Cast your mind back to the past twenty years and hardly did anyone have their own email account. The Internet had just taken off in 1991 and people were only using office and PCbased email exchanges.
In the mid 1990s external email providers appeared. The most famous of these was Hotmail, the first free email provider and webbased email service. Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith launched Hotmail on July 4, 1996. And Microsoft took note of and bought Hotmail for $400 million on December 30, 1997, a nice birthday present for Bhatia who turned 29 that day. It was relaunched as MSN Hotmail and in 2007 was relaunched again as Windows Live Hotmail.
Fast forward the present day and most of us have at least a personal webbased email account. It seems impossible to live without them. One of the biggest advantages of email is the fact that communication has become so much easier, especially with those across different time zones. Email takes seconds to send a message whereas letters, as we used to communicate by, could take weeks. Of course there was the fax, that beeping invention from the 1980s, but it wasn’t as secure as email and you never knew if the person on the other end had picked up your fax or if it had got lost somewhere in the office.
In conclusion, one of the best inventions from the 1990s has to be email. But sometimes people are too closely connected to their email and have a compulsion to check it several times a day. At work, people have become lazy and instead of going to speak to the person sitting next to them, they send an email，causing an in box to pile up with more time spent reading email and responding rather than working. Clearly, an invention that saved time because of its quick and speedy connection can now also cause us to waste a lot of time.
【小题1】The earliest web-based email came into being probably _______.
| A．in 1991 | B．in 1996 | C．in 1997 | D．in 2007 |
| A．it is exactly as good as email |
| B．it is much better than email |
| C．it is less convenient than email |
| D．it is easier and faster than email |
| A．strong desire | B．common sense | C．special curiosity | D．general idea |
| A．We should check email boxes frequently. |
| B．Lazy people like sending an email. |
| C．Email brings us great convenience. |
| D．Good inventions also cause problems. |
【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】A
【小题4】D
解析试题分析：文章介绍了通信方式的发展变化。自从有了互联网，电子邮件快速发展，得到了广泛的应用。几乎每个人都有一个电子邮件账号。但是，发明给我们带来便利的同时，也会附带有一些问题的出现。
【小题1】根据“In the mid 1990s external email providers appeared. The most famous of these was Hotmail, the first free email provider and webbased email service. Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith launched Hotmail on July 4, 1996.”可知，基于网络的最早的电子邮件出现在二十世纪九十年代中期，故选B。
【小题2】根据第三段“Of course there was the fax, that beeping invention from the 1980s, but it wasn’t as secure as email and you never knew if the person on the other end had picked up your fax or if it had got lost somewhere in the office.”可知，传真没有电子邮件安全，无法知道对方是否接收了传真，或者把传真的文件放丢了。传真没有电子邮件方便，故选C。
【小题3】根据最后一段“But sometimes people are too closely connected to their email and have a compulsion to check it several times a day.”可知，有时候，人们与电子邮件的联系过于密切，以至于有一种一天查收好几次的欲望。故选A。
【小题4】根据最后一段“Clearly, an invention that saved time because of its quick and speedy connection can now also cause us to waste a lot of time.”可知，好的发明在带来便利的同时，也会引起许多问题。故选D。
考点：科技类短文阅读
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half a dozen generate (引起，导致) the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances hundreds--- even thousands--- of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is converted to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to swirl in a counter-clockwise (逆时针方向) motion.
The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months.
Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea, the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.
【小题1】When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?
| A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. |
| B．When it hits he coastline. |
| C．When it is more than 75 mils wide. |
| D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour. |
| A．The destructive effects of water. |
| B．The heat they release. |
| C．That they last about nine days on the average. |
| D．Their strong winds. |
| A．the low-pressure area in the center of the storm |
| B．the force of waves of water. |
| C．the trade winds |
| D．the increasing heat |
| A．heavy rainfall |
| B．dangerous waves |
| C．the progress of water to the hurricane center |
| D．the increasing heat |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part—drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the starting area, Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote (远距离的) consol. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence; another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The “winner,”if there was any, reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long, narrow hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things,” says Reinhold Behringer, who helped design two of the ear-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics, “Even ants (蚂蚁) can do all these tasks effortlessly. It’s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines.”
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately. Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there’s a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.
【小题1】DARPA organized the race in order to ______.
| A．raise money for producing more robotic vehicles |
| B．push the development of vehicle industry |
| C．train more people to drive in the desert |
| D．improve the vehicles for future wars |
| A．can do effortlessly whatever tasks living things can |
| B．can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit |
| C．can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down |
| D．can move from place to p1ace without being driven by human beings |
| A．about eight miles | B．six miles | C．almost two miles | D．about one mile |
| A．for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties |
| B．for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table |
| C．for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve |
| D．for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Early one morning, more than a hundred years ago, an American inventor called Elias Howe finally fell asleep. He had been working all night on the design of a sewing machine but he had run into a very difficult problem: It seemed impossible to get the thread to run smoothly around the needle.
