bad behaviors.
D．Ashley was stopped watching too many cartoons.
小題3:What can we know about Will?
A．Will has a good intention.
B．Will does not love children
C．Will does not love Shelia any more
D．Will’s way of parenting is very perfect.
小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that the advisor’s attitude to their problem?
A．NegativeB．ObjectiveC．CriticalD．. Subjective

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2012. The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012.
“It’s next ‘wow’ vehicle,” said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh. “Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car-plane has wings that unfold for flying-a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go. When you land, you hold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport-you park it in the garage at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Thrrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under the bad weather instead of flying into marginal(臨界的) conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000. But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, , a transponder or a GPS. Another option is a full-plane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option.” Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. “We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.
小題1:We can learn from the first two paragraphs that _________.
A．car-planes will be popular in 2012-4-6
B．people might drive a car-plane in 2012
C．both the Transition and Ferrari can take off and land
D．Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts
小題2:It takes the car-plane one minute to _________.
A．fold and unfold its wingsB．unfold wings for flying
C．land in the airportD．meet flying safety regulations
小題3:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.
B. To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
C. The car-plane may fly as high as normal planes.
D. People can park the car-plane in the garage at their home.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $0.9 each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $90 million. That was the second largest lottery jackpot(積累獎(jiǎng)金)in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80. The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million. But that little chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days before the drawing, tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second.
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action. Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably never have.
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized (合法化的)gambling. Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts who take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice(惡習(xí)), under the name of social progress.
No matter whether you regard state lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans.
小題1:The main idea of the passage is that __________.
A．lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them
B．playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market
C．a(chǎn) lot of people buy lottery tickets, but lotteries cause disagreement
D．lotteries are just legalized vice
小題2:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra tax.
B．The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress.
C．Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste their money on them.
D．People love the lottery because it is a stock market.
小題3:In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling_______.
A．$1.62 millionB．$90 millionC．$9.6 millionD．$87 million
小題4:People who are addicted to playing lotteries should _________.
A．join a clubB．kick the habit
C．win the PennsylvaniaD．save every cent

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


The island Fiji has always been around me in my life. My parents met in Fiji when my father was a teacher as a Peace Corps volunteer and my mother a student. They taught me about its people, culture, foods and religious beliefs.
At the age of two, I made my first trip across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji. My mother and I made that trip unexpectedly because my grandma was ill and longed to see her American granddaughter. Although I have few memories of that first trip, I do remember grandma braiding(編辮子) my hair every day. The brush gliding through my hair is a feeling I will treasure forever because she passed away soon. I returned to America when I was five years old. This time I had a brother, Martin, who was two.
I resisted my third trip to Fiji when I was 15, being a teenager who did not want to spend the summer away from friends. It was this trip, however, that made me realize that Fiji is not just a place to visit but a part of who I am. The smells and sounds and sights came back to me, but the best part was getting to know my relatives.
Vishal was one cousin I quickly bonded with(與…合拍). Born two days before me, I had only known him through pictures before. Though raised oceans apart in different cultures, we talked and laughed about everything from American sports to Fijian dancing. I was able to form close ties with all my cousins, and when I talk about them now, it’s as if I have known them my whole life. Spending time with them helped me understand the traditions and values my mother grew up with. Hospitality (熱情) and care and respect for family members are central values in Fijian culture.
I truly enjoyed learning about my roots during this trip. Fuji is just like a second home, and I will never forget the time I have spent there.
小題1:From the passage, we can learn that ______________________.
  1. the author’s parents had been classmates before
  2. the author had lived in Fiji for about five years
  3. the author had no memories of her grandma
  4. people value family in Fijian culture
小題2:The author resisted her third trip to Fiji because______________________.
  1. she didn’t want to separate from her brother
  2. she didn’t know her cousins there very well
  3. she didn’t want to separate from her American friends
  4. her grandma had passed away
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about Vishal?
  1. He is younger than the author.
  2. The author had met him on her first trip to Fiji.
  3. He and the author had lots of common interests.
  4. He and the author held different opinions about Fijian culture.
小題4:What’s the best title for the passage?
A． My Trips to Fiji
B．Discovering My Fijian Origins
C．My Understanding of Fijian Culture
D．My Memories of Fiji