Though he was tired, Howe slept badly. He turned and turned. Then he had a dream. He dreamt that he had been caught by terrible savages whose king wanted to kill him and eat him unless he could build a perfect sewing machine. When he tried to do so, Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle. The king flew into the cage and ordered his soldiers to kill Howe. They came up towards him with their spears raised. But suddenly the inventor noticed something. There was a hole in the tip of each spear. The inventor awoke from the dream, realizing that he had just found the answer to the problem. Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make it run through a small hole in the center of the needle. This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practiced sewing machine.
Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way.
Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein. Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing Jane Eyre.
To know the value of dreams, you have to understand what happens when you are asleep. Even then, a part of your mind is still working. This unconscious(无意识的), but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day. It stores all sorts of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed. It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first. This is why dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves”.
【小题1】According to the passage, Elias Howe was________.
| A．the first person we know of who solved problems in his sleep |
| B．much more hard-working than other inventors |
| C．the first person to design a sewing machine that really worked |
| D．the only person at the time who knew the value of dreams |
| A．what kind of thread to use |
| B．how to design a needle which would not break |
| C．where to put the needle |
| D．how to prevent the thread from getting caught around the needle |
| A．he also tried to invent a sewing machine |
| B．he got some of his ideas from dreams |
| C．he was one of Howe’s best friends |
| D．he also had difficulty in falling asleep |
| A．strange images are used to communicate ideas |
| B．images which have no meaning are used |
| C．we can never understand the real meaning |
| D．only specially trained people can understand them |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
LG Electronics, the world’s fourth largest cell phone producer, has added another feature to the mobile phone-reading books for the visually impaired(弱视的). The company started marketing the model, the LF1300 on Sep.18. No other people but the blind and visually-impaired with a certificate(证书) can buy the talking phone at sales shops of LG Electronics.
“The LF1300 is the world’s first mobile phone that is capable of reading books for the print-disabled, who otherwise could not enjoy them. This is not about making money but about continuing to put froth efforts to reduce the digital difference for the disabled,” LG Vice President said.
Its users can download about 300 audio (声音的) books from the Internet site of LG Sangam Library to their phones for free in two ways. One is to access the digital library’s Website on a computer designed for the blind to get the audio books and transfer them to cell phones. The other is to download the digital books directly with cell phones through the wireless net work by touching a hot key on the LF1300 phone. www.zxxk.com
On top of its unique feature of reading books, the LF1300 is no worse than the popular top-line phones in both outlooks and functionalities(功能性). The phone is armed with an MP3 player and a Bluetooth headset, enabling users to listen to the music or talk without a cord. The user interface（界面) of the LF1300 is also designed for the blind, enabling phone users to control it through a voice guidance system.
However, because the phone’s internal memory of 17MB is small even for a single audio book file, which takes up 80MB on average, a high-volume external memory is a must for the talking book services.
【小题1】 are allowed to buy the talking phone.
| A．Disabled people with a certificate |
| B．All the blind and poor-sighted people |
| C．The blind and poor-sighted with a certificate |
| D．Both healthy and disabled citizens |
| A．talking to the microphone |
| B．touching any key |
| C．touching its screen |
| D．touching the hot key |
| A．This is the first time LG Company has done something for the disabled. |
| B．Phone users don’t have to pay much to download the digital books. |
| C．LF1300 has a less attractive outlook than any other top-line phone. |
| D．The disadvantage of LF1300 is that it has too small internal memory. |
| A．A New Type of Cell Phone is on the Market |
| B．Mobile Phones Can Read Books for the Print-Disabled |
| C．The Disabled will Benefit from Cell Phone Producers |
| D．Advanced Technology Helps the Blind Read Books |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Everyone likes living in a clean and comfortable environment. If the envionment(环境) are bad, it will affect（影响）our body, and make us not feel well. Sometimes we may be terribly ill. At that time we don’t want to work, and we have to stay in bed and rest at home. So the envrionment is very important to us.
It’s germs that makes us ill. There are germs everywhere, They are very small and you can’t find them with your own eyes, but you can see them with a microscope（显微镜）They are very small and there may be hundreds of them on a very small thing, Germs can always be found in dirty water. When we look at dirty water under the microscope, we shall see them in it. Germs can also be found in air and dust（灰尘）. If you cut your finger, some of the dust from the floor may go into it, and you will have much pain in it. Sometimes the germs will go into all of your boby, and you will have pain everywhere.
To keep us healthy, we should try to our best to make our environment become cleaner and tidier. This needs us to act together.
【小题1】The writer tell us that________.
| A．we like working when we are ill |
| B．germs can’t live in the water. |
| C．we can’t feel ill if the environment is bad. |
| D．we feel well when the environment is good. |
| A．very small things that you can’t see with your eyes. |
| B．the things that don’t effect people. |
| C．the things that you can find with your eyes. |
| D．the things that are very big. |
| A．on the small thing | B．in air and dust |
| C．only in dirty water | D．everywhere |
| A．I will feel nothing. | B．I won’t mind. |
| C．I will feel tense. | D．I will feel painful. |
| A．environment doesn’t affect our life |
| B．we don’t need to improve our environment |
| C．germs may make us ill |
| D．if the environment is better, germs will be more. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
After a busy day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day.
There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.
Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (Although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement.
If you have trouble falling asleep, some people recommend breathing very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion the counting sheep will put you to sleep!
【小题1】A good title for this passage is ____.
| A．Sleep | B．Dreams | C．Good Health | D．Work and Rest |
| A．sick | B．asleep | C．stand up | D．a little sleepy |
| A．dream more often | B．have poor health | C．nervous | D．breathe quickly |
| A．your eyes move quickly | B．you dream | C．you are restless | D．both A and B |
| A．approximately six hours | B．around ten hours |
| C．about eight hours | D．not described here |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
U.S. Bottled Water Sales Are Booming Again Despite Opposition
Despite organized anti-bottled-water campaigns across the country and a noisy debate about bottled water’s environmental impact, Americans are buying more bottled water than ever.
Why do so many people seem to think they should have any input on what other American’s choose to buy or do?
If they want to buy bottled water, let them.
If they want to eat fast food, let them.
If they want to smoke pot, let them.
— Barackalypse
People just get tired of paying for others’ bad behavior. If many people eat excessive fast food, you pay higher insurance premiums. If many people frequently buy bottled water, your trash bills go up and landfills fill up quickly.www.zxxk.com
It’s about personal responsibility, which really should be a cornerstone of libertarianism.
— Bdbr
So? This is the price you pay to live in a free society. You want to control the life of another just so you can save a few bucks? What would you say when someone do the same to you?
— Norman619
Defend selfish pricks all you like; I’m just glad there are still people who still believe personal responsibility is a good and decent thing. We make your life cheaper and less bothersome.
— Yoyo
What a waste of money! It’s fine when you’re on the road and you need a cold drink, but people who buy cases of bottled water for home are completely crazy.
— Agmlauncher
I wish we all can find a way to improve things and benefit from this. The environment needs a lot of help but businesses will always work on what people would need and demand. Is this part of the balance? Hope we can find better ways.
— Skipweis
【小题1】What can we know about bottled water in America?
| A．Americans are consuming more bottled water than tap. |
| B．US bottled water sales have increased for the first time. |
| C．Activists in several regions have been fighting against it. |
| D．Some people worry about its bad effect on the environment. |
| A．Bdbr. | B．Norman619. | C．Yoyo. | D．Agmlauncher. |
| A．partly supportive of | B．extremely against |
| C．strongly in favor of | D．not concerned about |
| A．The environment is emphasized too much. |
| B．It’s impossible for people to find a better way. |
| C．Business is not totally responsible for the problem. |
| D．At present we can’t benefit from bottled water at all. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
For thousands of years, mankind has produced plants and animals to create more desired and useful plants and animals. For example, modern com has been produced to such a large size that it is no longer able to reproduce without man’s assistance. Modern dairy cows produce too much milk and if they are not often emptied of milk, they could leak, burst, become infected, and possibly die. Besides, most dogs raised by people can not survive in the wild even with special training.
Since natural evolution is extremely slow and mankind’s selective production programs only take a few generations to produce a completely new species, natural evolution has already taken a back seat to mankind’s production programs. In addition, mankind has successfully killed off several species all together. For example, there are no more European wolves in existence and mammoths (猛犸象) probably died out because of mankind. Even certain diseases have been permanently got rid of from the planet, and dozens of other diseases will soon be too. Again, natural evolution did i»t cause most of the destruction during man’s rule of the world.
Currently, scientists are creating new species with desired characteristics in the lab significantly faster than natural evolution creates new species. In a single generation, new species can be created and destroyed by mankind, while natural evolution could take thousands of years to do the same but only accidentally. Scientists are even able to replace defective (有缺陷的) or damaged genes with different genes to attempt to cure genetic defects. This is something that natural evolution could possibly never correct.
Eventually scientists will even be able to improve the quality of people. For example, imagine not only correcting your eyesight with gene treatment, but also ensuring that all of your children do not receive your old genes of poor eyesight too. Scientists will one day be able to improve the memory and intelligence of your children, so that they will do better in school and achieve more in life. Doctors and scientists will be able to customize (订制) babies before they are born just like picking options at a car store.
【小题1】According to the first paragraph,______ .
A. man-made evolution has improved all species
B. man-made evolution has weakened some species
C man-made evolution can make up for all natural losses
D. natural evolution won’t happen without man’s assistance
【小题2】What does the underlined part “taken a back seat to” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Become powerful assistance to.
B. Become a huge barrier to.
C Speeded up the process of.
D. Played a less important role than.
【小题3】What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Why natural evolution happens so slowly. |
| B．The way scientists adopt to have genetic defects repaired. |
| C．The advantages of man-made evolution over natural evolution. |
| D．How scientists make use of man-made evolution to create new species. |
| A．Near-sighted parents will be able to produce babies with good eyesight in the future. |
| B．Doctors and scientists will be responsible for mass production of babies in the future. |
| C．It is natural evolution that is to blame for the destruction of European wolves and mammoths. |
| D．Children can now have their memory and intelligence improved with the help of gene treatment. |
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