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

They like using the Internet. They have lots of pocket money to spend. And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us. Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy－games, CDs and clothing－are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards. Most have to use a parent’s card. They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (網(wǎng)絡(luò)的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK. Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school－88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK. According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online－mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children. Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street. They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as InternetCash in the US and Smart cards in the UK. Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.
小題1: What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A．Sellers.B．Buyers.C．Teenagers.D．Parents.
小題2:According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access.
B．Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.
C．Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.
D．Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.
小題3:New way to help teenagers shop online is to use ______.
A．a(chǎn) new machineB．special coins and notes
C．prepaid cardsD．pay-as-you-go mobile phones
小題4:What is the passage mainly about?
A．Online shopping traps.B．Internet users in the US and the UK.
C．New credit cards for parents.D．The arrival of cyber pocket money.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is about, It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbours.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich life--style of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series  of short stories, He called it ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ because ‘Jones’ is a very common name in the United States.’ Keeping up with the Joneses’ came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are ‘Jonses’ in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
小題1:Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.
A．want to be as rich as their neighbours
B．want others to know or to think that they are rich
C．don’t want others to know they are rich
D．want to be happy
小題2:It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to ________.
A．live outside New York CityB．live in New York City
C．live in apartmentsD．have many neighbours
小題3:The underlined word neighbourhood in the second paragraph means ________.
A．a(chǎn) person who lives near anotherB．people living in an area
C．a(chǎn)n area near the place referred toD．a(chǎn)n area in another town or city
小題4: Arthur Momand used the name ‘Jones’ in his series of short stories because’ Jones’ is ________.
A．a(chǎn)n important nameB．a(chǎn) popular name in the United States
C．his neighbour’s nameD．not a good name
小題5:According to the writer, it is       to keep up with the Joneses.
A．correctB．interestingC．impossibleD．good

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority（優(yōu)先）it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is, how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities（復(fù)雜）of spelling.
If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teacher’s interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to “play safe”. He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language. That’s why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: “ This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is illegible（難以辨認(rèn)的）.” It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil’s technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had omitted to read the essay, which contained some beautiful expressions of the child’s deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centered on the child’s ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more motivation（動(dòng)力）to seek improvement.
小題1:Teachers are different in their opinions about ___________.
A．the difficulties in teaching spelling
B．the role of spelling in general language development
C．the complexities of the basic writing skills
D．the necessity of teaching spelling
小題2: The expression “play safe” probably means ____________.
A．to write carefullyB．to do as the teachers say
C．to use dictionaries frequentlyD．to avoid using words one is not sure of
小題3: Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that___________.
A．students will be able to express their ideas more freely
B．students will have more confidence in writing
C．teachers will have less trouble in correcting mistakes
D．students will learn to be independent of teachers
小題4: The writer seems to think that the teacher’s judgment on that sensitive piece of writing is____________.
A．unfairB．reasonableC．foolishD．careless
小題5:The major point discussed in the passage is_____________.
A．the importance of developing writing skills
B．the complexities of spelling
C．the correct way of marking compositions
D．the relationship between spelling and the content of a composition

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虛幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （堅(jiān)毅） it takes to stay the course (堅(jiān)持到底)in the shadow land．
小題1:Why did Alex give up his job?
A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．
B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．
C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．
D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．
小題2:What did Alex express when he answered the call?
A．He refused the job offer．
B．He was willing to give them a hand．
C．He expected them to pay him more money．
D．He would write in his spare time．
小題3:What kind of person is Alex?
A．Determined．B．Modest．C．Shy．D．Brave．
小題4:Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?
A．Look before you leap．B．Two heads are better, than one．
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

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